Spiritualized - Guy Blakeslee -- 9:30 Club - Sep 8 2013

Guy Blakeslee - I knew I knew this name, but it did not immediately hit me that this singer/guitarist originally from Baltimore was the driving force behind Entrance Band. And although there were many times I was crying out for some of EB's rhythm section support for his songs, his brilliance was more than enough to carry his music forward. He did employ some backings and loops with drumbeats and synth-guitar washes to give a dreamy foundation to his spacey guitar and soaring voice. This was very psychedelic, yet there was a nice pop component  in here as well (I am not sure the trendy popsike applies here). Seeing him solo reminds me of a character who recorded under the name Nicodemus--the oddball biker loner from Michigan, and not the metal band. This was a great 38 minute set and it was a shame people were still filing in. Why was this needed to begin so early if there was going to be a 45 minute gap between bands? I think I know the answer, but the people who got here early were rewarded with not only some great music, but a nice mood setting lead-in to the headliner.

Spiritualized - I have seen this band twice before. They absolutely blew me away the first time and although it is hard for me to get blown away a second time, it happened again a couple years back at this very club. Jason Pierce is back again with what looks like the same band and at least is the same lineup of guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and two female backing singers to add to his lead vocals and guitar. So could they blow me away a third time? Well, not tonight, although in trying to assess why, I think it was more to do with me than them. They still play such a warm inviting brand of psychedelic folk music that rocks out, goes soulful, and offers whatever Jason Pierce dreams up with his personal approach to a global musical stage. He does conjure up more imagery for me than that of most bands, with rolling English hills and gnarled city streets all whisking by as the band takes great care in caressing their notes. This still is a great band to see live and they did a fine job tonight. Considering very few bands create an out of body experience for me, I won't hold it against them that they are now becoming merely a comfortable high quality band for me.

Photo of the Day: Although this is a wind-up, it made me smile...