Creative billing is an art form. Putting two like-minded bands together for a tour is one thing, placing three distinct, equally talented bands is another. It’s a somewhat more common phenomenon in revival house cinemas where creative pairing of films is most often the domain of a single curator whose job it is to create an appealing and original lineup. However, in film I imagine this to be a much less daunting task than in music where it is much easier to alienate an audience. For one thing, the revival house curator has the flexibility of matching films not only by genre, but by star, director, historical period, subject matter, remake, plot structure, and even title similarities. I can’t imagine a bill with The Eagles and The Metallic Falcons on the basis that their band names both include birds of prey. In the music world, touring partners are often decided by booking agents, record labels, and sometimes the bands themselves and are often based on more practical matters such as location of residence, label of origin, or personality (they have to see each other everyday after all). Both in music and film, however, pairings often strive to introduce fans of a single act or work to a complimentary band or film. Often times I find myself plodding along with openers, counting down the songs to the main course, or coming early for the unknowns and leaving before the rush. So, taking these factors into consideration, I find that when music billings work well, they are a spectacular phenomenon. In these regards the matching of Blitzen Trapper with Fleet Foxes and Grand Archives was an inspired tri-fecta.
First up were Fleet Foxes who were a terrific surprise for me. Their bread and butter is vocal harmony soaked in nostalgic reverence and they wear their influences on their sleeves, yet manage to create something original. If you can imagine vocal dramatists like Jim James or Band of Horses as backed by the lush arrangements of Grizzly Bear and the driving rhythms of Arcade Fire, yet in the songwriting traditions of contemporaries Phosphorescent or Bon Iver, you would have something approaching what Fleet Foxes sound like. So, yeah, I think that Fleet Foxes draw a bit heavily from touchstones of contemporary indie rock, but I think with some touring time behind them, they could develop into a band very much on par with their accomplished musical brethren.
Grand Archives put on the pop show of the three groups without dismissing the country and classic rock tendencies that all three bands displayed a knack for. They had the biggest support group at the Troubadour and they sounded confident if not a little on the safe side of things.
Blitzen Trapper was the perfect headliner for this motley crew. Bringing an equal measure of noise and pop and country and classic rock, this oddly shambolic troupe combined sonic elements from their predecessors into a whirlwind of hyperactive country rockers and whisky soaked laments. Blitzen Trapper captured the ADD, pop-culture and meth-addled tension of modern rural life like no other band I’ve seen. The lead singer was captivatingly poised without being rigid and I was certain the drummer was going to bust through the heads on all of his toms. Each of the three like-minded but distinct bands that graced the Troubadour stage Friday night benefited from the contributions of their touring partners in what is perhaps the ultimate achievement of creative billing.
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