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It was Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. It was RicharLloyd and Tom Verlaine. No, neither the Yardbirds nor Television were at the Crocodile March 10, 1999. Built to Spill was, led by dueling guitars the likes of which I've never seen.
Built to Spill frontman Doug Martsch is an artistic axeman of such repute he earns accolades in the New York Times. He found his match in Jim Roth, the main man for Seattle's up and coming Delusions, who played a beautiful slide that complemented Martsch's own frenetic fingerings. The two coordinated riffs so well I was shocked later to learn that Roth isn't even in BTS. Sporting an outrageous blond wig, Roth effortlessly wrung lead hooks from his Les Paul that twined or echoed Martsch's lines.
The guitarists' dueling was the highlight of an excellent show, the first of three BTS played in Seattle for its Keep It Like a Secret tour. Martsch, a shy musical genius from Boise, Idaho, likes to take his quirky pop in different directions with each record, enlisting an everchanging supporting cast. That's apparently changed and drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson are BTS's first permanent musicians not named Doug.
Plouf and Nelson, laconic lads, effortlessly supplied the rock steady at the show. That's saying something too, since BTS's songs feature quick shifts from slow and sorrowful to hyper.
BTS strutted its tuneful and energetic new repertoire playing nearly all of the songs from the new cd and a few from 1997's Perfect From Now On. "Else," a melodic piece that grabbed me the first time I heard Secret, came out particularly well live, its bouncy rhythm front and center. Martsch, whose plaintive tenor holds up suprisingly well live, raged satisfyingly in "You Were Right" and some of the other more raucous numbers.
The capacity crowd, dense with nerdy devotees, hollered its appreciation. One woman shouted, "Feel the joy!" and you could, though there was barely any room to express it. Martsch acknowledged the audience, with a polite "thank you" or "thanks" after each song, said little else. Forced to talk when Nelson took a bathroom break, he polled the audience about the opening bands, then reminded them that BTS only plays the songs on their set list because "we can't play anything else."
Martsch, with his thinning hair and well-trimmed beard, doesn't look the matinee idol, and doesn't try to be one either, gazing off into the smoke-filled beyond while he tears off glorious solos. He's a riveting performer nonetheless, in perfect command of melodic violence.
He lilted and shouted while his fingers danced double-time on the fretboard. At times, when both guitars wailed and the rhythm section pounded, all in concert, Martsch seemed to have found a way to ride a hurricane. While Roth banged his head, Martsch remained urgent only in his vocals. If anything, BTS could have jammed more, as they have been wont to do in other shows. My friend wondered whether Martsch was lip-syncing at one point.
Roth's contribution with the slide guitar was precious. Flashy guitarists and their bands have rarely appealed to me because they demand so much time for boring solos, but Roth's and Martsch's collaboration was a duet. Roth is surely focused on his work with the Delusions, who opened for Built to Spill, but BTS is certainly an impressive live show with him.
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