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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks finished off their Midwest/East Coast leg of their United States spring tour with opener John Vanderslice last Friday at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. The group effortlessly meandered through an impressive set full of tracks from their new record "Real Emotional Trash" without once busting out a throwback tune from Malkmus' former band, the deeply admired Pavement.
John Vanderslice and his three other band members opened the show, churning out some fairly simple pop songs. Things got interesting when one of his musicians switched over to violin, creating a more delicate, rustic feel. This was the last show at which Vanderslice joined the Jicks on their tour, closing the set out in the middle of the decent-sized crowd with an intimate acoustic number.
The Jicks then took the stage, including a shambling Malkmus complete with button fly undone. Their beat up amplifiers reflected years on the road, including some childish alterations of their brand names, reading "Banger" instead of "Orange," "a snail" in white standing out from blacked out portions of "Marshall," and most immaturely, an amp that read "Ms. Boogie ass."
A relaxed Malkmus worked his way through the entire set in a sort of controlled stumble, predominantly opting for his fingers over a pick to coax atonal sounds from the strings. He casually summoned thick, muddy sounds from his trio of guitars, as well as searing tones and strangled vibratos. He wrestled with the pedals at his feet, though consistently got it right and created the perfect guitar jangles and chimes.
An equally relaxed (and barefoot) Joanna Bolme swayed from side to side, plucking out rhythms from her bass guitar and providing aloof backing vocals, while Mike Clark multi-tasked, taking the duties of a second guitar, keys and the occasional tambourine. Drummer Janet Weiss also provided backing vocals, though more angelic, and was the perfect backbeat for Malkmus' stinging guitar tones. Her bass drum featured the large blue and green spiral and yellow owl which grace the "Real Emotional Trash" album cover, seemingly drawn on with Sharpie marker.
Malkmus was the obvious focus, however, joking with the crowd in between every song from the center of the stage. He commented on the industrial grounds of MASS MoCA, claiming there's nothing like it west of the Mississippi. He mused that the facility must be what David Byrne's house is like, but not as weird. He fielded a comment by an audience member mentioning an odd Malkmus interview with FOX News, claiming they must have seen him as a mere "liberal wacky slow-talker." Continuing with the comedy, Malkmus mentioned this year's upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, imagining himself there as a representative of the "United States of Shreddage." Malkmus then immediately launched into a squealing, miniature guitar solo.
The Jicks rocked through key cuts from their new record including "Dragonfly Pie" and "Hopscotch Willie." After finishing the song "We Can't Help You," Malkmus, perhaps jokingly, revealed that former Sudanese NBA player and current activist Manute Bol is a fan of Malkmus' music. He provided an anecdote by Bol, who apparently claimed that "We Can't Help You" is his theme song while touring Africa providing aid to those suffering from hunger and civil war.
The set ended and the Jicks left the stage to heavy applause, returning after time for a well-earned encore. During this extra set of music, Malkmus took the opportunity to introduce each Jick, providing a theme song for each member before spitting the tongue-in-cheek announcement "all I wanna be is cool." The Jicks played three more songs, including the two and a half minute "Dark Wave" from their 2003 record "Pig Lib."
Malkmus never stopped smiling throughout the entire show, evidence that he is still having fun creating and performing music and doesn't need Pavement songs to milk a positive reaction from the audience. Malkmus helped strengthen MASS MoCA's reputation for bringing interesting and relevant acts to the area, surely with more to come in the future.
Ian Nelson can be reached at inelson@student.umass.edu
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