Built to Spill at Sunset Junction -- Aug. 23, 2009

Built To Spill shows can be hit or miss. I've seen them in full-on rock/guitar god mode (Troubadour, July 2007) and I've also experienced their long-winded, super mellow jammy appearances (House of Blues, sometime in the early or mid 2000s). Which band would show up for Sunset Junction? Could Doug Martsch and his players overcome the overcrowding, heat, and notoriously bad sound that is synonamous with the street fair? Or would I have to resort to my plan B and drive down to Santa Ana to see them Tuesday night in a proper venue?

The show was slated to start at 7:50 but by the time we got there around 7:40, the band was already soundchecking. I was super thankful for this as a bad mix would spell disaster for their layers of guitars. That soundcheck morphed into their first jam of the night. I don't know if they were playing a proper song but it went on for a bit. The stage lights were eventually turned on and just like that, we were in the midst of the show.

I didn't recognize the first few songs that the band played. Maybe they were off the upcoming album or from discs I didn't own, I'm not sure. But when the hits started, it was on. There was "Car," "Big Dipper," "Sidewalk," "You Were Right." Off the "You in Reverse" album came a blistering "Goin' Against Your Mind" and the haunting "Traces." There were other songs I recognized and jumped around to but don't know the names of. I wasn't exactly in the state of mind to keep a set list but I do know that they played an unbelievably rocking version of "The Plan" and that their encore song went more than 15 minutes on one song and kept us wanting more.

If I had to be critical, I'd say Doug's voice isn't as strong as it used to be: He'd stop singing lyrics during songs and fall back on guitar. It didn't matter. Save your voice Doug, the music is enough. There was also a miscommunication between band members during a song in which one guitarist was ready to launch into jam mode and the others were still doing the refrain. Minor points.

As technically fantastic as they are on their instruments, Built to Spill's members barely move during the show. Martsch says a simple "thanks" after a song and it's on to the next. It's not to say they're not engaging, just they are quite serious about the task at hand. You try playing guitars as fast and furiously as they do in unison. Doug even commented, "It may not look like it but we're having fun."

Another aspect to the band is that it is no sweat for them to play 20-minute songs. Open a window to a jam and they'll take it. But these are jams in a much different sense than the Grateful Dead. It's not about one guy doing a solo and the next guy doing a solo and the drummer taking over before the next guy does a solo. From what I've seen, there is a purpose to Built To Spill's jamming. There is a beginning, middle, and end. We may not be able to distinguish it, but all parts are playing together without showboating. There's nothing quite like being pulled back into a melody after getting lost on a musical tangent.

The band's proficiency, the cool California breeze, the small-ish crowd that allowed us to get comfortably close to the stage, and most importantly, the music, added up to a jamtastic L.A. appearance.

p.s. I highly recommend listening to Built To Spill's live album from 2000 to get a taste of their live shows. The version of "Car" on that album is great as is "Virginia Reel Around the Fountain," Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" and the 19-minute version of "Broken Chairs."