THE KNOW-IT-ALL-BOYFRIENDS with STOP THE CLOCK & MODERN MOD: LIVE AT THE BARRYMORE THEATER DECEMBER 11, 2015

THE KNOW-IT-ALL-BOYFRIENDS
with MODERN MOD and STOP THE CLOCK
BENEFIT CONCERT for JOEY'S SONG and GIO'S GARDEN
LIVE AT THE BARRYMORE THEATER
MADISON, WI
DECEMBER 11, 2015

In a year where I attended an unprecedented amount of live concert performances, this night delivered a perfect ending to my experiences and additionally, it was a night where everything came full circle.

Dear readers and listeners, it was around one year ago when I was first introduced to the music and musicians of Madison local bands Post Social and Modern Mod. My experiences with both bands have been chronicled upon the digital pages of this site throughout 2015, including the two extended interviews which can be found in the September and November sections, respectively. It truly has been a wonderful experience getting to know these young people, their music, their ambitions and to witness their unquestionable talents first hand. So, when I was informed that Modern Mod would be performing as an opening act at the Barrymore Theater, my musical venue of choice, and on a Friday night no less, it was a no-brainer that I would at long last get to see this band in action in a beautiful, historic and intimate setting where the sound system is perfect no matter your vantage point.

When I later discovered that Modern Mod would be opening for The Know-It-All-Boyfriends, a high profile cover band featuring none other than Butch Vig and Duke Erikson of Garbage as two of the main participants, that was nothing but the greatest bonus that I could have wished for. When I then further discovered that the night would serve as a benefit concert for Joey's Song, a local charity whose mission is to raise awareness for epilepsy research and program resources for children with special needs, plus Gio's Garden, a local therapeutic respite center for children with special needs, it already proved to become a night not to be missed.

 

Upon arriving at the Barrymore and walking through the parking lot behind the theater, I smiled to myself as I could easily hear Modern Mod performing their original composition "Undefined" during what was presumably a soundcheck. By the time I had reached the theater, I was surprised to run into Wisconsin State Journal writer Samara Kalk, who also happens to be a former high school classmate, as well as a longtime transplant from Chicago, like myself. After catching up with her, as she was heading into the theater to perform her duties as an usher, who should then begin to approach me but Alivia Kleinfeldt and Brendan Manley of both Modern Mod and their latest project Dash Hounds.

As with our past encounters, both Kleinfeldt and Manley continued to prove themselves to be warm and inviting individuals as our conversation flowed easily. Asking them about how they were feeling about the night ahead, Kleinfeldt quipped that she was "chill" while Manley, on the other hand, was admittedly nervous. It was then that they informed me that while Guitarist Cal Pocernich would again be absent from this performance (this time due to academic responsibilities as Finals Week is looming), Guitarist Henry Stoehr, who performed with the band this Autumn, would return in Pocerich's place. I wished the twosome well as they ventured off to find their bandmates, while I finally entered the theater to claim my front row/lip of the stage vantage point for I wished to see the action up close and personal.

Entering the inner sanctum of the Barrymore, my good spirits were elevated even further as James Brown's collection of Christmas songs played over the speakers as the requisite pre-show music. The members of Modern Mod passed through the theater once again, giving me ample opportunity to speak once again with Lead Singer/Guitarist Emily Massey, who remained as beguiling as the day I first met her this past Spring on Record Store Day. Henry Stoehr soon introduced himself, having spotted me at the premiere performance of Dash Hounds several weeks ago, and we immediately hit it off as he explained that he is a member of three different bands and we also shared our mutual affection for Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp A Butterfly" (released March 15, 2015) and the artful nature of the full album experience. 

Conversations between myself and the band felt to be so casual that I could almost forget that soon the foursome would be upon the stage, performing as the first act of the night's triple bill. In fact, before I even realized it, Modern Mod had taken the stage and began strapping on their guitars, bass guitar and Manley had taken his spot at the drum kit, which I then realized was Butch Vig's own trap set!

And after a few brief moments of introduction by John Urban, Madison photographer/filmmaker and the former host of the long running syndicated music television show "Urban Theater," my epic night of music duly began.

MODERN MOD
Alivia Kleinfeldt: Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Brendan Manley: Drums
Emily Massey: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Henry Stoehr: Guitar

As the band launched in to their chugging composition entitled "SLUTS," and over the course of the following 30-35 minutes of their set, Modern Mod took to the stage with a self-assured confidence that was instantly impressive to me. Whatever jittery nerves that may have existed within any of the band members were not apparent whatsoever and frankly, they looked to be completely at home upon the Barrymore stage. Just as Post Social has proven to me on two occasions, Modern Mod is an especially tight band, performing with a skillful precision and rambunctious energy where there is not one stitch of jadedness and their joy of being a band in their unique position is fully infectious to regard.

The first quality I noticed was how the band flowed quickly and effortlessly from one song to the next. Nothing felt tentative for even a moment. Running the gamut from their own material to terrific cover versions of The Ramones "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" and David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" (during which Stoehr simply NAILED that song's interstellar guitar solo), Modern Mod delivered the goods with quick, punchy, to the point flashes of strongly crafted power pop songs which surprisingly phased into more complex, darker, heavier and even psychedelic material by set's end.

This tonal shift in the songs is notable to me as the band performed two self-penned yet still unrecorded/unreleased selections that stretched out beyond the material that made up their debut album "Tunnels" (released April 21, 2014) and sounded as if seeds of  Husker Du, The Doors and The Smashing Pumpkins had inserted themselves somewhere within the DNA. The songs, with the working titles of "A Reminder" and especially, "Capture" (during which Manley extended his already impressive drumming furiously) fully demonstrated the band's growth, and to my ears, paved considerable roadway for whatever music should they choose to create next.

As the band's frontwoman, Emily Massey was completely within her element as her smooth confidence cut an almost ethereal presence on stage. It was as if she was gliding around, and at times, above the material (often looking quite bemused) yet, make no mistake, she was as comfortable as she was commanding. You just couldn't take your eyes away from her.

 

Flaking Massey, were both Kleinfeldt and Stoehr, who expertly provided a grounded and more openly aggressive stage presence. Alivia Kleinfeldt, complete with her Alice Cooper T-shirt, displayed a greater musical urgency than I had previously seen with her excellent debut Dash Hounds performance. Whether providing strong vocals or a propulsive melodicism to her bass playing, Kleinfeldt was a figure in constant motion who demanded the audience's attention wonderfully.

While more of an auxiliary rather than official member of Modern Mod, Henry Stoehr inserted himself within the band seamlessly and skillfully. And while he exuded clear respect for the absent Cal Pocernich, he most certainly made a name for himself with his superb ability to be a team player and then shoot for the stars with his lead solos.

Surging the band forward like a jet propelled engine was Brendan Manley. Never overwhelming his bandmates but unquestionably a force to be reckoned with, Manley's strength and power made the "Tunnels"-era material (during which Manley was not a part of the band) soar higher and drove the newer unrecorded material brilliantly--so much so, that for a spell, Manley was not playing Butch Vig's drum kit, Butch Vig was soon to play Brendan Manley's drum kit!

What was proved to me by the end of Modern Mod's performance, and I expressed as much to the band afterwards, was that however they found themselves within the position of being asked to be a part of this special evening, they fully deserved to be upon the Barrymore stage as top-flight representatives of not just themselves, but as they next wave of musicians to join ranks within the Madison music community.

A community that was just beginning to fully reveal itself to me.

STOP THE CLOCK
Tony Cerniglia: Drums, Backing Vocals
Briana Hardyman: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Michael Massey: Keyboards, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Joel Pingitore: Guitar
Frank Queram: Bass Guitar

In describing the powerful 50 minute or so set by the night second's band, Stop The Clock, I was honestly confused as to how exactly I would write about them without falling into well-worn cliches and descriptions. But, maybe, those descriptions would not be so well-worn considering how I feel the need to display to you what I heard inside of the sheer effectiveness of their performance.

In comparison to the somewhat rawer edge of Modern Mod, Stop The Clock presented themselves as a richly seasoned attraction. Rugged and earthy yet fully road tested and therefore, slick and sleek. In a way, you might be able to say that Stop The Clock has a strong foothold and foundation within the world now known as "classic rock" but one that has also been deeply dipped into the genres of blues, country and soul. Kind of think about a band like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers but fronted by a woman who exists somewhere in the musical universe between the likes of Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Grace Slick and Stevie Nicks, and you will have a sense of what Stop The Clock sounded like...and what a persuasively robust sound it was!

Lead singer Briana Hardyman, while small in physique, was a powerhouse vocalist without question. In contrast to Emily Massey's elegantly transfixing approach, Hardyman projected an earthy quality that was tough, muscular and resilient. She commanded your attention in a more vigorous fashion, from her rhythmic gyrations at the microphone all the way to the band's triumphantly fits-like-a-glove cover version of Janis Joplin's "Me And Bobby McGee."

Yet, for me it was within the show's huge ballads, including a touch the sky version of The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," where Hardyman was purely dynamic, making a very familiar song sound passionately and personally lived in. No small feat and she handled each and every song, most of them Stop The Clock originals, with grit, blood and fire.

Hardyman was supported valiantly by her bandmates who performed like the proverbial well oiled machine. Where Drummer Tony Cerniglia and Bassist Frank Queram created a rock solid foundation, Guitarist Joel Pingitore's fluid, sparkling lead solos spiraled throughout the theater majestically.

Rounding out the band and serving heroically as the subtle connective tissue holding all of the elements together was veteran local musician, Keyboardist/Guitarist/Backing Vocalist Michael Massey, who incidentally happens to be the Father of Modern Mod's Emily Massey!

Whether trading licks with Pingitore, sharing vocals directly alongside Hardyman or providing the ephemeral colors and shadings to the proceedings, Massey was indeed Stop The Clock's secret weapon. Never claiming the spotlight for himself but you always knew that his musical presence was essential to the mix, which by the set's end was genuinely roof raising.

And to think, the roof was then about to get itself blown off the hinges...

THE KNOW-IT-ALL-BOYFRIENDS
Bill "Stick" Bielefeld: Bass Guitar
James "Pie" Cowan: Percussion
Duke Erikson: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar
Freedy Johnston: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Jay Moran: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar
Butch Vig: Drums, Backing Vocals 

With a third return to the stage for introduction by John Urban and the band's acronym now blazing to life in lights, the night's headlining act, The Know-It-All-Boyfriends took to the stage and delivered nearly two full hours of cover songs with a surprisingly wide range of diversity and genre. With Freedy Johnston initially taking lead vocals, the band launched into two valiantly performed versions of both Badfinger's "No Matter What" and Nick Lowe's "Cruel To Be Kind," songs that instantly plastered a grand smile across my face.

That very same grand smile seemed to be plastered across everyone's faces through the venue from patrons to the performers themselves. Where not every sung note may have hit the precise mark from time to time or the band may have sounded a hair ragged here and there (the band's publicity notes claim that they never rehearse), any rough edges were entirely part of the sustained and superb charm of the entire evening, most notably when Duke Erikson took the mic and crooned Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." We were in the palms of the band's collective hands as we sang right along with them.

 

The band was clearly in high spirits and having fun with each other and that feeling translated throughout the Barrymore blissfully, especially when the night's special guest stars all took their turns fronting The Know-It-All-Boyfriends. I was thrilled to witness The Ocean Blue's David Schelzel arrive to perform a pounding and faithful cover of his band's "Between Something And Nothing," as that band and their music were staples upon my college radio show. But beyond that great moment, the night functioned as a cavalcade of Wisconsin music royalty as well as ascending figures.

Appleton, Wisconsin native and folk rock artist Cory Chisel made an appropriately rustic appearance. Evansville, Wisconsin resident, former member of Neko Case's backing band and local songstress Kelly Hogan joined Eriskon for a warmly rousing version of Sonny And Cher's "I Got You, Babe," and she also provided a stunning version of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon," as well.

And after KIAB's just perfect re-creation of the extended opening section of Lou Reed's "Rock And Roll Animal" version of "Sweet Jane," out walked the inimitable Sam Llanas, formerly of Waukesha, Wisconsin's acclaimed The BoDeans, to sing the eternal rock classic as well as a thunderous version of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil," a selection Llanas joked was an old song he "used to sing in church."

Over the course of the night, The Know-It-All-Boyfriends' line up was augmented and further fleshed out by the horn section of Madison's highly celebrated cover band Steely Dane and even Stop The Clock's Michael Massey joined in on keyboards. Yet, it was the core group of musicians who continuously dazzled me with their ability to adapt to each and every performer, consistently remaining deep inside the pocket, and clearly enjoying every moment together upon stage.

 

Yes, Duke Erikson and the heavy hitting Butch Vig (of whom in particular, I was graced with a dead center vantage point for the entire night, as I just wanted to see and study his drumming technique), were the center of my primary focus at first. Yet, soon, I found myself witnessing the roles of their bandmates, especially Percussionist James "Pie" Cowan, who really cut an eccentric styled stance.

Both Freedy Johnston and Jay Moran were superlative yet down to Earth frontmen. Whether taking the leads on songs like Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" and War's "Low Rider," they each struck me as affable, approachable, fully accommodating to their bandmates and undeniably accomplished musicians ready and able to roll with whatever musical punches came flying into their respective directions.

By the show's finale, where the entire stage was packed to the gills with performers, all euphorically pounding out AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," the magic of the night came into its fullest fruition for me. I had truly witnessed and extremely special night of music as I was gathering a healthy gaze through the window into the world of the larger Wisconsin music community, a very rich community made up of music fans just like all of us in the audience.

Even with the significant presence of the world renowned Duke Erikson and Butch Vig though their musical exploits and adventures with Garbage, this night was not one of being in the ardent company of the unattainable. It was also not a night of musical competition and one-upsmanship. This was a night of connectivity and community, where the threads between all of the musicians upon the stage as well as the threads that connected the musicians to the audience members (through the collection of familiar songs we all sang together) was paramount to the enjoyment of the night as a whole.

Between the three acts of Modern Mod, Stop The Clock and The Know-It-All-Boyfriends, we (again, the audience and performers) all had the opportunity to bear witness to an aspect of Wisconsin music history as well as its vibrant present and exciting future. For the older musicians, I can only imagine what viewing young, extremely talented and excited musicians like Modern Mod could have been for them, inevitably finding themselves reminiscing to the points when they were roughly in the same position as Modern Mod find themselves in right now. To that end, what of Modern Mod being able to be in the league with this specific stream of musical veterans, perhaps catching a glimpse into their own potential artistic futures. However all of the bands regarded each other, I was indeed touched by the solidarity and support that was obvious and ephemeral between the musicians, thus creating a specialized sense of blissful alchemy that permeated the theater.

Ultimately, what I witnessed reminded me very much of the extraordinary Martin Scorsese feature length concert film "The Last Waltz" (1978), which detailed the farewell performance by The Band on Thanksgiving night 1976 and featuring a procession of their contemporaries and influences, now all of them legends, including the likes of Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Dr. John and Bob Dylan among others. Yet, unlike that film which depicted an epic finale, the concert performance by The Know-It-All-Boyfriends, with their special guests and opening acts, showcased a night of warmth, musical versatility and continuance that the longer I think about it, the more thankful I am that I was there to experience it.