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Beck, Damien Rice, Liz Phair & Others Honor L.A.'s KCRW
11/24/2003 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Lyndsey Parker
Los Angeles public radio station KCRW 89.9 FM held its annual benefit concert, KCRW Presents A Sound Eclectic Evening, this past Saturday (November 22) at L.A.'s Universal Amphitheatre, featuring a stellar lineup of such station supporters as Beck, Jurassic 5, Damien Rice, Liz Phair, and surprise guest Shelby Lynne. The evening's performers were handpicked by Nic Harcourt, KCRW's music director and the host of Morning Becomes Eclectic, the station's popular A.M. drive-time show that has featured such esteemed on-air guests as Air, Nick Cave, Ani DiFranco, Doves, Macy Gray, PJ Harvey, Interpol, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, R.E.M., Sigur Ros, Travis, and countless others.
The station, which has kickstarted the U.S. careers of such artists as Coldplay and David Gray in the past, also used the Sounds Eclectic Evening event to showcase some promising newcomers that are likely to follow in Coldplay and Gray's footsteps with KCRW's help.
The concert began with L.A.-based singer-songwriter Gary Jules, whose short set of Simon & Garfunkel-meets-O Brother folk-rock memorably concluded with his cover of Tears For Fears' "Mad World," off the Donnie Darko movie soundtrack. Next up was British songstress Jem, who got her big break on KCRW when Harcourt began playing an unreleased demo tape that she dropped off at the station on a whim. (She has since been signed to Dave Matthews's imprint label, ATO Records, home of David Gray.) Coming across as a sort of hip-hop Dido as her smoky voice was offset by a bass guitarist and DJ, Jem was warmly received by the crowd, prompting her to exclaim, "We've just gone from about 100 people in London pubs to 4,000! This is fantastic!" She also declared KCRW the "best radio station on the planet."
Liz Phair was up next, playing acoustic accompanied by a second guitarist and a large stuffed bear she introduced as "Luther." She concluded her five-song performance--which included old hits "Supernova" and "Polyester Bride" and featured her sometimes shaky and unpredictable voice in surprisingly good form--with her own kind words about KCRW, explaining that since moving to Los Angeles three years ago, the station has become "a big part of what L.A. is to me."
Next up was a surprise guest, Grammy-winning country chanteuse and KCRW favorite Shelby Lynne, who explained that she was honored to be a last-minute addition to the Sounds Eclectic Evening bill because "KCRW is the best place in the country to hear new music, and that ain't no lie." Highlights of her performance included "If I Were Smart" and "Telephone" from her latest album, Identity Crisis.
Perhaps the ultimate highlight of the entire night, however, was the performance by Beck, who switched from somber acoustic covers of the Elliott Smith tunes "Alameda" and "Clementine" to an off-the-cuff rendition of "Happy Birthday" for a lucky screaming fan, and from his alt-countryish Sea Change numbers "Lonesome Tears" and "Golden Age" to a downright funky, Stevie Wonder-esque medley of his hits "Where It's At" and "Nicotine & Gravy" mixed with Nelly's "Hot In Herre." The latter received a stupendous standing ovation, and a grateful Beck reacted by gushing, "I have to give props to KCRW for keeping some good music on the airwaves!"
Old-school-influenced hip-hoppers Jurassic 5 kept the mood elevated with their high-energy, party-hardy set, which featured breakdancing, backflipping, the DJing of Cut Chemist, and crowd-pleasing KCRW staples like "What's Golden" and "Quality Control." The vibe mellowed out considerably for acclaimed Irish troubadour Damien Rice--who received his first U.S. radio play on KCRW before he even had an American record deal--but his performance was equally captivating in its own way. Backed by a full band that included the gorgeous cello-playing of Vyvienne Long and the ethereal vocals of Lisa Hannigan, Shortlist Award-winner Rice kept the audience at rapt attention during his brilliant, passionate, 40-minute set (which earned the second standing ovation of the night), indicating that KCRW has another budding megastar on its hands.
The night concluded joyously with the 24-member, white-robed, space-pop cult/choir the Polyphonic Spree, whose endearingly bizarre Flaming Lips-meets-Jesus Christ Superstar cacophony put the concertgoers in the proper upbeat mood to enjoy Felix Da Housecat's DJ set at the afterparty...and definitely made for an eclectic evening indeed.
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