Old punks soft-rock First Unitarian Church

By Nate Adams and Eric Jaen
Collegian Editors
December 5, 2007

All Philly’s local punks gathered in a church basement to rock out to... um... acoustic music Dec. 2. Indeed, the kids were super pumped to come watch punk legends Chris McCaughan and Chuck Ragan play their smooth soft-rock jams. The show was opened by local folk-punker Eric Stevenson, who was pretty unremarkable, but made a good opening act for the low-key show.

Fresh off the heels of a national tour with his main squeeze, The Lawrence Arms, Chicago’s own McCaughan, under the name Sundowner, was next in line to dazzle the Philly faithful with his brand of feel-good, solo acoustic jams. McCaughan, despite showing the wear and tear of extended touring, did not disappoint. From the get-go, fans were treated with several songs off his debut record, Four One Five Two, such as, “Sea of Lights,” “Jackson Underground” and “This War is Noise.”

Christmas came early for all fans in attendance, as McCaughan seduced the ears of many with acoustic renditions of Lawrence Arms classics “My Boatless Booze Cruise” and “One Hundred Resolutions.” As an added bonus, an acoustic cover of “Intransit,” originally a punk rock romper stomper off of TLA’s Cocktails & Dreams, was added to an already solid set list and got the crowd psyched for more.

For any hardcore Larry Arms fan, seeing McCaughan in a small, intimate setting can be awe-inspiring. Even without cello player and backup vocalist Jenny Choi, his performance was solid, not missing a single note, all while singing every beautiful melody flawlessly. Not much witty banter or crowd interaction was involved during his set, which the audience did not seem to mind as it meant more Sundowner songs.

McCaughan capped off his set, as well as his tour, with two of the slower songs off of Four One Five Two, “Audio Geography” and “Mid summer Classic,” both fitting endings to an impressive set, leaving the crowd ready for the gnarliciousness of one Ragan.

With the sun down on Sundowner, the dynamic of the crowd started to shift significantly. Gone were the wide-eyed couples holding hands. Gone were the torn jeans patched with bandanas and band names. Instead, big men with thick necks and gruff exteriors shuffled solemnly to the front of the Church. Alcohol in paper bags began to emerge throughout the crowd as people awaited the arrival of ex-Hot Water Music frontman Ragan. Looking around at the audience, we doubted very much that there would be any sing-alongs.

Ragan took the stage to thunderous applause and opened his set with a throat-crunching rendition of “Open Up and Wail” off of his live record, Los Feliz. Immediately striking was how Ragan carried himself on stage; built like a lumberjack, complete with fiery red beard, he delivered his words in the guttural growl that is his trademark with all the fury and passion of a raging bull.

Ragan’s set, which consisted of new songs as well as cuts from Los Feliz and Feast or Famine, suffered under the length. He played over 15 songs, and because so much of what makes Ragan engaging is in his delivery, they began to run together in the middle of the set. While this led to a sort of “folk-drone” of bled-together tunes, it made the standouts sound all the better. “Do You Pray,” featuring banjo and fiddle accompaniment, was truer to the genre of folk-punk than anything Plan-It-X has put out in some time.

Indeed, the banjo and fiddle were a nice addition to the show, especially on the classic folk standby “Blackberry Blossom” and “California Burritos,” the latter of which played like a protest song that actually believed in something.

Still, the finest moments were found in Ragan’s closed eyes and heaving chest. Watching “The Boat” preformed live gave the song new dimensions, making the tune a raw, tender cry for something to grasp. Equally emotional was Ragan’s present to his father-in-law, “Congratulations, Joe,” which painted the man as a classic folk hero in the same vein as John Henry. It was both inspiring and touching.

With songs performed as well as that, it’s almost a shame that the cover of Hot Water Music’s “God Deciding” got the biggest applause. At the end of the show, Ragan mentioned an HWM reunion, and people went nuts. And, sure, that’s exciting. But when it’s delivered with as much intensity as Ragan possesses, it’s not hard to be excited about folk music, either.

adamsn1@lasalle.edu
jaene1@lasalle.edu