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David Dondero
Cub Country
The Band Of Annuals
Palomino
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Kilby Court
Salt Lake City, UT
12/12/2005
By: Meagan Rockne
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One of the many challenges of the Salt Lake City indie music scene is the weather. Why come out to a hole-in-the-wall venue when it's below freezing? Four small words: Kilby Court has heat. Besides that small luxury, they are also host to some amazing talent. Tonight it was two local acts, Palomino, The Annuals (who are now called The Band Of Annuals), along with touring acts Cub Country and David Dondero.
The Band Of Annuals is an amazing act. This is truly a
jack-of-all-trades band, at least in their usage of instruments - violins, keyboards, whatever that instrument is that Brent plays. Musically, they have little variation. That's not to say all their songs sound the same. Quite the contrary, they have excelled at their chosen music genre - alt-country. Think a little bit Clem Snide with a hint of Cat Power - that comes courtesy of Jeremi Hanson whose vocals are greatly underused. I've seen this band play four times in three months and not once have I been bored. But tonight was the best I had seen them - they had a truly appreciative crowd, the sound was good and it looked like they were enjoying themselves.
Following The Band Of Annuals was Cub Country. If you knew who this band was without doing some research, you are one step ahead of me. Apparently, it's Jeremy Chatelain from Jets To Brazil. But since I had never been huge Jets To Brazil fan, I went in with a tabula rasa. I was pleasantly surprised with his brand of refreshing, heart-felt lyrics backed by an alt-country sound. But for me, the performance was forgettable.
Now, for all of you who have already touted Conor Oberst as the next Bob Dylan or even the greatest lyricist of our time, I ask that you stop and listen to David Dondero. Just like Conor, David is a storyteller - spinning his tales of all the current favorites: prostitutes, cheating girlfriends, cross country travels, love and war. And he does it all without sounding whiney.
Tonight's performance was the first time I had seen him live and it's not what I expected. I thought it would be him and a guitar and he would be this skinny indie kid with a beard, but that wasn't the case. He was clean-shaven and looked like a normal guy - maybe even someone who would work at your local coffee shop or bookstore and was accompanied by a drummer. But it is his musical ability makes him anything but ordinary. His music is simple with just an acoustic guitar and backing drums, it is his prolific lyrics that make him an act to see. It was unfortunate that many left before David's performance and I hope that next time they brave the cold and stick around to see him play.
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