Moviola, D. Charles Speer & the Helix - Surly Girl Saloon

Friday’s Moviola show was my second Surly Girl concert experience, the first being the Alina Simone/Jerry DeCicca show back in July. Right now Surly Girl is two for two in my book, and I’ll likely head to more in the future if the bar keeps it up.

Only a living room could be more intimate than this space. Pass all the mildly hectic eating and drinking in the front section of the Short North bar/eatery and you’ll eventually hit a curtain that serves as a visual and aural divider. Behind it, there’s the tiniest of stages and some chairs and benches that look more like church pews. Recessed and red-rope lighting cast a warm, subdued glow to the “Parlour.”

Suffice it to say, it was a nice, relaxed setting in which to watch Moviola, a Columbus band that has now been in existence about 14 years, with some silent periods sprinkled throughout. The last proper Moviola full-length came last year in the form of Dead Knowledge, one of 2007’s strongest Columbus releases. This year also saw Spirit of Orr release Broken Horses, a collection of songs from the band’s early period, 1994 to 2001.

Friday night was a pieced-together affair with false starts, flubbed notes and imperfect harmonies, but none of that detracted from my enjoyment too much. Guitarist Jerry Dannemiller opened the night with a nice rendition of “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” an African-American spiritual/Christmas tune he dedicated to the recently deceased Odetta. I was also glad to hear a fair amount from Dead Knowledge, especially “Rudy,” “Akron to Oakland” and “Spanish Moss.” All five members took turns on vocals, as is Moviola’s custom, including keyboardist Parker Paul, who’s apparently a permanent fixture in the band now; his voice often reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum.

I’ve just recently started exploring Moviola’s entire catalog, but I can safely assert today’s Moviola sounds quite different from the ’90s version. There has almost always been a rootsy sound that would make an “Americana” classification tough to dispute, but the band’s fuzzy early days were characterized by a more lo-fi approach, earning them Pavement comparisons that probably weren’t undeserved.

But watching Moviola perform, I couldn’t help but wonder if any slacker-rock tags were, in retrospect, an oversimplification. Maybe the band never was slacker rock, just laid-back and unfussy enough to seem like slackers. Whether in its current, rootsier form or lo-fi campus-kids version, Moviola approaches recording and performing in a relaxed, unstrained way that expresses something honest and true.

Sure, it may seem silly to attempt any deep analysis of five aging musicians on a small stage having some fun on a Friday night for a rare gig. But it made me appreciate Moviola for playing music with such rewarding nonchalance.

The intimate stage wasn’t quite as friendly to New Yorkers D. Charles Speer and the Helix, but only because Speer himself (real name: Dave Shuford) is a tall scarecrow of a man, and Surly Girl’s one little spot lamp was practically butting up against his forehead during the set.

But he was a good sport, and after some adjustments to the mix, Shuford’s baritone carried the songs, especially on some of the more muted country tunes. The band’s skilled lead guitarist needed a lesson or two in knowing when not to play his Nashville riffs, but Shuford’s quirky guitar leads, which were more prone to psychedelic flourishes, were an essential part of each song. That said, I could have used a little more psychedelia in the set. While a couple of these guys also play in uber-experimental troupe No-Neck Blues Band, it was often hard to tell.

mp3s: Download Dead Knowledge for free, courtesy of Catbird Records.
mp3: D. Charles Speer & the Helix - Single Again