Jason Webley, Vermillion Lies, and the Leisure Kings

EXCLUSIVE REVIEW AND PICS: 
Story by Patrick - Photos by Patrick -

 

August 2nd @ The Melody Inn

Last Thursday’s show at the Melody Inn was another great example of why the bar is often considered Indy’s best; lots of people packed in with a good buzz going and unique bands playing. The three acts, Indy’s own Leisure Kings, Vermillion Lies from Oakland and Jason Webley were all stylistically quite different but complemented each other well.

The Leisure Kings, certainly no strangers to Indy live music fans, started the night out strong with their hilarious retro-styled covers. Part of the fun watching the band was listening to the first chorus trying to figure out exactly what song they were playing. Being so warped from their original versions, it often wasn’t until the chorus that looks of recognition came across audience members’ faces. The most impressive songs to me were multilingual versions of AC/DC’s “You shook me all night long” (done Bavarian oompah style) and Lionel Richie’s “Hello” in German and Spanish, respectively. A Leisure Kings show is never just about the songs being played, though; it’s much more of a spectacle than that. Crowd prizes, reminiscent of singer Michael Wiltrout’s days in Johnny Socko, were 8-track cassettes. Several rounds of Bible trivia were played in between songs, with the answers being provided by a separate set of mid-90’s WWF trivia questions. I know I personally would be a much more religious if the book of King Kong Bundy were canon. My only complaint was that the fog machine worked a little too well in the small room.

The next band up was the sister duo Vermillion Lies. This group was not received all that well by some crowd members but they did have their fans, including myself. On their website they call themselves “twisted folk”, using an often bizarre combination of instruments ranging from the traditional (piano, guitar, accordion) to childish (toy piano, slide whistle) to Home Depot (BBQ grill, toolbox, gas can). The sisters were obviously in tune with each other as they played and did a good job of mixing the avant-garde with catchy harmonies, crowd participation and sexy burlesque dancing. I suggest you check them out if you’re a fan of the Ditty Bops, Tom Waits, Mirah or the Velvet Underground.

The night ended with a bang with the man everybody came out to see, Jason Webley. Although he hails from Seattle, Webley almost feels like a local given his strong connection and fanbase here. In the liner notes of his fantastic new EP with the Reverend Peyton, he points out his love of playing the Melody, and it showed. Switching between acoustic guitar and accordion, the folk/gypsy/punk singer had the crowd dancing and singing. The front of the stage was lined with die-hard fans singing along, but new fans were not left out either during “Two Bottles of Wine” from the previously mentioned EP. Though lacking the Big Damn Band, the song was the highlight with the crowd divided into thirds singing replacements of the National guitar, washboard and drums.

If you still have not seen Jason Webley live you owe it to yourself to come out to the Melody Inn next time he comes. You will soon understand why he has a faithful following and why he loves to come back again and again.

– Patrick —

 

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