Fans of sci-fi films like Solaris, 2001: A Space Odyssey or even WALL-E know a thing or two about a world where our only connection to the outside world is through a screen. But it's a new thing for most of us, as we curb public gatherings in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. We're making creative adjustments as fast as we can. Teachers of all kinds (including music teachers) are making the pivot to online lessons, churches are holding virtual services — even the Belcourt has found a way to carry on the communal aspects of cinema via events like its Netflix- and Twitch-enabled Space Jam watch party. And musicians have turned to performances streamed live from their homes across a variety of platforms.
Matt Friction, songwriter and frontman of storied local rock ’n' pop outfit The Pink Spiders, brought fans into his living room via Facebook Live on Tuesday. The stream started out the way pretty much all streams do: with technical difficulties. The first five minutes or so were soundless as the principal Spider fumbled in silence with his A/V setup — a DIY studio consisting of a MacBook atop an Amazon shipping box that was sitting on his coffee table, surrounded by whatever light sources he could find around his house.
Once the audio hobgoblins were banished, die-hard Spiderheads immediately began making requests. One cool thing about this kind of concert is that the comment pane lets you do that without shouting over fellow concertgoers like a dick; one potential downside is that the artist might not have all the tunes in their repertoire. Indeed, some of the requests were very deep cuts, which Friction couldn't remember well enough to play. All the same, Friction’s self-deprecating humor always comes across as genuine.
Once the show got rolling, he seemed to be much more in his element, improvising and calling audibles like a pocket QB who knows when to scramble. With his gleaming Gretch White Falcon in hand and plenty of cameos from his trio of dogs, the songwriter strummed his way through an hour-and-a-half of songs from the last 17 years. He even pulled out some material from Dozen Dimes, a doo-wop-inspired project that was only active for a short time while the Spiders were on hiatus.
Peppered in among the requests, I noticed interaction between several folks who had, at one point or another, been part of The Pink Spiders' strange trip. Former bassist Jon Decious, now half of an Americana duo called Towne, dipped in to ask for a song that Friction never recorded. Current bassist Joseph “JoCo” Copeland served as master of a drinking game, chiming in to notify fans every time they needed to take a shot. He even FaceTimed in to sing harmonies. Pink Spiders utility player Dave Paulson (My So-Called Band, The Privates and more) and Nathan Hansen (who was in the pre-Spiders emo-ish power pop outfit Silent Friction) carried on inside jokes with the singer, one of their oldest friends.
People were clearly excited to hear stripped-down versions of top Spiders tunes like “Black Dagger” and “Nobody Baby,” but they were looking for something else that we all need: connection to other people. The stream wasn't exactly like going to a party at Friction's house, but it was as close as you can get during a pandemic, and that felt good. My gut tells me that streams will likely dry up once we're able to gather in person again. But for now, they provide an interesting and unique way to stay in touch.
See The Pink Spiders' website to pick up records and other merch, and view an archive of the stream on Facebook.
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March 26, 2020 at 04:29AM
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Matt Friction Keeps It Smooth - Nashville Scene
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