AA Bondy Takes the Floor at the Bowery
On the last night of his 2009 tour Augeste Arthur Bondy took the stage at the Bowery Ballroom before a full house of ripe and ready on- lookers. The room was in a casual mood as shouts of recognition and whistles of appreciation filled the air of the classic Manhattan venue. A three piece get-up began a slow and steady set with lead man Bondy pulling double duty on guitar and vocals. “I’ve been playin’ shows all around the country. Been talking shit all over the place. It’s terrible,” Bondy confides in the crowd to a response of genuine laughter. Better known as AA Bondy formerly of Alabama rock band Verbena, Bondy’s current solo strategies are a far cry from his previous works. Tonight’s show is part of his tour for his new album When the Devil’s Loose put out earlier this year by Fat Possum records. What we are given this evening is a mild mellow brand of indie-folk stylings that Brody delivers with a mixture of indifference and removed pain. Slow searching guitar riffs contour sweetly sad melodies that speak of dark deserted Southern nights. The low crooning lyrics of a track entitled “There’s a Reason” tell us, “Its love that is tearing them down, and its love that will turn them around.” A vision of a melancholy man at his best. Alternating between electric and acoustic Bondy is backed by a slide guitarist to his left and a keyboardist on his right. Sweet, lost, longing lullabys roam dusty backroads like ghosts of rattlesnakes Bondy’s songs reverberate, shake surreptitiously with the sinuous aching that accompanies the terrain of defeated love and lost friends. This patient performer brings us into his world with unabashed realism. And the crowd is right there with him. AA Bondy’s music is reflective without being overly sentimental.
Ah, the Bowery…. One of the city’s last bastions of hope for experiencing an intimate yet acoustically solid rock and roll performance. An old school right of passage for bands to get up close and personal with their audience and break down the pop culture conceptions of rock stardom. In one room, one lone voice filters through a packed crowd and one great night is experienced by all. The streets are changing outside but the music remains strong and personal within these walls. Much like the songs of AA Bondy.
more from this author
- The Cribs w/ Adam Green @ Irving Plaza-January 16, 2010 - January 21st, 2010
- CMJ Blue Flowers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg- October 22nd, 2009 - October 27th, 2009
- Darla Farmer @ Pianos, NYC-October 5, 2009 - October 14th, 2009
- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - August 30, 2009 - September 8th, 2009
- Berlin's "Annie" Unleashes New Dance Album this Fall - August 14th, 2009
