Portland was treated to a real gift recently when one of my favorite musicians, Jason Lytle (of Granddaddy), spent the entire week doing a residency at Al's Den in the Crystal Ballroom (for free!) This sort of comeback piano punk experiment was an intimate rambling event that showed off Jason's understated but amazing musical genius for concocting epic space punk operas (!!!). I made it out to Al's Den 4 nights that week, after work and dragon boats as he waltzed his way through an epic collection of his new solo work, stripped down covers, and of course, almost all my favorite Grandaddy songs. His uneasiness on the small stage gave the performances the sense that he was still trying to decide if he could handle the pressures being back in the spotlight.
You could see and hear the cause for the 2006 break up of Grandaddy in his anxious and nervous banter on stage. After the split, Jason moved to Montana and lived and wrote far from civilization. These shows marked the first time he was playing live in a long time and also on the heals of the announcement that the reunited Grandaddy was going to be playing a short series of shows. Beyond the greater emotional issues, it was his earnest and serious compositions that the packed house crowds responded to. I think the shows were really a way for his fans to give him a big hug and thank him for making the music that we all really connected with.
Here are some of those favorite songs, give them a listen:
And a little interview to give you some sense of the man behind the music.
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