We Get Out: Justin Currie (ex-Del Amitri)

Another fine night at Jammin' Java, last Thursday, to see a solo set by a guy whose name may not right a bell but whose former band, Del Amtri, was a bright spot on the fringes of the '90s pop/rock scene.

I'm not sure why I had the impression that Justin Currie was a tough cookie (I dimly recall a friend talking about a disappointing concert experience with the band), but I wasn't prepared for the chatty, funny Scottsman who took the stage and joked about his former band and the vagueries of the pop life.



Naturally, he played a goodly number of songs from his recent CD, "What Is Love For," opening with the sobering title track, but he was also great about dipping into the Del Amitri songbook - playfully doing "Not Where It's At," in faux lounge-singer style...


and "Roll to Me" as a tongue-in-cheek romp with ukelele. When an audience member expressed surprise that he did the song at all (it was the band's biggest hit, but more poppy by half than any of Del Amitri's generally bittersweet material), he explained matter-of-factly that "I owe that song about a million and a half dollars," adding that much of it was gone. "Tell Her This" was stripped-down, straight and still lovely, and he even did "Be My Downfall," a personal favorite.

Throughout the show, Currie was beautifully supported by multi-instrumentalist Peter Adams and an old LP cover of Sylvia, which became a running joke after the musical partners found it in the greenroom.



At the end of the show, I went to the merch booth to lend my support. The PR team at his label had already sent:
1.JUSTIN CURRIE - What is Love For? (Ryko)
So I bought the only other CD he had on sale:
2.JUSTIN CURRIE - No, Surrender (Ryko)
Eight dollars for a 5-track EP is not my idea of a deal, especially when three of the tracks are the same song, in Part One, Part Two and demo versions, but I got in for free (thanks to the lovely Jammin Java team, who treat me so nicely), so I consider it artist payback.
Anyway, note the telling punctuation. The song presents, in a torrent of near rap-like lyrics, tales of rampant materialism and the soullessness of modern life and asks whether to fight back. No, surrender. Take away the comma and you've got a Springsteen anthem. Leave it there and you can feel the defeated sigh. Good thing Currie has a sense of humor onstage or we'd all be out in the venue parking lot with our mouths wrapped around the tailpipes.


I didn't see much of the opening act, Michigan-based singer/songwriter Angie Mattson, but when I first arrived at the show, I scanned the merch booth, as I usually do, and chatted with the guy manning it, who turned out to be her brother. When I came back to get the Currie disc, he was still on duty, alone - and she was sitting right there, too, so how could I not buy something of hers, too? Luckily, she had an EP on sale, too - 7 songs for only $5 - and I chatted with her as she signed it.
3. ANGIE MATTSON - Monarch EP (self-released)
She will be returning to town to open for Uh Huh Her at the 930 Club on May 14th.

While I was at the club, I also picked up a CD by a local singer whom I will be covering in an upcoming Post preview:
4. CHELSEA LEE - S/T (self-released)
Six tracks, written and performed by the 16-year-old Northern Virginia native with area stalwarts Daniel Brindley and Todd Wright. My interview/preview will be here next week, so I'll finish off with a pic of Lee back when she stood in for a few songs at the club months ago with The Kin.


Year-to-Date O/CD Tally: 78