A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK

Colin Meloy and the Decemberists release a final farewell to the label that gave them a break with what may be their best release to-date, 2002’s ‘Castaways & Cutouts’. While this isn’t much of a prog folk concert in the traditional sense, I think it shows a band whose storytelling sensibilities and unique appreciation for history (albeit invented history for the most part) and eclectic instrumentation puts them in good stead with a new generation of folk rockers at least.

The meat of this disc is the homecoming concert at Portland’s Roseland Theater at the end of their 2005 ‘Picaresque’ supporting tour. For fans who came to know the band with ‘The Crane Wife’, be warned there are no songs from that album since this was recorded before that album but released after. I would expect another DVD soon since the band had a lengthy and well-received supporting tour of that album, including several shows with orchestral backing.

The band consists of their current lineup, plus vocal and violin diva Petra Haden at the end of her tenure supporting the band’s tour that year. The group is also supported by a horn section including the very folkishly named Bruce Withycombe and a duo of saxophonists from Portland-area bands The American Girls (Gus Baum) and National Flower (Joe Cunningham).

About half the songs are from ‘Picaresque’, with the rest a mixture from ‘Castaways & Cutouts’ and the band’s sophomore album ‘Her Majesty’. The production is a mixed-bag, with excellent video and lighting and some very crisp and tight shots of the band in action. The audio is pretty good as well, but not the best I’ve every heard. The band has a bit of trouble with keeping in tune at times, though not bad by any means; and their timing gets off in a few places mostly because of the dancing and improvising going on around the stage.

This is a fairly short concert, although it seems that there were a few pieces cut out here and there judging from the choppy video cuts in a few places, mostly in the first twenty minutes or so. And the band seems to have a bit of trouble getting into the groove on the opening “The Infanta” and “The Soldiering Life”, but by the time “The Engine Driver” rolls around everyone seems to be clicking and they are clearly all enjoying themselves.

I like the song selection for the most part, although I would have loved to hear Meloy and Haden do “Grace Cathedral Hill”. Former drummer Rachel Blumberg did the original harmonies on the studio album for that tune, but I’ve seen Haden do it on videos and she lends a different and appealing perspective. Also I think “Odalisque” would have gone over great with this crowd, and “A Cautionary Song” would have been an excellent and more folksy offering than say, “July! July!”.

The encore includes Meloy’s own affirmation song “I Was Meant for the Stage”, which will undoubtedly become the band’s signature signoff for years to come.

Overall Meloy is charmingly unassuming and faux pretentious, Haden is just plain charming, and keyboardist and multi- instrumentalist Jenny Conlee seems to be a bit tipsy but is clearly having the most fun of anyone. Not on-par with Live at Leeds or Concert for Bangladesh, or Frampton Comes Alive for sure; but a great snapshot of a band at the cusp of greatness and for that reason well worth picking up if you are a fan, or even if you are open-minded enough to think you might become one.

The extras are interesting as well, including a lengthy series of interviews with current band members as well as former member Rachel Blumberg and the rental-voice Haden. Meloy and guitarist Chris Funk are the featured attractions in the interviews, telling along with the other members the history of the band beginning with Meloy’s time fronting his Montana college-days band Tarkio.

Finally, the band includes five videos that I’m guessing haven’t been seen by too many people except maybe on YouTube. The older ones are some kind of animated paper cutout figures with a shadow-box frame, while the latter few are story-themed and farily light-hearted. The band shows a bit of left-leaning political sensibilities with the vaguely anti-war/anti-imperialism “16 Military Wives” including its naïve but charming ending, and the strange military vignette “The Soldiering Life” with a male-on-male foxhole dance scene that has been (I believe incorrectly) referred to as homoerotic. I think the actual point of this song is to chronicle the close bond of men facing death together, nothing more.

Anyway, a nice package that gives fans a great archive of the band both live and in videos, plus some great footage of each of the member sharing personal thoughts and moments with their fans. I can’t say this is essential as a prog folk offering, and it's barely excellent. But it is better than just good, so while four stars might be a tiny bit generous it is the best mark I can come up with given the rating system. Essential for fans of the band though, and pretty highly recommended to all but seriously traditional prog folk fans.

peace