The 18th day of June in the terrible year of our lord 2015 has very few virtues to it and at least one unspeakable tragedy, yet despite the horror and the bloodshed and the tears, a small crowd gathered at Terminal West to celebrate the music of ex-pat Josh Rouse, who had the good sense to move to Spain before this country was bitterly and perhaps irrevocably divided by race and completely overrun by the moneyed interests of the goddamn gun lobby.
That's not how I had planned to open this review. I'll pull it together, and note that the show opened with the charming songs of Walter Martin, who writes songs ostensibly for children, but with an adult's fine-tuned sense of humor.
Even Josh Rouse had to come out and watch the performance from back stage.
Rouse is originally from Nebraska and began his recording career in Nashville before relocating to Spain. With some 10 or so albums out, he has developed a loyal and enthusiastic following, and his latest album, The Embers of Time, came out earlier this year. Although the album has several fine songs that I'm confident I will grow to love with time, I was pleased that last night, Rouse chose to play not just the new songs but songs from throughout his 18-year recording career, including classics like Quiet Town from 2006's SubtÃtulo.
Rouse's backing band (guitar, bass, and drums) were more than proficient, and he allowed the drummer to come out from behind his kit to sing the lead vocals for Hollywood Bass Player.
Later, Walter Martin joined him on stage for a song.
The audience was small, slightly drunk, and clearly adoring. I never before heard more men call out "We love you, Josh!" in a single night.
For his encore, Rouse played two songs from the 2003 album 1972 (the first Josh Rouse album that I had encountered), Slave Ship and Love Vibration.
In short, it was a fun, sweet, and intimate performance on a day otherwise marked by hatred and murder. It was more than we deserved.
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