The Decemberists on Conan 12-3-14
NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Late one night I fell asleep in front of the TV and had a dream. It was December 3rd, 2014 shortly before midnight. The dream was Colin Meloy singing with his band The Decemberists on Conan. They were at the 3:15 mark in their performance of ”Make You Better” from their most recent album “What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World”. “I like THIS!”, were the first words out of my mouth.
Because I live in a cave, I had never even heard of The Decembrists until that performance on Conan. By midnight I had every studio album they had ever released. Its an incredible catalog of music. This is a truly great band.
Over the summer, in early July, I was with my son for Orientation at SUNY-Oneonta and stopped in to visit a local brewery that I also never heard of (I clearly need to get out more!).
Turns out Brewery Ommegang is a highly-regarded Belgian brewery located near Cooperstown, New York that specializes in Belgian-style ales. It’s not really “near” anything more like beer in the middle of nowhere. Brewery Ommegang is situated in a bucolic, woodsy setting at the base of a hill. They have a terrific restaurant, tasting room and gift shop. To my amazement they also host a really cool summer concert series with some big name acts like Death Cab for Cutie, Bonnie Raitt and…The Decembrists. I was extremely disappointed they would not be performing for several more weeks, on July 26th.
I think I have met my requirements for full disclosure here. Suffice to say, The Decemberists are one of my favorite artists. So, when I was asked recently to help with some preview coverage of The Decemberists’ show at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on September 24th I was more than happy to do so.
The band is fronted by co-founder Colin Meloy who is a brilliant musician. The Portland, OR-based band has a unique sound. They have not been performing live for several years so that they are back out touring is great news.
In a recent review, Rolling Stone said The Decemberists are back “in reassuringly strong form,” after the band’s first show following a four-year hiatus.
At the Capitol Theatre, the band will play a mix of past hits and songs from their latest album ‘What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World.’
One song in particular will hit home for area residents.
“Some of these songs are the most personal I’ve ever written,” notes singer-guitarist-songwriter Colin Meloy — perhaps most notable is “12-17-12,” a “despairing reaction on the new album to the Newtown, Connecticut school shootings”.
Some readers know that my nephew was a priest in Newtown, CT. Many of the victims and their families were members of St. Rose of Lima Parish as was the perpetrator of the crime and his mother. He was part of the grief counseling team on site that day, charged with informing parents of the death of their children. I know many other residents have strong, close connections to the Sandy Hook tragedy.
Again from the Rolling Stone review: “Singing alone against a spare rhythm from guitarist Chris Funk, multi-instrumentalist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query and drummer John Moen, Meloy and company present their most varied and dynamic body of work, both musically and emotionally, to date.”
WHEN: Thursday, September 24 (Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm)
WHERE: The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY
TICKETS: Advance: $43.50–$60.50 & Day of Show: $48.50–$65.50 (don’t count on this show not being sold out, it will be)
More on the Capital Theatre here.
Tour information here.
The Decembrists web site here.
Buy What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World here:
