On Friday, I headed to the 9:30 Club to see John Vanderslice open for Stephen Malkmus. I had seen Malkmus twice already, so I wasn’t too pumped for his set. However, I will add that I do enjoy his new album. On the other hand, Vanderslice is someone that I have wanted to see live since I was recommended his Pixel Revolt album in 2005. That was the year I lived in Norfolk and I spent much of it driving around listening to that record.

Vanderslice opened with “Kookaburra” from last year’s underrated Emerald City. It is one of my favorite songs from the album, but it doesn’t work as well live without those heavenly backing vocals. The set got better as it went along as Vanderslice breathed new life into “Tablespoon Of Codeine,” another Emerald track. It was great to hear “Exodus Damage” and “Angela” from Pixel, as well as “Pale Horse” and “Up Above The Sea” from 2004’s Cellar Door. Vanderslice ended the set by jumping into the crowd with his top-notch band and launching into a fully unplugged version of “Time To Go.”

Vanderslice received a warm reception from the crowd, but judging by the light applause when he first came on, it seemed that very few were familiar with his work. This is a shame because few songwriters in this decade have pushed themselves musically like Vanderslice has. Ironically, Vanderslice spent his formative years in nearby Potomac, Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland. His mother was in attendance at the show and greeted him with a hug at the end of his set.

Merch tables can be pretty boring, but not Vanderslice’s. He has his own pillow cases that come in at least three different colors. I bought my girlfriend one and I believe that this concert finally won her over as a dedicated JV fan. If you were wondering, the pillow cases have two owls on them. One of the owls says “Vanderslice” and the other says “Who?” I thought it was clever. Later on, Stephen Malkmus took the stage, but after five songs, I exited. My night had already been fulfilled. Vanderslice put on a great show and it only made me want to see a full set by him. He’ll be playing some of those (dates below) when his stint on the Malkmus tour is up.

On tour with Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks:

Mon 03/31 - New York NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue 04/01 - New York NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Wed 04/02 - Brooklyn NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Thu 04/03 - Boston MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Fri 04/04 - North Adams MA @ MASS MoCA

Headlining dates:

Sat 04/05 - Hanover NH @ Dartmouth - Rocket Fuel Club
Mon 04/07 - Medford MA @ Tufts University - Oxfam Café
Wed 04/09 - Lancaster PA @ Chameleon Club
Thu 04/10 - State College PA @ Chronic Town
Fri 04/11 - Pittsburgh PA @ The Andy Warhol Museum
Sat 04/12 - Athens OH @ Ohio University - the Union Bar
Sun 04/13 - Columbus OH @ Skully’s
Tue 04/15 - Springfield MO @ The Randy Bacon Gallery
Wed 04/16 - St. Louis MO @ Biliken Club
Thu 04/17 - Champaign-Urbana IL @ The Canopy Club
Fri 04/18 - Madison WI @ University of Wisconsin - Club 770
Sat 04/19 - Grinnell IA @ Grinnell College - Gardner Lounge