Review & Photographs by Diane Fleischman
It was a full house at Musikfest Café Tuesday night for Nick Lowe with Los Straitjacket, two acts with very different backgrounds. It was Lowe’s first visit to the Lehigh Valley, Los Straitjackets had performed last year at Musikfest Café with Marshall Crenshaw as his backing band.
It did seem like an odd combination, Lowe, who’s musical career spans over forty years as one of the players in the new wave movement, a songwriter, and producer, to be paired with Los Straitjacket, a Nashville surf rock band, who’s facial identities are hidden behind Mexican wrestling masks. But I have to believe that people once felt the same indifference between chocolate and peanut butter, fantastic on their own, but when combined, it becomes a one of a kind experience, much like this concert.
Lowe is out on the road supporting a new release, as he explained to the crowd, “there’s going to be songs that everyone knows, songs that some people know, and some songs that no one knows.”
The set started with “So it Goes”, Lowe’s first hit from the mid-seventies, and when Los Straitjackets added their take, the tune came out with a little less of a punchy beat, performed much softer now, and almost echoed the sounds of Buddy Holly. He followed up with “Ragin’ Eyes” and periodically bopped around in “Without Love”. Things slowed down for a slow classic ballad with “You Inspire Me”, and then flipped to a funky jam with “Sh-ting Sh-tang.” Lowe included from his new release the title track, “Tokyo Bay”, and then turned the stage over to Los Straitjacket.
I have to admit, I really like this band. Los Straitjacket is very animated, somewhat synchronized, and while extremely talented, take their shows on the chin as they added some humorous moments. But it’s the early sixties beach-like sounding twangs they are best known for in “Itchy Chicken”, “Space” and their rendition of “My Heart Will Go On.” (Titanic). Throughout the evening it was apparent just how both acts complimented each other to musical perfection.
Lowe then returned to the stage, picked up his acoustic guitar and played “Sensitive Man”, “Somebody Cares For Me”, with an easygoing vibe, and the audience sang along to the chorus of “Half a Boy and Half a Man”. A few songs later, without any introduction came “Cruel to Be Kind”, which fell into the category of the song everyone knew. While Lowe’s vocals have remained strong, there was definitely a soft maturity as he sang this song. The crowd rose to their feet and gave Lowe a full standing ovation. The crowd continued to sing and clap along to “I Knew
The Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)”, which closed the set. The real gems were to follow in the encore, Los Straitjacket started off with the theme to “Batman”, and as Lowe returned to the stage for “When I Write the Book” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”
