No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't

guess who...

When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our women’s' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs. the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends

When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess god just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God

When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?

I doubt it
I doubt it


This, my friend, is just one of the many songs that you missed last night if you weren't blessed with the opportunity to catch the Bright Eyes show last night in Portland. Of course, you may have seen them on one of their previous dates on this tour, or you may be in Seattle and you should be seeing them tonight. Otherwise, I'm sorry, maybe next time.
This was the second to last show on the I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning tour in the US, where Bright Eyes played with Neva Dinova and Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. It was fantastic.
I showed up a little late and only caught the last two songs of Neva Dinova's set. This group,I believe, is signed to crank! records and has worked with Bright Eyes before with the release of One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels. Neva Dinova's sound is full and melodic and should be a favorite of any fan of the ambient folk wave. Check out their official website here.
After that fine set, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter graced us with some of their pleasent sound. Previous to seeing them live, I had only heard of them. The two original band members (Jesse Sykes-guitar, voice; Phil Wandscher-guitar) hail from Seattle and started playing together in 1998. This group has an interesting, mature sound combining ambient and somewhat dark melodies with sweet, abrasive vocals crooning reflective prose in the foreground. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and when I can afford it I will surely invest in at least one of their albums. You can find out more about them here.
Then came the main event, Bright Eyes, featuring Nick White (of Tilly and the Wall) on keyboards/organ, Mike Mogis (the multitalented genius/producer of most Saddle Creek releases and many more) , Jason Boesel (of Rilo Kiley) on drums, as well as some of the regular touring players, and finally...the birthday boy-genius Conor Oberst himself! Conor reached the ripe age of 25 on the 15th which renders him, based on his own words, almost dead. I suppose I will feel the same way when I am finally 25, if I make it...
The set was, needless to say, engaging. Most all of the tracks from I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning were played, and played well, along with some older gems, namely 'A Scale, a Mirror and These Indifferent Clocks', 'Padraic My Price' and 'Bowl of Oranges'. Also, some other new songs were played, including 'When the President Talks to God', with whose lyrics I opened this post with.
The set was amazing, though Conor didn't get quite as drunk as he was the last time I saw him, and was just more proof of how captivating his music really is. Contrary to what he speaks of so sincerely in his songs, this kid has got more soul than most of us.
The only drawback was the audience itself. Tall kids with popped collars, their gitty blonde girlfriends and the everpresent counterfeit Hot Topic scenesters were everywhere, and what made them worth mentioning was the amount of rage I felt when their chittery, trying voices dominated the first two sets. Also, please tell me what part of a Bright Eyes song would prompt someone to dance like they were at Prom and Hilary Duff was playing over the speakers? Honestly.
Now, I try not to judge to quickly, and I am no goddess of the indie scene, it's just frustrating when these people disrespect the new material with botched sing-along and freak dancing and shout through thier cell-phones during the older songs because they never saw them on MTV and really have no idea what is going on. Ugh.
I am happy that Conor and Saddle Creek are making it big, namely because thier music is what has gotten them this far, not commercial exposure. I suppose I saw this coming from the start, hopefull the emo-OC craze will die down soon and true fans can enjoy their art in peace. Nonetheless, the show was worth more than every dollar and every minute spent on it and I am looking foreward to seeing them again in Tokyo and on the upcoming Digital Ash in a Digital Urn tour. For more info on Bright Eyes, go here.
Thanks for stopping by and take care.