by Jason Jones
As a devoted fan of David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones), I made the trip out to Pasadena on a Saturday night, just me and my Honda Accord. It had been awhile since I had gone solo to a show so I was a little hesitant at first, but the intimate setting of a David Bazan show made for a great experience. The show was sold out and so I made my place on the back wall of Fuller’s appropriately sized Travis Auditorium and took it all in.
Bazan has always been great at expressing his profound thoughts in song and crossing a “categorical kind of line” as he puts it with the subject matter he explores in his lyrics. He digs deeper into issues such as humanity, marriage, faith, politics, Christianity…and sometimes all in one song. In true Bazan-form, he opened the floor up to the audience for question and answer time every few songs and with the concert being only a few days after election night and the news that Obama would be the nation’s next president, it brought a giddiness to Bazan’s demeanor for the rest of the night.
It was great to hear some of his new songs that will be released on the full length debut album with his new band “David Bazan’s Black Cloud” which he said is set to come out in March of 2009. He continues to write songs that examine theological questions and aids the listener in contemplating their own beliefs. He has a few up on iTunes that can be purchased before the release of the full length album. Check them out .
He made us wait for the encore before playing Transcontinental, which I had waited all night to hear. But before the encore he closed his set with what may be one of the best covers of the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. It is clear that many of Bazan’s songs are fashioned in a similar manner and Bazan really connects with the lyrics.
Before I left for the night I also made sure to pick up Bazan’s DVD “Alone At The Mic” which is collection of him playing some of his favorite Pedro the Lion, Headphones, and Bazan solo songs in his home studio plus candid interviews about songwriting, family, playing live, love songs and more. It was filmed in Seattle, WA, during the Summer 2008 and it is definitely worth having. So put it on your Christmas list! Click here to go to the online David Bazan store…
From “BAZAN: Alone At The Mic”
David Bazan – Hallelujah
