Millenial Neil Young
by J. S. on 5/16/22The Observatory - Santa AnaKurt Vile is a poet and a great guitar player. A troubadour for the modern age.
Venue
The Beacham
Venue
Cat's Cradle
Mistletone proudly presents the return of Kurt Vile and the Violators. Fresh from an acclaimed new album (watch my moves) via Verve Records / Virgin Music Australia, and a whirlwind Australian trip which saw him share the stage with long-time pal and collaborator Courtney Barnett, opening for Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at Hanging Rock, Kurt Vile brings his slow-burning, free-wheeling jams back to Australia for a full band tour.
Kurt recorded (watch my moves) in his home studio in Philly's Mount Airy neighbourhood of Philadelphia, with help from longtime collaborator Rob Schnapf (Richard Thompson, Elliott Smith). Across the record, which includes 14 originals as well as a version of Bruce Springsteen’s 'Wages of Sin', Vile pulls his talents in unexpected directions, resulting in a vibrant, yet meditative album propelled by his trademark laid-back charm and curious spirit. The album’s artwork features Kurt’s daughters Delphine and Awilda, who recently joined their dad for a festive version of Bob Dylan’s “Must Be Santa”.
Reflecting on the record, Vile shared: “When Waylon Jennings became an outlaw country artist, he liked to record at Hillbilly Central, which was Tompall Glaser’s studio. OKV Central is my version of that in Mount Airy. I’ve come into my own here, and at the same time I’m getting back to my home-recording roots,” and continues, “It’s about songwriting. It’s about lyrics. It’s about being the master of all domains in the music. I’m always thinking about catchy music, even though it’s fried, or sizzled, out. It’s my own version of a classic thing—it’s moving forward and backward at the same time.”
In addition to Schnapf, Vile’s longtime band, The Violators and James Stewart, the album features special guests Chastity Belt, Cate Le Bon and percussionists Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint, Courtney Barnett) and Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, Harry Styles).
(watch my moves) is Vile’s ninth solo full-length studio album and first since 2018’s Bottle It In, which Rolling Stone named #9 on their 50 Best Albums of 2018: “The long-haired poet-king of Philadelphia surveys his realm in high style on this 78-minute whopper…virtually no one else was making rock records like this…” The New York Times calls him “indie rock’s charming riddle,” while The Guardian adds: “such an instinctive facility for melodic logic that behind the shaggy locks and purple haze, there’s a clear-headed, big-hearted songwriter at work.”
In addition to his solo work, Vile has collaborated with numerous artists including John Prine, Courtney Barnett, The War on Drugs, The Sadies and more, and is featured on 2021 compilation I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Vile lives in the Mount Airy neighbourhood with his wife and two daughters.
“He’s one of the last examples of a rock‘n’roll frontiersman who's going to be famous. He's like the Mars 1 mission” - Sean Yeaton (Parquet Courts), 2016
Kurt Vile is a poet and a great guitar player. A troubadour for the modern age.
It was our first time seeing a show at the Met. We had seats in the orchestra section in row KK. Kurt’s performance was awesome as expected. The venue was spacious and beautifully renovated. The seats were comfortable and it seemed as though every every seat in the house was a good one.
Kurt Vile is a fan of The Feelies, and even covers one of the indie rock band’s songs in concert. So when this show was announced, it was a no-brainer that it would be worth the trip to Philly from the NYC area. I was right. Both performers were in top form. This show was marred, slightly, by the fact that promoters failed to get the word out that the start time was moved up when a third act, Snail Mail, was added. I arrived moments after the showtime on my tickets and discoveres the Snail Mail set was already over. Bummer! I reached out to the venue to politely complain, and somebody called me to apologize and offered to make it up to me. It was a very pleaaant surprise to have a venue go to such lengths to make Hong’s right, but it was consistent with the friendly, courteous attitude of every member of the Met team that I encountered during my time there. I hope they stick to this high standard — and that they do better in the future about notifying ticket holders of changes. Very impressive overall.
the setlist was 10/10! Kurt Vile and violators are such talented musicians it’s so great to see them live
Randomly decided to go see a show by myself, picked Kurt Vile and had never heard his music before. Turned out to be one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time!
Great performer. Love the combination of guitar noise and quiet strumming
kurt sounded just like his recordings. the show was super chill and the music was SO GOOD!
.....I dislike Webster hall.... BUT KURT WAS AWESOME! Nearly a 2 hour set!
Kurt Vile was amazing live, it was a great concert experience. One of the best concerts I have been to.
kv is an absolutely amazing songwriter and a great guitarist. he can equally rock out or croon poignantly. the scene of 4 axes on stage playing simultaneously was pretty awesome. potentially favorite moment was the 3rd to last song when the crowd stopped moving, dancing and talking, completely captivated by a kurt vile classic.