A few months ago, I talked to this merchandising guy from Austin and found that we both loved a psychedelic pop band called Cotton Mather. He told me that the people of Austin could care less about the band, and that it was really a crime. We were happy though, that Cotton Mather enjoys success overseas, with hotly-tipped sold-out gigs, and fans such as the Gallagher brothers of Oasis. I mention Cotton Mather, because Nadine, a legendary St. Louis band, is in a very similar situation.
Nadine is currently the best band in St. Louis. Without trying to discredit them through comparisons, think “Powderfinger” by Neil Young, “Dream All Day” by the Posies, and “Walls” by Tom Petty. In a nutshell, that is the sound of Nadine. Tosser journalists will link them to our town’s legendary alternative-country scene, a la Uncle Tupelo, and will probably use the phrase “Gram Parsons all over again” in their reviews. They’re missing the point. Nadine is your basic rock group that plays basic rock songs. They do it better than the crap that bombards the nightclubs and airways.
It’s quite a shame then that nobody goes to the gigs in St. Louis. Nadine is huge in Europe, thanks to the cult following behind Glitterhouse Records. People travel hours to see their gigs. They have songs featured in the only remaining great music magazine, Uncut. Funny, in St. Louis they just can’t step out of the Way-Out Club-type cult status. What a shame.
Nadine played to a sparse crowd at Mississippi Nights on Friday with a laughable light-metal act, Trans Lux, and a guitar-heavy glam/goth act named Neptune Crush, which unfortunately reminded me of Filter.
I’m told that Nadine is tired (and rightfully so) of playing shows with bands trying to be the next whiskeytown or Waco Brothers. I think that Limp Bizkit, or something like it, was playing over the PA as Nadine took the stage. So, if they wanted a different crowd, they certainly got it.
They played a steady set of mid-tempo rock with a few ballads thrown in for those devoted way-out clubbers who drove the extra five minutes to Laclede’s Landing.
Every member of the audience clapped as leader Adam Reichman and guitarist Steve Rauner lead the band through a set heavily devoted to their recently-released third album, Lit Up From the Inside. Songs like “End of the Night” from their latest and “Twilight,” from Downtown, Saturday, sounded simple enough, but I bet even a band like the Old 97’s couldn’t write them.
“So That I Don’t Miss You,” their brilliant lullaby was left out of the set, probably for the sake of the pumped-up, army-jacket-wearing gorilla still raving over the Trans Lux singer’s Zach de La Rocha impression.
I wished the band would reach back and pull out “Back to My Senses” or “David Bromberg” from their debut US EP/UK LP, but I guess we can’t have it all.
Nadine isn’t breaking any new ground, but they do lead by example. They write rock songs with guitars, vocals, drums and bass, adopting a simple formula that will continue to work forever. Thankfully, they aren’t trying to make artsy, Radiohead-inspired tranquilizer music.
They don’t write songs about crossing the street and being grounded by their parents like our enemies in the emo-rock scene. They don’t want to make you break things like the light-metal collective.
Probably most refreshing, is that they don’t want to sound like the next big thing on Bloodshot Records. Nadine just wants to write great songs and make great records for themselves and for rock `n’ roll.
There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?
