That's why I didn't choose Every Hour Here. Albeit my favorite song, they have played it for many years now live.
My own personal choices were You Chase The Light (it's over 3 minutes long for one, and they haven't played it live in a very long time and suits the lack of drums), Now In This Hush (you guys can understand why considering it's never been played before live), Go (I just love that song and it's rarely ever been played live), Notebook (another song that was rarely ever played live, but perfect for the current band's setup) and of course Sorry And Glad Together (yet another track from Umbrella that's rarely played but beautiful).
I think I fit in the same boat though, in that I too found the band during the 90's, and although I really enjoy the newer material, I just wish they could change things up some more with the drums. As I mentioned before, i think seeing them live without drums is like watching them in a bubble of sorts. They just don't seem as relaxed and confident. Less extrovert. I think the drums add more flavor and allow the band to really express themselves without the sense that they are holding back.
It kind of reminds me when I was in orchestra during school and college. When I got up on stage for a performance I wasn't nervous at all. I just blended right in. But when I had to play solo music or in a duet situation I knew every moment I was being judged and critiqued and I got all nervous inside. That in turn would make me play less aggressively and I'd tend to make more mistakes.
Now, I'm not necessarily saying that Mike, Karen and Don are experiencing what I did, but the drums do make things louder and I wouldn't hesitate to say one would feel less under the microscope because of it. I only use my own experience to point out the possibilities, even if they hold no truth in this case.
But in the end, I'd love to see Steve or a replacement drummer for some live shows in the future. It wouldn't have to be all the time. Just every now and then to change things up a bit. And the studio sessions with more drums would be a nice change of pace.
But as long as they keep making music, I don't see me being dissapointed.
Keith
<html><div><BR>Keith Abbott <BR>Producer, Rise of Nobility : http://www.riseofnobility.com <BR>Personal Site: http://www.allaboutkeith.com <BR>Trooper TK1210, 501st Garrison Tyranus (Virginia) </div></html>Keith et al.---
May I comment briefly on the poll, or more precisely, on thoughts about the band's music that the poll brought to my mind?
First, I just don't want to hear "And Hiding Away" without drums. The staccato burst that opened Umbrella is, for me, one of the most memorable "Here's our music!" kickoffs in my personal, 40-year experience of pop music. While the song would certainly be playable without drums, there are Muzak versions of "Purple Haze" out there, too, you know? A hyperbolic comparison, I guess, but to me the soul of that tune would be very hard to convey without a full rhythm section.
Which leads to my second point...I dunno when I started listening to IM, but it was after the first record and before the second one, probably around 1990 or 1991 (if you have archives from that far back, Keith, you'll probably find a postings from me about wandering through Tower Records and being intrigued by the first album's cover art, the band's name, and the song titles, or about how Steve's drumming on "Evensong" in performance nearly split my skull). Anyway, back then, IM was a rock band. You can label them "alternative" or whatever, but the basic vibe was about electric guitars, layered production, and a beat. Karen's remarkable voice and mesmerizingly literate lyrics were what made the band distinctive, yes, but the sensibility was rock-n-roll.
I would never deny any artist the right to evolve their art, so I do not mean to criticize the band; they've followed their muse, and bless 'em for it. But as they've become more folksy--and, I don't believe coincidentally, more obtrusively Christian--they've become, for me, much less compelling. I think it's simply not arguable that their current musical palette centered on acoustic guitar is more muted, and I think limiting, than their original, denser sound. I saw Don and Karen (performing, as is their right, as "Innocence Mission") open for Patti Griffin in Pittsburgh this summer and, with the exception of Karen's voice (which has grown richer but, perhaps, somewhat less wide-ranging as she and we have grown older), they were unrecognizable as the same band I saw and loved at the 9:30 Club or the Birchmere back in the early - to mid-90s. Again, this is not a criticism; it is simply an observation.
To be honest, I don't buy their records the instant they appear any more. I applaud that they are being honest to themselves and to their vision of their art, but I just don't find it particularly interesting. I was out of town the last time they appeared in Pittsburgh on their own hook, but will still go them live every time I can. But when I do it will be more for the quiet pleasure of renewing the pleasure of a long and satisfying acquaintance than for the excitement of hearing music that excites and challenges me.
Just $0.02 from a curmudgeon who is listening to Umbrella as he types, and remembering.
Cheers.
--- das
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