(Self-released, CD, digital download)
It’s sort of hard to fathom why Eden: Live at the Chandler by Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck exists on its own. Recorded at the Chandler Music Hall in Randolph in January 2013 and released in late April 2014, the live album captures the band playing its then-unreleased 2013 record Eden live in its entirety. No doubt the show was a special night for fans, who had yet to hear the band’s third full-length. And judging from the recording, it was a heck of a performance as Thayer and company played the record virtually note for note. But that’s kind of the issue: They played the record virtually note for note.
A good live album should do two things. First and foremost, it should capture a thrilling live performance, which, in fairness, Thayer’s latest mostly does — albeit at a fidelity only a notch or so above a soundboard bootleg. Two, it should offer a take on existing recorded material that augments or presents it in a fashion that’s really only possible in a live setting. With just a handful of exceptions, typically in admittedly fiery jams toward the end of the show, Eden: Live at the Chandler plays almost identically to Eden the studio album.
When it was released last year, Eden signified a daring stylistic shift for Thayer and his band. Moving away from the roots-driven rock of their earlier canon, the album saw Trainwreck veering into jammier territory. In my review of the record, I wrote that while the new direction could well attract new legions of idle jam fans, it could also alienate listeners originally drawn to the band’s twangier leaning. So is the new live album a concession to the new fan base, a contingent that tends to prize live recordings over their studio counterparts?
Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck are a terrific live band. Thayer, in particular, is one of the most progressive and underrated banjo players around. And he’s a commanding front man to boot. In the moments when the band strays from what’s on the studio record, Eden: Live at the Chandler does offer some genuinely killer performances worthy of a live recording. Guest fiddler Patrick Ross kicks the devil’s ass down to Georgia and back on “12 Inch Steel.” And the extended versions of both “Trials” and “Wreckoning” offer heady takes on their studio counterparts, suggesting that the band has the capacity for a great live album.
Maybe that’s precisely why the Eden redux feels like such a letdown. This band is capable of so much more than regurgitating material that already exists in a far superior form. Eden: Live at the Chandler could be a must-have for Thayer completists. Everyone else would likely be better served with the original.
Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck play the Tupelo Music Hall in White River Junction this Friday, May 2. Eden: Live at the Chandler is available at bowthayer.com.
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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2014.
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I may be bias because I was at the live performance, but I love this album! I love the pdf of photos and information that came with the download and I think the sound is way above a soundboard bootleg! As a huge fan of Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck, I was sad to hear the line up was disbanding. The fact that “Eden” at the Chandler was one of their last performances together, of course I would want to own a recording of the show! Their performance that night at the Chandler was amazing and although the album may seem like a live duplicate to some, I can feel the magic energy of that night when I listen…well worth the $7 I paid for it!!!!
I’ll add another reason this audio document is important, and forgive me if it ruffles anyone’s feathers but: the sound the audience heard that night for the Eden portion of the concert was massively incomplete. The vocals were barely discernible – Bow’s and his back-ups/guest vocalist, the cello, any articulation of sound/balance/mix – was lost. Sure his banjo, the drums and violin stuck out – but the horns, so vital to the album, were invisible; I heard not one toot. Conversely, when the Eden portion was over and the next set segued into his more recognized material, in an instant everything came to life – probably due to a ‘saved’ mix on the digital board. I make my living with my ears but not live sound – preferring to engineer in the safe confines of the studio. I take no relish in noting this and as I talked with a number of people in the days that followed, I wondered if it was just me and found there were others who were left baffled by that (portion of) the concert. Chandler is a tough hall to do sound in – I live 6 minutes from it and have seen everyone from Midori to the Avett bros there; I’ve seen Celtic music concerts where the loudest instrument was the bass (ouch). Apparently, the raw tracks were captured, and they prove that this was a most ambitious project played almost flawlessly – and it’s a treat to finally hear what I never heard that night.