“We have a member of the band who couldn’t be here today,” Ben Gibbard said into his microphone as silence fell over the 9:30 club. The audience, there to see Gibbard and Jay Farrar promote their new album, “One Fast Move,” whispered nervously. Gibbard paused for dramatic effect, strummed his guitar and said, “His name is Jack Kerouac. But he is here with us in spirit.”
Although a mid-set shout out to the infamous 1950s beat author might seem strange, it fits Gibbard, a self-proclaimed Kerouac fan, perfectly.
A fan so large, in fact, that Gibbard teamed up with Jay Farrar of Son Volt to support the new Kerouac documentary, “One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur.” Although the project was originally intended to become a soundtrack for the film, it eventually blossomed into a full-length album of the same name. Taking almost all of its lyrics directly from the Kerouac novel “Big Sur,” “One Fast Move” creates an accurate musical representation of the author’s despair in the face of alcoholism.
Farrar and Gibbard, backed by Death Cab for Cutie bassist Nick Harmer, Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster and Son Volt multi-instrumentalist Mark Spencer, played on Tuesday as part of their five-city tour.
John Roderick, lead singer of the Seattle-based indie band The Long Winters, opened the show. Roderick, who lent his vocals to the title track of Death Cab’s “Transatlanticism” album, walked onto the stage carrying a cup of tea and he announced that he was suffering from a cold. This didn’t seem to affect his seven-song set.
Roderick first burst into an energetic rendition of “Pushover” from “Putting the Days to Bed.” He poured his energy into the song, as his catchy, stop-and-go lyrics and acoustic solos crushed the crowd. Before beginning his next song, Roderick asked the crowd for requests, settling on “Seven,” a shout from the balcony. His interactive approach to playing translated well with the audience which, by end of the set, was offering ways to wear his new haircut.
Around 9 p.m., Gibbard and Farrar took the stage. Dressed in flannel shirts and motorcycle boots, both singers looked as they had stepped straight from the Beat Generation themselves. Gibbard launched into the first song of the album, “California Zephyr.” It became clear from the start of the organ-heavy track that Gibbard is a changed man, sounding more like part of The Band than Death Cab.
Jay Farrar followed by performing his song “Lowlife Kingdom” with less stage presence than Gibbard. Whereas Gibbard interacted with the crowd, Farrar preferred to stand still, eyes almost completely closed as he sang.
The set continued with the singers trading vocals as they performed the entire album. Gibbard added his own touch with an acoustic rendition of “Couches in Alleys,” a song he originally performed with Styrofoam. With Farrar on the keyboard, Gibbard’s ode to Kerouac became otherworldly.
However, Farrar eventually stole the show with “Breathe Our Iodine.” As Gibbard and the rest of the band left the stage, Farrar and Mark Spencer remain, bathed in red light. The blues song, which sounds relatively weak on the album, translated better on stage than ever imagined. “Breathe our iodine!” Farrar yelled. The song came to an end, leaving the audience shouting for an encore. The band eventually returned, covering both Bob Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” and Tom Waits’ “Old Shoes.”
“So goodbye, so long,” Gibbard sang, bringing his dusty blues persona into Tom Waits’ “The Road Calls Me Dear.” A fitting end to the show, it seemed Gibbard was correct — the spirit of Kerouac was there.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com
