Bob Mould goes solo at City Winery for two shows (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
City Winery
155 Varick St.
January 22-23, $30-$45, 9:00
212-608-0555
http://www.citywinery.com
http://www.bobmould.com
Twenty years ago, Bob Mould left seminal postpunk band Hüsker Dü and recorded his first solo record, the intimate, acoustic-based WORKBOOK followed by the gruffer BLACK SHEETS OF RAIN. Mould then formed the power trio Sugar, which released such impressive discs as COPPER BLUE and BEASTER, before continuing his solo work. Currently working on his memoirs – which will detail, among other things, his drug abuse and homosexuality – Mould also turned back the clock on his most recent album, the unflinchingly honest and personal LIFE AND TIMES (Anti-, April 2009). “What the fuck, what kicked up all this dust / taking me back to the places I left behind / the old life and times,” he sings on the title track, preparing the listener for both a trip down memory lane as well as a peek into the future. “I rewind the interstate in my distant memory,” he sings to his signature guitar sound on “City Lights (Days Go By),” adding, “I hope you understand I need to find my city lights.”
Recalling the sound of WORKBOOK, Mould, who recorded LIFE AND TIMES in his current hometown, Washington, DC, with just a drummer and himself, opens up about anonymous, casual sex (the hard-driving “Argos,” the smooth, melodic “Bad Blood Better”) and the end of love (“I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Any More”) while also bringing up memory and the past on “Wasted World” and “MM 17.” At forty-eight, perhaps Mould is a little young to be looking back so much, but as he says on the album’s final track, “What a lifetime we have.” He’ll be celebrating that life at City Winery with two special acoustic shows at City Winery, playing songs from throughout his career. We’ve seen him several times over the years, and he always sweats out everything he can, whether blasting away with an unbelievably loud band or just by himself with an acoustic guitar. Trust us: This will be no mild folk concert; you can expect Mould to still slash across the stage to such possible songs as “See a Little Light,” “Poison Years,” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” as well as several Hüsker Dü classics (look for “I Apologize,” “Celebrated Summer,” and the simply amazing “Hardly Getting Over It,” among others). Jon Auer of Big Star and the Posies opens the show.
An amiable Bob Mould had a great time at City Winery gig (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Update: Just prior to Auer’s taking the stage on January 23, we had a chance to speak with Mould for a few minutes as he sat in the back of City Winery by himself, discussing, among other things, the difference between playing as a three-piece at Irving Plaza and doing a solo gig here. Mould showed that he is equally adept at both when later that evening he performed a wicked set that was one of the loudest solo shows we’ve ever seen. Starting off on the acoustic guitar, an amiable Mould offered up a mix of favorites and lesser-known gems, from “Wishing Well,” “Hoover Dam,” and “Needle Hits E” to the Hüsker Dü treasure “Hardly Getting Over It.” He chatted about Conan O’Brien, the new Highline Park, being gay and fifty and living in San Francisco, and even Peter Criss’s “Beth” as he turned up the volume. Things really took off when he switched to the electric guitar, filling the intimate space with a barrage of sound, highlighted by his absolutely shredding an extended version of “Brasilia Crossed with Trenton” before finishing up with such sonic blasts as “I Apologize,” “Something I Learned Today,” “Celebrated Summer,” and the finale, “Makes No Sense at All.” (For a slideshow and the setlist, go here.)