By Dave Miller

Julie Meckler and Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes showed their love of music and its possibilities by putting an unusual amount of thought into everything they did onstage Friday night at Beat Kitchen.

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For Meckler, it started even before she began playing. She took the stage and placed a toy horse and a doll near the edge of the stage, then plugged in a strand of Christmas lights draped between the center monitors. It was the only front lighting. Meckler played in dim light throughout her headlining set, creating a mood befitting her dark folk-rock songs that were deeply personal. It was like she needed the darkness to bare her soul.

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It was a double single release party for Meckler, who put out "All Your Pretty Things" and "Manhattan" from her upcoming album. Meckler began "Manhattan" by whistling. It set up a devastating knockout punch. "Here come the men who said all those lies to me," she sang. "Pretend we'll be part of family, then threw me down the drain." But by song's end she sang that maybe she'll be happy with her current guy, backed by a galloping drum beat and lifted by a lightly-played trumpet and shimmering cymbal. Even many of the rude talkers in the audience shut up during the song where a single strike of the xylophone had the effect of a guitar solo. "All Your Pretty Thinigs" served as the setup to "Manhattan" with Meckler repeating "need you to love me" punctuated by wailing guitar in rock mode. Meckler brought up a couple backing singers for the song. Such caretaking commitment to her songs made the performance compelling from start to finish.

Meckler's presentation drew the listener into her world. Watching her was like ducking into a dark theater on a summer day to watch a foreign black-and-white film. It was probably no coincidence. Meckler was a French actress before coming to the states in 2008. She sampled the country before settling in Chicago. I first saw her play with goofball band Rambos at Double Door. She sang as an aside, held up sings with the names of songs like she was a ring girl and even shook pom pons. In other words, it was the opposite of her show. She's put together a band in guitarist Will Phalen, bassist Brett Bakshis and drummer Shawn Rios that's sympathetic to her personal material and intricate touch.

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Meckler still needs to grow more comfortable as the center of attention. She often turned and sang to her left, facing some of her bandmates in the process though I suspect it was due at least in part to shyness, too. "More talking?" she asked as she found herself having to kill a few moments before her band was ready to start. "I'm so good at talking. Can I talk in French?" Before "Forest," the second-to-last number of the night, Meckler put down her acoustic guitar, much to her relief. "For the next song I don't play the guitar," she announced. "Hooray!" The dance number freed Meckler to express herself more physically and she became a more commanding presence with having to worry only about a microphone and her vocals.

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The set ended with a light touch, an acoustic version of "Be My Baby." Meckler shook a tambourine on the Ronettes cover and found great pleasure in singing the straightforward, simple sentiment. She earned it.

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Julie Meckler setlist:

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Deportation

All Your Pretty Things

Manhattan

Me and the Waves

Bitch

Portishead

Desire

Motel

Mexico

Forest

Be My Baby

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Start: 11:55 p.m./Finish: 12:48 a.m.

Totals: 11 songs, 53 minutes

 

(Click here to watch Meckler and her band practice "Be My Baby" backstage before the show.)

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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes left a lasting impression with their opening set. All six songs played came from their new album, Civilized Man. They made for a fresh and engaging listen as each contained more twists and turns than some band's entire albums.

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The group is centered around Ellsworth's songs and his keyboard. It's a winning combination. The first comparison that came to mind was Ben Folds because of the keyboard, and it turned out there's an apt connection to the comparison. Ellsworth was a member of The Collective, an a cappella group that competed on NBC's "The Sing-Off" -- on which Folds is one of the show's judges. The Collective didn't win. Ellsworth left it up to the crowd whether the show was a good or bad thing. I find it the only reality talent show that consistently features talent so Ellsworth receives a pass here, especially since his band showed its vocal chops to be at a high level at Beat Kitchen.

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The other comparison that came to mind was Wilco because of the band's experimental sound. "Shoe Fits" is the best song I've heard this year. It contained whirling keyboards that sounded like a modern carnival soundtrack as Ellsworth sang with child-like joy. The band led the crowd in handclaps. It was an irresistible performance.

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The Great Lakes hail from Nashville, but, as their name suggests, their roots are further north. Ellsworth and guitarist Timon Lance are from Minneapolis, bassist Marshall Skinner from Columbus, Ohio, and drummer Joel Wren from Wichita, Kansas. The closest they came to a traditonal country number was "Follow Me Home," but the song morphed into something much more thanks to shifts in tempo and Wren's jolting drumming. Each song had something special about it like that.

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The Great Lakes are a band to catch when they return inevitably as headliners. The next time I see them I hope their shining vocals are delivered slightly less precisely. Less would be more, and it would match their more-feeling instrumentation.

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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes:

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Bleeding Tongue

Take Your Time

Shoe Fits

Surrender

Follow Me Home

Wolf Is Me

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Start: 10:53 p.m./Finish: 11:38 p.m.

Totals: Six songs, 45 minutes

 

(Click here to watch the "Shoe Fits" video.)

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Julie Meckler

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen

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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes

November 4, 2011 @ Beat Kitchen