Rabbit Fur Coat

Zak and his cousin passed through again last night. Zak got me a pass and I hoofed it off to the Aladdin Theater to see him and Willy Mason open for Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins.
When I got to the theater I called Zak from the lobby and as I was about to leave a message he was there standing behind me. “Want to come back?’
The backstage (upstairs really) of the Aladdin is pretty homey: Christmas lights, tapestries, a yellow kitchen from the 50’s and a collection of mismatched tables and couches. The first thing that struck me about being upstairs in the Aladdin were, actually, the Watson Twins. They’re twin sisters and singers from Kentucky by way of L.A. now. Their tall, honestly friendly and welcoming, have a certain cool vintage sensibility about them, and are very beautiful. They were hanging low sipping whiskey. The whole band was keeping fairly mellow as they had just arrived after flying out from Sacramento where (along with Stereolab) they were stuck in the snow. Jenny Lewis sat next to the heater as it blew warmth. Leigh Watson offered us whiskey and beer and said how she had to buy a coat for this tour as you don’t really need to own one when you live in L.A. The band sprawled out or typed on computers, Zak and I chatted and got caught up and then he and Willy ran through some tunes. It was lovely sitting and listening to them quickly go over Hank Williams harmonies.
Willy is very relaxed before playing. Five minutes to showtime seems to be an artifact that’s lost to him. “I’m just going for a cigarette” is about as worked up as he gets. He doesn’t really seem to be bothered with the rest. I walked with he and Zak down the stairs to the wings of the stage. The man called for house lights and smiled as he said “gentlemen, the stage is yours”. The lights were adim blue and red.
Willy and Zak’s set was grand. The sound was spot-on and the scenester crowd dug them.
Back upstairs Jenny Lewis changed out of her pink tee shirt into a black dress. The guitar player changed from pink converse high tops into cowboy boots, and the Watson twins sported matching black vintage dresses. One cool thing about this band is that they looked like a band. Dressed, but not “dressed up” as if they were playing a part that didn’t fit them. They just looked good and seemed to feel like it too. The houselights dimmed again and the girls started singing at the foot of the stairs before slowly walking out into the expanse of theater. They sang "Run Devil Run" and the whole moment was reminiscent of the scene in Oh Brother Where Art Thou? When the three sirens sing, “As I went down to the river to pray…” It was a jaw-dropping to behold and talk about a way to start a show. Memorizing from the start. The band kicked in and a boatload of fans went on a Jenny Lewis odyssey. Part cool folk show, part gospel soul revival, part vintage, part retro, part Loretta Lynn, little bit Elliot Smith, a touch of Bob, and some Commitments vibe thrown in too. It was a stellar show. Through and through. I was really blown away.
After, I was cranked up on music with an idea in my head. The drummer lent me a pen so I could write it out on a paper plate. When something is rolling around in your head that was never there before you got to write it down. Fast. I played it out on Willy’s guitar as people talked and drank beer. I got stuck on the final line of the chours so I (reluctantly) said goodnight to the twins, the guitar player, Jenny Lewis, and Zak then wandered around the neighborhood singing this new song round and round in my head searching for that last line to complete it. I still haven’t quite found it but I know it’s out there somewhere. I’m sure that the line is disguised as something far simpler that what I’m trying to make it. When in doubt go simple. Or perhaps I’ve left the line somewhere back in the ethers of the Aladdin Theater. Somewhere up in the lights. Hovering near the cobwebs on the ceiling. Somewhere up where the last notes from Jenny Lewis’ throat are still echoing. Disregarding the laws of physics. Refusing to disappear.