Johnathan Rice

I went to the Arts Centre last night to see Johnathan Rice (and no I don't mean Damien! ;-)) If you want to know more there's a good review on Joolian's blog.
His band were called Death Valley and they looked like the unlikeliest bunch of wierdos you could have in a band. There was, most impressively Farmer Turnip who was almost as broad as he was tall. He wore a furry trilby hat, a pinstripe jacket and had ruddy cheeks (due to a lifetime of outdoor activities no doubt) and a scraggy tuft of facial hair in the chin region of his face. Next was Eighties Woman on the bass, who looked like she had battled with anoerxia or maybe even a heavy drug addiction but she still knew how to dance. Finally was Jeff on the drums. Sure, he was balding but he gave those drums a real pounding. They really couldn't have been a real band could they? Surely JR just suggested down his Cornish local that he was considering doing a tour and wondered if the barman knew of any suitable musicians? "Why not ask Farmer Turnip? He may spend from dawn til dusk as a man of the land but when the night falls, he's a demon guitarist fit for any band!" Not only was Farmer Turnip in the pub that night but Eighties Woman and Jeff. The rest they say is history.

All joking aside they churned out an impressive performance, however unlikely they looked. Johnathan was a surprise. He was boyishly good looking with an Americanised Scottish lilt. He seemed a little nervous and yet the same time was quite commanding. I liked his dialogue. He was talented for sure but what made him more talented than the support artists? Or the band? Why did he warrant a gig, a record deal? During the support artists (Lisa Redford and Somebody Rose) I thought why did they want to be solo artists? The thing I don't like about solo artists is they can produce a really "thin" sound. Both were excellent guitarists and had great voices but they couldn't produce the depth of sound or atmosphere that a band can produce. The quality of the songs too seems a little thin, almost as if writing in conjunction with others automatically broadens a song. Is it conceit that makes a person believe they can or should persue a musical career on their own? Have they tried with others and found compromise difficult? I don't really know the answers. All I do know is that Johnathan Rice has something. He can pull it off as a solo artist but I was glad he had the sense to have the band there too. See him if you get the opportunity, just don't have a mobile phone conversation while you're in the audience!