LimeWire Music Blog

Last Saturday, one of the first songs Mike Bones played was Royal Trux’s “Junkie Nurse,” a relatively quiet and sensitive song from one of the toughest rock ‘n’ roll bands that ever lived, and it was perfect. No, not technically perfect, but metaphorically perfect.  According to the bulk of his press, Mike Bones could totally melt faces with guitar theatrics, but, from what I hear, he’d rather shred your heart with crooning indie-rock ballads. Mike Bones is the go to guy for hip New York bands that need a skilled session player, and yet his two albums, The Sky Behind the Sea and the recently released A Fool For Everyone, both on Social Registry, are generally somber and introspective records.  Sure, a few solos bubble up here and there, like a quiet Neil Young-esque slow-jam, but, for the most part, Mike Bones’ songs are like Leonard Cohen reinterpretations of by-the-book orchestral indie-rock tunes.  

 

Unsurprisingly, with songs like these, Mike Bones’ live show can get a little boring. The first few songs were performed solo-electric, and with the exception of “Junkie Nurse,” were the lowest moments of the night. Mike Bones had a full band for the rest of his set, including Jah Division bassist Brad Truax, and reputable guitar player Matt Sweeney, formerly of Zwan and Chavez, but not even they could inject energy into the majority of Bones’ dour songs. Things picked up toward the end of the set, when the band went into A Fool For Everyone single “What I Have Left,” which, aside from being one of the best songs on the album, is also its most lively. Here, the band came alive: Matt Sweeney got off his stool, attached the strap to his guitar, and actually seemed to be getting into the music; Mike Bones moved around the stage, more aggressively attacking his instrument, and actually lived up to his reputation as a fantastic guitar player. Unfortunately, moments like these were few and far between. Mike Bones seems to be more interested in proving himself as a songwriter, to which, right now, he’s merely satisfactory, instead of relying on his strengths as a guitar player. I respect the man’s need to challenge himself, but it would be nice to hear a bit more of the musicianship that brought him his acclaim in the first place.