Jon Brion - Didn't Think It Would Turn Out That Bad (String Quartet Version) [1:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Jon Brion - Punch-Drunk Melody [1:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It was the second Intonation Festival here in Chicago where I first witnessed the cockamamie genius of Jon Brion. Pouring rain be damned, the guy captivated 15,000 people that day, many of whom knew him only as “the guy who worked on Kanye’s records.” I left the festival grounds that day with that rare inspiration feeling that reminds you of just how powerful it is to witness true musical aptitude meet unbridled creativity.

Fast forward to the winter of 2006 and many, many strings pulled to get into Brion’s show at the itty bitty Hideout. I’ve never been so sardined into a space before, and the fact that I couldn’t get my winter coat off all night (and it had to be 85 degrees in the music room) or get to the bar for a beer seemed inconsequential in the face of what I witnessed. It’s hard even now to describe this guy’s mastery of what it means to entertain; there are plenty of folks, from Keller Williams to Andrew Bird, who use looping to create layered sounds on their own, but Jon Brion does it to create an entire band. He writes, he produces, he performs, and he blows minds - all better than just about anyone else in the game. I left the Hideout that night thinking I’d just seen the best live musical performance I would ever see. It was both thrilling and depressing, but I felt something from a concert that proved I was still truly in love with music.
Needless to say, I’ll be pulling in favors (or begging on the street) to get into the New Year’s Eve show this year…

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