Post a Comment        E-mail To A Friend        Join The List

Damien Jurado: All Alone At The 40 Watt

by Natalie Marchbanks
09/30/2007

Damien Jurado, the band, is missing two of its members, which leaves Damien Jurado, the man, to take the stage alone.

Multi-instrumentalist Eric Fisher and cellist/vocalist Jenna Conrad, permanent members of Jurado’s band since recording the 2006 album, And Now That I’m In Your Shadow, have headed home, leaving Jurado to finish the group’s five week tour on his own.

Bolstered by a 9-year solo career, the Seattle-based singer/songwriter is accustomed to projecting his wistful refrains from an otherwise empty stage. Imparting his mellow brand of folk on a room full of feverish rock fans, however, is an entirely new experience.

Jurado has been the opening act for newfangled rock band Okkervil River since they began their joint tour in September.

Jurado, who will perform Oct. 3 at the 40 Watt Club, is somewhat apprehensive about opening the show without his band mates. “It could be a little crazy opening for a rock band as a solo artist,” Jurado said in a phone interview with Athens Exchange. “People might show up expecting a loud rock show. I have a much quieter sound.”

Jurado’s MySpace page labels this sound “Folk/ Country/ Psychedelic”- a description that highlights the diverse and changing nature of Jurado’s music. In his 10 years as a recording artist, Jurado has released seven full-length albums, which have varied considerably in mood and genre. The albums do share a strong narrative element, however, which Jurado views as the glue between his various musical projects. “I think of myself as more of a storyteller than anything,” Jurado said. “I put stories to music... The music can be different, but the stories are always there.”

The narrative style of Jurado’s music may be what links his sound to that of six-man band Okkervil River. While Okkervil River’s music is louder and edgier than Jurado’s recent work, it shares the same anecdotal qualities. The band’s songs, written by frontman Will Sheff, often fixate on the troublesome aspects of the human experience - a recurrent theme in Jurado’s music.

“The sounds are different, but there are definitely a lot of the same themes,” Jurado said in explanation of how the two acts can successfully share the stage. “They’ve got some mellow songs too, which brings the two sounds together.”

As for the songs he’ll be singing, Jurado said the Athens show will draw from several, if not all, of his albums. “This is my tenth year anniversary of putting out music, so I sort of wanted to make this tour a best of deal. I wanted to incorporate a lot of different songs.”

The set will not be planned ahead of time, which means he’s open to requests. “This is a very fan-friendly tour. I’m just playing songs that people want to hear. If someone yells out a song, like “Ohio” or whatever, I’ll play it.”

Jurado’s visits to Georgia are usually spent in Atlanta. This time, however, he’ll bypass the capital city and head straight to Athens. “I’m happy to skip Atlanta and come to Athens instead,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of cool things about the town - that it’s really bitchin’ musically and all. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

The show is scheduled for 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Tickets are available in advance at School Kids Records or online.