My interest in Kurt Vile began with a suggestion from friends whose taste in music I trust when I must admit I'm getting weary of all these new bands - the lines are starting to blur I suppose ,or maybe I'm getting old and crotchety.
I finally decided to give Vile's Smoke Ring for My Halo a spin and was instantaneously lured into the dark corners of his psyche. I appreciated his bitterness while paralyzed by the simple yet swirling musicianship in each song. His dialect seems untraceable, not by region, but by time. After I had listened to "On Tour" for the millionth time, making sure I had the lyrics: "watch out for this one, he'll pump you full of lead for turning your head wrong".
They were absolutely right, and in sync with my car singing voice (which is amazing, btw). Then I put two and two together: Kurt Vile is a nom de plume borrowed from the great German composer, Kurt Weill. And it all came together - the societal remarks from my new Kurt compared to 1920's Kurt Weills’s socialist commentary from The Threepenny Opera began to connect.
I don't think the Kurt Vile playing at The Cat's Cradle Tuesday August 9 draws a great deal of influence from Kurt Weill, but it's astonishingly satisfying to know the history. Maybe I'll get lucky and hear "Mack the Knife" next Tuesday.
