At the restaurant Tangier on the evening of Feb. 10, waitresses
will serve plates of gourmet food to a small and relaxed group of
people who will be listening to a live musical performance among
candles, comfortable couches and exotic ornaments spread throughout
the room. It is probably a similar setting to that of many swanky
restaurants in the city, except the band playing at Tangier on
Friday night will not be an in-house jazz band or a piano player
taking requests. Instead, it will be The Autumn Defense, led by
none other than Wilco’s bass player, John Stirratt.
Having released two albums so far, both replete with lush
acoustic-centered ballads reminiscent of traditional folk-rock from
the ’70s, The Autumn Defense’s choice of venue is
nothing short of ideal.
“People like to be heard, and their voices like to be
heard, and it’s hard to do that over an electric guitar
without singing in a certain timbre,” Stirratt said.
“When it’s quieter, you can perform your music in a
much more evocative way.”
While his contribution to Wilco can also be described as
evocative, Stirratt has focused less on stretching genres with The
Autumn Defense and more on reapplying the familiar and now
nostalgic styles of music that influenced him growing up, including
the Beach Boys and David Crosby.
It was through their connection over this genre of music that
Stirratt bonded with Pat Sansone, a multi-instrumentalist who has
collaborated with such artists as Joseph Arthur and Josh Rouse.
Sansone makes up the other half of The Autumn Defense, contributing
what Stirratt describes as a “high sophistication” for
writing and producing music.
For the performance, drummer Greg Wiz will join the duo to
deliver a set of songs mostly from their latest album,
“Circles.” These warm, pensive and unpretentious songs
evoke a classic feel.
“They’re going to translate live better than any of
the material we’ve made yet,” Stirratt said. “It
all comes down to the songwriting, and having songs that you really
enjoy playing and that you can project.”
The performance represents the growing popularity of more
intimate L.A. venues like Tangier, as well as Largo and The Hotel
Cafe, over larger, theater-like locations. These three restaurants
offer established artists a classy but comfortable setting to
perform, and at the same time provide audiences with a convivial
place to dine with family and friends. This is available usually
for a small entrance fee and cover charge that is seldom more than
$15.
“I started the restaurant to establish a communal
environment that would be fun for songwriters to play on a regular
basis,” said Largo owner Mark Flanagan.
The restaurant has more than achieved this goal, as seen in the
number of artists who perform there regularly, including Aimee
Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips and Jon Brion, who holds a Friday night
residency.
Unlike larger venues, Largo allows performers to control many
aspects of their show, including the opening act, the set list and
the price at the door, of which they receive 100 percent of the
profit.
“We have some guidelines based on past performances, but
we try to get the artist involved as much as possible,”
Flanagan said. “It’s important that it be their
performance.”
This sense of affability and community has attracted a diverse
but impressive list of musicians, writers and comedians over the
years, including Kanye West, Elliott Smith and author David
Eggars.
Taylor Grode, a third-year history student, has attended
performances by such comedic celebrities as David Cross (“Mr.
Show,” “Arrested Development”) and Zach
Galifianakis (“Reno 911,” “Bubble Boy”) at
Largo.
“The place is still highly reputable,” Grode said.
“Not just anyone can perform there.”
Tangier and The Hotel Cafe, which has featured artists such as
Colin Meloy of The Decemberists and, most recently, a surprise show
by Jenny Lewis and The Elected, both function from a similar set of
goals as Largo. Collectively, the restaurants help reconnect
artists with their fans on a level which larger venues can only
dream of reaching.
“With (both The Autumn Defense) and Wilco, rarely do we
have loud crowds, and usually they’re super focused, so it
can be really amazing,” Stirratt said. “I’ve had
some of the best musical experiences of my life in smaller places.
There’s no substitute for that.”