Neko Case’s songs are generally serious, enigmatic and eerie—which couldn’t be farther from her personality on stage. At Mountain Winery on Friday night, she cracked jokes between nearly every song and exchanged Pee Wee’s Big Adventure references with Kelly Hogan, the former Rock*A*Teens singer who is an accomplished solo artist in her own right, and also tours with Case as part of her backing band.
Even the sometimes bizarre poetry of Case’s songs was fodder for yuks, as Hogan introduced “Polar Nettles”: “That segues right into the song about the dude who was in love with the phantom nurse.”
Even more so than on her records, the first thing that strikes you about Case in concert is her unmistakable voice. By the second song, “Maybe Sparrow,” she was belting out the vocals in that gorgeous, darkly melodic way that she does. Interestingly, she seemed to be looking for the right level the rest of the night, sometimes appearing to hold back a little. When someone in the audience yelled “turn it up,” she joked “a lady is modest with her volume!” It wasn’t totally a joke, though; she clearly was after a nuanced tone rather than a full-on vocal assault.
Same with the music. Her fantastic band rained down banjo notes and shimmering chords, but didn’t go into full rocking mode until about halfway through in “Hold On, Hold On.”
Then again, perhaps the drama and tension that a little restraint brings is the key to Case’s style. That was certainly the case on “I’m An Animal,” which built slowly into a soaring sonic wall by the time the lyrics had proclaimed that heaven will smell like the airport. Another highlight was “Middle Cyclone,” the title track from her last album, on which Hogan cranked an old-style music box as accompaniment. Case wound up with fan favorites “That Teenage Feeling” and “This Tornado Loves You.”
There’ something about Case’s artistry that comes across especially well in an intimate venue like Mountain Winery. Her songs never drone on with endless choruses—if they even have a chorus to begin with. They’re short, sharp flashes, and you have to be able to hear all of the lyrics to appreciate them as they go by. On Friday night, you could, and she reminded everyone why she’s has such a huge impact on alt-country over the last several years.
