Joe Pernice has the kind of voice that lingers in a room long after he's stopped singing. That fact will be obvious to anyone who bought the Pernice Brothers' album, Overcome By Happiness. Or those who rush out and buy the new CD, Chappaquiddick Skyline, having heard Pernice on Saturday afternoon in Whelans.
Yes, you read that right: Saturday afternoon, as part of the occasional series of gigs sold as the "family club", where mellow music rules. Presumably to ease the pain of a Friday night hangover. Or whatever.
Given this context, the 45-minute set was just a taster for Pernice's "real" gig tonight at the same venue.
Either way, whether with older Scud Mountain Boys' alternative country songs, singing Crestfallen or introducing new tunes such as Hundred Dollar Pocket, Joe Pernice virtually hypnotised the crowd with his strange throaty voice. At least strange in the sense that the guy sings as if on the brink of bitter tears. Or bittersweet laughter.
The songs are similarly ambivalent, fired by rage, filled with regret. Bolstered up by an almost surreal sense of humour. A broad dynamic, indeed.
Less effective, however, was his cover version of a song Pernice claimed "was taken up as having a political meaning the last time I sang this in Ireland". Not surprisingly, its punch line is "get off my island". Sadly, the song itself said little else.
John Crooke opened the gig with his solo slot and was in-your-face from the second line of his first song. Too strident by far for this particular setting and fracturing the poetry in the music by pushing way too hard. Songs like Beneath The Dream Lifetime, as with its title, also aspire towards more than they actually deliver. But, singing together, Pernice and Crooke make a killer team. Anyone who likes David Gray shouldn't miss this gig. Pernice is the guy's soul brother.