Karen Ponzio Photos
Elison Jackson at Cafe 9 Friday night.
When Erik Kramer sang “ever get the feeling that you’ve been here before?” Friday night at Cafe Nine, words could not have rung truer. Kramer was opening the first local Elison Jackson show since pre-Covid times — a friend-filled celebration of the band’s new record Good Deeds — as part of a triple bill with the band and Alex Burnet, who released the album on her label Free As Birds Records.
Kramer played half of his set solo and half with vocalist-percussionist Reese Florence and Keaton Andi on drums, both of whom played with Elison Jackson later on for the final set. The Philadelphia based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist began at the keyboard, then made his way to the mic with his guitar for two more. These included “The Way It Goes” from his 2017 EP Missed the Boat, with the lines “the cosmic joke, that’s laughing as we broke the world in two, the things I would do if I were you,” sung with a soulful poignancy as Kramer enraptured the audience.
After his friends joined him for the rest of the set, Kramer’s songs picked up in tempo as he harmonized sweetly with Florence and switched over to the bass guitar for a couple of songs. Noting that the week before there was “a concert where a bunch of different people covered my songs,” he also handed the lead vocals over to “Flo” as they played the one that she had done at that show. The crowd responded with joy and admiration throughout, and Kramer was just as appreciative right back, thanking Cafe Nine, Elison Jackson, and his “makeshift band.”
The second set featured singer-songwriter Burnet solo, sharing a mixture of newer songs, covers, and older songs written for and played with her band Laundry Day. Those selections included “Family Dollar,” “Hey, How’s Heaven,” “Seven Seas,” and this reporter’s favorite, “World Spins” — each song taking on a new intimacy and candid conversational tone with Burnet’s raw yet lush performance.
“Jenny Says,” recently released as a live acoustic version, let Burnet’s lyrical hopefulness shine through as she sang “but you can dare to dream.” Burnet’s final song, “You’re Okay” — released in 2020 right at the beginning of lockdown — offered the audience the words “it’s okay, you’ll be fine, you’ve got time.” Her kind and comforting assurance left us with that exact belief.
Elison Jackson came to the stage for the final set five members strong, including Sam Perduta on lead vocals and guitar, Greg Perault on bass and vocals, Reese Florence on vocals and percussion, Keaton Andi on keyboards, and Erik Kramer on drums. The last time the band had been on this stage was back in the beginning of March 2020, and the musicians launched right into “Caught One In The Jaw,” the single they released at the end of March 2020 that was supposed to have been supported by a mini tour that got cancelled due to Covid shutdowns. The song, which the band has been playing versions of for years, sounded as fresh and furiously melodic as if it had just been realized.
Following that number Perduta announced that they were “mostly going to be playing new songs” for the rest of the night, but then would play older songs for “as long as Cafe Nine let” them. Those new songs included the entirety of the new album, which began with the title song “Good Deeds” and ended with the final song “Evil Deeds,” in between including “Tickets,” a song about “getting arrested for having too many traffic tickets” and “Going Clear,” a song about “those really oppressive Christian billboards on I‑84.” Each one showcased Perduta’s affecting and almost immediately sing-along-friendly lyrics, as well as the band’s exquisite musicality. Fans screamed their love for Flo, and the words “that man is a beast on those keys” were also heard and felt.
Florence, Eugene, and Perduta harmonize.
Perduta invited up his old friend and frequent collaborator, vocalist and artist Daniel Eugene, to perform “Cold Grey Concrete,” a song that Perduta told the audience they had performing for many years together. Florence joined them in harmonies and the sounds felt like a long and much needed hug after the months of isolation and distance.
The band ended the night with the song “Ghost Fucker,” the raucous opening number from the band’s 2016 release Silver Sounds: Hallucinations and another one of this reporter’s favorites. It was time to put down the pen and camera and dance once again. Celebrations and friendships require such a response.
Elison Jackson’s new album Good Deeds is out now .