One of the delights of a Jonathan Richman concert is the realization, the day after, that your ears aren’t ringing.
???Wait,’ you think, ???where’s that high-pitched whistle?’
My surprise the morning after a recent Richman concert in Northampton, MA was especially strong–I had stood next to the speaker the entire time!
Richman’s low volume is not only good for your ears, but for his aesthetic also. At his Northampton concert, Richman’s guitar wasn’t connected to an amplifier. There was a mic for vocals, another at stomach height for guitar. Throughout the show, Richman stepped away from both, bringing levels down considerably. At other times, he dropped guitar entirely, leaving drummer Tommy Larkins to solo. Richman did a few of his patented dance steps. He also picked up a bell and banged along.
Extended silence and a drum solo would deaden the usual song, but in a Richman/Larkins performance, they enrich it. There are many reasons why it works (–not the least being Richman’s ability to transfix with the movement of an eyebrow). That night, what struck me was how, through all those quiet breaks, something of the singing remained. It was as if Richman’s voice cast shadow over silence, as if his music filled the wide spaces between notes.
