Do This: AA Bondy at Schubas
By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 17, 2009 8:15PM
We Chicagoistas are unapologetic nu-folk, uh, apologists, but it's no wonder with the wealth of talent we have right at our doorstep. That's probably why it takes a lot for a guy with a guitar to saunter into town and really impress us.
AA Bondy's darkly spiritual take on the Dust Bowl balladeer tradition has done just that on more than one occasion. The former Verbena frontman hung up his snotty grunge-punk pants with 2008's American Hearts, favoring instead delicate, unadorned, from-the-gut storytelling. It's not hard for songwriters to fall into that milquetoast purgatory between real emotion and vaguely stylized references to being bummed out, but American Hearts has a dark weight anchoring it firmly to the gritty heart of the folk tradition.
That heart is desperation, and the great ones all define, question and struggle with desperation in their songwriting. Bondy is no Guthrie, Dylan or even Nick Drake, but he is able to articulate his own unique form of desperation: The crushing confusion of life's dichotomies. Love vs. hate, God vs. demons, reason vs. emotion. It's these private internal battles that fascinate and terrify on American Hearts, and why Bondy is a welcome addition to any bill in a town known for its gutsy troubadours.
Photo from the band's Myspace page.
AA Bondy plays with Holly Miranda tomorrow night, June 18, at Schubas, 3159 N Southport, 9:00 p.m., $12, 21+