Forgiving Buckner

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 27, 2007 6:15PM

Richard Buckner ain’t your porch-sitting, whiskey-sipping, long-lost-love-ruing folk singer - he’s the sound of an adulthood spent clawing through the shadowy underside of America in search of the indefinable sense of self and place. Buckner’s eighth studio effort, Meadow, was recently released on indie hipmonster Merge Records, and is the latest chapter the ever-evolving tale of disappearing comfort and aggravated desire that makes Buckner a favorite soundtrack to coffee Sunday mornings and late night therapy sessions. This complexity is brought to life by a band that's a veritable who’s-who of fundamental players in independent music: Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices, Cobra Verde); Kevin March (GBV, Those Bastard Souls, Dambuilders); JD Foster, and Steven Goulding (Mekons, Gram Parker, Waco Brothers).

Diverse lyrical themes and a propensity to cloak his stark song structures in swirling arrangements round out the Richard Buckner experience, which will absolutely saturate Schubas tonight. Buckner’s thoughtful tunes are presented in a way that keeps his huge, grainy voice front and center, allowing the full consequence of his craft to hit the listener like a swift 2x4 to the sternum.

Introspection is guaranteed, but so it a fairly rockable show worthy of a Saturday night and a couple of stiff drinks. If you’re not attending one of the crazy-huge Our Band Could Be Your Life-themed shows tonight, this is where you should be tapping your toes.

Richard Buckner plays Schubas tonight with Six Parts Seven, who will also serve as Buckner's backing band. 10pm, $14 at the door.