MP3: Beautiful Night by The Sportsman Club
If the face rings a bell but the name hasn’t yet, it’s because you’re looking at Columbus music veteran Mike Brewer, who’s debuting a collection of home recordings this weekend under the moniker The Sportsman’s Club. Representing the softer side of a guy who’s fronted more rowdy acts like Kola Koca Death Squad and the now defunct Lori, Falling Scenery Converts is comprised of essentially just Brewer and his acoustic guitar, with only occasional computerized fiddling. The recording mechanics suit the style of the songs, which have a purity or bareness which at times gives one the impression of stumbling on a sketchbook of interesting, but not wholly realized ideas. That missing refinement may be in part due to making these songs, as Brewer says “in whatever window life allows,” which in his case means over a span of 6 years and in such disparate locations as a farm road (complete with an all-insect backing band) to a New York hotel room.
The themes are simple and organic, songs are just repetitive enough to be catchy, and last only long enough to set the hook before moving on to something new in the next track. Brewer has accomplished no small feat with these songs in finding that often elusive sweet spot between honesty and overly-sincere mush, a lesson that more than one guy on a coffee shop stool could stand to learn.
While most songs have a folk-inspired quietude with a slow tempo and Brewer’s almost whispered vocals, there are moments of levity that belie his pop sensibilities. It wouldn’t surprise me if that combination drew comparisons to the solo work of Jeff Tweedy or John Vanderslice. Those moments of upswing do keep things interesting without being quirky, but make no mistake about it- where Kola Koca Death Squad might have been your drunken Saturday night, The Sportsman’s Club is your cup of coffee on Sunday morning. There is a richness in the simplicity of The Sportsman’s Club, and light-hearted candor coupled with really fine song writing create an album that’s easy to return to.
The CD release is being celebrated this Saturday, March 3rd at MadLab Theater with a really great billing of artists including Jon Chinn, Chris McCoy and Lizard McGee, all guys who also know how to do the solo thing quite well when they’re without their bands. The previously mentioned Lori will also be reuniting for this event, which means this is going to be a party. Paper Airplane rounds out the lineup. Music starts and 9:00 and will cost you a mere 5 bucks.