The Thin Man
While at the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival, I spotted Thin Man and remembered I had forgotten to blog about seeing him at the Hothouse with Edith Frost before the holidays. It was one of those stretches of days I tried going to five shows in a row and therefore fell behind.
I’ve seen The Thin Man a couple of times now and the best way I can think to describe him is what you would get if you crossed Mark E Smith (of The Fall) and Nick Cave with a bawdy sailor. I’ll add that his lyrics often have a characteristic of quirkiness that remind me of Robyn Hitchcock. Accompanied with accordian and tales of debauchery, Kennedy Greenrod (who originally hails from Newcastle, England) fills the air with sometimes a melancholy and, at other times, a boisterous macabre. (There’s even a slight hint of rockabilly on “Molly O”) He literally wrote a song “An Undertaker Muses…” in which the entire premise is about the undertaker thinking about the good old days of his business and raising his glass to those who may keep him in business. (It’s quite grim)
I’ll also say that The Thin Man is a very appropriate name. “The Fat Man” would not do well to describe him. “The Overweight Man” is right out. Although, “The Toweringly Tall Man” might work as well. It definitely adds to Kennedy’s stage presence as he draws that accordian in and out and invites people to dance up front. Kennedy also plays guitar and the bass player uses a stand up bass, which might help if you’re trying to imagine what the full sound of the band is.
You can hear The Thin Man’s songs here as well on his myspace page
Here’s some lyrics from the album Greasy Heart just to give you a better idea:
(from) “Baby Please”: “Oh Baby Please don’t give that man that four leaf clover that I tripped over…I saw you with him in the park just yesterday In matching tracksuits. It wasn’t that cute.”
(from) “More than Miles”: “If the river was gin, if the river was whisky I’d go fishing seven days a week and that willow would be weeping not just for me cos I wouldn’t be alone.”
(from) “Marching Through the House”: I’m gonna stand on the beaches and curse all of the waves. And I’m gonna capture the insects and have a parade. I’m gonna drink with the blind man and fall down his stairs. I’m gonna teach all the starlings to sing out your name. We’re gonna celebrate the day you were…Celebrate the day you were made.”
more pictures:
