Last night was Ken Layne and the Corvids' debut show.

Wow. What a first show for a band. I'm not sure how it could have been better. If I talked to you afterwards, this'll sound like a broken record, but these guys are pure naturals. The hour long set was as good as the record. Ken's voice was strong and sure, Axel's lead guitar work fabulously right and energetic, Steve and Jeff on drums and bass are a rhythm section other bands could only pray to have (and Tsar have them!), and Matt's acoustic guitar accompaniment and vocal harmonies are sweet icing on the cake.

The sensitivity of each to the other was superb, and everybody worked in service of those beautiful, honest songs, mostly written by Layne I think with a few contributions from Matt and possibly Axel, but you'll have to consult them on exact writing credits. The sound was great (kudos soundman) and the balance on stage of the instruments was perfect. Nobody stepped on anyone else and the playing was seamless.

There was a fine range of feeling in the set, from tender pathos to full tilt catharsis and everything in between. That these guys all know each other so well is evident. There was a wonderful sense of ease to the set. Very relaxed and comfortable, even when they tumbled into the wild and unmannered swagger of "Like a Train" or the now-nearly tribal "Mama take another stand." "I should be that guy" was tremendous, and "Worried"--as it seems to be with the Bootlegs--was a real crowd favorite. I remembered "Glitter on" from the studio and it was just as painfully beautiful live as during recording. "Lincoln Town Car" too is equally evocative. The changes to it since Bootlegs are fabulous.

If I was in a band I couldn't ask for a better debut. Great stuff!

There was a sea of digital cameras, and photos are already popping up on various buzznet sites, including Emmanuelle's, Ken's, and Tony's got one and links to MC Brown's very nice collection.

I haven't seen any other reviews yet but everyone's pretty well occupied with big things today.

Special thank you to Brendan for his after party hospitality and I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye on the way out. I was starting to feel like an old man with a bad back.

I met a whole bunch of smart, talented people after the show, outside the club and at Brendan's. An inspiring night of good conversation and creative energy, fueled by the great Corvids. A winning night out, all the finer for me personally as I don't get out much anymore, and it's all the better still when filled with lots of accomplished people.

Hopefully Tony and Kate will write about the show, as they're a lot more fun to read than me.

All I know is, buy the record when it comes out. Not to support truly independent music (although that's a bonus) but to support honesty, substance, art, great songwriting, and just plain old badass rock and roll in music.

Must go work now.