As it was intended.....

"This is the way rock and roll should be, 3 mics, 3 amps and 1 drum kit" David Lowery of Cracker, 7/9/09 at Musichead in Medford Oregon.

When I say Cracker is a great garage band, it isn't to suggest  they are sloppy and amateurish, but to relay my respect and admiration for their art. It puts them in an elite group of other garage rock greats who can pull it off and sound great doing so. Among them are; CCR, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, Green Day, Nirvana and various others. These bands reached their success playing 3 chords with a driving back beat and an attitude. It is pure rock and roll.

Thursday night at Musichead, a CD/used record store in Medford that holds up to 200 people and resembles a garage, Cracker was at the top of their game. The now classic rock band famous for its' ironic lyrics and lick heavy guitar playing is touring in support of their 9th studio album Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey (  http://www.crackersoul.com/  ) . 

In the 80's, Cracker lead singer David Lowery started a musical family with the alternative band Camper Van Beethoven ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camper_Van_Beethoven ). He later joined forces with guitarist Johnny Hickman to form Cracker. They are the band's creative force and it's only remaining founders. They were joined Thursday by drummer Frank Funaro, a member since 1996, and bassist Sal Miada who's been part of the band since 2006. The band still plays homage to their past often touring on a double bill with Camper Van Beethoven and Thursday featured opening act McCabe and Mrs Miller (  http://www.myspace.com/mccabeandmrsmiller ) with former Cracker/Camper Van member Victor Krummenacher and vocalist Allison Faith Levy. I'm not clear on Thursday's line-up for McCabe and Mrs Miller as they mentioned not having their full band,  but they at times include other Camper Van members.

I discovered Cracker, as did everyone else, when their single "Low" from 1993's Kerosene Hat and the accompanying video where Lowery got the crap beat out of him by comedienne Sandra Bernhard in a boxing ring,  (  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYdlqjiQPAc  ) were in heavy rotation. During the commercial success of that song, I saw them open for the Grateful Dead. I've been a fan since. On Kerosene Hat they in fact did a cover of the Jerry Garcia Band song (also done live by the Grateful Dead, but originally a JGB song) "Loser".  At the risk of upsetting the Gods, I have to say the Cracker version of "Loser" is better than the studio version by JGB. It takes a lot for me to say that as it's one of my favorite songs of all time and those who know me know I would never say anything to slight Jerry or the Dead. What makes it work for Cracker is the dripping, gut wrenching guitar work by Johnny Hickman that, just like the live Grateful Dead performances of that song, really capture the desperation behind the protagonist's pleas. Hickman manages to pull this off without sounding like he's ripping off Jerry's lead work.

Thursday night Cracker played to a crowd of about 120. It was a treat to see them in such a small venue. It was refreshing that they can do so with the same presence, if not perhaps better, than they do for crowds of thousands. At the same time, it's too bad they aren't playing to crowds whose numbers reflect the rock and roll greatness a few of us were lucky enough to witness. The synergy between Lowery and Hickman is undeniable. The 2 have been writing/playing partners for the better part of 2 decades, but each brings his own flare to the table. Lowery has great sardonic wit and the perfect rock and roll attitude. Hickman is a master of the lick and can lay down tasty and soulful solos with the best of them. Thursday, the band as a whole, displayed their talents in fine form. In addition to  their now expansive catalog of older material, Lowery and company worked in their new tunes like the emerging hit "Turn On, Tune In Drop Out With Me" that keeps with the slacker rock tradition of their classics like "Euro-trash Girl" and "Teen Angst" and lesser known tunes like "How Can I Live Without You" which features a fantastic guitar lick and one of my favorite stanzas in rock and roll:

"You can still come a bring me coffee in the morning, you can still come and cook me chicken fried steak, you can live your life with whomever you're pleased to, as long as someone takes good care of me, you know I don't mind. How can I live without you, if it means I gotta get a job"

Cracker may be now among the elder statesmen of garage rock, but it's good to know the art form is still alive.