The Last Town Chorus (which is, pretty much, Megan Hickey) was one of the acts that impressed me at SXSW in 2005. (See my photos from that gig.) Ever since, I’ve been waiting for them/her to put out a second album. The wait is almost over. The sophomore record’s not out just yet, but the Last Town Chorus came through Chicago last night for a searing set of Hickey’s wailing lap steel guitar solos and matching vocals. She’s an odd talent, not easily fitting into any musical category. Folk blues describes it as well as anything, I suppose, but there’s something else in her spooky, almost gothic music. And did I mention that she’s gorgeous, too? Her set included a cover of David Bowie’s “Modern Love,” which will be on the new album.
The opening act (and the reason why some people showed up at all) was former Jayhawks drummer Tim O’Reagan, who put out a solo record last year. His music is nothing remarkable, but that’s almost part of the point about it. It’s the folk/alt-country equivalent of comfort food, good sturdy fare, nothing that’s going to knock you out of your seat, but you’ll be comfortable listening to it in any case.
See my photos of the Last Town Chorus and Tim O’Reagan.