Two Artists Beyond Compare Citizen Cope & Meika Pauley The 9:30 Club Washington, D.C. By Leslie Miller Singer/Songwriter Meika Pauley defies categories and this is the reason I think she was invited (for at least the second time) to tour with D.C.’s own, Citizen Cope. Even though it was just she and her orange hollow-body guitar, Pauley captivated the audience with her original tunes. Her smoky and intense voice never went off key and her songs ebbed and flowed, building and dropping, which kept the audience’s interest.

Mid-way through Meika Pauley’s set, headliner Citizen Cope strolled through the crowd. As he and his band passed by everyone, we stared … because it was “him.” Meanwhile, Pauley sang a song she wrote in response to her experience in the Midwest where people were so drunk they literally didn’t realize she was trying to perform for them on stage.

The lyrics exemplified her feelings about the subject:

“If this guitar wasn’t so expensive
and I didn’t need it night and day,
It’d make a pretty good blunt object
to convince you to go away.”

Conversely, she enjoyed the crowd at the 9:30 Club, because they showed a certain amount of respect. Maybe this is because anyone opening for Citizen Cope is respectable enough.

Like Pauley, Citizen Cope’s artistry is beyond compare. People want to compare him to Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits, but I think this is an injustice. Sure, there are elements of hip-hop, reggae and blues in his music, but he has a style all his own. He is understated, deep, pensive and brilliant in his writing. His music is sometimes depressing, other times downright jazzy, but it’s always infused with a touch of hip-hop and intelligent lyrics. In fact, I believe one day, people will be comparing other musicians to him.

This second time I listened to “The Clarence Greenwood Recordings” (2004 release) I got a strong desire to buy his earlier release. So I purchased his 2002 self-titled album, and I liked it just as much as this latest record.

The guy makes you curious. He fingers the things in your mind which are tucked way back … the things you forgot about or pushed away because they were sort of unfathomable or ugly at the time. But, when he brings them out … you know it’s okay … because, he went ahead and made it easier.

This is what true artistry is all about.
Citizen Cope’s music touches me deeply. They make the dark side of life more palatable with their poetic, streetwise, yet gentle way of singing and bringing musical visions to life.

With all this said, it was obvious the fans in the sold-out audience felt the same way. The place was packed. People in their early teens to late twenties packed together like sardines amid the smell of cigarettes, sweat and alcohol. A wicked-looking gargoyle-type creature enshrouded in red light was strategically propped on the stage … mocking our anticipation.

Finally, Cope and his band picked up their instruments. The eager crowd went wild! Under awesome green and white stage lighting, they started off with a song from his latest release called “Pablo Picasso,” which is a song about a delusional man who falls in love with a woman painted in a wall mural.

I was pleased, because it was one of my favorites.

After that, I was like any other fan waiting to hear my absolute favorite song, “Contact.” When I heard the lyrics to this song about racial profiling, they hit me like a rock. It has a great beat and goes like this:

It's a fine time
Say just to run a name
'Cause you look the same
As the dude with the rebel in his veins
But while you're checking me
You've got them crooked politicians
Eating up the treasury
And taking our cash
To spend on the prisons
While the youth they fast
Now I'm waiting on the day
When we can all bring
Like Martin Luther King

I wasn’t alone in wanting to hear this song. People in the audience were screaming its name. But, instead he played, “Bullet and a Target,” “Penitentiary,” and “Son’s Gonna Rise,” which ended with a fantastic drum roll, and everyone clearly enjoyed these numbers, nonetheless.

There was lots of head bobbing in the audience listening to Cope’s songs, often about difficult subjects. Racial profiling, insanity, imprisonment, drugs and gambling are all subjects he’s tackled … but he can also write a really touching love song. He’s a great storyteller and his band members are just as talented.

The live performance sounded the same as on the records, maybe even better because the rhythm section was so crisp and pronounced. There was a keyboard player AND a piano player. This combination was really nice and created a unique wall of sound.

While waiting to hear my favorite song, I noticed the band’s stage presence was not much to shout about. They just focused on playing their instruments. I suppose onstage shenanigans are unnecessary when the music speaks for itself.

For what he SAID was going to be his LAST song, Cope performed, “Hurricane Waters.” The band had fun with this one, maybe too much fun, because it wasn’t their last song. This is when I reached the height of my anticipation … Surely he’ll play the song everyone was screaming for -- “Contact.”

But he was just teasing us, leaving us wanting more. The band then covered Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” and Bob Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate.”

And, then sadly… it was over. Don’t get me wrong. It was a great show!

He left me wanting more.

http://www.citizencope.com/home.cfm

http://www.miekapauley.com/