Even though the weather in NYC was brutally cold on Saturday night, you would never know inside the Knitting Factory, where Chuck Ragan and Sundowner (aka Chris McCaughan of the Lawrence Arms) warmed up the crowd with some gutsy, Pabst Blue Ribbon-soaked-folk-rock.  Going into the night, I thought back to when I saw both guys with their much-celebrated “other” bands, Hot Water Music and the Lawrence Arms, at the club a few years ago. Now, both of the co-lead singers were back at the venue, other bandmates left behind, playing striped-down jams that are somewhat different than said bands but still ultimately fimiliar to their fans.

Follow after the jump for more pictures and thoughts. Also, expect a very drunken interview that I did with Chris  of Sundowner/Lawrence Arms that night to pop up on the site soon. Not one of my most professional moments, but it’s still entertaining none the less.

First up, Chris and Sundowner. The last time I saw the band, they were playing in the downstairs room of the club for the Mutiny PR/Punknews.org showcase, about a month earlier during CMJ 2007. At that show, Sundowner was backed by a full band, but this time around, it was just Chris and his acoustic guitar. As a longtime Larry Arms fan, I was excited to see him up there by himself, all the hijicks subtracted, with the music and his powerful lyrics front and center.

The set was made up of songs from his debut full-length Four One Five Two (Red Scare) including “This War Is Noise,” Lawrence Arms tune “My Boatless Booze Cruise,” and even a Leonard Cohen cover to boot. Chris’ songwriting and stage persona reminds me a lot of the Weakerthans’ John K. Samson. There are definitely a lot of similarities with the song-writing as well. Undeniably honest and filled to the brim with captivating observations on life, relationships and all the inbetweens, I think Chris has really found a unique voice with this new project. After a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sundowner become much more than a side-project.

Man oh man was I excited to see Chuck Ragan again. Throw in a few cheap beers and good company and I was ready to roll. Ragan’s Feast Or Famine (Side One Dummy) is easily one of my favorite records of this year and I was excited to scream along with all the lyrics I’ve been singing to myself for months now.

I’ve always admired the way Chuck projects himself in the live setting. You can literally feel and see the emotion pouring out of the man, but as he says in “Do You Pray,” he just sings “like nobody cares.” Don’t be fooled though, a whole bunch of people care about Chuck’s work, past and present, and it was evident at the Knitting Factory that night. He played most of the songs from Feast, which his usual cover of Panthro U.K. United 13’s “It’s What You Will.” As a surprise though, towards the end of the set, he busted not one but TWO HWM songs; “God Deciding” and I believe “The Sense” [Honestly, it was a bit hazy at this point. I was enjoying a ton of PBR...to say the least]. He even did his cover of Alkaline Trio’s “Bleeder,” before closing the set with the Rumbleseat classic “California Burritos.”  As each song passed in the nearly hour-long set, I just kept thinking to myself how the show was getting better with each passing moment. I can’t argue with that incredibly invigorating feeling in any way. It’s a rare thing.

Ragan actually had a bunch of updates for the faithful as well. He announced that he recently recorded a new album with former tour-mate Austin Lucas. The album was recorded over a weekend not too long ago and we should probably expect it sometime in the new year. Also in ‘08, he will be touring with Lucero frontman Ben Nichols. Awesome news!

With the tour coming to a close the next day, the show at the Knitting Factory was a fitting way to end a big year for Chuck. Earlier in the year, he played a small show in the venue’s tap bar; his first solo show in NYC and the first since HWM disbanded. Live album Loz Feliz and Feast in the bag, he was now strumming in the main space, playing in front of a large, energetic crowd, singing along with all their might. Easily one of my favorite shows of 2007.

Tags: Chuck Ragan, Hot Water Music, Lawrence Arms, News, Sundowner, photos, show review //