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This “day in the life” doesn’t start bright and early. Musicians don’t live like us. We tagged along with multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Ben Landsverk for a night and the following day to witness his musical lifestyle. Landsverk keeps his plate full with a heaping helping of projects, including Wonderly, in which he and partner Jim Brunberg write harmony songs and music for The New York Times’ The Daily podcast, film scores, and more. Then there’s the beloved Low Bar Chorale singalong jamboree, plus working with such artists as Ruby Friedman, Rachel Taylor Brown, Box Set, Storm Large, Alma Mater and the avant-classical-prog trio Well.
6 pm Thursday
Landsverk pulls his VW Tiguan into the small parking lot of the White Eagle. He has three guitars, one mandolin, one keyboard, one viola, a pedalboard, and a small Fishman amp to unload, not to mention his super-disco sequined jacket and trucker hat for later. His girlfriend Jennie arrives and helps out with the lugging.
“Did you bring my stool?” he asks her. “I’m always forgetting that.” He speaks briefly to the sound guy about sound things.
Tonight is special for Landsverk. It’s the first time he’s performing solo, which is surprising since he regularly plays for crowds large and small as part of Low Bar Chorale and other ensembles. As people start to fill the club well before the 8 pm showtime, there is palpable anticipation.
Landsverk’s work with the Low Bar Chorale is treated almost like a religion among its followers. That’s largely due to the warm and inspirational nature of his personality; he encourages even the worst singers to belt their hearts out. Come to think of it, his long straight hair, rumpled style, and beatific demeanor do bring to mind a certain son of you-know-who. But tonight is all about Ben Landsverk the solo artist. He looks nervous. Jennie gets him a beer from the bar.
6:45 pm
Landsverk’s Wonderly partner Brunberg arrives and the two start tuning up while patrons eat dinner. It’s a salad kinda crowd.
7:25 pm
A group of about 10, known as the So So Singers, joins Landsverk and Brunberg on the cold patio to rehearse their part on “Bayocean,” a gorgeous song about the coastal town that fell into the sea. The choir adds an ethereal harmonic lift to the composition.
“That sounds beautiful,” Landsverk tells them. It’s going to be the fourth song of the set. “I just want you to wander up onstage when it’s time,” he instructs the choir, adding, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening.”
8:50 pm
Showtime. Landsverk takes his seat onstage. “I’ve never done a solo show in front of people,” he tells the crowd. He opens with the jaunty “Starfucker.” Brunberg joins him for “Hey, Steve,” followed by the Warren Zevon gem “My Shit’s Fucked Up.”
The choir quietly moves onto the stage for “Bayocean.” The broken-dreams story moves people (me) to near tears with such emotional lines as “Gonna take it back/Make it great again” that Landsverk sings with the voice of an angel. He again goes for the tear ducts with the stirring “Little Wrecking Ball.” So So singer Jay Cosnett plays roadie, handing over instruments to keep the pace moving.
The sequins come out for the powerful and eerie “Words to Say Goodbye,” performed after improvising a loop on his viola “through various effects on my pedalboard and a Line 6 DL4 looper.” The lyrics and melody were written in advance, but the loop was improvised onstage. By the last number, Felix McTeigue’s “517,” people are swept away.
9:15 pm
For headliner Shawn Brown’s set, Landsverk dons the trucker hat and bright pink scarf for the full rocker look. He’s switched gears from solo artist to backing band, where he’ll add dramatic sounds on the viola, searing guitar solos, nifty melodic keyboard playing, and background vocals, making it all look easy. Landsverk’s gut-wrenching, bluesy guitar solo on Shawn’s “The Rain Parade” is arena-worthy, and once again, his viola completely takes other songs into space.
10:30 pm
“It was a really good night,” Landsverk says after the show. “So varied.” Was he nervous? “Oh, yes. If I don’t still get nervous playing music, that’s the day I’ll quit. There needs to be an edge—there needs to be some danger.”
After loading up with Jennie’s help, Landsverk drives home to St. John’s, stopping at Canary for fried chicken. “The best in Portland.” He’ll get home about 1 am and curl up on the couch with Jennie to watch Poker Face. He’ll finally get to sleep around 3 am.
9:30 am Friday
Landsverk gets up, mixes a track and arranges a song for the next Low Bar Chorale.
4 pm Friday
He arrives at singer Ruby Friedman’s apartment to work on a new song called “When the Hangman,” with lyrics by Friedman. Landsverk’s switching between banjo and viola. When Friedman adds her distinctive vocal phrasing to the Southern Gothic piece, it’s chilling.
The two discuss doing a residency, or maybe a house concert. They’re excited about a recent video they made for “Family Man of Tigard,” a rollicking song they’ve entered in a contest for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. All musical business is halted when Friedman’s scene-stealing blind French bulldog Clovis attempts to roll over. “I’m so used to this,” cracks Landsverk.
The rehearsal evolves into a spirited mini-concert on the couch and winds down with very un-rock admin-related talk about business affairs, signing contracts and the current state of the artist class.
SEE IT: Low Bar Chorale: Jesus Tommy Superstar plays at Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 503-719-6055, albertarosetheatre.com. 7:30 pm, Friday, April 6. $25, $30 at the door. Minors OK with parent or guardian.