Caught in the Carousel

The year was 1981, and I was listening to the records my sisters had given me - Floyd, the Stones, the Who. Then I heard Land Speed Record from Hüsker Dü, and my musical journey changed forever. With his blitzkrieg buzz saw melodies and razor-sharp guitar playing, Hüsker's Bob Mould became one of my heroes. I've followed his career and bought all of his records ever since. While I was never able to see the mighty Hüsker live, I have enjoyed the pure energy that was his second band, Sugar, and his solo acoustic shows as often as possible.

The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA was host to Bob on April 7th, also the date of the release of his new album, Life and Times. The evening started with an opening set from Juliana Hatfield. Although a bit under the weather, Ms Hatfield took us through some classics from Blake Babies' Earwig and Sunburn albums. She seemed to gain energy as she ripped through some of her new stuff and, as always, we enjoyed guitar-playing that supported the lyrics and melodies, rather than overpowering them with riffs. This was no more in evidence than during her lovely performance of "Shining On", when she reached deep to grab the lyric, "every star at dawn, goes shining on."

Then it was Bob's turn. Bob has a heavy presence that commands (as if built by the same firm that did Stonehenge), which was augmented by a bassist and a cellist. He opened with introspective songs from his solo efforts, including "Wishing Well", "See a Little Light" and "Brasilia Crossed With Trenton", which he sung with passion. The guitar playing was crisp, and his whiskey voice seemed built for the occasion. But when the cellist left the stage and Bob strapped on the blue Strat, the audience strapped in. He gave us a taste of songs from Life and Times, then he blazed through some Hüsker songs, including "I Apologize" and "Celebrated Summer", and the ears of the 500 in attendance are the better for it. The encore was a great frolic through Sugar's "If I Can't Change Your Mind", and Hüsker's "Makes No Sense at All". The only thing that makes no sense at all is for someone not to see Bob live.

Bob Mould now resides in DC, where he writes for our local City Paper and frequently plays live. Prior to the Birchmere show, I saw him during the "Circle of Friends" concerts at the excellent 9:30 Club in DC. Bob's a fixture in DC now, and the fans that came to the "Circle of Friends" shows and to the Birchmere on April 7th were older punks with gray beards wearing Hüsker Dü t-shirts, but they were joined by a younger generation of converts. As I was leaving the Birchmere show, I was walking up the aisle, ahead of Bob, when a young woman reached out to shake his hand. "You're my favorite dude!" she shouted. "Thanks", he replied. He had proved, once again, that he remains relevant and necessary.

—Peter Hamm

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