When seeing Jon Brion for the first time, inevitably two questions come to mind. How is this possible? And, most puzzling, how is a show like this not blowing people's minds in much larger venues across the country?
The first question is probably the easiest to answer. The average song performed by Jon Brion usually begins with the multi-instrumentalist pacing the stage, eyeing his piano, drum kit and many guitars the way some people eye a dessert cart. Brion then settles on whatever instrument moves him most and starts recording himself playing a few measures before moving onto another instrument, and then another, until finally he's settled on one -- often a Frankenstein-looking guitar -- and begins singing and playing over himself while you sit and swear there should be an entire band behind him.
The show itself consists mostly of audience requests in a sort of twisted musical version of "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" Anything in pop music history is fair game; past covers have included a sweetly warped version of Prince's "Purple Rain" performed in the style of Les Paul and a straight-ahead cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" that could have powered all of Fairfax. Part of the game is you don't quite know what to expect from night to night, and that's what's made this one-man band one of the hottest tickets in Los Angeles on Friday night.
Don't worry about Brion not yet achieving an appropriate level of fame and fortune for these musical acrobatics. Gradually, he's started to make a name for himself as a producer, collaborating with everyone from the Crystal Method to Aimee Mann. But it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on, so if you want to catch his act be sure to call for a reservation early (a week prior is probably a good bet). Secrets only stay safe for so long.
-- Chris Barton
