Billy Corgan's Zwan Intense And, at Times, Brilliant
By: BILL WHITE Special to the P-I - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
May 2nd 2003 11:00am
Has Seattle forgotten Billy Corgan?
One of the most important, influential and creative rock
musicians of the 1990s, Corgan went into a commercial and artistic
slump after firing drummer Jimmy Chamberlain in 1996. He kept his
band, Smashing Pumpkins, together for several depressing years
before throwing in the towel. Even his most devoted fans seemed to
be glad it was over.
Until Zwan.
Along with "A Perfect Circle" bassist Paz Lenchantin and
guitarists Matt Sweeney and David Pajo, Corgan has reunited with
Chamberlain to make some of the most exciting music of his career.
But where were the fans? The Paramount was less than half-filled for
a performance that pitched the faithful into the throes of a primal
ecstasy that few of today's bands are capable of inspiring.
Saturday's 90-minute concert opened with a long jam on "Mary Star
of the Sea," the title cut from their debut album, establishing Zwan
as a band dedicated to the joy of playing music. For the first third
of the concert, they emphasized their instrumental side, without
much regard for the individual songs played.
With "Lyric," the musicians pulled themselves out of one
another's worlds and faced the audience for a direct hit. It was
dynamite. Then came the bomb. "Jesus, I" began with three-part
gospel harmony on a line that recalled James Brown's "It's a Man's,
Man's, Man's World," and eased into a power-trio jam with Corgan
channeling Hendrix, Clapton, Jeff Beck and a dozen other wah-wah
magicians of years past. And that was just the onslaught of a
blitzkrieg that built relentlessly to a screaming eruption of
ritualistic excess. The audience was connecting to the music on an
electric level that has not been in style since LSD first became
illegal.
With three guitars ringing out, there was never a problem of
maintaining intensity throughout the shifting dynamics of Corgan's
sometimes brilliant songs. A fiercely scintillating version of
"Settle Down" closed the set, and the band encored with the lovely
"Of a Broken Heart," delicately sung by Corgan and featuring
Lenchantin on violin.
Chicago duo The Children's Hour, joined by David Pajo on drums,
opened with a set of offbeat songs. Andy Bar's guitar work showed
the influence of Corgan's ballad writing. Audience members were at
first hesitant in their enthusiasm, but when Josephine Foster traded
her harp for an electric guitar, they were won over. Her vocal
approach, which recalled Chan Marshall, was peculiar because of an
enchanting disregard for pitch. The duo ended its 30- minute set
with a guitar and ukulele duet that had a Pan-Asian feel.
 (C) 2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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