"Imagine a really white piece of paper with crumpled up Cheetos all over it," Spencer Burton said in the rambling intro to his last song. "That's me without my shirt on." This was all part of a tragic-comic story about his ex-fiancée leaving him and preceded a song about her. After more fiddling, he just said "I don't wanna play anymore," and the free, surprise afternoon show at a cramped coffee house was suddenly over with some bewildered, bemused applause. It was that kinda set, all sensitive beardman balladry, teetering on a kind of self-aware madness and implosion that was riveting and hilarious if not a tad heartbreaking. In his intro to Willie Nelson's "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning," Burton commanded the room like a seasoned stand-up comic, prepping us for it with allusions to Snoop Dogg and a faux relationship with the Red Headed Stranger, whom he vaguely resembles. Nick Ferrio joined Burton with some spontaneous licks and show was a bizarre highlight. It felt like some kinda legendary thing that people might buzz about for the rest of the weekend.
To see Exclaim!'s Lawnya Vawnya photo gallery, head here.
To see Exclaim!'s Lawnya Vawnya photo gallery, head here.