Jonathan Richman is a veritable audiophile cult hero. With his Boston-based band The Modern Lovers, he released the consummate proto-punk album The Modern Lovers in 1972. If you’re confused by the term “proto-punk,” don’t beat yourself up. “Proto” means before, and punk mean evokes the howling gale of sonic and lyrical dissonance pioneered by artists in the late ’70s like Television and Wire, then the Replacements and the Clash. The sound continues to hit us in waves by bands like FIDLAR and No Age.
All of these bands owe homage to Richman. Without The Modern Lovers, they’d have marched an incomplete bridge into new musical territory.
The debut includes hallmark avant-garde tracks like “Pablo Picasso,” which depicts the painter cruising New York in an El Dorado. “He was only 5-foot-3 but girls could not resist his stare,” Richman speaks rhythmically over looping guitar.
Richman performed with a constantly rotating lineup of The Modern Lovers until 1988; from there he embarked on a solo career, releasing 14 studio albums.
He jumped fences into numerous genres, including country and Latin, deepening his unpredictability. The lyrics of “Reno” on Richman’s 1990 album, Jonathan Goes Country, involve a jaunt in Reno and over-the-top lyrics: “Find a motel with a velvet bed/ where the velvet walls are painted crimson red.”
The acoustic folk tune “If You Want to Leave Our Party Just Go” on his 2010 release, O Moon, Queen of Night On Earth is guileless in its uncomplicated instrumentation and vocal delivery. “If you want to leave a party/ just go,” he sighs. “No need to stay for appearances/ there will be no incrimination the next day.”
Other musical happenings in Big Sur this week include a pre-release party by indie dream pop brooders The Silhouette Era on Saturday. The band debuts their freshly cut single, “Recover,” at Fernwood. The song maintains their signature nuanced, wispy sound, but has garage rock guitar bite. Frontman Carlos Gonzalez says the band is creating a “lighter” tone, in contrast to the noir direction of their last album, Beacons.
Also appearing: Wry, complex legendary New Orleans-based guitarist Philip DeGruy specializes in striking, insightful noir compositions. He plays at Henry Miller Library on Sunday afternoon.
JONATHAN RICHMAN 7:30pm Wednesday May 18. Henry Miller Memorial Library, Highway 1, Big Sur. $25 plus $8 HMML facility fee. 667-2574, www.folkyeah.com
SILHOUETTE ERA 9pm Saturday, May 14. Fernwood Resort, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free. 667-2422, www.fernwoodbigsur.com
PHILIP DeGRUY 3pm Sunday, May 15. Henry Miller Library. $10-20/suggested donation, www.henrymiller.org
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