The SPACE Sessions
Pravda, 2021
8/10
The always impressive Josh Caterer, of Smoking Popes fame, returns with another live-streaming, virtual concert event, and he’s got bassist John San Juan (Hushdrops) and drummer John Perrin (NRBQ) with him for the animated and heartfelt affair.
Caterer starts the listen with the crisp drumming and warm guitar of “I Started A Joke”, where his familiar and uniquely intimate vocals guide the pop-punk crooning, and “Racine” follows with a buzzing but also subdued alt-rocker that’s firm but yet quite romantic.
“At Last” occupies the middle spot and places plenty of melody into the horn friendly climate, while “Smile” offers a gentle and wise display of bouncy bass, agile guitars, and, of course, Caterer’s expressive singing. “Waiting Around”, a Smoking Popes classic, is redone here and it retains the gritty yet tuneful punk sound that made it a classic so many moons ago.
Close to the end, “I Know You Love Me” lands in ballad territory initially before building into a cathartic and tense rocker, and “If I Can Dream” exits the listen swift, driving and full of power and melody that truly captures the essence of Caterer’s song craft.
Recorded at SPACE, an intimate concert hall on the north side of Chicago, Caterer mixes standards with his deep catalog of originals here, and the addition of brass and vocals from Phoebe Caterer makes for another important piece to his exceptional body of work.
Travels well with: Hushdrops- The Static; Josh Caterer- The Hideout Sessions