Former Stranger writer/editor and author of the 33 1/3 tome on Joni Mitchell‘s Court and Spark Sean Nelson has been in the music biz for two decades, and he’s going to celebrate this landmark achievement Sat. May 31 at Columbia City Theater. Best known as the eloquent frontman for the popular rock group Harvey Danger, Nelson has branched out into film and theater acting in his post-Harvey Danger years, in addition to playing in bands with Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, the Long Winters, Death Cab for Cutie, the Minus 5, and others. He also released a great solo album in 2013 titled Make Good Choices.
For Saturday’s show, Nelson has assembled a strong band: former Harvey Danger bandmate Aaron Huffman on bass; Telekinesis’ Michael Lerner on drums; Matt Batey (Cataldo/Ruler) and Lance Umble (Cumulus) on guitars; his wife, Shenandoah Davis, on piano. A few songs will feature keyboardist Kyle O’Quin (Portugal the Man/Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground) and Aaron Benson (many bands, including Wild Orchid Children). This pick-up group will do a mixture of Harvey Danger songs, Nelson solo tunes, and probably some well-chosen covers. Nelson adds, “The support guy is a really good singer/songwriter from New Zealand named Anthonie Tonnon who sounds a bit like a lot of those great New Zealand pop bands like the Chills and the Clean and a bit like the Lucksmiths.” Colt Kraft Band are also on the bill.
In other Nelson news, No Sleep Records is going to release Harvey Danger’s debut album, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, on vinyl July 29. It’s going to boast new artwork designed by the band, plus extensive new liner notes by Nelson, lyrics, and photos from HD’s early days. You can pre-order the LP at nosleeprecords.com.
