For years, it’s been standard local show fare to turn around and see of Cliff Usher, hulking and shaggy, and Lindsay Pitts, all bangs and paisley, standing together, looking serene, enjoying the music. It’s also been standard to turn to say hello, only to find them gone, probably off to some haze-filled room with a lava lamp. The duo—together, they comprise Birdlips—has cultivated mystique that’s allowed them to come and go as they pleased. But few will be pleased to hear the news that, as of next month, they’re leaving for good. Birdlips is moving to San Francisco.
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C-VILLE called Birdlips’ album Cardboard Wings “Best Ornithological Discovery” in its 2009 Best-of Issue. Now the duo is leaving Virginia for greener, or less familiar, pastures. |
The band first made a splash last year with their MonkeyClaus-produced full-length, Cardboard Wings, which features Usher’s folk songs, with Pitts in harmony, set against often intricate beats. “Some Kind of Death,” for example, sounds like finding a busker outside a rave. When their most recent tour ended last fall—during which “we lost a lot of money”—they followed the well-worn path from Charlottesville to Usher’s parents’ Fairfax County basement. The plan was to live for free and tour, but soon found that “the city doesn’t have anything for us. People only go to D.C. for money, politics, power,” says Usher. “Security,” Pitts adds to the list.
They’re playing a “farewell show” with the Cinnamon Band, and Sarah White and the Pearls on February 12 at The Southern. On display will be the band’s live formula, which has remained the same since its inception: Usher’s low growl, with Pitts on a simple keyboard line, all laid over a muffled drum machine. As a songwriter, Usher’s lyrics can recall the hazy internal dialogues that characterized Nebraska-era Springsteen. But in town last week for the second-to-last time, they were singing a different tune: the theme from “Cheers.”
| Birdlips: C-VILLE Feedback Session |
But why San Francisco, where they’ve only played once? What about, say, Texas? “You can’t avoid the inland border patrol,” says Usher. Pitts: “It’s just a lot of tacos and barbecue.” Chicago? Pitts: “It’s so cold, you have to wear two hats.” “I’ve never even thought about wearing two hats,” Usher notes. Their tones soften when they talk about San Francisco. “Cliff wants to go to the place where his soul belongs,” says Pitts. They’re leaving on Valentine’s Day. They want to live in the Mission District. Or maybe the Inner Sunset neighborhood. “That sounds very peaceful to me,” Pitts says.
Close enough
Feedback was putting the finishing touches on his column when Jody Kielbasa, head of the Virginia Film Society, called: they’ve been selected to host an Oscar Night America at the Paramount Theater, which means they’ll broadcast the whole shebang in HD. Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday, for $25, which includes wine and food. If the Oscars still feel far away, remember that you’ll want to be farther when it’s announced that Avatar has won best picture.
