Neurolux Boise, ID
Contact: joe@groundcontroltouring.com
Web: dragcity.com/artists/cory-hanson
Players: Cory Hanson, vocals, piano, guitar; Evan Backer, bass; Evan Burrows, drums, percussion; Heather Lockie, viola; Emily Elkin, cello; Erik KM Clark, violin; Max Whipple, contrabass; Nicole McCabe, tenor and alto sax; Alex Wasily, trombone; Ryan Parrish, baritone sax
Cory Hanson, now four albums deep into his career with Drag City Records, is one of the label’s alt-rock/folk/psyche/psychedelic rock artists du jour. Best known as the frontman of Wand, which formed in 2013 and is another Drag City mainstay, Hanson is also a Ty Segall collaborator and began occasionally stepping out on his own in 2016 to do his own “stripped down” thing (often with a large backing band in tow).
Hanson has clearly put in the 10,000 hours that Malcolm Gladwell claims makes someone an expert at their craft. Hanson makes it all look so damn easy, but his charm is firmly rooted in his acumen at presenting himself as comfortable and collected, but never too cool or arrogant.
Hanson is performing selections from his recently released full-length I Love People with the same grace as if they had been in his oeuvre since the very start of his career. He never appears like he’s trying to sell his new material to the audience or convince them to stay watching instead of getting a refill at the bar.
The song "Bird On a Swing" features the lyrics “I've rode on the darkest range, I've worked a thousand graveyard hours, I have no blood left in my veins, I gave it all up to the empire," and they hit home in the live environment. As a recent press release reads, "I Love People’s songs are rendered with immediacy and a deep-pile Hollywood production sound that radiates affluence and comfort."
It’s always a challenge for any artist to play Boise, the most remote city in the U.S., in the dead of winter. But playing in the dead of summer is no breeze either; the music scene here is simply not animated enough, and the Neurolux was too sparsely attended, to make Hanson’s trek here worth the trip. He deserves more.
