And I did. Gil and Coco Corral take justified pride in bringing diverse and undeniably unique bands to Biddeford, Maine, of all places. They had been doing this by opening their own home (Hogfarm Studios) to touring and local acts until they decided it was time to go “downtown” – because if you can make it on Main St. Biddeford, you can make it anywhere. The result is hfs annex, tucked in the back alley behind Bebe’s Burritos on the site of an old Woolworth’s, resplendent now with dark tapestries, a hint of lighting, and the most comfortable cafe furniture I’ve ever had the pleasure to rest upon.
Tonight the guests at hfs annex included Jesse Rifkin playing as The Wailing Wall. Jesse may get in trouble with the RZA for this:
But Jesse will get no trouble from me for his raw performance this evening. Using loops expertly with his classic Tele, Jesse channeled the best of Neutral Milk Hotel, Beirut, and the Spinanes into a solo tour de force. Especially grueling and worthwhile were the opening number, a folksy major-key romp backed by eerie looped bends and harmonies, and the finale, capped by a mindblowing set of riffs and noises looped to a frenzied climax and then shut off abruptly.
You can hear more Wailing Wall here. That is, if you don’t mind being defiled by MySpace. Pretty sure Biddeford and Saco would never see the likes of The Wailing Wall without some help from Gil and Coco, who continue to do this out of the goodness of their hearts despite the need to make a business out of this mess.
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