POP MUSIC REVIEW - Somber Overtones With Bemis and DeJarnett

LONG BEACH — 

When musicians form a new group, then try out their musical departure in a decidedly out-of-the-limelight locale such as Long Beach’s basement-room Beneath Broadway theater, it may not be entirely sporting to review their first show. But the acoustic-folk debut of singer-violinist Ann DeJarnett and singer-guitarist Jimmy Bemis at that venue Thursday evening easily held up to the early scrutiny.

Bemis’ previous allegiance had been with the raw, punkish Chain Gang, while DeJarnett, with the Falcons, had crafted some of the most distinctive and fully realized original rock music to have come out of Orange County (with somewhat watered-down examples available on two releases on Orange’s Dr. Dream Records). Though it was a shame to see that outfit jettisoned earlier this year, the new music DeJarnett is making with Bemis also has the promise of becoming something special.

The eight-song performance opened with three Bemis originals, which at present are the duo’s strongest suit. Bemis writes in a somber vein, but entirely unlike the crop of young detached gloom coming out of England in the last few years. His moody lyrics and delivery seem rooted in a dark, but very present, landscape, recalling in a small way British folk singer Bert Jansch (who, incidentally, is making a rare stateside appearance at McCabe’s in Santa Monica on Oct. 21).

Bemis’ thick, slightly mushed vocals probably won’t get him on “Star Search,” but they were ideally suited to the dusky illumination called for by such lines as “The night holds no mystery / The universe bears no love / And the branches of the hanging tree embrace the mourning dove” from the pair’s opening song, “Traveller.”

The other great advantage to Bemis’ songs was DeJarnett’s supporting violin work. Where her electric fiddle excursions with her former band rarely took full advantage of her classical training, the acoustic setting allowed more nuance and shading to her playing, which settled a Celtic moodiness about Bemis’ vocals. If there is one curse to her classical background, it is that her solo fills still followed set lines rather than relying on the spirit of the moment.

Switching to rhythm guitar for her own songs, DeJarnett sang “Longest Day of the Year” from her 1988 album, “Possessions,” and two unreleased songs, “Frozen Reasons” and “Farewell Again,” each drawing on the interior emotional landscapes that mark much of her previous work. As with her violin, the acoustic backing allowed a greater range of expression in her singing--particularly in the confiding tone and controlled vibrato of “Farewell Again”--though one might also miss the raw fury she often achieved with the Falcons.

Located in the basement of downtown Long Beach’s Broadlind Hotel, Beneath Broadway is a venue ideally suited to introducing new things. Decidedly Bohemian with its subterranean location, thrift shop furniture and cushions spread across the floor (there are also a couple more cats slinking about than are found in the average nightclub), the tiny theater routinely offers open-mike time to aspiring poets and musicians, and a variety of music and drama events, not unlike the spirit at the former Huntington Beach club Safari Sam’s.