Mister Heavenly @ Lincoln Hall; or, I have Pop-Pop in the attic (1/14)

In a past Chicago Tunes post, I made very clear my love for certain musical/entertainment-type people. Justin Timberlake, Stuart Murdoch, NPH all get mentioned in my bizarre man-crush admission. In an even more recent article, I mentioned that I believe Colin Meloy is infallible. Now, let’s say I’m walking down the street and there was a fire in which all of these individuals were trapped. And then, out of the corner of my eye I see Michael Cera sitting alone at a coffee shop enjoying whatever beverage it is he enjoys. Well, sorry to say it, but the local news would have a field day as they explained that some of our greatest entertainers perished while the only person who could have saved them ran across the street to ask Michael Cera if the “Arrested Development” movie is happening.

So you see, buying tickets to see a band where Michael Cera plays bass wasn’t just some spur of the moment purchase, it was a need (and when you need something, that’s a responsibility).

I wasn’t sure to expect from the band Mister Heavenly, having never heard them at all, but looking at the pedigree it’s hard for me to think anything but great thoughts: Nick Diamonds, frontman of Islands (Unicorns), Joe Plummer, drummer of Modest Mouse, Honus Honus of Man Man, and Michael Cera (for this tour) who briefly played with Dr Funke’s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution.

We got to Lincoln Hall pretty late, around 11:15 or so. Screaming Females had a couple songs left that made me wish we had left a little earlier, but that’s OK. Now I know for next time, if Screaming Females are playing, be sure to catch the whole thing.

Mister Heavenly started playing just before midnight, and went for about an hour. It took all of about five seconds before the fact that Cera playing bass became secondary to watching a great band perform some really strong songs (“Reggae Pie,” anyone?).

If you’re looking for a particular sound, Mister Heavenly bridge a lot of genres. Nick Diamonds’ Islands seems to be the most prevalent of the bands influences. A bit more rock ‘n’ roll then Islands’ amazing version of indie-pop, maybe. I’d also say they bring in a bit of the sound of the Sex Bob-ombs from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, though that may be my minds projections.

Overall, I thought they were awesome. The Mister Heavenly album has creeped up from not having any idea who these guys are, to one of my most anticipated listens of 2011.
I also noticed looking at my schedule that I have a whole bunch of shows lined up at Lincoln Hall, and I couldn’t be happier about that. It’s a great place to catch a show.
One last note: This show was part of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival put on by Schubas, Lincoln Hall and, this year, Metro. It’s a great thing, this festival. A nice way to get a lot of great bands in Chicago during a downtime for big touring acts. So a huge thank you to everyone involved.

Mister Heavenly performing “Harm You”