Autumn Defense @ Schubas (2/23/2006)

On their second to last show of a winter tour, John Stirratt and Pat Sansone brought Autumn Defense back to Schubas for a sold out evening. The duo have been road testing new material for a follow-up to their second album Circles (2003).

With Wilco on break, Stirratt and Sansone found the time to put together a small 14 city tour. Over the years, Autumn Defense has become a hot ticket at Schubas. People lined up from the showroom entrance to the bar's front door, some even asking patrons sipping their drinks if extra tickets were available.

By 10pm, Autumn Defense strolled onto the cluttered stage and began their set. The band, mostly a three-piece on this tour with drummer Greg Wiz, welcomed John Pirruccello on pedal steel and Steve Tyska on trumpet. The inclusion of these musicians definitely made for a richer sound on stage. Seated upon wooden stools, Stirratt and Sansone were in fine form. "The Sun In California" provided some warmth to a crowd that has endured another Chicago winter. It was fitting that a song like "Written In The Snow" soon followed.

The band hit its stride during a performance of "Bluebirds Fall." The song originated from a split EP called Birds, Beasts, & Flowers (2004) that the band was featured on along with the Brooklyn-based band Hem. At the time of its release, "Bluebirds Fall" really displayed the band's most ambitious arrangement. Stirratt and Sansone's vocals beautifully balanced one another, moving together as if dancing.

The band spread out about seven new songs throughout the set, each well-received by the crowd. Of the new songs, one in particular called "Feel You Now" rose above the rest. If you were to close your eyes, Stirratt's voice could have been mistaken for singer Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. But it was that small twist by Stirratt that gave the song a fresh performance.

The band continued the running joke that every band is faced with when playing the small stage at Schubas: there's nowhere to disappear to before an encore. Wiz remained at his drums as the rest of the band moved towards the stage steps. He was thinking what most of the crowd was thinking--play one more song. Sure enough, with time permitting, Autumn Defense returned and gave the crowd a song from Stirratt's Wilco past to send them into the night. Reaching back to Wilco's first album A.M., Stirratt led the band through "It's Just That Simple," the only Wilco song on which he has ever sung lead vocals.

The evening served as a perfect preview to what Autumn Defense has in store for its fans in the coming months. Stirratt and Sansone manage to keep on making the quietest, romantic noise you'll ever hear.

All Photos By: Chris Castaneda