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Concert Mon Apr 28 2008
Easy Tiger
Last November I received a mysterious e-mail, “What’s your address? Thanks, Tony”. Unsure who Tony was or what he wanted to send me I gave him my P.O. box number and anxiously waited. With in days I was holding in my hand a brown cardboard cd case with an image that looked like it may have been from the twenty’s of a woman posing with a stuffed tiger. I turned the package over and saw the imprint Sanitary Records, and still questioned the sound or content of this album metaphorically called, This is Sometimes a Riverbed. I placed in the disc in the car stereo and waited for answers. Somber acoustic guitars filled the spaces between the rich but fading vocals, as the singer nearly cried, “Life is Easy” (Yes, Still). I am nearly hypnotized by the potent mixture of joy, despair, melody, and lo-fi glory.
You see, Tony is actually Tony Presley, the deep baritone voice behind the name Real Live Tigers. He is from Austin, TX and has come to survive off of DIY tours and small indie releases. Fresh off of a tour of the United Kingdom and parts of Germany with the like minded Dustin & The Furniture, Tony lands in Chicago this weekend for three shows. Often performing bare foot and rocking on his knees, the meditative nature of soulful tones become vivid and clear and nearly lift the crowd from their basement or backyard location to the “Flood Plains” or riverbeds he likes to mention in his songs.
Real Live Tigers will be playing at the Lowercase Collective (2307 N. Springfield Ave.) on May 1st @ 7:00pm, The Foster Home (4136 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, IL) on May 2nd @ 6:00pm $5, and South Union Arts (1352 S. Union) on May 3rd @ 8:00pm $8.