Low tones with Joe Lally

ILLUSTRATION by LUKE MCGARRY

Bass unrestrained for this night at Alex’s Bar: Watt and Kira’s double-bass Dos, revered like most Wattage by all clued locals, and then a solo (with backing band) show by Fugazi’s Joe Lally, whose own long discography touches tangent with Watt for principle and longevity and the kind of modest ambition that keeps something always burning in the engine room. Lally exhibits well many of the honorable attributes of the engine, the spirit artifact that guides good bassists—the motor inside the music, like it was for the Motown assembly line, or like it was most purely on the dub records Fugazi certainly listened to, and like it was again in the off-chart post-punk records of 1979, with bands like Lifetones and Pop Group who towed every song with low tones. Lally’s push came offstage with his quality label Tolotta (who released the first Dead Meadow records) and his Fugazi live series and onstage now with two solo records, which put perfect production (Ian MacKaye and Guy Piccioto) into inspired minimalism for anxious/exciting songs that (like “Skin and Bones” on newest Nothing Is Underrated) are like Young Marble Giants redone by Keith Hudson (and Jackie Mittoo, thanks to great torn-up keyboards by Capillary Action’s Sam Krulewitch) with Lally’s backed-flat vocals laid lightly on top. It’s beautiful work, as was MacKaye’s post-Fugazi Evens album; “I’m never . . . gonna get better,” sings Lally, and Krulewitch makes the keys snarl as response, and underneath the bass keeps humming, and suddenly it’s all by itself with only a cymbal hissing and settling beside it, and you’re waiting for the motor pings as it cools down.

JOE LALLY WITH DOS, CAPILLARY ACTION AND THE VALLEY ARENA ALEX’S BAR | 2913 E ANAHEIM ST | LONG BEACH 90804 | 562.434.8292 | ALEXSBAR.COM | WED 9 PM | $7 | 21+

Tags: alex's bar, fugazi, joe lally, local music, low tones, mike watt, mp3, Music