Jon Auer – Memphis Flyer

Jon Auer Hits His Stride

“Memphis is like a second musical home to me now,” muses Jon Auer, best known as a veteran of the Big Star revival(s) and, once upon a time, the Posies. He’s been in town since last Saturday, when he performed with the Sonny Wilsons in their jangling, harmony-laden opening set for the Baseball Project at Overton Park Shell. Today he begins his Sweet Southern Sojourn tour through Nashville, Knoxville, and Asheville, then back to B-Side Memphis on Sunday, September 10th (click here for tickets). And with the Bluff City serving as his base, he’s been staying busy.

“I’ve worked with Memphis artists a lot,” he explains. “Obviously there’s the Big Star connection, so I’ve played here a lot. Part of that’s also due to wanting to only play with people you like. Like, Jody Stephens is a longtime friend of mine. It’s hard not to love Jody Stephens. I’m really fortunate to have had all this time with him in things related to Big Star. Now I’ve been coming to the Crosstown Concourse a lot, and I just made this record with the Sonny Wilsons at Ardent and High/Low Recording. So I’m starting to feel like there’s actually a little community here related to me that makes it feel very homey now. It’s not like I’m just going someplace to do some work. I love the vibe of Memphis. And technically, I mean, I’m in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame! I don’t know how that happened. It kind of makes me laugh, but I’ll take it.”

Indeed, Auer proved his mastery of the original Big Star’s oeuvre only last December, when he, Jody Stephens, Chris Stamey, Pat Sansone, and Mike Mills celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Memphis band’s debut. But while Auer made several songwriting contributions to the latter-day Big Star’s In Space album, that project is forever bound to be focused on the past. These days he’s more future-oriented, getting back to writing and performing as a solo artist.

“It’s kind of emotional to be back out touring because it was taken away for a variety of reasons,” he reflects. “The pandemic really did a number on everyone, myself included.” His first touring after those days of lockdown only came late last year, “playing the recent Big Star 50th Anniversary celebrations in Memphis, New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. And I did my first post-pandemic solo show in Richmond, Virginia, around those days. So this Southern tour is actually me kind of getting back to it.”

He says to expect a bit of music from the great bands he’s been associated with, perhaps including Posies hits like “Coming Right Along” or “Going, Going, Gone,” mixed into a healthy selection of solo material exemplified by his 2006 masterpiece, Songs from the Year of Our Demise. That album, critically acclaimed 17 years ago, hits even harder in the current dark era with songs like “Six Feet Under” or “The Year of Our Demise.”

While that album does rock out dynamically, it also has a vulnerable edge not unlike Elliot Smith’s most homespun work. “That was the first proper, full-length original thing that I did. It was 15 songs and I played everything on it, with the exception of a few drum tracks and a few other instruments. It sold a few thousand copies, got great reviews, and I toured the world: Australia, Japan, the States, and all of Europe. And that was where I discovered the solo part of me, as far as really going out and actually doing a show, getting something together, and really being able to communicate with people.”

He seems eager to do just that at Sunday’s B-Side show. Auer says he’s here for the music and ready to play. “I don’t even have a website. I’m one of those guys. No one would accuse me of over-promoting myself, though I’m better at it these days. I just want to work on music that I enjoy. Certainly it’s nice to get paid, but ultimately this Memphis show isn’t about the money. And I think B-Side is going to be the perfect place for this. I’m just looking forward to having it be a good time with a lot of friends who are coming.”

Big Star Wows Crosstown Theater Audience

There was an unmistakable feeling of history being made at the Crosstown Theater on Saturday night, as the ultimate Big Star tribute band, featuring original drummer Jody Stephens, took to the stage and delivered a stunning set of power pop classics.

The quintet featured Stephens and latter-day Big Star alum Jon Auer, who performed extensively with Ken Stringfellow and Alex Chilton from 1993 until Chilton’s untimely death in 2010. Filling out the lineup were Pat Sansone (Wilco, Autumn Defense), Chris Stamey (the dB’s), and Mike Mills (R.E.M.). All players brought impressive vocal chops and multi-instrumental abilities to bear on recreating the band’s classic tracks from the 1970s, especially its debut, #1 Record. The show, presented by Mempho for community radio station WYXR’s Raised by Sound Fest, celebrated the 50th anniversary of that album, originally released in June of 1972.

As such, it marked an apotheosis of sorts for the band, which suffered from poor distribution in its heyday. While critics raved about their recorded output, the group never became the phenomenon that their debut’s title seemed to presage. Yet that was forgotten as the band played to a sold-out house last week, with the original arrangements lovingly recreated by the current quintet.

Auer’s Gibson SG launched the proceedings with the opening crunch of “Feel,” and with that, they were off. Sansone and Stamey often wielded Fender guitars, though both could frequently be seen manning the keyboards on stage right, which included a digital Mellotron. Mills, for his part, played bass on most of the tunes, though he relinquished that duty when he sang lead vocal, or, on “In the Street,” played cowbell.

Holding it all down was Stephens’ powerful drumming, true to his original parts nearly roll for roll, and bursting with the energy of a much younger man. Stephens has also come into his own as a singer, as made clear when he sang “Thirteen,” often associated with Chilton’s original vocal, with great delicacy.

Guest vocalists made brief appearances, with MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden taking the stratospheric lead on “Give Me Another Chance,” and Greg Cartwright of the Oblivians, Reigning Sound, and other bands, delivering “Try Again.”

After playing #1 Record in full, the group took a short break and returned with other songs from the band’s catalog, including Radio City standouts like “September Gurls,” “Back of a Car,” “You Get What You Deserve,” and “O My Soul.” After launching into the latter, the players seemed stymied in the middle of the song, and ground to a halt. With Auer quipping that they were playing “the single version,” Sansone struck up the band once again and they carried off the tune with aplomb.

Several Chris Bell songs were also featured, much to the crowd’s delight, including “You and Your Sister,” “There was a Light,” and “I Am the Cosmos.” Tracks from Third/Sister Lovers were also featured, including “Jesus Christ,” “Thank You Friends,” and an impassioned vocal on “Nighttime” by Stamey. Stephens and Auer also sang a song they co-wrote for the latter-day band’s In Space album, “February’s Quiet.” Generally, the band hit their marks expertly throughout the show: the guitars rocked or lilted, as needed, the vocal harmonies soared, and the grooves grooved.

The crowd was loath to let the band leave, standing for multiple encores. While many Memphis albums from 1972 are surely deserving of such an anniversary show, the fact that this one took place stands as a testament to the band’s panache and power, half a century later.