Which basement will hold Steve Gunn?

The Basement East was dark. Could Steve Gunn’s show really be at the Basement, the dank and crowded venue beneath the former Grimeys Records?

He would indeed. Just when I expected to call my friend Chris to warn him I would be late, he turned the corner and we realized we had to relocate. I did not relish a show at the Basement, where a crowd of 50 turned claustrophobic and one batch of body odor could impact the entire mood.

I had not seen a show there in almost ten years, the passage of time not improving memories of the dank, cramped space where trying to get a beer could anger someone angling for a fight.

At least I was in the right space the second time. When I opened the door to the Basement, there sat Steve Gunn, last seen opening for Lee Ranaldo and even fewer people at a former church south of downtown.

With one glance from him I looked away. Soon he moved backstage and prepared for his set. The openers cruised through a set of jangly, similar-minded Sonic Youth-influenced rock that never approached the original. Chris arrived a few minutes later, and we didn't wait long for Gunn and his sharp band to hit the tiny stage.

I coped with the Basement till Weird Oblivious Hipster entered my orbit. This celestial object swayed and bumped into the space of everyone around me, effectively breaking up a couple- I heard the female half of the couple promise to save the young man’s place, but it was not to be. When Weird Oblivious Hipster stood inches from me and swayed closer and closer, I stepped out of the crowd and stayed in an anteroom for the rest of the show.

The air was cooler, the humidity dropped and the cluelessness rate plummeted. Back to Steve Gunn. He stuck close to Unseen Inbetween, his mostly fantastic new record and already a 2019 staple. His songs lend themselves to longer jams, stretching to 10 or 11 minutes without pushing the material to its limit or losing their charm.

He was not big on banter aside from the obligatory talk about Nashville hosting the NFL draft – “I was worried about you guys.” But his guitar-oriented songs don’t demand talk. He navigated those jams with great ease. Too few in the indie rock world spend time on guitar work, and Gunn stands out for his skill.

Next time he plays Nashville, he more than deserves to graduate from the Basement.