Blitzen Trapper played some heavy jams at Mercury Lounge Wednesday opening for David Vandervelde. The twangy guitars and dusty casios stewed nicely together at the show. They played mostly tunes off their new album Wild Mountain Nation that literally packs up easy-going riffs, breezy harp, and nostalgic country hooks, and takes them to the Final Frontier of rhythm and noise experimentation. Sometimes I can't tell if they are still headed there or on their way back home because their music is brilliantly camped out between the two.






David Vandervelde is on a mission to save the guitar solo. He plays freewheeling rock that resurrects the bygone shredding of the 60s and 70s. He broke two strings on the first song, aptly starting the set in an I-don't-give-a-fuck fashion with “Cocksucker Blues." And then starting the uber-catchy song "Jacket" with a 30 second solo. David has some chops on the guitar he had play a track or two one piano too. Blitzen Trapper also got back up there to whail along on their guitars or bang on a tambourine and ultimately form what the guy in front of me called "Blitzen Vander Trapper Velde."