Bonnie "Prince" Billy/Begushkin Live at the IMC in Champaign, IL

I would say we made a pretty good choice for our first concert in Champaign-Urbana, our neighboring twin cities. I mean, how often do you get the chance to see Bonnie "Prince" Billy perform in an old converted Post Office? We made the 45-ish minute trip on Friday afternoon and found ourselves sitting in on Begushkin's sound check through the kindness of Seth Fein (of The Canopy Club). The venue was superb, with couches and a popcorn vendor, but it was the acts that made this performance something to remember. With opener Begushkin, Will Oldham and friends took us on an emotional trip, both inside and outside of ourselves, a trip that you could feel in your gut just by looking at Oldham's face as he shouted and cooed, spit and crooned.

I wasn't very familiar with Begushkin before the show, but then, I didn't find out they were opening for BPB until Friday Morning. But after listening to the two tracks they had on their MySpace page, I knew I would enjoy them. Their sound was a beautiful combination of The Coral, Circulus, and The Arcade Fire, all swampy, maritime, minstrel rock. Emily was less enamored, but this brilliant combination was right up my alley. The lead singer was smarmy and intense, gently humping the microphone stand to keep tempo. While disconcerting at times, it did add a certain something to his presence, like a piratical lounge singer licking his lips and eying the wench in the back. Now that I think about it, his presence reminds me of how Serge Gainsbourg and Jarvis Cocker sound when they're at their smarmiest, sleezy and slimy and awesome. The songs didn't really reflect much of that smarminess, at least as far as I could tell. Rather, they were often medieval tromps through green pastures and dank dungeons, slaying dragons and gallavanting across the high seas.

When Will Oldham and Co. made their way onto the stage I was struck by just how unassuming Oldham looked in person. I had never really made an effort to find out what he looked like before hand. I mean, sure, I had a vague idea, but not a truly clear mental image. And I certainly didn't have any idea what kind of performer he would turn out to be. I think the picture at the top there pretty accurately describes Oldham's stage presence. He is an intense singer, and by intense I mean INTENSE. And here I thought the lead singer of Begushkin was intense, that guy was comatose compared to Oldham.

And it wasn't just on the barn-burners that Oldham drilled into us and everyone in the audience; it was on the dark, brooding songs as well, songs like, "I See a Darkness" and "Cursed Sleep". He sang with his hands and stood on one leg, he danced un-self consciously and shouted across the stage. He stared deep into the eyes of violinist Cheyenne Mize on songs like "There's a Girl in Me" and "Ain't You Wealthy" and I could see a connection. If they're not an item, you can call me fooled. I look at my wife like that, and I can't imagine not loving the woman locked within the gaze he gave her. This display of such emotional intensity should have come as no surprise, especially given the highly emotional nature of his recordings.

But it wasn't all raw emotion. Our first impression of Oldham was one of wild-eyed craziness, a standoffish, unlikely rock star (or as Emily put it, "The ugliest man in Indie Rock"). But he would bely that incorrect first impression with funny rapport throughout the show, telling us the story behind, "The Champion" and making light of the wintry conditions outside and the wintry nature of his songs, lamenting their recent journey away from their hometown of Louisville. The drummer was also a sight to behold. Jim White was his name, and if he wasn't a jazz drummer in a former life, you can call me Sally. There was a fluidity to his motions; a kind of haphazard beauty that was never out of time. His arms were up and down, out to his sides and splashing into the cymbals, whiskers sliding across the skins, mallets booming into the small room. He was a liquid drummer, graceful and effortless, which is not what we would have guessed. I wouldn't have been surprised if they had found him outside on a bus-stop bench sleeping underneath a newspaper (not really, but he did look pretty dishevelled), and he was probably one of the best drummers I've ever had the pleasure to have seen. It was incredible.

They ended the show with a short encore that included one of the most touching, loving, sincere, genuine, true songs I've heard in a long time. The song was called, "The Girl in Me" and at first folks were snickering as Will started with the first line, "There's a girl in me...", but while what followed was indeed humorous at times, it was also filled with touching duet lines between Will and Cheyenne. It had the unabashed cuteness of inside jokes between two life-long partners, the sort of things that sound silly to outside parties, but which have special meaning to those involved. It was so good, that when I came home I immediately tracked down what album it was on and ordered my copy of the pink-marbled, double LP compilation, "Louisville is for Lovers". It was a great end for a great show, and I'm sure it left a wonderful feeling inside everyone that was leaving that night.

Check back tomorrow for photos, videos and live tracks!

"Kings Curse" Begushkin
"Ain't You Wealthy/Ain't You Wise" Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
"Cursed Sleep" Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
"So Everyone" Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Begushkin- MySpace Buy
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy- Official Wiki Buy