Calvin Johnson is a genius?

Well, at least that was the question I was asking myself after last nights superb yet totally ridiculous performance by the legendary indie-rocker Calvin Johnson. The guy took lo-fi to new heights as he went onstage completely unmicked, playing a classical guitar, starred at the crowd and dared them not to laugh as he began playing his 'I'm so lo-fi I make Ariel Pink look like Peter Frampton' tunes. Fortunately he became triumphant as after the first song, the crowd couldn't take it anymore and was in utter hysterics.

I've never seen anything like it. I had no expectations going into the show except for to expect the unexpected and that's exactly what Johnson did. The unexpected. In fact, it's one of those shows where someone does something so different, so obscure that you leave wondering, is the guy an idiot, or is he a genius? Really, such a question actually didn't matter as the evening was completely enjoyable.

There's a charm to Johnson that is hard to pinpoint. You start to make assumptions when you here about someone influencing Nirvana (and the whole Northwest music seen for that matter), someone who got Beck started off on his career (by releasing some of his earliest recordings), but none of those assumptions seemed fitting. This is not some burnt-out grunge guy trying to re-live 91-94. This is just a simple songwriter wanting to provide pop culture lovers something to laugh about.

Julie Doiron, who played after Johnson's set was as enjoyable as ever. She's really had to take her 'broken girl' mystique to heart as she's been forced to deal with a failed marriage, loss of custody of her children and having to find a new home in Sackville. Fortunately this has all translated into some of her best work yet. Last night's show (which also featured Shotgun and Jaybird's Dick Morello) exemplified this wonderfully.