Jammin' Java: Glen Phillips

Last night I headed to Jammin' Java to see a Glen Phillips show. You might Mr. Phillips from his days of fronting the catchy and radio-friendly Toad the Wet Sprocket in the '90s. I was unfamiliar with his solo work, but judging by the fact that I'd enjoyed a lot of his Toad work and admired him as a member of the Mutual Admiration Society-- a side-project collaboration with Nickel Creek which released an album produced by Ethan Johns-- I thought I should check him out. I also wanted to head back to Jammin' Java, a place I'd remembered going to a couple times back in high school for some random shows.

First things first-- Jammin' Java is a lovely little venue. One shouldn't be deceived by its placement in a strip mall in Vienna, next to a Safeway. Upon walking in, you're greeted by a nice bar area where you can order coffee, dessert, food, drink, etc. The entire front area essentially functions as a coffee shop/cafe. But just past this area is the music venue, and it's set up just like a mini-Birchmere. From what I remember, the place has vastly improved and upgraded since I was last there. Tables up front and rows of chairs behind, it's another intimate venue with capacity for about 200.

We snagged seats close to the stage, enjoyed some delicious chili and cornbread, and waited for the show. Glen came out at 8 pm on the dot, and with a buzz cut and growing beard, looked quite different from his website photos. He made it clear early on that as a shy individual, it's odd that he entered a profession in which people constantly stare at him. There were moments where he stumbled over his words and made slightly awkward banter, but it became endearing once you realized how humble he was and seemingly uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving as a solo act.

What was nice is that he played 2 sets covering about 2 hours total, sprinkling in a few great covers--Neutral Milk Hotel, Van Morrison, Elliott Smith, to name a few-- between his solo work. The show was fun, but I actually didn't enjoy his solo music as much as I expected to. This may have been due to the unfamiliarity issue, but on the whole, I didn't connect with it. That is not to say Glen wasn't great to watch. In particular, his voice combined with the crisp and clear sound of his guitar-- a Lakewood-- sounded great when amplified in the intimate space. There were a number of solo songs that I enjoyed, but other highlights for me were actually when he covered Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars," Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy, Pt.2," and when he surprisingly pulled out "All I Want" from his Toad days and encouraged the audience to join in the chorus.

But consider this an uninformed, outsider review. In this case, I'm merely a "radio fan" anyway...