Jon Brion Makes the Rounds

Before I left Los Angeles for New York City, one of the cultural experiences I was encouraged — no actually commanded — to experience by the culturally elite of my friends, was a Jon Brion show at the Largo. (He had an ongoing residency at the club and still performs there frequently.)

The multi-instrumentalist may be best known for his film scores for Magnolia (1999) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), which both garnered Grammy nominations.

Brion’s one-man-band blew me away. For nearly three hours he played cover songs on countless instruments, from electric guitar to vibes to piano — he even sampled video clips.

Then just five months after I moved to the Big Apple, the must-see virtuoso took up a three-night stint at the Greenwich Village club (le) poisson rouge. At last night’s show, Brion’s cover of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” on the vibes stole the show, hands down. But if you missed him on the right coast this time around, never fear: at the end of the show, he promised his New York audience he’d see us “real f*ing soon.”

As soon as this Sunday, in fact.