The Beggar’s Group Michael J. Sheehy is playing
the House of Blues tonight and tomorrow.
By Alex Palmer
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]
Reflecting on his popularity in his native England, Michael John
Sheehy, the bald-headed, moody singer-songwriter spoke bluntly.
“They don’t give a rat’s ass about me in
London,” Sheehy said.
It seems the United States has been more receptive to
Sheehy’s music, as he has found during his six-week tour of
America that will be stopping by the House of Blues in West
Hollywood tonight and tomorrow.
“The audiences here have been really sweet. When the
atmosphere’s right, it’s been really, really good, very
sweet people,” said Sheehy in his soft-spoken British
accent.
The switch from self-effacing bluntness to describing people as
“sweet” is consistent with the kind of music Sheehy
makes.
His ghostly, melodic tunes move from pitch-black humor to
unrestrained sincerity, exploring bleak themes like drugs, death
and domestic violence. Sheehy’s sound is a mix between Nick
Cave and Tom Waits. His songs are one part soul baring, one part
ironic story telling and all communicated through his crooning,
darkly inviting vocals.
But unlike those other gloomy singers, Sheehy has a soft, almost
effeminate voice that smacks of Roy Orbison or Chris Isaak. He
could very likely be a heartthrob if he cheered up a bit.
Having gotten his start in the Goth rock band Dream City Film
Club, named after a porn theater where dozens of moviegoers died in
a fire, Sheehy traded in the shrieking guitars of Dream City for
pianos, violins and cellos on his 2000 solo debut, “Sweet
Blue Gene.”
In 2001 he released his second critically-acclaimed album,
“Ill Gotten Gains,” and is currently finishing up a
third disc, due out in England in September.
“I’m very happy with the new one. It’s an
all-around improvement over my other stuff, much more intimate and
gentle. It’s probably the best one I’ve done,”
said Sheehy. “Of course, that’s what we always say,
right?”
Many of his songs are miniature stories, narrated by sad sack
characters. “Daddy is a Good Man” is told from the
point of view of a father as he tells his child not to listen to
mommy’s lies, while “Wha’cha Gonna Do?”
tells of a mother who can not help using the drugs she needs to be
selling.
At some points it is difficult to tell where the characters end
and Sheehy begins. Often his stories have an autobiographical
quality to them, reflecting on emotional chaos and struggling just
to get through a day in a painful world.
But whether he’s creating characters or reflecting on his
own fears and fantasies, Sheehy’s songs have a universal
quality to them that touch on worries and experiences common to
many.
“Even when I write from personal experience, I try to make
it have some sort of appeal to all,” said Sheehy.
“I’d hate to be too self-indulgent and
whiny.”
But even as he explores the underbelly of humanity, it’s
not without a wry smile.
In the tradition of his influences like Leonard Cohen and Nick
Cave, even Sheehy’s gloomiest tales are infused with his
blend of humor and irony, though sometimes it’s not easy to
catch.
“I’ve got this new one called, “Ballad of the
Pissed Apostle,” about a guy who should’ve been the
next apostle, but he went out whoring and drinking and didn’t
make it to heaven,” said Sheehy. “That’s one of
the more humorous ones.”
Born in Ireland and now living in England, almost all of
Sheehy’s musical interests come from America. Besides the
darker influences of Waits and Cohen, Sheehy has acquired an
appreciation for the country, blues and folk traditions of the
United States, though he hasn’t always enjoyed them.
“I grew up on Elvis and country music. I used to really
find it irritating as a child, but I’ve sort of grown into
it,” said Sheehy.
It’s clear he has grown more affectionate for that music,
since “Ill Gotten Gains” actually features a cover of
Elvis’ classic, “Mystery Train,” though Sheehy
twists the song into something far more sinister than the
original.
Sheehy is also a fan of a lot of contemporary American music.
The singer cited White Stripes and Cat Power as two performers in
particular that he’s been turned on to in recent months.
His shows at the House of Blues tonight and tomorrow will be a
chance for audiences to experience Sheehy’s subdued and
darkly seductive music with its twist of country and blues.
But listeners should be advised not to take him too seriously:
there’s usually a sly smile hidden behind those tales of pain
and misery.