Micah Schnabel – When The Stage Lights Go Dim

Micah Schnabel - When The Stage Lights Go Dim I’ve been a fan of the Columbus, Ohio band Two Cow Garage for a few years now and, thus, was excited (but apprehensive) at the prospect of the band’s frontman, Micah Schnabel, releasing his solo debut this year. We all know how solo records can turn out, right? Anyhow, the record is called When The Stage Lights Go Dim and it is, for the most part, a stripped-down album featuring little more than Schnabel’s distinctive raspy vocals and acoustic guitar. There are some strings and female backing vocals here and there, but you never forget that it’s really about just a guy, his guitar, and stories about life on the road and about loves lost. It’s a more intimate listen to a songwriter that simply needs to be heard. Schnabel’s performances on When The Stage Lights Go Dim are (at times) almost unnerving as his scarred vocals bleed out the words he sings. He may have a limited vocal range but he uses every last bit of what he has. There’s a bit of a Westerberg feel (at times) that’s probably made more apparent by Schnabel’s slowed-down cover of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait,” which puts bit of a new spin on a great song. With room noise, microphone hiss, and missed notes, When The Stage Lights Go Dim in beautifully flawed and imperfect. It sounds like nothing more than a glorified demo, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Suburban Home will be re-releasing this in 2010.