JD McPherson performs his rock and roll and rhythm and blues music on his Socks: A Rock N' Roll Christmas Tour, with special guest Melissa Carper.
JD McPherson plays Tractor Tavern on Wednesday, December 16, as part of his SOCKS: A Rock N' Roll Christmas Tour. He's not alone for the night, either — Melissa Carper opens the bill.
If you're not familiar with McPherson, he's a visual artist and musician from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and his debut album, Signs & Signifiers, was produced by his musical partner Jimmy Sutton, leader of the R&B group the Four Charms. He describes that record as an "art project disguised as an R&B record," and it does exactly what the title suggests: it fuses rock 'n' roll and rhythm & blues with postmodern references. It was recorded at Sutton's all-tube home studio in Chicago, and that warm, analog sound is a good way to get a sense of where he's coming from.
McPherson's background is as much about art as it is about music. He studied experimental film at the University of Oklahoma and earned an M.F.A. in open media from the University of Tulsa, and before the record came out, he worked as a middle school art teacher. That intersection of art and music is a good lens for his work, and it's a nice bit of context to keep in mind when you're listening.
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The Seattle date is one stop on the SOCKS: A Rock N' Roll Christmas Tour, so it's a holiday-season show. The concert starts at 8 PM at Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave NW, and tickets start at $44.65.
