The Tobias Jesso Jr. Charm Offensive

 by Anika RastgirWhen Tobias Jesso Jr. takes a break from creating emotionally wrought ballads that articulate heartbreak plainly and clearly, he moonlights as a baker. After he performed his first song at Terminal West, he exchanged tips with an audience member who offered him bread that he himself had baked (rosemary infused in case you were wondering about the type). The two bread connoisseurs set the tone for the intimate concert that followed.In Goon, Jesso’s lovelorn songs are accompanied by guitar and piano, which he started playing at the ripe age of twenty-seven. During the concert, Duk, the opening band brought some levity to the album with their accompaniment of stringed and brass instruments.Mere heartbreak songs like "Leaving Los Angeles”  and “Crocodile Tears,” took on different forms with the addition of live instrumentation, transforming the fast tempo beginnings of these ballads into more upbeat, rounded out performances by their end. Along with the album, Jesso covered “Hey Ya” by Outkast and “Georgia on my Mind” by Ray Charles.Throughout the concert, Jesso joked along with the audience and showcased his ability to improvise. He asked for song requests and used those melodies as backdrops to existing songs of his. He also noted that he would be playing a Halloween themed show in L.A. and gave the audience a preview of his spooky songs which meant changing the chords of his original songs to be deeper more cacophonous. While the show was a fun back and forth between Jesso and the audience, a brief slip up occurs when he refers to Atlanta as Nashville, the next place on his tour, giving us the sense that the night is much less spontaneous to him than for the audience.Regardless, Jesso continued with his sardonic humor, refusing to get off the stage after his last song and rhetorically asking the audience why anyone participates in this farce since we all know that the true end is after the encore.Right before his last song, he called out to the critics who have been unimpressed with him so far and told them “True Love” is going to be the one to change their minds. With his haunting, high pitched vocals and lyrics that expound on the ordinariness of a couple in love, you’d be hard pressed find someone in that audience who didn’t succumb to the Jesso charm.Photo courtesy of Anika Rastigr