Photo Tamera Morgan

 “I’d like to tell the woman in the audience I am in a current relationship with that this is about a previous relationship,” vocalist Mike Mattison said before bringing exquisite falsetto to “Crime Fighter,” which gorgeously blended with Paul Olsen’s elegant blues guitar. A casual listener may miss the sometimes grief-stricken and dark lyrics (drinking themes abound), shrouded as they are in such alluring arrangements. On the night Barack Obama accepted his historic nomination, Scrapomatic delivered a low-key but at times captivating performance.

The recently released Sidewalk Caesars provided much highlight material on this evening. Olsen and Mattison shared shining vocals on “Long-Haired State” and “Drink House” (which featured Yonrico Scott, introduced as Nebekenez-ee Tchaikovsky), and Mattison shifted to a husky-but-vulnerable croon for “He Called My Name.” Mace Hibbard’s sax powered “We Gonna Make It,” a celebration of triumph over unfavorable economic conditions. Ted Pecchio and Tyler Greenwell joined for half of the show, deepening the grit of “I Want to Go Home,” and locking in on the humorously scathing “Jesus Doesn’t Like You and He Loves Everybody.”

 Smartly marrying timeless topics with old-time grooves deftly acknowledging the greats (including the Axis: Bold As Love-flavored “I Want the Truth” and a window into how Willie Dixon might have adorned “1999”), Scrapomatic repeatedly breathed new life into underappreciated forms.

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