Concert #516 - Chip Taylor & Kendel Carson at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 11, 2009)

What a concert that was! Combine Chip's incredible songwriting and great delivery with Kendel Carson's youthful singing and fiddle playing, then throw in John Platania and his electric guitar and what you get is an unforgettable evening of music, the kind most of us could only experience at McCabe's.

A few months before the show I started listening to Kendel's excellent debut album, "Rearview Mirror Tears", then two weeks before the show I got to hear her equally good sophomore album, "Alright Dynamite". Chip, Kendel and John came out together and remained together on stage for the entire duration of the concert, with Tony Mercadante helping out on bass.

Wearing one of my McCabe's T-shirts, I sat in the front row, right in front of Kendel, who was sporting, somewhat surprisingly, a Dire Straits T-shirt.

One could clearly see how much Chip and Kendel enjoyed being up there on the stage. They played songs from both of Kendel's albums, plus some Chip Taylor numbers, both old and new. The highlights of the show were "Mercedes Benz" and "I Like Trucks", which quickly became a sing-along. And speaking of sing-alongs: we also got to hear "Wild Thing", complete with Chip telling the audience how he wrote it and who he first played it to: brother Jon Voight.

Here's an excellent live-in-studio clip featuring Chip Taylor, Kendel Carson and John Platania, plus two unidentified musicians on bass and improvised drums:

The second set started with a phone call placed by Chip to his brother, Jon Voight, who was supposed to appear, but was stuck in bed with the flu. Placing his cell phone against the microphone, we could all hear Jon's voice, it was fun.

Kendel's virtuoso fiddle playing took center stage during an instrumental interlude, an old Canadian sea-themed folk song whose title I do not know.

Chip had a couple of guests, Killer Hale & Chester from the Blood  Mountain Boys, an obscure band who had an underground hit called "Yellowstone Thyme". Chip co-wrote the song ages ago but still remembered the words. The final song of the evening was Chip's "I Wasn't Born In Tennessee".

After the show, the musicians mingled with the fans, which gave me the opportunity to shake hands and chat with both Kendel and Chip. To this day I treasure their autographs on Kendel's "Alright Dynamite" CD. What a night!

Chip Taylor and Yours Truly at McCabe's (July 2009)

Kendel Carson and Yours Truly at McCabe's (July 2009)

Chip Taylor and Kendel Carson autographs

Concert #517 - Moira Smiley & VOCO at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 30, 2009)

I don't know what to say ... these ladies are talented, no question about that. But I would certainly question their musical choices. Bartok anyone? How about some Macedonian evergreens? Or would you prefer a Hungarian love song instead?

My point is that, when you play music for a living, you don't necessarily have to cater to the center. It is certainly OK to occasionally stray into less-explored musical territories, but why go to the far extremes of Moira & VOCO?

One may say that the show had plenty of variety: Eastern European numbers, mixed with Irish folk songs, body percussion, Appalachian music and indeed, Bela Bartok. Another reading of the same set list may be that the show lacked variety, having consisted of one strange and unfamiliar song after another. I'd say that the latter opinion is as valid as the former.

Hungarian is one of my two mother-tongues, so understandably, I got all excited when Moira announced that they would be singing "Szerelem", a Hungarian song whose title means "love". It turned out that "szerelem" was the only word I could distinguish from Moira rendition, and I'm not exaggerating - everything else was plain gibberish. Long story short, the concert was so-so at best.

The evening started with an unadvertised opening act, Suzy Williams, whose jazzy delivery was well received by the crowd.

Concert #518 - Hill Country Revue at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 6, 2009)

As far as I was concerned, the Hill Country Revue came out of nowhere, but having two-thirds of the North Mississippi Allstars in its line-up, I became an instant fan even before I heard them play a single note. Together with Steve M, I sat in the front row at McCabe's and witnessed a fabulous show that wasn't at all your typical McCabe's fare. Certainly not when Cody Dickinson played his electric washboard.

With songs like "You Can Make It", "Georgia Women" and "Hill Country Revue" they brought the house down, to put it mildly. They played electric, they played acoustic and they made me think often of the Allman Brothers, not necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary.

Daniel Coburn's vocals were great and so was his harmonica playing. Unlike when he's with the North Mississippi Allstars, Cody Dickinson stayed away from the drums - his guitar playing was very good, but he surprised everyone when he picked up an electric washboard and produced some psychedelic sounds that can be described as something truly unique. I was very impressed with Kirk Smithhart's guitar playing skills as well as his humble stage demeanor. Chris Chew played the bass and he played it well.

The highlights of the show were the extended jams, which sounded so great in McCabe's' typically-acoustic concert room. To see what I mean, watch this YouTube video:

The band mingled with the crowd after the show, which gave me the opportunity to have my newly purchased CD signed by four of the guys.

Autographed CD

Concert #589 - Madeleine Peyroux at the Luckman Arts Center (April 9, 2011)

In the beginning, Madeleine Peyroux was just a French name I occasionally saw here and there. Then my brother mentioned her once or twice, so I started paying attention. I sort of liked what I heard, but I certainly couldn't call myself a fan, not a connoisseur, pardon my French. But when I had the chance to grab a pair of front row seats to see her at the Luckman, I went ahead and shelled out a little over 100 bucks, a true leap of faith.

Then a few months ago, disaster struck: I watched Madeleine's appearance on "Austin City Limits" and I was so utterly unimpressed that I went straight to eBay to sell my tickets, at face value. Well, no one bought, so on April 9, there I was sitting with my better half in our choice seats, wondering what we were doing there.

The Luckman Arts Center

Believe it or not, we went home quite happy, having witnessed maybe not the finest show ever, but a good one nonetheless. Madeleine's singing style is not my style, but after a while, I accepted it and even enjoyed it. And then there was her band, four outstanding musicians who thoroughly impressed me both individually and collectively:

Jon Herington - Guitar

Gary Versace - Organ, keyboards and piano

Darren Beckett - Drums

Barak Mori - Bass guitar and upright bass

PARTIAL SET LIST

"Don't Wait Too Long"

"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" (Bob Dylan cover)

"Dance Me To The End Of Love" (Leonard Cohen cover) 

"Don't Pick A Fight With A Poet"

"Martha My Dear" (Beatles cover)

"Instead"

"River"

"Standing On A Roof Top"

"J'ai Deux Amours" (encore)

Her only French song was her encore, "J'ai Deux Amours". The highlights of the show were "Dance Me To The End Of Love" and "Don't Pick A Fight With A Poet". But speaking of highlights, I must once again mention the band, they were phenomenally good.

Madeleine Peyroux (center) and her band at the Luckman

Here's a great live rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me To The End Of Love":

Concert #588 - Tish Hinojosa at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 8, 2011)

Now that she is happily married in Hamburg, Germany, Tish Hinojosa is seldom seen in Southern California ... our loss, Germany's gain. About 125 folks showed up at McCabe's to reconnect with Tish, who had not played in the area for quite some time. I sat in the first row, directly in front of her.

As always, her bilingual show was nothing short of heartwarming. Most of the songs she sang were self-penned and when they were not, Tish never failed to announce and even talk about the respective authors, a very nice touch. Although I don't speak Spanish, I found her Spanish songs to be as moving as the English ones, go figure.

The stage, a few minutes before show time

Tish came out by herself with an acoustic guitar and played four songs: "Tu Que Puedes, Vuélvete", James McMurtry's "Crazy Wind And Flashing Yellows", her own "Las Marias" and an old Mexican song by Augustin Lara, titled "Farolito". Interestingly enough, these were not exactly the songs appearing on Tish's own set list, which I managed to photograph during the intermission. After the fourth solo song, she was joined on stage by the ubiquitous Greg Leisz and Nelson Bragg, a member of Brian Wilson's studio and touring band. Together, they went on to sing the songs number 5 through 10 of the set list, from "Destiny's Gate" to "God's Open Road". Greg Leisz, who was in top form, played an acoustic guitar as well as his often-seen pedal steel guitar, while Nelson Bragg played the drums quite tastefully, without ever over-powering his fellow musicians. An intermission followed.

Tish Hinojosa's set list

After the break, Tish came out once again by herself and played three more of her own songs: "Donde Voy", "Something In The Rain" and "Noches Sin Estrellas". Once again, the songs she actually sang did not match her set list, which was pretty much in line with the relaxed and informal feel of the entire evening. After the return of Greg and Nelson, Tish did a much better job of sticking to the set list. At one point, she invited singer-songwriter Anny Chelsi to join her on stage and together they delivered one of Anny's songs, whose title sadly I don't have. For her encore, Tish played "Estrellita" and "By The Rio Grande".

Tish Hinojosa and Nelson Bragg at McCabe's

Late in the show, Tish acknowledged the presence of her husband, Andreas, who along with Tish, sold merchandise and chatted with the crowd after the show.

Tish Hinojosa signing autographs (husband Andreas in the background)

Overall, it was an exceptionally pleasant evening, and once again Tish reaffirmed herself to be one of my most-beloved female singer-songwriters, whom I will continue to follow for years to come.