Concert #616 - Shannon McNally & Greg Leisz at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 4, 2011)

Most people don't know who Shannon McNally is, so here's a primer: singer, songwriter, guitarist, gorgeous, talented, engaging, funny, worth seeing live in concert.

This was Shannon's first appearance ever at McCabe's and she did it alongside string-wizard Greg Leisz, a veteran of the local music scene. According to my religiously-kept concert database, this was my 12th time to see Greg in action, but his first time to be billed as a headliner. Well, a co-headliner, actually.

Shannon also brought along drummer/percussionist Don Heffington and guitarist Will Sexton, brother of Charlie Sexton, and together they put on an entertaining show consisting of her own compositions, including some from "Western Ballad", her latest release, plus a handful of covers.

The songs I liked the best were "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City", a Bobby "Blue" Bland cover, and Shannon's own "The Hard Way". Kate Wolf's "Brother Warrior" was good, too.

Greg Leisz played the pedal steel guitar, dobro, electric and acoustic guitar and sang backup vocals as well. Everything he touched sounded great, but what excited me the most was his electric guitar.

Shannon McNally & Greg Leisz wrapping up their concert

Shannon McNally & Greg Leisz seconds before leaving the stage

The setlist

Talented singer-songwriter Jarrod Dickenson kicked off the evening with a forty-minute set that wasn't bad, but suffered from a problem that seems to afflict many of the younger acts I have seen in recent years: his compositions weren't edgy enough and he lacked the power and intensity one would normally associate with the younger generation of musicians.

Jarrod Dickenson

Concert poster

The stage

Concert #614 - Emanuel Ax at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (November 27, 2011)

I practically never attend concerts of classical music, most certainly the result of the actions of my overly eager parents, who decades ago used to regularly drag my reluctant self to the concert hall while my buddies were having fun chasing soccer balls. Then I suffered more psychological trauma at the opera house, where, as a defenseless preteen child, I had to endure endless operatic spectacles that were akin to child abuse.

Fast forward a few decades ... three weeks ago I was offered a free ticket to hear Emanuel Ax at the gorgeous Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. So I went. Actually I was quite curious to see how I would respond to a performance of classical music after so many years of having stayed away.

Here's the main page from the concert programme:

I enjoyed Beethoven's "Leonore Overture", which I knew decently well, but the whole thing was over in thirteen minutes. Then Emanuel Ax came out to play Beethoven's Piano Concerto #2, accompanied by a stripped-down orchestra. I was hoping that I would recognize at least a few parts of it, but somewhat surprisingly, that wasn't the case. Sure, Emanuel Ax can play, but at no time did the music grab me. Likewise, the encore delivered by Emanuel Ax solo did not sound particularly great to these ears and, by the way, there was no announcement as to the piece selected by the artist for his encore.

The intermission was fun, as I had time to explore the venue, from top to bottom.

The Disney Concert Hall during intermission

The second part of the program featured a horrific piece of music titled "Sirens", composed by Anders Hillborg and involving the full-blown symphony orchestra, Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Maybe I just need more training in order to get along with this genre called "contemporary classical music", but one thing is for sure: there were enough dissonant sounds in this piece of work to last for a lifetime. The question is "Was it only me"? I don't think so. The three ladies whom I accompanied to the concert had unfavorable comments that were strikingly similar to mine.

The end of the concert

The three fine ladies whom I accompanied to the concert

Hila Plitmann

Anne Sofie von Otter

Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen

Pre-concert event at the Disney Concert Hall

So was it worth the effort of going to an event I normally don't feel at all compelled to attend? The answer is yes, although the whole experience wasn't nearly as powerful as I had hoped it would be. I would certainly return to the Disney Concert Hall, preferably with another free ticket in my pocket, but in my case, spending over a hundred dollars for a single ticket just doesn't make much sense.

Concert #615 - Peter Case at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 3, 2011)

Great show last Saturday at McCabe's. Almost three years after his unexpected open heart surgery in January 2009, Peter Case appeared to be in great shape in all respects - showing no signs of slowing down, he played two sets of decent length, gave an encore and spent time with his fans not only before and after the show, but also during the intermission.
 
Peter's stage decoration was the most elaborate I've ever seen at McCabe's, and I've seen close to three hundred concerts there. In addition to the routine stuff - guitars, piano, amps, wiring and the like - there were flowers, candles, a coat hanger, hats, a miniature Christmas tree, books, more flowers, a hand painting and a vintage American flag with forty-eight stars.

Stage - Front view

Stage - Side view

The show was recorded for a long-overdue "Peter Case Live At McCabe's" album, yet I did not get the impression that there was a predetermined set list. Peter talked a lot between songs and I don't mean it as a negative - everything he said was captivating, informative and quite often funny. In terms of the song selection, the main focus was on his own songs, both old and new, but there were plenty of covers, mostly classic blues numbers from the masters of the genre (Sleepy John Estes, Sony Boy Williamson, Jimmy Smith, Leadbelly and others).

Peter switched frequently between his electric and acoustic guitars and played a few numbers at the piano as well. There was an "anything and everything goes" feeling on the stage, which is exactly the opposite of what one would think a recording session is like.

Peter Case - Electric

Peter Case - Acoustic

For me, the highlights of the show were "Beyond The Blues", "Words In Red" and "Ain't Gonna Worry No More". "Put Down The Gun" was good as well.

There was a three-song encore that included "Which Side Are You On", the old labor anthem, and his own "Hidden Love". He performed the entire encore from the floor, standing right in front of the stage. For the labor song he was joined by folkies Cindy Lee Berryhill and Phranc, but their contributions were minimal.

All in all, this was the best Peter Case concert I have ever seen.

The final bow

Some of the stuff brought along by Peter

Peter Case chatting with fans after the show

Peter Case with fellow musician Matt Cartsonis