Concerts #417, 471 - Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 20, 2006 & June 21, 2008)

I don't think there's anyone on Planet Earth not to have heard "Wild Thing" and "Angel Of The Morning", but I bet very few know that these radically different pieces of music come from the pen of the very same songwriter. I didn't know it either at the time when McCabe's announced Chip and Carrie's joint concert in 2006, nor did I have a clue as to who Chip & Carrie were. With Google's help, I quickly became aware of Chip's impressive songwriting credentials and that was enough to make me buy my ticket for the show, while Carrie remained an unknown wild card.

My evening started with a close encounter with a true celebrity - the lights were still on when I bumped, in a physical sense, into Jon Voight, who was there to support his little brother Chip. Then the music started. The show was near-perfect - all at once, I discovered two exceptionally gifted musicians from two different generations who were nonetheless a great match. They played ballads, rockers, country pop, oldies, new songs, covers, original material, they told stories and had a famous on-stage guest in the person of the aforementioned Jon Voight.

Then there was John Platania, whom I had not known before. Introduced as Van Morrison's longtime guitarist, I paid extra attention to his playing and became an instant fan of the very distinctive sound of his electric guitar.

Chip Taylor & John Platania

Midway through the show, Jon Voight took the stage to sing one of Chip's earliest compositions, "Faded Blue", an outstanding song.

Jon Voight

The concert had many great moments,  but the highlight of the evening was definitely the "Wild Thing" sing-along, and yes, I knew the words from start to finish!

They also played Johnny Cash's "Big River" and Chip's own "Angel Of The Morning", which came complete with a hilarious story about Chip's meeting with Shaggy, the reggae artist who recorded a wildly successful version of the song.

Carrie's talents as a singer, songwriter and fiddler were extensively showcased. Her best song was "Never Gonna Be Your Bride".

Here's a YouTube video of one of Chip & Carrie's best songs, "Sweet Tequila Blues":

Two years later, in June 2008, I went back to McCabe's to reconnect with Chip Taylor's wonderful music. This concert was announced as Chip Taylor solo, so no Carrie Rodriguez this time. Sadly, John Platania couldn't be there either - he was on the road with Van Morrison and his "Astral Week" tour - now that's an unassailable excuse, if there ever was one. Chip came out with a worthy replacement, guitarist Mark Goldenberg, and together they put on a show that I enjoyed very much. Jon Voight popped in again to sing the same song, "Faded Blue", he performed in 2006.

To this day I remain a huge Chip Taylor fan. He has won me over for life not only with his superb songs and great delivery, but also with his humble demeanor and the obvious respect and appreciation he shows to his fans. Chip is a true class-act.

Concert #470 - Freedy Johnston at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 7, 2008)

After having seen Freedy Johnston's rather disappointing solo appearance at McCabe's in 2005, I knew that I would never want to see him again, certainly not as a headliner. Yet three years later, there I was again, intently watching Freedy's headlining act from my front row seat, accompanied by my music-loving friend Hans. An unexpected change of heart? Not really. I went to the show for reasons that had little to do with Freedy himself - believe it or not, it was his back-up band that made me show up.

I don't know where and how Freedy met Jackshit, my much idolized band, and I don't know what clicked between them, but something did click, hence their decision to play together. I had seen Jackshit ten times before, and that should be sufficient to demonstrate how much I adored them.

Freedy & Jackshit together proved to be very different from a Jackshit concert. Long story short, I went home disappointed, in spite of Jackshit's full-time presence. Yes, they were there, but having taken their supporting roles seriously, they remained a true back-up band, without any intentions to ever upstage Freedy, the headliner. And there wasn't a single Jackshit gem - they played nothing but Freedy's music, which - just like in 2005 - failed to connect with me.

Jackshit (Pete Thomas, Dave Faragher & Val McCallum)