Concert #629 - The Americans at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 11, 2012)

I first saw the Americans in October 2010, when they opened for the Secret Sisters at McCabe's - they impressed me quite a bit, so a couple of months ago, when they were booked to headline at McCabe's, I was one of the first ticket buyers. A few weeks later and totally against my initial prediction, the show sold out.

For those wondering about the origin of the band's moniker: The Americans hail from the United States of America, America for short, a country located on the North-American continent and inhabited by Americans. That's precisely the same country that has given us the Five Americans ("Western Union"), the American Breed ("Bend Me, Shape Me"), Jay & The Americans ("Come A Little Bit Closer") and, of course, America ("A Horse With No Name", "Ventura Highway", etc, etc.). Seriously now, the fact that such an obvious name was still available for the band to pick up and use just boggles my mind. Good for them!

Upon entering the concert room, we found on our seats a printed set list, something one does not often see. Included were not only the song titles, but also some additional information about the songs that comprised the first half of the concert. Here's the list:

Wearing suits and carrying acoustic instruments, the Americans remained seated throughout their first set, which was a bit unexpected from a band known for playing mostly high-energy rockabilly. The whole thing can be described as interesting, different, definitely well-done, but not pulse-raising. Two songs stood out: Zac Sokolow's fiddle medley, with Tim Carr drumming on the strings of Zac's fiddle, and "Uncle Dave's Beloved Solo", showcasing Zac's exquisite banjo playing.

Stage setup for the acoustic set

The Americans at McCabe's during their acoustic set

Tim Carr drumming on the strings of Zac Sokolow's fiddle

After a short break, the four Americans came back dressed in white T-shirts, ready to rock. And rock they did. With their acoustic instruments mostly out of the way, they played loud and fast. My favorites were "Mannie" and "Prison Yard Walk", two of their own songs.

The Americans at McCabe's, during their second set

 The Americans are:

Patrick Ferris - Vocals, guitar, mouth harmonica
Jake Faulkner - Upright bass, electric bass, mouth harmonica
Zac Sokolow - Guitar, banjo, fiddle
Tim Carr - Drums, percussion, guitar

Patrick Ferris is one heck of a musician - his voice is a deadly weapon, made precisely for the kind of music the band likes to play. With his looks, delivery and guitar playing, he would be perfect in the movie role of a rocker from the late fifties and early sixties. Zac Sokolow impressed me as well - I enjoyed watching him switch from one instrument to another and I found myself focusing often on his guitar licks. The rhythm section was great, too. I liked Tim's one-handed drumming, while the other hand kept busy with a shaker. Jake sounded exactly the way a rockabilly bassist is supposed to sound and, what's more, he also looks the part.

Patrick, Tim and Jake

The band's best moments came when they rocked the hardest and played the loudest. A few of the songs they played at McCabe's are now available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg_JWh7K5T0&feature=context&context=G2db559aFAAAAAAAADAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qneSQUatSUU&context=C43beb86ADvjVQa1PpcFP87hWp36R73yPmDeULO3ov_lpFbe_gG1I=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oOp99W0h4s&context=C4fd247aADvjVQa1PpcFP87hWp36R732x3iN_qvKsmARSLe40D3lA=

The song list of the band's second set

Sadly though, I could not enjoy the show to its fullest, as I was constantly being distracted by two overzealous young ladies who, I suppose on behalf of the band, were recording the show. Their constant movement and incessant clicking of their SLR camera annoyed me quite a bit, so by the time the show ended, all I wanted to do is get out of there, which I did. It would have been nice for me to hang around, shake hands with the four Americans and thank them for their outstanding music.

Concert #628 - The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 10, 2012)

Tuba solos are not a likely occurrence at McCabe's, but if you frequent the venue as often as I do, don't be surprised if one day you will witness such an event. In my case, it happened last night, on my 302nd concert that I attended there.

Last night's concert is something that will be hard to forget. The proceedings started with the best opening act I have ever seen at McCabe's, hands down. I'm talking about the California Feetwarmers, a collection of eleven young and energetic musicians that brought us to our feet at the end of a fifty-minute set that could have gone on without anyone minding. Seeing eleven musicians on that tiny stage was an event in itself - they managed to coexist peacefully while playing packed together like sardines, albeit no one stood in front of the trombone player (wink-wink).

Their brand of music is a combination of dixieland, traditional jazz, old American music, something like that, done with plenty of smiles and laughter, which instantly produces a very similar response within the crowd. Their range of instruments is stunning - guitars, violin, piano, drums, washboards, tuba, clarinet, trumpet, banjo, trombone, accordion, percussion and possibly a few others. Everyone was great, my favorites were the trumpet player and the clarinetist, named Charles and Chloe, respectively. A little later, Chloe returned to the stage as a member of the Dustbowl Revival.

The California Feetwarmers at McCabe's

The California Feetwarmers at McCabe's

With songs such as "Stardust", "Midnight Hour" and "I Like You", the Feetwarmers kept our feet warm, the by-product of non-stop tapping. The joy of playing music was all over the faces of all players and, when they left the stage, I knew that I had seen something truly special. I also did some math: 150 seats, 15 bucks per ticket, that's a gross of $2,250 for the night. If the opening act gets half of that, which they probably don't, that would amount to roughly one hundred dollars for each musician. Draw your own conclusions.

After a short break, out came the headliners, the Dustbowl Revival, ten souls in all - their music is described on their web site as "gypsy swing, blues, dixieland, bluegrass, and homemade jug-band music". Just like the opening act, these guys played their hearts out and had lots of fun in the process. So did we, the spectators.

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

Other than Matt Rubin, Caitlin Doyle and Zach Lupetin, who is the undisputed leader of the collective,  I do not know any other names, but without exception, they are all great musicians. There was no pre-determined set list - the songs were selected by popular consensus, right there on the spot. Here are a few titles I remember:

 Shine

Orange Blossom Special

When The Saints Go Marching In

John The Revelator

Holy Ghost Station

What You're Doin' To Me

You Can't Always Get What You Want (encore)

 
The highlight of the evening was Zach Lupetin's announcement toward the end of the show: "And now I'd like to attempt something that maybe has not been done here ... has anyone ever seen twenty people playing on this stage?", a question that served as an invitation for the California Feetwarmers to come down and share the stage with the revivalists. Well, they shared more than just the stage, as they took positions on the stairs and even floor, right in front of the stage, it was a blast. There were nineteen musicians in all, not twenty, but even so, that was the most I have ever seen at McCabe's, by a landslide. So how do you top that, McCabe's? Book the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?

The Dustbowl Revival and the California Feetwarmers sharing the stage

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

The Dustbowl Revival and the California Feetwarmers sharing the stage

The two bands played together for half an hour or so as if they were one single ensemble and everyone had fun. The Dustbowl Revival came back for a one-song encore that also served as the introduction of the band. The song happened to be "You Can't Always Get What You Want", the old Rolling Stones song - not your typical American traditional music sing-along and there were lots of smiles in the room when Zach started singing "I saw her today at a reception ..."

The show ended late, at 10:45 PM. I immediately bought two Dustbowl CDs, on sale for a grand total of fifteen bucks. The salesman happened to be Zach Lupetin himself and it felt great shaking his hand. A few minutes later I was out in the street where, to my surprise, the show was still going on: sitting on the bed of a pickup truck were three members of the Feetwarmers just playing away, to the delight of a few fans.

Concert announcer Mikki Itzigsohn

The show goes on on Pico Boulevard

Zach Lupetin, after the show

My friends Steve (left) and Bill, who first tipped me off about the Dustbowl Revival