Concert #633 - Howe Gelb at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 27, 2012)

While watching Howe Gelb's performance last night at McCabe's, I kept asking myself "How in the world can I describe this show in words". Almost twenty-four hours later, I still don't have a good answer - trying to write about a quirky artist and his idiosyncratic ways is a daunting task, no doubt.

In Howe Gelb's case, "quirky" means nonconformism, and I mean nonconformism of the highest degree. He doesn't care about industry trends. He is not interested in what sells at the moment. He is not into copying anyone else. He does what he does and that's just the way it is. The end result may not please everyone, but isn't that the case with every other artist that has ever lived, Elvis and the Stones included? Of course, the trick is to produce more fans than detractors, and if you achieve that, you will be playing to full rooms for the rest of your life. But there was no full room last night at McCabe's and there were no encores either. Nor has anyone left early and that, I think, captures the difficulty of writing about Howe Gelb's performance.

Howe Gelb at McCabe's

Howe delivered his music in a vocal style that I haven't heard before. He played the guitar like no one else, not better, not worse, just different. When playing the piano, he once again showed his uniqueness by mixing different styles and techniques, occasionally throwing in a few dissonant notes. Even the way he spoke, sometimes slow, sometimes just whispering, was so different from your typical stage banter. Words like unique, different, original, peculiar, singular and uncommon are totally appropriate to describe Howe's stage presence and artistry in general.

The upshot of it all was something that, in my opinion, does not have to be experienced again, yet I do feel good about having been exposed to Howe Gelb's universe. And I'm extremely curious to see the results of his current production work with KT Tunstall, who was there last night and even joined Howe on stage for a few songs.

KT Tunstall on stage at McCabe's

I was hoping to hear some of KT's own music, but that didn't happen. She soloed on one song, "Hollow Ground", then sang backup with Howe on three more. Husband Luke Bullen provided percussion support on a song or two. KT's singing was top-notch, it was a thrill seeing her up-close and yes, I would have loved to hear her voice just a little longer. And what brought Howe and KT together remains a mystery, as there is practically no overlap between their respective genres, not to mention the accessibility of their musical outputs.

There were only two songs I recognized, "Cowboy Boots On Cobblestone" and "One Diner Town", both coming from Howe's recent "Alegrias" album. 

KT Tunstall & Howe Gelb thanking the crowd

KT Tunstall and husband Luke, after the concert

Howe Gelb (seated) chatting with fans

Howe Gelb signing autographs

KT Tunstall signing autographs

KT Tunstall with my friend Steve

Concerts #217, 363, 371, 424, 431, 458 - Dave Alvin at Various Venues (2000-2008)

In my book, Dave Alvin is one of the great ones, but my appreciation for his music can't be called love-at-first-sight. On the contrary.

I first saw Dave as John Wesley Harding's guest in 1990. Nothing special.

On January 15, 2000, accompanied by our friends Ron & Bobbie, my Better Half and I went to the Neighborhood Church in Pasadena to catch Tom Russell and Dave in a co-headlining event and it was Tom who impressed us the most. Dave played "King of California", "New Highway", "From A Kitchen Table" and "Blackjack David", among others. Maybe it was my unfamiliarity with his songs, but fact is that, on that occasion, Dave did not become an instant favorite of mine. That night was also my introduction to Greg Leisz, who played the dobro in Dave's backing band that also included Rick Shea on mandolin and electric guitar and Brantley Kearns on fiddle.

What followed was a series of unannounced appearances as the guest of other performers, a clear proof of Dave's popularity with his fellow musicians as well as his willingness to provide support, even though money was not involved. In 2002, Dave popped in for a song or two at Tom Russell's concert at McCabe's. A year later, he guested on Syd Straw's show also at McCabe's. Such appearances have kept Dave Alvin on my radar and validated his status as a musician worth keeping on eye on.

Dave's music hit me real hard for the first time on May 28, 2005, at McCabe's, where else? His then-current album, "Ashgrove", had just been released. With able support from Greg Leisz and the late Amy Farris, Dave delivered one superb song after another. Great vocals, great guitar playing, but what really knocked my socks off was the quality of his compositions. One doesn't often hear songs as good as "Ashgrove", "Rio Grande" and especially "Out Of Control", with its movie-like imagery and absorbing lyrics. To this day, this remains one of the most memorable concerts I have ever attended.

The Ditty Bops opened the show, and even though their retro-style light music had little in common with Dave's heavy-weight subjects, they were fun to watch.

The Ditty Bops

In August 2005, Dave played a benefit show in Claremont, at Ben Harper's Folk Music Center. Needless to say, my Better Half and I were there, together with our friends Bob and Lynne, soon to become Dave Alvin fans themselves. Seeing Dave perform at such an intimate venue was something special. Once again Dave received support from Chris Gaffney and Amy Farris and once again I had the pleasure of hearing my favorite gems from "Ashgrove", plus some of Dave's oldies.

The Folk Music Center in Claremont, California

On November 3, 2006, my Better Half and I went to catch Dave Alvin's free show at the Getty Center, part of the "Friday Nights at the Getty" concert series. Dave focused on his newly released album titled "West Of The West", his tribute to California songwriters, some well-known, others obscure. Accompanied by a band that included the ever-present Amy Farris on fiddle and Chris Miller on guitar, Dave sang Jackson Browne's "Redneck Friend" and his own "Ashgrove". One of the highlights was the appearance of the Calvanes, an old do-wop group that helped Dave deliver  Richard Berry's "I'm Bewildered" and Brian Wilson's "Surfer Girl". The audience responded with giggles when Dave launched into the latter.

I caught Dave a few more times as someone's guest. In 2006, he was one of Peter's "friends" at the "Peter Case & Friends" concert at McCabe's, then in 2007 he closed the Leonard Cohen tribute concert at UCLA with a rendition of "Democracy" that brought the house down.

Dave plays McCabe's about once a year, and typically I find it hard to stay away. On February 17, 2007, and then again on January 19, 2008, I attended his concerts there. Sadly, these shows turned out to be the last times I saw Amy Farris and Chris Gaffney alive. They are both gone now, but not forgotten, certainly not by Dave. Amy's memory has been immortalized in Dave's gorgeous "Black Rose Of Texas", while "Run Conejo Run" is dedicated to Chris. Both songs appear on "Eleven Eleven", an album released by Dave in 2011.

Amy Farris

Chris Gaffney

My interest in Dave's music remains intact. I will keep up with his new releases and live shows, especially those at McCabe's.

Concert #632 - Grant-Lee Phillips at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 21, 2012)

Once again I went to a concert unprepared, with minimal knowledge of the headliner's music, who last night happened to be Grant-Lee Phillips. I could have been in for a long and boring night of unfamiliar music, but as it turned out, I went home happy. Funny thing though, after three or four songs, it did look like I was going to be stuck there, having to listen to unknown songs best defined as "more of the same", without any tempo changes and sung pretty much in the same vocal style. But there were two factors that turned the concert around: the quality of Grant-Lee's compositions and his incredible voice.

Someone wrote on the Internet that Grant-Lee Phillips is "criminally under-appreciated". How true!  There wasn't a bad song the whole night and there was enough variety there to keep my mind from wandering away. I don't think there are many songwriters out there who possess the gift of his melodic sense. Music this good should be heard everywhere, by everyone, and sadly, that's not the case. Grant-Lee's voice in the live setting of McCabe's was a revelation, even though there's nothing wrong with his recorded vocals. I thoroughly enjoyed the smoothness, precision and expressiveness of his singing.

To me, the best song of the evening was "Fuzzy", from his Grant Lee Buffalo days. I also liked "Mona Lisa", "Buffalo Hearts", Jupiter And Teardrop" and "Truly, Truly", but again, I liked everything he sang last night.

The set list

Grant-Lee Phillips thanking the crowd

Grant-Lee Phillips leaving the stage

Grant-Lee was accompanied by a piano player and bassist whose names I did not catch. If a reader has their names, please let me know.

The stage just before Grant-Lee Phillips came out

The show was opened by Peter Mulvey, a likeable musician I have seen before. He surprised everyone by kicking off his set with Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows", then following up with Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo", two puzzling choices for a singer-songwriter who most of the time performs his own songs. The mystery was soon removed by Peter himself: the songs came from his just-released all-covers album appreciatively titled "The Good Stuff". Later in his set, Peter sang a third song from the album, namely Jolie Holland's "Old Fashioned Morphine".

Peter Mulvey (right) & Matt Lorenz at McCabe's

Peter's set was very well received and had only one negative: it was too short. Now how often one gets to say that, since the most common complaint about opening sets is that they are exceedingly long!

Peter was accompanied by a musician called Matt Lorenz, who performs under the moniker of "The Suitcase Junket". Playing the fiddle, guitar and using his feet as his rhythm section, Matt created quite a stir with his unusual throat-singing sounds, as well as the quality of his playing. Come to think of it, I have never seen so much attention attracted by a musician whose role was to support an opening act.

Matt Lorenz chatting with fans after the show

Peter Mulvey with my friend Steve

Peter's autograph on my newly-purchased CD

Matt Lorenz merchandise