Concert #636 - Lambchop at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 5, 2012)

Last night's Lambchop concert at McCabe's was one of the most polarizing musical events I have ever witnessed. I was there with a few friends. One of them left midway through the show, later telling me that he had attended livelier funerals in his life. Another friend was so mesmerized by the beauty of the music that he decided to catch the late show as well. One concert, two diametrically opposed responses. Go figure. Where do I stand on this? In the middle, that's where.

Indeed, the music was beautiful. It was also well sung and well played. But the concert lacked two important elements: variety and energy. Yes, the songs were good, but most of them were of the same style and same slow tempo, so I could understand someone losing interest after a while. The show could have benefited from a few moments of musical levity, but there weren't any. It would have probably helped if I knew the songs, but that wasn't the case - I had managed to give "Mr. M", Lambchop's latest album, only one good listen, while driving to the venue. At no time during the concert did I feel like leaving, but after a few songs I was craving for something louder and faster, that's for sure.

As far as I could tell, they played only two songs not written by Kurt Wagner, Lambchop's unmistakeable leader: a Billy Joe Shaver tune (title?) and Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away". The other songs came from "Mr. M" and I must say it again: most of the songs, individually taken, were good - it was the totality of them that turned some folks off.

The set list

Band line-up

Kurt Wagner: Vocals, acoustic guitar

Tony Crow: Piano

Scott Martin: Drums

Ryan Norris: Keyboards, electric guitar

Matt Swanson: Bass

I enjoyed keeping an eye on the members of the band and what struck me was the absence of any eye contact between them. None of them were in a chatty mood, they just  played and played, and what came out sounded great. I liked Scott's drumming - he certainly had the hardware to make a huge racket, but instead, played gently, in an understated way. Tony Crow's piano playing was very good, too.

Kurt wasn't in a talkative mood himself. He addressed the crowd only toward the end of the show, when he introduced the band. I'm a huge fan of McCabe's, so it felt good hearing Kurt referring to the venue as a "sweet room".

Kurt Wagner introducing the band (Tony Crow in the background)

Kurt Wagner leaving the stage

I went home not overly happy, nor unhappy. I will most likely not catch them again live, but I will continue checking them out on YouTube, in search of something more lively, something more energetic.

Lambchop's rhythm section

For sale at McCabe's: Lambchop CDs and $25 vinyl

Concert #635 - Peter Himmelman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 30, 2012)

This was my twenty-second encounter with Peter Himmelman, an artist who has affected me more than most anyone else. Nineteen years have passed since I first saw him at McCabe's and I still can't stay away from his appearances there. Nor can I stop "spreading the word" - turning friends on to Peter's music remains something I still love doing - this time I talked two of my McCabe's friends, Paul and Steve, into seeing Peter for the first time and, long story short, Peter has two new fans.

Peter is in his low fifties now - his live show is not very different from what I saw in the 90s, but there are a few subtle changes. The improvisations are still there, albeit in smaller amounts. The humor is as good as ever and he still sprinkles his show with various accents, whether US regional or foreign - these amuse me a lot. Overall, there is less interaction with the crowd.

Being in Peter's band is no easy thing - if you are not 100% alert, if you allow your mind to wander away for just a split second, you will be left behind by Peter's frequent and mostly sudden changes of style, pace, or both. With the greatest of ease, Peter can blend rock, western swing, reggae, R&B and who knows what else in a single song - such musical adventures have always been a fun part of Peter's live performances.

Peter Himmelman at McCabe's, with guitarist Greg Herzenach

Gone are the casual clothes and black bandanas Peter wore on stage during the 90s. For last Sunday's appearance, Peter came out wearing a suit, tie and a hat. Was he comfortable playing rock & roll dressed up like that? I know I wouldn't be.

Once again, Peter's band included drummer Andy Kamman and bassist Al Wolovitch - hard to believe, but the three of them have been playing together since their high school days. They were joined on stage by guitarist Greg Herzenach, yet another long-time collaborator of Peter's, and Israeli keyboardist Daniel K. Man. What resulted was an almost-entirely electric concert, a welcome departure from what I expected to be a mostly acoustic affair.

Peter Himmelman (left), with Al Wolovitch

There were a few songs I did not know, but I did get to hear plenty of old favorites, among them "Impermanent Things", "Mission Of My Soul", "Tremble", "Phone Call From Chicago", "Eleventh Confession", "One Shot At Love", "Seven Circles", and "Been Set Free". Most of these songs are not easy to sing - Peter's frequent strained facial expressions are much more than just a measure of his intensity and I found myself wondering whether ten years from now he would still be singing songs as difficult as "Seven Circles".

After having seen Peter so many times, I don't believe he will ever surprise me with anything new or different, yet I remain solidly under his musical spell. In other words, I'll be back for more.

Keyboardist Daniel K. Man (left) with my friend Steve

Concert poster