Concert #645 - Chatham County Line at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 20, 2012)

About a year ago, when I first saw the name of the band, I said to myself "What a great name for a bluegrass band". Last night at McCabe's, the stage setup was just as good, with a large North Carolina state flag decorating the wall behind the four proud North Carolinians who call themselves the Chatham County Line. Band leader Dave Wilson promptly reassured the crowd that they had not planted the flag there with any territorial claims in mind and that the flag would be gone as soon as they left town. Indeed, good humor accompanied good music throughout the evening, with pleasing results.

The stage

Band line-up

Dave Wilson - Lead vocals, guitar, mouth harmonica

John Teer - Mandolin, fiddle, vocals, adult humor

Chandler Holt - Banjo, vocals

Greg Readling - Upright bass, vocals

The band plays a style of music that, at least to these ears, is pretty close to classic bluegrass, without an obvious attempt to modernize or innovate, and I don't mean it as a negative. But creative they definitely are, especially when it comes to the handling of their sound. Only the upright bass was plugged in and there was only one mike stand that held three microphones: one on top for voices and two lower ones for the string instruments, with anyone wanting to be heard having to position himself close to the stand. What followed was an endless series of well-choreographed moves, as the four musicians were stepping back, moving up or changing places on the fly, so that whoever had to be near the mikes could actually be there, and yes, there were brief stretches of time when the four of them were bunched up together at the center of the stage.

The band's microphone stand

To the band's credit, most of the songs they played last night were originals and they sounded quite good. Their two all-instrumental numbers, especially John Teer's "Paige", were well received by the crowd. The band functioned like a Swiss watch, but one would expect that from four musicians who have been together for ten years or so. The vocal harmonies were great,  the chatter was short, funny and informative. The two songs I liked the best were "The Carolinian" and "Waiting Paradise".

PARTIAL SET LIST

Waiting Paradise

By The Riverside
The Carolinian
One More Minute
Birmingham Jail
Born To Be With You
Whipping Boy
Alone In New York
Paige
Speed Of The Whippoorwill

Wildwood
Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry
Route 23

The Chatham County Line at McCabe's

The Chatham County Line accepting the crowd's applause

To sum things up, what I saw and heard last night was enjoyable. If you like traditional bluegrass, this act is for you.

Dave and John chatting with fans after the show

The band's merchandise

 

 

Concerts #167, 177, 212, 450, 451 - Zucchero at the House Of Blues and the Grove of Anaheim (1996-2007)

If you're like me, then your roots are in Europe and you're absolutely crazy about Zucchero, the Italian megastar who conquered the entire Planet Earth, with one notable exception. Yes, you guessed it just right, the exception is the United States, a country that, musically speaking, is pretty much isolated from the non-English speaking world and that's both good and bad news.

The bad news is that most Americans will never get to know the many immensely talented artists who are household names elsewhere. The good news is that devout fans like myself have a chance to catch their idols in more intimate venues, something that would be impossible to do in Europe. Zucchero, for instance, plays the Royal Albert Hall when in London, but when he crosses the Atlantic, you are more likely to catch him at the House Of Blues on Sunset Boulevard, a place where I had the good fortune of attending not fewer than four of his West Coast concerts.

The Zucchero concerts I have attended over the years

• House of Blues (Sunset Blvd.) - April 14, 1996
• House of Blues (Sunset Blvd.) - April 26, 1997
• House of Blues (Sunset Blvd.) - October 2, 1999
• House of Blues (Sunset Blvd.) - October 15, 2007
• The Grove of Anaheim - October 17, 2007

Ironically, the first time I heard Zucchero sing was on American television, where he guested at one of Luciano Pavarotti's star-studded benefit concerts in the early 1990s. I wasn't particularly impressed, so I left him alone for a few years, until one day I saw his name in a list of upcoming HOB concerts. At that time I decided to dig a little deeper, so I got myself a used copy of Zucchero's then-current "Spirito DiVino" album. With monumental songs such as "Cosi Celeste", "X Colpa Di Chi" and "Il Volo", the album became an instant hit with me and, practically overnight, my passion for everything Zucchero went sky high.

The album that opened my appetite for Zucchero's music

If you want to be close to the stage at the House of Blues, all you have to do is get there when the doors open, plant yourself in front of the stage, stay there for two hours until the concert starts, then keep standing there until the curtains come down. That's not a customer-friendly formula, but it's not a big price to pay for the privilege of watching Zucchero in action from just a few steps away.

Some musicians affect me more than others, but few have hit me as hard as Zucchero. His live show is something to behold - he's a masterful performer, in constant touch with his audience, always intense, always radiating joy and always wearing one of his trademark hats.

Needless to say, someone of Zucchero's stature can assemble any back-up band he wants - this gave me the opportunity to watch a few world-class instrumentalists such as Americans David Sancious and Kat Dyson, as well as Italy's Mario Schiliro. I loved the way the band was able to reproduce with good accuracy the rich, multi-layered orchestrations of Zucchero's studio recordings.

David Sancious

Mario Schiliro

Zucchero & Kat Dyson

The great Solomon Burke was Zucchero's unannounced guest in October 2007 at the House Of Blues. Surrounded by his entourage, King Solomon watched the show from the main floor, then at one point he took the stage, seated in a wheelchair, to sing "Diavolo In Me" with Zucchero and it was exhilarating.

Solomon Burke & Zucchero

In April 1996, Zucchero was joined on stage by Corrado Rustici, his brilliant producer. An accomplished guitarist, Corrado dazzled me with his funky guitar playing, as he was standing directly in front of me. Corrado is little known in the States, in spite of his impressive resume that includes collaborations with the likes of Elton John, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Andrea Bocelli, Sinead O'Connor, Eric Clapton and countless others.

Corrado Rustici

For Zucchero's appearance at the Grove Of Anaheim in October 2007, I managed to grab two front row seats. The sound wasn't the best there, but being once again "right there" was priceless. Toward the end of the show, I stood up and advanced to the edge of the stage, along with other fans and that gave me the opportunity to shake hands with the master, then seconds later, exchange a high-five with him. Unforgettable!

Here's a partial list of the songs performed by Zucchero at the concerts I have attended:

Cosi Celeste

Madre Dolcissima

Diavolo In Me

Datemi Una Pompa

Il Volo

Pane E Sale

X Colpa Di Chi

Miserere

OLSMM

Cuba Libre

Nel Cosi Blu

Un Kilo

Music In Me

Rossa Mela Della Sera

Baila

Diamante

Senza Una Donna

Hai Scelto Me

Nice Che Dice

I'm fortunate for having discovered Zucchero, in spite of his lack of exposure to the general public here in the States. His music has given me countless hours of immense pleasure and if he ever comes back to these shores, you can bet your life I'll be there. 

Concert #452 - Mavis Staples and the North Mississippi All-Stars at the Malibu Performing Arts Center (October 18, 2007)

The Malibu Performing Arts Center is sixty-five miles away from my home. Getting there after work, on a weekday, is no easy feat, yet there I was to attend a concert that brought together two of my favorites, Mavis Staples and the North Mississippi All-Stars, plus veteran bluesman Charlie Musselwhite and someone who was new to me, Joe Krown. The gig was part of their Solid Blues Tour, with stops in multiple cities across the country.

The evening kicked off with an all-instrumental set delivered by New Orleans pianist Joe Krown, four songs in all, all very good. Then out came the heavy-hitters. First, the All-Stars played a mostly acoustic set that closed with an electric version of "Po' Black Maddie". I particularly liked their acoustic treatment of "Goin' Home, Part 1" and "Make Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor". Here's the set list of the All-Stars:

 Ragged But Right
  Mean Old World
Make Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor
  The Dock Of The Bay
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
Goin' Home, Part 1
Po' Black Maddie - Skinny Woman - Po' Black Maddie

A bootleg recording of the above set can be enjoyed at:

http://archive.org/details/nma2007-10-18.mk4.flac16

Luther and Cody Dickinson (from left to right)

After the intermission, the North Mississippi All-Stars took on a new role, that of a back-up band. First they played with Charlie Musselwhite, who was his usual self, telling stories, singing and playing his harmonica with competence. Then the band, which now included Charlie Musselwhite and Joe Krown as well, brought out Mavis to a rousing crowd reception. As expected, she sang "The Weight", a song that also appears in the repertoire of the All-Stars. "I'll Take You There" came complete with Mavis' moans and groans and lots of crowd participation. Joe's organ sounds were a welcome addition to the church-like fervor that Mavis brought to the show.

At the not-so-tender age of sixty-eight, Mavis was in good vocal form and one could easily tell how much she enjoyed performing for us.

Mavis Staples and All-Star Chris Chew

Okay, so the music was great, but for me, the highlight of the evening was my getting to shake Mavis' hand. It was a spontaneous act made possible by my front-row-center seating. Toward the end of the show, when Mavis came real close to the front of the stage, I just reached out my hand, Mavis saw it and took it with a smile, while my starstruck self could only manage a timid "thank you". Unforgettable!

From left to right: Luther, Mavis, Charlie, Joe, Chris, Cody