CONCERT OVERLOAD: 9/30/12

October 4, 2012

Concert #652 - Fred Eaglesmith & Mary Gauthier at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 30, 2012)

Fred Eaglesmith

Mary Gauthier

This concert was the final stop of a "train thing" known as the "Tin Can Caravan", "Roots On The Rails", "Traveling Steam Show" and who knows how many other names. Featuring Canadian singer-songwriter-jokester Fred Eaglesmith and following the historic Route 66, the train trip started eighteen days earlier in Chicago, with plenty of live music along the way. I bought my ticket only after Mary Gauthier, a part-time trip participant, was added to the line-up a few weeks after the initial concert announcement.

I showed up at McCabe's expecting to see two headliners, Fred and Mary, with the former possibly getting a little more stage time. It turned out there were not two, but six performers. I did not know any of the four unannounced musicians. They performed a grand total of thirteen songs, while Mary Gauthier sang only six. That was a bit disappointing.

The evening kicked off with Gordie Tentrees, followed by Roger Marin and Bill Poss. They all played three-song sets that were decently good. I liked Roger and Bill the best. The latter's humorous "Give My Daddy A Call" is the only song of theirs that I can still recall. They all received support from the members of Fred's band, namely guitarist Matt Simpson, drummer Kori Heppner and bassist Justine Fisher, with Roger Marin pitching in on lap guitar. Throughout the evening, I enjoyed focusing on Matt's electric guitar and his outstanding solos.

Mary Gauthier's set, albeit short, was the highlight of the evening. She was quite relaxed and cheerful and, with a smile on her face, admitted that Justine's good looks were a bit of a distraction to her. Mary sounded just like on her records, with the very same phrasing and vocal inflections. I thoroughly enjoyed everything she did. With the band playing right behind her, I did not miss the sparse accompaniments of her earlier appearances at McCabe's and I think she also enjoyed the higher decibel level of her performance.

Somewhat surprisingly, Mary Gauthier's short set included not fewer than three songs that she did not write. Here's her set list:

I drink

Cigarette Machine (by Fred Eaglesmith)

Thought I Heard a Train (by Tom Mason)

Your Sister Cried (by Fred Eaglesmith)

Last Of The Hobo Kings

Mercy Now

Mary Gauthier having fun at McCabe's

Mary Gauthier, with Roger Marin (left) and Matt Simpson

For the playing of "Mercy Now", Mary was joined by Vicky Randle on percussion and back-up vocals. Vicky is best known for her many years with the Tonight Show Band. I liked her understated ways of supporting Mary and the final result was a stunningly great rendition of a stunningly great song.

Vicky Randle

After an intermission, Texan singer Tif Ginn, yet another unannounced musician, delivered a well-received set of four songs. In addition to singing, she played the guitar and accordion. After the show I learned that Tif and Bill Poss are married to each other.

Bill Poss

Tif Ginn and Matt Simpson

Fred's set can best be described as "something else". One could not tell for sure whether we were watching a stand-up comedian who also sang or vice versa. I liked both his music and humor and even enjoyed his deliberately corny jokes. His unsparing use of the F-Word was a bit unusual for a clean folk music venue like McCabe's, but then again, there wasn't much folk music in Fred's set list at McCabe's. Backed by an electric band, Fred's music was far more rock than folk and who would expect otherwise from a self-proclaimed member of the Rock & Roll Party?

Fred Eaglesmith at McCabe's

Fred's set included "Stars", "Johnny Cash" and the title track from his current album, "6 Volts". He also sang "Freight Train", a song covered by Alan Jackson. His voice was strong and powerful.

Tif Ginn (left) & Justine Fischer

The arrival of the train people

The stage

My friend Steve handing guitar picks to Roger Marin

The merch table

Mary Gauthier greeting her fans, myself included

Fred and Mary arriving at McCabe's

Mary Gauthier memorabilia for your pet

September 30, 2012

Concert #651 - Val McCallum at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 29, 2012)

Last night I attended another one of those concerts that keep bringing me back to McCabe's time and time again. Guitarist extraordinaire Val McCallum, accompanied by a few friends, put on a fabulous two-hour-long show that was filled with lots of musical joy and laughter.

Last night, Val's guests were two singers whose voices have been heard by millions around the world, namely Jackson Browne and Colin Hay of Men At Work fame. The appearance of the former was somewhat predictable, but everyone in the room was thoroughly surprised when Val brought out Colin Hay. I myself was unaware of any earlier connection between the two.

The evening coincided with the release of "At The End Of The Day", Val's debut album. The concert kicked-off with Val singing the title song, the very same number he picked to end his first-ever solo show three months ago. The first song of the evening was also the only time we saw Val unaccompanied on the stage. First, he was joined by the lovely Cindy Wasserman for the singing of five slower songs of a personal nature, all taken from the new album. "Digging For Gold" and "Tokyo Girl" were my favorites. Jackson Browne dropped in to sing backup vocals on "Tokyo Girl", a song written by Val for Shelli, his wife of many years. The pace picked up considerably when Val swapped his acoustic guitar for an electric one to sing and play one of the album's strongest songs, "Ghost Town".

For years I had been fantasizing about seeing Colin Hay live at McCabe's, so I screamed with excitement when Val brought him out. Colin made us laugh with his unique sense of humor and his heavy Scottish accent only helped matters. Sadly, he only sang two songs, "Don't Wait Up", from his solo years, and "Overkill", the mega-hit from his days with Men At Work. Both songs were received very warmly by the crowd. Colin's easy-to-recognize voice was as strong as ever and his confident stage presence was a sight to see. Cecilia Noel, Colin's Peruvian wife, sang backup vocals on "Overkill".

Val McCallum with his guest Colin Hay at McCabe's

The arrival of drummer Fritz Lewak and bassist Tyler Chester brought another jolt of energy to the stage, so by the time Jackson Browne took the stage, the place was ready to rock. Jackson sat down behind his keyboards and went on to deliver a good size set of six songs, all taken from his vast back catalog. "Rock Me On The Water", "The Pretender" and especially "Doctor My Eyes" were out of this world, with the band working as a well-oiled machine, playing loud and rocking the house with power and precision. Val McCallum's solos on electric guitar were some of the best I've ever heard at McCabe's or anywhere else, for that matter.

Jackson Browne and Chavonne Stewart at McCabe's

Jackson Browne's set benefited tremendously from the presence of his recent backup vocalists, Alethea Mills and Chavonne Stewart. I enjoyed very much watching their moves and I certainly liked their voices.

Val McCallum, Alethea Mills & Chavonne Stewart

The concert continued with Val and Cindy Wasserman. They performed Val's own "Rarebird" and a few great covers, such as Neil Young's "Pocahontas" and John Doe's "Burning House Of Love". Again, Val's electric guitar took center stage with a few blistering solos.

The set list

Another set list

For the encore, Val came out wearing a cowboy hat and talking pretty much like Beau Shit, his Cochtotan-based alter-ego. Together with Cindy and the band, he delivered a fast-paced version of "Wrecking Ball", a song I first heard with the Knitters a few years back.

Val McCallum as Beau Shit, with Cindy Wasserman

All-in-all, it was a wonderful concert that offered quite a variety of musical styles, from slow ballads to fast and loud rock & roll. With so many great musicians coming and going, the show was thoroughly entertaining. Special kudos go to Val McCallum, a musician I learned of only in 2005, but who since then has given me tons of musical pleasures.