Concert #710 - Iain Matthews at the Coffee Gallery Backstage (May 5, 2014)

What a difference a concert made ... less than a week ago, Iain Matthews was someone I liked and respected, but nothing more. Then came last Friday's concert at McCabe's, when Iain knocked my socks off with a performance that had all the ingredients that make me melt: a great voice, a soulful delivery of tuneful songs, skilled guitar playing, captivating lyrics, good humor and, to top it all off, humility. His show was so good that I just had to see him again, and that is what brought me Monday night to the Coffee Gallery in Altadena, an intimate venue with just forty-nine seats.

Much to my disbelief, I counted only twenty-six people in the attendance, undoubtedly the smallest concert crowd I have ever seen. But the size of the audience did not stop Iain from delivering yet another great set, twenty songs in all, and all the elements that had impressed me so much at McCabe's were there in full force. In terms of the set list, there was some overlap between the two concerts, something that did not bother me at all. On the contrary, I enjoyed very much hearing "Alone Again Blues" and "Funk And Fire" once again. I also enjoyed the eight songs not played at McCabe's, among which "To Be White", "God's Empty Chair" and Richard Thompson's "From Galway To Graceland" stood out. The a-cappella style delivery of the latter was an absolute gem.

Iain Matthews at the Coffee Gallery

The set list

Southern Breezes

Something Mighty

The Limburg Girl and The Traveling Man

Rosa's Song (The Back Of a Bus)

Power

To Be White

God's Empty Chair

From Galway To Graceland

Funk And Fire

The Letter (1944)

The Emperor's New Clothes

Time Zone Cowboy

In Paradise

God Looked Down

Alone Again Blues

These Days

Ghost Changes

Evening Sun

 Encore

Joy Mining

Can't Buy Me Love

Iain Matthews enjoying himself at the Coffee Gallery

One of Iain's past collaborators, Richard Stekol, an accomplished musician himself, provided able accompaniment on electric guitar for half an hour or so. His subdued playing was a good addition to the show.

After the concert, I had the pleasure of exchanging a few words with Iain and got to shake his hand, too. I went home happy, carrying with me his "Joy Mining" album, purchased from Iain himself. 

Iain Matthews and Richard Stekol

Iain Matthews tuning his guitar

Set list - sheet 1

Set list - sheet 2

The stage

Concert #709 - Iain Matthews at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 2, 2014)

Iain Matthews at McCabe's

Friday night's concert at McCabe's was my first time to see Iain Matthews live in concert and what a revelation that was! Of course, I've been aware of Iain's music for decades, but, regrettably, without ever giving him my full attention. Big mistake.

Iain took the stage, addressed the crowd, launched into an "a cappella" version of "Just One Look" (not the Doris Troy classic), then seamlessly transitioned  into "The Frame". By the time the latter ended, I knew I was in for a special treat and everything that followed was indeed special. Very special.

I had been listening to Iain's just-released new album, "The Art Of Obscurity", so I knew that there was nothing wrong with his vocals, yet the biggest surprise of the evening was his voice. I can't think of too many singers who, at the not-so-tender age of sixty-eight can hit high notes and control their voices as well as Iain can. His phrasing and vocal inflections produced a soulful and expressive sound that was just perfect to these ears. And before I forget: he is a fine guitarist, too.

Equally good were Iain's songs, the majority of which he wrote himself. He also threw in a couple of covers: Jackson Browne's "These Days" and "Can't Buy Me Love", the well-known Beatles gem. I liked the treatment of the latter, even though, inexplicably, Iain altered the words to "won't buy me love".

Iain Matthews at McCabe's

The aforementioned new album was the source of many of the songs we got to hear Friday night. There were no weak numbers there, with "Ash In The Wind" and "Time Zone Cowboy" being the best. From his older material, "God Looked Down", "Alone Again Blues", "Evening Sun" and "Lamb In Armor" stood out. I also loved "Funk And Fire", a tribute song to three departed musicians whose names were not mentioned in the song. I had no trouble identifying Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, but I had to resort to Google in order to identify Hank Williams as the third unnamed artist.

The set list

Just One Look

The Frame

Joy Mining 

Funk And Fire

The Letter (1944)

The Emperor's New Clothes

Ash In The Wind

Time Zone Cowboy

In Paradise

God Looked Down

Alone Again Blues

Buddha Dials Your Number

These Days (Jackson Browne cover)

The Ballad Of Gruene Hall

Ghost Changes

Evening Sun

Lamb In Armor

 Encore

Spanish Guitar (Gene Clark cover)

Can't Buy Me Love (Lennon-McCartney)

I would have loved to hear a Richard Thompson cover or two, as Iain's rendition of "Poor Ditching Boy" and "Shady Lies" are among my favorite RT covers. No luck, though.

It is now two days after Iain's appearance at McCabe's and his music continues to obsessively haunt me. Luckily, I found an easy fix: I got myself a ticket to see Iain again, tomorrow night, at the intimate Coffey Gallery in Altadena. Can't wait.

Iain Matthews at McCabe's

The set list (not fully followed)

Iain Matthews' final bow

Iain Matthews with fans after the show

Iain Matthews with fans after the show

CDs and cassettes (?!?!) for sale