Concert #720 - The Dustbowl Revival at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center (July 17, 2014)

This was my first time at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, a Fullerton landmark that has an interesting history and deserves to be visited even when your favorite artist is not booked to be playing there. The events kick-off at 7:30 PM sharp, while it was still daylight. Introduced by Zoot Velasco, the Muck's executive director, the band came out as a septet, which, sadly, did not include Connor Vance, their fiddler-deluxe.

The Dustbowl Revival at the Muck

 Band line-up

Zach Lupetin (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, kazoo)

Liz Beebe (vocals, washboard)

Daniel Mark (mandolin)

Matt Rubin (trumpet)

Ulf Bjorlin (trombon)

Josh Heffernan (drums)

James Klopfleisch (upright bass)

Faithful to their usual "Less talk, more music" approach, the band delivered their old-school music with youthful energy and humor, to the delight of a crowd whose average age was considerably higher than that of the musicians on stage. Last night's set list was very different from the songs they played in Pasadena in mid-May, a testimony to the ever-growing repertoire of the band. To these ears, the best songs of the evening were "Western Passage", "Cherokke Shuffle" and "Lowdown Blues", so yes, I am a sucker for the band's up-tempo, brass-heavy numbers and we all smiled and applauded when Ulf and Liz unleashed their awesome, albeit brief, operatic vocals.

 Partial Set List

Ballad Of The Bellhop

Edgar Allan Poe
Gamblin' Man
I Like It Like That
Lowdown Blues
Doubling Down On You
Cherokee Shuffle
Drop In A Bucket
Rodeo Joe
Hey Hey Hey (title?)
Lampshade On
Western Passage

All-in-all, I had a fun time. I loved the music and the venue.

Joseph, Liz, Zach and Daniel

Matt, Liz, Zach and Daniel singing "Rodeo Joe"

Ulf Bjorlin (left) and Matt Rubin

Stage and crowd (Muckenthaler Cultural Center)

Concert announcer Zoot Velasco

The Muckenthaler Mansion