August 3, 2014

Concert #723 - The Psycho Sisters at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 2, 2014)


Most music fans have not heard of the Psycho Sisters, a low-profile project involving two well-known musicians, namely Susan Cowsill of the Cowsills and Vicky Peterson of the Bangles. I must admit that, initially, the name of the band did not ring a bell to me either. Good thing, though, that the folks at McCabe's, most likely with ticket sales in mind, did not keep the identities of the sisters a secret and, in the end, the show did sell out.


The Psycho Sisters' concert last night at McCabe's featured songs from their soon-to-be-released first album, some material from Susan and Vicky's earlier work, as well as a couple of covers. The crowd's response to the show put on by Susan and Vicky was exceptionally enthusiastic, while the level of my own enthusiasm remained a notch lower. The show had good moments, of course, but I had a hard time connecting with some of the songs I was unfamiliar with. Among the positives, I must mention Susan's singing and her harmonizing with Vicky - one could easily tell that the two had been singing together for years, even decades.

Susan Cowsill (left) and Vicky Peterson at McCabe's
With three exceptions, I was totally unfamiliar with the songs performed by the Psycho Sisters last night. The three exceptions were "Mixed Messages", a catchy song from the repertoire of the Bangles, Gene Pitney's "It Hurts To Be In Love" and "Cuddly Toy", a song written by Harry Nilsson for the Monkees. From among the songs that were new to me, "Never Never Boys" and "Mask-And-Wig Ball" stood out to these ears.

Throughout their set, the Psycho Sisters were accompanied by bassist Derek Anderson and drummer Russ Broussard, who also happens to be Susan's husband. And speaking of the marital status of the Psycho Sisters: Vicky Peterson is married to John Cowsill, Susan's brother, which makes Vicky and Susan sisters-in-law.

Susan Cowsill (left) and Vicky Peterson at McCabe's
The set list

Acting as Susan and Vicky's third psycho-sister, violonist and singer Petra Haden joined the band for most of the evening, but kept a relatively low profile. During the two-song encore, psycho-brother and opening act Bill Mumy took the stage as well. Bill's thirty-minute opening set revealed a likeable artist who sings well and writes decent songs. I particularly liked "Cherokee Books", the set-ending "In The Future" and the song he wrote for Buffy Ford Stewart, the late John Stewart's wife.

Bill Mumy at McCabe's

Petra Haden and Susan Cowsill

Bill Mumy and Susan Cowsill
The end of the show
Sound engineer Robin Danar, with assistant John Calacci

Concert #722 - Janiva Magness at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 1, 2014)


This was my sixth time to see the multiple award-winning Janiva Magness in concert, so now the secret is out: I'm a fan. Announced as a "CD Release Party", the evening's focus was on the songs from "Original", her brand new album. I went to the show unprepared, not having given the album a proper listen.

Janiva came out with her usual rhythm section (Gary Davenport on bass and Matt Tecu on drums), but surprisingly, without guitarist Zach Zunis and keyboardist Jim Alfredson, her long-time touring and recording partners. Instead, Janiva's band included Dave Darling on guitar and Phil Parlapiano on keyboards, two musicians with impressive resumes of their own. Granted, there was nothing wrong with either of the new arrivals, nor with the band's overall performance, but I did miss the prolonged all-instrumental jams of the band's earlier incarnation.

Janiva Magness at McCabe's
Without following the song sequence of the studio recording, Janiva sang each and every number from "Original", an album that does not sound particularly bluesy to me, certainly not in a traditional sense. At the first listen, I found the album to be remarkably homogenous - no single song stole the show, but there were no throwaways there either. Janiva's voice was strong and nuanced. I liked everything she sang, but what I loved the most was when she brought down the volume a bit, as was the case with "Let Me Breathe" and "Mountain". By the way, Janiva co-wrote seven of the eleven songs that appear on the disc. And she looked good, too.

Janiva Magness at McCabe's
Janiva's set list
Dave Darling at McCabe's
Janiva Magness keeping cool on the stage

Casey Hurt, the evening's opening act, turned out to be nothing short of a revelation. Even though he introduced himself as a "third generation preacher, currently ex-preacher", I must say that there was still plenty of religious fervor in his delivery and voice. Other than "John The Revelator", I suppose he wrote all the songs he sang for us Friday night at McCabe's and, if my supposition is correct, then Casey is one heck of a songwriter. With great songs such as "Mary, Mary" and "Back For Me", Casey captured the attention of the crowd from the moment he took the stage. As a sign of support, Janiva Magness and Dave Darling came out to sing backup vocals on one song.

Casey Hurt at McCabe's
Casey Hurt's set list
Casey Hurt (seated), with Janiva Magness and Dave Darling
Janiva Magness with a fan, after the show
My friend Bill in a pensive mood, minutes before the show