Concert #859 - Lacy J. Dalton at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 20, 2019)

I cannot count myself among the followers of Lacy J. Dalton's career, so I used the concert announcement as an opportunity to get up to speed with her music. And you guessed it right, there was a lot of catching up to do, as I could name only one song from her decades-long career. I'm talking about "16th Avenue", Lacy's well-known signature song. After the initial concert announcement, my interest in the event was further heightened by the addition of two more acts, namely Quincy Coleman, a critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles and jackiO, a band that includes two former members of Oingo Boingo, a band I have always loved.

Lacy J. Dalton took the stage after a short introduction by Leslie Adams, her manager. The set that followed had two distinct parts. For the first hour or so, Lacy played an all-acoustic set, accompanied by her long-time musical partner, guitarist Dale Poune. At the respectable age of seventy-two, Lacy's voice is a bit deeper now, but she still has the vocal strength and physical stamina to put on a good show. Appearing extremely comfortable on the stage, she sang songs that I had just become acquainted with and also a few that were new to me.

Lacy J. Dalton at McCabe's

To these ears, the best songs of the evening were "The Heart", a song written by the great Kris Kristofferson and Lacy's own "Got No Place To Call Home", the latter featuring Dale's fabulous guitar playing. Two other songs stood out: "Listen To The Wind" and "Black Coffee", both culled from Lacy's older albums.

Lacy J. Dalton & Dale Poune at McCabe's

Lacy J. Dalton at McCabe's

The evening's acoustic set ended with "My Little Yellow Duck", a song that generated lots of laughter,.after the initial few raised eyebrows. Throughout the acoustic set, Dale's accompaniment on guitar and mandolin was top-notch. He also sang backup vocals.

The second part of the show featured Lacy and jackiO, a band of seasoned musicians who had just recorded an EP with Lacy. Two band members, Steve Bartek and John Avila, have played with Oingo Boingo for many years.

 

Band line-up

Ira Ingber (guitar)

Steve Bartek (guitar)

John Avila (vocals, bass)

David Raven (drums)

We got to hear the entire EP recorded by jackiO with Lacy, but at first blush, none of those songs caught my ear. Still, with so much musical talent right in front of me, I found this part of the show quite enjoyable. After the fourth song, Lacy left the stage, but not before asking jackiO to close the show with a song of their own. That final song turned out to be one of the evening's best moments - I absolutely loved the dueling guitars of Ira and Steve and John's singing was very good as well. Sadly, I don't know the title of the song.

Steve Bartek, Ira Ingber & John Avila at McCabe's (from left to right)

The evening kicked off with a short set by Quincy Coleman and her guitar accompanist, Vito Gregoli. Quincy's  first three songs, "This Could Last", "Heartbreaking" and "Want Me Back", were exceedingly slow and had melodic lines that did not instantly grab me. Things improved quite a bit with her final two songs, "Come Away With Me" and "I'm Coming Home" which I thought were exceptionally good both in terms of songwriting and also delivery. As far as I know, she wrote all the songs she performed for us at McCabe's. In spite of her slow start, I believe that Quincy is an artist who definitely deserves our attention.

Quincy Coleman at McCabe's

Quincy Coleman & Vito Gregoli at McCabe's

Lacy J. Dalton's set list

Quincy Coleman's set list

Manager Leslie Adams introducing Lacy J. Dalton

The stage

Sign in the window at McCabe's

Concert #858 - Loudon Wainwright at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 19, 2019)

In his seventy-second year of existence, Loudon Wainwright has remained the same incredible performer who picks you up the moment he takes the stage and never lets you go. With his trademark mix of humorous and thought-provoking songs and chatter, he touches me like few other artists. His Saturday night appearance at McCabe's was my twentieth time to see Loudon live and - spoiler alert - I went home absolutely elated by the quality of his performance.

With his voice and wit virtually intact, Loudon kicked off the proceeding with "A Little Piece Of Me" and "Grey In LA". What followed was a good mix of newer songs as well as old favorites, such as "The Swimming Song", "Cardboard Boxes", and the hilarious "Grammy Song", which he delivered interspersed with equally funny readings from "Liner Notes", his first and so far only book. Other songs that I really enjoyed hearing again: "White Winos" and "Be Careful There's A Baby In The House".

Loudon Wainwright at McCabe's

Two songs stood out from among those few numbers that were new to me: "Love Gifts" and "Presidents' Day", the latter generating quite a bit of laughter in the room. Late in the show, Loudon surprised me with the singing of Richard Thompson's "Down Where The Drunkards Roll", which sounded great. By the way, Loudon and Richard are good friends.

Loudon also played two numbers on the piano, "Kick In The Head", a song he wrote in the seventies and the much more recent "Song In C".

Needless to say, Loudon also sang and spoke about his father, grandfather and a few other Wainwrights, so there wasn't anything revolutionary in his show but that suited everyone just fine. I loved everything Loudon did and, as I said, I went home extremely happy. 

Loudon Wainwright at McCabe's

Loudon Wainwright playing the piano at McCabe's

The stage

Sign in the window at McCabe's