CONCERT OVERLOAD

Concert #628 - The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 10, 2012)

2012-03-10T16:52:00.001-08:00

Tuba solos are not a likely occurrence at McCabe's, but if you frequent the venue as often as I do, don't be surprised if one day you will witness such an event. In my case, it happened last night, on my 302nd concert that I attended there.

Last night's concert is something that will be hard to forget. The proceedings started with the best opening act I have ever seen at McCabe's, hands down. I'm talking about the California Feetwarmers, a collection of eleven young and energetic musicians that brought us to our feet at the end of a fifty-minute set that could have gone on without anyone minding. Seeing eleven musicians on that tiny stage was an event in itself - they managed to coexist peacefully while playing packed together like sardines, but without anyone standing in front of the trombone player (wink-wink).

Their brand of music is a combination of dixieland, traditional jazz, old American music, something like that, done with plenty of smiles and laughter, which instantly produces a very similar response within the crowd. Their range of instruments is stunning - guitars, piano, drums, washboards, tuba, clarinet, trumpet, banjo, trombone, accordion, percussion and possibly a few others. Everyone was great, my favorites were the trumpet player and the clarinetist, a young lady from St. Louis who returned to the stage a little later as a member of the Dustbowl Revival. I don't know their names, sadly.

The California Feetwarmers at McCabe's

With songs such as "Stardust", "Midnight Hour" and "I Like You", the Feetwarmers kept our feet warm, the by-product of non-stop tapping. The joy of playing music was all over the faces of all players and, when they left the stage, I knew that I had seen something truly special. I also did some math: 150 seats, 15 bucks per ticket, that's a gross of $2,250 for the night. If the opening act gets half of that, which they probably don't, that would amount to roughly one hundred dollars for each musician. Draw your own conclusions.

After a short break, out came the headliners, the Dustbowl Revival, ten souls in all - their music is described on their web site as "gypsy swing, blues, dixieland, bluegrass, and homemade jug-band music". Just like the opening act, these guys played their hearts out and had lots of fun in the process. So did we, the spectators.

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

Other than Zach Lupetin, the undisputed leader of the collective, Matt Rubin and Caitlin Doyle, I do not know any other names, but without exception, they are all great musicians. There was no pre-determined set list - the songs were selected by popular consensus, right there on the spot. Here are a few titles I remember:

Shine

Orange Blossom Special

When The Saints Go Marching In

John The Revelator

Holy Ghost Station

What You're Doin' To Me

You Can't Always Get What You Want (encore)

The highlight of the evening was Zach Lupetin's announcement toward the end of the show: "And now I'd like to attempt something that maybe has not been done here ... has anyone ever seen twenty people playing on this stage?", a question that served as an invitation for the California Feetwarmers to come down and share the stage with the revivalists. Well, they shared more than just the stage, as they took positions on the stairs and even floor, right in front of the stage, it was a blast. There were nineteen musicians in all, not twenty, but even so, that was the most at one time I have ever seen at McCabe's - no one else got even close. So how do you top that, McCabe's? Book the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?

The Dustbowl Revival and the California Feetwarmers sharing the stage

The two bands played together for half an hour or so as if they were one single ensemble and everyone had fun. The Dustbowl Revival came back for a one-song encore that also served as the introduction of the band. The song happened to be "You Can't Always Get What You Want", the old Rolling Stones song - not your typical American traditional music sing-along and there were lots of smiles in the room when Zach started singing "I saw her today at a reception ..."

The show ended late, at 10:45 PM. I immediately bought two Dustbowl CDs, on sale for a grand total of fifteen bucks. The salesman happened to be Zach Lupetin himself and it felt great shaking his hand. A few minutes later I was out in the street where, to my surprise, the show was going on: sitting on the bed of a pickup truck were three members of the Feetwarmers just playing away, to the delight of a few fans.

The show goes on on Pico Boulevard

Concert announcer Mikki Itzigsohn

My friends Steve (left) and Bill, who tipped me off about the Dustbowl Revival

Zach Lupetin, after the show

Concert #627 - Diego Garcia at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 3, 2012)

2012-03-04T14:41:00.005-08:00

Here's yet another example of a great singer-songwriter whose music I would have probably never heard, had it not been for McCabe's, the venue that, at least to me, lends instant musical credibility to anyone who's booked to play there.

In Diego Garcia's case, I bought my ticket after having spent no more than ten minutes researching his music on YouTube. At the same time, I sent out email alerts to a few of my concert-going friends and one of them, Steve, took heed. We sat together in the front row and when I got home after the show, I had a message from Steve in my inbox, with these words: "Good call on this guy. Glad I checked him out". A second email received this morning from the same Steve ended with "Geez what a nice show last night". So I'm not alone in having lingering good vibes about Diego's performance. Almost a full day afer the concert, last night's sights and sounds are still in my brain and it looks like they'll stay there for a while. Not that it bothers me.

Diego came out with two musicians whom I had not seen before, cellist Daniel Bensi and Argentinian guitarist Zeke Zima, and what an awesome trio they were. I especially loved the totally authentic sounds of Zeke's Spanish guitar, but Daniel's free-style approach to playing the cello was fun, too. And it was heartwarming to see the repeated signs of respect and appreciation shown by Diego, the headliner, to the musicians who were there in his support.

Diego Garcia (center), with Daniel Bensi and Zeke Zima at McCabe's

Daniel and Zeke were great, but the undisputed star of the show was Diego Garcia and his music. Starting with the gorgeous "You Were Never There", Diego delivered most of the songs from "Laura", his first album, among them "Stay", "Separate Lives", "Inside My Heart", "All Eyes On You" as well as the title track. They all sounded at least as good as their studio versions. I'm not even going to try to pick a "highlight of the show", as consistency was the name of the game, as in "consistently great", with no low points whatsoever.

Diego Garcia (right) and Daniel Bensi

From the repertoire of his earlier band, Elefant (spelled with an "f"), Diego sang "Misfit" and "Bokkie". I liked both songs, especially the latter. There were also two well-chosen covers: "This Strange Effect", an exceptionally obscure song from the catalog of the Kinks, and Neil Young's "Harvest Moon".

Diego Garcia (left) and Zeke Zima

Diego is tall, lean, definitely good looking, and he knows it. Late in the show, he jumped off the stage and gave big hugs to four or five highly cooperative ladies. Was it a bit cheesy? I didn't think so, my impression was that the hugs were his way of thanking his primarily female audience for their support. Before climbing back on the stage, Diego shook hands with one male member of the crowd, namely me, probably in appreciation of my solidly enthusiastic response to his music. I did not say anything, but gave him an approving head nod, which Diego reciprocated. Nice.

Diego is one heck of an entertainer. He's got it all: the songwriting talent, the voice, the looks, the humor, the charm, the power of hooking you and keeping you hooked to his world, the ability of appealing to all genders and ages. Success will follow him, I'm sure.

Thanking the crowd, from left to right: Daniel Bensi, Diego Garcia, Zeke Zima

I've always been a sucker for precisely the kind of music Diego does so well, so I will continue to follow his career. His popularity will undoubtedly grow and I don't believe I will ever get the chance to see him again at the intimate McCabe's.

Concert #626 - The Swell Season at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 12, 2012)

2012-02-17T16:15:00.001-08:00

In an earlier blog entry, published after I first saw the Swell Season at McCabe's two years ago, I wrote "Would I ever have the good fortune of seeing them again at McCabe's? Unlikely". I was wrong. Last Sunday, I once again held in my hand a ticket that had the words "The Swell Season" written on it. My Lucky Stars, if you are reading this: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A rare and precious commodity

The concert started with a hilarious reversal of roles: Glen went straight to the piano, while Marketa, carrying Glen's beat-up guitar, planted herself at center stage, before launching into "I Have Loved You Wrong". The second song of the set, "Low Rising", had the two protagonists returned to their usual routines. The timbre of Glen's voice, as well as his vocal inflections sounded just like on the studio version, it was uncanny, but then, toward the end of the song, Glen asked the crowd to sing along and that took away a bit from the spell I was under. By the way, he sang the "Sexual Healing" version, if you know what I mean.

I absolutely loved Glen's passionate voice on "When Your Mind's Made Up" and "Say It To Me Now", two amazing songs that I can't imagine being sung by anyone but Glen. Marketa interjected herself with a few delicate ballads delivered with her soft voice, but with a lot more confidence than two years ago.

SET LIST

I Have Loved You Wrong

Low Rising

Lies

In These Arms

When Your Mind's Made Up

Say It To Me Now

The Hill

Spencer the Rover

Lullaby

Daf Drum Solo (performed by Aida Shahghasemi)

If You Want Me

The Given Note (Seamus Heaney poem)

Bird of Sorrow

It's Coming

All The Way Down

Drive All Night (Bruce Springsteen tune)

Into The Mystic

Dance With Somebody

Kissing (performed by Shane Walsh)

Falling Slowly

Leave

Fogtown (Michelle Shocked classic)

Banana Man

Star Star

Parting Glass

At one point, midway through the show, Glen invited Shane Walsh, an aspiring Irish singer-songwriter, to come up on the stage and sing "Kissing", one of Shane's songs. It wasn't bad. Glen and Marketa received additional support from Aida Shahghasemi, an Iranian-born musician who played an old Persian percussion instrument called daf. She made a good impression on me and the crowd loved her as well.

Aida Shahghasemi

As always, the Swell Season played a few covers. Their epic rendition of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic" and the equally epic "Fogtown", the old Michelle Shocked tune, were the best. Bruce Springsteen's "Drive All Night" was good, too.

The show was a reunion of sorts for Glen and Marketa, who had not played together in many months. Having had no time to rehearse or even come up with a set list, they pretty much winged the whole show and they winged it great. I enjoyed observing the ad-hoc song selection process, as Glen was throwing titles around, in expectation of Marketa's acceptance.

The final song of the evening, an old Irish tune called "The Parting Glass", was yet another highlight of a concert that in essence consisted of nothing but highlights.

From left: Aida, Marketa and Glen

Glen & Marketa - The final hug

Glen thanking the crowd

Glen picking up his stuff after the show

There are no words to describe the emotions triggered by Glen and Marketa's music. The juxtaposition of their diametrically opposed voices, facial expressions and temperaments produce amazing results. They write songs of the highest quality. Their humility is visible from a mile, a clear sign that their well-deserved success did not go to their heads. I hope and pray that I'll get to see them again one day.

5:15 PM - Fans line up for the 8 PM show

Glen Hansard reporting to work

Marketa Irglova chatting with the first person in line

Ralph, My Better Half and Laura in line at McCabe's


Glen's guitar and Aida's daf

P.S. The link below will take you to someone else's blog. Go ahead and click - you will land on a page that covers this very same concert, but from a radically different angle. I read the page and my heart broke.

http://ancroiait.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/25-swell-season-at-mccabes-2012/

Concert #625 - The Shills, with guest Susanna Hoffs, at the Cinema Bar (February 11, 2012)

2012-02-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

Only in LA. Where else would you have an internationally known musician join an amateur band, sing with them for almost a full hour in front of no more than fifty people and have fun in the process, too? As I said, the answer is: Only in LA. In this case, the amateur band was the Shills, while the internationally known musician was none other than the lovely Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.

Calling the Shills "an amateur band" requires a clarification before I go any further. Amateur could mean "lacking the skill of a professional". That description does not apply to the Shills. Amateur could also mean "being engaged in an art form as a pastime, rather than as a profession" and that is precisely the case with the Shills.

I went to the Cinema Bar immediately after the Jackshit concert at McCabe's, where Susanna Hoffs made an unannounced appearance that got us all excited. Normally I go straight home after a concert, but with my Better Half out of town, I decided to show my support for Lincoln Myerson's band, the Shills. Lincoln, as you may know, is the Concert Director at McCabe's Guitar Shop, the best concert venue in the Universe.

The Shills are:

Shaun Mason - Guitar & vocal

Bradley Kesden - Guitar & vocal

Lincoln Myerson - Bass & vocal

Rob Sherman - Piano

Julia St Pierre - Backing vocal

Steve Mugalian - Drums (not the regular drummer of the Shills)

The Shills are a cover band that draws from at least three decades of music, starting with the sixties. Individually and collectively, they sound quite good. The fact that they have more than just one vocalist is one of their strengths and so is their repertoire, which mixes well-known songs with obscure ones. Overall, I found the band to be listenable and entertaining.

A few songs into the second set of the Shills, in walked Susanna Hoffs and a gentleman, possibly her manager. Our jaws dropped. A few minutes later she joined the band and stayed up there on the stage for the next fifty minutes or so. She sang the lead vocals on Lulu's "To Sir With Love" and Linda Ronstadt's "Different Drum", both were great. With nothing prearranged, everything had to be improvised right there on the spot - Lincoln and Bradley would suggest songs, then Susanna would say whether she preferred singing, playing the guitar or just shaking her tambourine. There was lots of laughter on the stage and the crowd had fun, too.

Susanna Hoffs & the Shills performing "To Sir With Love"

Susanna Hoffs & Rob Sherman

Susanna Hoffs, Bradley Kesden (center) & Lincoln Myerson

Susanna Hoffs

Rob Sherman, Susanna Hoffs and Steve Mugalian

Susanna Hoffs, Bradley Kesden (center) & Lincoln Myerson

The set list

My friends Steve & Cyndyann observing the proceedings

After Susanna Hoffs left the venue, the band went on for a few more songs, then they called it a day. It was way past midnight, but no one cared - we had just witnessed something truly rare, something that could not have happened without the love of music of all involved.

Concert #624 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 11, 2012)

2012-02-13T22:16:00.001-08:00

People often question my sanity when they hear how many times I've seen Jackshit live in concert. I don't blame them, as sometimes I do the questioning myself. Saturday night I saw Jackshit for the twenty-fifth time, a number that kinda calls for a celebration, yet I will remember the evening for a different milestone.

Saturday night I brought along my Jackshit Guest No. 100. That's right, over the years I have brought with me one hundred otherwise sane folks to see a band no one has ever heard of. So how did I manage the feat? Hard work, that's how. I spent countless hours spreading the word, burning sampler CDs, emailing friends, reminding friends, in a nut-shell, pestering friends, but I did it in good faith, in an attempt to give them the same musical pleasures I have been getting from this unbelievable trio.

Many of my guests have become regular attendees - Steve, the Other Steve, John, Sean, Tony and others - and I could not be happier for having introduced them to the wonderful world of Jackshit.

The honor of being my "Jackshit Guest No. 100" went to Eric E, a friend and co-worker who had resisted my relentless "sales pitches" for about five years. Scroll down to see a photo of Eric at McCabe's, waiting for the band to come out.

About the show: it was one of the best Jackshit concerts I've ever seen, and there haven't been any bad ones. Val McCallum was on fire - I thought his guitar playing was better than ever, exceptionally inventive and powerful. Dave Faragher's one-liners were some of his finest and he played his bass like no one else. The usually more reserved Pete Thomas was in a giggly mood and I enjoyed watching him having a good time. His drumming on "I'm Coming Home" made me scream, but then what else is new?

Beau & Shorty at McCabe's (February 11, 2012)

There were a few new songs, among them "Good Morning", the Sgt. Pepper gem, and "Those Were The Days", the old Cream song, delivered by the band during their two-song encore with some twisted lyrics of their own. Both sounded great. "Pretty Polly" came back after a long absence - the extended instrumental ending of the song was one of the highlights of the show. Pete sang "Older Guys".

The set list (not followed to the letter)

The Boys From Cochtotin did not play "2x4" nor "Long Black Veil", a slight detour from their own printed set list.

Once again, the band had a surprise guest. Inexplicably introduced as "Christina", the guest turned out to be the lovely Susanna Hoffs, the main voice of the Bangles, who - by the way - are still active. Susanna sang Lulu's "To Sir With Love" and Prince's "Manic Monday". Surprisingly, the former sounded better than the latter. Susanna's presence on the stage gave all of us a massive thrill.

Unannounced guest Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles

Val McCallum & Susanna Hoffs

Once again, the Shit Horns came out of the blue to help out on "Ring Of Fire" and "The Lonely Bull". They are always fun to watch. I laughed out loud when Val introduced the male half of the trumpet-wielding duo as "Horny Shit".

Shorty & the female half of the Shit Horns

Beau & the male half of the Shit Horns

Eric, my Jackshit-Guest-No. 100 (left) & repeat-customer Sean

Jackshit will be back at McCabe's on April 1st and, at the risk of sounding redundant, let me tell you that I'll be there.

Concerts #317, 407, 462 - Eric Bibb at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 1, 2003 - March 16, 2008)

2012-02-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

I went to my first-ever Eric Bibb concert without knowing much about the artist - it was 2003, two years before the founding of YouTube, so there weren't as many music sampling opportunities as we have today.

Eric came out, said hello and started playing - two songs later I knew that I was in for a true treat.

Eric is great at everything a singer-songwriter is expected to be great in - composing good tunes, writing meaningful lyrics, playing the guitar with skill and virtuosity and singing with soul and passion. He's good at picking cover songs, too. Now throw in his good looks and wonderful personality and what you get is a top-notch artist, someone truly unique, who makes you wonder why he isn't better known in the States.

Here's a YouTube video that demonstrates what I mean:

Needless to say, after my hugely enjoyable introduction to Eric Bibb's music, I had to see him every time he came back to McCabe's. For his June 23, 2006 concert, I took along two Latino friends and co-workers, both new in the country, both quite worldly, but decidedly deficient when it came to American classic gospel, blues and folk music. The concert was a big hit with both of them and I felt great for having introduced them to something so distinctly American. Just like in 2003, Eric was warm, friendly, humorous and sang his heart out. With songs such as "Shingle By Shingle", "I Heard The Angels Singing", "In My Father's House", "Champagne Habits", "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down", "Needed Time" and many others, Eric delivered a knock-out punch that's hard to forget.

Eric Bibb fans Fabian (left) and Octavio (2006)

Eric's appearance in 2008 came with an added attraction, namely bassist-extraordinaire Danny Thompson, well known to me from his association with Richard Thompson. Danny was there for the entire concert, and so was drummer Larry Crocker.

Once again I have to credit McCabe's for having exposed me to Eric Bibb, a musician of the highest caliber and someone I would have probably not discovered on my own.

Eric Bibb at McCabe's (photo by Jay Matsueda)

For more of Jay Matsueda's concert photos you may want to visit:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Matsueda-Music-Photography-LA/148601893507

Concert #623 - Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at the Shrine Auditorium (Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel) (February 4, 2012)

2012-02-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

Gustav Mahler

It was wall-to-wall Gustav last Saturday night at the Shrine Auditorium, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting a grandiose production of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, also known as the "Symphony Of A Thousand". It was also wall-to-wall musicians, around one thousand of them, the most I've ever seen on one stage, at one time.

Gustavo Dudamel

The Shrine Auditorium has a humongous stage to begin with, but to make it suitable for one thousand musicians, it had to be super-sized at the expense of the first twelve seat rows. That was good news to me and my Better Half, as our Row 27 tickets allowed us to be only fifteen rows away from the stage. Not bad. Watching the musicians file in and take their seats, all one thousand of them, was an event in itself.

The lights went off twenty-five minutes after the advertised show time, as the famed Gustavo Dudamel, accompanied by seven vocalists, took the stage to a rousing reception. An eighth vocalist joined the fun later.

The Singers

Manuela Uhl (soprano)

Julianna Di Giacomo (soprano)

Kiera Duffy (soprano)

Anna Larsson (alto)

Charlotte Hellekant (alto)

Burkhard Fritz (tenor)

Brian Mulligan (baritone)

Alexander Vinogradov (bass)

Gustavo Dudamel got quite a workout conducting not one, but two full symphony orchestras merged into one - the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra were seated together so one could not distinguish one from the other.

In 2009, the imposing Mormon Tabernacle Choir knocked my socks off when I saw them perform live in Salt Lake City, yet - at least in terms of numbers - they would have paled in comparison to what was assembled for Mahler's 8th Symphony. Just imagine a conglomerate made up of sixteen different choirs, some of them nationally known, amounting to about eight hundred voices - it was a thrill just looking at them, let alone listening to their collective singing.

Pictures don't do justice to the size of the orchestra and choir

LIST OF PARTICIPATING CHOIRS

Los Angeles Master Chorale

Los Angeles Children's Chorus

Angeles Chorale

Pacific Chorale

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles

Angel City Chorale

Choir of All Saints Church, Pasadena

Chorus of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles

Los Angeles Chamber Choir

Los Robles Master Chorale

Pasadena Pro Musica

Pasadena Master Chorale

Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles

Renaissance Arts Academy

Vox Femina Los Angeles

National Children’s Chorus

I can't say that the music hit me particularly hard, but it was certainly enjoyable. I liked the crescendos that wrapped up the two parts of the symphony and I enjoyed watching Gustavo Dudamel's body language.

Standing ovation!

The gorgeous Shrine Auditorium

Wall decorations at the Shrine

Concerts #422, 464 - Susan Werner at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 27, 2006 - April 4, 2008)

2012-02-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sometime in 2006, I overheard Zach Love, former Concert Director and current Webmaster at McCabe's, talk in complimentary terms about Susan Werner, an American singer-songwriter I knew very little at the time. Zach's words did stir up my curiosity and, as a result, the next time Susan played McCabe's, I was right there in the front row, ready to be entertained. And entertained I was, even though I did not know any of the songs she sang that night.

Susan impressed me on many different levels. Her sense of humor and mine were in excellent alignment, I liked her friendly nature and intellectual talk, but most of all, I liked her music. She sang a number of songs from "The Gospel Truth", an album that was just about ready to be released. With their catchy hooks and often humorous lyrics, these songs were the perfect introduction to an artist who most definitely deserves a wider audience. My favorites were "Our Father (The New Revised Version)", "Probably Not" and "I Will Have My Portion". I went home with a strong feeling of wanting to see her again.

And in 2008 I got to see her again, but this time - unlike in 2006 - I went to McCabe's with much higher expectations. The show started with a short opening set by Natalia Zukerman, the singing daughter of violinist Pinchas Zukerman. Natalia was joined on stage by Susan's musical collaborator Trina Hamlin, who played percussion and harmonica. They were OK.

Natalia Zukerman

Susan's set was good, but maybe half-a-notch below her 2006 appearance. Her newer songs did not hit me as hard as the ones from "The Gospel Truth" in 2006, but my higher expectations may have had something to do with Susan's lack of punch this second time around. The best moments came when Susan, Natalia and Trina were together on the stage.

I have not seen Susan since then, but I will reconnect with her one day, that I know.

Concert #622 - Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 29, 2012)

2012-01-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

I do occasionally listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard's music, but I can't say that he's on my power rotation - I like his albums, but one good listen is enough for a while. His live shows, on the other hand, are a different story altogether and it's much more than just the promise of getting to see some unannounced high-caliber guests, as was the case a few years back with Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes.

This was my third time to see Ray in concert and let me start by saying that there were no famous guests this time around. Yet the concert was so good that it made me seriously contemplate staying for the late show as well, which I ended up not doing.

Ray came out with drummer and percussionist Rick Richards, bassist George Reiff and a young guitarist who turned out to be Ray's son, Lucas. The latter surprised me very much. The sounds of his electric guitar dominated the evening, a welcome departure from the exclusively acoustic character of Ray's earlier shows at McCabe's. Although only eighteen, young Lucas can play. I liked his bluesy sound, but he can rock and can play classic country as well.

Lucas Hubbard

Ray's sense of humor and the way he delivers his stories are an integral part of the "Ray Wylie Hubbard Package" - my friend Steve put it best: "I could sit here and listen to his stories for hours". But the main attraction was Ray's music, a good mix of old and new material, all sung with his unmistakable voice that's still going strong.

(VERY) PARTIAL SET LIST

Mother Blues

Namedropping

Without Love

The Messenger

Snake Farm

You Got To Move (encore)

Drunken Poet's Dream (co-written with Hayes Carll)

Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother

Canadian up-and-comer Brandy Zdan sat in to sing backup vocals for just one song, so I could not form an opinion. She looked great, though.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous evening with a true treasure of the American music scene. I will definitely catch him again.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, with son Lucas (January 29, 2012)

Rick Richards and George Reiff

Chatting with fans after the early show

Ray Wylie Hubbard after the early show

The stage before the show

Concert #621 - Kathleen Battle at UCLA Royce Hall (January 21, 2012)

2012-01-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

Last October, while surfing the net in search of a Christmas present for my Better Half, I got really excited when I discovered "An Evening of Spirituals with Kathleen Battle", a concert that I knew she would enjoy very much. I managed to secure two decent seats in row EE, the fifth row from the stage ... or so I thought. When we walked in, we could not believe our good luck: the stage had been built out into the seating area, at the expense of the first four rows, so in actuality, row EE was the front row!

The stage, just before the musicians came out

My own expectations from the event were high - I've always liked gospel music and negro spirituals, but have seldom experienced these genres in a live setting. The concert started with pianist Cyrus Chestnut's solo delivery of "Tribulations", a hard-to-categorize piece of music that sounded dissonant at times, with the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers humming in the background. Then Kathleen came onstage and, without acknowledging the cheering crowd, launched into "Lord, How Come Me Here".

Surprisingly, there were no microphones anywhere on the stage. From our front row seats, we had no problems hearing the voices and the piano, but Royce Hall is not a small house and I'm not sure whether the folks in the back got their money's worth in terms of the sound.

The songs just kept coming, but something wasn't right up there on the stage - everyone seemed to be uptight and I could sense tension in the air. There wasn't a lot of interaction between Kathleen and the choir and that meant a few lost opportunities - her a cappella rendition of "Wade In The Water" wasn't bad, but it could have been far more powerful had the choir joined in. Then there were a few awkward instances when Kathleen walked off stage for a minute or so, with Cyrus and the choir just sitting there in silence, seemingly not knowing what to do.

Things improved significantly after the break. Everyone appeared to be more relaxed, there were more smiles on the stage, the tempo of the songs picked up a bit and - at long last - I started to feel the music. There was more interaction between Kathleen and the choir and those were the best moments of the concert. Kathleen sang with power and precision and the crowd responded accordingly. I liked her voice and singing technique, everything she did was fine, but I missed the feeling of rawness I often hear in gospel music. Well, that's to be expected from a classically trained operatic voice.

THE SET LIST

Lord, How Come Me Here

Go Down Moses

Wade In The Water

Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray

Give Me Jesus

Roll, Jordan, Roll

I’ve Been ‘Buked An’ I’ve Been Scorned

Over My Head

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Ride Up In The Chariot

Wasn’t That A Mighty Day

Steal Away

Plenty Good Room

I Don’t Feel No Way Tired

Hold On

Were You There?

Fix Me Jesus

Balm In Gilead

Dontcha Let Nobody Turn You ‘Round

Let Us Break Bread Together

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hand

Every Time I Feel The Spirit

I would have loved to hear more from the Jubilee Singers - their sound was a lot closer to the traditional gospel music that I like so much. I also enjoyed watching their faces and body language, as they were responding not only to Kathleen's singing but also to Cyrus Chestnut's unique style of playing the piano.

The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers (January 21, 2012)

The songs I liked the best were "Fix Me Jesus" and "He's Got The Whole World In His Hand", a song that got everyone on their feet. Kathleen's one-song encore, "Evey Time I Feel The Spirit" was great, too. The concert ended with two prolonged standing ovations and few clapped louder than me. It's true, it wasn't a perfect concert, a few things could have been better, but the entire evening was truly special and just like everybody else there. I knew that I was in the presence of greatness.

Cyrus Chestnut, Kathleen Battle, Albert McNeil and the Jubilee Singers

The final bow

Kathleen Battle leaving the stage

Concert flyer

Lyrics from the concert flyer

Concert poster

Concert #465 - Ash Grove 50th Anniversary Concert at UCLA's Royce Hall (April 18, 2008)

2012-01-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

Living in LA is a mixed bag of good and bad, but if you are a concert goer, it's pure heaven. On any given night, there are many top-tier concerts to choose from and sometimes it's a headache just to decide where to go. But I had no such problems on April 18, 2008, when UCLA's Royce Hall hosted the first of two nights dedicated to the legendary Ash Grove, one of LA's most revered and now sadly-defunct concert venues. The event brought together a number of big names from different musical generations, many of them with some Ash Grove connections. Not unexpectedly, the evening turned out to be something truly unforgettable, for more reasons than just its nearly five-hour duration (the concert ended just before 1 AM).

Masters of Ceremony

Dr. Demento (Barry Hansen)

Anna DeLeon

List of performers

Dave Alvin

Arlo Guthrie (surprise guest)

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

Ben Harper (surprise guest)

Laura Love

Bob Neuwirth

Mike Seeger

Roland White

Ry Cooder

Culture Clash

Holly Near

Emma's Revolution

Ashley Maher

Greg Leisz

Taj Mahal

Barry Fisher’s Ellis Island Band

The flyer I picked up at the door did not mention Arlo Guthrie, so imagine everyone's surprise when he took the stage as the evening's first performer. We all screamed with excitement, then we watched him deliver his father's "This Land Is Your Land", a song that's far more common to hear as an encore rather than a show opener. Later in the show, San Francisco's Latino theatrical outfit Culture Clash performed the same song, but with a humorous and hugely provocative twist - their rendition had Woody's well-known words changed to "This land was our land, now this land is your land".

Arlo Guthrie

Accompanied by guitarist Greg Leisz and drummer Don Heffington, Dave Alvin sang and played "Shenandoah" and his own "Ash Grove", a perfect song for the occasion and - in my opinion - one of his best songs.

Dave Alvin

Wearing a cowboy hat and looking perfectly fit, Ramblin' Jack Elliott came out to a huge ovation. It was my first encounter with the legendary artist and he was great. Dave Alvin and his band stayed on to accompany him - together they sang and played two Woody Guthrie songs ("Do Re Mi" and "1913 Massacre") as well as Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues".

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

Ry Cooder teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Mike Seeger and bluegrass master Roland White to play three old-time songs - "How Can You Keep On Moving", "Stolen Souls Of Africa" and "She's More To Be Pitied".

Ry Cooder

Little known Laura Love was the revelation of the evening. Accompanied by veteran guitarist and singer Orville Johnson, she delivered a fifteen minute set that brought us to our feet. Her soulful renditions of "We Shall Not Be Moved" and "Load Up" were two of the best songs of the entire evening.

Laura Love and Orville Johnson

Holly Near sang solo and also with the vocal accompaniment of Emma's Revolution, a young East-Coast duo. They left less of an impression on me. Likewise, Ashley Maher's dancing and singing was half-a-notch below the other performances.

Holly Near (center) and Emma's Revolution

Late in the evening, Taj Mahal came out to introduce Ben Harper, the evening's second surprise guest. Ben's all-acoustic set was exceptionally good. I had heard some of his earlier recordings and I wasn't expecting him to sound just like the classic blues, folk and gospel singers of yesteryear. But he did. Ellen Chase, Ben's mother, was there on the stage as well. I had known Ellen from Claremont's Folk Music Center, but had no idea how good a singer she was. Together, Ben and Ellen played five songs, including Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" and Ben's own "Spanish Red Wine". Taj Mahal joined in on guitar for the playing of the latter.

Ben Harper and Ellen Chase

The concert ended well past midnight. With many spectators having gone home, I moved up to the front row, from where I watched Barry Fisher’s Ellis Island Band and their guest vocalists, the final group of musicians to take the stage. Michael Alpert, John Bilezikjian, Ethel Raim, Stuart Brotman, Catherine Foster, Sal Mamudoski and a few others played a mix of Klezmer and Gipsy music that contrasted sharply with everything else played that night. It was my first time to hear Klezmer music live and I liked it quite a bit. John Bilezikjian, America's foremost oud player, impressed me enough to make me memorize his name.

John Bilezikjian

Exhausted, but happy, I got home after 1 AM. I did not attend the second concert, which took place on April 19, 2008.

Concert #466 - Patty Larkin at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 25, 2008)

2012-01-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Almost four years after the concert, I can still clearly recall the overall impression I walked away with from McCabe's, but there's not much I remember about any of Patty's songs. I went to the show without knowing much about her music, hoping to discover a new source of musical pleasures from an artist not known by the masses. Well, Patty wasn't bad, but she did not deliver the knock-out punch I was ready to absorb. The problem was probably me - I was expecting to be hit hard - and that punch never came.

Patty's set was quite similar to that of your typical singer-songwriter - she sang mostly her own songs, played the guitar and told stories. Yes, she definitely belongs on the national scene, but there wasn't anything out-of-the-ordinary to these ears, nor do I recall any numbers of high vocal or instrumental virtuosity.

The surprise of the evening turned out to be Peter Mulvey, whose opening set was unexpectedly good. Funny thing - that was the same Peter Mulvey who failed to impress me the first time I saw him, in 2005, when he appeared alongside Kris Delmhorst and Jeffrey Foucault in Redbird.

Peter Mulvey

I will probably catch Peter again in the future. I'm less sure about Patty.

Concert #619 - Albert Lee at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 13, 2012)

2012-01-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

After a long wait of twenty years or so, I finally had my chance to see someone I truly admired, the great Albert Lee, the devilishly great guitarist I first became aware of two decades ago on Mark O'Connor's "The American Music Shop". So there I was, sitting in the front row, dead center, I could have almost touched my hero, but instead of loving every minute of the show, I was unhappy.

A music-stand and a huge Korg synthesizer stood between my eyes and Albert's guitar and hands. For the entire duration of the show, Albert played either fully or partially hidden behind those things. That was disappointing. After all, I waited in line for close to two hours so that I could sit up-close and watch Albert's finger work. Here's a photo that shows what I mean:

Can you spot Albert Lee's guitar?

OK, so a humongous synthesizer blocked the view of some of the spectators. That would have been tolerable had someone actually played the darn thing. But no - the Korg just sat there unused until late in the show, when Albert accompanied himself on keyboards for the playing of two ballads.

But enough venting. There were plenty of positives to talk about, which I recognized even while being unhappy. Albert is a guitarist like few others. His blistering solos were something to behold. And he can sing, too. While on CD he sounds like an OK singer, I was surprised about how good a singer he actually is. Clearly, he is getting better with age, and that is quite a compliment, considering that Albert has been on the road for fifty-two years, as he told us last night.

Albert may hail from Great Britain, but his set consisted almost exclusively of older American songs, originally recorded by the likes of Fats Domino, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, the Everly Brothers, Little Feat, Rodney Crowell and others. In that sense, Albert reminds me a bit of Dave Edmunds, another British guitar wizard with somewhat similar musical interests. To me, the best songs were John Stewart's "Runaway Train", Ray Charles' "Leave My Woman Alone" and "Spellbound".

The set list

The final song of Albert's set was "Country Boy", a number that I've heard many times over the years without knowing who penned the song. Now I know - Albert himself is one of the co-writers! Here's a high definition YouTube clip showing Albert's outstanding treatment of "Country Boy":

Alexandra Lee, Albert's singing daughter, took the stage to perform Emmylou Harris' "Luxury Liner" and Gram Parsons' "She". No doubt, Alexandra can sing, but she appeared exceedingly nervous up there on the stage.

Albert Lee and daughter Alex Lee at McCabe's

Albert Lee came out with Will McGregor (bass), JT Thomas (keys) and Jason Smith (drums) - they played well together in spite of having had only one rehearsal under their belt. Albert told us that the band had showed up late, so they had no time for a proper pre-show sound check. The first song of the evening, Fats Domino's "I'm Ready", served as the de-facto sound check: it did not sound good when it started, but by the time it ended, everything was in good balance.


Albert Lee singing

Albert Lee signing merchandise after the show

The stage before the show

Musically speaking, the show was exceptionally good, yet I went home with a sense of disappointment. I did get to see Albert Lee in concert, that was great, but the overall experience could have been better. Five of my regular concert-going friends were in the room - although seated in different areas, they all had some trouble seeing Albert's guitar and fingers. We all hope and pray for Albert Lee's return to McCabe's, sometime soon, with nothing placed between him and his fans.

Concert #620 - Dave Alvin at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 14, 2012)

2012-01-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Even after having seen Dave Alvin many, many times, I still can't resist the temptation of buying myself a ticket to see him yet again, especially when McCabe's is the venue. This happens in spite of my knowing precisely what to expect from Dave.

Last night at McCabe's I got exactly what I expected. Dave played for an hour and fifteen minutes, which is pretty much the norm when there is a 10 PM late show as well. OK, so the set wasn't a super-long one, but the song selection was top-notch.

Carrying an acoustic guitar in one hand and a bottle of Bud Light in the other, Dave came out dressed in a black suit, white shirt, cowboy hat and his trademark scarf around his neck. He kicked off the proceedings with a great acoustic version of "Ashgrove", one of my favorites.

After his third solo song, Dave brought out Chris Miller, his long time musical partner and member of the Guilty Men. Chris and his Telecaster were great additions to the show - I enjoyed very much the interplay between the two guitars. Chris' solos were all low key, thus perfectly complementing Dave's sound.

Chris Miller

There wasn't much chatter between songs, but there was some and it was all funny and informative. Dave spoke and sang lovingly about three of his departed musician friends - Amy Farris, Chris Gaffney and Bill Morissey. I have seen Dave perform together with Amy and Chris more than once, so I'm aware of their closeness. "Black Rose Of Texas" and "Run Conejo Run", the songs written by Dave for Amy and Chris, respectively, were some of the best of the concert. The first of last night's two-song encore was Bill Morissey's "Inside", the show's only song not written or co-written by Dave.

Dave Alvin (left) and Chris Miller at McCabe's

The highlight of the show was "Mary Brown", brilliantly delivered by Dave. I also liked "Dry River", the old Blasters gem, and "Harlan County Line", from "Eleven Eleven", Dave's current album.

Dave Alvin remains one of my favorite singer-songwriters. I've been seeing him regularly since 1990 and I can state with 100% certainty that today he sounds better than ever and likewise, his songwriting is stronger than ever. Just my opinion.

The set list (not fully followed)


The stage, before the show

The merch table

Concert poster in the window at McCabe's

Concerts #298, 427, 467 - Syd Straw at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 1, 2003 - December 9, 2006 - May 11, 2008)

2012-01-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

By definition, any concert announced as "XYZ & Friends" or "XYZ & the People" sounds tantalizingly promising, and when XYZ happens to be Syd Straw, then the whole proposition becomes a no-brainer to me. Since 2003, I have had the good fortune of seeing Syd live at McCabe's not fewer than three times and I'm one-hundred-percent ready to see her again, anytime, whether solo or with "friends".

Syd's "friends" typically come from LA's immense pool of top-tier musicians, so you don't have to worry about ever catching a sub-par performance. Here's who she has brought along for the ride:

2003

Mike Watt

Dave Alvin

Rob Wasserman

Cindy Wasserman

D.J. Bonebrake

Willie Aron

2006

D.J. Bonebrake

Willie Aron

2008

D.J. Bonebrake

Willie Aron
Francis X (guitarist for the Gang of Four, B-52's)

Toby Huss

Severo Jornacion (guitarist for the Smithereens)

There aren't too many female singers quite like Syd and what a shame it is that most people haven't even heard of her. Well, it's their loss - she is a consummate entertainer who can sing, chat, flirt and leaves no doubt as to who's in charge. Syd's forté is her powerful voice and heartfelt delivery, yet at the same time she is a comedienne like few others. It was always fun watching her fellow musicians bend over in laughter as Syd was delivering her fully ad-libbed on-stage banter.

"Love, And The Lack Of It", "Love Is A Friend Of Mine" and "CBGB's" are the only three songs I still remember from Syd's shows at McCabe's.

Concert #468 - Achinoam Nini (Noa) at the Irvine Barclay Theater (May 12, 2008)

2012-01-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

I sometimes attend concerts that do not involve American or British artists, obviously the result of my having lived in a few different countries over the years. My music collection, which consists of vinyl, CDs and unspeakable amounts of mp3s, includes recordings of musicians from all continents.

Noa, nee Achinoam Nini, is an Israeli singer who has sung for the Pope, toured the world and duetted with Italian megastars Andrea Bocelli and Zucchero, two of my all-time favorites. This gave her instant musical credibility in my eyes and ears, so I got myself a ticket

The concert took place at UC Irvine's Barclay Theater, a medium-size venue that I like very much. Noa came out with Gil Dor, her long-time musical partner and collaborator. Her then-current album titled "Genes And Jeans" was the source of many of the numbers she sang that night. I was - and still am - unfamiliar with her repertoire, so I don't remember any specific songs, but was quite impressed with her stage presence and vocals. Yet, for a split second, she was let down by her otherwise great voice: midway through a song and completely out of the blue, her voice broke down, the music stopped for a few seconds, but she bounced back and was able to continue as if nothing had happened. Noa completed the show without any further incidents and received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

Overall, the show was very good, with a healthy mix of ballads and uptempo numbers, some delivered in Hebrew, others in flawless English.

Would I want to see her again? Probably not, but I will keep checking her out on YouTube every now and then.

Concert #618 - Ernest Troost at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 6, 2012)

2012-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

While most of the world's population is going gaga over Lady-You-Know-Who, I prefer to focus my attention on deserving musicians whose names don't ring nearly as many bells. Or no bells at all, as was recently the case with singer-songwriter Ernest Troost.

I'm always eager to discover new music, so whenever McCabe's announces names that I'm not familiar with, I immediately turn to the Internet as part of my due diligence effort. At first, I wasn't particularly impressed with Ernest Troost's music, so my initial plan was to stay home. But an email from my friend Steve made me gave Ernest a second listen and that's when his "Travelin' Shoes" song hit me pretty hard. Without delay, I logged into McCabe's' web site and bought myself a ticket.

Usually I mention the opening act only after I'm done writing about the headliner, but show opener Shaun Cromwell was just too good to be relegated to the end of this write-up. His thirty-minute set was actually too short - I could have gone on and on listening to his songs and voice. Good guitar and banjo picker, too. I know how hard it is to stand out in the overcrowded field of singer-songwriters, but Shaun has a future, as I found him to be more exciting than many other nationally-known musicians of the same genre.

Shaun Cromwell

Then out came Ernest Troost, whose resume lists an Emmy award received in 1996 for the music he wrote for "The Canterville Ghost". Ernest played a fairly long set that left me shaking my head in disbelief: there wasn't a single weak song the whole evening - now how often does one get to say that?

One after the other, Ernest's songs kept me fully engaged and my brain never had a chance to wander away from the stage. The whole show was exceptionally well paced and I'm yet to mention Ernest's great supporting cast. Looking and sounding great, Nicole Gordon provided outstanding back-up vocals and sang two solos as well. Mark Goldberg played the upright bass and the often-seen Debra Dobkin took care of the drumming duties.

The funny thing is that sitting in the front row at McCabe's by no means guarantees the best viewing angles. From where I sat, Debra Dobkin was totally, entirely and completely hidden behind her drum set. Likewise, the most I could see of Mark Goldberg was the lower half of his right leg, everything else was covered by his humongous bass. But no complaints at all about the sound.

Ernest Troost and Nicole Gordon at McCabe's

Shaun Cromwell came out to join Ernest's band for the playing of "By And By", then he popped in once again for "Harlan County Boy", the concert's encore.

Ernest Troost (left) and Shaun Cromwell during the encore

Ernest played many of the songs appearing on his "Live At McCabe's" CD, recorded in January 2011. Sadly and ironically, the song that first caught my ear, "Travelin' Shoes", was left out of his set, but that was nothing but a minor blemish on an otherwise unforgettable evening of stellar songwriting and great musicianship.

Ernest Troost's setlist

Shaun Cromwell's setlist

It's tough to pick a highlight when all songs had quality written all over them, but I would list "O Love", "Resurrection Blues" and "By And By" as some of the best. And one thing is for sure: the next time Ernest Troost plays McCabe's, I will be there without anyone needing to nudge me.

Shaun Cromwell during his opening set

McCabe's webmaster Zachariah Love in action

Concerts #417, 471 - Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 20, 2006 & June 21, 2008)

2012-01-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

I don't think there's anyone on Planet Earth not to have heard "Wild Thing" and "Angel Of The Morning", but I bet very few know that these radically different pieces of music come from the pen of the very same songwriter. I didn't know it either at the time when McCabe's announced Chip and Carrie's joint concert in 2006, nor did I have a clue as to who Chip & Carrie were. With Google's help, I quickly became aware of Chip's impressive songwriting credentials and that was enough to make me buy my ticket for the show, while Carrie remained an unknown wild card.

My evening started with a close encounter with a true celebrity - the lights were still on when I bumped, in a physical sense, into Jon Voight, who was there to support his little brother Chip. Then the music started. The show was near-perfect - all at once, I discovered two exceptionally gifted musicians from two different generations who were nonetheless a great match. They played ballads, rockers, country pop, oldies, new songs, covers, original material, they told stories and had a famous on-stage guest in the person of the aforementioned Jon Voight.

Then there was John Platania, whom I had not known before. Introduced as Van Morrison's longtime guitarist, I paid extra attention to his playing and became an instant fan of the very distinctive sound of his electric guitar.

Chip Taylor & John Platania

Midway through the show, Jon Voight took the stage to sing one of Chip's earliest compositions, "Faded Blue", an outstanding song.

Jon Voight

The concert had many great moments, but the highlight of the evening was definitely the "Wild Thing" sing-along, and yes, I knew the words from start to finish!

They also played Johnny Cash's "Big River" and Chip's own "Angel Of The Morning", which came complete with a hilarious story about Chip's meeting with Shaggy, the reggae artist who recorded a wildly successful version of the song.

Carrie's talents as a singer, songwriter and fiddler were extensively showcased. Her best song was "Never Gonna Be Your Bride".

Here's a YouTube video of one of Chip & Carrie's best songs, "Sweet Tequila Blues":

Two years later, in June 2008, I went back to McCabe's to reconnect with Chip Taylor's wonderful music. This concert was announced as Chip Taylor solo, so no Carrie Rodriguez this time. Sadly, John Platania couldn't be there either - he was on the road with Van Morrison and his "Astral Week" tour - now that's an unassailable excuse, if there ever was one. Chip came out with a worthy replacement, guitarist Mark Goldenberg, and together they put on a show that I enjoyed very much. Jon Voight popped in again to sing the same song, "Faded Blue", he performed in 2006.

To this day I remain a huge Chip Taylor fan. He has won me over for life not only with his superb songs and great delivery, but also with his humble demeanor and the obvious respect and appreciation he shows to his fans. Chip is a true class-act.

Concert #470 - Freedy Johnston at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 7, 2008)

2012-01-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

After having seen Freedy Johnston's rather disappointing solo appearance at McCabe's in 2005, I knew that I would never want to see him again, certainly not as a headliner. Yet three years later, there I was again, intently watching Freedy's headlining act from my front row seat, accompanied by my music-loving friend Hans. An unexpected change of heart? Not really. I went to the show for reasons that had little to do with Freedy himself - believe it or not, it was his back-up band that made me show up.

I don't know where and how Freedy met Jackshit, my much idolized band, and I don't know what clicked between them, but something did click, hence their decision to play together. I had seen Jackshit ten times before, and that should be sufficient to demonstrate how much I adored them.

Freedy & Jackshit together proved to be very different from a Jackshit concert. Long story short, I went home disappointed, in spite of Jackshit's full-time presence. Yes, they were there, but having taken their supporting roles seriously, they remained a true back-up band, without any intentions to ever upstage Freedy, the headliner. And there wasn't a single Jackshit gem - they played nothing but Freedy's music, which - just like in 2005 - failed to connect with me.

Jackshit (Pete Thomas, Dave Faragher & Val McCallum)

Concert #617 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 10, 2011)

2011-12-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

It was holiday bliss last night at McCabe's and it was much more than just the colorful Christmas lights decorating the stage: Jackshit, the band, went out of their way to put on a show that was truly memorable and I don't believe anyone enjoyed it more than I did. This was my twenty-fourth time to see Jackshit live, and if you think that is excessive, then you haven't seen Jackshit live.

But first, let's quickly recap who Jackshit are:

Pete Thomas: Rock & Roll Hall-Of-Famer, Elvis Costello's life-long drummer
Dave Faragher: One of Elvis Costello's Imposters and coveted session bassist
Val McCallum: Lead guitarist for Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, etc.

The stage

The show started just like your typical Jackshit show, with "Hi, How Are You" and "Christine's Tune", followed by a mix of songs that is continually being renewed. Gone are old faves such as "Gone, Gone, Gone", "I Believe" and "Tears A Go Go", but in are Jimmie Vaughan's "Boom Boppa Boom" and "False Hearted Lover", which sounds better every time I hear it.

The concert poster promised "Extra Special Guests", and extra special they were. Introduced as "Jenny Shit", out came Jenny Lewis, formerly of Rilo Kiley and current half of the up-and-coming duo Jenny & Johnny. She opened her four-song set with "Jackson", with Val sharing vocal duties. For the remainder of her set, Jenny was joined by "Johnny Shit" and they sounded great together. I should have instantly recognized who he was, but it wasn't until after the concert that I found out that Johnny was Jonathan Rice, the other half of the aforementioned duo, as well as Jenny's boyfriend.

Val McCallum & Jenny Lewis

Dave Faragher and Jonathan Rice

After three more songs played by Val, Pete and Dave, it was time for yet another surprise guest and when Val invited "Brown Shit" to take the stage, pretty much everyone knew who would be coming down the stairs and indeed, just like last year, Jackson Browne joined the band for a short set, four songs in all. Seeing two Rock & Roll hall-of-famers on the stage at the same time (Jackson & Pete) was very special.

Val McCallum and Jackson Browne

The highlight of Jackson Browne's appearance was undoubtedly "Take It Easy", the mega-hit of the Eagles, a song co-written by Glenn Frey with Jackson himself. For this number, Jenny Lewis came out once again to sing backup vocals. I also liked "Redneck Friend", an uptempo song that has generated lots of speculations over the years as to who or what the "redneck friend" might be. Jackson's voice was strong and I enjoyed watching his interaction with Val. His overall presence on the stage made a very favorable impression on me.

Jackson Browne at McCabe's

The whole gang playing "Take It Easy"

Youngster Charlie "Ringo" Shit made a cameo appearance replacing Pete Thomas at the drums for the playing of "Why Don't We Do It In The Road".

The set list (not fully followed)

The always-fun Shit Horns showed up as well, which is another way of saying that we got to hear "Ring Of Fire" and Herb Alpert's "The Lonely Bull", two songs that should never be left out from any Jackshit concert.

Val McCallum and the Shit Horns

Val and Dave playing "The Lonely Bull"

"The Lonely Bull" turned out to be the final song of the set. The Boys From Cochtotin came back for a one-song encore, which somewhat predictably, was Johnny Horton's "I'm Coming Home", delivered as usual in epic fashion.

Noticeably absent from the set list was "Bull Rider", the perennial Jackshit favorite, a song written by Rodney Crowell for ex-Father-in-Law Johnny Cash. Also missing was "Pretty Polly", in spite of her presence on the set list.

Hanging out at McCabe's after the music's over is always fun, especially when the artists come down and mingle with their fans. Here are some photos taken after the concert:

Jackson Browne with McCabe's employee Mikki Itzigsohn

Pete Thomas and Yours Truly

Jenny Lewis with my friend Steve

Val McCallum (right) chatting with Jonathan Rice (left)

I went to the concert with a few friends, most of them with previous Jackshit experience. Here are some of them:

Sean and Amy

Steve, Tony and Tul

Yours Truly and John R.

Steve and Cindyann

Jackshit remains a huge favorite of mine. In a metropolis where I have hundreds of concerts to choose from on any given night, literally, I find myself coming back, time and time again, to see Val, Davey and Pete and I enjoy each and every one of their concerts as if they were my first. Then there's the pleasure I get whenever I bring new folks into the fold, which was the case last night with John R, Gary K and his wife Andrea. They now know Jackshit.

Miniature Christmas tree placed inside of Pete Thomas' drum

Val McCallum's guitars

Holiday button sold at McCabe's for one dollar each

Concert #616 - Shannon McNally & Greg Leisz at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 4, 2011)

2011-12-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

Most people don't know who Shannon McNally is, so here's a primer: singer, songwriter, guitarist, gorgeous, talented, engaging, funny, worth seeing live in concert.

This was Shannon's first appearance ever at McCabe's and she did it alongside string-wizard Greg Leisz, a veteran of the local music scene. According to my religiously-kept concert database, this was my 12th time to see Greg in action, but his first time to be billed as a headliner. Well, a co-headliner, actually.

Shannon also brought along drummer/percussionist Don Heffington and guitarist Will Sexton, brother of Charlie Sexton, and together they put on an entertaining show consisting of her own compositions, including some from "Western Ballad", her latest release, plus a handful of covers.

The songs I liked the best were "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City", a Bobby "Blue" Bland cover, and Shannon's own "The Hard Way". Kate Wolf's "Brother Warrior" was good, too.

Greg Leisz played the pedal steel guitar, dobro, electric and acoustic guitar and sang backup vocals as well. Everything he touched sounded great, but what excited me the most was his electric guitar.

Shannon McNally & Greg Leisz wrapping up their concert

Shannon McNally & Greg Leisz seconds before leaving the stage

The setlist

Talented singer-songwriter Jarrod Dickenson kicked off the evening with a forty-minute set that wasn't bad, but suffered from a problem that seems to afflict many of the younger acts I have seen in recent years: his compositions weren't edgy enough and he lacked the power and intensity one would normally associate with the younger generation of musicians.

Jarrod Dickenson

Concert poster

The stage

Concert #614 - Emanuel Ax at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (November 27, 2011)

2011-12-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

I practically never attend concerts of classical music, most certainly the result of the actions of my overly eager parents, who decades ago used to regularly drag my reluctant self to the concert hall while my buddies were having fun chasing soccer balls. Then I suffered more psychological trauma at the opera house, where, as a defenseless preteen child, I had to endure endless operatic spectacles that were akin to child abuse.

Fast forward a few decades ... three weeks ago I was offered a free ticket to hear Emanuel Ax at the gorgeous Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. So I went. Actually I was quite curious to see how I would respond to a performance of classical music after so many years of having stayed away.

Here's the main page from the concert programme:

I enjoyed Beethoven's "Leonore Overture", which I knew decently well, but the whole thing was over in thirteen minutes. Then Emanuel Ax came out to play Beethoven's Piano Concerto #2, accompanied by a stripped-down orchestra. I was hoping that I would recognize at least a few parts of it, but somewhat surprisingly, that wasn't the case. Sure, Emanuel Ax can play, but at no time did the music grab me. Likewise, the encore delivered by Emanuel Ax solo did not sound particularly great to these ears and, by the way, there was no announcement as to the piece selected by the artist for his encore.

The intermission was fun, as I had time to explore the venue, from top to bottom.

The Disney Concert Hall during intermission

The second part of the program featured a horrific piece of music titled "Sirens", composed by Anders Hillborg and involving the full-blown symphony orchestra, Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Maybe I just need more training in order to get along with this genre called "contemporary classical music", but one thing is for sure: there were enough dissonant sounds in this piece of work to last for a lifetime. The question is "Was it only me"? I don't think so. The three ladies whom I accompanied to the concert had unfavorable comments that were strikingly similar to mine.

The end of the concert

The three fine ladies whom I accompanied to the concert

Hila Plitmann

Anne Sofie von Otter

Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen

Pre-concert event at the Disney Concert Hall

So was it worth the effort of going to an event I normally don't feel at all compelled to attend? The answer is yes, although the whole experience wasn't nearly as powerful as I had hoped it would be. I would certainly return to the Disney Concert Hall, preferably with another free ticket in my pocket, but in my case, spending over a hundred dollars for a single ticket just doesn't make much sense.

Concert #615 - Peter Case at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 3, 2011)

2011-12-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

Great show last Saturday at McCabe's. Almost three years after his unexpected open heart surgery in January 2009, Peter Case appeared to be in great shape in all respects - showing no signs of slowing down, he played two sets of decent length, gave an encore and spent time with his fans not only before and after the show, but also during the intermission.

Peter's stage decoration was the most elaborate I've ever seen at McCabe's, and I've seen close to three hundred concerts there. In addition to the routine stuff - guitars, piano, amps, wiring and the like - there were flowers, candles, a coat hanger, hats, a miniature Christmas tree, books, more flowers, a hand painting and a vintage American flag with forty-eight stars.

Stage - Front view

Stage - Side view

The show was recorded for a long-overdue "Peter Case Live At McCabe's" album, yet I did not get the impression that there was a predetermined set list. Peter talked a lot between songs and I don't mean it as a negative - everything he said was captivating, informative and quite often funny. In terms of the song selection, the main focus was on his own songs, both old and new, but there were plenty of covers, mostly classic blues numbers from the masters of the genre (Sleepy John Estes, Sony Boy Williamson, Jimmy Smith, Leadbelly and others).

Peter switched frequently between his electric and acoustic guitars and played a few numbers at the piano as well. There was an "anything and everything goes" feeling on the stage, which is exactly the opposite of what one would think a recording session is like.

Peter Case - Electric

Peter Case - Acoustic

For me, the highlights of the show were "Beyond The Blues", "Words In Red" and "Ain't Gonna Worry No More". "Put Down The Gun" was good as well.

There was a three-song encore that included "Which Side Are You On", the old labor anthem, and his own "Hidden Love". He performed the entire encore from the floor, standing right in front of the stage. For the labor song he was joined by folkies Cindy Lee Berryhill and Phranc, but their contributions were minimal.

All in all, this was the best Peter Case concert I have ever seen.

The final bow

Some of the stuff brought along by Peter

Peter Case chatting with fans after the show

Peter Case with fellow musician Matt Cartsonis

Concert #472 - The Who's Tommy at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre (June 28, 2008)

2011-11-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

Inexplicably, it took me about seventeen years after Tommy's initial release in 1969 to finally "get the music", "get the heat" and "get the excitement" of what I now believe is the Who's best piece of work. My belated interest in Tommy was sparked by an all-star recording of the rock opera that came out in 1975, featuring an incredible line-up that included Pete Townshend, Sandy Denny, Steve Winwood, Richie Havens, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Maggie Bell, Richard Harris and Merry Clayton, with the powerful accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra and Chambre Choir. I discovered this album in 1986 and today I still feel its impact.

In 1994, when the original Broadway production came to Los Angeles, I went to see Tommy at the Universal Amphitheater not once, but twice, and each time it was pure bliss. Fourteen years later, Tommy came back for a three week engagement at Hollywood's Ricardo Montalban Theater and when I bought my tickets I pretty much knew that Tommy's latest incarnation would not measure up favorably against the 1994 production. Not that it mattered to me.

I went to the show with Ryan, my younger son, a huge Tommy fan himself. We had great seats in the fourth row, slightly off-center.

Tommy's 2008 line-up

Tommy - Aleks Pevec

Mrs. Walker - Alice Ripley

Acid Queen - Nona Hendryx

Sally Simpson - Jenna Leigh Green

Captain Walker - Tom Schmid

Cousin Kevin - PJ Griffith

Uncle Ernie - Hank Adams

The Hawker - Ronny Drayton

I was right with my initial assessment - Tommy 2008 wasn't quite as spectacular as Tommy 1994, but it still managed to be very enjoyable and not for a second did I regret spending the money. Aleks Pevec, who played the grown-up version of Tommy, was definitely the star of the show. Nona Hendryx, the former partner of Patti LaBelle, stood out as the Acid Queen. I also liked the Hawker, convincingly played by Ronny Drayton. After the show I learned that Alice Ripley (Mrs. Walker), had played the very same role as part of the original Broadway production in 1994.

Aleks Pevec as Tommy

The much-advertised high-definition 3D Sound, the new "revolutionary" audio system that came to us via Bose headsets placed at every seat, was not as earth-shattering as advertised. Still, I enjoyed the show very much and so did Ryan, we both went home happy. For a while I even considered going back for seconds, but eventually decided not to.

Tommy at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre (2008)

Alice Ripley as Mrs. Walker with the young version of Tommy


Tommy & Sally (Aleks Pevec & Jenna Leigh Green)

Tommy poster, photographed in the theater's loby

Sign photographed in the theater's loby

Hollywood's Ricardo Montalban Theater

Hollywood's Ricardo Montalban Theatre

Concert #474 - Blame Sally at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 25, 2008)

2011-11-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

I first heard of Blame Sally when their name appeared in McCabe's' concert listing for July 2008 and I immediately went into a research mode that ended with the purchase of a single ticket for the show.

The crowd was predominantly female and middle-aged, possibly because Blame Sally is exclusively female and middle-aged.

Blame Sally

Pam Delgado (percussion, vocals)

Renee Harcourt (guitar, bass, vocals)

Jeri Jones (guitar, bass, vocals)

Monica Pasqual (piano, accordion, vocals)

Their show was quite good - the four ladies sang well, played their instruments with skill and were often humorous. I suppose they wrote most of the songs they played, if not all. I went home happy, even though the show fell just a tad short of a knock-out. Here's a YouTube video showing Blame Sally in action, looking and sounding pretty much the way I remember them from McCabe's:

The show was opened by Austin-based singer-songwriter Matt The Electrician, who did not leave a lasting impression.

Concerts #429, 475 - Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 13, 2007 - August 1, 2008)

2011-11-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

My brother occasionally shows up in California and every time he does, my first thought is to take him to a great concert, the kind he doesn't have access to where he lives. Trouble is he usually comes for only a day or two, which leaves me with few options when it comes to finding the ideal concert. In January 2007, my only option was Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's, and as it turned out, it was a good option.

We went to the show rather unprepared - I knew only a small handful of Ray's song, my brother knew none - but Ray is the kind of performer who will grab you from the very first song and keep you hooked until the lights go back on. Mixing great songs with fun stories and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar, Ray made us laugh and kept our toes tapping non-stop.

"Snake Farm" and "Polecat" are the songs that I still remember almost five years after the concert.

For his encore, Ray brought out Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes fame. He sat in for just one song. As we were sitting in the front row, I could have almost touched Chris, it was a thrill.

Chris Robinson

In August 2008 I went back to McCabe's to hear Ray for a second time, hoping to once again luck out with a famous unannounced guest. As it turned out, it was yet another case of unfulfilled expectations - not only there was no Chris Robinson, but Ray played the whole show without anyone guesting. Overall, this second helping had less of an impact on me.

Both shows were opened by I See Hawks In LA, a local alt-country band that left me rather unimpressed on both occasions.

Concert #476 - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 12, 2008)

2011-11-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

I can't say that I'm a fan of Kasey's voice, but I do listen to her music sometimes and whenever hubby Shane Nicholson gets involved, things get a little more interesting, as was the case with "Rattlin' Bones", their joint album released in 2008. The ensuing US tour in support of the new album brought them to McCabe's in September 2008.

The concert was announced as "Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson", but having had more solo albums under her belt, Kasey appeared to be playing the role of the "main attraction". She did most of the singing and talking, while Shane kept a somewhat lower profile. The best song of the evening was "Once In A While", a truly gorgeous tune that's been delighting me ever since.

The concert opened my appetite for Shane's music. In my opinion, his "Familiar Ghosts" solo album is at least as good as Kasey's best material, if not better.

Bill Chambers, Kasey's father, popped in unexpectedly for a few songs and his singing and guitar playing complemented the two "youngsters" very well. Later I learned that he is a well-regarded guitarist in Australia's alt-country scene.

Bill Chambers

Overall, the concert was good, but not earth-shattering. Still, I would probably catch them again sometime in the future.

Here's a live rendition of "Once In A While", performed just the way I witnessed it at McCabe's:

Concerts #425, 477 - Janis Ian at McCabe's Guitar Shop ( November 10, 2006 - September 21, 2008

2011-11-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

Janis Ian is an artist I have known for ages, but started paying closer attention to only after her McCabe's engagement was announced in September 2006. Her new album, "Folk Is The New Black", had just been released, I gave it a good listen and discovered that Janis had written a lot more great music than just "At Seventeen", her only song I could name at that time.

I went to the concert with friend and coworker K, sat in the front row and witnessed a performance that was a delight from the very first song to the final bow, a choice of words not meant to be just a figure of speech - after her last song, Janis stepped up to the edge of the stage and took a deep and long bow, the supreme way of thanking her audience for their being there. Now that's a sign of true class and so was her permission for her fans to take pictures during the concert, between songs.

Janis proved to be a seasoned performer, with one great song after another and fun stories that weren't too long. After her self-introduction - "Folk singer, short, lesbian, Jewish" - Janis went on to sing a few of her best songs from "Folk Is The New Black", among them "Danger, Danger" and "My Autobiography". She also sang "At Seventeen" and a few more of her own oldies. Janis reminisced about the good old sixties, when on one occasion, she remained defiantly on stage in spite of being booed while singing "Society's Child", her song about inter-racial love. Needless to say, her delivery of the same song at McCabe's drew a diametrically opposed response.

Janis is not at all foreign to controversial subjects, so quite fittingly, she sang the self-written "Married In London", a song about the inconsistent ways same-sex marriage is treated in different countries. Based on the crowd's loud applause, I don't think there were too many folks there who disagreed with Janis' point of view.

I was totally taken by Janis Ian's performance. Performing without any supporting cast and armed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, Janis kept me mesmerized from start to finish. After the concert, I immediately started looking up her older music and that's how I discovered true gems such as "Here Comes The Night", "Dance With Me", "In The Winter" and "When The Party Is Over", songs I would have otherwise never heard, I'm pretty sure about that.

Janis Ian at McCabe's (2008)

Two years later, on September 21, 2008, I went back to McCabe's to relive my first encounter with Janis Ian. Just like the first time, what she lacked in stature, Janis more than made up with her music, stories and humor. The two concerts were quite similar, with one difference: the second time I knew exactly what to expect, hence the somewhat smaller impact of the second show. Without a new album, Janis reached into her back catalog, so I once again got to hear her two signature songs, "Society's Child" and "At Seventeen", as well as "All Those Promises" from "Folk Is The New Black".

Janis Ian at McCabe's (2008)

As I was browsing the many YouTube videos showing Janis Ian at different stages of her career, I noticed that words like "class" and "classy" appeared frequently in the "Comments" section. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Concert #478 - Country Joe McDonald at McCabe's Guitar Shop (Sept 26, 2008)

2011-11-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

This was my first and only time to see Country Joe McDonald in concert. The show was announced as "Country Joe McDonald's Tribute to Woody Guthrie", so naturally, most of the set list was dedicated to material written by the legendary troubadour.

The songs were good, especially the ones we all knew, but I can't say that I was taken by Country Joe's performance - he appeared to be a bit apathetic, as if having to go through a boring daily routine. And then he read quite a bit from a book that may have been a Woody Guthrie biography, if I'm not mistaken. I had a problem with the reading part - when you go to a concert, you go for the music, not to sit there for many long minutes listening to someone reading from a book. I could have accepted a paragraph or two, but he just went on and on ...

The evening's best moment may have been "I Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag", possibly the only non-Guthrie song of the concert, when most of the sell-out crowd joined in. Not unexpectedly, "This Land Is Your Land", quickly turned into a sing-along as well.

There's a Country Joe double CD out there, recorded live in San Francisco on May 12, 2007, that has many of the songs performed at McCabe's. Appropriately titled "A Tribute To Woody Guthrie", the collection features the following numbers:

Disc 1

1. "This Land is Your Land" Woody Guthrie 2. Introduction — Country Joe 3. "Every Time His Songs are Sung" Barry Lee Marris 4. Root beer story from Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie 5. "Talking Dust Bowl" Woody Guthrie 6. "Do Re Mi" Woody Guthrie 7. "Going Down the Road" Woody Guthrie 8. Car story from “Woody Sez” 9. "Let's Go Riding in My Car" Woody Guthrie 10. Cookies speak louder than words — letters by Malvina Reynolds and Woody Guthrie 11. Erotic writing — Woody Guthrie 12. "Woman at Home" Country Joe (music), Woody Guthrie (words)

Disc 2
1. "Capi/Commie" Joady Guthrie; Sayings by Woody Guthrie; “Old Paint the Horse with a Union Label” — author unknown 2. "Ladies Auxiliary" Woody Guthrie 3. "Union Maid" Woody Guthrie 4. About lynchings — Woody Guthrie 5. "Slip Knot"/"Vigilante Man" Woody Guthrie 6. "Pastures of Plenty" Woody Guthrie 7. "Roll On Columbia" Woody Guthrie 8. "New York City" Country Joe (music), Woody Guthrie (words) 9. "Tom Joad" Woody Guthrie 10. "Oklahoma Hills" Jerry Guthrie and Woody Guthrie 11. Oklahoma where it all began — Worden McDonald 12. "So Long It’s Been Good to Know Ya" Woody Guthrie

Concert #479 - Eric Andersen at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 27, 2008)

2011-11-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

This was my first time to see Eric Andersen in concert as a headliner. I went to McCabe's with an out-of-town friend whom I really wanted to impress with a great performance at my favorite venue. Long story short, we both went home quite disappointed.

The fact that we idolize many of our favorite musicians does not prevent them from catching colds or being indisposed, for whatever reason, just like you and I. On that night, Eric was definitely not well - he didn't look good, had no energy, no spark and definitely no voice. His compositions weren't bad, but there's nothing else positive that I can say about his concert.

In a nut-shell, I witnessed a subpar performance at a venue where subpar performances are a rarity. Would I want to see Eric again? Probably not, but my respect for Eric as a songwriter has remained intact, which explains why I still find myself listening to his music quite often.

Concert #613 - Al Stewart at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 12, 2011)

2011-11-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

This was my sixth time to see Al Stewart and he's still on my "Must be seen again" list. It all started exactly twenty years ago, when I went to McCabe's with my teenaged niece not because I thought much of Al, but only because there was nothing better being offered at McCabe's during her visit. As it turned out, the concert was a total knock-out. Al came out with Peter White and together they just blew me away.

Twenty years on, the self-proclaimed "King of Historical Folk Rock" is still a highly entertaining artist whose shows combine great songs, stellar guitar playing, good humor and British-accented intellectual talk, all delivered in a relaxed manner, without any pretensions. At 66, his voice is pretty much unchanged and so are his idiosyncratic vocal inflections. Everything about Al screams experience and professionalism and overall, I just can't think of an artist who's more likeable than he is.

In terms of guitar playing, Al is essentially a strummer, with rare and rather brief incursions into finger picking, so to a huge extent, his shows rely on the support he gets from guitar virtuosos such as Peter White and Laurence Juber. Trouble is, these folks have their own careers, so they are seldom available to play, let alone tour, with Al.

Enter Dave Nachmanoff, a lesser known guitar player, who in 2004 made me frown in disappointment when he was announced as Al Stewart's new accompanist. Dave was certainly good enough then, but at that time I could not have imagined what a phenomenally great guitar player he would soon become. Last night at McCabe's, Dave's intros, solos and outros were nothing short of masterful, to such an extent that he made me stop wishing for Peter or Laurence, and that's no small feat. And he's got humor, too, thus perfectly complementing the equally jocular Al.

Dave Nachmanoff, guitarist extraordinaire

Last night, Al and Dave came out with a predetermined set list, but they did take a few requests and initiated a few digressions of their own, such as "Running Man", from Al's "24 Carrots" album.

The set list (guess what Y.O.T.C. stands for)

As always, "On The Border" was among the concert highlights, and so were "A Child's View Of The Eisenhower Years" and "Night Train To Munich". I also liked "Flying Sorcery", a song that appears as "Flying Sauce" on Al's set list.

While playing the most recognizable riff from Henry Mancini's "Theme From Peter Gunn", Al talked briefly about Duane Eddy, one of his early influences.

Dave Nachmanoff & Al Stewart at McCabe's (November 2011)

Part-time bassist Mike Lindauer provided a few moments of levity, as he was coming and going without fully knowing when exactly he was needed to be there - this actually fit quite well with the loose tone of the show.

Dave Nachmanoff was given the opportunity to showcase some of his own songs, among which "Sheila Won't Be Coming Home", with some lyrics by Al Stewart, was the best.

Dave Nachmanoff & Al Stewart (with John Wicks in the background)

John Wicks, formerly of the Records, took the stage a couple of times to provide backup vocals, then together with Al and Dave, sang his own hit "Starry Eyes".

John Wicks (left), with Dave Nachmanoff and Al Stewart

Al Stewart & Dave Nachmanoff reviewing the set list before the show

Yours Truly & Al Stewart at McCabe's

Dave and Al's abandoned guitars, just before the encore

Concert #480 - Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues (Sunset Strip) (September 28, 2008)

2011-11-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

So we went to a Sunday brunch and a concert broke out. And not just any concert.

As a newbie to such an event, I'd been expecting to eat loads of great Cajun food, then go back for seconds, with some nameless local church choir singing in the background. I'd thought this whole thing would be of interest to Mircea, my European childhood friend who was visiting us at the time, so I dragged him along.

The food part turned out to be totally anti-climactic. There was nothing exotic there, nothing truly memorable, but God Almighty, what a surprise we had on the music front ... who would have imagined that we would be entertained by R&B standout Shemekia Copeland and her high-energy vocal style that's so deeply rooted in church music. But that wasn't all. Shemekia was soon joined by the legendary Clara Ward Singers, who many decades into their careers were still in fine form. Wow!

But the best was yet to come: out of nowhere came the thunderous voice of Dorothy Morrison, the very same voice that we had all known since the late 60s, when "Oh Happy Day" took the whole Planet by storm. And there she was, Dorothy Morrison, standing at center stage in a colorful outfit, belting out "Oh Happy Day" and driving me absolutely crazy. What a thrill it was !!

Dorothy Morrison (with microphone) singing "Oh Happy Day"

Shemekia Copeland & The Clara Ward Singers

Shemekia Copeland & The Clara Ward Singer

Crowd feasting before the music started

My Better Half with our friend Mircea

Dorothy Morrison (in colorful outfit) taking the bus back home

The House Of Blues on Sunset Strip (Los Angeles)

Concert #612 - Marc Cohn at the Irvine Barclay Theater (November 9, 2011)

2011-11-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Irvine Barclay Theater has been good to me over the years. I've been there a few times and every time I was able to get choice seats, even front row seats. Granted, I deserve some credit, too, as typically I'm aware of the dates when tickets for new concerts go on sale.

I first saw Marc Cohn in 1998, at the Greek Theater, where he was one of the many performers at a folk music festival. He only sang four songs, but knocked my socks off with his extremely powerful delivery of "Walking In Memphis". Right away I made a mental note that, before too long, I must see him again, as a headliner. The note stayed with me for thirteen years!

Marc came out with guitarist Shane Fontayne, who also played the harmonica and sang backup vocals. He turned out to be a perfect accompanist.

Some of Marc's hair is gone, but his soul and passion are still there. He's very comfortable on stage, writes great songs, delivers them well, sings with a soulfulness that's hard to match, speaks eloquently, has fun stories to share, plays the piano with feeling, plays the piano with power, is not afraid to pick up a guitar, so all in all, he is a top-notch performer, the kind that is heartily embraced by intellectual crowds. The occasional use of the F-word only took away a bit from an otherwise classy performance.

Partial Set List

The Calling

Listening To Levon

Paper Walls

Silver Thunderbird

Strangers In A Car

Perfect Love

True Companion

Walking In Memphis

The Letter

Mama’s In The Moon

The Only Living Boy In New York

Into The Mystic

29 Ways

The numbers I liked the best were "Listening To Levon", "Into The Mystic" and "Silver Thunderbird". "Walking In Memphis" was good, too, with the exception of the part when Marc asked the crowd to sing along.

The stage

A lousy photo taken after the last song

The Irvine Barclay Theater

The main lobby of the Irvine Barclay Theater

Concert #611 - John Wesley Harding at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 6, 2011)

2011-11-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

This was my seventh time to see John Wesley Harding in concert, starting with my first concert ever at McCabe's, in June 1990. At that time, he was one of my favorite singer-songwriters, thanks to his incredibly good first two albums. Since then, my interest in Wes' music has been an up and down affair, mostly down, but definitely up again in recent years.

The concert announcement showed two bands, the Minus 5 and a certain King Charles Trio, which in the end turned out to be the very same group of outstanding musicians, namely:

Scott McCaughey (The Young Fresh Fellows and part-time REM member)

Peter Buck (of REM fame)

Jenny Conlee-Drizos (The Decemberists)

Chris Funk (The Decemberists)

John Moen (The Decemberists)

Nate Query (The Decemberists)

I laughed out loud when Wes announced the King Charles Trio, only to see six musicians take the stage. I was extremely impressed with the four Decemberists, who are a band in the true sense of the word: all solid players, without being flashy, no showboating solos, just great teamwork from start to finish. I'd love to see them again, preferably at McCabe's

The concert kicked off with the Minus 5 (everyone minus Wes). They played three songs that grabbed me from the get go. Vocalist and guitarist Scott McCaughey and drummer John Moen were in a cheerful mood and so was the rest of the band. Then Wes joined the band, which only added to the humorous tone of the evening. From that point on, the main emphasis was on Wes' just-released new album, "The Sound Of His Own Voice", a highly listenable piece of work. The numbers I liked the best were "There's A Starbucks Where The Starbucks Used To Be" and "Sing Your Own Song".

Wes did not sing a single number from his first two albums, but he did do "If You Have Ghosts", the Roky Erickson song that he recorded in the early 1990s. I did miss "Cathy's New Clown" and "The Devil In Me", but the songs from the new album sounded just as great - in his third decade of releasing music, Wes remains one heck of a songwriter and with a voice that's as strong as ever, he's doing fine in the vocal department as well.

Scott McCaughey made a strong impression on me and I really liked his "Aw Shit Man" song. Now that I know who Scott is, I will start digging up his earlier work.

Scott McCaughey

Playing his guitar and mandolin, Peter Buck kept a low profile throughout the evening. He never soloed and there was no way of telling that he had been part of a band once considered to be America's best.

Peter Buck

In spite of everyone's advice, I once again sat in the front row, where they say you never get the best sound, certainly not when you sit directly in front of a fat drum set. Yet I was amazed by the quality of the sound and the perfect balance between voices and instruments.

The set list

The stage before the show

John Wesley Harding selling and signing merchandise after the show

Concert #608 - Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York (October 18, 2011)

2011-11-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Musicals and concerts are two different things, so I'm not sure whether this concert blog is the proper forum to write about "Mary Poppins", the Broadway musical. But if "Hair" has made it's way into my blog, then I can certainly make another exception for "Mary Poppins", a masterpiece that's been delighting me since my teen years.

I very seldom go to musicals. Massively successful runs such as Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera, Cats, Chicago, Mamma Mia, A Chorus Line, Rent and countless others have left me totally indifferent. In plain English, I haven't caught either of them. But when you're in New York, you do as New-Yorkers do, so two weeks ago, my Better Half and I were walking aimlessly in New York's famed Theater District when we reached the bright lights of the New Amsterdam Theater, a stone-throw from where the 42nd Street meets Broadway. Ten minutes later we were the ecstatic owners of a pair of fourth-row seats, center, good for the following Tuesday's performance. The tickets weren't cheap, but a few days later we got our money's worth, and then some.

The event turned out to be one of the most enjoyable spectacles I have ever attended. Beyond the beautiful music that we all know, I was amazed by the quality of the performers, the stunning set changes, the dance numbers and everything else that happened right in front of us. Even with my minimal previous exposure to musicals, I could tell that this was a world-class performance in all respects.

Everyone on stage was great, but no one was better than Bert, the chimney-sweep, played by British actor Gavin Lee (aren't all blokes named Gavin British?), and that's no small feat, considering the inevitable comparisons with Dick Van Dyke's mind-boggling performance in the movie.

Gavin Lee as Bert

Steffanie Leigh, who played the title role, was outstanding as well. Her singing, dancing and body language were just as I was expecting Mary Poppins to be. Her final departure, flying over the heads of the audience, was a sight to see. I read something interesting in an interview she gave some time ago: "The show backstage is just as choreographed as what the audience sees. If you stand in the wrong place for a costume change, you could get hit in the head with a piece of scenery as it goes flying across. It's like doing two shows at the same time."

Steffanie Leigh as Mary Poppins

I won't even try to pick a highlight, but "Feed The Birds" and the dancing frenzy that accompanied "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" are hard to get out of my mind and so is Bert's climbing on walls and tap-dancing head down on the ceiling. Here's Gavin Lee going for the roof tops:


The curtain

Mary Poppins flying away

The curtain call

The New Amsterdam Theater

Credits

More credits

The New Amsterdam Theater

Concert #610 - Jennifer Warnes at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 28, 2011)

2011-11-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

This was the second of Jennifer's three sold-out appearances at McCabe's that took place during the months of September and October, 2011.

In many respects, the second show closely followed the first one, not necessarily a bad thing. Jennifer came out with guitarist Billy Watts and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, the same two outstanding musicians she had been touring with in recent weeks and months. After the intermission, they were joined by Rick Cunha, who kept a low profile while aptly playing his string instruments.

There were practically no changes in the set list, with one welcome exception: the show ended with a great rendition of "Song Of Bernadette", with lyrics by Leonard Cohen and music by Jennifer Warnes herself.

McCabe's is a truly intimate venue that quite often induces performers to be entirely themselves, as opposed to just acting in a scripted and rehearsed spectacle. From the very get-go, Jennifer was in a giggly mood and, before too long, everyone else, Taras and Billy included, were giggling along. Jennifer also happened to be in a "Googly" mood, as she made frequent references to her passion for looking things up on the Internet, pretty much like most of us. Throughout the show, I felt like being in someone's living room and that's a feeling one gets at McCabe's more often than anywhere else.

With songs written by Mickey Newbury, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Ian Tyson, Allen Toussaint, Susan Tedeschi and Buffy Sainte-Marie, among others, there were no throwaways in Jennifer's set. And speaking of Susan Tedeschi: just like in her September show, Jennifer pronounced Susan's distinctly Italian last name as if it were German. In Italian, Tedeschi is pronounced "Tedeski", a fact I was able to verify via Susan's own Facebook page. And here's the punch line: coincidentally, "Tedeschi" means "Germans" in Italian, and I'm not kidding.

The best songs of the evening were, once again, "It's Raining" and "Ain't No Cure For Love". Leonard Cohen's "Night Comes On" was great, too. Jennifer's singing remains top-notch and so is her entire stage presence. Having the opportunity to see her up-close at McCabe's remains a special treat for me. Will she ever be back there? I sure hope so.

The merch table

Jennifer Warnes T-shirts

The sold-out crowd

Poster in the window at McCabe's

Concert #481 - McCabe's 50th Anniversary Concert at UCLA's Royce Hall (October 2, 2008)

2011-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

I caught wind about this concert many months before it actually took place and from the very beginning, all I wanted was to lay my hands on a pair of great tickets, even if I had to pay a little extra to get them - after all, this was supposed to be the Concert Of The Year. Well, in the end, "the little extra" turned out to be $550 for a pair of third row seats, bought from a scalper operating legally as a "ticket agency". Bastards!

I had never paid as much for two tickets and I hope I never will, but in this case, I just had to do it, as my other attempts to get good seats via UCLA Live and directly from McCabe's yielded sub-par results. And there was yet another reason for my insane spending: I went to the concert with a European guest, a huge music connoisseur himself, and I just had to offer him the best possible experience and indeed, I also wanted the very best for myself.

And what an experience it was ... for about four hours we watched a parade of many different musicians who had one thing in common: sometime during their careers, they had all performed at McCabe's. With one notable exception, that is. I'm not talking about Los Lobos, as they had actually played there decades earlier, before anyone knew who they were, opening for Flaco Jimenez. The exception was Chrissie Hynde, who somehow managed to talk herself into the line-up, and I'm glad she did. Accompanied by virtuoso guitarist James Walbourne, Chrissie-the-Intruder performed two songs from her then-new album "Break Up The Concrete" and she was definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

And speaking of highlights: Odetta's powerful rendition of "House Of The Rising Sun" did not seem to be coming from a seventy-eight year old wheelchair-bound woman who was only two months away from the end of her life, then later, during the evening's grand finale, she once again impressed us with her strong vocals on "This Land Is Your Land".

Odetta, with Lincoln Myerson, Jackson Browne and Jennifer Warnes (photo by Sherry Rayn Barnett)

For an outstanding photo gallery showing most of the evening's protagonists, please visit Sherry Rayn Barnett's page at http://www.myspace.com/sherrybarnettphotography/photos

LIST OF PERFORMERS

Richard Thompson

Jennifer Warnes

Odetta

Los Lobos

Blind Boys Of Alabama

Loudon Wainwright

Peter Rowan

David Lindley

Peter Case

Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney

Ditty Bops

Dan Hicks

Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band

Ricky Jay

Chrissie Hynde

Jackson Browne

Rosanne Lindley

Van Dyke Parks

Kami Thompson

Michael Jerome (drums)

Debra Dobkin (percussion)

David Keyes (keyboards, with Odetta)

Taras Prodaniuk (bass)

James Walbourne (guitar, with Chrissie Hynde)

Eric Andersen (grand finale only)

Richard Thompson led the house band that also included drummer Michael Jerome, bassist Taras Prodaniuk, and percussionist Debra Dobkin. Throughout the evening, Richard kept a relatively low profile, but at one point he did step up to deliver a great version of "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". I would have liked to hear more from RT, but it wasn't to be.

LIST OF MC's

Nancy Covey

Lincoln Myerson

John Chelew

Bobby Kimmel

Most of the MC'ing was handled by Nancy Covey and she did a good job. Surprisingly, the current Concert Director at McCabe's, Lincoln Myerson, was given only a secondary role.

McCabe's is a rather modest venue and, appropriately, there were no fancy stage decorations at UCLA's Royce Hall, only a few guitars and folding chairs hanging on the back wall of the stage, all of them borrowed from McCabe's, of course. It wasn't particularly pretty, but it did bring to UCLA the "look and feel" of McCabe's, and when I say "feel", I mean the pain experienced by anyone who has ever sat on those metal chairs for more than 30 minutes!

Folding chairs and acoustic guitars hanging on the back wall of the stage

The Ditty Bops sang two songs of their own, then later they turned into Dan Hicks' Hot Licks. Together, they sang Dan's "I Scare Myself".

The Blind Boys Of Alabama performed "Amazing Grace", but with a twist: they sang it to the tune of "House Of The Rising Sun".

Peter Rowan sang his gorgeous "Midnight Moonlight".

After having been introduced by Lincoln Myerson, Bonnie "Prince" Billy surprised me with an excellent performance that made me want to see him as a headliner.

Jennifer Warnes sang Arlo Guthrie’s “When a Soldier Makes It Home" and one other song.

Playing a slide guitar, David Lindley duetted with his daughter Rosanne. They were OK. Later in the evening, David came out once again to play with Jackson Browne.

Jackson Browne (left), with David Lindley

Kudos go to Loudon Wainwright, who showed up after his own headlining gig in Santa Barbara. He managed to reach UCLA shortly after 11 PM, sang one song, then joined everyone else for the grand finale.

A touch of nepotism was in the air, as Richard Thompson and David Lindley brought along their singing daughters, Kami and Rosanne, respectively. They were OK, but I would have preferred to see some of the quintessential McCabe's artists who had delighted me over the years, such as Peter Himmelman, Dave Alvin, Michelle Shocked, Chris Smither or John Hammond. I guess whoever said "You can't have it all" was right ...

The grand finale was grand, indeed. Most performers came out for their final salute to McCabe's and they all had they brief solo moments, as they sang, "Hard Times (Come Again No More)" and "This Land Is Your Land". Van Dyke Parks went down into the crowd with his accordion. Jennifer Warnes asked for Eric Anderson to join the celebration and he did. A beaming Odetta was there as well, and so were all of the evening's emcees. Modestly, Richard Thompson remained in the background with his outstanding house band. The crowd was on its feet and I immediately knew that I was part of something special, something one would normally see on TV but rarely get to experience in person.

The Grand Finale, as it began

The Grand Finale, with everyone on stage

The Grand Finale

The Grand Finale - Jackson Browne, Jennifer Warnes & Loudon Wainwright (far right)

The Grand Finale - Eric Anderson, Jennifer Warnes, etc.

The Grand Finale - Van Dyke Parks

And now for a few negatives and there weren't many of those. I was less impressed with the sets delivered by the Savoy-Doucet Band (not my style) and Peter Case, who chose to perform two long songs that I don't believe were among his best. Jackson Browne sang three songs that sounded quite boring to me. Magician Ricky Jay's card-throwing act was nothing special and definitely out of place.

But it's not right to end my write-up on a negative note. Without a doubt, the show was one of the very best I have ever witnessed, and I did witness a few.

Backstage: Taras Prodaniuk, Jennifer Warnes & Jackson Browne

Backstage: McCabe's founder Gerald McCabe, with Nancy Covey

Backstage: McCabe's founder Gerald McCabe, with Jennifer Warnes

Concert #607 - Shelby Lynne at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 14, 2011)

2011-10-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

This was the first of her two sold-out shows at McCabe's, but this time - unlike in July 2010 - there was no Val McCallum to accompany her. Yes, I did miss Val's devilishly good guitar playing, but other than that, Shelby's solo performance was near-perfect and - had she included just one song from her Dusty Springfield tribute album - I would have written "absolutely perfect".

Shelby's focus was on "Revelation Road", her newly released album. Using two acoustic guitars and never sitting down, she sang each and every song from the album - you may say that's a lot of new songs delivered in quick succession, but no one had a problem with that - the songs were all good.

Shelby's voice is a separate chapter in itself. I can't think of any other singer who can match the purity and sweetness of her voice. I particularly love the goosebumps-producing lower half of her vocal range.

The crowd laughed out loud when, a couple of times during the show, Shelby talked about her somewhat dysfunctional family and how that benefited her songwriting.

Surprisingly, Shelby had her own personal roadie who popped in every time she switched guitars ... roadies handling acoustic guitars ... now that's something you don't often see at McCabe's! There were three cameramen as well, so one fine day we may get to see the whole show on DVD, that would be nice.

Shelby Lynne at McCabe's

After the new album was out of the way, it was time for a bunch of Shelby's better known songs. The crowd's best response came after her stellar delivery of "Old Dog", "Leavin'" and "Where I'm From", which lead to two well-deserved standing ovations.

The set list

Autographed concert poster

Concert Director Lincoln Myerson welcoming the first fans

Shelby Lynne T-shirts

Concert #609 - Tom Russell at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 22, 2011)

2011-10-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

This was my sixth time to see Americana maestro Tom Russell in concert. Just like the last time, also at McCabe's, Tom came out with Thad Beckman, an outstanding guitarist who also sang backup vocals. The concert went on for well over two hours, something one would always welcome, but certainly not immediately after a long and physically exhausting trip - I had just returned from a six-day walking tour of Manhattan, and toward the end of the show I would have gladly exchanged my front row seat for a cot or even a pallet on McCabe's' floor.

Once again, Tom proved that he is a name-dropper's name dropper. I wish I'd thought of writing down all the names brought up by Tom - the list would have amazed you, both in length and breadth - he mentioned countless musicians, filmmakers, actors, boxers, some dead, others alive, but no one's name came up more often than Monte Hellman, whose "Road To Nowhere" movie's theme song was composed by Tom himself. By the way, Monte was present in the audience, but kept a low profile.

Tom sang many of the songs from "Mesabi", his latest release. I was unfamiliar with the new album, but I found his new material to be quite accessible, not unlike everything else Tom touches. He also sang a few "oldies", such as "Stealing Electricity", "The Pugilist At 59", "Blue Wing" and "East Of Woodstock, West Of Vietnam", but once again there was no "Gallo Del Ciello", nor "Navajo Rug".

All-in-all, the concert was good, but not great. Tom spoke maybe a little too much, but most everything he said was interesting and humorous. Still, after having seen him so many times in not too many years, I feel it's time for me to take a sabbatical from Tom for a few years. I'll be back, though. Guaranteed.

The set list

Tom Russell (right) & Thad Beckman at McCabe's (October 2011)

The final bow

Concert poster

Nadine Russell at the merch table

Concert #606 - Ollabelle at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 30, 2011)

2011-10-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Here's yet another younger act playing the kind of music that sounds great to older ears. Not unlike the Secret Sisters, Ollabelle's repertoire consists of a well-balanced mix of older gems and self-penned numbers that blend together quite well. But there's a lot more to Ollabelle than just their appealing song selection - these guys have talent, lots of talent. They write good music, sing their hearts and souls out, excel at their instruments and then how many quintets can you name where all five members are capable of soloing on vocals?

One may also refer to Ollabelle as "democracy in action", as none of them appeared to be above the others - they all had their moments and they all received virtually equal exposure, with the possible exception of drummer Tony Leone.

With vocalist Amy Helm on maternity leave, the band came out with a worthy replacement in the person of Aoife O'Donovan of Crooked Still fame. Seamlessly integrated into the act, Aoife (pronounced Ee-fah) sounded and looked fabulous with her uncontained cheerfulness and, in my opinion, no one on stage sounded better.

Byron Isaacs, Aoife O'Donovan and Fiona McBain at McCabe's (September 30, 2011)

Band line-up

Aoife O'Donovan - vocals, tambourine

Byron Isaacs - vocals, bass guitar, upright bass, drums

Tony Leone - vocals, drums, percussion

Fiona McBain - vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, ukulele

Glenn Patscha - vocals, keyboards, piano

In terms of their instrumental virtuosity, pianist Glenn Patscha impressed me the most. Bassist Byron Isaacs was great, too.

The show was exceptionally well-paced, there were no lulls in action and there was minimal chatter, just the way a concert is supposed to be. With so much vocal and instrumental variety on the stage, we were thoroughly entertained, I know I was. The band left behind two set lists, which were identical in content but written by two different hands.

List #1

List #2

Picking a highlight is no easy task, but if pressed, I'd pick "Soul Of A Man" and "No More, My Lawd". I also liked "Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes", sung quite well by drummer Tony Leone. The band got a well-deserved standing ovation.

The stage before the band came out

Fiona McBain and Aoife O'Donovan signing autographs

Glenn Patscha chatting with fans after the show

Poster in the window at McCabe's

Autographed Ollabelle poster

Concert #605 - Jennifer Warnes at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 24, 2011)

2011-09-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last night's concert at McCabe's Guitar Shop felt more like an impromptu meeting of buddies singing and playing some of their favorite songs in someone's living room, and that's always a good thing.

Jennifer's "orchestra" consisted of guitarist Billy Watts, lately of Eric Burdon's band, and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, whom I had seen before accompanying Richard Thompson. Billy and Taras brought much more to the show than just their outstanding musicianship - with their humorous and relaxed demeanor, they were outstanding complements to a just as humorous and relaxed Jennifer Warnes.

Last night's show can also be described as "Musicians Hiding Behind Music Stands", or at least that was the impression of the folks sitting in the first few rows, maybe even further back. Okay, so I didn't get to see much of Billy's face, but that was only a minor glitch in an otherwise outstanding evening of great music and stellar sound.

"A Singer's Tribute To Her Favorite Songwriters" is yet another way of describing the show, as Jennifer handpicked and lovingly delivered sixteen of her favorite songs, penned mostly by well-known musicians but also by a couple of composers that were new to me, namely Michael Smotherman and Zachary Richard.

Twice during the show, Jennifer said "We're getting on", a direct reference to the age of most folks in attendance, including the ones on the stage. Yet her trademark vocal inflections and singing style were as instantly recognizable last night as they were decades ago. There were no attempts to hit super-high notes and no one missed them either. What we all wanted was Jennifer's warmth, her beautiful voice, a bunch of great songs and we got all that. And then some.

Jennifer Warnes at McCabe's (with Billy Watts and Taras Prodaniuk hidden behind stands)

Jennifer's set list included quite a few songs I had not heard before and when it came to the ones I knew, I don't think I could have picked better ones. The concert's best songs, to these ears at least, were "It's Raining", "Ain't No Cure For Love" and Dylan's "When The Deal Goes Down". Ian Tyson's "Blue Mountains Of Mexico" was also exceptionally good.

A few words about "It's Raining", a song I first heard on Jennifer's 2001 album titled "The Well". Written by a certain Naomi Neville, this song alone is worth the "admission price" - just listen to Jennifer's soulful voice and her exquisite delivery. I had no clue who the songwriter was, until Jennifer revealed to us that Naomi Neville was the pseudonym used by the great Allen Toussaint in his early days. So when I got home after the concert, I looked up my copy of "The Allen Toussaint Touch", and lo and behold, there was the original version of "It's Raining", sung by Irma Thomas, yet another huge favorite of mine. Irma's version is quite different, but equally good.

Jennifer Warnes will be back at McCabe's in October 2011 and you can bet your life that I'll be there again.

Fans lined up in front of the venue

The crowd settling in