Concert #665 - Shawn Mullins at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 16, 2013)

Every so often I go to a concert not knowing what to expect, mostly because of my not having done my homework. Case in point: Shawn Mullins. Like most everybody else, I became aware of Shawn in the late nineties, when his breakthrough hit "Lullaby" was all over the radio. I liked the song, but for reasons unexplained, I never got deeper into his music. I guess I thought of him as just another musician who had a good song but not much else. Boy, was I wrong, and it took me more than a decade to find out.

In my eyes, anyone who's booked to play McCabe's gets an instant credibility bump. At only twenty bucks a ticket, seeing Shawn was not an expensive proposition, so I bought myself a ticket. While waiting in line to get in, I met Charlie and Marsha, a couple who flew in from Arizona just to see Shawn's concert. We had a nice long chat, but when asked about my favorite Shawn Mullins song, all I could do was mention "Lullaby", before pleading ignorance about everything else.

The show started with an opening set by Max Gomez, a friend and musical collaborator of the headliner. Typically I write about opening acts at the end of my blog entries, but for Max I'll make a rare, but well-deserved exception. His forty-five minute set was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. He can sing, he can write and yes, he can play the guitar. Has a nice personality, too. I assume he wrote most of the songs, except of course for the set-opening "Key To The Highway", the classic blues number. My favorites were "Ball And Chain" and "Run From You", two songs that sound exceptionally good in a live setting. In a classy gesture of support, Shawn Mullins joined Max for the singing of "Never Say Never". Later in the show, Jeff Trott took the stage to provide mandolin accompaniment on one of Max's songs. After I got home, I googled Jeff and found some interesting things about him (http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeff-trott-mn0000814242)

Max Gomez at McCabe's

Shawn's set was one of the best I've ever seen at McCabe's, bar none. No YouTube video and no studio recording come even close to conveying what Shawn brings to the stage. As the consummate live performer that he is, Shawn shines in every category: songwriting, singing, lyrics, guitar playing, personality, intensity, sense of humor and last, but certainly not least, humility.

I was truly taken by Shawn's soulful and relentlessly intense set. Most performers slow down a couple of times during their performance in order to rest their vocal cords, but not Shawn. Last night at McCabe's, he just went on and on, delivering one great song after another, with sweat running down his face and giving it all he had. Very impressive.

Shawn Mullins at McCabe's

Shawn came out with a two-man band that included Davis Causey on electric guitar and bassist Tom Ryan. I liked Tom's playing and strong backup vocals, but Davis was just out of this world. To these eyes and ears, Davis was the embodiment of the perfect support musician, fully capable of shining on his own, taking a few moments to strut his stuff, but doing it always in a tasteful and understated way that wasn't meant to outshine the main act. His guitar playing was superb, so no wonder that many of the evening's spontaneous rounds of applause came in direct response to his solos and I really enjoyed observing the appreciative look on his face. I've seen this formula before - the combination of a lead singer who picks and strums an acoustic guitar while being accompanied by an accomplished electric guitar player works for me every time.

Shawn Mullins (right) and Davis Causey

Returning the favor, Max Gomez came back to sing two songs with Shawn and the second one they sang together, "Love Will Find A Way", was an absolute gem.

Here are some of the songs I liked the most: "Catoosa County", "California", "Cold Black Heart", "Ghost Of Johnny Cash", "Beautiful Wreck", "The House Of The Rising Sun", but then again, there were no weak songs last night at McCabe's.

Davis' set list

Shawn's set list

All-in-all, I had a heck of a good time last night at McCabe's. I showed up hoping to be pleasantly surprised at best, but Shawn's performance did a lot more than just surprise me: he surpassed my most optimistic expectations by a landslide.

Shawn Mullins thanking the crowd

Max Gomez poster (note the misspelled venue name)

Davis Causey gear

The stage

Max Gomez shaking hands with a fan

Max Gomez's set list

Coming straight from Arizona: fans Marsha and Charlie

Davis Causey & Tom Ryan (1st & 2nd from left) after the show

Poster in the window at McCabe's

Concert #664 - Al Stewart at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 26, 2013)

I have learned over the years not to expect any surprises from an Al Stewart concert, as any of his appearances are pretty much like the ones before. So how come that I keep going back every time he plays McCabe's? The answer is simple: I just can't stay home and deny myself the pleasure of spending an evening in the company of this witty British gentleman who also happens to make great music. Never mind that he's in his high sixties - he still sounds like Al Stewart and his exquisite sense of humor is as good as ever. And with a body of work as vast as his, I will always get to hear a couple of obscure gems and learn a thing or two about folks as disparate as Brian Jones, Warren Harding and Carl Dobkins, Jr.

Last night's show at McCabe's kicked off with a three-song set delivered by Dave Nachmanoff, Al's long-time collaborator. With instantly likeable songs such as "Fragile Thing" and "Certain Distance", Dave received a good reception from the sold-out crowd.

Al Stewart's set started with a bouncy rendition of "House Of Clocks" and from that moment on, it was one great song after another. Also one funny remark after another, as Al was in a particularly funny mood last night.

Al Stewart (right) and Dave Nachmanoff at McCabe's

Al and Dave are one heck of a team. Always in tune both musically and humor-wise, they clearly enjoyed each other's company and their fun contaminated everyone present. Dave contributed a few epic guitar solos, the ones I liked the best were the extended intro to "On The Border" and the outro that concluded "Gina In The Kings Road". Ever since my first encounter with Dave Nachmanoff in 2004, I have witnessed his growth from a simple sideman to a true partner who now possesses his own musical credibility. Kudos to him.

The set list

By the way, O.T.B. in the set list stands for "On The Border", Y.O.T.C. is "Year Of The Cat", both played last night, but we didn't get to hear P.O.V., which stands for "Palace Of Versailles".

After a short intermission, the show resumed with three more songs by Dave. Al opened his second set with "Warren Harding", complete with a few comments about the intellect of current and past US presidents. "Katherine Of Oregon", "Midas Shadow" and "Soho (Needless To Say)" were my favorites from the second half of the show.

Nothing was going to stop Al from having fun. In response to Dave's formulaic introduction "And without any further ado, here's Mr. Al Stewart", Al took the stage and, with a smile on his face, said "I want more ado". Minutes later, while casually mentioning Lonnie Donegan, Al launched into an impromptu (but sadly abbreviated) rendition of "Rock Island Line", arguably Lonnie's best-known song. Later yet and jokingly, of course, Al took credit for having pioneered the genre of rap, a claim he substantiated with a few lines from "Soho" delivered rap-style, to the amusement of the audience.

For their encore, Al and Dave first played "Sheila Won't Be Coming Home", a song co-written by Dave and Al, followed by a Peter White instrumental composition with lyrics added "after the fact" by Al Stewart. Both sounded great.

All in all, my small group of friends had a great time and so did I.

Last night's Al Stewart concert, the seventh one I have attended, came twenty-two years after I first saw him live, also at McCabe's. Back in 1991, I remember thinking that Al Stewart was old. Since then, my perception of age has changed dramatically, thanks primarily to the longevity of countless musicians, among them Al Stewart himself.

Al Stewart autographing merchandise after the show

Dave Nachmanoff at the merch table

Al Stewart fans lining up at McCabe's

Concert #663 - Ernest Troost at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 13, 2013)

Ernest Troost (right), with Nicole Gordon and Mark Goldberg

Midway through Sunday night's Ernest Troost concert at McCabe's I started asking myself whether the guy can write a bad song. Or at least an average one. By the time the show ended, I knew the answer: he absolutely cannot.

As much as I liked Ernest's singing and guitar playing, what impressed me the most was his songwriting. He may not have the name recognition of a Richard Thompson or a John Hiatt, but when it comes to musical output, I truly believe that Ernest's songwriting is right up there with the very best. There aren't too many singer-songwriters out there who can play a full set without including a musical blunder or two. Well, there weren't any blunders in Ernest's set last Sunday, a truly amazing accomplishment.

The show started with a short set delivered by Nicole Gordon, a vocalist with a long history of collaboration with Ernest. She was accompanied by Johnny Hawthorn, an accomplished player of string instruments and a back up singer named Laurie LeGore. Nicole sounded good, but the best was yet to come.

After a short intermission, Ernest Troost came out with an acoustic guitar and without saying a word he launched into "Resurrection Blues", an exceptionally good song. He followed up with another good song, then another one, and that was pretty much the way the whole evening went.

What initially started out as an "Ernest solo" evening, gradually grew into something bigger, with an equally increasing decibel level. First, Ernest was joined by Nicole, whose backup vocals sounded more soulful than her own opening set. Later in the show, Ernest invited drummer/percussionist Debra Dobkin and upright bassist Mark "Pocket" Goldberg to join him on stage. Their percussive presence made an immediate impact and those were the moments I probably enjoyed the most. Soon thereafter, Ernest "went electric", but not before having to overcome a few technical hiccups involving pedals, amps and plugs. The ensuing moments of interruption were handled with great humor by sound engineer Wayne Griffith, Ernest himself and the audience.

For the grand finale, the band grew by yet two more souls, namely Johnny Hawthorn and Laurie LeGore. They sounded fabulous together.

Picking favorite songs is no easy feat, considering the consistently high level of Ernest's songwriting. I loved "Close" with its clever lyrics, "Travellin" Shoes" and its moving story, "O Love" and practically everything else I heard.

Ernest Troost's set list

Mark Goldberg at McCabe's

Nicole Gordon at the end of her set (with Johnny Hawthorn)

Nicole Gordon's set list

A final thought: exactly one year ago, I had no clue who Ernest Troost was. I went to see him for the first time in January 2012, mostly because I needed a McCabe's fix. I did get my fix, plus I discovered an exceptionally talented artist, someone who since then has given me many hours of listening pleasure. Shaking hands with Ernest after his Sunday night show and having the opportunity to tell him how much I loved his music was a great ending to an equally great evening.

The stage

Sign in the window at McCabe's

Concert #439 - The Knitters at The Getty Center (May 18, 2007)

First-rate concerts that also happen to be free are few and far between. They also tend to sell out quickly, especially at venues as popular as the Getty Center's Harold M. Williams Auditorium. So I kept my eyes on the ball and reserved my tickets the minute they were made available to the public. Literally. I just wasn't going to miss out on a show that brought together three of my favorite musicians, namely Dave Alvin, John Doe and Exene Cervenka, performing together as three fifth of the Knitters, Los Angeles' semi-legendary cow-punk band.

My small group included my Better Half, as well as Bob and Lynne, two dear friends whom I had introduced to Dave Alvin's music a couple of years earlier. We had great seats, about five rows back.

Surprisingly, the evening kicked off not with the full lineup, but only with John Doe and Dave Alvin. The two of them delivered Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" and one other song before being joined by singer Exene Cervenka, drummer DJ Bonebrake and bassist Jonny Ray Bartel.

Another surprise: we didn't get to hear much of Dave Alvin's great voice. Standing somewhat isolated on the right side of the stage and keeping a relatively low profile, Dave focused primarily on playing his electric guitar and I did enjoy watching him in a role that was so different from my previous all-acoustic encounters with him. Most of the vocal duties were handled by John and Exene, with the latter bringing to stage a distinct punk attitude that must have lingered on from her days with X.

The setlist included both covers and originals. We got to hear the old traditional "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane", "Give Me Flowers While I’m Living" from the repertoire of Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Driftwood’s "Long Chain" and "Born To Be Wild", the Steppenwolf's signature song. From X's repertoire we got to hear "New World".

Overall, it was a fun night. The Getty is a great place to see a show, never mind the driving distance to get there.

The entrance to the Harold M. Williams Auditorium

The Harold M. Williams Auditorium

Concert #662 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 14, 2012)

Announced as The Third Annual Jackshit Holiday Extravaganza, the concert was indeed extravagant, as the Boys from Cochtotan brought to stage not only their own brand of great music and humor, but also a record number of four surprise guests. Over the years, the band has been spoiling its fans with such unannounced guests and a welcome trend is clearly developing: as the fame of the band grows, so does the caliber of their guests.

The evening did not start well for me. I got in line at 5:15 PM in order to get front-row center seats for my wife and I. Quite often, folks associated with various performers are allowed in before doors open to the general public, but those folks never take the best seats in the house. That's just basic courtesy to the performer's best fans, the ones who wait in the street for hours. Sadly, such courtesy was not present Friday night, so we ended up not sitting where we wanted to sit.

The show started with four predictable songs, followed by the seldom-played "Hung It Up", from the repertoire of Junior Brown. Next, the band brought out Johnny Shit, known to many as Jonathan Rice, the up-and-coming musician of some talent who's also half of the Jenny & Johnny duo. Johnny sang only one song, "Carpetbaggers", which I believe is the duo's best.

Jonathan Rice at McCabe's

Surprising everyone, drummer Pete Thomas walked up to the front of the stage, picked up a guitar and, with nine-year old Ringo Shit taking his place behind the drum set, he sang "Run Run Rudolph", the classic song made famous by Chuck Berry. By the way, Ringo Shit's real name is Charlie. He is Shorty Shit's son. Charlie's drumming skills are fast developing and it won't be long before he becomes an accomplished drummer.

Pete Thomas, occasional singer and guitarist (with Charlie Faragher on drums)

The next guest, introduced as Mama Shit, was none other than the much-acclaimed Lucinda Williams, the three-time Grammy winning singer-songwriter whose raw singing style has never fully connected with me. She sang three songs, including her own "Still I Long For Your Kiss" and Boz Scagg's "Loan Me A Dime" and I liked them all. Seeing Lucinda live was a totally different experience from listening to her recorded music - my mind has been opened and I'm ready now to seriously start exploring her back catalog.

Lucinda Williams at McCabe's

Lucinda Williams thanking the crowd

Shorty Shit was in his usual great vocal form. I liked his singing of "The Seeker", the classic song of the Who, and especially the Band's "Cripple Creek".

The Shit Horns made their usual brief appearance, but this time there was no "Ring Of Fire" and no "Lonely Bull". Instead, they helped out on "The Magnificent Seven" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky", a song that also featured Shorty's laughter-inducing high falsettos.

The Shit Horns

The third surprise guest of the evening was Grammy-winner Dave Alvin, a huge favorite of mine. Playing electric and enjoying every minute of his presence on stage, Dave delivered four great songs that were exceptionally well received by the crowd. My favorite was "Johnny Ace", the sad story of the demise of the young R&B star in 1955. For more on Johnny Ace's death and the controversy surrounding it, click on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Ace. Dave's set ended with a rousing rendition of "Marie Marie", a song he wrote during his days with the Blasters.

Since 1990, I've seen Dave Alvin in concert close to twenty times and all of these appearances were acoustic. Nothing wrong with that, but Friday night's electric sounds were something to behold and I would be absolutely thrilled to watch Dave in an all-electric show at McCabe's.

Dave Alvin at McCabe's, with Dave Faragher in the background

The fourth and final guest of the evening was guitar legend Albert Lee, yet another Grammy winning musician. Initiated by Beau Shit's invitation to take the stage, Albert's appearance was an impromptu affair that provided some of the evening's finest moments. Albert remained on the stage for two songs, "You'd Better Get Right" and "Cripple Creek". The extended intro to the former featured a visibly thrilled Val McCallum sitting on the stage and trading guitar licks with Albert, who loved the moment himself.

Albert Lee (seated), with Dave Faragher

Val McCallum trading guitar licks with Albert Lee

The concert wrapped up with yet another endearingly sloppy delivery of Rodney Crowell's "Bull Rider", followed by the usual epic playing of Johnny Horton's "I'm Coming Home", with the band firing on all cylinders. The boys came back for a one-song encore, Randy Newman's "Louisiana", quite predictably.

Given the prevailing Christmas spirit, the Boys From Cochtotan left out a few often-played murder songs, so we did not get to hear "Long Black Veil", nor "Pretty Polly". I would have loved to hear the latter.

The set list

For Friday night's Jackshit concert I bought a record number of 35 tickets, which went to a lucky group of friends and coworkers, with many first-timers among them. Everyone loved the show, no exceptions, and most of them want to see the band again. Some of them appear in the following photos.

Suzanne (left) & Tul

Bharat and Deborah

Cindy, Rick & Chris

Tan & Jerry

Kostas & Jessica

Manan

Saphire (center) with her friends

My friend Steve had the time of his life when, after the concert, he met Lucinda Williams, one of his all-time favorite singers. Steve described Lucinda as very friendly.

Lucinda Williams and my friend Steve

McCabe's employees Mikki Itzigsohn and Lincoln Myerson

The stage

My interest in catching Jackshit's live shows remains at its peak and so is my desire to spread the word and bring yet more folks to see them perform.

By the way, this was my 333rd McCabe's concert, a number that just makes me shake my head in disbelief.