Concert #825 - Martha Redbone at the Richard & Karen Carpenter Center (April 26, 2018)

Martha Redbone is one of the few performers who can make me attend a concert at a venue other than McCabe's Guitar Shop, so there I was last Thursday at the Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of California State University in Long Beach, to catch a singer that I truly admire. I'm glad I went.

This was not your typical concert. Titled "Bone Hill - The Concert" and weaving together spoken word and music, Martha and her ensemble recreated for us the eventful history of her multi-ethnic family, starting with her Appalachian Cherokee ancestors, a few generations ago, and continuing to her present life. Whether speaking or singing, Martha's delivery was something to behold - even though she was surrounded by a number of musicians who all contributed to the success of the show, it almost felt like I was attending a one-woman show, that's how strong Martha's stage presence was.

Covering multiple genres, the songs Martha sang for us were all thoroughly enjoyable, even though they were all new to me. The ones that instantly stood out were "Caught My Eye" and "Mamah Mason". By the way, all songs were written by Martha and her piano-playing husband and frequent musical collaborator, Aaron Whitby.

The Carpenter Center is a great place to catch a show, but sadly, only about three hundred people showed up for Martha's performance. As far as I am concerned, I will continue to follow her itinerary and whenever she's within driving distance from my place, I'll be in attendance.

Martha Redbone (left) & Soni Moreno at the Carpenter Center

Martha Redbone (center) and her cast
(Aaron Whitby is second from right)

Excerpts from the evening's program

The stage

The Richard & Karen Carpenter Center

On display in the lobby of the venue

On display in the lobby of the venue

Concert #826 - The Deer at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 27, 2018)

This was my first time to see the Deer in concert. While listening to the band, I tried in vain to come up with the genre that best described their music, so when I got home, I surfed to their web site and here's the wording I found there: "Described as transcendental Texas folk, Cosmic Americana, and stargaze surf-western, the Deer weave psychotropic soundscapes and tranquil, vivid dream-pop". I could not have said it better myself.

The band came out as a quartet consisting of Grace Rowland Park (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Michael McLeod (guitar), Alan Eckert (drums, vocals) and Jesse Dalton (upright bass, vocals). They played mostly their own material, none of which I knew, and as it's always the case with new music, I liked some songs better than others. The inclusion of "Head Over Heals", the song made famous by Tears For Fears in the eighties, was a welcome digression from their own numbers. They also played "Walking In Space", a lesser-known song from Hair, the musical.

Fronting the band, Grace impressed me with her beautiful singing voice and pleasant personality. With their understated playing, the band gave her outstanding support. Some of the evening's best moments came during the band's instrumental interludes, which - with their sometime jazzy and sometime psychedelic tones - had little to do with any traditional genres one could frequently hear at McCabe's.

The evening kicked off with an opening set delivered by Josiah and The Bonnevilles, which turned out to be Josiah without any Bonnevilles. "The Bonnevilles are very small, you can't see them", quipped Josiah soon after he took the stage. Accompanying himself on electric guitar, he sang six or seven songs that did not instantly connect with me, except for his set-ending "Six Dollar Check".

Grace Rowland Park & Michael McLeod at McCabe's

Grace Rowland Park at McCabe's

Jesse Dalton at McCabe's

Michael McLeod at McCabe's

Opening act Josiah at McCabe's

The stage

McCabe's Guitar Shop

Concert #824 - Brad Colerick at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 22, 2018)

 

In January 2009, I went to McCabe's to see April Verch, an emerging Canadian singer, fiddler and step-dancer. She was good, very good, but it was the opening act, a certain Brad Colerick, who, as far as I was concerned, stole the show - he played his own compositions and they were all strikingly good. Last Sunday, nine years after my introduction to Brad's music, I got to see him once again, this time in a headlining role.

The evening kicked off with an outstanding set delivered by Chauncey Bowers, who looked and sounded like the quintessential folkie outlaw, but - to my surprise - is a Harvard-educated scientist, now retired. with a Ph.D. in cellular biology ... go figure! With songs such as "The Last Thing I Remember" and with the tasteful backing vocals provided by Lisa Turner, Chauncey kept my attention focused on his music for the full duration of his set. 

Chauncey Bowers at McCabe's

South Pasadena's Brad Colerick and his band came out without a formal introduction and for the next ninety minutes or so, they delivered one good song after another, most of them written by Brad himself. Two things stood out for me the most: the quality of Brad's songs and his seemingly effortless singing style. Throw in his sense of humor, friendly demeanor and disarming smile and you have got yourself a fun evening. 

Brad Colerick at McCabe's

Brad's band consisted of David Plenn (electric guitar), Tim Fleming (pedal steel guitar) and Guillermo Guzman (bass). They acted as a true support band - their understated solos were well received by the crowd. Toward the end of the concert, Lisa Turner came back to lend her voice on a couple of songs.

Dave Plenn & Brad Colerick at McCabe's

Picking a highlight is not an easy task, but Brad's gorgeous "Juarez", as well as "Superhero Of The MTA" and "Almost Home" deserve to be singled out. Equally good was "Tucson", a song written by guitarist Dave Plenn. By the way, in addition to being an accomplished musician in his own right, Dave also owns and runs the The Dinosaur Farm Book & Toy Store in South Pasadena.

Brad Colerick & Guillermo Guzman at McCabe's

Brad Colerick & Lisa Turner at McCabe's

The band getting ready for the show

There was nothing I did not like about the show, so the next time Brad plays my favorite venue, you can bet that I will be there, accompanied by a few of my friends.

The set list

Koko Peterson, concert organizer and announcer

McCabe's Guitar Shop - The Listening Room

Concert #823 - Peter Himmelman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 15, 2018)

 

It's hard to believe, but thirty-one years have passed since I first saw Peter Himmelman in concert. Back then, in 1987, he did not make an instant fan out of me, but his 1991 album, "From Strength To Strength", was nothing short of a life-changer for me, in a musical sense. Peter's Sunday night appearance at McCabe's was my twenty-third time to see him live, a clear sign that the passage of time has done nothing to dampen my love for Peter's music and his idiosyncratic stage act.

Performing in front of about one hundred loving fans, Peter delivered a set that had quite a few newer songs, but also a healthy dose of oldies, such as "Impermanent Things", Mission Of My Soul", "Measure", "Waning Moon", "7 Circles" and the epic "Been Set Free". The vocal cord surgery that Peter underwent in 2015 must have been a success, as the voice I heard Sunday night was as strong as ever.

There was nothing in Peter's act that appeared to be scripted - there were lots of spontaneous remarks, improvised songs and, of course, the unpredictable crowd response - yet the concert had something I had never noticed before: a predetermined set list!

Peter's set list, featuring his unmistakable penmanship

Peter Himmelman having fun at McCabe's

Peter Himmelman at McCabe's

Peter Himmelman singing "Been Set Free"

Peter Himmelman at the end of his set

Concert announcer Brian Rodriguez

The stage

 

Concert #822 - Dave Alvin, Syd Straw & Peter Case at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 24, 2018)

This was the second in a series of special shows celebrating the 60th anniversary of McCabe's, with a portion of the proceeds going to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. Featuring three of my favorite singer-songwriters - Dave Alvin, Syd Straw and Peter Case - the show did not disappoint.

Seated side-by-side, Dave, Syd and Peter delivered a round-robin set that included lots of storytelling  and yes, also an occasional song, here and there. Normally I would complain about shows where the spoken word outweighs the music, but last night the spoken word turned out to be hilariously funny, the music was great, as expected, so I went home totally happy.

The proceedings were kicked-off by Peter Case with an outstanding rendition of his "Try Me One More Time", followed in order by Syd, Dave, then Peter again and so on. Needless to say, this was an extremely casual affair, with no scripted lines and no set lists - at times it felt like I was in a living room and having a good time with a bunch of musician friends.

To these ears, the evening's best moments were Syd Straw's epic delivery of "Love And The Lack Of It", Dave's low-key "Downey Girl" and Peter's "Somebody Told The Truth". Another highlight was George Jones' "What Am I Worth", performed with intensity by Dave and Syd at the end of their set. And speaking of covers: their extended encore included a thoroughly funny interpretation of Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing" and also a sing-along, Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land". For the latter, our main protagonists were joined on stage by the exuberant Cindy Wasserman and Frank Drennen, collectively known as the Dead Rock West, and also by Cindy Lee Berryhill.

I can't wait for the third special anniversary show!

Dave Alvin, Syd Straw & Peter Case at McCabe's

Dave Alvin & Syd Straw at McCabe's

Peter Case at McCabe's

Syd Straw at McCabe's

Dave Alvin at McCabe's

The Grand Finale: This Land Is Your Land

Dave Alvin & Dead Rock West at McCabe's

The stage

Sign in the window at McCabe's