Concert #660 - Kinky Friedman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 7, 2012)

This was my third time to see Kinky Friedman live on stage and the experience only made me want for more. Kinky's formula works great for me. He takes one part storytelling and one part music which then he mixes for about 90 minutes and what comes out is far greater than the sum of its parts. Of course, humor is the foundation of most everything he does, yet he can be serious as well and when he is, he's dead serious.

The show started even before we got to our seats, with Kinky standing right there in the middle of the store, greeting everyone, shaking hands and asking for our names. What a classy thing to do!

Kinky Friedman greeting my friend Steve, as we were walking in

With an acoustic guitar hanging from his neck, a glass of tequila in his hand and a cigar in his mouth, Kinky started the show with his traditional toast for honor: "Here's to honor - get on 'er and stay on 'er". Kinky stuff indeed, yet everyone laughed real hard.

The musical portion of the set started with "Before All Hell Breaks Loose", an old gem whose opening line is "Time to resign from the human race" and things never slowed down from there. 

 Partial Set List

They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore

Sold American

Gets Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed

Nashville Casualty And Life

The Ballad Of Kevin Barry (a song Kinky learned from Paul Robeson)

Ol' Ben Lucas (this turned into a hilarious sing-along)

Autograph (dedicated to the late Levon Helm)

Ride'm Jewboy (the one-song encore of the evening)

Kinky Friedman at McCabe's

There's something truly magic about Kinky's personality. Whether he talks or sings, he sucks you right in and keeps you there under his mesmerazing influence until the lights go back on. It's true that he reuses some of his best lines, yet they sound good every time one hears them. But there was plenty of funny new material as well: just before leaving Hamburg for his next stop in Paris, Kinky asked his German guide how far Paris was from Hamburg. The guide thought for a few seconds and replied "About a five-day march".

Kinky's humor is out there, seemingly made to offend people and peoples, with absolutely no reverence to political correctness or anything that's "proper" when it comes to sexual or ethnic topics. He has and probably will run again for the governorship of the State of Texas and I'm pretty sure that, while on the campaign trail, he will not be the same Kinky The Entertainer we saw Friday night at McCabe's.

No Kinky Friedman show is complete without the reading of a chapter from one of his newly published books. This time we heard "Tom Friedman - The Navigator", where Tom is a World War II veteran and, you guessed it right, Kinky's father. The chapter appears in "Heroes Of A Texas Childhood", a book currently at its fourth printing. I went home happily carrying an autographed copy of the book.

Kinky Friedman's autograph on my new book

A couple of times during the show, Kinky acknowledged Danny Hutton's presence in the room. That's Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night fame, of course.

Two bottles of Kinky's own brand of Man In Black tequila were auctioned off to support Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, an animal shelter founded by Kinky himself. The two bottles, along with a few small items, fetched a grand total of $800. 

Musician and writer Michael Simmons opened the show with a three-song set. The one I liked the best was "Bubbles In My Beer", originally recorded by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. I had no idea who Michael was, but now I know. To find out more about Michael Simmons and his association with the Kinkster, click on the link below which will take you to an exceptionally well-written post authored by Michael himself.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-simmons/kinky-friedman-texas-jewboys_b_2247353.html

Michael Simmons at McCabe's

Immediately following Michael and introduced as the "Mad Hungarian", Brian Molnar delivered an exceptionally good set that, at only four songs, was a bit too short. His melodic sense and mine were in perfect alignment and I loved his voice and phrasing, too. I will definitely keep an eye out for this deserving young musician.

Brian Molnar at McCabe's

Kinky Friedman and Brian Molnar at the merch table

Kinky Friedman and Yours Truly

Concert poster

Concert #659 - Barry McGuire - Gelencser House Concerts (December 1, 2012)

Last night marked my first-time ever to attend a show in a house-concert setting. The event took place at the Gelencser residence in Claremont, California, so now their living room is listed in my concert database alongside the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre, House Of Blues and other famed venues. The hosts, Andy and Janice Gelencser, deserve a lot of praise for opening up their home to larger groups of people, putting in time and effort to organize the concert and accepting a great deal of inconvenience without any financial benefit, all done for the love of music. Again, kudos to them.

This was my fifth time to see Barry live in concert and the fourth time to attend his "Trippin' the Sixties" show. He is seventy-seven now, an age when most of his singing peers from the sixties are either retired or dead. Barry, on the other hand, keeps pressing on and well he should, as he is still perfectly capable of putting on an entertaining show that is heart-warming, humorous and informative.

Barry McGuire sharing stories with the audience

Masterfully intertwining stories with music, Barry's show kept moving along at a fast pace. I particularly enjoyed the story-telling part of the show, with Barry paying his respects to many musical heroes from decades ago, among them Tim Hardin, John Denver, John Sebastian, Scott McKenzie, Steve Goodman, Zal Yanovski, The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Arlo Guthrie, PF Sloan, Lou Adler and Fred Neil. Barry also made frequent references to the "herbal medicines" used by many of the top musicians of the era.

I was impressed by Barry's overall shape. He performed the entire concert with full intensity, lots of self-confidence and it appeared to me that he enjoyed the show as much as the rest of us. His voice did not falter, he never looked for words and came up with funny quips whenever needed.

Compared to earlier shows, last night's "Trippin' the Sixties" set included a few new additions, such as Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", CCR's "Proud Mary" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" from the repertoire of John Denver. Funny thing though, the latter song was actually released in the early seventies.

SET LIST

Green Green

Eve Of Destruction

Everybody's Talkin'
Hair

Johnny B. Goode

Daydream

Turn Turn Turn

California Dreamin'

San Francisco

Creeque Alley

Tambourine Man

City Of New Orleans

If I Were A Carpenter

Proud Mary

Woodstock

Get Together

Dancing In The Street

Take Me Home, Country Roads

For me, the highlight of the show was Tim Hardin’s “If I Were A Carpenter”.

Barry's shows just wouldn't be the same without the competent support provided by John York, a musician whose credentials include a stint with the Byrds. To these eyes and ears, John is an outstanding support musician who adds value without ever attempting to outshine the headliner. His guitar solos were great and his singing was subdued, just the way a backup-vocalist is supposed to sing. And he's got a sense of humor, too: when a spectator asked Barry about how he hooked up with John, the answer came fast and short from the latter: "Internet dating service"!

  

Barry McGuire (left) and John York

After the show, I had once again the good fortune of shaking hands with Barry and chatting with him for a couple of minutes. His humility, warmth and friendship are something to behold.

From left to right: My friend Steve, Barry McGuire and Yours Truly

Barry's autograph on my newly purchased CD

Overall, my first-ever exposure to house concerts was a success. I liked the intimacy of the place and enjoyed meeting the hosts. Oh yeah, the brownies were great, too.

The stage

Barry McGuire and John York (both seated) after the show

Barry McGuire (right) and John York with a fan

Intermission

The merch table

Concert #658 - Jennifer Warnes at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 17, 2012)

We are getting older and so does Jennifer Warnes. She is sixty-five now, yet she still sounds like Jennifer Warnes and that is no small feat. Not too many singers posses a voice that is as expressive and nuanced as Jennifer's and it is pure joy to be able to enjoy her singing in a live setting, so many years after I first heard her voice in the early seventies.

Last night's concert at McCabe's was as good as any of my previous seven encounters with Miss Warnes. Accompanied by string ticklers Billy Watts, Taras Prodaniuk and Rick Cunha, she sang many of the songs from her last year's tour, with a few welcome changes. Even though she is not known to be someone who dwells in her musical past, Miss Warnes performed a few of her older tunes, among them "I'm Restless", "Right Time Of The Night", "When The Feeling Comes Around" and Leonard Cohen's "Bird On The Wire". They all sounded good, yet the concert's finest moments, at least to these ears, came when Jennifer tackled lesser known songs, such as Ian Tyson's "Blue Mountains Of Mexico", Bob Dylan's "When The Deal Goes Down" and the absolute highlight of the evening, Blind Alfred Reed's "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live".

Jennifer Warnes addressing the crowd

Come to think of it, with one exception, all we heard last night were slow songs of essentially the same tempo. Such shows could become boring pretty fast, yet there wasn't a trace of boredom last night at McCabe's. On the contrary, the audience, myself included, remained fully engaged and thoroughly entertained, courtesy of Jennifer's humility, warmth and, most of all, her voice.

The only fast song of the entire evening was "God Doggit, Baby", a humorous song written by the little-known Michael Smotherman and delivered by Jennifer complete with her favorite snail joke.

Guitarist Billy Watts doubled up as Jennifer's singing male partner, as together they performed "You Don't Know Me" and "Up Where We Belong". His outstanding playing of the guitar intro to Alfred Reed's "Poor Man" prompted Jennifer to ask him to play it again.

Also among the evening's highlights were Mickey Newbury's "So Sad", Allen Toussaint's "It's Raining" and the show opener "Carrying A Torch", from the repertoire of Van Morrison. For her one-song encore, Jennifer picked Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" which sounded fabulous.

My small group included our friend Deborah and extended family members Nancy and Jim. We all had a great time and something tells me that the next time Jennifer is in town we will all be back.

The end of the show: Jennifer Warnes and her band

Jennifer Warnes and Billy Watts thanking the crowd

Sound engineer Alan Kanter

Jennifer Warnes arriving at McCabe's

My Better Half (right) and our good friend Deborah

Window sign at McCabe's

Concert poster

Concert #438 - Perla Batalla - Levitt On The Lawn Concerts (Scripps College) (April 27, 2007)

I first saw Grammy-nominee Perla Batalla in concert at UCLA's Royce Hall in February 2007, and what an auspicious introduction that was. As a key figure in a star-studded Leonard Cohen tribute concert, Perla knocked my socks off with the power and expressiveness of her voice.

Two months later, Perla appeared at an outdoor concert that took place at Claremont's Scripps College, a short driving distance from my home. The event was sponsored by the Levitt Pavilion For The Performing Arts in Pasadena, a cultural organization with strong ties to the college. The Elm Tree Lawn, where the tiny stage was set up, is a pretty area located right in the heart of the Claremont Colleges. Sadly, only about 70 folks showed up, even though the event was free to the public.

Perla Batalla at Claremont's Scripps College

The concert started at the unusual time of 5:30 PM. Accompanied by two musicians, Perla's performance lasted just a little over an hour. She sang in both English and Spanish, her two native languages. In spite of the low turnout, Perla did not hold back, so we got to hear her full vocal range and intensity. As expected, she did deliver a Leonard Cohen tune.

Perla Batalla at Claremont's Scripps College

After the concert, I approached Perla and we chatted for a few very pleasant minutes. She appeared to be genuinely friendly, warm and humble. Carrying her autographed album of Leonard Cohen covers, I went home happy.

Perla Batalla and Yours Truly

The gorgeous Elm Tree Lawn - Scripps College (Claremont, California)

Concert #441 - Sara Hickman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 1, 2007)

In my case, a trip to McCabe's means a round trip of one-hundred-and-two miles, so quite often I pay more for gas than for the concert ticket itself. Wasting money is not my thing, so I choose my concerts carefully - in most cases, when I buy my tickets, I pretty much know what to expect from the performer. Sara Hickman's appearance at McCabe's in 2007 was a rare exception - I remember driving to McCabe's and questioning the wisdom of my choice.

Three hours later, as I was driving home, I was congratulating myself for having discovered such a wonderful singer-songwriter, who  - as far as I was concerned - came out of nowhere. Typically, I don't fall for the "peace and universal love" schtick, but in Sara's case, had she asked the audience to hold hands, sway and sing, God knows I would have done it, that's how genuine and strong her message was.

Sara's set list drew heavily from "Motherlode", her then-current album. The song that hit me the hardest was "Comfort's Sigh", one of the finest mid-tempo ballads I have ever heard. Kristin de Witt, one of Sara's friends and musical collaborators, sang backup vocals on a few songs.

Sara's set was exceptionally pleasant, even though I did not know any of her songs. After the show, I went straight to her merch table and bought "Motherlode", which turned out to be a double CD.

The cover of Sara Hickman's "Motherlode" album

I can't wait to see Sara again, but sadly, Southern California is not a common stop on her touring itinerary.

McCabe's Guitar Shop - The concert room

Concert #657 - Robbie Fulks at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 21, 2012)

My Sunday night's encounter with Robbie Fulks embodied everything that makes McCabe's the finest concert venue in our galaxy. Sadly, only about 120 people attended and I don't believe there was a single unhappy customer among them. As far as all the others are concerned ... well, it was their loss.

I seldom start a blog entry by talking about the opening act, but Greg Trooper definitely deserves this special treatment. Although totally new to his music, I loved everything he did. On the musical front, he impressed me with six outstanding songs and I believe he wrote each and every one of them. The set-closing "Time For Love" generated the loudest crowd response, but any of the other songs could easily qualify to be called a highlight. Here's his nearly-complete set list:

Steel deck bridge
Green eyed girl
This I'll do
They Call Me Hank
Time For Love

Greg Trooper at McCabe's

I loved Greg's chatter - without using a lot of words, he managed to be both thought-provoking and utterly funny. After the show, I was ready to buy his most recent CD, but was turned away by the $20 price tag.  

Just like in July 2011, Robbie Fulks came out with Robbie Gjersoe, his sidekick of many years. Together, they provided entertainment at its best: great songs, excellent vocals, some power picking and lots of good humor. There were lots of original songs and also plenty of covers, such as  Bill Anderson's "Cocktails" and the obscure "I Wanna Be Mama'd" by the equally obscure Jimmie Logsdon.

Robbie Fulks (right), with Robbbie Gjersoe at McCabe's

The two Robbies did not have a set list and, as a result, the show had an air of "let's play what feels good", which suited me just fine. A few humorous songs "felt good" to them, so I got to hear one of my favorites, "I Told Her Lies".

The crowd shouted out a few requests and Robbie obliged with the singing of "She Took A Lot Of Pills (And Died)", one of his more popular numbers. I also enjoyed hearing  "Georgia Hard", "Tears Only Run One Way" and "Cigarette State". John Calacci, a close associate of Susanna Hoffs, happened to be in the house, so Robbie sang "That Bangle Girl" and offered himself to Susanna, just in case she had an interest in a forty-nine year old married man. "Let's Kill Saturday Night" and "The Buck Starts Here" were also well-received by the crowd.

This was my third time to see Robbie Fulks in concert and I can say that he's getting better every time I see him. Or maybe I just like him more every time I see him, but either way, I will continue to catch him every time he comes to town.

Robbie Fulks at McCabe's

Robbie's final bow