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

Concert #740 - Syd Straw at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 11, 2015)

If you're like me, you go to concerts for the music and you are supremely annoyed by musicians who blabber away for hours instead of focusing on music. Excessive talking can drive me nuts and indeed, there are a few singers out there whose verbal diarrhea has stopped me from becoming a repeat customer. But then there are two musicians, and I mean only two, who can talk as much as they want and I won't complain. One of them is Kinky Freedman. The other is Syd Straw.

Saturday night at McCabe's, Syd and her supporting cast played a total of seventeen songs, a fairly normal amount of music for a ninety-minute show, but thanks to Syd's massively talkative mood, the show went on for a little over two-and-a-half hours. Wow! But I'm not complaining. On the contrary, I got thoroughly amused by the non-musical part of her act. Syd's sense of humor is truly unique, quite difficult to categorize, but most definitely enjoyable - my friend Steve put it best, when he described Syd as being "gloriously loopy".

Syd Straw at McCabe's

I have now seen Syd Straw five times as a headliner and I must say that Saturday night she sounded better than ever. Her instantly-recognizable voice was strong and she had no problems hitting any notes she wanted to hit.

As expected, her show consisted of mostly her own songs, plus a few well-chosen covers. Here's a list of the cover songs Syd sang for us and, by the way, they all sounded great:

Mutineer (Warren Zevon),

Rocky Racoon (The Beatles)

Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground) 

Love Is Everything (Jane Siberry),

(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World (Wreckless Eric)

What Am I Worth (George Jones)

Syd Straw at McCabe's

And here are the songs that I believe were either written or co-written by Syd herself:

My Ship Comes In

Papier Mache

Black Squirrel

All Things Change

Marry Me

You Had Your Chance

Pink Velour

By This River

Think Too Hard

Current Of Love

Love, And The Lack Of It

To these ears, the highlights of the evening were "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" and "Marry Me", with everything else not too far behind.

Syd came out with guitarist Rob Laufer and violinist Heather Lockie. They remained on the stage for the entire duration of the show. I loved Rob's expressive guitar playing and I enjoyed the warm sounds of Heather's violin - their contribution to the success of the evening cannot be overstated.

Syd Straw and Rob Laufer at McCabe's

Syd Straw and Heather Lockie at McCabe's

For the singing of "Femme Fatale", Syd brought out her old friend Cindy Lee Berryhill, who did a great job with this Velvet Underground gem. Later in the show, Syd added two more musicians to her band: bassist David Jenkins and Don Heffington, a drummer and percussionist with impressive credentials.

Cindy Lee Berryhill at McCabe's

And speaking of unannounced guests: for her encore, Syd came out with a happy-looking Dave Alvin, with whom she sang George Jones' "What Am I Worth", from one of George's earliest albums. The song was also recorded by Dave and Syd in 1994, you can find it on Dave's "King Of California" album.

Syd Straw and Dave Alvin at McCabe's

Syd Straw and Dave Alvin at McCabe's

And there was yet another unannounced guest: Carol Burnett. No, America's beloved comedy star did not show up, but Syd's dog did. Inexplicably named after the great artist, Carol-the-Dog watched the entire show from the stage, without interfering with the proceedings.

Syd Straw and her dog Carol at McCabe's

The show was either sold out or very close to a sell out. There was no opening act. Overall, the evening was more than enjoyable. Syd wrapped up her show with the words "God Bless McCabe's", to which I can only add one word: Amen!

The stage

Concert poster

Concert #669 - Syd Straw at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 5, 2013)

Here's a brief concert review, written in Q&A style:

Q: Have you seen Syd Straw before?
A: Yes. Eight times. Three times in a headlining role, five times as someone's guest.

Q: When did you first see her?
A:  Exactly ten years ago, also at McCabe's. She blew me away then, been a fan ever since.

Q: Was last night's show sold out?
A: It looked like a sellout. Maybe a couple of empty seats in the back.

Q: Was there an opening act?
A: No. 

Q: Your overall impression?
A: Very favorable. It was a highly entertaining show, without a single minute of boredom.

Syd Straw at McCabe's

Syd Straw and Willie Aron at McCabe's

Q: How was Syd's voice?
A:  Never better. I was amazed by the expressiveness and precision of her voice. 

Q: Were her songs easy to sing?
A: Not at all. Most of her song require great vocal skills and Syd delivered flawlessly.

Q: Compared to ten years ago, did she sound better or worse?
A: Definitely better. Syd is one of those vocalists who just keep getting better with age.

Q: Syd is known for bringing unannounced guests along. Were there any last night?
A: Three guests: Dave Alvin, Cindy Lee Berryhill and Mark Boone, Jr.

Q: Was that Mark Boone, the actor?
A: Yes. He played guitar on "You Had Your Chance", a song he wrote with Syd for the late Vic Chesnutt.

Syd Straw and Mark Boone, Jr. at McCabe's

Q: What about Dave Alvin?
A: Well, Dave Alvin was Dave Alvin. Great voice, fantastic guitar playing, good humor.

Q: Did Dave play acoustic or electric?
A: Electric, and it was great.

Syd Straw & Dave Alvin at McCabe's

Syd Straw & Dave Alvin at McCabe's

 Q: Syd always talks a lot on stage. Did she go overboard last night?
A: I wouldn't say that she went overboard, but there was a lot of talk, that's for sure.
 
Q: Was she funny?
A: Yes. She is a genuinely funny lady, capable of putting a humorous spin even on tragic events.

Q: Did she perform solo?
A: Except for the two opening songs, Syd played with a band.

Q: Who were the band members?
A:   - Robert Lloyd (mandolin, piano, banjo, accordion) (well-known session player)
       - Willie Aron (electric & acoustic guitar, backup vocals) (session player)
       - Ed Marshall (ukulele)

       - Severo (bass guitar) 

Q: How was the band?
A: The band was great. No flashy solos, but one could tell that all musicians were top-notch.

Q: Who's Severo, the bass player?
A: He is a member of the Smithereens.

Severo Jornacion

Q: And who's Ed Marshall?
A: He plays with the Ooks of Hazzard. 

Q: Any interaction between Syd and the band?
A: Lots of humorous interaction, with Willie Aron in particular laughing his head off. 

Q: How was Cindy Lee?
A: She was quite good. Much better than the first time I saw her last year.

Cindy Lee Berryhill, with son Alexander, at McCabe's

Q: What songs did Syd sing?
A: Most songs came from "Pink Velour", her most recent CD. The ones I remember are "Marry Me", "About To Forget", "My Ship Comes In", "Pink Velour" and "Unraveling".

Q: Did Syd sing any of her "oldies"?
A: Yes, she sang "Golden Dreams" and "Love, And The Lack Of It".

Q: Did she also do "CBGB's"?
A: Sadly, the answer is no.

Q: Any cover songs?
A: A few. Among them, Warren Zevon's "Mutineer".

Q: The show highlights?
A: Syd's voice. Also Syd and Dave Alvin together.

Q: What did she sing with Dave Alvin?
A: They sang three songs together. The first one was "Why Not Me", from the repertoire of the Judds.

Q: The second one?
A: The second song was a powerful rendition of "The Stranger I Live With", an outstanding Syd Straw composition that appears on "Pink Velour". 

Q: And the third one?
A: The third one was "What Am I Worth", the George Jones classic, recorded two decades ago by Dave and Syd for Dave's "King Of California" album. 

Q: Would you want to see Syd Straw again?
A: Absolutely. In a heartbeat.

Syd Straw's informal set list

"Why Not Me" (Dave Alvin's lyrics sheet)

The stage

Syd Straw's guitar

Concert poster

Concert #637 - Julie Christensen at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 13, 2012)

This was my fourth encounter with Julie Christensen, yet only the first time to see her in a headlining role. I first heard of Julie in 1992, when she opened for Luka Bloom at the Variety Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Twenty years later, I have no recollection at all about her set, nor do I remember what her contribution was to the otherwise unforgettable "Shock and Awe" mega-concert dedicated to Randy Newman's music that took place in 2004 at UCLA's Royce Hall. In sharp contrast with these memory slip-ups, I will never ever forget her monumental rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Anthem", which she sang with Perla Batalla in 2007, also at UCLA. That night I made a huge mental note to catch Julie again sometime in the future and last Sunday at McCabe's I finally had my chance. Sitting in the front row, I was wondering whether she would impact me once again as forcefully as she did in 2007.

Julie did not disappoint. She was in excellent vocal form and the songs were great, too, so I enjoyed her show from start to finish. The set list was based primarily on her newly-released album titled "Weeds Like Us", which I promptly bought after the show.

One of the two set lists placed on the stage floor

Another set list (note the slightly different song sequence)

The crowd was definitely thin, but that was to be expected on a Mother's Day Sunday night. Well, whoever wasn't there missed a great show that featured not only a classy vocalist, but also a top-notch band. Multi-multi-multi-instrumentalist Jeff Turmes played four different stringed instruments (banjo, electric bass, acoustic and electric guitars) and I had a lot of fun following his intricate bass lines. Rick Shea's electric guitar accompaniment was exceptionally good and so was Steve Mugalian's gentle drumming. There were no flashy solos, as Jeff, Rick and Steve played together like a true band whose sole mission was to support Julie's songs and voice.

The only song I knew the whole night also happened to be one of the finest songs of the entire concert. I'm talking about "Weeds Like Us", a number written by Jeff Turmes and previously recorded by Janiva Magness, Jeff's ex-wife. Attending a concert with mostly new songs could be a drag, but that wasn't the case at all last Sunday. The songs I liked the most were "Restless", "Slot Machine"and "Slow Motion Trouble".

The album I bought after the show

Throughout the show, Julie appeared to be happy to be performing for us. Her stage banter was not excessive and her warm and friendly demeanor gave the whole show a very intimate feel. And the sound was stellar, as usual.

Julie Christensen at McCabe's

Jeff Turmes chatting with a fan

The show was opened by Cindy Lee Berryhill. Her set consisted of nothing but her own compositions, there were a few good ones among them, but the show would have benefited from a cover song or two. Cindy Lee came out with Renata Bratt on cello and Randy Hoffman on glockenspiel and percussion - they sounded well together. The song I liked the best was "The Adventurist".

Cindy Lee Berryhill at McCabe's

Cindy Lee Berryhill's set list

Julie Christensen fan Peter Case (right)

Julie Christensen and Jeff Turmes reporting to work

 After last Sunday's concert, Julie remains solidly on my "Must See Again" list and until I see her again, I'll keep dreaming about an encore performance of "Anthem", with guest artist Perla Batalla, who else?

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

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