Concert #809 - Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 1, 2017)

I first got acquainted with Jon Langford and his then-band, the Mekons, in 1989. Since then, I have been passionately following not only his solo career, but also his various side-projects, such as The Waco Brothers and Pine Valley Cosmonauts. His current ensemble, curiously named Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls, came to my favorite venue two weeks ago and based on their performance there, I'm happy to say that, even though Jon has just turned sixty, little has changed - his music is as listenable and captivatingly quirky today as it was twenty-five years ago. His idiosyncratic melodic sense is still there and his songs, with their mix of country, folk, rock and punk, are still difficult to categorize.

Jon came out a few minutes after 8 PM with the other three Lost Souls, namely guitarist John Szymanski and singers Bethany Thomas and Tawny Newsome, and together they put on a thoroughly enjoyable show that had a relaxed feel to it, with lots of humor, laughter and most of all, great music. Their set included most songs from their latest album, unsurprisingly titled "Four Lost Souls" - I liked all songs, but "Snake Behind Glass", "Half Way Home" and "Poor Valley Radio" managed to stand out. John turned out to be a devilishly good guitar player, while Bethany and Tawny sang lead and backup vocals with confidence and competence.

Jon's set ended with two of his older songs, "Drone Operator" and "Pill Sailor", and also a surprising cover, Danny O'Keefe's "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues". Overall, I had a heck of a good time at McCabe's watching this truly unique artist.

The stage at 8:10 PM

The stage at 8:15 PM

Jon Langford (right) and John Szymanski at McCabe's

 Tawny Newsome (left) & Bethany Thomas at McCabe's

Jon & Tawny

Jon Langford at McCabe's

The set list

Tawny & Bethany at McCabe's

John, Tawny & Jon, after the show

The stage

The concert room

Concert #398 - Jon Langford at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 8, 2006)

 

This was my first-ever encounter with Jon Langford, the supremely talented Brit who first impressed me in the mid-eighties, when he was with the Mekons. I went to the show with my friends Michael and Nicole.

To our surprise, Jon came out with a band that included not one, but two alumni of his former band: Sally Timms, the outstanding female voice of the Mekons and Rico Bell, an accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist in his own right. 

BAND

Jon Langford - guitar, vocals
Sally Timms - vocals, ukulele
Jean Cook - violin, vocals
Rico Bell - accordion, vocals
Dan Massey - cardboard box
Tony Maimone - bass

SETLIST

Anything Can Happen

Tom Jones Levitation

I Picked Up The Pieces

Hell's Roof

Buy It Now

Broken Bottle

Gold Brick

All Roads Lead Back To Me

Drunk By Noon & Dreams Of Leaving

The Rose From Your Garden

Pill Sailor

It's Not Enough

Mersey Song

Nashville Radio

Sentimental Marching Song

Homburg

Wild And Blue

Memphis, Egypt 

The evening's best songs were "Nashville Radio" and "Pill Sailor". Jean Cook's contribution must also be mentioned.

 

Concert #631 - Tom Russell, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Jon Langford at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 14, 2012)

This concert was the first event of the "2012 Portland Rose" train trip from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, and back. Such musical journeys are a bit too expensive for my taste, but I was more than happy to shell out $40 to catch the participating artists performing live at McCabe's last night, as part of the trip's kickoff show. It turned out it was money well spent.

The format of the concert was just as I predicted: Tom, Jimmie, Ramblin' Jack and Jon took turns to perform their own songs, with Thad Beckman (guitar) and Randy Franklin (mandolin) providing instrumental backup. Tom Russell took the stage first, then one by one, he introduced the other three. Then the music started. Here are  the songs of the first round:

• Tom Russell: "Nina Simone"
• Ramblin' Jack Elliott: "Riding In My Car (Car Song)"
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore: "Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown"
• Jon Langford: "Pill Sailor"

Of the four musicians who performed last night, Jimmie Dale Gilmore was the only one I had not seen before. He was great. He made me thoroughly regret the times when I stayed away from his earlier appearances in the Los Angeles area and there haven't been too many of those. His rendition of Butch Hancock's "Just A Wave, Not The Water", was the best song of the evening and I loved everything else he sang, including his gorgeous "The Banks Of The Colorado".

Yours Truly & Jimmie Dale Gilmore after the concert

There were four rounds of songs, with the musicians performing in the sequence of their seating order. There was a lot of interaction between the musicians and plenty of fun stories were told, without anyone going overboard. Not even Ramblin' Jack!

Tom Russell sang "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall", "Blue Wing" and "Road To Nowhere". Ramblin' Jack delivered a somewhat sloppy version of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" that actually sounded great. I was dying to hear Jon Langford's fabulous "Nashville Radio", but no luck for me. Instead he played a newer song titled "1234 Ever" and one other number with a title I do not know. He sounded great, like he always does.

Woody Guthrie's "Hard Travelin'" was the one-song encore of the evening, with all on stage pitching in and I don't believe there was anyone in the room not to have loved every minute of the show. I know I did.

The stage ready for the show to begin

Tom, Jack, Jimmie and Jon finishing their last song

Jack, Jimmie and Jon thanking the audience

Tom Russell & Ramblin' Jack Elliott after the encore

Ramblin' Jack Elliott at the merch table

Tom Russell and Jimmie Dale Gilmore chatting with fans

Jon Langford chatting with a fan

Two legends: Albert Lee and Ramblin' Jack Elliott meeting after the show

My friend Paul buying a few more concert tickets

Concert #569 - Jon Langford at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 25, 2010)

Jon Langford is one of the music industry's hidden treasures. Now an American citizen living in Chicago, ex-Welshman Langford's music is hard to classify, as it mixes folk, country, rock and punk rock, all blended into something new and different, something powerful and edgy.

This was my second time to see him. I went to the concert by myself and sat in the front row. Jon came out with violinist Jean Cook, then later they were joined by long-time partner Rico Bell. Together, they put on a great show that included both old and new songs, plus plenty of humor, delivered with Jon's wonderful accent. The highlight of the show was "Nashville Radio", a song I can't get enough of.

Here's a live version of "Nashville Radio", featuring Jon and Jean:

After the show, Jon signed autographs and chatted with his fans. When he signed my newly bought CD, I thanked him for having facilitated my introduction to the wonderful artists of the Bloodshot Records label.