Concert #771 - The Wainwright Sisters at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 28, 2016)

Donald Trump would have been right, had he described this show as "low energy", but low energy is precisely what I needed on that late Sunday evening, at the end of a long week. Gentle songs came one after another, many lullabies among them, but instead of putting me to sleep, these young ladies grabbed me solid with their melodic tunes and gorgeous vocal harmonies.

The Wainwright Sisters at McCabe's

Wearing identical dresses, Martha and Lucy conversed with each other, shared stories with the crowd, sang most of the time as a duo, but they also had their own solo mini-sets. Everything they did was low-key, but they still managed to be engaging and most definitely entertaining. Their combined voices sounded great even though their singing styles are a bit different, with Lucy's more traditional sound being well complemented by Martha's edgier approach to singing.

Most songs we heard came from "Songs In The Dark", their joint recent album - come to think of it, they played practically the entire album. I recognized a few songs, such as "Hobo's Lullaby", Richard Thompson's "End Of The Rainbow', the well-known "El Condor Pasa" and "My Mother The Mountain" from the repertoire of Townes Van Zandt. Some post-concert research revealed that, not unsurprisingly, family members Loudon Wainwright, Terre Roche and Kate McGarrigle also contributed songs to this unique album. 

Martha Wainwright at McCabe's

The Wainwright Sisters at the end of the concert

Overall, I had a good time listening to Martha and Lucy and I look forward to seeing them again.

The stage

Concert poster

Concert #711 - Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 9, 2014)

This was my first-ever concert featuring a mother and her daughter performing together as a duo. I went to the show without being familiar with the music of either, a fact that, as it turned out, did not diminish at all my enjoyment of the concert. 

The evening felt pretty much like being in the living room of two talented musicians - there was a lot of casual talk, some humorous jabbing, many funny lines thrown in by both Suzzy and Lucy, with even the audience getting involved on occasion. Then there was a song abandoned after only a few guitar chords, when Lucy suggested that they play only songs they actually know. Depending on intangible factors, I may sometimes get annoyed by musicians who appear to be exceedingly relaxed, but that wasn't the case Friday night at McCabe's. I must have found the informal feel of the evening to be contagious, because the next thing I knew, I was laughing along with Suzzy and Lucy when they burst into uncontrolled laughter, right in the middle of a song.

Lucy Wainwright Roche (left) and Suzzy Roche having a laugh at McCabe's

I will remember this concert not only for its casual feel, but also for Suzzy and Lucy's gorgeous vocal harmonies. Simply put, they sounded great together, but I also liked their solo parts. Even at the first listen, I found their songs to be instantly accessible - I suppose they wrote most of them. The ones that stood out for me were "G-Chord Song" and "There's A Last Time For Everything". They also played a few covers - "For No One" (the Beatles gem), "America" (the Simon & Garfunkel classic), "Mama Said" (the Shirelles hit), and "Rhythm Of The Rain", the well-known one-hit wonder of the Cascades - they all sounded great.

Suzzy Roche at McCabe's

Lucy Wainwright Roche (left) and Suzzy Roche at McCabe's

At one point during the concert, Suzzy and Lucy invited show-opener Nate Borofsky to join them for a few songs. With his humorous personality, Nate added yet more fuel to the giggly mood of the headliners.

Lucy & Suzzy, with Nate Borofsky

Suzzy & Lucy's set list

The evening was kicked off by the likeable Nate Borofsky, whom I have seen twice before with Girlyman, the now-defunct band of considerable talent. He writes good songs and delivers them quite well, except when he leaves his vocal comfort zone. The songs I liked the best were "Break The Dam" and "Wherever It Takes".

Nate Borofsky at McCabe's

Nate Borofsky's set list

Nate Borofsky at the merch desk