Concert #671 - Venice at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 12, 2013)

Q: Was this your first time to see Venice in concert?
A: First time, indeed.

Q: How come? These guys have quite a following and have you seen the list of musicians they have played with?
A: Yes, I have, and I'm impressed, but somehow the band managed to stay below my radar for all these years. There's nothing wrong with my radar, but it's just impossible to be on top of absolutely everything that's good in the world of music. 

Q: In maximum four words, how was the show?
A: I can't answer in four words.

Q: Why's that?
A: Because last night's show was both boring and engaging. Boring in the beginning and totally engaging toward the end.

Q: Care to elaborate?
A: Well, first let me set the stage. Friday night concerts are tough for me. I'm usually tired after a long week in the office, then it takes me more than an hour to get to McCabe's, so when the show finally starts, I'm in a state of near-collapse. At that point, what I need is a shot in the arm delivered by a high-energy artist who dazzles me with music, wit and most of all, a fast-paced performance.

Q: So you didn't get that last night, did you?
A: Not in the beginning. When we walked in, we saw on the stage four chairs that weren't suggesting anything involving high energy.

The stage

Q: Tell me more.
A: The four Lennons, Kipp, Mark, Michael and Pat, came out to a rousing reception, complete with screams of "We love you". They opened with a few slow-ish song, and so it went for a while. To these ears, the show just wasn't taking off and after thirty minutes or so, I felt I'd be in for a long night.

Q: Are you saying they were bad?
A: Not at all. Their voices were great, the harmonies were there, but the music just didn't grab me. The songs, while nicely crafted, carried no punch and the fact that they were all new to me did not help matters. "The Point" was the only song from the first half of the show that caught my attention.

Q: But then something changed, didn't it?
A: Midway through the show, all of a sudden, things changed for me, even though the band kept doing what they had been doing. Songs like "For A Kiss", "The Only Love I Had" and "Fingers Crossed" managed to win me over and from that point on, I found the show quite entertaining and by the time they played the set-ending "Think Again", I was clapping along with everybody else.

The set list

Q: Did you like the voices of the Lennons?
A: The answer is yes. I liked both lead vocalists, Kipp and Mark, and the harmonies of the band were good, too.

Q: Did the band members play their usual roles?
A: Yes. They all sang, with Kipp and Mark handling the lead vocal duties. Pat and Michael played a few different acoustic guitars. Michael also played the piano.

Q: How about their personalities?
A: They all seemed to be fun to be around. Their stage banter appeared to be unscripted and was not excessive.

Mark & Kipp Lennon at McCabe's

Pat & Mark Lennon at McCabe's

Q: Did they do any covers of famous songs?
A: No, and I definitely could have used hearing a familiar tune or two. I think they wrote all the songs they played last night, with the exception of "When I'm Gone", a brand new Mark Harris composition. Mark was there last night, he played bass and made a good impression on me. 

Q: The best song of the evening?
A: My vote goes for the infectious "One More Song", one of the best encore numbers you'll ever hear, a song that is guaranteed to produce a standing ovation.

Q: Any other musician on stage with the band?
A: Percussionist Rich Mangicaro completed the band's rhythm section. He was good. 

Kipp & Michael Lennon (with Mark Harris in the background)

Mark (seated) and Kipp at the end of the show

Q: Did the show sell out?
A: Yes, it sold out weeks before the show. There was a late show as well, also a sell-out.

Q: Can you give me one final assessment of the show?
A: Overall, I'm glad I went to see Venice. I got to see an internationally known band with an exceptional resume. And how often do I get to see so much talent in a single family? It just happened that I was in the mood for some harder-hitting music and it took me some time to accept the softer edges of their music.

The merch table

"When I'm Gone" - Lyrics sheet

Poster in the window at McCabe's

Concert #670 - Jill Sobule at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 6, 2013)

Q: So how was last night's concert?
A: It was thoroughly enjoyable. Jill was at her delightful best, vocally and otherwise. Everything she did connected with me big time. I love her music and I adore the way she delivers it from the stage, with her warm personality and her never-ending smile. And she's got a sense of humor, too. As far as I'm concerned, Jill is the real deal. 

Q: Was there an opening act?
A: No.

Q: Did Jill follow a predetermined set list?
A: Not at all. The entire show had a "living room" feel, with Jill taking multiple requests from the audience.

Q: So you don't have a printed set list, do you?
A: I don't, but here are the songs she performed, some solo, others with company: 

Resistance Song (the show opener)

When They Say "We Want Our America Back"

Where Is Bobbie Gentry

Rainy Day Parade

Mexican Wrestler

San Francisco (with Margaret Cho)

Jet Pack

Lucy At The Gym

Bitter 
Big Shoes

Under The Disco Ball

Somewhere In New Mexico

Wendell Lee

Never My Love (the old hit of the Association)

Good Life (grand finale)

Underdog Victorious (encore)

Q: Any guests? 
A: Yes, Jill brought out three unannounced guests. 

Q: Who were they?
A: Margaret Cho, Wayne Kramer and Dan Wilson.

Left to right: Dan Wilson, Wayne Kramer, Jill Sobule, Margaret Cho

Q: Did you know who they were?
A: I knew Margaret Cho from her frequent TV appearances and I was aware of Wayne Kramer's association with MC5. On the other hand, I knew nothing about Dan Wilson.  

Q: How did Margaret Cho do as a singer?
A: Surprisingly well. I knew her as a comedian and actress, but she can sing as well. I liked her voice on "San Francisco", a song she performed alongside Jill. She also sang one of her own compositions, but I don't remember the title. Margaret Cho, the musician, appeared to be in her element up there on the stage.

Q: Any moments of levity?
A: Of course. Plenty. At one point, Jill called her Mom on the phone and, with the cell phone held close to the microphone, we all got to hear her Mom sing a few lines from "Big Shoes". 

Jill Sobule talking on the phone with her Mom

Q: Any coarse language on the stage?
A: There were a few F-bombs thrown in here and there by Jill, Margaret and Dan. Usually I don't appreciate foul language on the stage, especially when used by women performers, but someone as likeable as Jill will get away with almost anything. Heck, she even got me to sing along the expletive-filled chorus of "When They Say We Want Our America Back"!

Q: What was the highlight of the show?
A: Oh, it had to be "A Good Life", performed by Jill, Margaret, Wayne and Dan together, complete with crowd participation. That song gave me good vibes that stayed with me for hours.

Q: What about Wayne Kramer
A: Wayne came out with an acoustic guitar and sang two songs solo, with no one else on the stage. First he did his own "Bad Seed", then he followed up with "High School", an old MC5 song. He made a good impression on me.

Wayne Kramer of MC5 fame at McCabe's

Q: How about Dan Wilson?
A: He sang two of his own songs, "Your Brighter Days" and "All Kinds". I liked the latter better. Considering the brevity of his set, I think he spoke a little too much. After I got home, I googled him and that's when I learned about his Grammy-winning work and career in general. Very impressive.

Grammy-winner Dan Wilson

Q: So would you want to see Jill again in concert?

A: The answer is a resounding yes. I like her recordings, but her live shows are something truly special.

Wayne Kramer, Margaret Cho and Jill Sobule at the end of the show

Jill Sobule chatting with fans after the show

The merch table

The stage

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 #668 - Janis Ian at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 24, 2013)

 

Janis Ian's appearance last Sunday at McCabe's started with a deep and prolonged bow. Two hours later, an identical bow marked the end of the show. Artists with class would treat their audiences like that and there's no better word than "class" to describe Janis Ian, the musician. Or Janis Ian, the human being, for that matter.

The evening kicked off with an unannounced opening set featuring Diana Jones, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter I knew precious little about. I liked her set, but it took me some time to get used to her unique singing voice. There was only one song that did not connect with me, melodically speaking, everything else sounded very good. Diana's best songs were "Henry Russell's Last Words" and the set-ending "A Hold On Me". For the singing of the latter, Diana was joined on stage by Janis Ian, who then stayed on to deliver her own set.

This was my third time to see Janis Ian solo in concert and even though I knew exactly what to expect, Sunday night's show was as good as the first two. On the stage floor, right at her feet, there was a sheet of paper with lots of song titles, not a true set list, but more like a pool of songs to draw from.

Janis Ian's list of songs

Janis opened her set with "Through The Years", followed by one of my all-time favorites, "When The Party's Over". Next in line was "Society's Child", complete with a story about the difficulties she had encountered in the 1960s to get any air play for this hard-hitting song. Serious topics and moments of levity marched together throughout the evening, masterfully intertwined by Janis to both comedic and thought-provoking effect. "My Autobiography" sounded as funny Sunday night as it did in 2006, when I first heard it. I also enjoyed "The Tiny Mouse", a not-yet-released song written by Janis at the request of Cleo Lane, the British singing star known since 1997 as Dame Cleo Lane. The evening's first set wrapped up with "Bright Lights And Promises", during which Janis put on display her guitar-playing prowess.

Janis Ian at McCabe's

After a short break, Janis came back to the stage, expressed relief about her audience still being there, then launched into "Water Colors", arguably the evening's best vocal performance. "Married In London", a song that addresses the controversial issue of same-sex marriage in a humorous way, generated a lot of laughter in the room. Many decades after it first came out, "Tea And Sympathy", another old favorite of mine, still sounded great and so did "Light A Light" and the somewhat newer "My Tennessee Hills". The set ended with a heartfelt rendition of Janis' signature song, "At Seventeen".

Janis Ian on stage at McCabe's

For her two-song encore, Janis brought out Diana Jones, with whom she sang "I'm Still Standing Here", a newer composition. Then, after Diana left, Janis put her microphone down, seated herself on her guitar case and closed the evening with a soft rendition of "Jesse", one of her better-known songs.

Janis Ian singing "Jesse"

Even though I was there for the music, I really enjoyed the moments of spoken word, which were delivered by Janis with her impeccable diction in a voice that was warm, calm, and above all, convincing. Throughout the concert, Janis laughed a lot, and so did we, the spectators. I said it in the first paragraph of this write-up, let me say it again: Janis Ian is a class act, if there ever was one.

Diana Jones at McCabe's

Diana Jones's song list

Janis Ian's guitars on the back wall of the stage

Donation jar for the Pearl Foundation (www.pearlfoundation.com)

Concert poster

Concert #120 - Pete Townshend at the Wiltern Theatre (July 29, 1993)

Pete Townshend. One of the truly great ones. Someone I have been following for a life time, thanks to the fact that neither of us has died before getting old. I went to the concert with my good friend Jim F, who showed up wearing his nicest jump suit, the kind he thought was in order for nicer venues located in the heart of LA. Twenty years on, I still tease him about his exceedingly sporty appearance that night.

Concert poster

We caught the first of Pete's two sold-out shows at the Wiltern. He had just released "Psychoderelict", an ambitious concept album that, by the way, went nowhere, so we knew from the get-go that we'd be treated to many of the songs of the new album. Well, he did the entire album and there was nothing particularly memorable there. But there were plenty of other great songs, some from Pete's solo output, others from the catalog of the Who. As a huge fan of "Tommy", I certainly enjoyed hearing a couple of songs from Pete's masterpiece.

The Set List

Tommy Can You Hear Me?

Cobwebs And Strange (band introduction)

Save It For Later

Eyesight To The Blind

Face The Face

Heart To Hang Onto

I'm A Boy (fragment)

Eminence Front

English Boy

Meher Baba M3

Let's Get Pretentious

Meher Baba M4

Early Morning Dreams

I Want That Thing

Outlive The Dinosaur

Meher Baba M4

Flame

Now And Then

I Am Afraid

Electronic Wizardry

Don't Try To Make Me Real

Predictable

Flame

Meher Baba M5

Fake It

Now And Then (Reprise)

Baba O'Riley

English Boy

 

INTERMISSION

Let My Love Open The Door

Corrine, Corrina

A Little Is Enough

You Better You Bet

Rough Boys

Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)

Pinball Wizard

Naked Eye

ENCORE

 

Magic Bus (with John Entwistle)

Let's See Action (with John Entwistle)

Won't Get Fooled Again (with John Entwistle)

Pete came out with a band consisting of top-notch musicians, among them guitarist and singer Andy Fairweather-Low of Amen Corner fame, bassist Pino Palladino and Katie Kissoon, a well-known British back-up singer. Late in the show, the place erupted when Pete brought out John Entwistle, who helped wrap up the evening.

The concert went on for a stunning three full hours. Pete was in good vocal shape and his spirits were high. At one point during the show, Pete and his entire band stood for a few seconds on one leg, in a humorous attempt to prove that they were all sober.

The highlight of the show? My vote goes to the forty-eight year old Pete Townsend doing his trademark windmill guitar strokes. Unforgettable.

Concert #667 - Black Prairie at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 16, 2013)

The Black Prairie is an ensemble that marches in its own yet-to-be-named musical direction. I have seen other acts who "do their own thing", away from well-established genres, but in terms of blazing new musical trails, no one impressed me as much as the Black Prairie. Any attempt to classify their music would be an utter exercise in futility, as there is no name for their blend of experimental bluegrass, Balkan-folk, tango, gypsy music, alt-country, old-time music, klezmer, modern jazz, folk-rock, ragtime, avant-garde Americana, polka and God knows what else.

Terms such as "experimental" and "avant-garde" are quite often associated with music that I find unlistenable, yet everything the Black Prairie played last night at McCabe's sounded refreshing and decidedly tuneful. With their humor, youthful energy and mostly with their music, they took me and everyone else for an unusual yet thoroughly rewarding ride.

Band Line-up

Chris Funk - Dobro, banjo, autoharp

Nate Query - Upright bass

Jenny Conlee - Accordion, backup vocals

John Moen - Drums, backup vocals

Annalisa Tornfelt - Lead vocals, violin

Jon Neufeld - Acoustic guitar, backup vocals

Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee & Annalisa Tornfelt on stage at McCabe's

The set list

The concert had plenty of highlights. I loved the all-instrumental numbers, which showcased exceptionally well the band's talent and eclecticism. My vote for the best instrumental number must go to "Dirty River Stomp", a gem of a piece with an obsessively gorgeous melody line. But I also enjoyed Annalisa's vocals - "Little Songbird", "Nowhere, Massachusetts" and especially "Lay Me Down In Tennessee" were all great.

Here's a great live version of "Dirty River Stomp":

I liked the fact that, as a band, the Black Prairie does not have any individual stars. Most of the time they played together as a true band, without flashy protracted solos, the kind that typically generate applause directed at one of the musicians, as opposed to the whole group. Last night, the band also used a few unusual instruments, which was certainly in line with the innovative spirit of their music. Jenny Conlee's contribution to the overall sound of the band cannot be overstated - her accordion sounded great to these ears.

Jenny Conlee & Annalisa Tornfelt

The evening kicked off with a five-song set delivered by Ashleigh Flynn, a singer-songwriter of some talent. Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar and mouth harmonica, Ashley performed her first two songs solo, before being joined by some members of the headlining band. By the time her set ended, Ashleigh was flanked  by the entire band, in a truly nice show of support. The highlight of the opening set was "How The West Was Won".

Ashleigh Flynn (right), with Annalisa Tornfelt

Ashleigh Flynn's sheet

The stage

Ashleigh Flynn merchandise

Concert poster