Concert #723 - The Psycho Sisters at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 2, 2014)

Most music fans have not heard of the Psycho Sisters, a low-profile project involving two well-known musicians, namely Susan Cowsill of the Cowsills and Vicky Peterson of the Bangles. I must admit that, initially, the name of the band did not ring a bell to me either. Good thing, though, that the folks at McCabe's, most likely with ticket sales in mind, did not keep the identities of the sisters a secret and, in the end, the show did sell out.

The Psycho Sisters' concert last night at McCabe's featured songs from their soon-to-be-released first album, some material from Susan and Vicky's earlier work, as well as a couple of covers. The crowd's response to the show put on by Susan and Vicky was exceptionally enthusiastic, while the level of my own enthusiasm remained a notch lower. The show had good moments, of course, but I had a hard time connecting with some of the songs I was unfamiliar with. Among the positives, I must mention Susan's singing and her harmonizing with Vicky - one could easily tell that the two had been singing together for years, even decades.

Susan Cowsill (left) and Vicky Peterson at McCabe's

With three exceptions, I was totally unfamiliar with the songs performed by the Psycho Sisters last night. The three exceptions were "Mixed Messages", a catchy song from the repertoire of the Bangles, Gene Pitney's "It Hurts To Be In Love" and "Cuddly Toy", a song written by Harry Nilsson for the Monkees. From among the songs that were new to me, "Never Never Boys" and "Mask-And-Wig Ball" stood out to these ears.

Throughout their set, the Psycho Sisters were accompanied by bassist Derek Anderson and drummer Russ Broussard, who also happens to be Susan's husband. And speaking of the marital status of the Psycho Sisters: Vicky Peterson is married to John Cowsill, Susan's brother, which makes Vicky and Susan sisters-in-law.

Susan Cowsill (left) and Vicky Peterson at McCabe's

The set list

Acting as Susan and Vicky's third psycho-sister, violonist and singer Petra Haden joined the band for most of the evening, but kept a relatively low profile. During the two-song encore, psycho-brother and opening act Bill Mumy took the stage as well. Bill's thirty-minute opening set revealed a likeable artist who sings well and writes decent songs. I particularly liked "Cherokee Books", the set-ending "In The Future" and the song he wrote for Buffy Ford Stewart, the late John Stewart's wife.

Bill Mumy at McCabe's

Petra Haden and Susan Cowsill

Bill Mumy and Susan Cowsill

The end of the show

Sound engineer Robin Danar, with assistant John Calacci

Concert #722 - Janiva Magness at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 1, 2014)

This was my sixth time to see the multiple award-winning Janiva Magness in concert, so now the secret is out: I'm a fan. Announced as a "CD Release Party", the evening's focus was on the songs from "Original", her brand new album. I went to the show unprepared, not having given the album a proper listen.

Janiva came out with her usual rhythm section (Gary Davenport on bass and Matt Tecu on drums), but surprisingly, without guitarist Zach Zunis and keyboardist Jim Alfredson, her long-time touring and recording partners. Instead, Janiva's band included Dave Darling on guitar and Phil Parlapiano on keyboards, two musicians with impressive resumes of their own. Granted, there was nothing wrong with either of the new arrivals, nor with the band's overall performance, but I did miss the prolonged all-instrumental jams of the band's earlier incarnation.

Janiva Magness at McCabe's

Without following the song sequence of the studio recording, Janiva sang each and every number from "Original", an album that does not sound particularly bluesy to me, certainly not in a traditional sense. At the first listen, I found the album to be remarkably homogenous - no single song stole the show, but there were no throwaways there either. Janiva's voice was strong and nuanced. I liked everything she sang, but what I loved the most was when she brought down the volume a bit, as was the case with "Let Me Breathe" and "Mountain". By the way, Janiva co-wrote seven of the eleven songs that appear on the disc. And she looked good, too.

Janiva Magness at McCabe's

Janiva's set list

Dave Darling at McCabe's

Janiva Magness keeping cool on the stage

Casey Hurt, the evening's opening act, turned out to be nothing short of a revelation. Even though he introduced himself as a "third generation preacher, currently ex-preacher", I must say that there was still plenty of religious fervor in his delivery and voice. Other than "John The Revelator", I suppose he wrote all the songs he sang for us Friday night at McCabe's and, if my supposition is correct, then Casey is one heck of a songwriter. With great songs such as "Mary, Mary" and "Back For Me", Casey captured the attention of the crowd from the moment he took the stage. As a sign of support, Janiva Magness and Dave Darling came out to sing backup vocals on one song.

Casey Hurt at McCabe's

Casey Hurt's set list

Casey Hurt (seated), with Janiva Magness and Dave Darling

Janiva Magness with a fan, after the show

My friend Bill in a pensive mood, minutes before the show

Concert #721 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 18, 2014)

I learned my lesson earlier this year, I think in March, when - after having seen Jackshit in action thirty times -  I took a deliberate break from catching all their shows at McCabe's. Big mistake: while I was home doing God knows what, a certain Elvis Costello showed up as the band's unannounced guest, to the delight of those who did attend.

Needless to say, Friday night I was in the attendance, along with Gus, a construction contractor who remodeled our house a few years back. The Boys from Cochtotan were in top shape, so the absence of musical guests passed virtually unnoticed. Val McCallum was on fire, I especially liked his rapturous playing on "You'd Better Get Right".

Val McCallum at McCabe's

The highlight of the concert was "Ugly And Slouchy", the old Maddox Brothers tune that, in the hands of Beau, Shorty and Pete, became an epic rock & roll medley that brought us to our feet. The medley consisted of the following songs:

 Ugly And Slouchy - Maddox Brothers

Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire - Jimi Hendrix

Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf

Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Jesus Is Just Alright - Doobie Brothers

Pinball Wizard - The Who

And When I Die - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Ugly And Slouchy - Maddox Brothers 

Davey Faragher at McCabe's

The set list included many of the songs the band often plays, plus a few new additions, such as "Sin City" from the repertoire of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Buck Owens' "Where Does The Good Times Go" and "I'm Not Talkin'", a Mose Allison tune covered by the Yardbirds and Aerosmith, among others. They all sounded great.

The set list

Not appearing on the set list, the band's one-song encore was "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In", featuring Shorty's outstanding singing and bass playing. We all went home happy. Very happy.

Pete Thomas at McCabe's

Val McCallum, aka Beau Shit, feeling the music

Concert poster

Concert #720 - The Dustbowl Revival at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center (July 17, 2014)

This was my first time at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, a Fullerton landmark that has an interesting history and deserves to be visited even when your favorite artist is not booked to be playing there. The events kick-off at 7:30 PM sharp, while it was still daylight. Introduced by Zoot Velasco, the Muck's executive director, the band came out as a septet, which, sadly, did not include Connor Vance, their fiddler-deluxe.

The Dustbowl Revival at the Muck

 Band line-up

Zach Lupetin (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, kazoo)

Liz Beebe (vocals, washboard)

Daniel Mark (mandolin)

Matt Rubin (trumpet)

Ulf Bjorlin (trombon)

Josh Heffernan (drums)

James Klopfleisch (upright bass)

Faithful to their usual "Less talk, more music" approach, the band delivered their old-school music with youthful energy and humor, to the delight of a crowd whose average age was considerably higher than that of the musicians on stage. Last night's set list was very different from the songs they played in Pasadena in mid-May, a testimony to the ever-growing repertoire of the band. To these ears, the best songs of the evening were "Western Passage", "Cherokke Shuffle" and "Lowdown Blues", so yes, I am a sucker for the band's up-tempo, brass-heavy numbers and we all smiled and applauded when Ulf and Liz unleashed their awesome, albeit brief, operatic vocals.

 Partial Set List

Ballad Of The Bellhop

Edgar Allan Poe
Gamblin' Man
I Like It Like That
Lowdown Blues
Doubling Down On You
Cherokee Shuffle
Drop In A Bucket
Rodeo Joe
Hey Hey Hey (title?)
Lampshade On
Western Passage

All-in-all, I had a fun time. I loved the music and the venue.

Joseph, Liz, Zach and Daniel

Matt, Liz, Zach and Daniel singing "Rodeo Joe"

Ulf Bjorlin (left) and Matt Rubin

Stage and crowd (Muckenthaler Cultural Center)

Concert announcer Zoot Velasco

The Muckenthaler Mansion

Concert #719 - Chuck Prophet at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 27, 2014)

Concert announcements are seldom as explicit as the one for Chuck Prophet's appearance at McCabe's last weekend: Chuck Prophet plays his "Temple Beautiful" album, accompanied by a string quartet. In my case, this transparent approach paid dividends: without wasting any time, I got the album and a couple of listens later I knew that I had a hidden gem on my hands.

The show sold out three weeks in advance. As I walked in, I saw one of the busiest stage setups one could ever fit on the tiny stage of the venue. Chuck's microphone was at the center of the stage, the string quartet was to his left, with his four-piece band scattered around the stage wherever there was space. This left no room for conductor and arranger Brad Jones, who had to stand on an amplifier placed on the floor of the seating area, directly in front of the string quartet.

Chuck Prophet (left) and Brad Jones (center) at McCabe's

Chuck Prophet at McCabe's

Everything about the show was great, with one exception: it ended too soon. Faithfully sticking to the song sequence of the studio recording, Chuck played all twelve songs from "Temple Beautiful", but that took less than an hour. Then he came back for a three-song encore that included two new self-penned songs, "Wish Me Luck" and "No Other Love", and a Flamin' Groovies cover, "Shake Some Action". The latter song, Chuck explained, is considered by many to be the "Mona Lisa of power-pop", a statement that produced laughter in the room.

Chuck's studio recordings are great, but Chuck live is even better. Appearing to be in his element up there on the stage and occasionally reminding me of Ray Davies, Chuck delivered one good song after another. The band kept up with him quite well and so did the string quartet. I liked his voice, I liked his guitar playing, but what impressed me the most was the quality of his music, essentially a melodic mix of mostly rock, with a touch of pop, country and folk thrown in for good measure.

Chuck Prophet at McCabe's

When at McCabe's, I usually like to sit in the front, fully aware of the fact that the audio sweet spot is a few rows behind me - that's the theory, at least. But I've sat there enough times to know that when Wayne Griffith, Alan Kanter or Robin Danar handle the sound, I don't have to worry too much about my less-than-ideal position in the room. Case in point: Chuck Prophet and his eight support musicians, a gathering of multiple voices and instruments, both electric and acoustic. With Wayne at the soundboard, the audio mix was nothing short of exemplary, with every instrument coming across with clarity. The addition of the string quartet created a rich sound that I have not often heard at McCabe's, yet the overall feel of the music remained rock & roll, in spite of the presence of the strings.

 

Chuck's Band

Stephanie Finch: (keyboards,vocals)

James DePrato: (guitar, lap steel)
Kevin White: (bass guitar)
Vicente Rodriguez: (drums)

The best songs of the evening were "Museum Of Broken Hearts", "Willie Is Up At Bat" and "White Night, Big City". I also liked "Little Girl, Little Boy", a song that featured the appealing voice of keyboardist Stephanie Finch, a recording artist herself. By the way, Stephanie and Chuck are married to each other.

Conductor Brad Jones and most of the string quartet

 I'm happy to say that my introduction to Chuck Prophet's music was more than auspicious and, needless to say, I look forward to Chuck's return to my favorite venue.

 

The set list

Partial view of the stage

The line-up of the string quartet

Concert poster

Concert #718 - Josh Rouse at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 21, 2014)

I'm not sure why, but in recent years I have become far more interested in seeing artists whose music has partially or totally eluded me. Whenever such artists are announced to appear at McCabe's, I head straight to YouTube, I watch a couple of random videos of the respective artists, then I let my first impression tell me whether or not to attend. I must admit that, sometimes, my first impression took me to concerts I did not fully enjoy, but that wasn't the case Saturday night at McCabe's, were I got my first solid exposure to Josh Rouse and Doug Paisley, two singer-songwriters of considerable talent.

Musically speaking, Josh and Doug are not carbon-copies of each other, yet they have quite a few things in common. They both write tuneful songs, with lyrics that are easy to follow. They are both good guitar players, especially Doug. Neither of them get particularly excited while performing - they don't even break a sweat, literally - yet they both managed to keep me captive for the entire duration of their sets, which, by the way, were rather short. Josh's set clocked in at only sixty-five minutes, while Doug, the evening's opening act, played for forty minutes. And here's another key thing they have in common: no bad songs. Indeed, everything I heard Saturday night at McCabe's sounded consistently good to these ears.

Josh Rouse at McCabe's

Doug Paisley at McCabe's

The evening's best songs:

Josh Rouse

Flight Attendant

Come Back

Julie (Come Out Of The Rain)

Love Vibration (Josh's one-song encore)

 

Doug Paisley

To And Fro

End Of The Day

We Weather (a song John Prine could have written)

Josh Rouse's set list

Doug Paisley's set list

Josh Rouse at McCabe's

Doug Paisley at McCabe's

Doug Paisley chatting with fans