Concerts #769, 110, 145, 154, 179, 189, 198, 204, 220, 294, 333, 354, 381 - John Hammond at Various Venues (1993-2016)

This write-up covers thirteen concerts featuring the great John Hammond, starting with my very first one (Concert #110, February 1993 at McCabe's Guitar Shop) and ending with the one I attended just two days ago (Concert #769, January 29, 2016, also at McCabe's).

First, a few words about John's most recent appearance at McCabe's on January 29, 2016. At the respectable age of seventy-three, he proved that he still is an exciting performer, fully capable of holding an audience captive with his intense delivery and virtuoso guitar playing. Amazingly, his idiosyncratic voice has remained pretty much unchanged over the decades and so has his love for the blues, which continues to ooze through his every pore. I attended John's 8 PM show and yes, there was a 10 PM late show as well, a testament to his stamina and strength. Both shows sold out.

John kicked off the evening's first set with "You're So Fine", followed by his own "Heartache Blues" and "Mean Old Lonesome Train". Broken guitar strings are nothing new to John and we all had fun watching him casually play his harmonica while changing a broken string right in the middle of "My Time After A While".

John Hammond changing broken strings at McCabe's

John's set had plenty of highlights - Howlin' Wolf's "Rocket Oldsmobile", Muddy Waters' "Sail On", and Blind William McTell's "Love Changing Blues" - but to these ears, the evening's best song was a toss-up between Big Joe Williams' "Drop Down Mama" and "Dreamy Eyed Girl", a song written by H.W. Newburn, someone I know nothing about. For his one-song encore, John played Jimmy Reed's "I Found Love".

John Hammond at McCabe's (2016)

John Hammond at McCabe's (2016)

I first saw John live in February 1993 at McCabe's Guitar Shop, and what an introduction that was! I was blown away by what I saw and heard and, from that moment on, I felt compelled to bring some of my friends along every time I went for my John Hammond fix. Watching him play numbers such as "Preachin' Blues", "Just Your Fool", "I Wish You Would", "I Can't Satisfied" and "Come On In My Kitchen" will remain forever some of the finest moments of my concert-going career.

McCabe's is the perfect venue to see a John Hammond performance - the place is intimate, the sound is great and the attendees are true connoisseurs - no wonder John loves to  play there. How do I know? Well, he said it many times. Funny thing, though: in a city where undoubtedly he has many musical friends, John's appearances at McCabe's have been, without exception, true solo outings - not once did he bring out a musical guest and that is not a complaint, just a statement of facts. Also, he seldom has opening acts, but on February 12, 2000, we got to see the talented Alvin Youngblood Hart who delivered an excellent opening set at McCabe's.

Three of my many John Hammond concerts took place at venues other than McCabe's. In the summer of 1998 I went to the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard to see John play electric, with a band. The concert wasn't bad, but not quite as good as any of his acoustic solo shows that I have attended. Later the same year I took my Better Half and our good friends Ron and Bobbie to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles for yet another outstanding John Hammond solo performance, then on January 25, 2003, I went to UCLA's Royce Hall for a star-studded evening that, in addition to John Hammond, also featured Loudon Wainwright, Tom Paxton and Mike Seeger.

McCabe's Guitar Shop - Concert room (January 2016)

Concert #768 - Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 23, 2016)

This was only my second time to see Dave and Phil Alvin perform together. Two years ago, at the Claremont Folk Festival, they impressed me with a strong performance, yet last night at McCabe's they did even better. "Absolutely superb" were the first words that came out of my mouth at the end of the concert and I wasn't exaggerating. It is harder for me to assess Phil, who has mostly eluded me over the years, but I can state with confidence that Dave is one of those few top-tier musicians who just get better with age.

Dave & Phil Alvin at McCabe's

The evening started with a seven-song set performed by Dave, with support from Chris Miller, his long-time collaborator and frequent member of the Guilty Men. Chris's electric guitar complemented Dave's acoustic playing to perfection. As musicians often do, Dave took a small detour from his hand-written set list, so instead of "King Of California" we heard "California Snow", a powerful song he wrote two decades ago with Tom Russell. The evening's first set ended with a great rendition of the self-penned "Abilene", whose extended instrumental coda featured some amazing interplay between Dave and Chris.

Dave Alvin's first set

Phil Alvin joined Dave and Chris for the evening's second set and what a set that was! Drawing heavily from the repertoire of some of America's finest classic blues artists, the Alvin Brothers put on a stunning display of singing and guitar playing, with Chris Miller providing outstanding support. Phil may have looked a bit frail, but his vocals showed no signs of weakness whatsoever, not even when he did the yodelling part on Jimmie Rodgers' "Never No Mo' Blues".

Dave & Phil Alvin at McCabe's

Dave Alvin at McCabe's

Phil Alvin at McCabe's

Everything we heard last night sounded great, yet a few songs still managed to stand out: Big Bill Broonzy's "All By Myself", Big Joe Turner's "Cherry Red Blues', Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey's "If You See My Savior" and the unattributed "World's In A Bad Condition". The show ending "What's Up With Your Brother", with its super-epic electric guitar playing delivered by Dave and Chris, will be hard to forget. The crowd brought them back for an encore, which consisted of "Johnny Ace Is Dead" and a rousing rendition of "Marie, Marie". We all went home happy.

Dave & Phil's set list

Chris Miller at McCabe's

The stage

Concert #766 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 11, 2015)

Once again I couldn't resist and took the fifty-mile drive from home to my favorite venue to catch my favorite band, on the least-favorite time of the week, Friday night, when the notoriously bad Los Angeles traffic is at its worst. It took me almost two hours to reach my destination, but unsurprisingly, I was fully rewarded by Beau, Shorty and Pete, the three boys from Cochtotan.

Beau was on fire and so were Shorty and Pete. Nothing unusual here, as their delivery is always stellar. As expected, we had some unannounced musical guests, which quite predictably, turned out to be Jackson Browne and Dave Alvin.

Introduced as Dark Shit, Dave Alvin was quick to state his correct name, No Shit, spelled K-N-O-W Shit, as he put it. He then went on to sing three songs: "California Bloodlines", one of John Stewart's gems, the self-penned "Johnny Ace Is Dead" and the traditional "East Virginia". The latter sounded fabulous and so was Dave's guitar playing - watching him trade licks with Beau was truly special.

Dave Alvin at McCabe's

The evening's second guest, Jackson Browne, a.k.a Brown Shit, sang "Yabba Dabba Do", "Call It A Loan", "Running On Empty", "Take It Easy" and "Our Lady Of The Well".

Val McCallum, a.k.a Beau, and Jackson Browne at McCabe's

The evening's highlight was the band's encore, "Ugly And Slouchy", which quickly turned into a fast-paced rock-n-roll medley that was absolutely first-rate. I also loved Shorty's vocals on the Who's "The Seeker", a song that featured Ringo Shit on drums (Ringo Shit is Charlie Faragher, Dave's son).

Bassist Dave Faragher, a.k.a. Shorty, at McCabe's

The evening kicked off with the Brothers Gage, Alex and Brody, two young kids who came out of the blue. Their rendition of "House Of The Rising Sun", complete with great harmonica playing and surprisingly good vocals, was very well received by the crowd. Later in the show, the Shit Horns also made an appearance.

The Brothers Gage at McCabe's

The set list (loosely followed)

The stage

Concert #765 - Kinky Friedman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 5, 2015)

As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as overdosing on Kinky Friedman. Last night was my fourth time to see the Kinkster live and, even though he did recycle some of his older lines, the whole evening delighted me at least as much as it did ten years ago at the Skirball Center, when I first saw him in a live performance. I just can't get enough of his songs, humor, personality and stage presence - heck, I even love it when he reads out loud from his books, something I typically have no patience for.

Introduced as the "Governor of the Heart of Texas", Kinky took the stage dressed in his trademark black outfit, complete with a cowboy hat and a large cigar which remained unlit throughout the show. Performing without a predetermined set list, Kinky kicked off the proceedings with Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd", followed by a mish-mash of covers and self-penned songs intertwined with multiple humorous stories and jokes delivered in his inimitable style, with little regard to political correctness. At the respectable age of seventy-one, Kinky is still fully capable to entertain on multiple levels, music being just one of them.

Kinky Friedman at McCabe's

The Set List

Pretty Boy Floyd (Woody Guthrie)

I'm The Loneliest Man I Ever Met

Get Your Biscuits In The Oven and Your Buns In The Bed

Western Union Wire

Silver Eagle Express

Waitret, Please Waitret (with Mojo Nixon & Van Dyke Parks)

Tie My Pecker To My Leg (Mojo Nixon solo)

Ride 'Em Jewboy

Yellow Rose Of Texas (Van Dyke Parks piano solo)

The Navigator (read by Kinky from his "Heroes of a Texas Childhood")

They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore

A Christmas Card From A Hooker 

Lady Yesterday

My Sh*t's F***ed Up (Waren Zevon song)

Pickin' Time (Johnny Cash original)

As I expected, Kinky had a few unannounced guests, and I got super-excited when Mojo Nixon took the stage. Mojo's "Elvis Is Everywhere" is one of my favorite songs from the eighties, but sadly, he went for "Tie My Pecker To My Leg", a song that has little in common with good taste. 

Kinky Friedman and Mojo Nixon at McCabe's

Mojo Nixon at McCabe's

Just before Kinky came out, singer-songwriter-producer Brian Molnar delivered an impressive short set of his own that ended with a rousing rendition of Hank Williams' "Wait For The Light To Shine".

Brian Molnar at McCabe's

The evening was kicked off by Michael Simmons, Kinky's old friend and collaborator, who sang three songs. The one I liked the best was "I Guess I'll Smoke Another Cigarette". Don Heffington kept the beat throughout Michael's set.

Michael Simmons (left) and Joe Cirotti

Providing support to Kinky, Brian and Michael, guitarist Joe Cirotti impressed me quite a bit with his exquisite playing. Particularly impressive was his role as Kinky's accompanist toward the end of the evening.

The often-seen Van Dyke Parks popped in for some piano playing, including a solo playing of "Yellow Rose Of Texas". The crowd gave him a loud welcome.

Van Dyke Parks at McCabe's

Overall, I had a heck of a good time with Kinky and his guests and I'm pretty sure I will catch him again before too long.

The stage

Kinky Friedman mingling with fans after the show

Concert poster

Concert #764 - Iain Matthews, Christine Collister & Au Pair at the Morgan-Wixson Theater (November 21, 2015)

This concert brought me for the first time ever to the Morgan-Wixson Theater in Santa Monica, a venue located on Pico Boulevard, just four blocks away from McCabe's Guitar Shop. Funny thing: I have attended over four hundred shows at McCabe's, without knowing that the Morgan-Wixson Theater even existed. I arrived at the venue very early, so I got to watch the sound check for all of the evening's protagonists and that was an experience in itself.

Christine Collister's sound check

The concert kicked off with an excellent set delivered by Au Pair, a harmonious duo consisting of two musicians I had not been familiar with. Individually taken, Gary Louris and Django Haskins are good singers, but when they pool their voices together, they become great singers. Their songs, most likely self-penned, sounded quite good, especially "Baby On Trial" and "One Armed Candy Bear", the title track of their first and, so far, only album. I would love to see them again, preferably at McCabe's.

Au Pair at the Morgan-Wixson Theater

After a long intermission, Iain Matthews took the stage and it didn't take him long to knock me out: his set-opening a-cappella delivery of "Just One Look At You" was absolutely divine, and so were all the other numbers he performed during his solo set: his own "Alone Again Blues", "God Looked Down", "A Lamb In Armor", "Joy Mining" and "Horse Left In The Rain", plus two covers, Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road" and Jackson Browne's "These Days". His soulful and passionate singing affected me very much, as he always does. It is hard to believe that someone who is in his seventieth year of existence can still sound as good as he does. By the way, this was my fourth time to see Iain perform live, a clear sign that I'm a fan.

Iain Matthews at the Morgan-Wixson Theater

I first saw Christine Collister in 1998, when she opened for Loudon Wainwright in Pasadena and I have been keeping an eye on her career ever since. Still, her appearance last Saturday at the Morgan-Wixson Theater was a good reminder as to how great a singer she is. Her delivery of "River Deep, Mountain High" will be hard to forget, as were all the other covers she sang for us, some performed solo, others with Iain: Chris Smither's "Love Me Like A Man", Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High", Emmylou Harris' "Boulder To Birmingham", Bette Midler's "Rose", Jackson Browne's "For A Dancer", Gerry Goffin & Carole King's "Goin' Back" and the set-ending "She's Leaving Home", the Lennon-McCartney gem. Christine's voice just seems to be getting better with age

Christine Collister having fun at the Morgan-Wixson Theater

Christine Collister & Iain Matthews at the Morgan-Wixson Theater

Iain and Christine also sang "Lemonade Lady" and "Pack Up Your Sorrows", two outstanding songs culled from Iain's tribute album to the music of Richard Farina, released earlier this year under the Plainsong artist name.

Credit must also be given to the four-piece house band, they were quite good: guitarist Willie Aron, bassist David Jenkins, keyboard-player Jordan (last name?) and a drummer whose name I didn't catch.

The evening ended with Cristine Collister and the crowd singing "Happy Birthday" to Paul Rock, the organizer of this outstanding event.

Christine Collister honoring concert organizer Paul Rock (right)

The concert hall

The stage

 

Concert #762 - Rhett Miller at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 20, 2015)

This was Rhett Miller's first-ever gig at the famous McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. It was also my first time to see Rhett in action, at any venue. Things did not start well for me - his first few songs did not connect with me at all. There was nothing wrong with Rhett's intensity and pace, but it appeared to me that there were some irreconcilable differences between his melodic sense and mine - the gap was so big that I started contemplating an early exit, something that rarely crosses my mind at McCabe's. Needless to say, I did not leave and little by little, things started to get better for me - about thirty minutes into the show, Rhett started to win me over not only with his diabolical pace, boundless energy and pleasant personality, but also with songs that started to sound better and better to these ears, as the show progressed.

Rhett Miller at McCabe's

Rhett was not particularly talkative, although he did squeeze in a few stories that typically involved persons of the female persuasion. His concert can be summed up as a fast-paced race with the goal of performing as many songs as possible, even if it meant starting a new number while the crowd was still applauding the previous one. Clearly, Rhett was not saving his energy for the late show and he must be commended for that.

I suppose we heard nothing but self-penned songs, with one notable exception, Tom Petty's "American Girl", which turned out to be the evening's only song I knew. After only one listen, three numbers caught my ears and, with Google's help, I was able to find their titles: "Most In The Summertime", "Barrier Reef" and "Open Road", the latter two being the undisputed highlights of the evening.

The set list

Rhett Miller at McCabe's

I can't say that I went home as a totally satisfied customer. It is true, I did get introduced to a dynamic performer whose live show had good moments, but the bottom line is that one listen just wasn't enough for most of his songs to knock me out. Having said that, I have no choice but admit that the ball is in my court: I must give Rhett Miller's music more attention than I did in the past. 

The final bow

Rhett's guitar case