Concert #384 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 12, 2005)

With hundreds of concert listings to peruse everyday, normally I wouldn't even notice a band name such as Jackshit, nor would I pay much attention if told that they've been voted the best bar band in LA. But when Lincoln Myerson, the Concert Director at McCabe's, told me in October 2005 that he had just booked an allegedly fabulous band named Jackshit for their first-ever gig at McCabe's, I listened.

Accompanied by my friend Art, I went to McCabe's not knowing what to expect. As people were filing in, I noticed  that nobody rushed to sit in the first few rows. These guys must be playing real loud, I said to myself, and what are they doing here anyway, don't they know that McCabe's is an acoustic folk music venue?

First song - "Hi, How Are You". Great guitar work. Second song - "Christine's Tune", an old Flying Burrito Brothers gem. Wow, these guys are good.  By the time they finished their third song - "Big River", the Johnny Cash classic - I was a fan.

There wasn't a single bad number in their set, which included mostly classic country songs, some familiar, others obscure, all masterfully played with power and lots of fun. Among the songs they played: "Bull Rider", "Dangerous Crossings", "Down In The Willow Garden" and "Older Guys". They also played "Ugly And Slouchy", which quickly turned into an extended rock & roll medley that included bits of "Green Eyed Lady", "And When I Die" and other well-known songs, it was a riot.

Electric shows are fairly rare at McCabe's, and after countless acoustic shows I had attended there, I really enjoyed the loud, plugged-in sounds of the band. Yes, it was loud, but definitely within the limits of acceptability. 

Guitarist Val McCallum

Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer Pete Thomas (drums)

Bassist Dave Faragher

Ron Sexsmith was their unannounced guest, they played together three songs, but I can't say that I was taken by Ron's performance.

The show ended with an epic version of Johnny Horton's "I'm Coming Home". For their encore, they played "Hold That Critter Down", featuring drummer Pete Thomas on acoustic guitar. He did well.

My friends know me for my frequent verbal exaggerations, so here's another one: This was a life-changing event. But am I really exaggerating? Not if you consider that, out of the blue, I discovered three musicians of the highest caliber, playing some of the best music I'd ever heard, all this for $15 and a front row seat. How do you beat that?

Concert #501 - J.J. Cale at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 28, 2009)

This was the second of two sold-out shows at McCabe's, part of a small-scale national tour. Why I had skipped J.J. Cale's earlier appearances at McCabe's is a mystery to me, but I finally got the wake-up call in the form of his "Roll On" album, an exceptionally listenable release featuring J.J.'s trademark sound and rhythms. I got to McCabe's early, so I was among the first ones in line. Parked directly in front of the guitar shop was J.J. Cale's huge tour bus, an unusual sight for what primarily is a folk music venue. I managed to grab a seat in the front row. The best was yet to come.

Throughout the show, J.J.'s voice was somewhat weak, but his guitar work was superb, and so was his band, consisting of Bill Raffensperger on bass, Walt Richmond on keyboards, David Teegarden (electronic synth) and James Cruce on drums. Keyboardist Skip Knape joined them later for a song or two. The song selection could not have been better.

After the ninth song, J.J. told the crowd that two guests would be joining him. "I don't have to tell you their names, you'll know who they are", said J.J. and out came Tom Petty and Mike Campbell. The crowd responded accordingly.

J.J. Cale (center), flanked by Mike Campbell and Tom Petty

Tom kept a relatively low profile, playing guitar just like a regular band member would do. He sang only one song, J.J. Cale's "I'd Like to Love You Baby". Playing his electric guitar, Mike Campbell was far more visible, delivering a few out-of-this-world solos. Surprisingly, Tom and Mike stayed on to the end of the show, then they came out again for the three-song encore as well, to our collective delight.

COMPLETE SET LIST

 King City
Out Of Style
Low Down
Don't Cry Sister
Since You Said Goodbye
Magnolia
Walt's Boogie
Roll On
Instrumental by T-Bone Walker

Crazy Mama
After Midnight
I'd Like To Love You Baby (Petty - vocals)
Thirteen Days
Tijuana
Cocaine
Call Me The Breeze
I'll Make Love To You Anytime
Travelin' Light

L to R: J.J. Cale and Tom Petty at McCabe's

L to R: Mike Campbell, J.J. Cale and Tom Petty at McCabe's

Most songs featured extended laid-back instrumental jams of stunning beauty and being there, just one step away, was priceless. A bootleg recording of the concert is available on the Internet. 

The show was opened by Pieta Brown and husband Bo Ramsey, assisted by the legendary Don Was on upright bass. Their set was very good - I liked Pieta's songwriting, voice and singing style and I enjoyed Bo Ramsey's guitar playing.

Bo Ramsey, Pieta Brown and Don Was (photo by Roman Cho)

Bo Ramsey and Mike Campbell upstairs at McCabe's (photo by Roman Cho)

Pieta Brown & Don Was at McCabe's

Concert #502 - Loudon Wainwright & Friends (Peter Case Benefit) at McCabe's Guitar Shop

This was the first of three sold-out concerts organized at McCabe's to benefit Peter Case, whose medical expenses had amounted to much more than his wallet could bear. Tickets cost $50 per night, a small amount to pay for a good cause, not to mention the chance to see a plethora of great musicians who offered their time and talent to help out a fellow musician in need.

Announced as "Loudon Wainwright III & Friends", the evening sold out ina couple of days.

LIST OF PERFORMERS

Loudon Wainwright III

Van Dyke Parks

Inara George

Phranc

George Gerdes

Peter Case

Leland Sklar

Grant Geissman

The concert kicked off with Van Dyke Parks and Inara George, who played a few songs from their earlier collaborative effort, Inara's "An Invitation" album. Not bad for a short set, but not my cup of tea for a full evening.

Inara George & Van Dyke Parks

Phranc's set was short, but quite good. She sang one of my favorite Phranc songs, "I Like You", then she followed up with "I'm A Peter Case Lover", a paraphrase of her own "Live Lover".

Phranc

Loudon Wainwright brought out a somewhat reluctant Peter Case, at his first public appearance after his open heart surgery in January 2009. Looking understandably weak and out of shape, Peter brought the house down with his version of Blind Willie McTell's "Broke Down Engine Blues".

Peter Case

Loudon's long-time friend and collaborator George Gerdes popped in for a couple of songs, while the legendary Leland Sklar and guitarist Grant Geissman provided accompaniment during much of the evening.

Leland Sklar

The show was closed, as expected, by Loudon Wainwright. It was my seventeenth time to see him live in concert, which probably explains why I can't remember a single song he played that night. But he was his usual good self, that I know.

All-in-all, it was a fun evening, with a few great artists coming and going in quick succession, which kept all of us fully engaged until the lights went on.

Concert poster in the window at McCabe's (with unwanted street reflections)

Concert #594 - Richard Thompson at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 27, 2011)

This was the second and final Richard Thompson benefit concert organized at McCabe's in response to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster. The concert sold out in seven minutes, a new record for McCabe's, and unlike three weeks ago, their server did not crash.

The show was announced for 8 PM. Wanting to sit in the front row, I got to McCabe's at 5:15 PM, which was good enough to be third in line - it was reassuring to know that there are at least two people in the Universe who are crazier than me.

The show was opened by Jim Kweskin, who - at the tender age of seventy - grabbed and kept everyone's attention with a thirty-five-minute set that was a lesson in how to warm up a crowd: not exceedingly long, with a good mix of songs and informative chatter in-between songs. Jim was accompanied by bassist David Jackson and Padrick Peper on mouth harmonica.

Richard Thompson came out just before 9 PM and played a revamped set of decent length that had only five songs from his May 7 appearance. Throughout the show, he appeared to be relaxed and in good mood. His guitar work was strong, and so was his voice. Longtime collaborator Debra Dobkin, an often-seen percussionist, was in the room, so Richard jokingly acknowledged her presence by asking her to applaud rhythmically and percuss.

Richard Thompson at McCabe's (May 27, 2011)

Clearly honored by the presence of Jim Kweskin, who stayed on after his opening set, Richard called himself a fan and owner of early Jim Kweskin Jug Band albums, back in the 1960s. Richard then sang "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee", an uptempo song first recorded by Stick McGhee. Later in the show, Richard spoke lovingly of Sandy Denny, then followed up with his own rendition of "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", a gorgeous song written and sung by Sandy during her Fairport Convention days.

PARTIAL SET LIST

"Bathsheba Smiles"

"The Ghost Of You Walks'

"The Money Shuffle"

"Woods Of Darney"
"Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee"

"Johnny's Far Away"

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes"

"1952 Vincent Black Lightning"

"Good Things"

"Dimming Of The Day"

"I Misunderstood"

"I Feel So Good"

"Poor Will And The Jolly Hangman"

"Back Street Slide"

"If Love Whispers Your Name"

At the end of his set, Richard received a standing ovation, after which he came back with his youngest son, bassist Jack Thompson, with whom he played the last three songs from the above list. Particularly good was the extended finale of "Back Street Slide", which pretty much followed the original version. Jack, sporting two metal rings in his lower lip and long hair that often covered his entire face, held his own under intimidating circumstances.

Richard & Jack Thompson at McCabe's (May 27, 2011)

Richard's set list (not fully followed)

Jim Kweskin (center) during his opening set

Jim Kweskin's set list

Hanging out after the show (Right: Debra Dobkin and guitarist Steve Postell)

My jaw dropped when not one, but two folks standing in line, right next to me, had hard copies or my previous Richard Thompson concert review, taken from this very blog. Now I know - I have a readership of at least two! Thanks Lynne and thanks Mike!

Lynne

Mike

Poster in the window at McCabe's

Concert #504 - Dave Alvin & Friends (Peter Case Benefit Concert) at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 2, 2009)

This was the second of the three Peter Case benefit concerts held at McCabe's on three consecutive evenings, and it turned out to be the least memorable of the three. Tickets cost $50, the most I had paid for a McCabe's concert. Steve A. and Steve M, a.k.a. "The Other Steve", were there with me, it's always fun when we get together.

LIST OF PERFORMERS

 Stan Ridgway

Michelle Shocked

Ron Franklin

Syd Straw

The Dark Bob

Amy Farris

Jack Rudy

Chris Morris (the host of the evening)

The show started with a pointless schtick by someone calling himself "The Dark Bob". It's the only part of the evening that's available on YouTube. You may wanna watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCTMGJ4ZtSw

After he performed "On My Way Downtown", a song written by Peter Case, Dave Alvin spoke about the days when the two of them were with their respective bands, the Blasters and the Plimsouls.

Ron Franklin played a short set that was rather dull, then Stan Ridgway and Michelle Shocked brought some life into the show.

Stan Ridgway

The late Amy Farris accompanied Dave during his set - it was the last time I saw Amy, who later that year committed suicide.

Amy Farris

Concert #593 - Willie Nile at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 21, 2011)

Willie Nile's small body is no indication as to how huge he is as a performer. Why isn't he better known than he actually is? That's just another unexplained mystery of the Universe. Actually Willie did talk about fame and the benefits of not having achieved it, but also mentioned, in good humor, of course, that he could use the money that often accompanies fame.

This was my third time to see him in three years and I thought he was better than ever. Wearing his usual all-black clothes and armed with an acoustic guitar, Willie put on yet another blistering show that was exceptionally well-received by the sell-out crowd. I was amazed by his intensity and the incredible amount of energy that he exuded throughout the concert. His new songs were all catchy and instantly likeable, not unlike his earlier work.

Twice during the show, Willie sat down at the piano to play slower songs, namely "Streets Of New York" and "Love Is A Train", but his "rock & roll attitude" kept coming even while his guitar wasn't in use.

PARTIAL SET LIST

"Seeds Of A Revolution"

"House Of A Thousand Guitars"

"I Wanna Be Sedated"

"People Who Died"

"The Innocent Ones"

"One Guitar"

"Rich And Broken"

"Streets Of New York"

"Love Is A Train"

"Cell Phones Ringing (In The Pockets Of The Dead)"

"On The Road To Calvary"

"Les Champs Elysees"

Willie brought along drummer and backup vocalist Frankie Lee, his longtime sidekick, who did a great job from his low-profile spot right in the corner of the stage.

Just like in 2009, Creed Bratton, of the Grass Roots and The Office fame, popped up for a couple of songs and he was definitely a welcome addition to the show.

Without a doubt, this was one of the best shows I have ever seen at McCabe's

Willie Nile and fans, before the door opened

The McCabe's crowd, minutes before the lights went down

Concert Director Lincoln Myerson addressing the crowd

L to R: Creed Bratton, Willie Nile

Willie Nile chatting with fans after the show

Some of the folks I dragged with me to McCabe's

The evening kicked off with an opening act of some renown: Peter Lewis of Moby Grape, the internationally known American rock band. Peter came out with three other musicians, among them Willie Aron, a very good guitar player I had seen a few times before. Peter's performance was passable at best.

Peter Lewis' set list