Concert #625 - The Shills, with guest Susanna Hoffs, at the Cinema Bar (February 11, 2012)

Only in LA. Where else would you have an internationally known musician join an amateur band, sing with them for almost a full hour in front of no more than fifty people and have fun in the process, too? As I said, the answer is: Only in LA. In this case, the amateur band was the Shills, while the internationally known musician was none other than the lovely Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.

Calling the Shills "an amateur band" requires a clarification before I go any further. Amateur could mean "lacking the skill of a professional". That description does not apply to the Shills. Amateur could also mean "being engaged in an art form as a pastime, rather than as a profession" and that is precisely the case with the Shills.

I went to the Cinema Bar immediately after the Jackshit concert at McCabe's, where Susanna Hoffs made an unannounced appearance that got us all excited. Normally I go straight home after a concert, but with my Better Half out of town, I decided to show my support for Lincoln Myerson's band, the Shills. Lincoln, as you may know, is the Concert Director at McCabe's Guitar Shop, the best concert venue in the Universe.

The Shills are:

Shaun Mason - Guitar & vocal

Bradley Kesden - Guitar & vocal

Lincoln Myerson - Bass & vocal

Rob Sherman - Piano

Julia St Pierre - Backing vocal

Steve Mugalian - Drums (not the regular drummer of the Shills)

The Shills are a cover band that draws from at least three decades of music, starting with the sixties. Individually and collectively, they sound quite good. The fact that they have more than just one vocalist is one of their strengths and so is their repertoire, which mixes well-known songs with obscure ones. Overall, I found the band to be listenable and entertaining.

A few songs into the second set of the Shills, in walked Susanna Hoffs and a gentleman, possibly her manager. Our jaws dropped. A few minutes later she joined the band and stayed up there on the stage for the next fifty minutes or so. She sang the lead vocals on Lulu's "To Sir With Love" and Linda Ronstadt's "Different Drum", both were great. With nothing prearranged, everything had to be improvised right there on the spot - Lincoln and Bradley would suggest songs, then Susanna would say whether she preferred singing, playing the guitar or just shaking her tambourine. There was lots of laughter on the stage and the crowd had fun, too.

Susanna Hoffs & the Shills performing "To Sir With Love"

Susanna Hoffs & Rob Sherman

Susanna Hoffs, Bradley Kesden (center) & Lincoln Myerson

Susanna Hoffs

Rob Sherman, Susanna Hoffs and Steve Mugalian

Susanna Hoffs, Bradley Kesden (center) & Lincoln Myerson

The set list

After Susanna Hoffs left the venue, the band went on for a few more songs, then they called it a day. It was way past midnight, but no one cared - we had just witnessed something truly rare, something that could not have happened without the love of music of all involved.

Concert #624 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 11, 2012)

People often question my sanity when they hear how many times I've seen Jackshit live in concert. I don't blame them, as sometimes I do the questioning myself. Saturday night I saw Jackshit for the twenty-fifth time, a number that kinda calls for a celebration, yet I will remember the evening for a different milestone. 

Saturday night I brought along my Jackshit Guest No. 100. That's right, over the years I have brought with me one hundred otherwise sane folks to see a band no one has ever heard of. So how did I manage the feat? Hard work, that's how. I spent countless hours spreading the word, burning sampler CDs, emailing friends, reminding friends, in a nut-shell, pestering friends, but I did it in good faith, in an attempt to give them the same musical pleasures I have been getting from this unbelievable trio.

Many of my guests have become regular attendees - Steve, the Other Steve, John, Sean, Tony and others - and I could not be happier for having introduced them to the wonderful world of Jackshit. 

The honor of being my "Jackshit Guest No. 100" went to Eric E, a friend and co-worker who had resisted my relentless "sales pitches" for about five years. Scroll down to see a photo of Eric at McCabe's, waiting for the band to come out.

About the show: it was one of the best Jackshit concerts I've ever seen, and there haven't been any bad ones. Val McCallum was on fire - I thought his guitar playing was better than ever, exceptionally inventive and powerful. Dave Faragher's one-liners were some of his finest and he played his bass like no one else. The usually more reserved Pete Thomas was in a giggly mood and I enjoyed watching him having a good time. His drumming on "I'm Coming Home" made me scream, but then what else is new?

Beau & Shorty at McCabe's (February 11, 2012)

There were a few new songs, among them "Good Morning", the Sgt. Pepper gem, and "Those Were The Days", the old Cream song, delivered by the band during their two-song encore with some twisted lyrics of their own. Both sounded great. "Pretty Polly" came back after a long absence - the extended instrumental ending of the song was one of the highlights of the show. Pete sang "Older Guys".

The set list (not followed to the letter)

The Boys From Cochtotin did not play "2x4" nor "Long Black Veil", a slight detour from their own printed set list.

Once again, the band had a surprise guest. Inexplicably introduced as "Christina", the guest turned out to be the lovely Susanna Hoffs, the main voice of the Bangles, who - by the way - are still active. Susanna sang Lulu's "To Sir With Love" and Prince's "Manic Monday". Surprisingly, the former sounded better than the latter. Susanna's presence on the stage gave all of us a massive thrill.

Unannounced guest Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles

Val McCallum & Susanna Hoffs

Once again, the Shit Horns came out of the blue to help out on "Ring Of Fire" and "The Lonely Bull". They are always fun to watch. I laughed out loud when Val introduced the male half of the trumpet-wielding duo as "Horny Shit".

Shorty & the female half of the Shit Horns

Beau & the male half of the Shit Horns

Eric, my Jackshit-Guest-No. 100 (left) & repeat-customer Sean

Jackshit will be back at McCabe's on April 1st and, at the risk of sounding redundant, let me tell you that I'll be there.

Concerts #317, 407, 462 - Eric Bibb at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 1, 2003 - March 16, 2008)

I went to my first-ever Eric Bibb concert without knowing much about the artist - it was 2003, two years before the founding of YouTube, so there weren't as many music sampling opportunities as we have today.

Eric came out, said hello and started playing - two songs later I knew that I was in for a true treat.

Eric is great at everything a singer-songwriter is expected to be great in - composing good tunes, writing meaningful lyrics, playing the guitar with skill and virtuosity and singing with soul and passion. He's good at picking cover songs, too. Now throw in his good looks and wonderful personality and what you get is a top-notch artist, someone truly unique, who makes you wonder why he isn't better known in the States.

Here's a YouTube video that demonstrates what I mean:

Needless to say, after my hugely enjoyable introduction to Eric Bibb's music, I had to see him every time he came back to McCabe's. For his June 23, 2006 concert, I took along two Latino friends and co-workers, both new in the country, both quite worldly, but decidedly deficient when it came to American classic gospel, blues and folk music. The concert was a big hit with both of them and I felt great for having introduced them to something so distinctly American. Just like in 2003, Eric was warm, friendly, humorous and sang his heart out. With songs such as "Shingle By Shingle", "I Heard The Angels Singing", "In My Father's House", "Champagne Habits", "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down", "Needed Time" and many others, Eric delivered a knock-out punch that's hard to forget.

Eric Bibb fans Fabian (left) and Octavio (2006)

Eric's appearance in 2008 came with an added attraction, namely bassist-extraordinaire Danny Thompson, well known to me from his association with Richard Thompson. Danny was there for the entire concert, and so was drummer Larry Crocker.

Once again I have to credit McCabe's for having exposed me to Eric Bibb, a musician of the highest caliber and someone I would have probably not discovered on my own.

Eric Bibb at McCabe's (photo by Jay Matsueda)

For more of Jay Matsueda's concert photos you may want to visit:

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Matsueda-Music-Photography-LA/148601893507

Concert #623 - Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at the Shrine Auditorium (Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel) (February 4, 2012)

Gustav Mahler

It was wall-to-wall Gustav last Saturday night at the Shrine Auditorium, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting a grandiose production of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, also known as the "Symphony Of A Thousand". It was also wall-to-wall musicians, around one thousand of them, the most I've ever seen on one stage, at one time.

Gustavo Dudamel

The Shrine Auditorium has a humongous stage to begin with, but to make it suitable for one thousand musicians, it had to be super-sized at the expense of the first twelve seat rows. That was good news to me and my Better Half, as our Row 27 tickets allowed us to be only fifteen rows away from the stage. Not bad. Watching the musicians file in and take their seats, all one thousand of them, was an event in itself.

The lights went off twenty-five minutes after the advertised show time, as the famed Gustavo Dudamel, accompanied by seven vocalists, took the stage to a rousing reception. An eighth vocalist joined the fun later.

 The Singers

Manuela Uhl (soprano)

Julianna Di Giacomo (soprano)

Kiera Duffy (soprano)

Anna Larsson (alto)

Charlotte Hellekant (alto)

Burkhard Fritz (tenor)

Brian Mulligan (baritone)

Alexander Vinogradov (bass)

Gustavo Dudamel got quite a workout conducting not one, but two full symphony orchestras merged into one - the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra were seated together so one could not distinguish one from the other.

In 2009, the imposing Mormon Tabernacle Choir knocked my socks off when I saw them perform live in Salt Lake City, yet - at least in terms of numbers - they would have paled in comparison to what was assembled for Mahler's 8th Symphony. Just imagine a conglomerate made up of sixteen different choirs, some of them nationally known, amounting to about eight hundred voices - it was a thrill just looking at them, let alone listening to their collective singing.

Pictures don't do justice to the size of the orchestra and choir

LIST OF PARTICIPATING CHOIRS

Los Angeles Master Chorale

Los Angeles Children's Chorus   

Angeles Chorale

Pacific Chorale

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles

Angel City Chorale

Choir of All Saints Church, Pasadena

Chorus of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles

Los Angeles Chamber Choir

Los Robles Master Chorale

Pasadena Pro Musica

Pasadena Master Chorale

Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles

Renaissance Arts Academy

Vox Femina Los Angeles

National Children’s Chorus

I can't say that the music hit me particularly hard, but it was certainly enjoyable. I liked the crescendos that wrapped up the two parts of the symphony and I enjoyed watching Gustavo Dudamel's body language. 

Standing ovation!

Standing ovation!

The gorgeous Shrine Auditorium

Wall decorations at the Shrine

Concerts #422, 464 - Susan Werner at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 27, 2006 - April 4, 2008)

Sometime in 2006, I overheard Zach Love, former Concert Director and current Webmaster at McCabe's, talk in complimentary terms about Susan Werner, an American singer-songwriter I knew very little at the time. Zach's words did stir up my curiosity and, as a result, the next time Susan played McCabe's, I was right there in the front row, ready to be entertained. And entertained I was, even though I did not know any of the songs she sang that night.

Susan impressed me on many different levels. Her sense of humor and mine were in excellent alignment, I liked her friendly nature and intellectual talk, but most of all, I liked her music. She sang a number of songs from "The Gospel Truth", an album that was just about ready to be released. With their catchy hooks and often humorous lyrics, these songs were the perfect introduction to an artist who most definitely deserves a wider audience. My favorites were "Our Father (The New Revised Version)", "Probably Not" and "I Will Have My Portion". I went home with a strong feeling of wanting to see her again.

And in 2008 I got to see her again, but this time - unlike in 2006 - I went to McCabe's with much higher expectations. The show started with a short opening set by Natalia Zukerman, the singing daughter of violinist Pinchas Zukerman. Natalia was joined on stage by Susan's musical collaborator Trina Hamlin, who played percussion and harmonica. They were OK.

Natalia Zukerman

Susan's set was good, but maybe half-a-notch below her 2006 appearance. Her newer songs did not hit me as hard as the ones from "The Gospel Truth" in 2006, but my higher expectations may have had something to do with Susan's lack of punch this second time around. The best moments came when Susan, Natalia and Trina were together on the stage.

I have not seen Susan since then, but I will reconnect with her one day, that I know.

Concert #622 - Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 29, 2012)

I do occasionally listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard's music, but I can't say that he's on my power rotation - I like his albums, but one good listen is enough for a while. His live shows, on the other hand, are a different story altogether and it's much more than just the promise of getting to see some unannounced high-caliber  guests, as was the case a few years back with Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. 

This was my third time to see Ray in concert and let me start by saying that there were no famous guests this time around. Yet the concert was so good that it made me seriously contemplate staying for the late show as well, which I ended up not doing.

Ray came out with drummer and percussionist Rick Richards, bassist George Reiff and a young guitarist who turned out to be Ray's son, Lucas. The latter surprised me very much. The sounds of his electric guitar dominated the evening, a welcome departure from the exclusively acoustic character of Ray's earlier shows at McCabe's. Although only eighteen, young Lucas can play. I liked his bluesy sound, but he can rock and can play classic country as well.

Lucas Hubbard

Ray's sense of humor and the way he delivers his stories are an integral part of the "Ray Wylie Hubbard Package" - my friend Steve put it best: "I could sit here and listen to his stories for hours". But the main attraction was Ray's music, a good mix of old and new material, all sung with his unmistakable voice that's still going strong.

(VERY) PARTIAL SET LIST

Mother Blues

Namedropping

Without Love

The Messenger

Snake Farm

You Got To Move (encore)

Drunken Poet's Dream (co-written with Hayes Carll)

Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother

Canadian up-and-comer Brandy Zdan sat in to sing backup vocals for just one song, so I could not form an opinion. She looked great, though.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous evening with a true treasure of the American music scene. I will definitely catch him again.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, with son Lucas (January 29, 2012)

Ray Wylie Hubbard, with son Lucas (January 29, 2012)

Rick Richards and George Reiff

Chatting with fans after the early show

Ray Wylie Hubbard after the early show

The stage before the show