Concert #629 - The Americans at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 11, 2012)

I first saw the Americans in October 2010, when they opened for the Secret Sisters at McCabe's - they impressed me quite a bit, so a couple of months ago, when they were booked to headline at McCabe's, I was one of the first ticket buyers. A few weeks later and totally against my initial prediction, the show sold out.

For those wondering about the origin of the band's moniker: The Americans hail from the United States of America, America for short, a country located on the North-American continent and inhabited by Americans. That's precisely the same country that has given us the Five Americans ("Western Union"), the American Breed ("Bend Me, Shape Me"), Jay & The Americans ("Come A Little Bit Closer") and, of course, America ("A Horse With No Name", "Ventura Highway", etc, etc.). Seriously now, the fact that such an obvious name was still available for the band to pick up and use just boggles my mind. Good for them!

Upon entering the concert room, we found on our seats a printed set list, something one does not often see. Included were not only the song titles, but also some additional information about the songs that comprised the first half of the concert. Here's the list:

Wearing suits and carrying acoustic instruments, the Americans remained seated throughout their first set, which was a bit unexpected from a band known for playing mostly high-energy rockabilly. The whole thing can be described as interesting, different, definitely well-done, but not pulse-raising. Two songs stood out: Zac Sokolow's fiddle medley, with Tim Carr drumming on the strings of Zac's fiddle, and "Uncle Dave's Beloved Solo", showcasing Zac's exquisite banjo playing.

Stage setup for the acoustic set

The Americans at McCabe's during their acoustic set

Tim Carr drumming on the strings of Zac Sokolow's fiddle

After a short break, the four Americans came back dressed in white T-shirts, ready to rock. And rock they did. With their acoustic instruments mostly out of the way, they played loud and fast. My favorites were "Mannie" and "Prison Yard Walk", two of their own songs.

The Americans at McCabe's, during their second set

 The Americans are:

Patrick Ferris - Vocals, guitar, mouth harmonica
Jake Faulkner - Upright bass, electric bass, mouth harmonica
Zac Sokolow - Guitar, banjo, fiddle
Tim Carr - Drums, percussion, guitar

Patrick Ferris is one heck of a musician - his voice is a deadly weapon, made precisely for the kind of music the band likes to play. With his looks, delivery and guitar playing, he would be perfect in the movie role of a rocker from the late fifties and early sixties. Zac Sokolow impressed me as well - I enjoyed watching him switch from one instrument to another and I found myself focusing often on his guitar licks. The rhythm section was great, too. I liked Tim's one-handed drumming, while the other hand kept busy with a shaker. Jake sounded exactly the way a rockabilly bassist is supposed to sound and, what's more, he also looks the part.

Patrick, Tim and Jake

The band's best moments came when they rocked the hardest and played the loudest. A few of the songs they played at McCabe's are now available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg_JWh7K5T0&feature=context&context=G2db559aFAAAAAAAADAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qneSQUatSUU&context=C43beb86ADvjVQa1PpcFP87hWp36R73yPmDeULO3ov_lpFbe_gG1I=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oOp99W0h4s&context=C4fd247aADvjVQa1PpcFP87hWp36R732x3iN_qvKsmARSLe40D3lA=

The song list of the band's second set

Sadly though, I could not enjoy the show to its fullest, as I was constantly being distracted by two overzealous young ladies who, I suppose on behalf of the band, were recording the show. Their constant movement and incessant clicking of their SLR camera annoyed me quite a bit, so by the time the show ended, all I wanted to do is get out of there, which I did. It would have been nice for me to hang around, shake hands with the four Americans and thank them for their outstanding music.

Concert #628 - The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 10, 2012)

Tuba solos are not a likely occurrence at McCabe's, but if you frequent the venue as often as I do, don't be surprised if one day you will witness such an event. In my case, it happened last night, on my 302nd concert that I attended there.

Last night's concert is something that will be hard to forget. The proceedings started with the best opening act I have ever seen at McCabe's, hands down. I'm talking about the California Feetwarmers, a collection of eleven young and energetic musicians that brought us to our feet at the end of a fifty-minute set that could have gone on without anyone minding. Seeing eleven musicians on that tiny stage was an event in itself - they managed to coexist peacefully while playing packed together like sardines, albeit no one stood in front of the trombone player (wink-wink).

Their brand of music is a combination of dixieland, traditional jazz, old American music, something like that, done with plenty of smiles and laughter, which instantly produces a very similar response within the crowd. Their range of instruments is stunning - guitars, violin, piano, drums, washboards, tuba, clarinet, trumpet, banjo, trombone, accordion, percussion and possibly a few others. Everyone was great, my favorites were the trumpet player and the clarinetist, named Charles and Chloe, respectively. A little later, Chloe returned to the stage as a member of the Dustbowl Revival.

The California Feetwarmers at McCabe's

The California Feetwarmers at McCabe's

With songs such as "Stardust", "Midnight Hour" and "I Like You", the Feetwarmers kept our feet warm, the by-product of non-stop tapping. The joy of playing music was all over the faces of all players and, when they left the stage, I knew that I had seen something truly special. I also did some math: 150 seats, 15 bucks per ticket, that's a gross of $2,250 for the night. If the opening act gets half of that, which they probably don't, that would amount to roughly one hundred dollars for each musician. Draw your own conclusions.

After a short break, out came the headliners, the Dustbowl Revival, ten souls in all - their music is described on their web site as "gypsy swing, blues, dixieland, bluegrass, and homemade jug-band music". Just like the opening act, these guys played their hearts out and had lots of fun in the process. So did we, the spectators.

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

Other than Matt Rubin, Caitlin Doyle and Zach Lupetin, who is the undisputed leader of the collective,  I do not know any other names, but without exception, they are all great musicians. There was no pre-determined set list - the songs were selected by popular consensus, right there on the spot. Here are a few titles I remember:

 Shine

Orange Blossom Special

When The Saints Go Marching In

John The Revelator

Holy Ghost Station

What You're Doin' To Me

You Can't Always Get What You Want (encore)

 
The highlight of the evening was Zach Lupetin's announcement toward the end of the show: "And now I'd like to attempt something that maybe has not been done here ... has anyone ever seen twenty people playing on this stage?", a question that served as an invitation for the California Feetwarmers to come down and share the stage with the revivalists. Well, they shared more than just the stage, as they took positions on the stairs and even floor, right in front of the stage, it was a blast. There were nineteen musicians in all, not twenty, but even so, that was the most I have ever seen at McCabe's, by a landslide. So how do you top that, McCabe's? Book the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?

The Dustbowl Revival and the California Feetwarmers sharing the stage

The Dustbowl Revival at McCabe's

The Dustbowl Revival and the California Feetwarmers sharing the stage

The two bands played together for half an hour or so as if they were one single ensemble and everyone had fun. The Dustbowl Revival came back for a one-song encore that also served as the introduction of the band. The song happened to be "You Can't Always Get What You Want", the old Rolling Stones song - not your typical American traditional music sing-along and there were lots of smiles in the room when Zach started singing "I saw her today at a reception ..."

The show ended late, at 10:45 PM. I immediately bought two Dustbowl CDs, on sale for a grand total of fifteen bucks. The salesman happened to be Zach Lupetin himself and it felt great shaking his hand. A few minutes later I was out in the street where, to my surprise, the show was still going on: sitting on the bed of a pickup truck were three members of the Feetwarmers just playing away, to the delight of a few fans.

Concert announcer Mikki Itzigsohn

The show goes on on Pico Boulevard

Zach Lupetin, after the show

My friends Steve (left) and Bill, who first tipped me off about the Dustbowl Revival

Concert #627 - Diego Garcia at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 3, 2012)

Here's yet another example of a great singer-songwriter whose music I would have probably never heard, had it not been for McCabe's, the venue that, at least to me, lends instant musical credibility to anyone who's booked to play there.

In Diego Garcia's case, I bought my ticket after having spent no more than ten minutes researching his music on YouTube. At the same time, I sent out email alerts to a few of my concert-going friends and one of them, Steve, took heed. We sat together in the front row and when I got home after the show, I had a message from Steve in my inbox, with these words: "Good call on this guy. Glad I checked him out". A second email received this morning from the same Steve ended with "Geez what a nice show last night". So I'm not alone in having lingering good vibes about Diego's performance. Almost a full day afer the concert, last night's sights and sounds are still in my brain and it looks like they'll stay there for a while. Not that it bothers me.

Diego came out with two musicians whom I had not seen before, cellist Daniel Bensi and Argentinian guitarist Zeke Zima, and what an awesome trio they were. I especially loved the totally authentic sounds of Zeke's Spanish guitar, but Daniel's free-style approach to playing the cello was fun, too. And it was heartwarming to see the repeated signs of respect and appreciation shown by Diego, the headliner, to the musicians who were there in his support.

Diego Garcia (center), with Daniel Bensi and Zeke Zima at McCabe's

Daniel and Zeke were great, but the undisputed star of the show was Diego Garcia and his music. Starting with the gorgeous "You Were Never There", Diego delivered most of the songs from "Laura", his first album, among them "Stay", "Separate Lives", "Inside My Heart", "All Eyes On You" as well as the title track. They all sounded at least as good as their studio versions. I'm not even going to try to pick a "highlight of the show", as consistency was the name of the game, as in "consistently great", with no low points whatsoever.

Diego Garcia (right) and Daniel Bensi

From the repertoire of his earlier band, Elefant (spelled with an "f"), Diego sang "Misfit" and "Bokkie". I liked both songs, especially the latter. There were also two well-chosen covers: "This Strange Effect", an exceptionally obscure song from the catalog of the Kinks, and Neil Young's "Harvest Moon".

Diego Garcia (left) and Zeke Zima

Diego is tall, lean, definitely good looking, and he knows it. Late in the show, he jumped off the stage and gave big hugs to four or five highly cooperative ladies. Was it a bit cheesy? I didn't think so, my impression was that the hugs were his way of thanking his primarily female audience for their support. Before climbing back on the stage, Diego shook hands with one male member of the crowd, namely me, probably in appreciation of my solidly enthusiastic response to his music. I did not say anything, but gave him an approving head nod, which Diego reciprocated. Nice.

Diego is one heck of an entertainer. He's got it all: the songwriting talent, the voice, the looks, the humor, the charm, the power of hooking you and keeping you hooked to his world, the ability of appealing to all genders and ages. Success will follow him, I'm sure.

Thanking the crowd, from left to right: Daniel Bensi, Diego Garcia, Zeke Zima

I've always been a sucker for precisely the kind of music Diego does so well, so I will continue to follow his career. His popularity will undoubtedly grow and I don't believe I will ever get the chance to see him again at the intimate McCabe's.

Concert #626 - The Swell Season at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 12, 2012)

In an earlier blog entry, published after I first saw the Swell Season at McCabe's two years ago, I wrote "Would I ever have the good fortune of seeing them again at McCabe's? Unlikely". I was wrong. Last Sunday, I once again held in my hand a ticket that had the words "The Swell Season" written on it. My Lucky Stars, if you are reading this: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A rare and precious commodity

The concert started with a hilarious reversal of roles: Glen went straight to the piano, while Marketa, carrying Glen's beat-up guitar, planted herself at center stage, before launching into "I Have Loved You Wrong". The second song of the set, "Low Rising", had the two protagonists returned to their usual routines. The timbre of Glen's voice, as well as his vocal inflections sounded just like on the studio version, it was uncanny, but then, toward the end of the song, Glen asked the crowd to sing along and that took away a bit from the spell I was under. By the way, he sang the "Sexual Healing" version, if you know what I mean.

I absolutely loved Glen's passionate voice on "When Your Mind's Made Up" and "Say It To Me Now", two amazing songs that I can't imagine being sung by anyone but Glen. Marketa interjected herself with a few delicate ballads delivered with her soft voice, but with a lot more confidence than two years ago.

SET LIST

I Have Loved You Wrong

Low Rising

Lies

In These Arms

When Your Mind's Made Up

Say It To Me Now

The Hill

Spencer the Rover

Lullaby

Daf Drum Solo (performed by Aida Shahghasemi)

If You Want Me

The Given Note (Seamus Heaney poem)

Bird of Sorrow

It's Coming

All The Way Down

Drive All Night (Bruce Springsteen tune)

Into The Mystic

Dance With Somebody

Kissing (performed by Shane Walsh)

Falling Slowly

Leave

Fogtown (Michelle Shocked classic)

Banana Man

Star Star

Parting Glass

At one point, midway through the show, Glen invited Shane Walsh, an aspiring Irish singer-songwriter, to come up on the stage and sing "Kissing", one of Shane's songs. It wasn't bad. Glen and Marketa received additional support from Aida Shahghasemi, an Iranian-born musician who played an old Persian percussion instrument called daf. She made a good impression on me and the crowd loved her as well.

Aida Shahghasemi

As always, the Swell Season played a few covers. Their epic rendition of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic" and the equally epic "Fogtown", the old Michelle Shocked tune, were the best. Bruce Springsteen's "Drive All Night" was good, too. Here are Glen and Marketa delivering "Fogtown" at McCabe's, with Yours Truly sitting literally at their feet:

The show was a reunion of sorts for Glen and Marketa, who had not played together in many months. Having had no time to rehearse or even come up with a set list, they pretty much winged the whole show and they winged it great. I enjoyed observing the ad-hoc song selection process, as Glen was throwing titles around, in expectation of Marketa's acceptance.

The final song of the evening, an old Irish tune called "The Parting Glass", was yet another highlight of a concert that in essence consisted of nothing but highlights.

From left: Aida, Marketa and Glen

Glen & Marketa - The final hug

Glen thanking the crowd

Glen picking up his stuff after the show

There are no words to describe the emotions triggered by Glen and Marketa's music. The juxtaposition of their diametrically opposed voices, facial expressions and temperaments produce amazing results. They write songs of the highest quality. Their humility is visible from a mile, a clear sign that their well-deserved success did not go to their heads. I hope and pray that I'll get to see them again one day.

5:15 PM - Fans line up for the 8 PM show

Glen Hansard reporting to work

Marketa Irglova chatting with the first person in line

Ralph, My Better Half and Laura in line at McCabe's

Glen's guitar and Aida's daf

P.S. The link below will take you to someone else's blog. Go ahead and click - you will land on a page that covers this very same concert, but from a radically different angle. I read the page and my heart broke. 

http://ancroiait.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/25-swell-season-at-mccabes-2012/

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.