Concert #666 - Lloyd Price and Others at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 23, 2013)

It must have been divine intervention ... how else can one explain that my concert #666 featured Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lloyd Price, considered to be one of the Fathers of the Devil's Music. And who would have thought that someone who had his first hit in 1952 was still a viable performer in 2013?

Santa Monica's McCabe's Guitar Shop is the last place on Earth one would expect to see someone like Lloyd Price, so I had to pinch myself when the show was announced a couple of months ago. Three other artists, Dave Somerville, Gretchen Christopher and Trevor McShane, were also billed to appear with Lloyd. You may not recognize the first two names, but you would certainly know the groups they founded decades ago, the Diamonds and the Fleetwoods, respectively. The third name, Trevor McShane, is the assumed moniker of  Neville Johnson, a Beverly Hills-based lawyer and amateur musician, who I understand played a key role in bringing the performers together. Neville also acted as the MC of the evening and performed a few songs himself.

Last night's show was unlike anything I've ever seen at McCabe's in my nearly twenty-five years of frequenting the venue. At times, last night's concert resembled one of those Doo-Wop concert we often see on Public Television during their pledge drive seasons, as it brought together performers who have long ceased to be in the public eye, yet are still capable of exciting a crowd.

In my case, the excitement came primarily from Lloyd Price. He came out all smiles and launched straight into "The night was clear and the moon was yellow", the opening line from "Stagger Lee". The place went wild. Lloyd's infectious smile never left his face, as he delivered some of the better-known songs of his career, with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" receiving the best response from the crowd. Sadly, he was bothered by a "tight throat", as he put it, so he had some trouble hitting the higher notes. No one seemed to mind, though, as everyone was having a great time, myself included. We also got to hear a couple of good jokes, my favorite was the one about the zebra being white with black stripes or black with white stripes. As expected, he closed his set with "Personality", a song seemingly made to be a show-ending sing-along and, as the song ended, I took advantage of my front-row seating, reached out my hand and shook his. The thrill I got from watching Lloyd Price in action will be hard to forget.

Lloyd Price at McCabe's

Lloyd Price and Gretchen Christopher

Lloyd Price and Gretchen Christopher

Lloyd Price's set list

Gretchen Christopher's set included all the hits of the Fleetwoods and plenty of spoken word. She delivered her songs either standing at the center of the stage, or accompanying herself on the piano. I have always liked the Fleetwoods, I do own their music, but somehow I feel that their songs are better suited for radio, where their gentle ballads are typically flanked by songs of considerable more energy. The delivery of all those soft numbers, one after the other, could usher in boredom, just ask my friend Steve. Octogenarian Dave Somerville took the stage to sing with Gretchen on a number of songs, among them "Come Softly To Me".

Gretchen Christopher and Dave Somerville singing "Come Softly To Me"

Gretchen Christopher's set list

The show opened with a warm and surprisingly lively set delivered by Dave Somerville, the founder and main voice of the Diamonds, with part-time help from three fourth of the Four Preps. Sporting the posture of a twenty year old and intertwining songs with stories about his younger days, Dave surprised us with a voice that sounded a decade or two younger. Among others, he sang "The Stroll", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", Oh Boy" and "Silhouettes". Out of nowhere, the Four Preps took the stage and, together with Dave, they sang "26 Miles", their huge hit from the late fifties, as well as "Little Darlin'", the signature song of the Diamonds. They all sounded good.

Dave Somerville at McCabe's

The Four Preps at McCabe's

Exhibiting a lot of self-confidence, Neville Johnson performed a six-song set that included both covers and originals. I liked the originals better. He also sang lead vocals on the evening's grand finale, "Tossin' And Turnin'", the Bobby Lewis oldie, with most protagonists back on the stage. Neville deserves kudos for his part in making the show possible.

Neville Johnson (Trevor McShane)

Neville Johnson (Trevor McShane), Gretchen Christopher & Dave Somerville

All-in-all, it was a fun evening. I knew from the get go that I would not be watching performers with the energy level of Glen Hansard, nor the vocal purity of Shelby Lynne, but still, I just had to be there in order to show my support and offer my thanks to a group of musicians who have given me a lot of pleasure over the years.

Neville Johnson's set list

Bad news for the many attendees with weak bladders

Gretchen Christopher chatting with fans

Dave Somerville at the merch table

The stage

First in line at McCabe's: Bill and Paula

Concert #665 - Shawn Mullins at McCabe's Guitar Shop (February 16, 2013)

Every so often I go to a concert not knowing what to expect, mostly because of my not having done my homework. Case in point: Shawn Mullins. Like most everybody else, I became aware of Shawn in the late nineties, when his breakthrough hit "Lullaby" was all over the radio. I liked the song, but for reasons unexplained, I never got deeper into his music. I guess I thought of him as just another musician who had a good song but not much else. Boy, was I wrong, and it took me more than a decade to find out.

In my eyes, anyone who's booked to play McCabe's gets an instant credibility bump. At only twenty bucks a ticket, seeing Shawn was not an expensive proposition, so I bought myself a ticket. While waiting in line to get in, I met Charlie and Marsha, a couple who flew in from Arizona just to see Shawn's concert. We had a nice long chat, but when asked about my favorite Shawn Mullins song, all I could do was mention "Lullaby", before pleading ignorance about everything else.

The show started with an opening set by Max Gomez, a friend and musical collaborator of the headliner. Typically I write about opening acts at the end of my blog entries, but for Max I'll make a rare, but well-deserved exception. His forty-five minute set was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. He can sing, he can write and yes, he can play the guitar. Has a nice personality, too. I assume he wrote most of the songs, except of course for the set-opening "Key To The Highway", the classic blues number. My favorites were "Ball And Chain" and "Run From You", two songs that sound exceptionally good in a live setting. In a classy gesture of support, Shawn Mullins joined Max for the singing of "Never Say Never". Later in the show, Jeff Trott took the stage to provide mandolin accompaniment on one of Max's songs. After I got home, I googled Jeff and found some interesting things about him (http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeff-trott-mn0000814242)

Max Gomez at McCabe's

Shawn's set was one of the best I've ever seen at McCabe's, bar none. No YouTube video and no studio recording come even close to conveying what Shawn brings to the stage. As the consummate live performer that he is, Shawn shines in every category: songwriting, singing, lyrics, guitar playing, personality, intensity, sense of humor and last, but certainly not least, humility.

I was truly taken by Shawn's soulful and relentlessly intense set. Most performers slow down a couple of times during their performance in order to rest their vocal cords, but not Shawn. Last night at McCabe's, he just went on and on, delivering one great song after another, with sweat running down his face and giving it all he had. Very impressive.

Shawn Mullins at McCabe's

Shawn came out with a two-man band that included Davis Causey on electric guitar and bassist Tom Ryan. I liked Tom's playing and strong backup vocals, but Davis was just out of this world. To these eyes and ears, Davis was the embodiment of the perfect support musician, fully capable of shining on his own, taking a few moments to strut his stuff, but doing it always in a tasteful and understated way that wasn't meant to outshine the main act. His guitar playing was superb, so no wonder that many of the evening's spontaneous rounds of applause came in direct response to his solos and I really enjoyed observing the appreciative look on his face. I've seen this formula before - the combination of a lead singer who picks and strums an acoustic guitar while being accompanied by an accomplished electric guitar player works for me every time.

Shawn Mullins (right) and Davis Causey

Returning the favor, Max Gomez came back to sing two songs with Shawn and the second one they sang together, "Love Will Find A Way", was an absolute gem.

Here are some of the songs I liked the most: "Catoosa County", "California", "Cold Black Heart", "Ghost Of Johnny Cash", "Beautiful Wreck", "The House Of The Rising Sun", but then again, there were no weak songs last night at McCabe's.

Davis' set list

Shawn's set list

All-in-all, I had a heck of a good time last night at McCabe's. I showed up hoping to be pleasantly surprised at best, but Shawn's performance did a lot more than just surprise me: he surpassed my most optimistic expectations by a landslide.

Shawn Mullins thanking the crowd

Max Gomez poster (note the misspelled venue name)

Davis Causey gear

The stage

Max Gomez shaking hands with a fan

Max Gomez's set list

Coming straight from Arizona: fans Marsha and Charlie

Davis Causey & Tom Ryan (1st & 2nd from left) after the show

Poster in the window at McCabe's

Concert #664 - Al Stewart at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 26, 2013)

I have learned over the years not to expect any surprises from an Al Stewart concert, as any of his appearances are pretty much like the ones before. So how come that I keep going back every time he plays McCabe's? The answer is simple: I just can't stay home and deny myself the pleasure of spending an evening in the company of this witty British gentleman who also happens to make great music. Never mind that he's in his high sixties - he still sounds like Al Stewart and his exquisite sense of humor is as good as ever. And with a body of work as vast as his, I will always get to hear a couple of obscure gems and learn a thing or two about folks as disparate as Brian Jones, Warren Harding and Carl Dobkins, Jr.

Last night's show at McCabe's kicked off with a three-song set delivered by Dave Nachmanoff, Al's long-time collaborator. With instantly likeable songs such as "Fragile Thing" and "Certain Distance", Dave received a good reception from the sold-out crowd.

Al Stewart's set started with a bouncy rendition of "House Of Clocks" and from that moment on, it was one great song after another. Also one funny remark after another, as Al was in a particularly funny mood last night.

Al Stewart (right) and Dave Nachmanoff at McCabe's

Al and Dave are one heck of a team. Always in tune both musically and humor-wise, they clearly enjoyed each other's company and their fun contaminated everyone present. Dave contributed a few epic guitar solos, the ones I liked the best were the extended intro to "On The Border" and the outro that concluded "Gina In The Kings Road". Ever since my first encounter with Dave Nachmanoff in 2004, I have witnessed his growth from a simple sideman to a true partner who now possesses his own musical credibility. Kudos to him.

The set list

By the way, O.T.B. in the set list stands for "On The Border", Y.O.T.C. is "Year Of The Cat", both played last night, but we didn't get to hear P.O.V., which stands for "Palace Of Versailles".

After a short intermission, the show resumed with three more songs by Dave. Al opened his second set with "Warren Harding", complete with a few comments about the intellect of current and past US presidents. "Katherine Of Oregon", "Midas Shadow" and "Soho (Needless To Say)" were my favorites from the second half of the show.

Nothing was going to stop Al from having fun. In response to Dave's formulaic introduction "And without any further ado, here's Mr. Al Stewart", Al took the stage and, with a smile on his face, said "I want more ado". Minutes later, while casually mentioning Lonnie Donegan, Al launched into an impromptu (but sadly abbreviated) rendition of "Rock Island Line", arguably Lonnie's best-known song. Later yet and jokingly, of course, Al took credit for having pioneered the genre of rap, a claim he substantiated with a few lines from "Soho" delivered rap-style, to the amusement of the audience.

For their encore, Al and Dave first played "Sheila Won't Be Coming Home", a song co-written by Dave and Al, followed by a Peter White instrumental composition with lyrics added "after the fact" by Al Stewart. Both sounded great.

All in all, my small group of friends had a great time and so did I.

Last night's Al Stewart concert, the seventh one I have attended, came twenty-two years after I first saw him live, also at McCabe's. Back in 1991, I remember thinking that Al Stewart was old. Since then, my perception of age has changed dramatically, thanks primarily to the longevity of countless musicians, among them Al Stewart himself.

Al Stewart autographing merchandise after the show

Dave Nachmanoff at the merch table

Al Stewart fans lining up at McCabe's

Concert #663 - Ernest Troost at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 13, 2013)

Ernest Troost (right), with Nicole Gordon and Mark Goldberg

Midway through Sunday night's Ernest Troost concert at McCabe's I started asking myself whether the guy can write a bad song. Or at least an average one. By the time the show ended, I knew the answer: he absolutely cannot.

As much as I liked Ernest's singing and guitar playing, what impressed me the most was his songwriting. He may not have the name recognition of a Richard Thompson or a John Hiatt, but when it comes to musical output, I truly believe that Ernest's songwriting is right up there with the very best. There aren't too many singer-songwriters out there who can play a full set without including a musical blunder or two. Well, there weren't any blunders in Ernest's set last Sunday, a truly amazing accomplishment.

The show started with a short set delivered by Nicole Gordon, a vocalist with a long history of collaboration with Ernest. She was accompanied by Johnny Hawthorn, an accomplished player of string instruments and a back up singer named Laurie LeGore. Nicole sounded good, but the best was yet to come.

After a short intermission, Ernest Troost came out with an acoustic guitar and without saying a word he launched into "Resurrection Blues", an exceptionally good song. He followed up with another good song, then another one, and that was pretty much the way the whole evening went.

What initially started out as an "Ernest solo" evening, gradually grew into something bigger, with an equally increasing decibel level. First, Ernest was joined by Nicole, whose backup vocals sounded more soulful than her own opening set. Later in the show, Ernest invited drummer/percussionist Debra Dobkin and upright bassist Mark "Pocket" Goldberg to join him on stage. Their percussive presence made an immediate impact and those were the moments I probably enjoyed the most. Soon thereafter, Ernest "went electric", but not before having to overcome a few technical hiccups involving pedals, amps and plugs. The ensuing moments of interruption were handled with great humor by sound engineer Wayne Griffith, Ernest himself and the audience.

For the grand finale, the band grew by yet two more souls, namely Johnny Hawthorn and Laurie LeGore. They sounded fabulous together.

Picking favorite songs is no easy feat, considering the consistently high level of Ernest's songwriting. I loved "Close" with its clever lyrics, "Travellin" Shoes" and its moving story, "O Love" and practically everything else I heard.

Ernest Troost's set list

Mark Goldberg at McCabe's

Nicole Gordon at the end of her set (with Johnny Hawthorn)

Nicole Gordon's set list

A final thought: exactly one year ago, I had no clue who Ernest Troost was. I went to see him for the first time in January 2012, mostly because I needed a McCabe's fix. I did get my fix, plus I discovered an exceptionally talented artist, someone who since then has given me many hours of listening pleasure. Shaking hands with Ernest after his Sunday night show and having the opportunity to tell him how much I loved his music was a great ending to an equally great evening.

The stage

Sign in the window at McCabe's

Concert #439 - The Knitters at The Getty Center (May 18, 2007)

First-rate concerts that also happen to be free are few and far between. They also tend to sell out quickly, especially at venues as popular as the Getty Center's Harold M. Williams Auditorium. So I kept my eyes on the ball and reserved my tickets the minute they were made available to the public. Literally. I just wasn't going to miss out on a show that brought together three of my favorite musicians, namely Dave Alvin, John Doe and Exene Cervenka, performing together as three fifth of the Knitters, Los Angeles' semi-legendary cow-punk band.

My small group included my Better Half, as well as Bob and Lynne, two dear friends whom I had introduced to Dave Alvin's music a couple of years earlier. We had great seats, about five rows back.

Surprisingly, the evening kicked off not with the full lineup, but only with John Doe and Dave Alvin. The two of them delivered Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" and one other song before being joined by singer Exene Cervenka, drummer DJ Bonebrake and bassist Jonny Ray Bartel.

Another surprise: we didn't get to hear much of Dave Alvin's great voice. Standing somewhat isolated on the right side of the stage and keeping a relatively low profile, Dave focused primarily on playing his electric guitar and I did enjoy watching him in a role that was so different from my previous all-acoustic encounters with him. Most of the vocal duties were handled by John and Exene, with the latter bringing to stage a distinct punk attitude that must have lingered on from her days with X.

The setlist included both covers and originals. We got to hear the old traditional "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane", "Give Me Flowers While I’m Living" from the repertoire of Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Driftwood’s "Long Chain" and "Born To Be Wild", the Steppenwolf's signature song. From X's repertoire we got to hear "New World".

Overall, it was a fun night. The Getty is a great place to see a show, never mind the driving distance to get there.

The entrance to the Harold M. Williams Auditorium

The Harold M. Williams Auditorium