Concert #711 - Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 9, 2014)

This was my first-ever concert featuring a mother and her daughter performing together as a duo. I went to the show without being familiar with the music of either, a fact that, as it turned out, did not diminish at all my enjoyment of the concert. 

The evening felt pretty much like being in the living room of two talented musicians - there was a lot of casual talk, some humorous jabbing, many funny lines thrown in by both Suzzy and Lucy, with even the audience getting involved on occasion. Then there was a song abandoned after only a few guitar chords, when Lucy suggested that they play only songs they actually know. Depending on intangible factors, I may sometimes get annoyed by musicians who appear to be exceedingly relaxed, but that wasn't the case Friday night at McCabe's. I must have found the informal feel of the evening to be contagious, because the next thing I knew, I was laughing along with Suzzy and Lucy when they burst into uncontrolled laughter, right in the middle of a song.

Lucy Wainwright Roche (left) and Suzzy Roche having a laugh at McCabe's

I will remember this concert not only for its casual feel, but also for Suzzy and Lucy's gorgeous vocal harmonies. Simply put, they sounded great together, but I also liked their solo parts. Even at the first listen, I found their songs to be instantly accessible - I suppose they wrote most of them. The ones that stood out for me were "G-Chord Song" and "There's A Last Time For Everything". They also played a few covers - "For No One" (the Beatles gem), "America" (the Simon & Garfunkel classic), "Mama Said" (the Shirelles hit), and "Rhythm Of The Rain", the well-known one-hit wonder of the Cascades - they all sounded great.

Suzzy Roche at McCabe's

Lucy Wainwright Roche (left) and Suzzy Roche at McCabe's

At one point during the concert, Suzzy and Lucy invited show-opener Nate Borofsky to join them for a few songs. With his humorous personality, Nate added yet more fuel to the giggly mood of the headliners.

Lucy & Suzzy, with Nate Borofsky

Suzzy & Lucy's set list

The evening was kicked off by the likeable Nate Borofsky, whom I have seen twice before with Girlyman, the now-defunct band of considerable talent. He writes good songs and delivers them quite well, except when he leaves his vocal comfort zone. The songs I liked the best were "Break The Dam" and "Wherever It Takes".

Nate Borofsky at McCabe's

Nate Borofsky's set list

Nate Borofsky at the merch desk

Concert #710 - Iain Matthews at the Coffee Gallery Backstage (May 5, 2014)

What a difference a concert made ... less than a week ago, Iain Matthews was someone I liked and respected, but nothing more. Then came last Friday's concert at McCabe's, when Iain knocked my socks off with a performance that had all the ingredients that make me melt: a great voice, a soulful delivery of tuneful songs, skilled guitar playing, captivating lyrics, good humor and, to top it all off, humility. His show was so good that I just had to see him again, and that is what brought me Monday night to the Coffee Gallery in Altadena, an intimate venue with just forty-nine seats.

Much to my disbelief, I counted only twenty-six people in the attendance, undoubtedly the smallest concert crowd I have ever seen. But the size of the audience did not stop Iain from delivering yet another great set, twenty songs in all, and all the elements that had impressed me so much at McCabe's were there in full force. In terms of the set list, there was some overlap between the two concerts, something that did not bother me at all. On the contrary, I enjoyed very much hearing "Alone Again Blues" and "Funk And Fire" once again. I also enjoyed the eight songs not played at McCabe's, among which "To Be White", "God's Empty Chair" and Richard Thompson's "From Galway To Graceland" stood out. The a-cappella style delivery of the latter was an absolute gem.

Iain Matthews at the Coffee Gallery

The set list

Southern Breezes

Something Mighty

The Limburg Girl and The Traveling Man

Rosa's Song (The Back Of a Bus)

Power

To Be White

God's Empty Chair

From Galway To Graceland

Funk And Fire

The Letter (1944)

The Emperor's New Clothes

Time Zone Cowboy

In Paradise

God Looked Down

Alone Again Blues

These Days

Ghost Changes

Evening Sun

 Encore

Joy Mining

Can't Buy Me Love

Iain Matthews enjoying himself at the Coffee Gallery

One of Iain's past collaborators, Richard Stekol, an accomplished musician himself, provided able accompaniment on electric guitar for half an hour or so. His subdued playing was a good addition to the show.

After the concert, I had the pleasure of exchanging a few words with Iain and got to shake his hand, too. I went home happy, carrying with me his "Joy Mining" album, purchased from Iain himself. 

Iain Matthews and Richard Stekol

Iain Matthews tuning his guitar

Set list - sheet 1

Set list - sheet 2

The stage

Concert #709 - Iain Matthews at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 2, 2014)

Iain Matthews at McCabe's

Friday night's concert at McCabe's was my first time to see Iain Matthews live in concert and what a revelation that was! Of course, I've been aware of Iain's music for decades, but, regrettably, without ever giving him my full attention. Big mistake.

Iain took the stage, addressed the crowd, launched into an "a cappella" version of "Just One Look" (not the Doris Troy classic), then seamlessly transitioned  into "The Frame". By the time the latter ended, I knew I was in for a special treat and everything that followed was indeed special. Very special.

I had been listening to Iain's just-released new album, "The Art Of Obscurity", so I knew that there was nothing wrong with his vocals, yet the biggest surprise of the evening was his voice. I can't think of too many singers who, at the not-so-tender age of sixty-eight can hit high notes and control their voices as well as Iain can. His phrasing and vocal inflections produced a soulful and expressive sound that was just perfect to these ears. And before I forget: he is a fine guitarist, too.

Equally good were Iain's songs, the majority of which he wrote himself. He also threw in a couple of covers: Jackson Browne's "These Days" and "Can't Buy Me Love", the well-known Beatles gem. I liked the treatment of the latter, even though, inexplicably, Iain altered the words to "won't buy me love".

Iain Matthews at McCabe's

The aforementioned new album was the source of many of the songs we got to hear Friday night. There were no weak numbers there, with "Ash In The Wind" and "Time Zone Cowboy" being the best. From his older material, "God Looked Down", "Alone Again Blues", "Evening Sun" and "Lamb In Armor" stood out. I also loved "Funk And Fire", a tribute song to three departed musicians whose names were not mentioned in the song. I had no trouble identifying Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, but I had to resort to Google in order to identify Hank Williams as the third unnamed artist.

The set list

Just One Look

The Frame

Joy Mining 

Funk And Fire

The Letter (1944)

The Emperor's New Clothes

Ash In The Wind

Time Zone Cowboy

In Paradise

God Looked Down

Alone Again Blues

Buddha Dials Your Number

These Days (Jackson Browne cover)

The Ballad Of Gruene Hall

Ghost Changes

Evening Sun

Lamb In Armor

 Encore

Spanish Guitar (Gene Clark cover)

Can't Buy Me Love (Lennon-McCartney)

I would have loved to hear a Richard Thompson cover or two, as Iain's rendition of "Poor Ditching Boy" and "Shady Lies" are among my favorite RT covers. No luck, though.

It is now two days after Iain's appearance at McCabe's and his music continues to obsessively haunt me. Luckily, I found an easy fix: I got myself a ticket to see Iain again, tomorrow night, at the intimate Coffey Gallery in Altadena. Can't wait.

Iain Matthews at McCabe's

The set list (not fully followed)

Iain Matthews' final bow

Iain Matthews with fans after the show

Iain Matthews with fans after the show

CDs and cassettes (?!?!) for sale

Concert #708 - Simon Townshend at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 26, 2014)

Last night's concert at McCabe's was announced in February 2014 and it took me a few weeks to commit. Indeed, after having previously seen Simon Townshend's convincing performance as a backup musician, I had some doubts as to whether he could be equally good as a headliner. There may have been other doubters as well, as only about one hundred folks showed up, but those who didn't, missed out on a fun evening that, with the last-minute inclusion of Canada's Matt Andersen, featured not one, but two high-energy performers who had a lot to offer.

Performing solo and alternating between three acoustic guitars and a mini-Gretsch that sounded just like a mandolin, Simon impressed me with a quality set that showcased his talents as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. But don't ask me what his forté is, because picking one category over the other is no easy task. Although unfamiliar with his work, I found Simon's compositions, with their nice melodies, to be exceptionally accessible. His guitar playing was exquisite and so was his voice, even though most of the numbers he tackled last night were not easy to sing. Just as impressive was his energy, as he went from one high-intensity song to another, without allowing himself much rest.

Simon Townshend at McCabe's

Simon Townshend at McCabe's

Comparisons to his more famous brother are unavoidable, hence the question: How does Simon the Musician measure up against Brother Pete? The first thing that comes to mind is that, last night at McCabe's, Simon made absolutely no reference to Pete, nor the Who, and rightly so, as Simon is 100% capable of standing on his own. But does he sound a bit like Pete and do his compositions make you say "Oh, Pete could have written that?" The answer is yes, he does on occasion sound like Pete, not in a derivative way, but more like the subtle result of having the Townshend DNA in his system.

The songs I liked the best were "I'm The Answer", "Leaving This Town", "The Way It Is" and "Bed Of Roses", with "Time Bomb" providing his finest guitar playing moment.

Simon Townshend's set list

Simon Townshend at the end of the show

The evening kicked off with Matt Andersen's short set, six songs in all. Ten seconds into his first song, my jaw dropped and it stayed that way for the entire duration of his set. This guy is something truly special: he plays the guitar like few others, sings with total abandonment, writes great songs, has a sense of humor and still manages to come across as an everyday person. With a voice as thunderous as his, no wonder he headlines big venues in his native Canada, and it's clear that it won't be long before he makes a name for himself here in the States as well. To these ears, the best songs of his set were "Make You Stay" and "Have You Got The Blues", which, for humorous effect, included a few chords from Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther".

Matt Andersen's set list

Make You Stay

I Lost My Way

Let's Go To Bed

Have You Got The Blues

Coal Mining Blues

My Last Day

Matt Andersen at McCabe's

Matt Andersen at McCabe's

Matt Andersen meeting fans after the show

Matt Andersen's autographed CD

Simon Townshend's guitar picks