Concert #725 - Willie Nile at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 5, 2014)

 

This was my fourth time to see Willie Nile in concert. Since my introduction to his music in 2008, I have been steadily listening to his albums, with highly pleasurable results. Simply put, I love the guy. Some refer to him as an "American treasure" and I won't argue with this seemingly overblown characterization of an artist who, sadly, is not known by the masses.

Friday night at McCabe's, Willie came out with Johnny Pisano, who turned out to be the embodiment of the perfect sidekick. Playing bass in his own idiosyncratic style and providing strong backup vocals, Johnny was as much a part of the show as Willie himself.

Willie Nile (right) and Johnny Pisano at McCabe's

The music was great, with lots of catchy hooks, expressive vocals, lively tempos and easy-to-follow lyrics. I knew many of the songs and the ones that were new to me were instantly accessible, in typical Willie Nile fashion. Willie's delivery was intense - I loved watching the many different expressions on his face and it was fun watching him fist-bump Johnny a couple of times.

Willie Nile at McCabe's

Willie Nile at McCabe's

Willie played for eighty minutes or so. His set focused primarily on material from "American Ride", his most recent album, with the title track taking the cake for the catchiest and bounciest song of the evening. The crowd gave a good reception to "Holy War", a song that addresses the rise of religious terrorism. Equally good was "Life On Bleecker Street". This time around there were no Ramones covers, but instead, Willie delighted us with a great rendition of "Sweet Jane", his tribute to the Velvet Underground and the late Lou Reed.

At one point during the show, Willie went to the piano, from where he delivered three very good numbers: "Sunrise In New York City", "The Crossing" and "Lost", a song that will appear on a future "piano record", as he put it. They all sounded great.

Willie Nile playing the piano at McCabe's

The set ended with two more rousing songs, "House Of A Thousand Guitars" and "One Guitar", each involving crowd participation. For his one-song encore, Willie sang "On The Road To Calvary", a song he wrote with Jeff Buckley in mind.

Overall, it was a great concert, the kind that makes you feel special for having had the privilege of attending.  The next time Willie Nile is in town, you know where to find me. As for the folks who don't know who he is, well ... it's their loss.

The set list

Willie Nile at McCabe's

Johnny Pisano at McCabe's

Here's a photo taken from the venue's Facebook page. It shows Willie Nile with two old buddies, Captain Sensible of the Damned and Mike Peters of the Alarm, who were in the attendance last night.  

From L to R: Captain Sensible, Willie Nile and Mike Peters at McCabe's

The stage

Concert #724 - Zoe Muth at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 23, 2014)

This was Zoe Muth's debut appearance at McCabe's, a venue that is perfectly suited for her kind of music. It was also my first time to see Zoe and her band, the Lost High Rollers and I must admit that it wasn't her music, but her "Seattle's Emmylou" label that first grabbed my attention. Well, whoever bestowed that label upon her, was most definitely right - more than once during the show, Zoe's voice and singing style did remind me of the legendary Emmylou Harris, and she did it without coming across as an impersonator.

Only about eighty folks showed up Saturday night at McCabe's and, based on their enthusiastic response, they all went home happy.

Zoe Muth at McCabe's

While I liked Zoe and her music, the one thing that's still ringing in my ears is the outstanding electric guitar accompaniment delivered by Eric Hisaw. His fluid playing was something to behold - with the greatest of ease, he produced sounds that were intricate without being flashy, always supporting the song, without ever attempting to take over the stage. The rhythm section - Greg Nies on drums and Sean Jacobi on bass - were also great. By the way, Greg is Zoe's husband.

Eric Hisaw and Zoe Muth at McCabe's

Zoe's songs have one commendable trait in common: their quality. And she's a good singer, too. Other than two covers - Townes Van Zandt's "Lungs" and John Prine's "Maureen, Maureen" - I suppose Zoe wrote everything else we heard Saturday night. The songs I liked the best were "Make Me Change My Mind" and "Too Shiny", both from her "World Of Strangers", her most recent album.

The Set List

Zoe Muth at McCabe's

Zoe Muth T-shirts for sale at McCabe's

Zoe Muth CDs for sale at McCabe's

The stage

Concert poster

Concert #723 - The Psycho Sisters at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 2, 2014)

Most music fans have not heard of the Psycho Sisters, a low-profile project involving two well-known musicians, namely Susan Cowsill of the Cowsills and Vicky Peterson of the Bangles. I must admit that, initially, the name of the band did not ring a bell to me either. Good thing, though, that the folks at McCabe's, most likely with ticket sales in mind, did not keep the identities of the sisters a secret and, in the end, the show did sell out.

The Psycho Sisters' concert last night at McCabe's featured songs from their soon-to-be-released first album, some material from Susan and Vicky's earlier work, as well as a couple of covers. The crowd's response to the show put on by Susan and Vicky was exceptionally enthusiastic, while the level of my own enthusiasm remained a notch lower. The show had good moments, of course, but I had a hard time connecting with some of the songs I was unfamiliar with. Among the positives, I must mention Susan's singing and her harmonizing with Vicky - one could easily tell that the two had been singing together for years, even decades.

Susan Cowsill (left) and Vicky Peterson at McCabe's

With three exceptions, I was totally unfamiliar with the songs performed by the Psycho Sisters last night. The three exceptions were "Mixed Messages", a catchy song from the repertoire of the Bangles, Gene Pitney's "It Hurts To Be In Love" and "Cuddly Toy", a song written by Harry Nilsson for the Monkees. From among the songs that were new to me, "Never Never Boys" and "Mask-And-Wig Ball" stood out to these ears.

Throughout their set, the Psycho Sisters were accompanied by bassist Derek Anderson and drummer Russ Broussard, who also happens to be Susan's husband. And speaking of the marital status of the Psycho Sisters: Vicky Peterson is married to John Cowsill, Susan's brother, which makes Vicky and Susan sisters-in-law.

Susan Cowsill (left) and Vicky Peterson at McCabe's

The set list

Acting as Susan and Vicky's third psycho-sister, violonist and singer Petra Haden joined the band for most of the evening, but kept a relatively low profile. During the two-song encore, psycho-brother and opening act Bill Mumy took the stage as well. Bill's thirty-minute opening set revealed a likeable artist who sings well and writes decent songs. I particularly liked "Cherokee Books", the set-ending "In The Future" and the song he wrote for Buffy Ford Stewart, the late John Stewart's wife.

Bill Mumy at McCabe's

Petra Haden and Susan Cowsill

Bill Mumy and Susan Cowsill

The end of the show

Sound engineer Robin Danar, with assistant John Calacci

Concert #722 - Janiva Magness at McCabe's Guitar Shop (August 1, 2014)

This was my sixth time to see the multiple award-winning Janiva Magness in concert, so now the secret is out: I'm a fan. Announced as a "CD Release Party", the evening's focus was on the songs from "Original", her brand new album. I went to the show unprepared, not having given the album a proper listen.

Janiva came out with her usual rhythm section (Gary Davenport on bass and Matt Tecu on drums), but surprisingly, without guitarist Zach Zunis and keyboardist Jim Alfredson, her long-time touring and recording partners. Instead, Janiva's band included Dave Darling on guitar and Phil Parlapiano on keyboards, two musicians with impressive resumes of their own. Granted, there was nothing wrong with either of the new arrivals, nor with the band's overall performance, but I did miss the prolonged all-instrumental jams of the band's earlier incarnation.

Janiva Magness at McCabe's

Without following the song sequence of the studio recording, Janiva sang each and every number from "Original", an album that does not sound particularly bluesy to me, certainly not in a traditional sense. At the first listen, I found the album to be remarkably homogenous - no single song stole the show, but there were no throwaways there either. Janiva's voice was strong and nuanced. I liked everything she sang, but what I loved the most was when she brought down the volume a bit, as was the case with "Let Me Breathe" and "Mountain". By the way, Janiva co-wrote seven of the eleven songs that appear on the disc. And she looked good, too.

Janiva Magness at McCabe's

Janiva's set list

Dave Darling at McCabe's

Janiva Magness keeping cool on the stage

Casey Hurt, the evening's opening act, turned out to be nothing short of a revelation. Even though he introduced himself as a "third generation preacher, currently ex-preacher", I must say that there was still plenty of religious fervor in his delivery and voice. Other than "John The Revelator", I suppose he wrote all the songs he sang for us Friday night at McCabe's and, if my supposition is correct, then Casey is one heck of a songwriter. With great songs such as "Mary, Mary" and "Back For Me", Casey captured the attention of the crowd from the moment he took the stage. As a sign of support, Janiva Magness and Dave Darling came out to sing backup vocals on one song.

Casey Hurt at McCabe's

Casey Hurt's set list

Casey Hurt (seated), with Janiva Magness and Dave Darling

Janiva Magness with a fan, after the show

My friend Bill in a pensive mood, minutes before the show

Concert #721 - Jackshit at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 18, 2014)

I learned my lesson earlier this year, I think in March, when - after having seen Jackshit in action thirty times -  I took a deliberate break from catching all their shows at McCabe's. Big mistake: while I was home doing God knows what, a certain Elvis Costello showed up as the band's unannounced guest, to the delight of those who did attend.

Needless to say, Friday night I was in the attendance, along with Gus, a construction contractor who remodeled our house a few years back. The Boys from Cochtotan were in top shape, so the absence of musical guests passed virtually unnoticed. Val McCallum was on fire, I especially liked his rapturous playing on "You'd Better Get Right".

Val McCallum at McCabe's

The highlight of the concert was "Ugly And Slouchy", the old Maddox Brothers tune that, in the hands of Beau, Shorty and Pete, became an epic rock & roll medley that brought us to our feet. The medley consisted of the following songs:

 Ugly And Slouchy - Maddox Brothers

Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire - Jimi Hendrix

Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf

Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Jesus Is Just Alright - Doobie Brothers

Pinball Wizard - The Who

And When I Die - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Ugly And Slouchy - Maddox Brothers 

Davey Faragher at McCabe's

The set list included many of the songs the band often plays, plus a few new additions, such as "Sin City" from the repertoire of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Buck Owens' "Where Does The Good Times Go" and "I'm Not Talkin'", a Mose Allison tune covered by the Yardbirds and Aerosmith, among others. They all sounded great.

The set list

Not appearing on the set list, the band's one-song encore was "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In", featuring Shorty's outstanding singing and bass playing. We all went home happy. Very happy.

Pete Thomas at McCabe's

Val McCallum, aka Beau Shit, feeling the music

Concert poster

Concert #720 - The Dustbowl Revival at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center (July 17, 2014)

This was my first time at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, a Fullerton landmark that has an interesting history and deserves to be visited even when your favorite artist is not booked to be playing there. The events kick-off at 7:30 PM sharp, while it was still daylight. Introduced by Zoot Velasco, the Muck's executive director, the band came out as a septet, which, sadly, did not include Connor Vance, their fiddler-deluxe.

The Dustbowl Revival at the Muck

 Band line-up

Zach Lupetin (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, kazoo)

Liz Beebe (vocals, washboard)

Daniel Mark (mandolin)

Matt Rubin (trumpet)

Ulf Bjorlin (trombon)

Josh Heffernan (drums)

James Klopfleisch (upright bass)

Faithful to their usual "Less talk, more music" approach, the band delivered their old-school music with youthful energy and humor, to the delight of a crowd whose average age was considerably higher than that of the musicians on stage. Last night's set list was very different from the songs they played in Pasadena in mid-May, a testimony to the ever-growing repertoire of the band. To these ears, the best songs of the evening were "Western Passage", "Cherokke Shuffle" and "Lowdown Blues", so yes, I am a sucker for the band's up-tempo, brass-heavy numbers and we all smiled and applauded when Ulf and Liz unleashed their awesome, albeit brief, operatic vocals.

 Partial Set List

Ballad Of The Bellhop

Edgar Allan Poe
Gamblin' Man
I Like It Like That
Lowdown Blues
Doubling Down On You
Cherokee Shuffle
Drop In A Bucket
Rodeo Joe
Hey Hey Hey (title?)
Lampshade On
Western Passage

All-in-all, I had a fun time. I loved the music and the venue.

Joseph, Liz, Zach and Daniel

Matt, Liz, Zach and Daniel singing "Rodeo Joe"

Ulf Bjorlin (left) and Matt Rubin

Stage and crowd (Muckenthaler Cultural Center)

Concert announcer Zoot Velasco

The Muckenthaler Mansion