Concerts #249 & 730 - P.F. Sloan at various venues (2001 & 2014)

This post covers the following two concerts:

• P.F. Sloan at McCabe's Guitar Shop - May 12, 2001
• P.F. Sloan at the Coffee Gallery Backstage - November 22, 2014

Both events were quite special, as they gave me the opportunity to be under the same roof with one of my all-time favorite musicians - not only that I absolutely adore his compositions, but I'm a huge fan of his singing as well. 

Last night's proceedings kicked off with writer S.E Feinberg, whose ten-minute-long introduction included the playing of P.F. Sloan's first hit, "Kick That Little Foot, Sally Ann", recorded in 1964 by a singer named Round Robin. No, the original singer did not show up - Mr. Feinberg played the song directly off of his Apple laptop, by holding it up against his microphone. By the way, S.E. Feinberg is P.F. Sloan's co-writer on Phil's newly-released memoirs titled "What's Exactly The Matter With Me".

Taking the stage to a rousing reception, P.F. Sloan started out with "Whatever God Wants" and "This Love", two outstanding songs from "My Beethoven", his brand new album.

P.F. Sloan at the Coffee Gallery Backstage

What followed was a veritable smorgasbord of great songs, interspersed with equally great stories that involved some of P.F. Sloan's contemporaries, such as Bob Dylan, Fred Neil, Donovan, Barry McGuire, the Mamas & the Papas, Lou Adler, the Grass Roots, Jim Webb, Van Morrison and others. 

The Set List 

Whatever God Wants

This Love

What's Exactly The Matter With Me

The Sins Of The Family

Take Me For What I'm Worth

I Can't Help But Wonder, Elizabeth

Eve Of Destruction

Let's Live For Today

Where Were You When I Needed You

Hold On

A Must To Avoid

(Here They Come) From All Over The World

Tell 'em I'm Surfin'

California Dreamin'

Upon A Painted Ocean

New Design

From A Distance

My Baby Left Me

Secret Agent Man (encore)

Somewhat surprisingly, Phil's set included two numbers he did not write, namely "California Dreamin'" and "My Baby Left Me", the song made famous by Elvis Presley. And speaking of "California Dreamin'": Phil shared with us that, even though the song's lyrics were penned by Michelle Phillips, the full writing credits went to hubby John Phillips, with Michelle's consent, in an attempt to market him as the "next John Lennon".

P.F. Sloan delivering "Secret Agent Man"

During the intermission, I had the distinct honor and pleasure of conversing with the master for a couple of minutes. Barry McGuire's name came up and, referring to his strong belief in Christianity, I told Phil that Barry could have written a Christian song by simply changing the name of his best-known hit into "The Destruction Of Eve". Phil saw the humor in this word-play, laughed and then autographed my newly-purchased book.

P.F. Sloan's autograph

Phil went on singing and telling stories for almost two full hours and I loved every minute of it. A well-deserved standing ovation kept Phil on the stage for one final number, "Secret Agent Man", which got everyone standing up yet once again.

Phil's singing voice sounded pretty much like on his more recent studio recordings. Throughout the show, he accompanied himself on an acoustic guitar. The whole event felt more like a gathering of friends taking place in someone's living room. There were only three songs I did not know, and one of them, "New Design", was among the highlights of the evening. There were no musical guests and no opening act.

P.F. Sloan at the Coffee Gallery Backstage

P.F. Sloan at the Coffee Gallery Backstage

S.E. Feinberg at the Coffee Gallery Backstage

P.F. Sloan interview after the concert

P.F. Sloan chatting with a fan at the Coffee Gallery

The Coffee Gallery stage

A few words about P.F. Sloan's appearance at McCabe's in 2001. The place was only half full, which surprised me very much. Phil took the stage and announced that the first half of the show would consist of nothing but new material, with the hit songs scheduled to come later, after the intermission. Initially, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to sit through a bunch of new songs, but - as it turned out - my fears were totally unfounded. Phil's new music, while having little in common with his hit songs, still sounded great to these ears.

As promised, the second part of the show brought us many of his well-known hits, as well as an unannounced guest, Creed Bratton of the Grass Roots fame. It was also goose-bumps time: Phil's delivery of his always-relevant gem, "Eve Of Destruction", was one of the most emotional moments I have ever experienced during a live concert. Phil closed his set with "Secret Agent Man", a song that, as he told us, brought him more pride than any other of his songs.

Tom Freund was the opening act.

Concerts #291 & 729 - Ellis Paul at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 15, 2002 & October 25, 2014)

Last night was my second time to see Ellis Paul live in concert, both times at McCabe's. There's not a whole lot I remember about the 2002 concert, but I'm pretty sure that the memories from last night's show will stay with me for a long time.

I walked away from my first encounter with Ellis with neutral feelings. At that time - in my book, at least - he was nothing but one of the many singer-songwriters who deserved to be heard, but remained a notch or two below the level of the musicians who were closest to my heart. Something changed since then. "He's right up there with the very best" was the first thought that crossed my mind last night, as I was leaving the concert room. Indeed, Ellis excelled in every category, from songwriting and singing to intensity and sincerity. Great sense of humor, too. One could tell that he was very comfortable up there on the stage and he certainly knows the right balance between music and spoken word.

Ellis Paul at McCabe's

Ellis kicked off his set with "Chasing Beauty", the title track from his current album, followed by "Drive-in Movie", also from the same album. Next, Ellis brought out Radoslav Lorkovic, an accomplished  multi-instrumentalist whom I have seen before playing keyboards for the late Odetta, also at McCabe's. Switching from piano to accordion and back, Radoslav was a great addition to the show.

Except for two covers, Ellis performed his own songs and they all sounded good. The two cover songs, each given Ellis' own treatment, turned out to be among the evening's many highlights. Accompanying himself on the piano, Ellis first sang Pete Seeger's "If I Had A Hammer" and I absolutely loved the piano chords which bore little resemblance to the more traditional arrangements of the song. Not unexpectedly, Ellis' second cover - Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game" - quickly turned into a sing-along.

Ellis Paul at McCabe's

Radoslav Lorkovic at McCabe's

A few Ellis-Paul-penned songs stood out to these ears: "Kick Out The Lights", "Drive-in Movie" and "Wasted" were exceptionally good. Equally remarkable was "Love Is A Curious Thing", delivered from the seating area's center aisle, together with Radoslav and backup singer Rebecca Loebe.

Partial set list

Rose tattoo

Take all the sky you need

Alice's Champagne Palace

Wasted

Kick out the lights (Johnny Cash)

Chasing beauty

Love is a curious thing

If I had a hammer

The circle game

Drive-in movie

Maria's beautiful mess

Hurricane angel

Never want to lose you

Home (encore)

The spoken word portion of the show was as good as the music. Ellis' humorous story about his love affair with two old acoustic guitars was one of the best I've ever heard and I've never seen anyone plugging their product as tastefully as Ellis - his use of a real turntable to play snippets from "Chasing Beauty" was pure genius. He also read a short fragment from "The Hero In You", his newly released children's book.

Ellis Paul plugging his most recent album

The evening's opening act, Austin's Rebecca Loebe, provided backup vocals for many of the songs performed by Ellis. She was quite good in her supporting role. I was less taken by her own solo set.

Rebecca Loebe at McCabe's

Ellis Paul merchandise

The right side of the stage

Concert #728 - Parker Millsap at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 5, 2014)

Q:  Did the show sell out?

A:  No, only about seventy inspired people showed up. Come to think of it, that's not bad for a relative newcomer scheduled to perform at 8 PM on a Sunday.

Q:  Did you get your money's worth?

A:  Absolutely, and then some.

Q:  How can you best describe Parker's performance?

A:  Unique. Youthful. Refreshing. Full of energy. Humorous. Innovative. Multifaceted. Consistently good, from start to finish. Not afraid to go out on a musical limb. Many singer-songwriters out there fall under the "you've heard one song, you've heard them all" category, but Parker's music places him at the opposite end of the spectrum. His vocals are something special and he can play the guitar, too.

Parker Millsap at McCabe's

Q:  What kind of music does he play, anyway?

A:  That's not easy to answer, but let me try. I'd say it's a modern mix of gospel, folk, blues and country that somehow still manages to sound old-schoolish. 

Q:  Is he following someone else's wake?

A:  Not at all. Parker is not copying anyone. Nor is his style easily imitable. 

Q:  How's his songwriting?

A:  He wrote most of the songs he sang for us and they were all outstanding, both in terms of     

tunefulness and variety. He sang two covers, namely Robert Johnson's "Hot Tamales (They're Red Hot)" 

and the traditional "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out".

 Q:  Did he perform solo?

A:  No. He was accompanied by Daniel Foulks on fiddle and Michael Rose on upright bass. They were both outstanding, especially Daniel, who impressed me not only with his beard and hair, but also with his musicianship. His fiddle sounded rich and warm, without any trace of the strident whine often produced by fiddlers.

Parker Millsap and Michael Rose at McCabe's

Parker Millsap and Daniel Foulks at McCabe's

Q:  The evening's highlights?

A: Tough question. Everything Parker did was great, but I particularly loved "Old Time Religion" and the very intense "Land Of  The Red Man", the evening's one-song encore. Among the small handful of slower numbers that he played, the one I liked the most was "Forgive Me".

Q:  Did he have a predetermined set list?

A:  There was no written set list. He picked his songs as he went along. Here's a nearly-complete list of the songs we heard Sunday night:

You Gotta Move

Palisade

Homeless

Heaven Sent

The Villain

The Morning Blues

Hot Tamales

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

Land Of The Red Man

Old Time Religion

Quite Contrary

Truck Stop Gospel

I Hope I Die

Mansion Over The Hilltop

When I Leave

At The Bar

Forgive Me

Q:  His personality?

A:  Parker is an exceptionally likeable young man who possesses a disarming smile and projects the image of the proverbial "boy next door". 

Q: Anything else to add?

A: In recent years, I've seen quite a few younger singer-songwriters, but no one has affected me as much as Parker. This guy is truly special and I can't wait to see him again.

Parker Millsap at McCabe's

The stage

Merch table note

Daniel Foulks' fiddle

Parker Millsap T-shirts for sale

 

Concert #727 - Justin Currie at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 4, 2014)

Last night at McCabe's, Justin Currie of Del Amitri fame treated the sell-out crowd to a veritable smorgasbord of very good songs and even better singing. Without a doubt, his voice and singing style rank among the very best I have ever heard at McCabe's or anywhere else, for that matter. Whether using his normal singing voice or unleashing his precise falsettos, Justin's phrasing and overall delivery went straight to my heart and brain, making me wonder how it was possible for a singer of his talent to have eluded me for so many years.

Justin Currie at McCabe's

Prior to the show, I did give "Lower Reaches", Justin's most recent solo album, a good listen. I liked what I heard, but listening to Justin in a live setting was a whole lot better. His eighty-five minute set had plenty of music and just the right amount of spoken word. Justin used two acoustic guitars to provide his own accompaniment. He also played the keyboards, which sounded a bid too loud from where I was sitting. Using a Gretch electric guitar and a rarely-seen instrument that may be called a lap guitar, fellow Scotsman Stuart Nesbit provided part-time support.

Justin Currie (right) and Stuart Nesbit debating what song to play

To these ears, the best song of the evening was "Everyone I Love", which featured a whistling part that reminded me of Roger Whittaker and his African style of whistling. Other songs that stood out: "Every Song's The Same", "Priscilla", "Falsetto", "Always The Last To Know" and "Food For Songs".

There was no opening act.

Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening that I hope to experience once again, preferably also at McCabe's.

Justin Currie at McCabe's

The set list

Justin Currie T-shirts

Concert #726 - John Gorka at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 14, 2014)

This was only my first time to see John Gorka in concert, even though he has been a McCabe's regular for many years now. It's not that I had been indifferent to his music, but I must confess that his songs had not made a fan out of me. So what changed now? Well, I did hear a few songs from "Bright Side Of Down", his latest album, and I liked what I heard.

The concert is now behind me. I still cannot call myself a fan, but I have certainly made a few steps in that direction. The show revealed to me an intelligent artist who writes consistently good songs, has a fine sense of humor and is quite likeable overall. His performance at McCabe's can best be described as steady, with no stunning highs, but also without any boring lows - in that respect, John's live act is somewhat similar to that of Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Josh Rouse, Grant-Lee Phillips and a few other singer-songwriters of national notoriety.

John Gorka at McCabe's

John's set opened with a song from "Bright Side Of Down", namely "Holed Up Mason City", and ended with "Branching Out", an older number. For his one-song encore, he went back to his current album from which he played "She's That Kind Of Mystery", a song written by Bill Morrissey. I suppose all other songs he sang for us were self-penned, as I don't recall him crediting any one else. Some songs generated laughter, but none as many as "People My Age".

Partial set list

Branching Out

Land Of The Bottom Line

I Saw A Stranger With Your Hair

Outnumbered

Holed Up Mason City

Bright Side Of Down

Thirstier Wind

Semper Fi

Baby Blues

Let Them In

I'm From New Jersey

Ignorance And Privilege

Where The Bottles Break

People My Age

Morningside

She's That Kind Of Mystery (encore)

Accompanying himself on guitar and sweating profusely, John played the entire show all by himself, without any backup musicians. For the playing of "Let Them In", he placed his guitar on the stage and walked over to the piano. 

Overall, John's show was enjoyable, without being "the best one I've ever attended". I will probably catch him again sometime in the future.

There was no opening act.

not

John Gorka at McCabe's

John Gorka at McCabe's

The stage