Concert #658 - Jennifer Warnes at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 17, 2012)

We are getting older and so does Jennifer Warnes. She is sixty-five now, yet she still sounds like Jennifer Warnes and that is no small feat. Not too many singers posses a voice that is as expressive and nuanced as Jennifer's and it is pure joy to be able to enjoy her singing in a live setting, so many years after I first heard her voice in the early seventies.

Last night's concert at McCabe's was as good as any of my previous seven encounters with Miss Warnes. Accompanied by string ticklers Billy Watts, Taras Prodaniuk and Rick Cunha, she sang many of the songs from her last year's tour, with a few welcome changes. Even though she is not known to be someone who dwells in her musical past, Miss Warnes performed a few of her older tunes, among them "I'm Restless", "Right Time Of The Night", "When The Feeling Comes Around" and Leonard Cohen's "Bird On The Wire". They all sounded good, yet the concert's finest moments, at least to these ears, came when Jennifer tackled lesser known songs, such as Ian Tyson's "Blue Mountains Of Mexico", Bob Dylan's "When The Deal Goes Down" and the absolute highlight of the evening, Blind Alfred Reed's "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live".

Jennifer Warnes addressing the crowd

Come to think of it, with one exception, all we heard last night were slow songs of essentially the same tempo. Such shows could become boring pretty fast, yet there wasn't a trace of boredom last night at McCabe's. On the contrary, the audience, myself included, remained fully engaged and thoroughly entertained, courtesy of Jennifer's humility, warmth and, most of all, her voice.

The only fast song of the entire evening was "God Doggit, Baby", a humorous song written by the little-known Michael Smotherman and delivered by Jennifer complete with her favorite snail joke.

Guitarist Billy Watts doubled up as Jennifer's singing male partner, as together they performed "You Don't Know Me" and "Up Where We Belong". His outstanding playing of the guitar intro to Alfred Reed's "Poor Man" prompted Jennifer to ask him to play it again.

Also among the evening's highlights were Mickey Newbury's "So Sad", Allen Toussaint's "It's Raining" and the show opener "Carrying A Torch", from the repertoire of Van Morrison. For her one-song encore, Jennifer picked Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" which sounded fabulous.

My small group included our friend Deborah and extended family members Nancy and Jim. We all had a great time and something tells me that the next time Jennifer is in town we will all be back.

The end of the show: Jennifer Warnes and her band

Jennifer Warnes and Billy Watts thanking the crowd

Sound engineer Alan Kanter

Jennifer Warnes arriving at McCabe's

My Better Half (right) and our good friend Deborah

Window sign at McCabe's

Concert poster

Concert #438 - Perla Batalla - Levitt On The Lawn Concerts (Scripps College) (April 27, 2007)

I first saw Grammy-nominee Perla Batalla in concert at UCLA's Royce Hall in February 2007, and what an auspicious introduction that was. As a key figure in a star-studded Leonard Cohen tribute concert, Perla knocked my socks off with the power and expressiveness of her voice.

Two months later, Perla appeared at an outdoor concert that took place at Claremont's Scripps College, a short driving distance from my home. The event was sponsored by the Levitt Pavilion For The Performing Arts in Pasadena, a cultural organization with strong ties to the college. The Elm Tree Lawn, where the tiny stage was set up, is a pretty area located right in the heart of the Claremont Colleges. Sadly, only about 70 folks showed up, even though the event was free to the public.

Perla Batalla at Claremont's Scripps College

The concert started at the unusual time of 5:30 PM. Accompanied by two musicians, Perla's performance lasted just a little over an hour. She sang in both English and Spanish, her two native languages. In spite of the low turnout, Perla did not hold back, so we got to hear her full vocal range and intensity. As expected, she did deliver a Leonard Cohen tune.

Perla Batalla at Claremont's Scripps College

After the concert, I approached Perla and we chatted for a few very pleasant minutes. She appeared to be genuinely friendly, warm and humble. Carrying her autographed album of Leonard Cohen covers, I went home happy.

Perla Batalla and Yours Truly

The gorgeous Elm Tree Lawn - Scripps College (Claremont, California)

Concert #441 - Sara Hickman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 1, 2007)

In my case, a trip to McCabe's means a round trip of one-hundred-and-two miles, so quite often I pay more for gas than for the concert ticket itself. Wasting money is not my thing, so I choose my concerts carefully - in most cases, when I buy my tickets, I pretty much know what to expect from the performer. Sara Hickman's appearance at McCabe's in 2007 was a rare exception - I remember driving to McCabe's and questioning the wisdom of my choice.

Three hours later, as I was driving home, I was congratulating myself for having discovered such a wonderful singer-songwriter, who  - as far as I was concerned - came out of nowhere. Typically, I don't fall for the "peace and universal love" schtick, but in Sara's case, had she asked the audience to hold hands, sway and sing, God knows I would have done it, that's how genuine and strong her message was.

Sara's set list drew heavily from "Motherlode", her then-current album. The song that hit me the hardest was "Comfort's Sigh", one of the finest mid-tempo ballads I have ever heard. Kristin de Witt, one of Sara's friends and musical collaborators, sang backup vocals on a few songs.

Sara's set was exceptionally pleasant, even though I did not know any of her songs. After the show, I went straight to her merch table and bought "Motherlode", which turned out to be a double CD.

The cover of Sara Hickman's "Motherlode" album

I can't wait to see Sara again, but sadly, Southern California is not a common stop on her touring itinerary.

McCabe's Guitar Shop - The concert room

Concert #657 - Robbie Fulks at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 21, 2012)

My Sunday night's encounter with Robbie Fulks embodied everything that makes McCabe's the finest concert venue in our galaxy. Sadly, only about 120 people attended and I don't believe there was a single unhappy customer among them. As far as all the others are concerned ... well, it was their loss.

I seldom start a blog entry by talking about the opening act, but Greg Trooper definitely deserves this special treatment. Although totally new to his music, I loved everything he did. On the musical front, he impressed me with six outstanding songs and I believe he wrote each and every one of them. The set-closing "Time For Love" generated the loudest crowd response, but any of the other songs could easily qualify to be called a highlight. Here's his nearly-complete set list:

Steel deck bridge
Green eyed girl
This I'll do
They Call Me Hank
Time For Love

Greg Trooper at McCabe's

I loved Greg's chatter - without using a lot of words, he managed to be both thought-provoking and utterly funny. After the show, I was ready to buy his most recent CD, but was turned away by the $20 price tag.  

Just like in July 2011, Robbie Fulks came out with Robbie Gjersoe, his sidekick of many years. Together, they provided entertainment at its best: great songs, excellent vocals, some power picking and lots of good humor. There were lots of original songs and also plenty of covers, such as  Bill Anderson's "Cocktails" and the obscure "I Wanna Be Mama'd" by the equally obscure Jimmie Logsdon.

Robbie Fulks (right), with Robbbie Gjersoe at McCabe's

The two Robbies did not have a set list and, as a result, the show had an air of "let's play what feels good", which suited me just fine. A few humorous songs "felt good" to them, so I got to hear one of my favorites, "I Told Her Lies".

The crowd shouted out a few requests and Robbie obliged with the singing of "She Took A Lot Of Pills (And Died)", one of his more popular numbers. I also enjoyed hearing  "Georgia Hard", "Tears Only Run One Way" and "Cigarette State". John Calacci, a close associate of Susanna Hoffs, happened to be in the house, so Robbie sang "That Bangle Girl" and offered himself to Susanna, just in case she had an interest in a forty-nine year old married man. "Let's Kill Saturday Night" and "The Buck Starts Here" were also well-received by the crowd.

This was my third time to see Robbie Fulks in concert and I can say that he's getting better every time I see him. Or maybe I just like him more every time I see him, but either way, I will continue to catch him every time he comes to town.

Robbie Fulks at McCabe's

Robbie's final bow

 

Concert #656 - Tift Merritt at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 20, 2012)

 Last night's Tift Merritt appearance at McCabe's was a somewhat unusual event, as it offered not one, but two worthy warm-up acts: Amy Cook and Tyler Lyle. They were both very good, yet when Tift came out, one could immediately tell why she got the headlining job.

Based on what I saw last night at McCabe's, there are three words that best describe Tift, the musician: talent, talent and talent. She writes intelligent songs that have enough hooks to grab one's attention, are lively enough not to put anyone to sleep and are far more tuneful than the average singer-songwriter fare I hear nowadays. And to these ears, she sings better now than ever before. Her brand new album, "Traveling Alone", is full of gems and we got to hear each and every one of them, starting with the gorgeous "Sweet Spot". There were no weak songs last night and that made it easier for me to accept the absence of "Good Hearted Man" from her set.

Tift Merritt at McCabe's

Tift Merritt's band included long-time collaborator Jay Brown on bass, Eric Heywood on various string instruments and a drummer whose name I do not know. They sounded great together, although the drummer's overzealous play at times was a bit too loud for me and everyone else sitting, just like I was, seven or eight feet from the drum set - mea culpa, one might say. Tift accompanied herself on piano for the playing of three songs, the best of which was "Small Talk Relations". Other songs that I liked were "Too Soon To Go", "Still Not Home", "Drifted Apart" and "Traveling Alone", the new album's title track.

Tift Merrit playing the piano at McCabe's

Tift Merritt's set list

Tift Merritt introducing the band

Tift Merritt and Jay Brown at the end of show

The evening started with a five-song set delivered by Tyler Lyle, a young LA-based Southerner who can definitely write and sing. His songs and performance cannot be characterized as "high-energy", yet he manage to draw everyone into his music, hence the crowd's strong response. His best numbers were "Young Men" and "Never Reach My Destination". Tyler is someone I will meet again in the future, I'm convinced.

Tyler Lyle picking up his belongings at the end of his set

Tyler Lyle's set list

Immediately following Tyler Lyle, singer-songwriter Amy Cook delivered a seven-song set that was exceptionally good, one of the best opening sets I have ever heard at McCabe's. Despite her claim of nervousness, she appeared to be quite self-confident as she sang six self-penned songs, plus "Dreaming", a Blondie cover. While her guitar playing was very effective in grabbing my attention, her strongest assets were her songwriting and voice. The highlights of her set were "It's Gonna Rain" and the set-ending "When I Wake Up", both found on her recent album titled "Summer Skin".

Amy Cook at McCabe's

Amy Cook's set list

Amy Cook's concert poster

First in line at McCabe's: Bill and Paula

The left side of the stage

The right side of the stage

The merch table

 

Concert #655 - Shannon McNally & Amy LaVere at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 14, 2012)

This was my second time to see Shannon McNally in concert and my first-ever encounter with Amy LaVere. The concert was the third stop on their "Chasing The Ghost" tour. The two ladies came out with a band that included Robert Mache on electric guitar and mandolin, Shawn Zorn on drums and a fiddler whose name I did not catch. The format of the show was spectator-friendly, as Shannon and Amy alternated as lead singers, with Shannon delivering just a few more songs than Amy. That suited me just fine, as her voice and singing style touched me a little more. Not that I disliked Amy's vocals, she sounded great, especially on "Sentimental Blues".

Armed with an acoustic guitar and an upright bass, respectively, Shannon and Amy sang six of the seven songs of their brand new release titled "Chasing The Ghost Rehearsal Sessions". Although new to me, most of those songs were pleasant to listen to, especially "Good Ole Time", "This Never Happened" and "Never Been Sadder".

Amy LaVere (left) and Shannon McNally at McCabe's

In line with Shannon's interest in cover songs, we also got to hear a few well-known oldies, such as "Mr. Spaceman", a song made famous by the Byrds, and Kris Kristofferson's "Loving Him Was Easier Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again". The show ended with yet another cover, "Wang Dang Doodle", the classic blues gem I first heard with Koko Taylor many years ago.

Amy LaVere (left) and Shannon McNally at McCabe's

The three accompanists were outstanding. The guitar and fiddle solos were all great and Shawn's drumming was equally good, in spite of its deliberate low profile. At times, they rocked real hard and those moments were highly enjoyable. Overall, the concert was consistently good, from start to finish.

The set list ("A" stands for Amy, "S" for Shannon)

The evening kicked off with an impromptu opening set delivered by Will Hutchinson, a young singer-songwriter of some talent. His low-energy six-song set included original songs as well as a couple of covers. The highlight of Will's set was M. Ward's "Here Comes The Sun Again". Drummer Steve Mugalian helped out on one song.

Will Hutchinson at McCabe's

Shannon McNally mingling with fans

The stage

Concert poster