Concert #785 - Benmont Tench at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 30, 2016)

I have to confess that a few months back, after having given Benmont's first solo album a good listen, I pushed it aside with no intention of ever playing it again. Not being impressed with his music is one thing, but having the chance to see someone of his stature at McCabe's was an entirely different matter, so I grabbed my ticket as fast as I could. Still, Sunday night, while driving to McCabe's, I was questioning the wisdom of my decision to attend and I even had thoughts of bailing out halfway through the show, just in case things got exceedingly boring.

Fast forward to the end of the concert, when I jumped up to my feet, along with everyone else. No, we weren't just being polite toward a deserving artist. We were simply responding to a great performance that, at least from my vantage point, came out of nowhere.

The Benmont Tench who performed Sunday night at McCabe's had little in common with the keyboard player I saw a couple of times in the 1980s alongside Tom Petty. Early in the show, he told the audience that he had performed solo here and there, but had never done a full solo concert, or - the way he put it - "I've never done this and I'm as confused as you are". I can't say that he looked intimidated up there on the stage, but I could certainly detect quite a bit of humility in his demeanor.

Benmont Tench at McCabe's

Benmont's set kicked off with the self-penned "Under The Starlight", a song that immediately grabbed my attention. Good songs came in quick succession, one after the other, and many of them were the very same numbers that failed to grab me when I first heard his album. "Veronica Said", "Wobbles", "Homesick", "Dallas Is A Damn Good Town To Leave", "Today I Took Your Picture Down" and "Welcome To Hell" sounded great and so did all his other songs. 

Supplementing his own material with a few covers, Benmont delivered a rousing boogie-woogie rendition of CSN's "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", Bob Dylan's "Duquesne's Whistle" and "I Can Hear Music", a song most people first heard with the Beach Boys, but originally recorded by the Ronettes. 

To me, the highlight of the evening was "Corrina, Corrina", the traditional song reworked by Dylan in the early 60s, featuring Benmont's exquisite piano playing and expressive vocals. Indeed, Benmont is not a bad singer. His phrasing is good and there is feeling in his voice. Good diction, too, as every word can be heard loud and clear. And speaking of highlights: Benmont's piano playing was an absolute delight throughout the evening.

While playing seated at his grand piano for most of the evening, Benmont provided his own guitar accompaniment on a few songs, surprising everyone in the process. "You Should Be So Lucky" was one of those songs and it sounded great.

Benmont Tench at McCabe's

Contrary to my initial expectations, the show went on without ever losing momentum and today, almost one week after the show, Benmont's music still resonates in me. I will always remember this show as one of the finest I have ever attended at McCabe's. Will he ever play there again? I certainly hope so.

Benmont Tench thanking the McCabe's crowd

The stage

Accompanied by the ubiquitous Sean Watkins, a young and rather unknown Dominique Arciero opened the evening with an unconvincing set. 

Dominique Arciero at McCabe's

Concert Director Lincoln Myerson addressing the crowd

Concert #784 - Carrie Newcomer at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 28, 2016)

Surprisingly few people showed up Friday night to catch Carrie Newcomer in concert, but I'm sure that the ones who came were glad they did. Just as I expected, Carrie put on an outstanding show that highlighted not only her stellar songwriting, but also her beautiful voice and gentle personality. With the natural warmth that she possesses, she did not sound fake at all when talking or singing about peace, love and understanding.

Not unexpectedly, Carrie put significant emphasis on her most recent album, "The Beautiful Not Yet", released just a few weeks ago. I was unfamiliar with her new music, but everything she sang for us from the new album sounded great. After just one listen, I can now count "Lean In Toward The Lights", "Sanctuary" and "A Shovel Is A Prayer" among my favorite Carrie Newcomer songs.

Carrie Newcomer at McCabe's

I would have loved to hear "Where You Been", the song that years ago opened my ears to Carrie's music, but I was more than happy to sing along to "If Not Now" and "The Gathering Of Spirits", two numbers that are as gorgeous as they get.

Carrie Newcomer at McCabe's

The set list

For the evening's one-song encore, Carrie asked everyone to stand up and join her in the singing of "Room At The Table". Needless to say, the crowd happily obliged.

I must also mention the contribution of Gary Walters, whose piano accompaniment and occasional background vocals added quite a bit to the success of the evening.

Pianist Gary Walters at McCabe's

Carrie Newcomer at McCabe's

The stage

The concert room

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Concert #783 - Leftover Cuties - "Full Moon Saturdays at Stonywood" Concerts Series in Pasadena (September 10, 2016)

 

This was my second time to see the Leftover Cuties in action and also my second time to attend a concert in Garth and Trisha's gorgeous backyard in Pasadena. Before I even mention the concert, I must give tons of credit to the hosts, who - as an expression of their love of music, as well as their desire to support deserving musicians - have opened their house to folks they don't even know. Garth shared with me an interesting tidbit: a typical concert in their backyard draws around fifty to sixty people, while the highest attendance ever was eighty-three.

Garth & Trisha's backyard in Pasadena

Garth opening the proceedings

 For unknown reasons, the band's regular bassist, the supremely intense Austin Nicholsen, was not there. His place was taken by the far more reserved, but equally competent Ryan Feves, who I believe was the band's original bass player.   

Band line-up

Shirli McAllen (vocals, ukulele)

Mike Bolger (keyboards, trumpet, accordion, helicon)

Stuart Johnson (drums, percussion, funny sounds)

Ryan Feves (upright bass)

The Leftover Cuties in Pasadena

What made me want to attend the concert was Shirli's voice and singing style. I don't know whether most folks would agree with me, but every time I hear Shirli sing, Madeleine Peyroux invariably comes to mind. Not that their voices or vocal techniques are alike, but both Shirli and Madeleine grab me not with devilish rhythms and stage acrobatics, but with a phrasing and delivery style that is uniquely theirs and only theirs. 

Shirli McAllen in Pasadena

As expected, the band's set list included a healthy mix of songs written by Shirli and quite a few covers. Cole Porter's "Let's Misbehave", the classic "You Are My Sunshine", Billie Holiday's "All Of Me" and Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love" all sounded great. 

Yes, Shirli can sing, but as a songwriter she is no slouch, either. With numbers such as "Sunnyside", "If You Want The Rainbow" and especially "Clarity", I strongly believe that she deserves a much larger audience.

Shirli McAllen in Pasadena

As good as Shirli McAllen is, the Leftover Cuties wouldn't be what they are without the combined talents of Mike Bolger, Stuart Johnson and Ryan Feves. Switching with ease from instrument to instrument, Mike's musical accompaniment was quite a bit richer that most anything you will ever hear. Adding an endless array of bells, whistles and other funny sounds to his drum playing, the utterly humorous Stuart was an important contributor to the success of the show.

Mike Bolger in Pasadena

Stuart Johnson in Pasadena

Shirli McAllen& Ryan Feves in Pasadena

I went to the concert with My Better Half and two good friends, Deborah and Joe. We all had a heck of a good time and we all hope to be back real soon in Garth and Trisha's hospitable backyard.

The set list

Merchandise

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Concert #782 - Vonda Shepard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 16, 2016)

A sentence such as "Vonda is loved by many, but known by few" does not seem to be particularly logical, but somehow, paradoxically, it does ring a bit true. Vonda's appearance at McCabe's sold out in the end, but it took weeks and weeks to get there - this supports the "know by few" part, but let me tell you, whoever was there, showered her with their full love and adulation. Standing ovations are quite frequent at McCabe's, but how often can one witness there a musician performing in front of a crowd that just does not want to sit down? Well, that's precisely what happened during Vonda's final few songs of her set, a strong sign that, indeed, she is loved by many.

 

Vonda Shepard at McCabe's

I'm not a Vonda Shepard expert. Over the years, I have paid attention mostly to her cover songs, to the detriment of her original compositions, so there I was last week at McCabe's, hoping to hear nothing but covers and frowning a bit every time she launched into a self-penned number. As it turned out, her own material dominated the evening - at first blush, I did like some of her songs, while others would definitely require a few more listens.

I enjoyed tremendously her soulful and passionate delivery of Dan Penn's "Sweet Inspiration" and John Fogerty's "Proud Mary". Equally good were her renditions of "Walk Away Renee" and "Respect Yourself", both well-known radio staples from decades ago.

A few words about Vonda's outstanding band: James Ralston (guitar), Jim Hanson (bass, backup vocals) and Michael Urbano (drums) were very good individually and also collectively, as one would expect from musicians who have been playing together for years. Assuming a somewhat lower-key role, producer Mitchell Froom played his keyboard in the corner of the stage, partially obscured by the other musicians. Vonda sat behind her keyboard for most of the show, but took center stage for a couple of songs toward the end of the show.

Vonda Shepard & Jim Hanson at McCabe's

Comprised mostly of Vonda Shepard connoisseurs, the crowd responded with enthusiasm to her performance throughout the evening, then brought her back for not one, but two encores, each consisting of one song, first Don Covay's "Chain Of Fools", then finally, the much-covered "You Belong To Me".

Vonda's set list

It took me some after-the-concert googling to identify Vonda's unannounced guest, namely Jeff Young, who contributed backup vocals and some spirited keyboard playing on a couple of songs.

This concert will be hard to forget. Vonda's voice and singing ability are something to behold and I will never forget her intensity and, most of all, her gorgeous smile.

Vonda Shepard at McCabe's

Vonda Shepard, Jim Hanson & Jeff Young at McCabe's

Mitchell Froom at McCabe's

James Ralston tuning his guitar before the show

The merch table

More merchandise

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Concert #781 - The Dustbowl Revival at the Levitt Pavilion (July 2, 2016)

 

This was my 12th time to see the Dustbowl Revival live in concert and it took me just a little over four years to reach this mark. The concert took place at the Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena and I'm estimating that more than one thousand people showed up to see the revivalists. While most people watched the show without disturbing others, the same cannot be said about the group sitting right next to me and, with the place being filled to capacity and beyond, my Beter Half and I had nowhere else to go.

 BAND LINEUP

Zach Lupetin (vocals, guitar)

Liz Beebe (vocals, washboard)

Daniel Mark (mandolin)

Connor Vance (violin)

Matt Rubin (trumpet)

Ulf Bjorlin (trombone)

James Klopfleisch (upright bass)

Josh Heffernan (drums)

The Dustbowl Revival at the Levitt Pavilion

The band was in great form, but then what else is new? While their repertoire is a constantly evolving affair, their top-notch musicianship is always there and so is the infectious fun they exude. But I won't get into any more details, as this concert was not radically different from the other eleven shows I have reviewed elsewhere in this blog.

PARTIAL SET LIST

Ballad Of The Bellhop

John The Revelator

Old Joe Clark

Feels Good

I Decided

Busted

Honey I Love You

Cripple Creek

The Fire

Lulu (?)

Hey Baby

I Don't Drink Anymore

Riverboat Queen

Whiskey In The Well

So Far Away

Lampshade On

Zach Lupetin & Daniel Mark at the Levitt Pavilion

Ulf Bjorlin & Matt Rubin at the Levitt Pavilion

Daniel Mark & Connor Vance at the Levitt Pavilion

Zach Lupetin & Liz Beebe at the Levitt Pavilion

Josh Heffernan at the Levitt Pavilion

Zach Lupetin & Liz Beebe at the Levitt Pavilion

Performing on a small side stage that is reserved for emerging young musicians, Bones Muhroni delivered a surprisingly good set that was inventive, energetic and not at all derivative. These guys have talent, no doubt.

Bones Muhroni, the evening's opening act

The stage