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The Bottle Rockets Explode at Famous Dave’s, Minneapolis, MN, 12/29/12

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There’s nothing like a double dose of electric guitar to chase away the winter chill, and The Bottle Rockets did just that on a cold December night in Minneapolis. With lead singer/songwriter Brian Henneman on the Rickenbacker and John Horton on the ubiquitous Les Paul, The Bottle Rockets have as potent a two-guitar lineup as any band working the bar scene today. It would be convenient, but also misguided, to draw comparisons between Horton and Henneman, and the prototypical American rock guitar duo, Duane Allman and Dickie Betts. Where the Allmans’ sound was rooted in the blues, The Bottle Rockets’ heritage is country – particularly, the outlaw country branch of the family tree. Given Brian Henneman’s previous stint as guitar tech/roadie and occasional contributor to the seminal alternative-country band, Uncle Tupelo, it’s appropriate to hang the alt-country label on them (“whatever the hell that means,” as the T-shirts the band hawks wryly note). Rounding out the group, charter member Mark Ortmann pounds out the rhythm while Keith Voegele plays bass and adds harmony vocals.

The Rockets played two 75-minute sets, the first being devoted primarily to familiar favorites, with a couple of new tunes thrown in, while the second set featured deeper cuts from the band’s extensive catalogue. Opening with “Way It Used To Be,” from their last studio release, 2009’s “Lean Forward,” the band then debuted a new song, “I Wonder If She’s Real,” showcasing the band’s signature twin lead guitar sound. The band’s current lineup has been in place for nearly eight years now, and the guitarists’ familiarity with each other is obvious onstage, as Horton and Henneman easily play off one another, trading licks and fills, and coming together in gorgeous harmonics.

Returning to the “Lean Forward” album, the band got slinky with “Hard Times,” with its N’awlins’ second-line feel, then brought out the twang on “I Wanna Come Home.” After one more new number, Henneman made the obligatory pitch for the merch table, noting that on a cold winter night in Minnesota the trick to staying warm is to dress in layers. “So buy a T-shirt!” The shill worked, as folks flocked to the stage during the break to purchase shirts and other band memorabilia.

But first, there was a lot more music to be played. “Get On The Bus” started out slightly slowed down from the album version, with some fine solo guitar work by John Horton, then went through a number of tempo changes as the bus roared on along its route. “Kerosene,” a slow, mournful ballad about an impoverished family who died in a trailer fire (“If kerosene works, why not gasoline?”) was delivered without a trace of sentiment. Shaking off the melancholy tone, the band shifted to the uptempo “When I Was Dumb,” followed by “I Fell Down,” and “Alone In Bad Company.” Horton then switched to lap steel for “Get Down River,” a plea to a flooding river to return to its banks. Highlights from the close of the first set included a rocking “I’ll Be Coming Around,” segueing into the wry, cautionary tale of the “$1,000 Car” (“A thousand dollar car it ain’t worth nothin’/A thousand dollar car it ain’t worth shit/Might as well take your thousand dollars/And set fire to it”). “Indianapolis” was given a rousing, rollicking treatment, “Welfare Music” featured more intricate interplay between the two guitarists, and the set came to a close with an urgent reading of “Around The Bend.”

Henneman introduced the second set as “the set of way lesser played songs,” although, in truth, there were a fair number of familiar songs as well. Included in the set were two gems off the band’s tribute to the late Doug Sahm, “Songs of Sahm”: the beautiful ballad “I Don’t Want To Go Home,” with Horton once again adding exquisite touches on the lap steel, and “At The Crossroads” (“You can’t live in Texas if you ain’t got a lotta soul!”). The sinister sounding “Dinner Train To Dutchtown” segued into the uptempo romp “Waitin’ On A Train,” followed by the mournful breakup song “Smoking 100’s Alone,” with John Horton switching back to lap steel again.

With the lateness of the hour, the crowd began thinning, which was a shame, as some of the best moments of the night were to follow. Brian Henneman’s solo on “Things You Didn’t Know” was a highlight of the set, as was the ode to Ole Blue Eyes’ daughter, “Nancy Sinatra,” followed by “Gravity Fails.” “Love Like A Truck” got the big rave-up treatment & brought a few dancers (mostly women) on to the floor. Acknowledging the cheers afterward, Henneman cracked, “We like to hear women say ‘Oh my God!’ at our shows!” Before closing with “Turn For The Worse” (an almost note-for-note copy of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”), Henneman made a final comical pitch for the merch table, noting “Your merchandise purchases are the difference between a Motel 6 and a Super 8 for us tonight!”

The end of the year marks a significant anniversary for the band, as Henneman noted: “At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, The Bottle Rockets turn 20!” With the current lineup comfortably in place and obviously enjoying what they’re doing, there’s every reason to hope that they’ll be comin’ around, knockin’ our back doors down, for another decade or two. But, in the music business, nothing can be taken for granted, so make yourself a New Year’s resolution to get out and see this band if they play anywhere near you in 2013. You’ll be glad you did.

As The Year Goes Passing By: A Look Back at 2012

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The Ghost Writer heads North!

Our guys Harry G and Nanky P hook up by satellite to trade tales of 2012– Ed.

Harry: For me, the year was bookended by memorable shows from two of my favorite mid/late-70’s artists. In early January, Garland Jeffreys made a rare appearance up here in the Great White North. Backed by just a single guitarist and playing to an adoring, sold-out house in a small theater in NE Minneapolis, Garland was animated, engaged and gracious to a fault, staying after the show for hours signing anything people shoved in front of him and posing for photographs. The Parker and Rumour review has already been posted, so ’nuff said about that. Both men proved that rockers of a certain age can still be vital, passionate and relevant, without turning into anachronistic Indian-casino-touring oldies shows.

Nanker: For me, it’s the unexpected, off-the-cuff moments that are the live concertgoers’ reward for tolerating outrageous fees by brokers, no parking near venues, and pre-drink requests for I.D. from twenty-year-olds who can’t grow a beard. ” I.D.? I saw Blind Faith back when your Mom was a preschooler! Give me a damn beer! ”

Malcom, Luther, and John rock the soundcheck

Malcom, Luther, and John rock the soundcheck

How about these: Watching the North Mississippi Allstars’ soundcheck, as Luther Dickinson helped integrate new bassist Lightnin’ Malcom and tour keyboardist Missing Cat John Hermann by jamming on the Stones’ Latin-flavored rave-up finale to ” Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’? ” Listening to Mavis Staples telling the story of her father, Roebuck ” Pops ” Staples, writing ” Keep On Marchin’ ” in 1963 for the blood-stained Freedom Marches in Alabama. Hearing Joe Walsh, his little-kid voice choking with emotion, saying of his friend Levon Helm, ” I’m not okay with his passing, but it helps me to sing this “, as he lead his band into ” I Shall Be Released “. Meeting Marcia Ball at the merch tent at Blues Under the Bridge and asking how she liked the Soiled Dove Underground ( she did!). Seeing Bonnie Raitt raise her fists in triumph like Rocky Balboa to proclaim, ” I just had a visit from Dr. Feelgood “, and knowing that every guy at Red Rocks wished it was him.

Blues Under the Bridge 2012

Blues Under the Bridge 2012

Where else but at the Rock Show?

Harry: Ah, Levon! His passing figured prominently in a number of venues this year. In Nashville, at the Americana Music Festival Honors & Awards show in September, not only did a cast of Americana heavyweights gather onstage for a stirring rendition of “The Weight,” dedicated to Levon, but later that evening the song was reprised by a different group of musicians at The Mercy Lounge. Nick Lowe gave a “Good on ya, mate” shout out to the late drummer for The Band at his First Avenue show, shortly after Levon’s death. I feel a certain affinity for Levon, as we share the same birthday (albeit 13 years apart). Like the old Pete Seeger song says, there was a time to mourn and a time to celebrate this year. NRBQ regrouped and put out a strong new album this year, following band leader Terry Adam’s recovery from cancer. A number of local Twin CIties bands put on a Kill Kancer Benefit show, in memory of the late Soul Asylum bass player, Karl Mueller. Another cancer survivor, Danny Amis, played most of a set with his fellow Los Straitjackets band members in September. So, for every loss, there is a survivor, and promising newcomers are always waiting, ready to pick up the torch.

NRBQ at Famous Dave’s in Minny!

Nanker: We should also remember Donald ” Duck ” Dunn, the Memphis kid who teamed with guitarist Steve Cropper and organist Booker T. Jones to make some of the greatest music ever in the late 60s/early 70s at the tiny Stax Records studio in his hometown, backing up Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Wilson Pickett, in addition to his own MGs with Steve, Booker, and the drummer Al Jackson, Jr.

Stax Recording Studios, Memphis, TN

Stax Recording Studios, Memphis, TN

Gebippe at Stax front door, in Otis' footsteps

Gebippe at Stax front door, in Otis’ footsteps!

And here’s hoping for a blowout New Year’s Eve at the 9:30 Club in D.C. with the North Mississippi Allstars Duo and the Drive-By Truckers. ” She ain’t revved ’til the rods are thrown! ” See ya there!

Still Squeezing Out Sparks: Graham Parker and The Rumour, Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN, 12/19/12

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Graham Parker and The Rumour stormed ashore in the spring of 1976, the vanguard of a new British Invasion that would later include Elvis Costello, The Sex Pistols, and other punk and new wave bands. But Parker and The Rumour were different. Their sound – a potent mix of soul, r ‘n b and reggae, layered over a solid bar band rock ‘n roll foundation – was a throwback to an earlier era, a fulfillment of Parker’s desire for a band that sounded like “The Rolling Stones backing Bob Dylan.”

Despite widespread critical acclaim, a rabid fan base and a string of outstanding records, Parker and The Rumour parted ways after their 1980 release, “The Up Escalator.” GP decided to pursue a solo career and, although various members of The Rumour would occasionally show up on his records, the full band never got back together until earlier this year. Uber-fan Judd Apatow sought out Parker to appear with his old band in his new movie, “This Is 40,” playing the part of an aging rock group (typecasting, I believe that’s called). Apparently, things clicked when the old pub rockers got together and there’s now a brand new Graham Parker and The Rumour CD out, titled “Three Chords Good,” as well as this recently-completed 15-city tour.

There are advantages and disadvantages to being the final date on a band’s tour. On the one hand, the merch table was pretty well picked over. “Nothing left but some very large T-shirts and a few keychains,” Parker quipped. But, we didn’t come for the swag, we came for the music, and on that score the evening was a stunning success.

Opening with “Fools’ Gold,” the last track on “Heat Treatment,” it was clear that the band had worked out whatever kinks there may have been early on in the tour. Guitarists Brinsley Schwarz (on the gold Les Paul) and Martin Belmont (on the turquoise Strat) mixed in complementary fills (and never once switched out guitars the entire night), while bassist Andrew Bodnar and drummer Stephen Goulding pushed the rhythm, and Bob Andrews added appropriate flourishes on the B-3 and electric piano. Sticking with “Heat Treatment,” the band stepped up the tempo a bit with the randy, rollicking “Hotel Chambermaid.” Graham Parker’s voice was strong, although like many rock singers on the downward side of middle age, he tends to go down register where, on the early records, his voice went up. The camaraderie among the band members was strong and they were clearly in good spirits, exchanging smiles across the stage with each other throughout the evening.

Proving that age has not mellowed his sharp tongue, Parker introduced two songs off the new CD next: the reggae-tinged “Snake Oil Capital Of The World,” and “Coathangers,” a song about . . . freedom of choice, shall we say? Returning to more familiar territory with “I’ll Never Play Jacksonville Again” – an early show highlight – Parker followed that rocker with “Thunder And Rain” from the 1977 release, “Stick To Me.” Before starting that song, however, he told a story about coming to Minneapolis for the first time back in 1976, when the band traveled in a big station wagon “And two of us had to sit looking out the rear window.” He remarked about how cold it was and how they all marveled about how human beings could actually live in that climate. Fortunately for us, he’s never written “I’ll Never Play Minneapolis Again,” and, in fact, he has returned here every summer for the past several years to play a free solo show on or about Bastille Day (that’s July 14, for you non-Francophiles) at a local pub.

Acknowledging that he was in the home theater of A Prairie Home Companion, Parker introduced “Old Soul” from the new album by making a pitch to the audience to petition Garrison Keillor to invite him on the show. “This song would be perfect for the Prairie Home Companion,” he said, half in jest, but entirely truthful, as it turned out. The slower tempo number, with Goulding switching to brushes and Andrews contributing a brief, soulful turn on the B-3, would certainly go over well with the PHC crowd.

After playing the single off the new release, (“Long Emotional Ride”), Parker and the band went back to the roots, launching into the title track to their 1976 debut, “Howlin’ Wind.” Returning to the old song seemed to invigorate Parker and he was more animated during the song than he had been to that point. He twitched and jerked in time to the scratchy reggae riffing of Belmont & Schwarz and the crowd ate it up. Instead of building on that enthusiasm, however, he returned to the new material for the next couple of numbers, “Live In Shadows” and “A Lie Gets You Halfway Round The World.” Good stuff, but we were ready to get back to the classics.

Return they did, starting slowly with “Watch The Moon Come Down,” then picking up the tempo with the trilogy of “Discovering Japan,” “Nobody Hurts You,” and “Protection,” all from 1979’s “Squeezing Out Sparks.” “Stupefaction,” from “The Up Escalator” broke the string, but GP and the Band went right back to the wonderful “SOS” album to close out the set with “Local Girls.”

Encore # 1 started with another new song, “That Moon Was Low,” a country-tinged number that cried out for a pedal steel guitar, with Parker once again plugging it for a spot on A Prairie Home Companion. Returning again to the reliable “Squeezing” release for “Passion Is No Ordinary Word,” it became clear that the crowd would not settle for just these 2 songs.

Encore # 2 was, in many ways, the highlight of a very fine evening. With the crowd already on its feet, Parker & Co. started out with the reggae-fied final track from “Howlin’ Wind,” “Don’t Ask Me Questions,” then pounded out a hard rocking version of “Soul Shoes,” followed by the frenetic “New York Shuffle.” Then, just as Schwarz and Belmont began removing their guitars, with the audience howling, stomping, whistling and clapping, Parker called an audible and the band regrouped and launched into their spectacular version of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” Where, in prepubescent Michael’s hands, the song is a bouncy, wistful lament about puppy love gone awry, in Parker and The Rumour’s version it becomes the earnest plea of a man who realizes he’s made a terrible mistake and pleads for his lover to return. With Bob Andrews’ glissando slides down the keyboard leading the crescendo to the chorus, The Rumour’s rendition is a much more potent remake than the original. The Fitz was rockin’, the crowd was singing along, and the band was stoking the fire. It was a sensational finale – and it had to be the finale, because anything after that would have been a letdown. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another 32 years for the next Graham Parker & The Rumour reunion tour. Until then, remember: only 205 days till Bastille Day!

Joe Bonamassa

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Concert review– Joe Bonamassa at the Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL 12/9/12

Our man Nanker crashes the apparent Blackfoot Fan Club meeting hosted by JB!

Joe Bonamassa, Florida Theatre, 12/912

Joe Bonamassa, Florida Theatre, 12/9/12

Joe’s roots go deep in NE Florida. As he spun the tale last night, back in 1990 he visited the city with his Dad for a gig at the Jacksonville Landing with local legendary Southern rockers ( yes, Greg Allman, I know that term is redundant!) Blackfoot, which included original ( and I mean pre- “Workin’ For MCA”) and current Skynyrd member Ricky Medlocke, and earlier had a regional hit LP, “Strikes”, with the now-classic ” Train, Train “. The thirteen-year-old Joe was ” about a year and a half older” than his soon-to-be partner in mischief, Derek Trucks. The two youngsters had several hours to kill, so being boys they ” pretended to be someone else’s children” and snuck into The Landing’s anchor tenant, Hooters, where even today Joe recalls that the ” girls were really hot!”. Sidling up to the bar with a casual, ” Hi, I’m Joe, and this is my friend Derek”, the boys were soon getting the bum’s rush from a huge bouncer, directly into the custody of Joe’s Dad, who told the boy,  ” Of all you’ve done, all the hell you’ve put me through… I’ve never been so proud of you!”

Has to be head-spinning 23 years later to be “standing onstage at the sold-out Florida Theatre before a raucous crowd” , living the dreams he and Derek dared to dream. Joe did not waste the moment, rocking the house for two hours and change of acoustic blues, hard jazz-blues-rock, and straight-ahead electric blues, including covers of axemen who no doubt influenced young Joe. Walking onstage alone promptly at 8pm, clad in an elegant tailored black suit and rocking his uber-classic black high-top Chuck Taylors ( talk about old school; every baller wore them in the 60s!), Joe began with a tasty acoustic set that included a fine cover of Bad Company’s ” Seabird”. Takes some guts to cover any Paul Rogers vocals, or Mick Ralphs guitar, for that matter, but Joe has a strong, resonant voice that seems to be improving with age, and the acoustic strumming was well received.

Joe acoustic

Joe starts ’em off soft and slow, with a bongo assist!

But there couldn’t have been five people in the crowd of aging white guys ( La Magda claimed it was at least ” six to one men” ) who came to hear anything acoustic, and soon the band joined Joe on his dazzling array of freshly-tuned axes ( yes, that was his ’64 Gibson Firebird 1 that opened) for a blazing electric set that reminded of all the greats – Beck, Hendrix, Stevie Ray- yet somehow remained his own deft, speedy style. The tunes included Bonamassa originals “Slow Train”, “Dust Bowl”, and “Midnight Blues”, and nods to giants with covers of Mose Allison’s ” Young Man Blues”, (a la Pete Townsend on  ” Live at Leeds “), Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top’s ” Pocketful of Change ” ( drunks were hollering for  ” Just got paid today”, the opening line), and an extended, blistering rave-up instrumental of Jimmy Page’s Led Zep war horse, ” Dazed and Confused”, as the finale to the encore. The band joined arms onstage for a bow, to the stomping standing ovation of the packed house.

Joe Bonamassa

Joe shreds on, neither dazed nor confused!

In the wake of this fabulous show and the revelation of the Trucks connection, I’m calling out Mayor Alvin Brown to clear the Landing for a guitar heavyweight slugfest reuniting the Hooters crashers. Smokin’ Joe versus the scion of the First Coast First Family of the Blues. Come on, Mister Mayor, make it happen!

— Phledge notes that the more they count the votes,  Florida is a certified blue(s) state!

JD McPherson, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 11/29/12

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For his third foray into the Twin Cities in five months (!), the pride of Broken Arrow, OK brought his retro rockabilly show to Minneapolis’ premier downtown night club. JD McPherson is a throwback to the early 50’s, his songs reflecting his many influences from that era, including Fats Domino, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Bo Diddley. Relentless touring behind his only major label (Rounder) release, “Signs & Signifiers” has paid off, as he played to a nearly sold-out, enthusiastic crowd on a mid-week date late last month.

Back in June, when he debuted at the Fine Line Music Cafe, JD was breaking in both sax and keyboard players, and both seemed understandably tentative at times. By now, however, both sidemen (regrettably, unnamed) have dozens of gigs under their belts and the entire combo – including doghouse bass player, singer, producer and collaborator Jimmy Sutton, and drummer Alex Hall – click along like a well-oiled machine.

Opening with the smoothly-rocking “Dimes For Nickels,” JD quickly diverted the spotlight away from himself and onto the rest of the band for “You’ve Got To Lose.” Jimmy Sutton slapped the upright bass with a flourish, the keyboard player pounded the 88’s like a latter day Jerry Lee Lewis, and the sax man offered his own tasty solo. Sutton introduced “Country Boy,” with more windmill turns on the bass, a la Pete Townshend and the set list moved smoothly along through “I Can’t Complain,” “Signs & Signifiers,” and “Your Love (All That I’m Missing),” a bouncy 50’s tune that JD introduced as “the Everly Brothers meet The Smiths.” JD chooses his covers carefully, resurrecting the early 60’s chestnut “Farmer John,” originally recorded by The Premieres. Once again, the piano solo was exceptional.

There were a couple of new recordings on the set list, not on the S & S CD. He recently put out a 7″ vinyl 45 of “North Side Gal,” the first single off the CD, but on this night he also played the “B” side, “Abigail Blue,” another catchy rockabilly number. And, just in time for the holidays, JD recorded a rockin’ new Christmas song, “Twinkle Little Christmas Lights.”

By the time he closed the set with “North Side Gal” and “Wolf Teeth,” the floor was churning with moving bodies, like bees in a hive. The encore was a generous four-song mini-set, pushing the entire show nearly to two hours. In a way, it was unfortunate that the house was as packed as it was; this would have been the perfect band for the swing dancers to show off their moves. Maybe next time he’ll come to a ballroom somewhere nearby, for one big swinging sock hop. Then we’d all be “Scratchin’ Circles on the Old Dance Floor.”

Shane Dwight

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Show review – Shane Dwight at Mojo’s Kitchen, Jacksonville Beach, FL 11/30/12

( Our rambling man Phledge slips back to Gator Country – as Molly Hatchet used to say- for some ribs and blues on the run! – Ed.)

Shane Dwight at Mojo's Kitchen 11/30/12

Shane Dwight at Mojo’s Kitchen 11/30/12

Having played both stages at the renowned Springing the Blues festival several times, and hosted the raucous afterparty at Mojo’s as the jamleader/ MC, Shane Dwight has quite a local following on the First Coast, and he took the stage to a warm welcome on Friday night. Sending out props to STB promoter Sam Veal ( ” Always looking to help out musicians..” ) for having schlepped a drum kit to Mojo’s to help out in a pinch, Shane and his band lit into a string of blues/rock standards, reaching often into the Stevie Ray Vaughan catalog for classics like  ” Texas Flood ” and  ” Pride and Joy”. Shane can sling with the best, and his voice is strong enough to carry the tunes and weathered enough to credibly reflect the lyrics. Regrettably, we couldn’t stay long enough for his crowd-pleasing Hendrix covers ( what’s that about Hellhounds on my trail?), but the sight and sound of the powerfully built guy wearing out the Fenders was like one of Stevie Ray’s ” Cold Shot”s to the face, propelling us off into the Northeast Florida night.

Shane cookin' in the blues Kitchen!

Shane cookin’ in the blues Kitchen!

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, TD Garden, Boston, MA, 11/26/12

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(Editors’ Note:  Neil Young has been responsible for a couple of “firsts” for our tiny blog.  Our own Nanker Phledge cajoled the authorities into giving him a weekend pass, and he used it to good advantage, making Shakey and The Horse the subject of the very first post on this site.  You can read Nanker’s review by clicking on Äugust 2012 on the Archive tab above.  And now, we take great pleasure in posting the first concert review by one of our loyal followers, Dano M, with his take on Young & Horse’s recent Beantown show.  So, how about it, the rest of you?  When are you gonna show us your critical writing chops?  Drop us a line by way of the Comment tab at the end of the review, with your contact information and the show you’re dying to tell the world about and we promise to get right back to you.  And, of course, we’re not above taking bribes; just don’t let Nanker’s probation officer know, OK?)

I take my classic rock concerts pretty seriously. When my favorite bands don’t put Minneapolis/St. Paul on their tour, I have been know to travel great distances to catch a show. The longest such pilgrimage was a memorable trip to The Royal Albert Hall in London, to see Eric Clapton. So, when the current Neil Young tour was announced, I was forced to travel in order to see Neil perform with the beloved Crazy Horse. I easily chose Boston, so I could attend the show with my son who resides there. Finding out that the entire floor would be general admission gave me pause whether the trip would be worth it. At 59 years old, I cannot play that game anymore. I am one of those guys that usually pays top dollar for middle floor seats, within the first 8 rows. If I can’t see beads of sweat, I feel I am in the wrong seats. So, for Neil, I opted to forsake the main floor for the first lateral section, 6 rows up:

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I also did my homework for the show. Since the tour was already in progress, I watched setlist.fm for the latest setlists. To my surprise, Neil was staying very close to a standard playlist, only changing a song or two each night. And by bringing my best guess setlist to the show on my phone, I was able to predict which song came next.

     We got to our seats just minutes before Neil came on stage. I immediately recognized the enormous faux amplifiers on the stage. They were similar to the ones used in 1978 when I saw Neil and Crazy Horse at the old Civic Center in St. Paul. When Neil hit the stage, they lowered the 20 foot faux microphone and the band swung into “Love and Only Love”. The band was in sync immediately, with Neil firing off half distorted solos. With the crowd already on their feet, I could tell the energy was going to start high and just keep growing. “Powderfinger” kept the crowd standing and the tunes were rocking Bean Town.
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     Next came a couple cuts off the new album –  “Psychedelic Pill,” the folksy “Born in Ontario,” and “Walk Like a Giant.” The latter starts with the familiar guitar rhythm and beat of a Young anthem a la “Like a Hurricane.” You quickly realize that if you plan to stand for the entire song, you are going to be rocking in your shoes along with Neil for a test of stamina during his long, soaring solos. The song on the album lasts close to sixteen and a half minutes. I am positive this rendition lasted far longer, but I was all smiles, playing along with my air guitar and catching glimpses of Neil up close on one of two large video screens. The last four minutes of the album version is a distorted attack on Neil’s guitar. In the live version, it seemed to go on forever… even a little long for my taste. I turned to my son after the rampage finally ended and said, “Our wives would have loved this.” We both laughed. They would have left.
     Neil then brought the crowd back to familiar territory with “The Needle and the Damage Done.” This was followed by “Twisted Road” from the new album and “Singer Without a Song,” a never released song featuring Neil on piano (and a girl walking aimlessly about the stage with a guitar case). These were the slowest songs of the evening – ones I endure so that I will be there when CH resumes jamming with Neil. I was really looking forward to “Ramada Inn.” This rocker, with a fabulous love story, did not disappoint. Hearing it live with Neil singing from his soul almost brought tears to my eyes.
     Neil’s comical introduction to “Cinnamon Girl” was the longest, uninterrupted vocal connection to the audience I have witnessed in ten or more NY concerts. He was rambling that this old song is for all the “fucking doubters.” Cinnamon Girl is one of those songs that is just waaayyyy tooo short. Like Tom Petty’s “Breakdown,” it leaves you begging for more. Fortunately, Petty recognizes this and extends the song in concert. Neil does not. But not to be disappointed, Neil finishes the show with classics “F*!#in’ Up,” “Mr.Soul,” and “Hey Hey, My My”. In some earlier shows, Neil has snuck in “Cortez the Killer” – one of my favorites. I think he nixed the idea when he said “good evening” to the crowd earlier and commented that the reaction “was a little shorter than he expected” and maybe they would “skip this town on the next tour.” (Maybe this is how MSP got skipped this tour.) The encore of “Farmer John” was unexpected as he usually ends with “Roll Another Number (for the Road).”
     I am glad I made the trip to Boston. Neil and CH put on one heck of show. The band obviously idolizes Neil – and it could be no other way. They are happy to pound out a very constant rhythm and background vocals so Neil can weave his story-telling guitar solos in and out of the song and grip each listener with words sung with soul and purpose. As with all recent Neil shows, I wondered out loud if this may be the last one I will have the pleasure to be part of – because seeing Neil live is an assault on my senses. “rock and roll can never die.”

A Massive Night with The Hold Steady, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 11/24/12

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This past weekend was homecoming weekend for The Hold Steady, who played two shows at their favorite venue, First Avenue. Although officially based in Brooklyn for the past several years, lead singer/songwriter Craig Finn grew up in Minneapolis, as did drummer Bobby Drake. Lead guitarist Tad Kubler is from Janesville, WI (perhaps the second most famous Janesville native, after erstwhile Republican VP nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan) and spent several years in the Twin Cities, most notably with Finn in The Hold Steady’s predecessor, Liftr Pullr. Rounding out the ensemble are bassist Galen Pavelka and guitarist Steve Selvidge – the newest member of the band, having replaced keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who departed in 2010 to pursue a solo career. Selvidge had previously been a member of Lucero, and the hard rock chops he honed in that bend mesh well with Kubler’s own formidable guitar prowess.

Craig Finn is an enigmatic figure; a curious combination of the sacred and the profane. With his nerdy glasses and Cost Cutters haircut, he resembles a grown up altar boy, yet he rants, raves, gyrates and gestures onstage like a holy roller possessed by the spirit. His songs chronicle the hard-partying, substance-abusing lifestyle of the young urban adult, while also interspersing images and references to his Catholic upbringing. Jesus is never too far away from the Party Pit.

The duality of The Hold Steady experience was on full display from the moment Finn and the band took the stage on Saturday night. Spreading his arms like Jesus on the cross, Finn began the set with “Multitude of Casualties,” from the “Separation Sunday” CD (“She drove it like she stole it / She stole it fast and with a multitude of casualties”), leading into the anthemic “Stuck Between Stations.” Finn worked the stage from one side to the other, leaning into the audience and exhorting them on like a fundamentalist preacher. Keeping the momentum high, the band segued into “Hurricane J” from 2010’s “Heaven is Whenever.” Although the song begins relatively quietly, it erupts in a hard pounding chorus that had half the house pogoing up and down in unison. It also featured the first of a handful of crowd-surfing episodes, as the swarm at the front of the stage belched up some regrettably heavy-set fellow, who was soon swallowed back into the morass, never to surface again.

THS debuted only a few new songs, although there is purportedly a new CD in the works, to be released sometime in 2013. “Wait Awhile” fared the best of the new lot, with Finn commenting afterward that the title “didn’t seem very rock ‘n roll,” but he preferred to turn the concept on its head, as in “wait awhile before stopping” drinking, partying, or whatever excessive behavior you’re engaged in. Primarily, the band stuck with old favorites, which suited the audience just fine. Tad and Steve shared a nifty guitar break during “Rock Problems,” and Tad followed that up with some tasty slide work on the ballad, “The Sweet Part Of The City.” After an unidentified new song, Finn and the boys blasted out “You Can Make Him Like You,” leading into “Constructive Summer,” both of which once again whipped the house into a frenzy. Finn introduced the equally crowd-pleasing “Chips Ahoy” as “a song about a boy, a girl, and a horse.” Way to fire up the pogo machine, Craig! It also marked the beginning of several singalongs, as the fans eagerly joined in on the “Whoa-aho-aho-aho”s.

More favorites followed: “Sequestered In Memphis,” began with a thunderous intro; “Southtown Girls” featured Tad and Steve trading guitar licks; and, of course, no Hold Steady show is complete without a rendition of “Your Little Hoodrat Friend.” Finn once remarked, self-deprecatingly, that The Hold Steady has “two and a half guitarists,” a wry comment on his limited instrumental abilities. But on this night, and on this song, he actually played some lead, with Tad and Steve joining in, creating an almost Allman Brothers-like sound.

Closing out the main set, THS turned to another singalong number, “Massive Nights,” from the “Boys & Girls In America” release (more “Whoa-ohs” for the lyrically-challenged among us to mouth), finishing the 85-minute show with “Slapped Actress,” from “Stay Positive.” And, what better way to end the evening than with the title track to “Stay Positive,” as an encore, given a lengthy treatment by the band. Midway through it, the band broke the song down to a slow, subdued tempo, giving Finn the opportunity to deliver a final sermon. He acknowledged that he’d expressed these sentiments on other occasions, yet he said there was simply no other way to describe it: “There is so much JOY in what we do!” With that, the band brought up the volume, allowing Finn time to traverse the stage from side to side one last time, hands folded in front of him as if in prayer, leaning over to thank the adoring fans at the front of the stage. We’d all partied hard, we’d been to church, and now it was time to go home.

Robert Cray

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Concert Review- Robert Cray Band, Bankhead Theater, Livermore, CA 11/7/12

Robert Cray- Bankhead Theater, Livermore, CA 11/7/12
Uncropped front row photo- note distance from band to stage front!

Legend has it that “Young Bobby” (as he called himself on “Strong Persuader”) Cray approached blues legend Albert King at a Seattle gig and asked for an apprenticeship of sorts, a kind of Blues residency. Albert schooled the talented guitarist and singer, and the rest, as they say, is history ( although as Patterson Hood points out, sometimes legend is more instructive). Cray would soon be releasing his breakout ” Strong Persuader” CD, with the now-classic title ” Right Next Door ( Because of Me)” and ” Smoking Gun”, and treating audiences to his trademark stinging guitar and smooth, rangy voice. Robert did a memorable tour playing alongside  Eric Clapton that is available on DVD, and recorded a popular duet with B.B. King, ” Playin’ With My Friends”. If you’re stumbling through the cut-out bin, you might come across ” Showdown”, a great threesome with Cray, Albert King, and Johnny Copeland ( Shamekia’s daddy) that includes the Cray favorite ” She’s Into Something”. Robert has continued to make strong recordings that include various flavors of blues, from Memphis to Chicago to Texas, and often showcase the gorgeous high register of his voice, which sometimes gets lost in concert. His new CD, ” Nothin’ But Love”, includes a wide range of blues and R and B, and ventures beyond his well-known penchant for songs of infidelity and heartbreak to mature themes of parenting ( “Worry”) and the displaced male blue collar worker in the global economy ( ” I’m Done Cryin'”).

Yet, some fans still say, ” He’s never done another record like ” Strong Persuader”, and trot out the ” he’s much better live than on record” cliche.That’s only because his live shows are so great!  I saw this gig while scouting on pollstar.com for a good weekend to hit San Francisco . Strangely, though the show had been announced for several weeks, there would be no Bob Uecker seats for me!

Blues purchased straight from the venue; no TicketBastard, no cry!

The Bankhead is a tiny venue in upscale suburban Livermore that apparently trends to theater productions, and the audience seemed to include a number of subscribers who might have thought they were out for the symphony. Regrettably, the stage configuration at the Bankhead had the band set up a mid-range jumpshot back from the edge of the stage, leaving a literal gap between the audience and the band, as if at any moment a group of aging hipsters would rush the stage and start dancing like they were back on “Shindig” or  ” Hullabaloo”. Not here, not tonight!

Robert brought along his fine band, with longtime members  keyboardist Jim Pugh and barefoot bassist Richard Cousins, along with newcomer Tony Braunagel on the skins. He  moved easily from crowd-pleasing classics ” Right Next Door”, “Smoking Gun”, “Don’t You Even Care?”, and “Phone Booth”, to new tunes including “Won’t Be Comin Home”, “Side Dish”, and “Sadder Days”.  Robert was in fine voice, and the band tightly pushed him along through selections he seemed to announce on the spot. Pugh was particularly stellar, adding organ flourishes to Cray’s biting chords.

Robert was more engaged with the audience than I’d ever seen him, admitting that the band had played Beatles numbers at the soundcheck ( an early idol was George Harrison) and teasing that they might do one onstage, ” then again, maybe not” ( too bad, they  didn’t). When an apparently still-grieving Tea Bag Hag abused the between-songs silence to cry out in anguish, ” I hate taxes “, Cray hilariously turned the scene on its head by responding, ” Not me. I love Texas…. Austin, Houston..”, as he pumped his arms in a dancing motion. He later played out the gag when  introducing  Braunagel  ” from  Houston, Taxes” !

The encore concluded with an impassioned ” I’m Done Cryin’ “, with its sorrowful tale of outsourced jobs, foreclosures, and dispossessed families. Cray wrung the searing slow blues notes from his Fender as his voice went from growl to whisper to wail, all rendered at the grinding  pace of poverty . John Mayall used to say that the slow blues were hardest, because ” you can hear all the mistakes”. Robert fearlessly played this finale out slowly, leaving the stage on a thoughtful, reflective note. The blues had made the suburbs, alright, if only for a night.

(Thanks to Hizzoner for expanding the geographic conditions of Phledge’s release to cover this show… as he says, if only for a night! –Ed. )

Slide Guitar Heaven: Sonny Landreth and Charlie Parr, Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN 11/14/12

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“The most underrated musician on the planet,” is how Eric Clapton once described Sonny Landreth. Indeed, calling Sonny a “slide guitarist,” is like calling Rembrandt an “oil painter;” it is both minimally accurate and woefully inadequate. Sonny’s technique and signature sound put him in a class by himself in a world full of fiery guitar slingers. There’s a genie trapped inside that bottleneck slide, just waiting for Sonny’s magic touch to release it.

Taking the stage at the Cedar with his longtime bass player, Dave Ranson, and drummer Brian Brignac, Sonny opened with “Native Stepson” and “Z Ride,” two songs featured prominently on his 2005 live album, “Grant Street.” Alternating between delicate finger-picking and slapping the guitar with an open hand, Sonny coaxes an impressive variety of sounds and tones out of his Fender Strat. On “Z Rider,” he plucked and bended the strings with his right hand above his slide/fretting left hand to get just the proper sound to fit the mood of the song.

He introduced “Wonderide,” the first offering from his new, all-instrumental release, “Elemental Journey,” as “zydeco meets classical.” Driven by Brignac’s propulsive drumming and Ranson’s insistent bass line, “Wonderide” showcased Landreth’s nimble right hand, as he plucked the strings with both the inside and outside of his fingers. At times, the fast guitar runs made it seem like he had eight fingers on his right hand.

When “Wonderide” ended, Sonny announced, “That concludes tonight’s version of the highbrow entertainment; now, back to the trailer park!” He followed that up with his first vocal of the night, on “The Promise Land,” a Cajun-influenced rocker from 2003’s “The Road We’re On,” segueing straight into a bar band blues, followed by yet another 12-bar blues song, the title of which I believe was “What Was Goin’ On.” As a singer, Sonny has a passable mid-range tenor voice. He’s a decent vocalist, but his singing simply pales in comparison to his formidable guitar chops.

Having displayed his ability to play rock, zydeco, classical and blues, Sonny next delved into reggae for “Forgotten Story” from the new album, moving from there back to the blues for the slow, smoldering “Storm Of Worry” from his last previous album, 2008’s “From The Reach.” Before introducing “Blue Tarp Blues” from that same album, Sonny noted that he and the band played that song in an episode of the HBO series “Treme,” that had just aired that week, “but I haven’t seen it yet.” “Blue Tarp Blues” was written by Sonny post-Katrina, describing the destruction the hurricane had wrought and the landscape of blue tarps covering all of the damaged houses in southern Louisiana. It featured some of Sonny’s hottest playing of the night, with Dave Ranson practically playing lead lines on his bass in order to match Sonny’s furious pace. Not even the inconsiderate magpie nattering behind us could detract from this mesmerizing performance.

Sonny closed out his set with the slow, slinky “Brave New Girl,” from the new album. His only cover tune of the evening was Big Bill Broonzy’s classic blues number,”Key To The Highway.” Finishing strong, he powered up “All About You,” “SS Zydecoldsmobile,” and a N’awlins style number (“Stay Jacques”?). By this time, virtually the entire house was up on its feet, moving to the seductive second-line rhythm, due, in part, to a self-appointed cheerleader who strode up & down the center aisle, gesturing with his arms for everyone to get up off their seats. Thanks, fella; sure glad you were there to help us figure that out.

Local favorite Charlie Parr opened the evening with a compact set of his own slide guitar stylings. His set proved to be a tasty appetizer for the entree to be served up by Sonny Landreth. Unlike Landreth, Parr favors the National steel guitar for his bottleneck work. He is good-natured and unassuming – traits that serve his old-timey music style well. His set ran the gamut from the foot-stomping gospel of “Jubilee,” to the harrowing “1890,” a dark, gloomy account of the aftermath of the Wounded Knee massacre. He plays seated, hunched over his guitar and staring intently at his handwork, as if performing surgery, rather than playing a guitar. The high point of his set was “Midnight Has Come And Gone,” starting out with a lengthy instrumental intro leading into the verses: “I’ve got my ghosts and they travel with me everywhere I go . . . If they ask where I am, don’t you tell them nothin’.”

Charlie was effusive in his praise of Sonny Landreth (“I can’t wait to get this part done so I can enjoy the show), modest and funny. He closed his short set with “Muskrat,” a folk song popularized locally by “one of my heroes, Spider John Koerner,” emulating Koerner’s signature foot stomping accompaniment to his guitar playing. Kudos to the Cedar for this simpatico pairing of distinct, yet complementary, bottleneck guitar players.