Tag Archives: Jim Pugh

Strong Persuader– Robert Cray- Arvada Center, Denver, CO 8/21/13

Posted on by
Reply

Awakening from an assisted slumber, our own Nanker Phledge checks in from a typically High Altitude!

Robert Cray Band rocks Arvada 8/21/13 Photo by Jenny-- thanks!

Robert Cray Band rocks Arvada 8/21/13                                                                                          (l-r) Les Falconer, Robert Cray, Richard Cousins  
Photo by Jenny– thanks!

With last year’s ” Nothing But Love ” making several year-end ” Best ” lists, Robert Cray once again stunned loyal fans with fresh takes on blues themes and styles. Yet for most casual fans, Cray remains the cliched ” he’s much better in concert ” artist who made his name as a guitarist on the 80s’ releases of ” Strong Persuader” and ” Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”, when every track seemed to be steeped in hidden rendezvous and dark infidelity. His famed tours with Eric Clapton and duets with BB King and the late (unrelated) Albert King burnished his stringslinging rep, but if you take a  trained musician to his shows they’ll rave about his voice, with its graceful upper register and scat-like phrasing.

That's no smoking gun, it's Robert's guitar!

That’s no smoking gun, it’s Robert’s guitar!

Backed by longtime cohorts Jim Pugh on keyboards and Richard Cousins on bass, as well as stalwart drummer Les Falconer, the RCB took the stage at the Arvada Center just as a mountain rain was gently caressing the uncovered patrons in the terraced Hippie Seating. Freely mixing old favorites like ” Strong Persuader” and ” The Road Down ” with material from the ” Nothing But Love ” CD, Cray was relaxed and affable, in sharp contrast to the early days when Young Bobby seemed so angry he’d fight with a fencepost if it looked at him wrong ( thank you, James McMurtry). Highlights included a smooth cover of the Walter Vinson/ Lonnie Chatmon classic ” Sittin’ On Top of the World “, with several humorous asides and expressions that amplified the ” she’s gone, but I don’ worry ” theme of the great Mississippi Sheiks’  tune ( revived by  Cream  on ” Wheels of Fire” ). Cray’s voice was strong and clear, and his choppy chording and clean picking on various Fenders reaffirmed his unique, easily recognizable style. He remains one of a handful of axemen– Carlos Santana and Mark Knopfler come to mind– whose chops can be identified by even untrained ears ( who, me?).

Robert Cray Band (l-r) Les Claypool, Robert Cray, Richard Cousins, Jim Pugh

Robert Cray Band (l-r) Les Falconer, Robert Cray, Richard Cousins, Jim Pugh

The set built to a crescendo with the newer stuff: the gentle ” Sadder Days”, the R and B-flavored ” I’ll Always Remember You ” , the graceful, lilting ” A Memo “, and the slow burning Economic Downturn anthem ” I’m Done Cryin’ “, with Cray squeezing out the lyrics from a place of deep pain, and the crowd eerily quiet during the tense ” I’m still a man ” choruses. With a wave to the roaring crowd, and a giggly wish for the lawn patrons to ” dry out soon”, Cray strode offstage and into the Rocky Mountain night. He’s gone, but I don’ worry. I’m sittin’ on top of the world. At least for one night!

Robert Cray

Posted on by
2

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. )