How’d You Like That, How’d You Like That, How’d You Like That…I Liked It!!! [The Kooks at First Ave]
“How many bands can you name that have only three albums out and, after a 21 song set, you still want more?
Not many. But that’s the beauty of Brighton’s The Kooks. The recently released Junk of the Heart is yet another example of how Luke and the East Sussex lads are extremely gifted when it comes the composing pure pop songs. Like their first two releases (Inside In/Inside Out, Konk), every track on their third offering is fantastic.
Last Sunday night, the Main Room at First Avenue saw the Kooks bring their uncanny knack for the 3 minute, insta-catchy tune to town. Their set list included tracks from all three of the records.
THE SETLIST
Is It Me?
Always Where I Need To Be
Sofa Song
Matchbox
Rosie
She Moves In Her Own Way
Sway
Runaway
Eskimo Kiss
Killing Me
Seaside (Acoustic)
Tick of Time
See The Sun
How’d You Like That
Mr Nice Guy
Ooh La
Shine On
Do You Wanna
Encore:
The Saboteur
Junk Of The Heart (Happy)
NaïveHighlights for me were some of the new songs (“Rosie,” “Runaway,” “Junk of the Heart”) as well as the ever sturdy “Sofa Song,” “She Moves In Her Own Way” and “Sway.” “Eskimo Kiss,” a track from the new record, was really a treat and managed to capture a Simon and Garfunkel sentiment both thematically and stylistically. Luke ran around the stage doing his best to capture all our attention with his Jim Morrison-esque affectations.
After asking the question posed above at the end of the 75 minute set, my favorite show companion and I started listing the songs we wished they had done as well.
“Eddie’s Gun?”
“Yep.”
“Love It All?”
“Oh, that would have been mega!”
“Jackie Big Tits?”
“No doubt!”We kept going until we had named all their songs on all their albums and singles.
The Kooks are heading out west which includes a stop on December 9th at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler, AZ for our esteemed host. Catch them if you can!
Here’s the video I took of the last song of the night, “Naive.” I apologize for the bumpiness…I was dancing around and being pleasantly jostled.
Recap: John Prine at the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix
Pardon me while I enjoy this warm afterglow I’m feeling – the afterglow that comes from seeing living legend John Prine perform live.
It was a Saturday night, and the setting was perfect – the ornate 82-year old Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix. Loudon Wainwright III‘s hour-long opening set was filled with his brand of humor and songs “about death and decay.” Songs like “The Shit Song,” “Heaven,” and a request from promoter Danny Zelisko, “Dead Skunk,” were nothing short of hilarious; but he also offered up some introspective tunes with a melancholy edge, like “Thanksgiving”, a quiet ballad about dysfunction around the Turkey Day table. Having never truly explored Loudon’s music, the set made me want to dip back into his catalog and see what I’ve been missing all these years.
But the night, after all, belonged to John Prine. At 9pm, John and his trio took the stage and didn’t stop for two solid hours. The songs covered his 40 year recording career from his first 1971 self-titled album to his last studio offering, 2005’s Fair & Square. In fact, he played eight out of the thirteen songs from his first album.
The anti-war “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” was introduced by telling the audience the song was so old, he couldn’t remember which war it was about.
“Angel From Montgomery” featured a beautiful mandolin opening by guitar/harmonica man Jason Wilber, who ended the tune with some great electric slide.
“Sam Stone”, about a heroin-addicted war veteran, started off with John solo acoustic. Then bass player Dave Jacques walked out and joined in with a bow on his standup bass – and finally Wilber walked out and joined in on some quiet electric.
The contributions of Wilber and Jacques can’t be understated. Their years of experience backing up Prine have made the three a single organism. They know when to add the slightest nuance and embellishment to a tune, adding sweet, quiet notes to John’s acoustic classics like “Far From Me” and “Hello In There” – yet they can crank it up to power trio volume on folk rockers like “Bear Creek Blues,” “Picture Show, ” and the fun ditties like “Fish and Whistle.”
Prine and the band have re-worked some tunes into some fantastic new arrangements too. “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody”, the opener from 1995’s Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings, was transformed into something dark & funky, with Wilber playing these low slide riffs that added an edge to it. “Lake Marie” also was reworked, but not losing its entertaining but slightly sinister vibe.
Wilber and Jacques left the stage for a few tunes, leaving John and his guitar to strum out “Crazy As A Loon,” “Dear Abby,” and one of my all-time Prine favorites: “Blue Umbrella.”
Earlier in the set, Prine dedicated “Souvenirs” not only to his late friend and songwriting partner Steve Goodman, but to the doctor who cleared him of cancer a decade earlier, who was in the audience.
Since discovering his music in my late teens, John Prine’s music has helped me navigate the challenging, sometimes absurd path of life. His songs are honest, funny, wry, and comforting. Some folks you just trust, and look to in life to help show you the way. John Prine is one of those people for me (and for countless others, many in the audience last night). Throughout the night, I found myself closing my eyes, savoring the experience of spending time with one of my heroes.
God bless John Prine.
Set List
John Prine
Orpheum Theater, Phoenix, AZ
November 19, 2011Spanish Pipedream
Picture Show
Humidity Built the Snowman
Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore
Six O’clock News
Souvenirs
Grandpa Was a Carpenter
Far from Me
Christmas in Prison
Fish and Whistle
Long Monday
Glory of True Love
Angel From Montgomery
Crazy As A Loon *
Dear Abby *
Blue Umbrella *
Sam Stone [solo & band]
Bear Creek Blues
Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody
Hello In There
Lake MarieEncore:
Paradise (with Loudon Wainwright)*John solo
Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses – Live in Munich
Everyone I’ve met who has seen Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses in a live setting has one thing in common: they all rave about the experience. I’ve always seem to just miss him when he comes through town or plays at a festival. The closest I came was at the ACL Festival a couple years ago – I think I opted for getting a good spot for Band of Horses.
Thanks to the ACL webcast on Youtube earlier this year, I got a free show at the house. The channel still has a few songs posted from the performance. The set finale was “Bread and Water.” Tell me this doesn’t sum up Ryan and his band in a few short minutes…
Raw, gritty, real.
Rock, country, folk, blues.
Charm, good looks, charisma.Not that’s how you carry yourself as a frontman. I know Ryan’s married now, but man, he must’ve reeled them in back in the day. He was a pro bull rider when he started writing songs and playing guitar. This is a man’s man if there ever was one. And has he ever turned into one hell of a songwriter.
Here’s a full show from a stop in Munich, Germany over this past summer. It’s from a radio broadcast, so the sound is pristine. Enjoy it…
Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses
Live in Munich, Germany
June 17, 2011[download a zip of the whole show]
Dollar a Day
Depression
The Other Side
Dylan’s Hard Rain
Southside of Heaven
Hallelujah
Tell My Mother I Miss Her So
Hard Times
Liam Blues
Direction Of The Wind
band intro
Bluebird
The Poet
The Weary Kind
Malaguena
Sunshine
Bread and WaterRyan Bingham – vocals, guitar
Matthew Smith – drums
Corby Schaub – guitar, mandolin
Elijah Ford – bassRecap: Dawes and Blitzen Trapper at the Crescent Ballroom
Hallelujah, there’s a killer new live music venue in my home town!! The Crescent Ballroom, open for just a week now, is a mid-sized room (able to accommodate 400-500 people) in a cool 1917 brick building located at 2nd Ave. and Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, really good food in their patio lounge/restaurant, Cocina 10 (I recommend the bean & cheese burrito paired with a Moscow Mule – tasty).
Dawes Last night, the Blitzen Trapper / Dawes traveling roadshow hit the Ballroom for a few solid hours of rock n’ folk. The tour is just getting started, having kicked off just a few days ago in Petaluma, CA.
After a very mellow but pleasing opening set by British guitar/vocal duo Smoke Fairies (Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies), Dawes hit the stage, and, as expected, immediately won over the Phoenix crowd. Hard to tell, but it seemed like most of the crowd were new to the L.A. band, and it wasn’t long before the passion and earnestness of the four – especially frontman Taylor Goldsmith, won them over. Taylor is as genuine as they come, and a brilliant, evocative songwriter. In every song he sings, he makes sure the listener hears every word, pouring every ounce of his heart and soul into it. His brother Griffin (on drums) shares that passion and enthusiasm – his facial expressions alone are something to behold: his mouth in varied contortions of agony and ecstasy with every beat and fill. Bassist Wylie Gelber and keyboard/organ man Tay Strathairn round out the quartet, and it’s clear why they’ve been selected over the last year to back up the likes of Robbie Robertson, Jackson Browne and M. Ward. Such a cohesive, organic, and talented band.
The 10-song set drew from both of their studio albums – North Hills and Nothing Is Wrong. There were some great moments – the build up and crescendos of “Fire Away”, Taylor’s fiery guitar solo on “Peace in the Valley” – but the emotional peak came with the 1-2 punch of “A Little Bit of Everything” and “When My Time Comes.” I appreciate and enjoy “A Little Bit of Everything” more and more with each listen, and Taylor’s detailed, story-telling delivery gave me goosebumps throughout the tune. Then, of course, the anthemic “When My Time Comes” whipped the crowd up, and they were primed to belt out the chorus when Taylor turned the microphone around toward the end.
Taylor and Wylie of Dawes Since discovering Dawes in mid 2010, I’ve had the chance to see them four times now, and they just keep getting better and better. Last night’s set was another thrill as a fan.
Since finding out about the co-headlining tour with Blitzen Trapper, I’ve dug into the Portland indie-folk band’s catalog, and the music has definitely been growing on me. Now, after watching them live, I can call myself a fan. I love the dynamic of these guys. It’s a hard-to-peg grab bag of influences… I hear Grateful Dead, Zeppelin, 70’s folk, 70’s rock, Dylan… but all unique and original in their own right. Lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist Eric Early has an unassuming, shy demeanor between songs, but man, can that guy sing and shred.
Eric Early of Blitzen Trapper 
Blitzen Trapper Speaking of shredding, I got off on watching lead guitarist Erik Menteer tear it up on his Les Paul. The rest of the band chipped in on some great harmonies, but Erik was off to the side just killing on guitar (and occasionally keys).
Erik Menteer of Blitzen Trapper 
Blitzen Trapper Marty Marquis, off to stage left on guitar & keys, is the laid back jokester of the band, offering up most of the between song banter (thankful for the nice weather, unlike their last visit to Phoenix, when they “melted”).
I’ve been listening a lot to their new record American Goldwing, and they drew heavily from it, with tunes like “Fletcher,” “Astronaut,” “Your Crying Eyes,” and one of my faves, “Love the Way You Walk Away.” And then there was the sheer Zeppelinesque force of “Street Fighting Sun,” also from the new album. Loud, thrashing, arena rock size rock n roll absolutely filling the small Crescent Ballroom.
The encore was a triple treat too: Eric Early solo acoustic on “The Man Who Would Speak True” followed by an unrecorded song called “Jericho” (full band), and then, to add an exclamation mark to the evening, the finale – Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times.”
Blitzen Trapper. Count me in.
As I mentioned, the tour is just getting started. Some of my buddies back east are checking out the show soon. Even if you’re not familiar with either band, one live experience will convert you – guaranteed.
Newport and the three D’s (Dawes, Delta Spirit, Deer Tick)
The Middle Brother Gang: Taylor, John, Matt I’m just back from an epic family vacation that took us from the Valley of the Sun to Boston, then to New York City, and then on to Newport, Rhode Island for my (and my family’s) first Newport Folk Festival.
First off, it was great to have the opportunity to meet some of the people I’ve gotten to know through this web site, and through the internet music community I’ve been immersed in for the last several years. In Boston, I met Mike Heyliger, denizen of Popblerd. In NYC, I met my Ickmusic collaborator Michael Parr (who, unbeknownst to many, I had never met), his lovely wife Christine, and Dennis Corrigan aka @IrishJava. And finally, in Rhode Island, I met up with Ken Shane, senior music editor of Popdose, who was also behind the Newport Folk Festival’s social media presence, handling NFF’s Twitter & Facebook postings throughout the festival weekend.
As I expected, meeting these folks was nothing like meeting a person for the first time. Say what you will about the internet, but you really do come to know people through mediums like music blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Rdio, Spotify, and whatever social platform Google is trying lately (Buzz, +, etc.). It’s a connection of the like-minded: the shared passion for music, and its marriage with technology in the 21st century. These are exciting times to be a music fan – of course, all of this access to music and those who perform and follow it can be overwhelming, to say the least. But it sure is fun to navigate through it all with people like these folks. So Mike, Michael, Christine, Dennis, Ken – great to meet you all in person. Now you all know what a sexy beast I am in real life.
So in Newport, the music portion of the vacation took hold. My family, they’re good sports. They know that I’ll do my best to work in a music angle to every outing, near or far. This summer, it was the Newport Folk Festival. Highest on my list of must-see’s were Delta Spirit, Middle Brother, and M. Ward, backed by Dawes. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gone rather bonkers for the “D” trifecta: Deer Tick, Delta Spirit, and Dawes.
Although Deer Tick wasn’t on the festival bill, by no means did that suggest they’d stay quiet for the weekend. The band is from Providence after all. Much to my delight, John McCauley and the band announced three late night gigs at the Newport Blues Cafe – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Best of all, the club was right across the street from our hotel in Newport. So, for me, the Folk Festival weekend ended up being bookended by two raucous late night gigs featuring Deer Tick and friends…
I missed the early acts on Friday, but when I rolled in at 10:30, Deer Tick was just taking the stage, and they didn’t stop until 1am. They played originals and some cool covers – a few Nirvana tunes (DT has an alter ego called Deervana, and have played entire Nirvana sets billed as them); Bob Dylan’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”, Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me”, and some – uh- others that I didn’t have the foresight to tap into my iPhone (damn Blue Moons).
Deer Tick during Friday’s gig Sunday’s gig was extra cool, featuring an opening set by Dawes, and appearances by Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez, M. Ward (for a brief guitar solo on the last tune of the night, “La Bamba”), Joe Fletcher, and my new favorite, Jonny Corndawg – a wild, young countryfied singer from Virginia – and a close bud of the Deer Tick clan. His debut is due later this year, but he does have a Daytrotter session under his belt, and is featured here on Songs: Illinois (I didn’t get him either, Craig, till I saw him perform).
The closing sets of my Sunday Newport Folk Festival were Middle Brother, Dawes, and M. Ward. I’ll have more about the festival itself soon in another post, but the good vibe that was evident in MidBro and Dawes’ sets continued on to the Newport Blues Cafe on Sunday evening. It’s so interesting to note the contrasts between the three “D” bands themselves, and the front men from each who make up Middle Brother. You have Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes – the introspective, sensitive one. You have Deer Tick’s McCauley – unrefined, raw, gritty, laid back, taking it all as it comes. And then there’s Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez – wild, carefree, and caretaker of a primal scream that can shake the rafters. Matt was clearly the MidBro member feeling the least amount of pain on Sunday night. Everyone was having a great time, but Matt was having a GREAT time. His lead vocals on two Nirvana covers backed by Deer Tick (“Negative Creep” and “Senseless Apprentice”) were a highlight – whipping the small club into a crowd surfing frenzy.
Delta Punk: Matt Vasquez with Deer Tick 
Matt Vasquez with Deer Tick Although the festival itself had its great moments- and I’ll cover them soon – it was the two late nights with Deer Tick & Friends that really made my weekend extra special. I was seeing Deer Tick for the first time, and on their home turf. The opening song of their debut album, War Elephant, is “Ashamed”. I liked the tune as is, but seeing it performed in Newport on Friday and Sunday, with the crowd wailing out in unison, “Ohhh–oooh-Ohhhhhhhh”, was one of those thrilling moments that make the live music experience so great – and make the songs you hear on the album so much better.
Sweet! It’s on YouTube. This captured it perfectly, because, well, this was it:
After Friday’s gig, I went up to John and thanked him for a great set, and since he’s a huge John Prine fan (like myself), I thanked him for keeping Prine’s music out there as well.
Telling him I came all the way from Arizona, John replied, “Welcome to my home state.” It sure was a great welcome, and ushered in a hell of a weekend in Newport, Rhode Island.
Recap: Titus Andronicus at the Rhythm Room
It was a modest but passionate crowd that showed up at the Rhythm Room Monday night for New Jersey’s Titus Andronicus. The passion manifested itself early, as the group launched into “No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future”. When the drums kicked in, the crowd near the front of the stage erupted in a mosh frenzy, knocking around and into us, and making it clear this was gonna be a high energy show.
Frontman Patrick Stickles commented often on the positive punk vibe, and he and his band did not let up for the next – I don’t know – 90 minutes? This was one of those shows where i was completely swallowed up in the spirit and energy, and didn’t check the clock – not even once. The music was explosive, angry, beautiful, and intense from start to finish. I was blown away.
The songs came primarily from their two studio releases – songs like “Four Score and Seven”, “Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ”, “To Old Friends and New”, “The Battle of Hampton Roads” (a favorite), and of course “A More Perfect Union”. But they threw in a couple of punk covers: most notably “Racism Sucks”, a 7 Seconds song that was clearly directed at my state’s government – and rightly so. The second cover was UK punk band Sham 69’s “If the Kids Are United”, which they played for the encore .
Mucho props to guitarist/violinist Amy Klein, who is one of the rockin-est (for lack of a better term) female guitarists I’ve ever seen live. She adds a great dynamic to the band, and rocks out fiercely with her male bandmates. She made it a point to tell the crowd it was her favorite show of the tour so far. She had one hell of a cheering section in front of her… a lot of fun to see the give and take.
Titus Andronicus is live force right now. Yeah, they only have two studio albums to their name, and their band lineup is even more recent, together for just over a year. But as new as they are, they have something very cohesive and powerful. And that Patrick Stickles – the bearded, spirited front man with his primal growl… He’s laying it all out there – he’s hungry for it, and you can tell.
In the summer of 2000, I saw Philly band Marah play a small, sweat soaked club in Tempe. They were also touring behind their second album, and I came away completely transformed – just jaw-droppingly floored by their energy and their ability to take control of a room.
I had the same feeling last night when I walked out of the Rhythm Room. I made a beeline to the back door to shake Patrick’s hand and thank him for the show. Nights like this are few and far between…
See. This. Band. http://titusandronicus.net/tourdates
The Railroad Revival Tour [with a stop in Chandler, AZ]
I haven’t been this unabashedly giddy about an upcoming show in quite some time. News of the Railroad Revival Tour swept across the web Monday morning like a Japanese bullet train (train reference, pow!). It’s a short, exclusive train tour featuring three great bands: Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show.
And for once, an exclusive tour that includes the Phoenix area as one of its few stops – and it’s Chandler, for cryin’ out loud, right in my own back yard…
For a week in late April, the three bands will travel in vintage rail cars pulled by two locomotives across the southwest U.S.A. – from Oakland to New Orleans. Chandler Arizona’s big day is Saturday, April 23rd, as the train pulls into the Arizona Railway Museum for a show. Thanks to some pre-sale luck this morning, I was able to grab my tickets. I am pumped!
Can’t wait to finally see Old Crow Medicine Show…
Looking forward to checking out Mumford & Sons (need to dig into their album a little more).
And this’ll be my third time seeing Edward and his Magnetic Zeros (I’ll also see them a week after at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival).Tickets for all stops go on sale Wednesday, March 9th at 11am CT / 9am PT. According to Railroad Revival Tour’s Facebook page, the Chandler museum stop will have a show capacity of 8,000 people.
For me, it’s a can’t miss experience.Railroad Revival Tour: Web Site | Facebook | Twitter
Old Crow Medicine Show – “I Hear Them All”
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – “Home”
Mumford & Sons – “Timshel”
Los Lobos returning to Arizona on May 5th
Last summer, thanks to the passing of Arizona’s anti-immigration bill SB1070, many artists made the decision to boycott the state. One of my very favorite bands, Los Lobos, was one of those who decided to say no to Arizona. They were scheduled to perform June 10th, 2010 at the Talking Stick Resort & Casino (located just east of Scottsdale on the Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community), but cancelled the gig about a week before, releasing the following statement:
“We support the boycott of Arizona. The new law will inevitably lead to unfair racial profiling and possible abuse of people who just happen to look Latino. As a result, in good conscience, we could not see ourselves performing in Arizona. We regret the inconvenience this may have caused the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Casino Arizona, Talking Stick Resort and our fans, but we feel strongly that it is the right thing to do.”
Not much has changed since last summer, although the most controversial portion of the bill (requiring law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest) is currently tied up in federal courts. But lo and behold, I discovered this morning that there is a Los Lobos gig scheduled for Cinco de Mayo (um, that’s May 5th, gringos), once again at the Talking Stick Resort.
So as a rabid Los Lobos fan, I’m thrilled that they’ve decided to return to Arizona. But why the change of heart? I’m fixin’ to find out.
Could it be because the Salt River Pima – Maricopa reservation is considered Indian territory, not technically part of Arizona? Or did they realize that maybe the most effective way to show their disdain for the law is to come to Arizona and speak out directly? I’m interested to find out. But regardless, my thirst for live Lobos will soon be quenched…
So Arizona Lobos fans – May 5th – Talking Stick! See you there…
Recap: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros / Dawes at the Clubhouse in Tempe
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Music discovery. I feel sorry for those that don’t keep their ears open to new sounds. As the calendar flipped over to 2010, I knew nothing (or next to nothing) about Dawes or Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Last night at the sweltering Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe, I enjoyed the hell out of these two great bands.
It started with the Coachella webcast back in April, when I watched E.S. & TMZ ‘s set. Freaky, folky, hippie vibes – something refreshing and different. So when I saw their Arizona date (and no boycott – woo hoo!), I was all in. So then, just last week, I got curious about the opening band, Dawes, and checked out their web site. I watched a couple videos (“Love Is All I Am”, “When My Time Comes”), really enjoyed the sound and the harmonies, and promptly snatched up their full length debut, North Hills. And what an impressive debut it is – I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it since.
So it was with this frame of reference and mind that I went to the Clubhouse last night – getting there nice and early to catch both full sets.
Dawes are a four piece folk-influenced rock band from the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles. Led by brothers Taylor (lead vox, guitar) and Griffin Goldsmith (drums), they have something special going with their brand of catchy melodies and three-part harmonies. Man, the harmonies! They filled up the room from the onset, with the great opener “How Far We’ve Come” – where Griffin took the first line of the verses, Griffin and keyboardist Alex Casnoff on the second line, and Taylor joining in on the third. Great stuff. Harmonies abounded on tunes like “Love Is All I Am” and the crowd favorite “When My Time Comes”. They also showed a harder edge with a nice new one, “Fire Away” and “My Girl To Me”. Their set had us drawing comparisons to The Band at times, and they obviously grew up listening to a lot of Byrds and CSN.
Dawes Great all around musicianship and singing with Dawes, but a special tip o’ the hat to the singing voice of Taylor Goldsmith. The guy can flat out sing. And when he gets way up there, there’s a soulful growl that wouldn’t sound out of place on an old Stax record. Great, great live band and great album. You’d do yourself good to pick it up.
On to Eddie and his Zeros, also formed out of the fair city of Los Angeles (the Silverlake section). By the time the band came out, the Clubhouse was a stuffy, unventilated sweatbox. I got some reprieve by being directly under a fan behind the soundboard, but man, this venue clearly does not care about the comfort of its patrons.
After watching a live set online, I had a good idea of what was in store. And though the Polo Fields of Indio, Calif. have absolutely nothing in common with the Clubhouse Music Venue, the group’s vibe and spirit were intact. Some early microphone issues almost jeopardized that good overall vibe, turning frontman/leader/messiah Alex Ebert a tad grumpy – but all was sorted out.
And so the band played on – mostly tunes from their solid 2009 album, Up From Below. They kicked things off with “40 Day Dream”, “Up From Below” and “Carries On” – a trio of catchy sing-along songs that hooked in the crowd. Edward’s muse, Jade Castrino, was the sole female Zero of the show. Usually, Nora Kirkpatrick is along for the ride (*cough-hotblonde-cough*), but sadly she missed this gig in the desert. If you’ve watched Jade on stage, you’ve probably noticed she’s a little unorthodox as far as live performers go. She won’t face the audience – she sways and faces to the side, shyly smiling, with her eyes locked in on Alex 90% of the time. If you’re questioning the messianic quality of Alex Ebert, you’ll be convinced after watching Jade for a while. But anyways, she seems like a sweetheart, and she got some lead vocal duties with a song called “The River Won’t Flow”.
“Janglin” and “Home” were the feel-good highlights of the evening. It’s hard to not like these songs, paraphrasing my buddy Trevor. The gang of characters there on stage – keyboards, percussion, a trumpet, guitars, bass, and lots of smiles – the band clearly enjoys playing these tunes for the people, even in a 110 degree steam room. The band then wrapped up the evening in mellow fashion, singing “Brothers” while seated on the floor amongst the crowd.
It was short but sweet set, although a hot one. I got the feeling the band was good n’ ready to jump in the bus and make haste for L.A. Can’t blame ’em.
The experience was worth the heat though – two new, fantastic bands with tons of promise. Lucky for me, they’re both playing the ACL Festival this year, so I’ll be seeing them again in October.
Here’s a nice series of moments from the evening, courtesy of Rand LeSeur Photography.
Set List
Clubhouse Music Venue, Tempe, AZ
June 22, 201040 Day Dream
Up from Below
Carries On
Black Water
Come In Please
The River Won’t Flow (sung by Jade)
Janglin
Desert Song
Home
Om Nashi Me-Encore-
BrotherMy Night with BeauSoleil at the Rhythm Room
I’ll put it this way: when I grow up, I want to be like Michael Doucet. And I want to be like the overwhelming number of older folks I spent time with last night. For the first time in thirteen years, traditional Cajun & zydeco virtuosos BeauSoleil came to Phoenix for a packed show at the Rhythm Room. Packed, that is, with smiling, dancing men and women in their 50’s, 60’s, and beyond. On a Wednesday evening.
Led by the charming Michael Doucet, his ever-present violin in tow (and favoring a broken right leg), the boys from BeauSoleil did not disappoint one bit. Michael has a calm, sage and zen-like presence, and good Lord can that man play the violin and sing like an angel. The band is in their 35th year together, and their high level of musicianship was on display as they tore through two sets of old favorites like “Zydeco Gris Gris” and “Jole Blon” (the Cajun national anthem”), and a bunch from their latest album Alligator Purse
– including “I Spent All My Money Loving You,” dedicated to the late Bobby Charles (who just passed away in January).
It was the first time I’d seen BeauSoleil up close. The only other time was from a distance a couple of years ago in a sweat-soaked tent at Austin City Limits Music Festival. The Rhythm Room is a small, intimate, box shaped blues club – and the perfect venue to enjoy BeauSoleil (and my favorite venue in Phoenix).
Being so close, you get the opportunity to study the characters in the band: accordion player Jimmy Breaux was a personal favorite. Short in stature, but playing those large & joyous accordion riffs, his legs locked in rhythm. Fiddle and bass player Mitch Reed was also in the zone, accompanying Michael on some fantastic joint fiddle/violin moments – and when on his standup electric bass, I’d watch him concentrate on Michael – completely in synch with every nook and cranny of Michael’s violin playing.
And who doesn’t love a little washboard? Billy Ware held it down on the ol’ washboard, and worked in some triangle as well. Tommy Alesi on drums, and Michael’s brother David Doucet on guitar rounded out the band.
It’s hard to convey how nice it felt to be among some of the older set last night. Just to look around and see 50, 60, even 70 & 80 year olds smiling and fully enjoying live music. An older gentleman – clearly in his 80’s – spent at least half of the show out on the floor, dancing with his partner. It warmed my heart.
It reaffirmed my faith in humanity a bit, and made me realize where my musical tastes are based. I have an extremely eclectic taste in music – but I realize there’s a theme that runs throughout the songs and artists I love: it’s vitality. Life. The joy and celebration of being alive.
BeauSoleil exudes that quality – that Joy. As short and sweet as life is, the important thing is to celebrate. And my older friends and I at the Rhythm Room last night did just that – with just a little help from BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. And it’s clear to me – at forty years old this year – that I’ll be celebrating with music for the rest of my days, as my older friends showed me last night.
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Visit BeauSoleil’s Site.
Buy BeauSoleil’s music.
Stream BeauSoleil on Lala.
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Music nerd Pete needed a photo avec Michael Doucet.
