Joel Plaskett @ Whelan’s, Dublin - 22nd September 2015

It has been a few years since this contemporary Canadian folk artist from Nova Scotia has played in Ireland and this short tour is in support of his recent release, The Park Avenue Sobriety Test.

The show is well attended, with plenty of expatriate support from the Canadian contingent on the night and it is a timely reminder of the great talent that we have been deprived of on a more regular basis.

Something of a national treasure in homeland, Joel Plaskett has been releasing quality music since his solo debut in the late 1990’s. Whether as part of the more rock orientated Joel Plaskett Emergency or as a solo performer, he has maintained a consistently high standard of song writing with a keen turn of phrase and an observational style that has highlighted his craft and increasing maturity.

Tonight he concentrates on the new release with excellent acoustic versions of The Last Phone Booth, On a Dime, Song for Jersey, Broke and Captains of Industry instantly finding favour and adding to the list of his impressive body of work. A fine guitar player, Joel also presents a very strong stage presence with his easy manner and amusing comments and stories which lend added weight to many of the performances.

A great version of Hard Times, the famous Stephen Foster song, is particularly poignant in its humanity and timely message. We are also treated to On the Rail, a song he was commissioned to write about the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. Nina & Albert is a fictitious love story and I Love This Town is always a fun song to hear live.  

A request for old favourite True Patriot Love is granted and the title song of the new release is a real gem. Finishing the encore with Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ is an upbeat way to say goodnight to the enthusiastic crowd, who loved every minute of this intimate performance.

Support on the night was from young Canadian artist Mo Kenney who has been gaining critical acclaim for her talents and who joined Joel for part of his show on guitar and harmony vocals.

Hopefully Joel Plaskett will return in the near future and share his fine musical and song writing talents with us – an artist with much to offer and recommend to any discerning music fan.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Great Lake Swimmers @ The Button Factory -15th September 2015

This excellent Canadian Folk band are touring Europe at present and quietly slipped into Dublin with little media fanfare to play new tunes from their sixth official release.

They were here a few years back (2009) when they played to an enthusiastic audience and this time around the crowd is much smaller but no less welcoming as the band work through the set list on the night.

The creative source of Great Lake Swimmers is singer/songwriter Tony Dekker who arranges most of the songs and plays acoustic guitar onstage. He possesses an angelic voice, so clear and pure in delivery, which adds a very spiritual quality to the overall sound of the band.

The greater part of the gig concentrates on the new release, A Forest of Arms, which builds on the previous success of the band's critically acclaimed catalogue. We also hear songs from previous albums including the eponymous 2003 debut, together with Ongiara, New Wild Everywhere and Lost Channels.

Dekker's solo project, Prayer of the Woods, is also included with the song Somewhere Near Thunder Bay and the evening passes in a quiet sense of floating melody punctuated occasionally by the dynamic fiddle playing of Miranda Mulholland, an accomplished musician who also contributes greatly on harmony vocals.

The environment features heavily as a key influence in the writing of Dekker and he is passionate about conservation and protection of the natural world. Also key to the reflective sound is the communication between people and how we relate to each other as fellow travellers on the planet.

Song titles such as Your Rocky Spine, Put There By The Land, Great Bear, The Great Exhale, Zero in the City, A Bird Flew Inside The House and Something Like a Storm give a sense of impact between the pulse of nature and our lives in cities that have such disconnect with others, as well as the forces that govern our daily existence.

The rhythm section (Joshua Van Tassel on drums and Bret Higgins on upright bass) anchor the songs with a solid foundation from which to expand while the guitar and banjo playing of Erik Arnesen adds plenty of subtle colour to the melodies. However, it is the understated presence of Dekker and that refined vocal together with the excellent contributions of Miranda Mulholland that give Great Lake Swimmers their gentle yet strong sound.

A very pleasant surprise on the night was the support act of Meg Baird and her eight song set which drew mainly from her third solo release Don't Weigh Down the Light. Since her days with the Espers, Meg has blossomed into a career that has seen collaborations with other artists and a new musical project called Heron Oblivion. Her beautiful voice and sensitive guitar playing are a perfect example of the power in understated delivery.

She has an ethereal quality to her vocal that reminds me of Clannad's Moyà Brennan, both haunting and plaintive. Her set was hypnotic and inspiring with great guitar accompaniment from Charlie Saufley who added an electric layer to the soft finger picking style of Meg Baird. A cover version of the Crazy Horse song I Don't Want to Talk About It  was particularly arresting and knocks any other version to the kerb. A fine performance and all too short!

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Patty Griffin @ Whelan's - 8th September 2015.

This gig is part of a short European tour for Patty Griffin, just before she embarks on a more comprehensive American tour to promote her new album, Servant of Love. Playing almost the entire new record is something that not a lot of artists would be brave enough to contemplate but Patty Griffin is not someone to allow others control of her creative muse.

The beauty of tonight is that the enthralled audience listen in rapt silence and reverence to each of the new offerings as if they were already old favourites. Indeed they sound very much like songs we have heard before, if only in the ether and the magic dust that surrounds all great song writing.

Never one to stand still and be placed in a specific genre Patty Griffin continues to evolve as a person and a songwriter of incredible depth and maturity. The new record is quite stunning especially when we are treated to the stripped down versions of the songs in such an intimate surrounding.

You could hear a pin drop as the new tunes find a way into the hearts and minds of the capacity crowd and whether playing guitar or piano, Patty sounded in top form with that wonderful voice reaching out and filling every part of the venue with its soulful power.

Accompanied on the night by David Pulkingham on guitars, the interplay between the two musicians was quite breath taking at times as they weave patterns around the rhythm created. Both musicians are very accomplished players and tuning issues apart, which Patty put down to jet-lagged guitars, the subtle touches and teasing colours they paint are a joy to experience.

Of the new release, Patty speaks about love - in all its guises and varied forms. There is a Mexican revolutionary song to open the show (a tilt at the American Government stance on immigration recently?) which warms up the room for what is to follow.

There Isn't One Way and Gunpowder follow in an electric groove with the guitars slightly too loud for the vocals to be clearly heard, but after this powerful beginning things settle into a more acoustic feel with Servant of Love played at the piano. It is a melancholic song which displays a quite stunning vocal as Patty wrings every ounce of passion and yearning from her soulful delivery.

Made of the Sun, Hurt a Little While, Everything's Changed follow a theme of reflection and love lost whereas the anger and frustration of Good and Gone, written in the wake of another police shooting of a black youth in America, is delivered in a potent message against inequality and injustice. 

250,000 Miles is a lament from a mother to her child who is in servitude and far away from home. You Never Asked Me is a stand out performance at the piano as Patty sings of the loneliness of lost relationships and how we "glide along all the bends of time, falling for little tricks of the mind"..,

An older song, Strange Man, is played and there are a couple of Gospel songs, Waiting for my Child and Precious Lord, both of which are a real treat and point to a new road down which Patty could easily walk. Whatever direction she may take, the magical quality to her voice continues to stoke her creative fire.

The encore arrives all too soon with Patty playing Heavenly Day and Top of the World, two old favourites that leave the crowd calling for more and thankful to have shared some special moments with such a unique traveller who continues on her seekers journey.

Review by Paul McGee.  Photograph by Vincent Lennon

Richard Thompson @ Vicar Street - 1st September 2015

A regular visitor to these shores over the years, it was a great thrill to welcome back Richard Thompson and his electric band, two superb players in Davey Faragher on bass and Michael Jerome on drums. He graced the stage at Vicar Street with all his usual stiff upper lip British charm, interwoven with a fiendish wit and glint in the eye. His dry sense of humour and self-effacing comments are always a joy to his followers and he does not disappoint with the between-song banter. The mood is very relaxed from the start and Richard’s daughter Kami and husband, James Walbourne, of support band the Rails, join him for the opening number which gets the enthusiastic audience right in the mood.

What follows is 90 minutes of jaw dropping performance and to witness a musician at the very pinnacle of his craft is a real treat. This band is so tight that it would be impossible to separate any of the individual parts from the whole and yet it is always the wonderful guitar work of Richard that soars above the rhythm and swoops in and out of the song arrangements. We are given a number of tracks from the latest release, Still, which is a very strong collection and selling as well as any of the extensive back catalogue. Broken Doll, Beatnik Walking, Patty Don’t You Put Me Down, Josephine, are all played. A very short acoustic set breaks from the full-on electric attack of the band with 1952 Vincent Black Lightning always a highlight. The dextrous guitar taking us on a road trip that has become immortal. We also got Wall of Death, Did She Jump or Was She Pushed, Tear Stained Letter, Johnny’s Far Away from previous releases.

Guitar Heroes is a standout new song on this night of dynamic performances with its nod to the great guitar players of yesteryear and Richard effortlessly mirrors the playing technique of Django Reinhardt, James Burton, Les Paul, Chuck Berry and Hank Marvin among others.  Al Bowlly’s in Heaven is another song that strikes home especially in these times of homelessness and lack of care for our fellow man across many World issues.

Everybody has a favourite pick of songs that didn’t get an airing but the numbers that were played acted as classy alternatives to any private wish list. One of those special evenings and certainly Richard Thompson is playing and singing as well as he ever has. Who said your sixties are the new forties? Whatever you are doing Richard to sound so alive, the good news is that it’s working. Perhaps it is simply the pleasure of doing what you love. 

Review by Paul McGee. Photograph by Vincent Lennon

Ryley Walker @ Whelans, Dublin -18th August 2015

Ryley Walker is a young man in a hurry, no question. Barely six months after the release of his second album Primrose Green, hailed by many critics as one of the finest of the year to date, the 25 year old from Chicago has publicly dismissed the album, declaring that he hates it and is already working on material for his next offering which better reflects where he is musically positioned at present.

His previous appearance at Whelans less than nine months ago attracted only a handful of punters so it is testament to his recent exposure that the same venue is packed on probably the most humid night of the summer.

Bearing in mind Walker’s reputation for spontaneity it is not surprising that the evenings show is somewhat unstructured. Punters expecting the customary twenty minute support act, twenty minute wait and seventy minute main act with two encores were always going to be disappointed.

Instead what is on offer is two support acts by artists that Walker declared to be some of his best friends.  Following on is  a set with Walker and  a pick up band comprising bass, drums and guitar and completing the evening is Walker’s solo slot. Both support acts, Brigid Power-Rice and the Cian Nugent Band are well received before Walker takes the stage shortly after 10pm.

Despite his stated reluctance to playing any material from Primrose Green his opener is a twelve minute free flowing version of the title track, transforming the four minute album version into a mesmerising jam, accompanied by bass, drums and Cian Nugent on guitar.

"Jeez, this is my favourite place and people on earth, had my first plunge in the Irish Sea this morning at The Vico with a bunch of naked old men" he comments before launching into an equally experimental and extended take on On The Banks Of The Old Kishwaukee also from the Primrose Green album, without in any way detracting from the beauty of the song.

The band then leave the stage and Walker reminds the crowd that this is in fact a solo show and proceeds to play, superbly it has to be said, a succession of songs he intends recording on his third album to be released in March of next year. 

The venue is more suitable for less crowded and more intimate gigs. The size of the attendance, inability for punters at the back of the venue to see the stage and the late start, inevitably results in the alcohol fuelled minority having a preference for loud chatter rather than listening to the act. After a few vocal exchanges among the crowd the offenders eventually get the message and retire to the bar to allow the rest of us hear and enjoy the solo section of the gig.

The material for the forthcoming album is particularly impressive with the guitar playing and vocal by Walker stunning. The first song is credited by him as his Fuck Donald Trump song and certainly the newer material contains more aggression and anger than that of the reflective nature of much of his early work.

Mellower material follows including a beautiful cover of Tim Hardin’s If I Were a Carpenter and an untitled but equally well received instrumental. Walker finishes with another untitled song from the forthcoming album completing the short sixty minute set by simply saying "that’s all I’ve got folks" and ending without an encore.

Walker’s impatience and intensity on stage is that of a restless artist to whom the next challenge cannot come quick enough. A slight delay while retuning leads to an angry mutter of "this guitar’s a heap of shit" while attempting to correct the issue. In direct contrast his off stage manner before and after the gig could not be more charming and friendly as he mingles with friends and punters

Comparisons in the media to John Martyn, John Fahey, Nick Drake, Tim Buckley and even a young Van Morrison may, or may not, be premature at this early stage in Walker’s career. What is undeniable is his talent as a song writer, vocalist and guitar player, so evident in flashes this evening. Hopefully this potential will be fully realised going forward in whichever direction it evolves. If so, the sky is the limit for Kyley Walker.

Review and photograph by Declan Culliton

Rhiannon Giddens @ Whelans, Dublin - 30th July 2015

Rhiannon Giddens last appearance at Whelan’s was in October 2012 when she fronted old time African American and Grammy winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops.She is back a gain in the wake of her T-Bone Burnett produced debut solo album Tomorrow Is My Turn. “Thirty seven years of age and T-Bone Burnett offers to produce a solo album for you, you don’t say no’’ she noted.

Her band is made of Caroline Chocolate Drop members Hubby Jenkins (guitar, mandolin, banjo and bones), Rowan Corbett (guitar, bones, snare drum) and Malcolm Parson (cello). Jason Sypher (bass) and James Dick (drums) complete the line up. Giddens’ classical vocal training is in evidence throughout the ninety minutes where she showcases her solo album combined with songs from both Carolina Chocolate Drop albums and the New Basement Tapes project.

Together with her backing band she delivers an exceptional night’s entertainment moving between old time country, gospel, jazz, folk and traditional music to a hugely enthusiastic audience. Opening with Spanish Mary from the Basement Tapes album Giddens announces, tongue in cheek, that she wrote the song with Bob Dylan fifty years ago. Setting the scene for the evening with her stunning vocal and relaxed stage presence she continues by explaining how the project was conceived and her initial awe in the presence of T-Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello. “Only one in the group with ovaries’’ she playfully adds.

Don’t Let It Trouble Your Mind follows with Giddens acknowledging the song writing talents of Dolly Parton “one of the best female songwriters of all time.” A superb version of She’s Got You, in tribute to Patsy Cline is next before upping the tempo with Shake Sugaree and Waterboy to the delight of the engaged audience. Giddens relaxed stage manner and ability to engage and captivate her audience are very evident throughout the show. She explains that she is married to an Irish man resulting in half the year being spent in Ireland and the other half in The States and that her eldest daughter is enrolled in the local gaelscoil in Limerick. “She and her father talk in Irish and I haven’t got an idea what they are saying. Don’t suppose many of you would understand them either.’’ 

One of the many highlights of the evening was a stunning a cappella of the traditional song Factory Girl.  Giddens notes that she has rearranged the lyrics on the last verse and will be including the song later in the year on an EP of material that did not make the final cut on her solo album.

She finishes her set with the barn dance, knees up Dylan penned Duncan and Jimmy to rapturous applause and demands for encores.Giddens returns to the stage accompanied only by Parson on cello and Sypher on bass and delivers a spine tingling rendition of Angel City, the closing track on her album. The second encore, with her full band returning to the stage, is the African American folk song The Lonesome Road immediately followed by Up Above My Head. A rousing finale to a superb evening’s entertainment.

Give the direction the exceptionally talented Rhiannon Giddens career is heading it is highly unlikely that her next gig in Dublin will be in a venue as intimate as Whelan’s. All the better for those of us fortunate to have been present.

Review and photography by Declan Culliton

Chuck Prophet @ Whelan’s Upstairs – 22nd July 2015

It just had to be one of those nights – a packed room, sweaty atmosphere, lots of noise and a live performance to restore your faith in the magic of the moment. The upstairs venue in Whelan’s is not to everybody’s taste but on a night like this it kicks into gear where the cramped space and lack of a decent view actually add to the vibe in the room.

Getting things warmed up is the local Dublin band, Kicking Bird, who play a confident set of energetic tunes, topped off with a strong vocal performance by Shannen Byrne.

Chuck Prophet takes to the stage with his partner in crime Stephanie Finch who has regularly performed with him over their many years in the music business. There are plenty of fans to sing along to the observant songs that take a slice out of life and toss it around in a way that gives you a seat on board this train we all ride.

There is a great chemistry onstage between the two artists as they harmonise beautifully on vocals and inspire each other as guitars and keyboard take the music through different gears, with superb interplay throughout. It is easy to forget just how accomplished a guitar player Chuck Prophet is and his solo riffs are greeted with regular applause.  

His latest release Night Surfer is given an airing with tracks Ford Econoline and Wish Me Luck, but it is prior release, Temple Beautiful that gets the greater exposure with Little Girl Little Boy, The Left Hand and the Right Hand, Museum of Broken Hearts, Willy Mays is Up at Bat and Play That Song Again given full treatment.

Doubter Out of Jesus from Soap & Water is the perfect example of the tight harmonies between Chuck and Stephanie and an old Green on Red song, We Had It All, brings the show to an end with the crowd wanting more and the two sublime performers smiling in the knowledge of a fine night’s work as they left the stage. 

 Review by Paul McGee. Image taken from the cover of Chuck Prophet Dreaming My Dreams

Dar Williams @ Workman's Club. Sunday 24th May 2015

With an enthusiastic audience welcoming back Dar Williams to these shores, this turned out to be a wonderful evening of song, stories and warm reflection.

 Lucy Wainwright Roche opened the show with a set that was filled with great songs and sparkling conversation. She is a real tonic, whether giving her observations regarding the state of play in her extended family ("the last thing you need is another one of us coming to sing you songs") or her insights from travelling alone in her car for the last few years. The performance tonight is focused mainly on her recent release There’s a Last Time for Everything. Her voice is very clear and has a beautiful quality as she sings from the heart. Numbers such as Seek & Hide, Last Time and The Same, all stand as a testament to her fine writing and rich talent.

Dar Williams is such a confident and gifted performer and she handles her 14 song set with complete ease in both delivery and pacing. A very entertaining story teller, Dar gives insights into the various songs and what motivated their writing. She plays 7 tracks from her new release, Emerald and such is the quality of the performance that they slot straight in beside the more recognised numbers as if they are old favourites.

Starting with The Babysitter's Here and following with three new songs in Something to Get Through, Slippery Slope and the title track Emerald, the solo guitar sound allows them to be heard in their original form. The Ocean and Mercy of the Fallen are given an airing plus Iowa, a song that is high on the wish lists of many in the audience as they join in with the sing-along chorus.

Empty Plane and Mad River are played from Emerald, together with Weight of the World originally writen by Kat Goldman. The One Who Knows is one of the great songs in celebration of the bond that exists between a parent and a child, summed up in the lines; “So when they ask how far love goes, when my job's done you'll be the one who knows”. What  lovely words.

Lucy Wainwright Roche joins Dar Williams onstage for a few numbers including the Irish ballad ‘Will Ye Go, Lassie Go’ written by Francis McPeake. For the encore, Dar sings New York is a Harbour, a song that celebrates the great city and all its’ contrasting influences.

With such a large body of work there were many more songs that the audience would have liked to hear. Sadly the evening comes to a close and both artists move to the merchandise desk in order to meet and greet people and sign CD’s. 

Dar Williams is a true talent to all who have been influenced by her insightful and intimate songs. She has the gift of communicating the human experience into something that can be shared and this, after all, is the real power of music.

Review by Paul McGee    Photograph by Vincent Lennon

JP Harris & The Tough Choices @ Whelans, Dublin 25th May 2015

Making his first visit to these shores Montgomery, Alabama native JP Harris brings his brand of hardcore country to Ireland for the first time. Another worthy presentation from Ubangi Stomp finds the band playing the venue on a Monday night. Never the easiest of sell but there's a reasonable turnout. 

What we get is a memorable and crackin' set of songs that touches a number of bases of classic country songwriting. The 21 song set include a selection of songs from his two albums as well as some judicious covers including Mickey Newbury's Why You Been Gone So Long, the encore of Six Days On The Road, his friend Red Simpson's Happy Go Lucky Truck Driver and a blistering take on Jimmy Martin's Freeborn Man.

The Tough Choices, who are an ever changing set of players - a fact of life for jobbing musicians who often play their own music as well as acting as sidemen are on this occasion lead guitarist and vocalist Adam Meisterhans, steel player Asa Brosius and bassist Tim Findlen; all of whom have played on Harris' album along with drummer Jon Whitlock. Having already played a series of dates in Europe are tight and engaged. They give these songs the muscle and twang that brings them to life in front of an appreciative audience.

Harris is an engaging frontman who tells the stories behind the songs. He lets us know that many of these tales of relationship woes are in fact true stories. He wished that he was better at writing fictional episodes but these songs ring true because they, largely, are. He tells us that they are "good old fashioned drinkin' and cryin' songs". He also relates that sometimes the only way to deal with a devastating loss is to consign items of the offending party to the fire. He reflects though that many of these episodes are down to "piss poor" decisions on his part. 

After traveling across Europe where he reckoned that the audiences has trouble understanding his humour. He then told us a, literally, shaggy dog story which raised a laugh here in Whelans. He said that his Grandmother had laughed so hard when he told her the joke she cracked a rib and he had to take her to the emergency room!

Country music, or rather the powers that be, have been "unfair from the get go" he reasoned when telling us that the Mickey Newbury song Why You Been Gone So Long, a great country song, was taken from him and given to Johnny Darrell to get the hit version. Harris' own songs should be prime picking for country covers but times have changed and these well-written songs and their themes have fallen out of favour with radio.

There are many excellent songs of his own in the set including Home Is Where The Hurt Is, Maria, The Day You Put Me Out, Just Your Memory, I'll Keep Calling and truckin' song Gear Jammin' Daddy. These songs echo down the years and constantly remind you of why you like country music in the first place. For instance Take It Back has some striking western swing styled interplay between the steel and lead guitar that is effective and eloquent.The playing tonight is always top notch.

All in all a night that those there will remember as a great evening of honky tonk in one of the nearest venues we have to one. If JP Harris & The Tough Choices get back here in the near future they should not be missed. A word also for NC Lawlor who open the show with his always interesting slide guitar playing, rough edged voice and original songs.

Review by Stephen Rapid. Photography by Ronnie Norton.

Mary Gauthier @ The Button Factory, Dublin -14th May 2015

It is almost two years to the day since Mary Gauthier last appeared on these shores and tonight she takes the stage with no announcement or fanfare; just her winsome smile and a wave to the enthusiastic audience.

She is accompanied by Michele Gazich on violins and later in the set, by support act Ben Glover, who has been co-writing with Mary of late. The next 90 minutes is filled with superb musical interplay and an atmosphere that comes wrapped in its own time capsule of heart-felt stories and witty insights.

Playing songs from her latest release, Trouble & Love, the tales of a broken relationship ring true for this special artist who has the gift of relating the personal into a universal truth we can all relate to.

Starting with new song, False From True and following with Between the Daylight and the Dark, as Mary settled into her performance, we are treated to a particularly poignant version of Cigarette Machine, a Fred Eaglesmith song which tracks a lost relationship and haunted memory of a lover who cannot move on.

When A Woman Grows Cold from the new release follows and at this point Mary starts chatting with the audience in what will turn out to be a special night of banter and wry observations on everything from the Marriage Referendum to stories of fans after gigs at the merchandise table and lots of stories from the road in-between.

How You Learn To Live Alone follows with an interesting peek into the TV series Nashville, which features this song in its entirety in Episode 3 of Season 3. Mary got to do the whole Grand Ole Oprey thing for real and then appeared at the simulated version of the performance both on the same night – talk about karma…!

Her classic song I Drink is received with great warmth and she then follows up with two songs that have been written as part of a song-writing weekend with American war veterans recounting their experiences in battle zones into songs to assist with the process of healing. Bullet Holes and Rifles & Rosary Beads will form part of a new recording project based around these weekend workshops and to be released at a future date. The songs were poignant and very moving in the performance and reflect the words of the soldier’s personal stories. 

The Last of the Hobo Kings is a fine tale of free spirits that rode the box-cars but have now been defeated by rules and regulations on the great railways of America. The Hobo convention in Britt, Iowa ever year is also given honourable mention.

The last two songs of the evening are Another Train from the new release and an encore of Mercy Now which is very apt given all the political tension in our city at this time. 

We are given an insight into her creative muse when Mary talks of song-writing coming from a place of struggle and confusion. When things are going good she does not try to capture the experience and when she says that songs are what feelings sound like, we all get that lightbulb moment and are lifted by the connection.  

In the company of this literate, mature song-writer who champions the lost souls, the marginalized and the voiceless in a way that displays a compassion and dignity; one feels a profound sense of empathy with everyman. 

This is the gift that Mary Gauthier brings with her troubadour quest – to find the magic in the most tragic of circumstances and to lift the human condition to a better place.

Review by Paul McGee  Photography by Ronnie Norton

The Other Half @The Black Box, Belfast Sat 9th May 2015

As a part of the wide ranging Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival The Other Half, a combination of Words and music, brought author Mark Billingham and My Darling Clementine to Belfast for the first performance of their joint venture before an Northern Irish audience.

The show started with Billingham telling us that his fictional detective DI Tom Thorne liked country music because he (Billingham) liked country music and how, on the recommendation of a friend, he had become aware of the music of My Darling Clementine. He loved the records and had caught them live several times. After which a friendship had been stuck which resulted in them working together. The Other Half is the result. 

Lou Dalgleish and Michael Weston King the husband and wife duo who are My Darling Clementine in essence then came onstage through the audience to open the show. They opened with the song Departure Lounge before Dalgleish  commented “it’s very nice to be here with my husband” before adding “for now” to which Weston King replied that she shouldn’t go for the sympathy vote to early in the show. “Oh, I had it from when I walked onstage” was her tongue in check reply. This is the kind of banter that is part and parcel of a My Darling Clementine show but was less prevalent here because after a couple more songs the show The Other Half started with the opening section of Billingham’s  story of a showgirl turned waitress and her lost dreams. A country song in itself expanded to a short story.

With background slides to set the mood the trio alternated between songs and the spoken word. It was very effective and having the author read some the narration in a mock American accent brought humour and heart to the tale. The story is essentially about Marcia, a Las Vegas showgirl in her younger days, who now works in a run down bar and the people she meets there including Jimmy who she realises has something of what they were both looking for. Not some distant dream but an understanding of each others basic but real needs. Bellingham had told us that it was a inspired by “dark, depressing country music” he loved. A notional description that outsiders often apply to the music and although both the songs and the stories deal with marital discord and life’s little up and downs the end result, like all good country music, raises the spirit and is, ultimately, life affirming.

Both singers again confirmed their prowess as accomplished vocalists adding some theatricality appropriate to the delivery of the songs in this setting. Weston King is also a fine guitar player and at times played behind Billingham words. Dalgleish as well as playing the tambourine to add some percussive texture also played the electric piano for some songs to add further tonal variety.

The songs included No Heart in This Heartache and No Matter What Tammy Said (I Won’t Stand By Him) and I No Longer Take Pride as well as Friday Night At TheTulip Hotel and As Precious As The Flame songs which related to the story itself. The majority of the songs are ones that My Darling Clementine have released on their two albums - but that doesn’t detracted from their ability to work on the context of the story. When the reading was over My Darling Clementine closed the show with a trio of covers of the sort of song that would have been playing on the jukebox in the bar. These included Good Year For The Roses and Cold, Cold Heart. Then Billingham joined the duo to close the afternoon and he took the lead vocal on an forceful rendition of Heartaches By The Number, which was a fitting way to bring the proceedings to a close.

On this showing it is a process, that while not unique, that is worth exploring further. At some point in the future we may see songs specifically written as part of an integrated overall narrative. For now though The Other Half works as it does for in this live presentation setting. The CD of the project features others guests on both the spoken and music side which makes it an entity in it’s own right that should please fans of both parties.

Review by Stephen Rapid. Photography by Ronnie Norton

The Handsome Family @ Whelans - 27th March 2015

Husband and wife duo Brett and Rennie Sparks step onto the stage at Whelan’s with no fanfare or introduction. They are joined, on this occasion, by drummer Jason Toth and together the three musicians deliver a compelling set of songs over the next 90 minutes.

Drawing from most of their 9 albums, although strangely nothing from the most recent Wilderness release, the songs reflect the original writing skills of Rennie, along with the dynamic guitar playing and musical arrangements of Brett.

The between song banter is very funny as always and the two spontaneous spouses bounce off each other in a mock combative style, while all the time maintaining that gleam in the eye or wry grin. Rennie has a vivid imagination and comes up with some really interesting musings on American life, crime in Albuquerque, Spanish milkmen, grizzly bears, moving furniture in apartments, the smallest horse and the tallest man in the world.

In the Air, released in 2000, contributes five songs - Up Falling Rock Hill, When the Helicopter Comes, Don’t Be Scared, So Much Wine and The Sad Milkman. There are a further 3 songs from Through the Trees (1998 ) - Weightless Again, The Giant from Illinois and My Sister’s Tiny Hands.

Also featured are Loneliness of Magnets, The Dutch Boy, Somewhere Else to Be, The Bottomless Hole and some new songs in Tiny Tina, Gold and Whitehaven, the latter a song about when the happy couple first met.

Rennie plays her ukulele bass and autoharp while Brett thrashes his Fender Telecaster guitars into submission with some wonderful riffs and atmospheric runs. Never more so than on the Far From Any Road song, made famous as the theme for the True Detective TV show. The Handsome Family are proud to have the song included in the success of the project and play it with a menace that underlies their unique take on the ways of the wicked world.

The observations and the manner in which they chronicle the darker side of our human nature is balanced by the lightness of the words that sometimes get passed over in the song dynamic: “I feel the loneliness of magnets, and trembling mountain peaks, I call you from dark valleys, and I hear you echoing.”

A heart-warming performance for all the right reasons and long may this oddly quirky couple continue to thrill us with their perspectives and tales of the human condition.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Kimmie Rhodes @ Seamus Ennis Centre, Naul - 21st March 2015

It was another full house for Lubbock native Rhodes and her son Gabriel in this intimate listening room. From the moment Kimmie walked onstage with a cheery “There you all are2 a raring to go Rhodes played a two part, 19 song set. As one might expect the set included many numbers from her latest album Cowboy Boudoir “the new songs don’t become old songs unless you play them” she teased. As well as these new songs there were old favourites such Love and Happiness and a number of covers including the set closer Townes van Zandt’s White Freight Liner Blues.

As with any live performance from Kimmie,  a large part of the pleasure comes from the between songs stories and observations which doesn’t take away from the dexterous guitar playing from Gabriel, who locks in totally with his mother. His acoustic lead playing added a great deal to the overall sound. Rhodes herself sings better than ever with a clear and concise but human voice. It is coloured by her Texas accent, something that, as with her speaking voice, adds to her uniqueness.

Some of the stories told included the town she grew up in; “Don’t go” she told us as it is a great place to be from, she says, not in. She talked about other famous sons of Lubbock including Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Buddy Holly. The duo played a fine version of Raining in My Heart in tribute to the great man. She talked about how people wondered what was in the air that produced so many great writers. Gilmore, she explained, says that it may have something to do with all the DDT sprayed all around the area when they were growing up and following the trucks around! She also mentioned another local town called Shamrock which she noted was even worse, other than a waterfall-style lamp that she liked to see whenever she passed through as a child.

One song from the new album was Yes. This was the first song she got the audience to sing along with, the chorus emphasising the positivity of “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes”. On a slightly darker theme was Lover Killing Time. She told us that she had wanted to write a mean song like some that Loretta Lynn had written and this was her contribution. She also talked of her love of Ray Price and on hearing of his passing had cracked open a bottle of wine and played every Ray Price song she could fine. Willie Nelson was another legend whom she praised and then had the audience sing his part on the song thereby has recorded together, Love Me like a Song.

She also got everyone singing on God’s Acre , “a song about dying and being buried”. She played us Bells of Joy, a song she had written for the Gospel act of that name. Kimmie noted that their lead singer had shuffled onstage with a walker and told Gabriel to stop her if she ever got to that stage. All this was related with her customary good humour. She played Donovan’s Catch the Wind for which Gabriel played a shaker and  cardboard box, which was effective and it  brought a different tone to the song. Rhodes gave us the story of her father and her upbringing among carnival folk and how he was supposed to be a used car salesman but was often engaged on something more nefarious while she sang songs for a dime, some of which she gave to her brother to avoid getting beaten up. She then played the song she had written for him Wind Blown. Contrabandistas was performed with a nice south of the border feel, very much the feeling of the song. It was first recorded back in 1981 with her band The Jackalopes. This again highlighted how this duo could ring the changes during their set. 

 This was a show where both audience and performers united and made for a evening that many would happily repeat. Kimme Rhodes can invite us again anytime into her intimate cowboy boudoir.

Review: Stephen Rapid   Photograophy:Ronnie Norton   Editing: Sandy Harsch

Jim Lauderdale @ Whelans, Dublin - 3rd March 2015

Just a year since his last Whelans appearance, Grammy  Winner Jim Lauderdale returned for a solo show. One of the most influential singer/songwriters on the country/Americana music scene for the past twenty five years Jim has recorded over twenty albums. His songs have been covered by Vince Gill, George Strait, Elvis Costello, Patty Loveless, Lee Ann Womack and The Dixie Chicks among others. He has been particularly prolific in recent years with three album releases in 2013 alone, followed by the twenty track I’m A Song album released last year. “It’s really a double album but we squeezed it onto one disc to save plastic and be environmentally aware’’ was his ironic comment.

Immaculately dressed in a Manuel ying-yang logoed shirt and trouser creation,  Lauderdale took the stage and treated the audience to  ninety minutes of bluegrass and country songs with  nods to rock, blues and soul with the material drawn from his debut album Planet of Love through to songs from an upcoming release recorded in London with Nick Lowe’s band.

Jim’s stage presence and charisma are unquestioned, but a genuine warmness is evident towards his audience, with eye contacts, smiles and banter throughout. “It’s good to be home” he announced after the first two songs and if the same line is to be rolled out at every gig, he makes it sound as if it is really from the heart.

A broken guitar string during one song barely interrupts his rhythm as he casually changes guitars mid-song before requesting assistance from the audience to replace the broken string. His setlist features selections from his collaborations with Dr.Ralph Stanley (Feel Like Singing Today) and Robert Hunter (Black Roses) together with the title track from one of Lauderdale’s three 2013 releases, Old Times Angels, a song co-written with Daniel J Smith. To compensate for being solo Lauderdale jokes that “in the absence of my crack backing  band I  need to sing the steel guitar sections’’ and does so. Note should be taken of his guitar playing skill that mixes solid rhythm with some excellent lead lines.

The King of Broken Hearts follows, written in tribute to Gram Parsons and George Jones. This has also been recorded by George Strait and Lee Ann Womack and has been rerecorded for I’m A Song as the original version, which featured Emmylou Harris, is no loner in print; something that is unfortunately true of many of his earlier albums. The song also is the title of a documentary of Jim’s musical journey. His excellent 2006 album The Hummingbirds is represented by the rootsy title track and There and Back Again.

The set finished with Trashcan Tomcat and the title track of Headed for the Hills, Lauderdale’s 2004 album co-written with Robert Hunter.. The encore fittingly comprised Lost My Job of Loving You and It Hurt Me a song from Buddy and Jim, the album recorded with close friend Buddy Miller. 

Hopefully Jim Lauderdale can deliver on his ambition to host his Music City Roots show in Dublin in the future, as he mentioned, but in the meantime one is left with the memory of enjoying a very special artist who, as he usually does, mingled with the audience after the show. This was a fitting end to a fine evening.

Review by Declan Culliton   Photograph by Ronnie Norton   Edited by Sandy Harsch

Greg Brown @ Whelan's - Thurs 5th Feb 2015.

It is not very often that the term "Living Legend' is used in the true sense. Many have been tagged with such a label in the past and few have either deserved the title, or indeed lived up to the billing. However, if there was ever a musician, singer, songwriter who was worthy of the crown then it would have to be Greg Brown.

A veteran of the music scene since 1974, when his fledgling first release saw light, this raconteur and troubadour has been responsible for some of the most insightful writing over the last five decades of independent music.

Call him folk, call him country, call him a blues musician - call him what you will. This artist has endured at the cutting edge of an industry that is not big on longevity, producing close to 30 releases across 40 years of active service.

Playing his first gig in Ireland after all this time is both a frustration and a joy. Frustration that for so many years we have been deprived of seeing Greg Brown perform here in a live setting and joy at the fact that he finally showed up, with guitar and fishing hat, to play two sets of wonderful songs.

He revisits his extensive back catalogue without much prompting and this goes a long way to satisfying the most strident of fans who have come to hear a personal favourite.

We are taken back to 1981 with Out in the Country while In the Dark With You dates to 1985. The Cheapest Kind (1988) is introduced with memories and stories of family and Band of Gold (1990), Spring Wind (1992), The Poet Game (1994) and Brand New 64 Dodge (1994) are all given an airing.

His guitar playing is both effortless and loose, with a seamless style that has always placed Greg Brown above the majority of performers and song-writers. The audience are hushed and display a reverential awe as he reflects on aspects of his life and the world in which we find our place.

In the Dark With You (1985) and Hey Baby Hey (1996) are played plus a stirring version of Down at the Mill also gets a rare outing. His most recent  release Hymns to What is Left is on sale at the gig and he gives us four songs from it that sit comfortably alongside the previous body of work with one song, Fatboy Blues, highlighting a wicked sense of humour and an insight into the human condition. Bones Bones, Besham's Bokerie and I Could Just Cry all show that the true poet continues to beat in a heart that displays both a humanity and humility in all that is communicated.

We are treated to cover versions of Vigilante Man (Woody Guthrie) and Not Dark Yet (Bob Dylan) - a vibrant version of Like a Dog, complete with howling, and an encore of Jesus & Elvis, a clever song that was originally released back in 1994.

Greg Brown sings during the song Why Do You Even Say That?  "I ain't some fish you caught, can't keep me on a string..."  This just about sums up the true nature of the man; an old wisdom, much insight and a grizzly bear voice that makes you believe every word he sings.

During the gig Greg Brown states that he was never really a fan of the sensitive songwriter folk. However, his career and his releases have displayed the essence of sensitivity in his writing. What an absolute pleasure to be there.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

Ryan Bingham @ Whelan’s, Dublin - 31st Jan '15

Taking the stage with just a single guitar and a winning smile, Ryan Bingham kicks off his short European Tour to a packed Whelan’s tonight. It has been 3 years since he last played here and the lack of his fine band, the Dead Horses, this time around does nothing to dampen the spirits of a very enthusiastic crowd. This gig can be likened to hitting a home run as there is no sitting on the fence for an audience full of die-hard fans, who sing along to most of the songs. Wearing a fine looking cowboy hat, Ryan Bingham cuts an impressive figure and his confidence in playing and communicating stories between songs leaves everybody hanging on his every move. The tour is in support of a new record, Fear and Saturday Night, his fifth release since 2007.

His performance has matured over the years and he is a very accomplished guitar player which supports his excellent song writing perfectly. He sings like he means every word and his dusky, gravel-like delivery is very heartfelt, as he performs a number of new songs from the latest release. Thanking the crowd for their patience we are treated to seven new songs and all are received as if they were old favourites already. In addition we are taken back through his impressive catalogue and thirteen more songs complete a show which runs for over 90 minutes including encores. No breaks needed just pure talent in the writing and the delivery of every song. Starting with Poet and Workin’ for a Dollar a Day, the room is in full swing when he introduces new songs Nobody Knows My Trouble and Broken Heart Tattoos.

Tell My Mother I Miss Her So is followed by Mr Dylan’s Hard Rain before we get more new songs in the shape of My Diamond is Too Rough and Fear and Saturday Night, the title of his new recording. We are then treated to a Mariachi song La Malaguena which is a real winner and raises the temperature in the room even higher. Old favourites like the Weary Kind, Hard Times, Southside of Heaven and Sunshine all get an airing and are performed with conviction and a compelling talent. Bread and Water is kept until the encore, with some very tasty bottle-neck playing and the show closes with the excellent Ever Wonder Why?

Speaking of his appreciation to fans that come out to support his music and spend their hard earned Euros on a Saturday night, he is self-effacing and comes across with an honesty and integrity that makes Ryan Bingham so popular to an increasing army of admirers on these shores. Long may he run and we are already looking forward to his return.

Review and photograph by Paul McGee

The Music Network @ the Sugar Club - January 15th 2015

Maura O’Connell, Karan Casey, Martin Tourish & Ed Boyd kick off a series of 11 dates at a packed Sugar Club, where an enthusiastic audience come to celebrate the essence of the Music Network in Ireland – Making Live Music Happen.

With performers of this quality we are guaranteed an evening of deeply rich music and singing and we are not disappointed with the results.

Maura O’Connell is a frequent visitor to her native Ireland but it has been some time since she took to the stage and performed. Sharing the spotlight with the richly talented Karan Casey, they make for a compelling duo and are ably assisted by both Ed Boyd (guitars) and Martin Tourish (Accordion).

Martin is currently a member of Altan in addition to being a composer and producer. Ed plays in Lúnasa and is in great demand on the European Folk circuit. Together, the two musicians provide the perfect backdrop for both Karan and Maura, who blend their voices in beautiful harmony.

All the more impressive when we learn that the four artists have not performed together live before and with only limited rehearsal time; they deliver a two hour performance filled with charm and warmth.

The Sugar Club is the ideal venue for nights like this with the intimate atmosphere perfectly in unison with the individual performers, whether performing a number solo or interacting as a group.

We are treated to Summer Fly and Shades of Gloria as the music warms up the audience on a cold and windy evening. Karen sings Lovely Annie with all the subtle grace that her voice delivers and we are then given a couple of instrumental tunes featuring a piece from Martin’s recent solo release Under a Red Sky Night.

Maura has a lovely tone to her vocals and is the focal point of the performance with her great charm and witty comments. She puts everyone at ease with her between song observations and stories and whether voices are raised in celebration, on the terrific Mick Milligan’s Ball, or in reflection, the superb Patty Griffin song Mary, a potent mix is present as these artists deliver a performance of the highest quality throughout.

The musical talents of both Ed Boyd on guitars and Martin Tourish on accordion are the perfect complement in filling the song spaces with much colour and gentle melody. They are joined for a few songs by Ciaran Tourish of Altan who adds fiddle and some of the interplay is simply breath-taking.

Maura sings a new Janis Ian song I’m Still Sanding, which is a fine way to end the first half of the show and after a short break we are back for more treats in the shape of Wayfaring Stranger, where Ed gets to channel his inner Johnny Cash. The Nanci Griffith classic Trouble in the Fields is sung with great insight and passion by Maura who speaks of our emigrants and the price to be paid as a Nation in building a future. Maura also sings from her Naked With Friends release, a solo voice raised in sympathy with the disappeared in various countries around the globe, Hay Una Mujer Desapercida.

Karen sings a duo of Irish songs, Aililiú Na Gamhna, proving to be a particular favourite. The Curra Road by Ger Wolfe gets an airing as does a Frank Hart song. Maura sings W.B.Yeats, Down By the Sally Gardens, in her own unique style and channels a wistful longing in her delivery.

It is indeed a true gift to be in the presence of sublime artists who become lost in the moment and the essence of the song. Never more so than the closing song by Jonell Mosser, The Blessing and the encore of As I Leave Behind Nédín with audience sing-along. Enriching and Inspiring.

Review by Paul McGee  Photography by Ronnie Norton 

My Darling Clementine @ The Conservative Club, Dublin 28th November 2014

 

Making their Dublin debut Michael Weston King and his wife Lou Dalgleish brought an acoustic version of their joint My Darling Clementine project to the intimate surroundings of the Dublin Conservative Club. King wryly noted that this was the first time he’d stepped into a Conservative Club and perhaps should have brought some copies of the Morning Star with him. After some initial problems getting a balance on the house PA they delivered a set of original songs and covers that appealed to the captivated audience.

They opened with That’s All It Took, a song recorded by George Jones and Gene Pitney and also by Gram and Emmylou. Other songs in the set aside from their own material included the Jones’ She Thinks I Still Care as well the genuine encore of Pete Seeger’s Mary Don’t You Weep. They had earlier played a “false” encore at the end of the set asking the audience to clap loudly so that they didn’t need to leave the stage go to the dressing room and then return hoping that the audience would still be there. They needn’t have worried as the applause was genuine.

Other than Endless Wandering Stars a song from King’s solo career they drew from their two albums How Do You Plead? and The Reconciliation. These included 100,000 Stars, Put Your Hair Back, Reserved For You And Me, Departure Lounge, No Matter What Tammy Said (I Won’t Stand By Him) as well as such potential country classics (in an ideal world) as No Heart In This Heartache, I No Longer Take Pride and I Can’t Live Without You (When You Can’t Live With Yourself). They may be calculated songs written to purpose but that doesn’t diminish their effectiveness or memorability.

The most poignant moment came when the sang Ashes, Flowers and Dust a song written by Dalgleish in memory of her mother and of King’s father. It longs for a moment when the departed parents could (impossibly) come back to hold their daughter’s hand one more time. It stuck a chord with many in the audience and was a genuine moment of sadness shared. But while much of the rest of the evening’s songs dealt with martial disharmony and strife it was done with an underlining sence of levity that understands the nature of farce that us inherent in such a construct.

Hopefully the there will soon be another episode of this ongoing country soap song cycle that has struck a chord for both performers and with the public at large and finds them delivering some of the best traditionally based, but forward looking, country music being made in the UK (or elsewhere) at the moment. What is readily apparent from this performance is the individual strengths of both vocalists delivering songs that, though imprinted with some ironic and iconic humour, have depth and understanding. They mirror real life experiences in a way that the best of country music has always done.

Not lost or even gone My Darling Clementine promise to be back next year with a full band in tow and that is something not to be missed. Here, however, with just two voices and a tambourine they are an enjoyable evening out that enlightens and entertains.

Review by Stephen Rapid   Photograph by Ronnie Norton

Chevron Lives @ Sugar Club - Sun 23rd Nov 2014

 

Philip Chevron lost his brave battle with cancer on 8^th October 2013 and tonight at the Sugar Club we pay tribute to the man, his influence and the body of work he has left behind. The proceeds are destined for St. Francis Hospice in Raheny, who cared for Philip at his home in his final weeks, in recognition of the fine work they do.

A musician, a songwriter and a rebel soul, Philip Chevron spent a life in service of his craft. His sense of place in the history of Irish music should not be underestimated. If Joe Strummer was the voice of the common man and held as the image of non- conformity in the UK punk movement, then Philip was his Irish brother in arms.

The music of1970’s Ireland was populated by great characters like Philip Chevron, who embraced the rebellion of the punk movement and the march towards a DIY attitude to music. If you could plug in and power up then you were a player. The Radiators from Space grew out of this movement and went on to make a local mark on the Irish musical landscape, disbanding in the early 1980’s, returning to action in the early 2000’s.

Tonight we have two original members of the Radiators, Pete Holidai and Stephen Rapid, in the guise of the Trouble Pilgrims, who are joined by current members Johnny Bonnie (drums), Paddy Goodwin (bass) and Tony St Ledger (guitar).

Philip Chevron was a fine lyricist, writing songs that reflected what it was like to be uniquely Irish. Whether playing in the Radiators or the Pogues, producing music or collaborating with other artists, the words of songs such as Under Clery’s Clock, Ballad of Kitty Ricketts, Thousands Are Sailing and Faithful Departed are timeless and endure the passage of time.

The performances of all present on the stage tonight are both eclectic and original, with the fabulous talents of Púca Puppets, Lars Vincent, Cait O’Riordan, Daniel & Raymond Meade, Gavin Glass and the Holy Shakers and the Pilgrim Souls.

Master of ceremonies, Karl Tsigdinos, keeps the pace ticking along and there are no long delays between acts, which makes the evening more enjoyable and seamless.

We are also given readings and musings from writers Joe O’Connor and Roddy Doyle, so literate and very Dublin, beautifully performed and very apt to the evening. Brendan Behan is included with a musical version of his poem ‘The Captains and the Kings’and Agnes Bernelle is covered by Púka Puppets with an adaptation of a Brecht/Weill song.

From Glasgow, we meet Daniel Meade, a country singer who has recorded his new album Keep Right Away in Nashville and who plays an impressive set of songs before being joined by his brother, Raymond Meade - a singer/songwriter who Philip recorded with. Both are impressive performers and sing together with great harmony, as only siblings can. They play with passion and panache on this special evening.

Cait O’Riordan guests with a number of the acts and performs, as always, with confidence and that great smile.

Lars Vincent, a folk singer who is gaining a strong reputation, also performed with great enthusiasm and energy. He has a terrific voice and really contributed to the goodtime vibe on the night.

Gavin Glass has really developed into a significant Irish musician at this stage of his career arc. He is an accomplished performer and has assembled an impressive coterie of musicians in the Holy Shakers. We get a preview from his upcoming release ‘Sunday Songs’ and the band play with great feel and finesse. At times you can hear the influence of the Band / Wilco in the arrangements and delivery.

However, the nigh belongs to the Trouble Pilgrims who channel Philip Chevron perfectly with their set that closes the evening in a flourish of energy and verve. A great backbeat is coloured by the fine guitar work of both Pete Holidai and Tony St Ledger, while Stephen Rapid lifts proceedings to a new level with his imaginative synth playing on keyboard and Therimini, the latter controlled by hand movements.

We are treated to an unplugged version of Faithful Departed by Pete Holidai, who sits in a chair and lets the power of the spoken work deliver the salutary message contained in the lyrics. “There is no pain that can't be eased, by the devil's holy water and the rosary beads”.

A story that probably best highlights the spirit of Philip Chevron is the recent donation of three of the most prized guitars from his collection to the inmates of Mountjoy Prison. This is a new initiative that aims to use music to help rehabilitate prisoners.

Rock on Philip Chevron.

Review by Paul McGee Picture collage by Ronnie Norton

Carrie Rodriguez @ Workman’s Club 12th Nov 2014

 

Tonight we are treated to one of the most compelling talents in modern Roots/Americana music with the Roadworks Tours presentation of duo Carrie Rodriguez and Luke Jacobs. No stranger to these shores Carrie has quite a reputation as a fiddle player and vocalist and she is ably supported by Luke on guitar and lap steel in an intimate setting that sets a warm atmosphere.

Carrie is a very confident performance artist, the result of endless live shows over the years and she has been feted by many international artists such as John Prine, Lucinda Williams and Chip Taylor for her special gifts.

The set tonight draws mainly from her most recent release, Give Me All You Got, which was issued in 2013. It is a wonderful listen and full of interesting songs, many of which are performed tonight in acoustic, stripped-down mode between the two players, as they spark off each other with some virtuoso and spontaneous playing.

Devil in Mind has some great fiddle parts and gets the audience worked up with its pace and rhythm. Lake Harriet sees Carrie sing of her lover’s charms as she lays down a gentle percussive backing with her finger clicks and very effective too. Get Back in Love is a gentle vignette of lasting love and dedicated to couples who stay the course over many years of marriage. I Cry for Love and I Don’t Mind Waiting are two songs with a similar theme of being prepared to have patience in the face of a yearning for that soul mate to appear.

Carrie also sings a number of songs from her family upbringing in Mexico and references her Great Aunt who was a famous Ranchera singer. Mixing the Spanish tongue with the passion of Mexico, Carrie sings from the heart and a new release next year will contain a number of these new songs that are beautifully performed and played with sensitivity.

She goes back to her first release and sings the title track, Seven Angers on a Bicycle, a very moving song dedicated to her childhood friend who was killed in his early 20’s in an accident in NYC. The playing on this song was very heartfelt and the lap steel accompaniment from Luke was a perfect foil for Carrie to create a rhythmic guitar sound.

Luke Jacobs plays a few songs from his solo release, produced by Carrie, and he is a natural raconteur with his between song stories full of fun and colour. He tells of his encounter with drug dealers in Minnesota on a cold winter night when they rescued him from a car breakdown; only to be busted by the cops shortly after. He recalls his first Opera experience of Faust and then sings us a three minute country song that condenses the entire story of selling your soul to the Devil.

He is also a fine musician and dove-tails perfectly with the swoops and changes of direction taken by Carrie as, she plays in the moment. There is almost a jazz quality to some of the interplay between the two musicians and this is very exciting to witness at such close quarters.

Carrie plays a couple of fiddle tunes solo and displays all her mesmerising skills in a performance as exciting, as it is technically strong. She regularly stomps her foot in time to her playing and this adds an extra dimension to the performance. Carrie is full of passion and this is highlighted in her playing style and her impressive vocal range.

She also comes across as a very warm and joyful person and her maturity as a performer sees her as one of the best examples of new music to appear over the recent years.

I would urge you to catch one of her shows and to listen to her back catalogue of five solo albums, together with a number of collaborations with other artists.

A word for the support act of Kate O’Callaghan and her husband, Seamus Devenny, who play a beautifully restrained opening set laced with gentle guitar and violin. A perfect way to set the atmosphere for the main event tonight. I have been fortunate to catch this act on a few occasions now and they always impress, with an new depth and maturity now added to their undoubted talents, as they continue to grow as artists.

Review and picture by Paul McGee