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Post by Sharon W on Jan 17, 2009 20:27:10 GMT -8
We went to McCabe's last night - Bill did a review for another forum and I thought you might enjoy it. Peter Rowan was great at McCabes last night. First set was just him and acoustic guitar - not even plugged into an amplifier. Songs like Panama Red come out a little different without the full band treatment - but good! Lonesome LA Cowboy was especially fine, after Peter introduced the song by telling some stories about his lonesome LA cowboy days. I think he had some lonesome Nashville cowboy days in there, too. Second set was with David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, and was just superb. High points for me were Gillian taking her only lead vocal turn on Dylan's I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, and long jammy versions of Free Mexican Air Force and Land of the Navajo. Really nice Midnight Moonlight to end the show. Her high harmonies added a very nice extra dimension to Peter's vocals. David Rawlings is an amazing and enthusiastic guitar player, getting some very tasty licks out of his 1935 Epiphone Olympic mahogany archtop. We've seen David and Gillian once before; they played with Neil Young at the 2006 Bridge School Benefit, but McCabes is a slightly more intimate venue than Shoreline ;-) www.mccabes.com
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jan 17, 2009 22:49:52 GMT -8
What a wonderful new thread -- and inaugural post.
I had to do the Google to find out why those names weren't familiar. I hadn't heard of Peter Rowan for 34 years, when we sold a ton of the "Old and in the Way" at the Here, There and After record store in Montrose. Gillian Welch appeared in a cameo in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and sang "I'll Fly Away" on the soundtrack. I don't remember David Rawlings, but his acoustic guitar playing is a revelation:
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Nov 13, 2009 0:26:31 GMT -8
Thanks to Sharon for starting this thread. Every time I've seen her since July, I've forgotten to mention that David Rawlings and Gillian Welch was a big topic on the corner with my fellow Montrose vigil stalwart Bruce because he'd just read Bill's review here, months after Sharon posted it. I'll write one of my own this Sunday: Ray Davies will perform at the Orpheum downtown on Nov. 14 with the Vox Society Choir, singing Kinks standards and obscurities from "The Kinks Choral Collection," his new album: www.amazon.com/Choral-Collection-Davies-Crouch-Festival/dp/B001W6Q4BU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1258093799&sr=1-1The CD came out Tuesday but I hope it will be on sale at the Orpheum, where I can buy it only one step removed from the artist. Look at the 15 songs on that list. I've seen the back cover online, which calls the six -- six! -- songs from 1968's "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society," one of the greatest albums ever, the "Village Green Medley." Naturally, I want to hear "Big Sky" in its entirety. I've also never seen the Kinks or Ray solo play "Shangri-La" since my first Kinks concert in 1976. "Working Man's Cafe" is the only solo offering. But most of the rest, like "Celluloid Heroes," are concert staples. Los Angeles is the second stop of Ray's seven-city tour. When we saw him in 2006 and 2008, Ray was generous in spirit and with his time -- and eager to surprise with songs like "A Long Way from Home" and "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." Even if he plays the entire album, there's time for another six to ten astounding selections. By the way, his baby brother is coming to the El Rey in less than three months: www.theelrey.com/view-details.php?id=456
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Post by Sharon W on Nov 13, 2009 8:31:01 GMT -8
Wow - I had forgotten that show, thanks for reminding me. We saw Kris Kristofferson at Disney Hall on the first. The LA Times review was very kind. See: latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/11/live-review-kris-kristofferson-at-disney-hall.html But to me he seemed intimidated by the venue and tentative. The songs were excellent but a couple in the front row walked out after a few songs and it seemed to throw him. Melancholy, in a way. We're going to Royce Hall tonight for the "Loud & Rich" show, www.uclalive.org/event.asp?Event_ID=665I always want to hear Kris sing with Rita Coolige when we see him live, I'll probably miss Linda's voice tonight. (Ex wives they used to perform with, so you don't have to look it up.)
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Roberta
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Post by Roberta on Nov 13, 2009 15:08:29 GMT -8
To keep with the theme all around, we saw Loud last winter, and someone I used to, well, perform with, sat in front of us -- with his wife. I find with fading memories awkwardness goes too, which is handy.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Nov 13, 2009 23:19:05 GMT -8
Man, I know I'm out of touch musically when I just learn that Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Thompson are sharing a stage. Thanks for cluing me in! Kristofferson is one of those artists like Dylan whom I've followed for 40 years yet somehow I've never gotten off my butt to see them perform. (For those who never heard the story, Kris emptied Bob's ashtrays working as a janitor in Columbia's Nashville studios during the recording of "Blonde on Blonde.") I got to get his new album. Sharon, I meant to ask you last time I saw you: Has our old friend Bill (and his dogs Nikki and Conni) been coming to your vigil? Roberta and I have tried to reach him by voice mail and e-mail. We couldn't contact him those ways before he moved to Glendale either. We'd appreciate hearing if you've seen him lately.
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Post by Sharon W on Nov 14, 2009 8:16:13 GMT -8
To keep with the theme all around, we saw Loud last winter, and someone I used to, well, perform with, sat in front of us -- with his wife. I find with fading memories awkwardness goes too, which is handy. When I walked into a Joan Baez concert with a date many years ago I heard someone yelling my name. It was my ex with his new wife - he said "Why do I keep marrying women who drag me to see Joan Baez???" I'm finding after enough years ex spouses turn out to be more like siblings - lots of history and fondness but the relationship could still be prickly.
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Post by Sharon W on Nov 14, 2009 9:04:39 GMT -8
Man, I know I'm out of touch musically when I just learn that Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Thompson are sharing a stage. Thanks for cluing me in! Kristofferson is one of those artists like Dylan whom I've followed for 40 years yet somehow I've never gotten off my butt to see them perform. (For those who never heard the story, Kris emptied Bob's ashtrays working as a janitor in Columbia's Nashville studios during the recording of "Blonde on Blonde.") I got to get his new album. Sharon, I meant to ask you last time I saw you: Has our old friend Bill (and his dogs Nikki and Conni) been coming to your vigil? Roberta and I have tried to reach him by voice mail and e-mail. We couldn't contact him those ways before he moved to Glendale either. We'd appreciate hearing if you've seen him lately. Bill and his dogs came a few times to the Broadway & Brand vigil but not last week (11/6) - we missed 10/30 for Culture Clash (but kept working for peace by running into a GUSD administrator and pushing counter military recruiting) and last night for Loud & Rich. We'll let him know you want to contact him if we see him there again. It's not a dog friendly corner so he might have found another group/place to hang out Friday nights.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Nov 14, 2009 14:01:07 GMT -8
Bill and his dogs came a few times to the Broadway & Brand vigil but not last week (11/6) - we missed 10/30 for Culture Clash (but kept working for peace by running into a GUSD administrator and pushing counter military recruiting) and last night for Loud & Rich. We'll let him know you want to contact him if we see him there again. It's not a dog friendly corner so he might have found another group/place to hang out Friday nights. Thanks for offering to get a message to Bill if you see him, Sharon. It's been more than two months since we last saw him and our only other option is stalking his neighborhood where we dropped him off once (but didn't write his address). Getting ready for the Ray Davies concert tonight, I browsed You Tube and found this TV broadcast posted two years ago of Ray performing "Shangri-La" for the first time ever, he says:
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Nov 15, 2009 2:48:56 GMT -8
Anni said that Ray Davies' show Saturday night at the Orpheum was the best concert she ever attended. I knew what she meant. So did the entire audience, apparently, who gave him a standing ovation after "Waterloo Sunset," long before the encore. It was the only moment he appeared awkward onstage. Ray has always been a natural performer, funny and self-deprecating, but this decade he has attained another state of grace, both proud of and humbled by his work. In my 33 years of screaming at his concerts, I've never seen him more relaxed. At one point, he asked if he was talking too much. His voice was strong through 29 songs and two sets -- he served as his own opening act with long-time accompanist Bill Shanley on guitar: - I Need You
- I'm Not Like Everybody Else
- Apeman
- In a Moment
- Dedicated Follower of Fashion
- Hymn for a New Age
- Autumn Almanac
- Sunny Afternoon
- Vietnam Cowboys (the band joins)
- After the Fall
- Till the End of the Day
- Where Have All the Good Times Gone
- Come Dancing
- Shangri-La (the choir joins)
- Victoria
- Working Man's Cafe
- See My Friends
- You Really Got Me
- Village Green
- Picture Book
- Big Sky
- Do You Remember Walter
- Johnny Thunder
- The Village Green Preservation Society
- Celluloid Heroes
- Waterloo Sunset
- Days (the choir leaves)
- All Day and All of the Night (first encore)
- Low Budget (second encore)
I'll probably blab more later, but for now: Were the six songs from "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" really a medley? Ray and the Vox Society Choir sang each completely and segued without applause breaks only twice. He pointed out that the album was one of the worst sellers of all time. I remember reading somewhere in 1979 that it had only sold 20,000 copies in the U.S. It came out Nov. 22, 1968, the same day as the Beatles' White Album and the Rolling Stones' "Beggar's Banquet" in England, and I'm here to tell you that it stands up now as the best of the three.
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