Townes Birthday Party Recap

When KDHX started what will likely become a series of benefit tribute concerts, the station began with Gram Parsons, a country rock hero whose songwriting and devil-may-care attitude resonate still with a wide audience. In truth, the idea belonged largely to Scott Swartz, guitarist and pedal steel maestro for Saint Louis country band the Linemen. That night last year, featuring a dozen Saint Louis bands and songwriters, was a wild success.

This year, the subject was Townes Van Zandt, an artist with a more narrow but no less passionate a cult following. If the phrase “songwriter’s songwriter” has any meaning, it should be applied first and foremost to Townes, who somehow tapped into the the heart of American songwriting–that would be the blues–while individualizing those archetypes with a kind of Byronic poetry and simple but elegant melodies. Still, as the leader of the Texan school of country folk, his music isn’t for everyone, and I wasn’t alone in wondering how this benefit would turn out.


Photos by Sara Finke

As it happened, the 12 bands who performed the songs of Townes Van Zandt at Off Broadway last Saturday, were heard by at least 250 people, most of whom threatened to drain the bar of its resources, some of whom danced, and all of whom knew how to curb their enthusiasm when a performer, like Cassie Morgan say, would venture the most delicate of arrangements.

The night began with Chris Johnson, one of our city’s best songwriters and most interesting blues guitarists, playing “Marie,” then “Snake Song” and finally “The Highway Kind.” It was a minor key deep blues introduction to Towne’s world. The Dive Poets‘ kept to the dark side, beginning with one of Townes’s very first non-talking blues “Waitin’ Round to Die,” then rocking “Dollar Bill Blues,” with some sharp fiddle, and finally a lovely “Tecumseh Valley.” Ben Bedford followed with five songs, including the all-but-impossible-to-pull-off “Silver Ships of Andilar” and a gorgeous “Snowin’ On Raton” with fiance and partner Kari Abate. The Poorhouse Says, who should have a full length album out later this year, gave one of Towne’s darkest and strangest songs, “Nothin’,” a storming treatment and then a lovely “Snow Don’t Fall.”

Other highlights included Cassie Morgan and the Pines whispering “For the Sake of the Song,” Corey Saathoff combining pedal steel and mandolin on “Looking For You,” the Funky Butt Brass Band tearing the club apart with a ballsy and bluesy march through “Ain’t Leavin’ Your Love,” Auset picking up the electric guitar and sounding almost roadhouse tough, the Brothers Lazaroff getting dancers spinning on “White Freight Liner,” Theodore ringing all the joy from “Heavenly Houseboat Blues,” and Rough Shop putting an electric spin on “Rex’s Blues.” And even if May Day Orchestra threw tuning to the wind (the next benefit should be to get Off Broadway’s old piano up to snuff), they, like all the local bands this memorable evening, still seemed to be having the time of their lives testing themselves against these extraordinary songs.


Townes Van Zandt Tribute – 3/7/09

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Posted by | March 16, 2009 | Concerts, KDHX | Comment 

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