Festival review: Rockin’ and rollin’ on the river at the Beale Street Music Festival, May 5 and 6

Buddy Guy at Beale Street Music Festival. Photo by Joanna Kleine.

Thousands of music fans made their way to the “land of the delta blues” last weekend for the annual Beale Street Music Festival. This was my fifth time attending the long-running fest, part of the city’s month-long Memphis in May celebration in Tom Lee Park on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The violent storms and flooding of the past two years were replaced this year with sweltering heat and humidity, having fans wallowing in sweat instead of mud. The temperatures weren’t the only thing that was hot, however — the lineup was pretty amazing too. Unfortunately, we had to miss the opening night of the festival, which included heavy-hitters like guitar legend Johnny Winter, jam kings My Morning Jacket and indie diva Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine.

Arriving Saturday afternoon, we made it to the Bud Light Stage just in time to see our own hometown heroes Son Volt bring a little slice of the ‘Lou to Memphis. A decent crowd of Farrar loyalists gathered up close as the band took the stage — Jay looking a bit like Johnny Cash, clad all in black with thick sideburns. The band fought some loud feedback as they began, but it was quickly rectified as they eased into “Down to the Wire” from the band’s most recent album, “American Central Dust,” the twang of Mark Spencer’s pedal steel guitar cutting through the thick, humid air.

Son Volt played for just over an hour, turning out a comprehensive set spanning its catalog of material, including a suite of songs from the acclaimed debut album “Trace” to the delight of old school fans. A set highlight was the gorgeous “Highways and Cigarettes” from 2007′s “The Search,” featuring Spencer’s pedal steel married with Gary Hunt’s mandolin and Farrar’s haunting vocals. Farrar humored Uncle Tupelo fans by closing out with the classic “Chickamauga.”

In Memphis, music and BBQ go hand in hand, and the festival offers many options for local fare. We opted to singe our taste buds with some of Uncle Lou’s Famous Sweet and Spicy fried chicken, licking the fiery sauce from our fingers as blues legend Buddy Guy tore up the Orion Stage behind us. At 76 years old, Guy can still shred on the guitar and work the stage like the pro he is — even coming down into the crowd to play for a bit to the delight of fans. In addition to his own classics, he played inspired covers of “Fever” (appropriate considering the heat) and Cream’s “Strange Brew.”

Next we headed back to the Bud Light stage to check out ’80s Brit rockers the Cult. Lead singer Ian Astbury looked out of place in the sweltering Memphis sun in a thick black jacket and jeans, two fluffy foxtails dangling from his belt. His voice sounded relatively unchanged and guitarist Billy Duffy proved he is still worthy as well on classics like “Fire Woman,” “Wild Flower,” “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Love Removal Machine.” A few tunes from the band’s brand new album, “Choice of Weapon,” seemed to fall flat with the audience, however, including the dark “Lucifer.” Having grown up on the Cult, it was fun to hear some of these songs played live again, but overall, they seemed to be trying a bit too hard to at times to relive their glory days.

With the sun finally setting and the full “super moon” rising above the trees, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals took to the stage. I admit, I’d never seen Potter before, though many have told me how great she is live. She indeed lived up to the hype. Alternating on the guitar and keys, tossing her long, blonde hair around as she belted out songs like her hit “Paris (Ooh La La),” Potter and her band proved they can hold down a festival crowd of thousands in addition to the smaller venues they play more frequently.

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Posted by | May 9, 2012 | Concerts | 1 Comment 

Festival review: MerleFest turns 25 with Americana stars small, big and massive, April 26-29

Béla Fleck at MerleFest 2012. flickr.com/photos/cpthornton/7154846982

It’s easy to underestimate the impact that MerleFest has on Americana music, and for anyone who hasn’t attended, it’s perhaps equally easy to overlook.

Initially a tribute to the late Merle Watson, Doc Watson’s son and musical partner, the festival has evolved into one of the biggest of its kind, on par only with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, both of which draw between 70 and 80,000 people each year.

One of the many things that set MerleFest apart is that it is the first large-scale event of the season. Jerry Douglas has played at every festival since it began 25 years ago, and he noted from the stage this year that it’s like coming out of hibernation, a chance to see how so many musical friends have wintered. For everyone who arrives from anywhere north of Wilkesboro, N.C. — as I do each year — it’s the first time to wear shorts, sneeze at the pollen and get a good burn.

It’s also a community festival. Wilkesboro is as far from San Fran, and indeed any metropolis, as you can get. Four thousand volunteers work the grounds, take the tickets and run the shows, North Carolina’s answer to the Oberammergau.

Still, there is a kind of an industry trade show vibe, which is nice too, as it feels a bit like being in the center of something big — and, well, you are. The new names on the roster are often ones to take note of, if only because this is a venue that has brought so many artists to larger audience recognition. (This is the festival that gave first big breaks to Gillian Welch, Old Crow Medicine Show, Martha Scanlon, Tift Merritt, and indeed many others.) And the big names are also out in force, this year including Douglas, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Punch Brothers, Los Lobos, Dailey and Vincent, Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Béla Fleck, Claire Lynch, Marty Stuart and Tony Rice.

Ultimately, there’s a lot going on. And while everyone has their own tastes, and bring their own perspectives, here are some thoughts on the events of this year:

Run, don’t walk, to see Blind Boy Chocolate and the Milk Sheiks.

There is a growing interest in the music of the ’20s and ’30s, though this is a band that seems to have arrived via time machine from that era. Complete with banjos, fiddle, ukes, scrub board and a singing saw, the novelty actually comes in how fun and vibrant the music is. Recordings don’t do it justice, and in any case it’s a bit of a job to get a hold of the band’s two releases. They started out busking on the streets of Asheville, though for the last two years they have rocked MerleFest.

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Posted by | May 8, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones reunite at the Sheldon, Thursday, March 29

facebook.com/TheFlecktones

The lights dimmed to darkness in the Sheldon Concert Hall to signal the Flecktones making their way to the stage. A moment of quiet settled in.

A couple of whoops rang out, an audience member yelled, “God Bless Earl Scruggs!” and Béla Fleck was off in a flurry of rolling picking on the banjo. Soon Howard Levy followed and the rest of the Flecktones joined in, beginning their set in an exciting whirl.

The Flecktones are a six-time Grammy-winning band — and a many more time nominee. Their original music continues to evolve around the talent of ever-changing members. The current band is comprised of the original Flecktone members who have not toured together since 1992. Béla Fleck is a prodigious banjo player as well as the band leader. Victor Wooten is the renowned bassist whose ability to play expressive and technically challenging parts has made him a bass hero to musicians globally. Roy “Futureman” Wooten plays an instrument of his own design: the drumitar, which in essence comprises all of the group’s percussion. Howard Levy, who has returned to the group after an almost 20-year hiatus, is on piano and harmonica.

The Flecktones followed the opening number with a beautifully melodious song allowing for bit of release from the tensely engaging introduction, and then their odd-time signature song “Life in Eleven,” which is in different 11-count time signatures. Of course this might only be noted by frustrated musicians trying to count it since the song is aesthetically pleasing as well as the 2011 Grammy Award winner for Best Instrumental Composition. It is definitely one of my favorites.

Victor Wooten amazed the audience with a performance on bass and loop pedal. At this point in our culture looping is no longer a novel product; overdubbing dates back several decades. So what Wooten was performing was well understood by the audience, yet remained a fresh component of the performance overall. Wooten composed a medley of songs and his own improvisations; at one point we were surprised with the bass line to the theme music of the movie “Shaft.” Later in the performance he played each note in a melody, delayed by the time for the overdub loop to come full circle, adding a single note to the previous each time around. All during Wooten’s solo performance I felt in awe of how technically challenging yet musically satisfying the performance was. His ability to push the boundaries of the possible with his performance and keep it feeling musical was inspiring.

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Posted by | March 30, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Album review: Mike Compton steps out on ‘Rotten Taters’

“Rotten Taters”
Mike Compton
Self-released

“Rotten Taters” is, unbelievably, the first solo release from a mandolinist that, despite playing Carnegie Hall and the White House, simply should be more widely known than he is.

There are lots of reasons for making albums, and Mike Compton’s “Rotten Taters” is one that was made for the best reason of all: because some people simply wanted to hear it. Fans in Australia pooled the funds and got Compton into a studio to do precisely what he does best, which is to play the mandolin.

If we’re being entirely honest, Compton can seem like a bit of an anomaly these days, especially with all the attention that Chris Thile is bringing to the mandolin. Thile is an innovator, an experimenter, looking for new territory to conquer, and that is something audiences seem to prize not only of mandolin players, of course, but musicians generally.

Compton, on the other hand, is more of a preservationist, continuing the music that Bill Monroe innovated on the mandolin and which set the standard for two generations of bluegrass mandolin players. He pays homage to Monroe, though perhaps not always intentionally. As he has said in interviews, he just plays what he plays. And what he plays is a style that is based very much in rhythm playing, not lead. It can at times sound rough and unrefined, and for the uninitiated, this album could be somewhat confusing.

Many of the pieces here, especially the traditional ones, are repetitive in the way that old time music is (“Hallie’s Hornpipe” and “Torment of Billie” for example). Where jazz music would have a head which is then improvised over, here we simply have the head, or the main theme of the piece, repeated, with any improvisation being very subtle and limited. It’s not always beautiful in a Hallmark card kind of way. Some might unfairly use the word monotonous for some of the moments here, those aspects that could be somewhat alienating.

But for mandolin players and fans — the kind of listener that has some idea of what this is and where it is coming from — this recording is pure gold through and through.

Given that “Rotten Taters” is Compton’s first solo release, we’ve only ever heard him in ensemble settings through the screen of others’ creative ideas. Indeed, Compton has made a career playing on the recordings of others, and he once summed up his philosophy of studio work as “do what the man says, collect your money and go home.” Between that and his signature sound lies the reason he has gotten the work that he has. Never one to pull focus, he’s added flavor to many, many fantastic recordings over the years, some of the most notable ones being the last six studio albums of John Hartford, those of the Nashville Bluegrass Band and the soundtrack to the film “O Brother Where Art Thou,” as well as a collaboration with the guitar great David Grier.

Still, through those projects, Compton has rightly earned a reputation as one of the best. Here, for the first time, is pure, unadorned Compton. In some ways, it’s like hearing a great artist for the first time. Tracks like “How Do you Want Your Rollin’ Done” and “I’ll Tell you About the Women” seem, in a sense, like portraits of Compton himself, his effervescence and humor laid bare, things which are ever only glimpsed in his sets with the Nashville Bluegrass Band.

Of note, the cut “Forever has Come to an End” is stark and longing, excellently accompanied only by mandolin chords and cross-picking, bringing out the desperation of the lyric. (Compton has spoken glowingly of Tim O’Brien’s work, and “Forever” seems to make a nod in O’Brien’s direction.) “Jenny Lynn” is a tribute to Monroe, remaining very close to Monroe’s style, as is the original piece “Wood Butcher’s Walkabout” (which, incidentally, is like a master class in the slides that are a hallmark of Comptons’ playing).

Ultimately, if this recording isn’t for everyone, it’s also a reminder that no albums ever are, no matter how the critics laud them or how many people buy them. This collection, like Compton himself, is just what it is. It’s a brilliant collection intended for an audience of listeners that share its vocabulary, a fairly specific audience of people that, rightfully, will simply eat it up. It’s a great statement from a wonderful musician that, in the minds of many, has been eagerly awaited and undoubtedly overdue.

Posted by | March 17, 2012 | Album Reviews | 1 Comment 

Concert review: The Hackensaw Boys, Rum Drum Ramblers and Lydia Loveless pack a wallop at the Duck Room, Saturday, March 3

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Last night’s performances by Lydia Loveless, Rum Drum Ramblers and the Hackensaw Boys at the Duck Room were undoubtedly among the best I have seen in a while.

The venue itself is an ideal place to see musicians play; the up-close-and-personal atmosphere offers a memorable experience for audience members. The venue features exposed rafters, unfinished concrete floors, no windows and low lighting with an easily approachable stage. The layout feels as though everyone is hanging out in someone’s basement with the added bonus of live music.

The pre-show crowd began to filter down the stairs while, with eager anticipation, I took in the arrangement of the stage to admire the variety of banjos, guitars, upright basses and unexpected drum set, as bluegrass and old-time country music typically does not involve drums. Also providing foresight into the evening’s talent were the six microphones lined up across the front of the stage.

Lydia Loveless opened the show with a beautiful singing voice that filled the room. Her defiant, tell-it-like-it-is lyrics are accompanied by her acoustic rhythm guitar and some upright bass played by Ben Lamb. Lamb rocked the bass, alternating between picking the strings while thrashing his long hair around, or using the bow to glide across notes for a smoother sound.

Loveless opened with “Always Lose,” and held the audience’s attention with her commanding voice through the rest of her unfortunately short set, including “Jesus Was a Wino” and ending with “Crazy.” Lydia is young but has the perspective of someone much older; her punk-country sound has limitless potential.

The next act was local band Rum Drum Ramblers. Their presence ignited the crowd and quickly boosted the energy in the room. The three-piece band wowed the audience with performances on the harmonica, washboard, upright bass, guitar and percussion. Their refreshing Delta blues musical style brought a feel of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street directly to St. Louis. It is exciting to see young talent unafraid to create this style of music and pour immense amounts of enthusiasm and soul into each song. The final song, “I Got Mine,” featured a guest appearance by St. Louis’s Pokey LaFarge. This collaboration generated a booming crowd response and was fun to watch.

And finally, the headliners from Virginia, the Hackensaw Boys: This sextet featured the usual bluegrass instruments, all played exceptionally well with flawless timing. The band performed over 20 songs without taking a break, and the momentum never slowed, in fact, it only increased as the show went on.

Each of the six band members sang either lead or harmony, and the instrumental talent was evenly distributed as well. Except for the fiddle player: He played with such animation and intensity, it was impossible to steer your attention away from the passion in his performance. Also notable was the quick and seamless handling of a broken guitar string; the rest of the band interacted with audience in a fun and personable way while also playing random beats while the string was quickly repaired.

The entire show was organized, flowed well and the music was addicting and fun with a highly responsive crowd. I cannot name a poorly-played song, but a few highlights include “Keep It Simple,” “Flora,” “Alabama Shamrock” and “Smilin’ Must Mean Something.”

In the end, the Hackensaw Boys left the crowd wanting more and deserve to have their photo on the wall at Blueberry Hill.

Posted by | March 4, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Railroad Earth and the Pernikoff Brothers bring a summer festival vibe to the Pageant, Friday, January 27

Joanna Klein

Under the increasingly-crowded shade tree of a small hill, the 80-degree weather and cool breeze perfectly matched the sounds drifting from the side speakers. Such was the scene of my introduction to Railroad Earth four years ago.

But even in the chills of January, the inside of the Pageant last night felt nearly as perfect as that summer dreamscape. Railroad Earth is a band whose name is clearly justified by its sound. Forward moving and steady, the band uses traditional folk instruments to have a pleasant musical conversation.

Local act the Pernikoff Brothers were first to take the stage. Bringing funky acoustic sounds in the style of Dave Matthews Band, the trio invited attendees to leave their worries at the door for the sake of a good time. The group also hinted at traits reminiscent of another, more southern, set of rock ‘n’ roll brothers. Yes, that’s right: Kings of Leon echoes expanded just as the crowd did throughout the set. However, it would take more than passing pigeon problems to send these guys packing. Their three-part harmonies were perfect and the crowd was wowed as bassist Rick Pernikoff blew an outstanding harmonica solo as he steadied an intricate and funky bass line.

By the time Railroad Earth took the stage the crowd had doubled in size and the familiar smell of cigarettes and beer had been washed over by a patchouli tidal wave. All six members of the band were miked and calmly took their positions as they waved to the crowd. Beginning with a smooth bass line and spacey mandolin tones the band eased into the night with a deep breath that would later be released in a shout.

Everything began to work together. The sights, sounds and smells meandering throughout the building removed the weights of the week and freed shoulders to sway along. From the view at the back of the bar, the crowd in the packed pit looked like coconuts floating on gentle ocean waves. These waves kept in motion with the music as the band transitioned from song to song and offered up both older favorites and more recent tunes throughout their two-part set.

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Posted by | January 28, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

’35 songs and a van’ An interview with multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling of Railroad Earth

railroadearth.com

Railroad Earth is perhaps best known for its vast array of influences which include bluegrass, jazz, classic rock and traditional Irish, just for starters.

From its auspicious appearance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2001, Railroad Earth has grown to become an institution in America’s jam band festival scene.

Ever since, the six-piece, mostly acoustic outfit has wooed audiences with their playful, aesthetically diverse and often literary-tinged tunes (the band’s name was mined from Jack Kerouac’s story, “October in the Railroad Earth”).

I recently interviewed Railroad Earth’s multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling by phone about how the band developed its propensity for jamming and the current state of the festival scene. As we talked, we also touched on how Railroad Earth folds influence into its music, how the group first began playing together and the all-consuming power of the Internet.

Will Kyle: Can you talk about how Railroad Earth began?

Andy Goessling: Well, everybody was playing in different bands in the New Jersey/New York area and we reached this point where everyone’s band was taking a break. During that time, I decided to host a bunch of picking parties at my house, thinking: “Why don’t we play music for fun?” Everyone had been involved in these serious recording projects and was looking for a change. About five picking parties later, Railroad Earth became the people that were left still playing. I guess we inadvertently started a band by trying not to start a band.

Soon after came the now famous, Telluride-landing demo?

We realized there were four of us and we had a bunch of songs, so we decided to go actively find a bass player and a drummer. We were in the middle of working up the songs, when the guy that eventually became our manager asked for a demo. So we recorded five songs, gave them to him and he sent them to Telluride to try out for their bluegrass festival. Our manager called back two weeks later and told us we had landed the gig. That never happens. At first we were like, “Let’s give this guy a tape so he’ll go away.” Then we got the gig in Telluride and realized we had to go write 35 more songs and buy a van.

Did Railroad Earth employ jamming much before Telluride? If not, how did such a thing stylistically come into the band’s sound?

We had to actively put jamming into the music. I mean, any band is going to have to learn how to jam, because you are learning how to have a conversation with five other people, regardless of whether each person independently knows the ins and outs of jamming. All the other projects we’d been in before had been intense songwriting projects, projects where we just didn’t do four-minute solos. The New York scene we were playing back then was all about arranged songs, but when we hit the Colorado and California scene we went, “Wow these people are open to this and other bands are doing it,” so we added it.

So, is your East Coast audience now more open to jamming than when you first started?

Looking at it 10 years ago, (pre-Facebook, pre-Napster) you basically had to go to California in order to play for people in California. Bands were still giving out CDs at shows. Now, you do a show in Portland, Maine and people in California are emailing you the next day and posting videos of the show on Facebook. Listeners know everything that’s going on all the time. It’s a more unified audience now, so there really isn’t that geographical difference anymore.

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Posted by | January 26, 2012 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

Top 10 banjo moments of 2011

flickr.com/photos/katarokkar/4713225363 / Shawn Robbins

Derided in countless jokes, often by the very people that play it, the banjo just might be poised to show us why it really is the greatest instrument ever. Or, at the very least, to make a good case as to why it isn’t the worst.

1. Jens Kruger releases the “Appalachian Concerto,” an homage to the banjo and its place in the history of Appalachia. And it’s a concerto. With, like, strings and everything.

2. Noam Pikelny releases “Bluegrass Diva” a video that is not only funny, but includes some of the most notable players of the instrument ever, including Béla and Earl. And, for once, it’s the singing that makes the piece funny, not the presence of a banjo.

3. Béla Fleck premieres his “Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra.” Hmm, that makes two banjo concertos this year.

4. Steve Martin releases a banjo album with a title intended to poke a bit of fun at birdwatchers. (How’s that for the pot calling the kettle black?) The strength of “Rare Bird Alert” helps make Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers the IBMA performers of the year.

5. Eight-year-old Jimmy Mizzone records a version of “Flint Hill Special” with his two brothers in his bedroom that, when posted to YouTube garners a gazillion hits.

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Posted by | December 26, 2011 | Music | Comment 

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