Gandalf Murphy in Brattleboro, VT, Groundhog's Day 2008

(click photo for slideshow)

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams
"The Church", Brattleboro VT

Joziah Longo - Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Tink Lloyd - Accordian, cello, vocals, theramin
Sharkey McEwen - Lead guitar, mandolin, vocals
Tony Zuzulo - Percussion
Chen Longo - bass
Special guest: Derrik Jordan on electric violin

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams ("the Circus" for short) is a band which lives up to its name. Take some mystery and some mysticism, add a generous dose of whimsy and a dash of psychedelia, mix in a good amount of showmanship and a lot of fun and the result is magic. The Circus are one of our favorite bands, we see them whenever we can.

This concert was particularly fun for us, since my wife and I know the couple that produced it and we went up early to help with the show. Basically we acted as coolies - helping set up and take down the hall, carrying the band's equipment, helping set up the merchandise table, selling refreshments and helping at the door., etc. It was an interesting glimpse into all the work that has to happen in the background to put on a folk concert.

The concert was in The Church, an old Unitarian Church on Main St. in Brattleboro VT, which has been converted into an arts center. The building has the superb acoustics found in such places. Impressive amounts of stained glass, ancient wallpaper and painted figures on the ceiling added interest. It must have been spectacular when it was new.

The concert opened with Walt (half of the production team, so our host for the evening) presenting a scholarly lecture on the history of Ground Hog Day, because Tink insisted. It was interesting, and amusing.

"Local hero" Derrik Jordan joined the band for a few songs. He played an electric violin, which is an odd-looking thing that sounds wonderful. The addition of violin to Already Broken was especially fine.

They played two sets, of 45 minutes to 1 hour each.

Set 1:

• Pushing Up Daisies - this is a new song which they've been playing for a few months, it will be on their new album, due out March 1.
• Desire
• Circus of Dreams
• Flapjacks From the Sky
• Light a Way
• Scarecrow / Syd
• Tuning Music - The Incredible String Band's Big Ted - , played while Derrik Jordan was setting up his violin and tuning.
• High on the Hilltop (by Merle Haggard), with Derrik Jordan on fiddle
• Already Broken, with Derrik Jordan on fiddle
• Hey Good Lookin' (by Hank Williams), with Derrik Jordan on fiddle

Set 2:

• Fumes - Joziah started to play the song solo while the others were setting up, then one by one the rest of the band joined in.
• Tink (I Know It's You) - as usual Sharkey played slide mandolin on this one.
• It's a Dream - requested by Mary, the other half of the production team and so our other host for the evening; possibly the first song Joziah ever wrote for Tink when they first met.
• China Doll (by David Bowie) / The Yodel Song - this was amusing. Tink had told a story about meeting David Bowie. Then Joziah gave his standard introduction to The Yodel Song, but instead started playing China Doll, as a joke. The rest of the band joined in, and then one by one they each segued into The Yodel Song. Very impressive musicianship since it was apparently unrehearsed.
• Sullivan Lane
• In Her Own World
• Talkin' to the Buddha, with the Slambovian Superstring Theory introduction
• Alice in Space

Encore:

• Moondog House

Richard Thompson's 1000 Years of Popular Music 2/1/2008

Richard Thompson's 1000 Years of Popular Music
Berklee Performance Center
Boston MA

Richard Thompson - Guitar, Vocals
Judith Owen - Vocals, Keyboards
Debra Dobkin - Percussion, Keyboards



Richard Thompson is an eclectic musician. Most of the time he tours either as a solo act or with a band performing his own original music. However, around the turn of the century Playboy asked a bunch of musicians to name their choices for "best songs for the Millennium". Unlike most of the respondents Richard treated the request literally and produced a list of songs from between 1000AD and 2000AD. Playboy declined to accept his list but he was so amused by the concept that he took a show on the road based on the idea. He released a CD based on the show in 2003, and a DVD based on a slightly different show in 2005. This tour he's again changed about 1/3 of the songs.

One of the amusing aspects of a Richard Thompson show is his interactions with the audience. He has a very typically "British" wry sense of humor and it shows in his commentary, particularly in his responses when member of the audience clap or cheer at inappropriate moments. This show was no exception, in many cases members of the audience seemed to be deliberately trying to invoke some of those comments. However, a bonus at this show was the presence of Judith Owens. She appears to have a similar sense of humor (she is Harry Shearer's wife) but she tended to express it more physically - using subtle gestures and changes in posture to express sarcastic commentary on Richard's song descriptions.

The show started off with the three of them marching down the aisle to the beat of a drum, on reaching the stage they sang a song from around the turn of the previous millennium while Richard played the hurdy-gurdy. After that Richard and Judith traded off lead vocals on songs. while Richard played guitar (in typical Richard Thompson masterful style) for most songs. Debra played various percussion instruments throughout the show and sang backup vocals occasionally.

The show was two sets, of about 1 hour each. The first set of the show consisted of songs from 1000AD - 1890's; the second set of songs from the 20th century, and one from the 21st.

Set 1:

• Ed y be o Heaven, Queene - Opening song, sung with the hurdy-gurdy
• The Three Ravens
• So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo
• The False Knight on the Road
• Pipe Shepherds Pipe - a madrigal--1608, all three singing
• When I Am Laid in Earth - from Queen Dido by Purcell, Debra on keyboards as Judith sang
• Remember, O Thou Man
• Shenandoah
• Blackleg Miner
• I Live in Trafalgar Square - a British Music Hall song.
• Down by the Sally Gardens - Judith on vocals and keyboards
• A Man Who Would Woo A Fair Maid - Gilbert and Sullivan from The Yomen of the Guard.

Set 2:

• Java Jive - The Ink Spots
• Night and Day - Cole Porter, Judith on vocals.
• Drinking Wine Spo-De-O-Dee - Jerry Lee Lewis
• All Right (I'll Sign the Papers) - a Ray Price honky-tonk song.
• See My Friends - The Kinks
• Money, Money, Money - Abba
• Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime - The Korgis
• Maneater - Nelly Furtardo

Encore:

• A few verses of a song by Richard the Lionheart. When someone from the audience called out to "sing the whole thing!", Richard replied "You don't want to hear it - believe me."
• Cry Me a River - Judith on vocals
• It Won't Be Long - Beatles

Chris Smither at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse

Chris Smither
The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse
Franklin MA
Opener: Joe Crookston

Chris Smither is usually billed as a "Blues musician". In reality he's one of those musicians who has his own style - if you hear a Chris Smither track on the radio you can usually recognize that it's him within a few notes. His music and his guitar playing show a heritage of the blues but his rhythm, his phrasing, and his constantly moving feet add up to something unique.

Chris played two sets, mostly his own tunes interspersed with his usual wryly humorous introductions. He wore a thumb brace for most of the show, taking it off only for the last couple songs, but if he was in any discomfort you couldn't tell it from his playing.

Set 1

• Link of Chain
• Origin of Species
• Lola, He introduced this one as "a song about the sort of girl my mother warned me about", and advised the audience "that name has a deleterious effect on women. Don't name your daughters Lola, not if you want to keep them off the pole". He also noted that he'd named the voice on his GPS unit "Lola" - "It's a shallow relationship".
• Crocodile Man. This is a Dave Carter song, which Chris has reworked into a "Chris Smither" song - only the lyrics are the same.
• Never Needed You More
• A bittersweet version of Father's Day. Chris used to introduce this song by noting that he had decided to write a song about his father while he was still alive, because he'd looked in the mirror and realized that if he waited any longer he'd be "writing another song about myself". Chris's father, he said, died a few months ago and, while this has never been particularly uptempo song, this was the most melancholy rendition I've heard him do.
• Train Home
• Gotta Better One
• Diplomacy
• Confirmation

Set 2

• Help Me Now
• Drive You Home Again
• Open Up
• No Love Today
• Visions of Johanna (Dylan)
• Love You Like a Man
• Just Can't Shake These Blues
• Caveman
• Hold On
• Killin' the Blues (Rolly Sally)
• Seems So Real
• Leave the Light On

Encore

• Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell)

The opening act was Joe Crookston, a young singer-songwriter who spent some time in Seattle, but is now living in Ithaca NY, We'd heard Joe before at the "Emerging Artist Showcase" at the 2007 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. We'd liked him then, as did others - he was chosen by the audience as one of the "Most Wanted" showcase performers to return to the 2008 festival, but you can't really get a feel for an artist from only two songs.
Based on this longer set Joe is someone to keep an eye on, he'd be well worth seeing as a headliner. Joe has a new CD coming out in a few weeks, we pre-ordered a copy.
Set List:

• Fall Down as the Rain
• The Logical Song (SuperTramp), He introduced this as his three-year-old daughter's favorite song. You might not expect that a song by a 70's prog-rock group would go over at a folk concert, but Joe's version works very well - this is also one of the songs that won him the "Most Wanted" gig at Falcon Ridge.
• Freddie the Falcon (from his new CD), a song inspired by some time working with troubled youths in prison in Seattle.
• Hands, Metal and Wood (from his new CD), a song inspired by working in the building trades with his father - according to Joe, his grandfather invented the roofing hammer.

The Dennis Brennan Band at The Iron Horse Music Hall

The Dennis Brennan Band
Iron Horse Music Hall
Northampton, MA

Dennis Brennan - vocals, guitar
Duke Levine - guitar
Kevin Barry - lap steel, guitar
Billy Beard - drums
Andrew Mazzone - bass, vocals

Opener: Jeffrey Foucalt




It may be stretching the definition to call a Dennis Brennan Band show a "Folk Music Concert"; they are closer to the Rock end of things, though a very rootsy, bluesy Rock. On the other hand we like their music, and I didn't notice any horses on the stage. Also, the opener, Jeffrey Foucault, definitely falls into the folk singer-songwriter genre.

We've seen the Dennis Brennan Band once before, at Cafe Fantastique in Worchester, and have been hoping for a chance to see them again. So, when they booked a short notice show at the Iron Horse we jumped at the chance, even though it was a 90 minute drive. It's not that the band doesn't play in the area much; in fact they play at least once a week near Boston. The problem is that their usual show is at the Lizard Lounge bar, in Cambridge, on a weekday night, at 10pm, and we just aren't up to that.

The unusual thing about the Dennis Brennan Band is that it's a case where audience comes as much for the sidemen, Duke Levine and Kevin Barry in particular, as for the frontman. Dennis is a fine singer and songwriter, but Duke and Kevin are among leading session players in the Boston area, and both have toured with major performers. The high points of the shows are when one or the other takes an extended guitar solo. This show was no exception, you could tell from the audience reaction when the band members were introduced that a large part of the audience were "Duke groupies".

The band only played a single set of about 1 hour and 20 minutes, since the club had booked another act as a late show that same night.

Set list. Except as noted the songs were originals, mostly written by Dennis:

• Here She Comes
• After the Ball
• Theresa
• Blue Sky, Red Song
• Government Johnny Mckee, co-written by Dennis and Duke
  
• When You Were Loving Him
• Everybody's Running Away
• Personal Assistant
• Barbara Allen's Dream, this included a blistering guitar solo by Kevin
  
• Bobby Moore's Bridge, Dennis noted that this song was off their 1995 Rounder album, but that they had only begun performing it again recently. Apparently the bridge to the song is based on "a famous song" and they had had to pay royalties to "a billionaire song writer".
  
• Youngstown
• Feels Like Going Home (Charlie Rich)
• Sugar Falls
• Encore: Fools Paradise (Charles Brown), during this Dennis walked ofstage while both Kevin and Duke took extended solos.

The opening act was Jeffrey Foucault. It was a pleasant surprise when we found out that Jeffrey was going to be opening. We've seen him previously opening for Chris Smither and solo at some festivals. He's a strong singer and guitarist whose songs fall on the bluesy, alt-country end of the spectrum, with a hint of Neil Young. Jeffrey would be worth seeing as a headliner. He performed:

• Mesa Arizona
• Stripping Cane
• Ghost Repeater
• Americans in Corduroys
• Wild Waste and Welter
• Train to Jackson

Garnet Rogers at Club Passim

Garnet Rogers, Club Passim, Cambridge MA
Opener: Marla Hanson

(click on photo for a slideshow)

On the day after a major snowstorm, Garnet played two sets to a good sized crowd at Passim. As usual his performance included a good mix of his own tunes plus a few covers, all played with his inimitable touch, on a variety of instruments. Also as usual his introductions included a number of rambling, and often hilarious, anecdotes.

First Set

• Bruce Cockburn's All The Diamonds, preceded by a short instrumental version of We Three Kings (12 string electric mando-guitar)
  
• Can I Get a Witness (1940's Gibson)
  
• His introduction to the next song included a description of his visit to the Framingham Shopper's World in the previous days snowstorm, which culminated in his walking through the parking lot brushing snow off other driver's windshields. "Some of them tried to tip me, I realized that maybe I should start dressing up a little bit", he said, and then segued into a story about seeing Robert Plant playing outside a guitar store in upstate NY.
  
• Oh, How Happy
  
• Beyond This Wall
  
• Soul Kiss (National Guitar)
  
• Junior
• Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (50's Stratocaster). This was a treat, since it had been a few years since I'd heard him do this song. He followed this with a few Leonard Cohen anecdotes.
• Empty Glass

2nd Set

• A short instrumental version of Noel, followed by Here Tonight
• A Good World After All (lyrics by Henry Lawson)
• His introduction to the next song included a story about finding a signed first edition of Steinbeck's Cannery Row during a midwest tour, and leaving it at the counter. "But that wasn't the stupidest purchase I've ever made", he said and played:
  
• Small Victory
• Dave Alvin's The Man in the Bed (slide on the National)
  
• All That Is
• Bogies Bonnie Belle. It had also been quite awhile since I'd heard him do this one.
• Night Drive, followed by Northwest Passage (Played as usual on the Strat)
• His encore was Cindy Lauper's True Colors (played on the Yamaha Silent Guitar)
  

The opener was Marla Hanson, a young singer songwriter from Brooklyn. She used an unusual instrumental style of playing piccicato on a viola - the sound was something like a fingerpicked single course mandola.