Crooks 10-22-11

by Kimberly Caterino for Live Music Capital Radio at LMCradio.org

Gosh do I love it when I catch a band from the beginning.  Of their career, I mean.  Well maybe the quartet Crooks is not brand-spanking new, but they only have one EP out – Lonesome, Rowdy, and Restless – and it’s a damn good one.  It’s just enough of a sampler to clue you in on what you’ll see live.

Crooks are considered Texas Outlaw Country.  The historically official (if I can call it that) Outlaw Country movement was a response to the growing recording industry, its formulas and standards- which Nashville came to represent-  in the 60’s and 70’s.  The Outlaw movement grew an organic home here in Texas, and frankly it never left.

 Crooks take some of country’s defining traditions – the rhythm of western swing, howling and high lonesome harmonies, forthright and jangly acoustic guitar, the thump of a stand-up bass, lyrics of drinking and traveling—and they blend these, thanks to multi-instrumentalist Sam Alberts, with splashes of mariachi trumpet, bluegrass banjo and mandolin, the mojo and roar of country rock electric guitar – all while befriended by Josh Mazour ‘s salt-of-the-earth vocals.  I dare say this: I have never heard anyone sound as much like Willie, in tonality and articulation.  Really, truly.  (And Josh doesn’t seem to be trying—it’s just naturally in his voice!)  Rob Bacak on drums and Andrew Vanvoorhees on stand-up keep an excellent rhythm section, which naturally had some folks swinging and two-stepping, and a few guests on stage added more instruments (more trumpet, percussive shakers) and vocals to fill out their sound even further.

We heard cuts from the EP, such as “Barstool” and “Downtown” – plus many others new to me – they have a new album coming out in early 2012.  They played a brand spanking and very upbeat new song, only rehearsed once, which was a climactic hit of their set.  Ironically Josh said “wish us luck” at the start of it.   .. this band doesn’t need luck!   We are lucky – to have them right here, driving the Outlaw flag more firmly into Austin soil.  

 Hear Crooks during The Happy Hour, 6:30 - 7:30pm CST daily on LMCradio.org.

ACL Music Festival 2011 - Part 2

by Kimberly Caterino for Live Music Capital Radio

Saturday morning started with an upbeat set by Aloe Blacc and the Grand Scheme on the fatty Bud Light stage (i.e. the stage Stevie would later adorn).  Their music is a blend of pop, R & B, funk, and jazz..  with strong fluid saxophone.. delivered to a fresh, clean, and awake crowd.  Aloe stood out stylishly with his sky blue button-down shirt, grey vest, sunglasses, and grey fedora, and he danced and bounced around the stage like it was Saturday morning-- because it practically was—and after teasing the crowd earlier with the opening to the hit “I Need A Dollar” (which Aloe stopped, saying it wasn’t time yet)..  they did finally bust it out, with crowd in tow.  They also did an interesting mix of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” and Hall & Oates’ “Maneater”, yes, together.  “Regardless of culture or color”, Aloe said, “it’s all soul music.”

True to the musical attention deficit disorder capable of being cultivated at ACL, I next followed my inner twang over to investigate the up-and-coming Jon Pardi.  For him and his band, I planted it for awhile, happy to take in some country, even if it’s from Nashville (just kidding) (not really).  Jon and his band have the rock-country machismo in the somewhat same vein as Reckless Kelly, with a little more honky tonk.  Their dobro player really stood out, and folks were two-stepping it throughout the crowd in pairs.  A couple of the songs we heard were “Empty Beer Cans” and “Does Anybody Want to Go Drinking with Me?”  Are you catching the theme?

After a lunch break I ventured into Iron & Wine territory – an artist/band (Samuel Beam) I’ve grown to appreciate.  Now a nearby-Austin resident, he plays here on a regular basis, but this was my first time seeing him live.  He and his fleshed out band (including horns, flute, and keys) delivered Sam’s ethereal and pulsing songs well, opening with a newer song “Rabbit Will Run”.  The ambience of Iron and Wine’s music doesn’t pair well with the sport of standing in a youngish and antsy crowd in the sometimes-sun at 4pm (the hottest time of the day)-- and the chatty crowd ruined it for me, so I moved on rather soon, but Sam Beam proved he can deliver in person what I hear in his recordings.  It did start to rain though, after I left. and with band, Iron & Wine ventured into musical folk-jazzy exploration.  Take that you twenty-somthings!

I cruised past Seattle’s The Moondoggies, briefly absorbing their blend of rock, Americana, and harmonies – with something a little dark about it all.  It involved guitar fuzz that I wasn’t ready for, and to be fair to them, I already had my circuits flipping switches in preparation for Stevie Wonder.  Stevie Wonder.  I wish I had kept tally of musicians who mentioned him – I know Jon Pardi did – musicians and fans alike were united in anticipation of this legend. 

I tried to see folk songstress Gillian Welch’s set, but her performance was delayed for one reason or another, setting me off directly into the direction of Stevie’s stage, albeit hours early.  I was determined beyond determined to hear and see well for Stevie’s performance.  This meant hanging at the fringes of rapper/songwriter Cee Lo’s set – a man whose band was comprised entirely of women in shiny spandex.  Mixed feelings on this.  Cee Lo was half of the duo Gnarls Barkley, known for the hit “Crazy”, which Cee Lo did deliver in a remixed style.  He did in fact have much of the crowd, whom he addressed as “sexy mother fuckers”, wrapped around his fingers.  His FCC-unfriendly solo hit “Fuck You” (also known as “Forget You”) was also a crowd pleaser, and also my invitation to make a bee line for the front of the sound board, as soon as it was over.  I was victorious.

The wonderful thing about some of the huge headliners at ACL is they usually draw fans from multiple generations.  Someone who is 62 dances next to someone 26 and both know every lyric and note by heart.  Precious.  It is.

I had zero expectations of Stevie Wonder.  I never imagined seeing him live, let along in the park of the city where I live.

The band started without him on the stage, setting an upbeat and rhythmic groove-- creating a kinetic frenzy in the crowd – because you could hear Stevie, but you couldn’t see him—from somewhere offstage came a signature and synthesized keyboard riff.  This isn’t a great visual video, but this Youtube captures the frenzy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWEZENLpuEA

It was the beginning – or at least Stevie’s version of--  “How Sweet It Is”, a Marvin Gaye cover.  Stevie slowly made his way from behind the curtain, left side of the stage, towards the middle, arriving at the mic, without missing a note and without his hands ever leaving the keytar .  Thanks to the screens flanking the stage, I could see he looked exactly as I remember him – with beaded braids, sunglasses, and brightly patterned shirt.  “You know I love you right?” he said soon after beginning the song – meaning us, the crowd.  For crying out loud, we loved him too.

 

Stevie sounded as good as he ever did, both vocally and on the keys.  He moved like Stevie, sang like Stevie, smiled like Stevie, and talked politics like Stevie – giving props to Obama, reminding us the importance of children, the need to make things right in this world-- with love.  Of course he did this between songs..  including oldies that I seriously could not believe I was hearing.. like “Master Blaster”, “I Wish”, “Living for the City”, and “Higher Ground” (during which he divided the crowd into three groups: alto, tenor, and soprano- giving us each a part to sing in rounds).  He threw in a few covers, like Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” (with some strong props to MJ) and Nat King Cole’s “When I Fall in Love”, and delivered his hits “My Cherie Amour”, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours”, and yes: “Superstition”.  

For dancing room, which I take very seriously in the presence of a funk master, I left the front of the Sound Board area and moved my way back, with full memory of seeing the band Muse last year, my hair standing up from the volume, even halfway down the field.  This is my only complaint: something was wrong with the sound- Stevie wasn’t loud enough.  It didn’t discourage me from dancing so hard to “I Wish” that I pulled a neck muscle.  Best injury ever.  

Bouncing down 5^th Street days later, I ran into a coworker on the street, also giddy.  “I’m still in a good mood from seeing Stevie Wonder!” was all we could muster for conversation.  There was no need for more.  Experiencing the legend of Stevie Wonder performing live, now age 61, is as uplifting as it gets.

..  so it’s hard to follow that up, but I still dove in on Sunday afternoon, with a sore and stiff neck, ready to take in the last of this annual Austin ACL-fest world.  I have to admit, for someone who had artist passes in previous years and was now a regular civilian in the park, the concert grounds were operated smoothly enough to not harbor serious complaints.  Yes it was damn crowded- but not oversold like last year.  And I think ACL Fest has gotten the hang of how many food booths and plastic potties to bring in.  There was free filtered water for those who brought a container, and volunteers picking up trash constantly.  At the food court, there were nonstop volunteers advising how to separate our true trash from compostables and recyclables – and almost everything (plates, forks, etc.) was compostable.   

Because of a work commitment, I couldn’t make it into the thick of things until Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses performed at, yes, the sunniest stage at the hottest time of day.  I toughed it out, and it was well worth it.  I first started spinning the Texas-bred, former rodeo rider Ryan Bingham in 2007 when his debut album Mescalito was released.  Ryan and the band played so many of these ‘older songs’- perfectly – but not exclusively..  we heard “Dollar A Day”, “The Other Side”, “Sunrise”, “Sunshine”..  and what was then a targeted single, “Southside of Heaven”- which Ryan busted out the harmonica for.  From his latest release Junky Star we heard “Depression” and “Hallelujah”..  If we heard the Grammy-winning “The Weary Kind”, I don’t remember – it is a great song – but I wasn’t missing it in the late afternoon of a dusty field.  Ryan Bingham has the lyrical wisdom and weathered vocal grittiness of someone twice his age.  The Dead Horses were tight, complete with fiddle and keys, and Ryan seemed more talkative and outgoing as a performer than he did 3 years ago, when he hid beneath a cowboy hat.  As a closer, they played what I hoped they would – the triumphant, traveling, and reckless “Bread and Water”.  Yee haw!  This one was a rodeo winner.

Manu Chao was spot on as he was three years ago at 2008’s ACL Music Festival.  The internationally touring and internationally bred bandleader (raised in France, of Hispanic descent) was as infectious as ever, leading the band, and the crowd, through waves of reggae, ska,  punk and splashes of other genres..  while slipping in and out of French, English, and Spanish.  He and the band can shift their timing instantly, often into double time, that inspires a jumping, hand-pumping audience.  This does and will go on for as long as Manu plays – which he only had an hour this time, but he packed every minute, stopping to address the audience frequently.  Some cuts we heard were “Clandestino”, “Politik Kills”, and “Eldorado 1977”..    Pounding the microphone on his chest, on top of his heart and mimicking a heartbeat, is an effective way to triply get everyone’s attention, but this time the big screens also showed us he drew blood through the pounding- which he either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and kept on with “La Primavera”.  First Charles Bradley, then Stevie Wonder, and now Manu Chao stirred us into a pious frenzy.  With Manu on guitar and a full band plus trumpet, every one of his sixty minutes were buzzing- whether a momentary reggae bounce or a lightning-speed punk thrash.

Social Distortion began playing just seconds before Manu Chao finished.  In the middle of my workweek, I had to keep my visit brief (and had to skip out on Arcade Fire- boo).  For a band that first started in 1978, Social Distortion sounded like I remember them:  raucous, loud, and emblazoned with the uniquely growling vocals of original band member and frontman Mike Ness.   Mike gave a shout out to the Texas hospitality he received here, and proceeded to dis the manners of his home state California.  Social Distortion may have aged and rotated some members, but with no less leather or spit.  

Once again the ACL Music Festival introduced me to artists I may never otherwise know, and shockingly brought me to the comfort: musically, yes, you can go home again. 

ACL Music Festival 2011 - Part 1

By Kimberly Caterino for Live Music Capital Radio (LMCradio.org)

Part 1 of 2

This is a drive-by ACL Festival post, because LMC Radio is moving into its studio space— and the move is not over yet.  Writing has had to take a back seat, but ACL was sincerely substantial, and deserves props.  What freaks me out after every SXSW and ACL—no two people go to the same concert, yet we were all there.

Traditionally, Austin’s Asleep at the Wheel kicks off the ACL Festival from what was the AMD stage this year—this was year 10 for the festival, and year 10 for Asleep at the Wheel.  (And by the way, they’ve been around 40 years.. what?!  Yes!!)  Bringing Bob Wills’ school of Western Swing alive regularly doesn’t get old for them, or the crowd—because Asleep does it so well.  Ray Benson’s and Elizabeth McQueen’s vocals, Jason Roberts’ fiddle and Eddie Rivers’ steel guitar.. the whole band is tight and were anything but asleep this pleasantly lightly-cloudy Friday afternoon.  Asleep’s dedication to preserving this genre for decades stirs up nothing but smiles (and the occasional aaaaa-haaaa) in the crowd every year.  Asleep is squeaky clean at it, and only make you more excited to discover what other perfection you might witness the rest of the festival. 

Laura and Lydia Rogers make up The Secret Sisters, a new country duo from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  Their biggest influences are the Everly Brothers, Doc Watson, their grandfather, and The Church of Jesus Christ.  Most songs they delivered were either a capella or softly acoustic, and their harmonies are heavenly.  The Secret Sisters are a sweet testament to decades long gone past, to Southern culture, family picnics, and life in the country.  We heard songs from The Louvin Brothers and Willie, songs like the country tune “Four Walls” and the gospel “In the Sweet By and By”.  The sisters were real chatty between songs, explaining their background with the songs (many of which were originals too), and simply brought us to a place of stillness and bliss.  

Bobby Long is a guitar-slinging English singer-songwriter-- and a darned immersed performer-- the kind that doesn’t try to perform..  but just gets wrapped up in passionate delivery.  Floppy-aired and donning sunglasses, he actively poured out songs from the soul, whether they were about the depths of a relationship or a soldier’s mind.  With crisp picking, slightly raspy vocals, and sometimes-aggressive rhythmic strumming, he switched it up between electric and acoustic, and wrapped us all around his bleeding heart.

From this point I got antsy and non-committal, ready to play the field.  No pun intended.  I caught the first few songs of folky, slightly bluesy sing-songwriter Ray Lamontagne—who adorned the stage with a brown velvet vest, white buttoned shirt, and full band (the Pariah Dogs) including bass, drums, guitar, keys, and pedal steel guitar—not to mention The Secret Sisters as well!  I’ve always been lured by Ray’s songs—unfortunately overplayed by mass media, they are but authentic enough to make me not change the channel many times.  There’s a weathered, desperate quality to his voice, and sometimes his lyrics, that are only his own.  I always wondered if I was a victim of simply great sound production, and that there was no real talent beneath.  Well, in person he was exquisite.  One of his newer songs “Beg, Steal, or Borrow” has a way of lassoing my heart to the earth, and he played this one early on.  He also ventured into Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried”, and the hit “Repo Man”—a little mojo to stir things up. 

As much as I appreciated Ray, it was peak sun hours at 4pm and time to run and hide a bit—I traversed the field, passing Beardyman, the electronic-looping beat-boxer who had the crowd kicking.  I almost stayed, but was too curious to see Big Boi, who had his own party going on—throw your hands in the air..

Besides Stevie Wonder, the other artist I was all about this year was Charles Bradley.  Practicing his moves and pursuing soul singing since he was a teenager, he spent most of his life working in the restaurant industry and elusively pursuing happiness, and part time nightclub gigs, from coast to coast.  Charles Bradley did not get a break until recent years, and now, in his 60’s, is making music for a living.  True to the style of James Brown, Charles’ band played a long instrumental introduction before Charles took the stage, and when he finally did, he had arms open wide, a sequined vest, purple cumberbun, and what could have been tears in his eyes.  (I was planted front and center.)  Charles’ R & B and soulful songs are about loving, despair, hard times, and questioning—he even added the surprise cover “Heart of Gold” (Neil Yong).  His band, the Menahan Street Band, included a small but full-sounding brass section (sax & trumpet) and guitarist who takes after the likes of Trey Anastasio in sound and style.   They backed up Charles perfectly- leisurely, tight, and right on time.  And when appropriate—all got funky, and Charles unleashed some of his moves.  No he’s not James Brown, nor is he trying to be— he’s older and lived a different life than James.  Charles’ style bears a lot of resemblance though- as a teenager, Charles saw James perform at the Apollo in NYC, which had a lasting effect on him.  If you want to experience real soul music from the source, Charles Bradley should be on your list.  He’s the real deal.

 

I made my way out of that crowd and scurried over to the BMI stage, arriving just in time for the end of a set by Austin’s Gary Clark Jr.  This may have been the most crowded I have ever seen this stage—Gary played us a nice fat rendition of his current hit song “Bright Lights”.  That man went to work on a complex and verbose solo in the middle, and left us all a little shredded in a good way.  Gary Clark Jr. gets compared to a mix of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix sometimes, and now I see why.

Shuffling quickly back over to the BMI tent, I caught a few gospel number by the legendary Mavis Staples.  The lady is a class act and still going strong—belting it out-- at age 72.  Nevermind the ACL tent—we were in church.  61 years of making music publicly.  Holy sh*t.  Saving myself for Stevie and 2 more days of ACL, I called it quits for the day.

Part 2 in next post..