Concert Season

This summer, I've had the pleasure of seeing more concerts than I have collectively in years. Most of these musicians I had never seen live before, and some of them, I had never heard at all before seeing them perform. Since this is my blog for all things music related, just for fun, here are the bands and musicians that I have seen so far this summer, along with a few thoughts on each of them:

 

BreAnne Stone - She is an independent musician out of Hastings, Nebraska. I saw half of her solo set locally, when my friend texted me and suggested that I come check it out. She has an incredibly strong voice as both a singer and a songwriter, and I was very impressed by what I heard -- such that a few weeks later, I drove to a small town in Kansas about an hour away to be able see her play another set. This time I caught the whole thing, and it was totally worth the drive.  

 

Taj Mahal and Keb Mo - I had heard each of them before, but I was only vaguely familiar with their music. I saw them play a set together and it was a good time. I'm not really into the blues all that much, but I enjoyed their concert. They both seemed like classy guys who love what they do.  

 

Trampled by Turtles - I saw them play at the Outlaw Music Festival outside of Detroit, Michigan. I had heard of them, but I was wholly unfamiliar with their music until seeing their set. For some reason, I expected them to be a jam band, but they were more along the lines of Americana and bluegrass. I was impressed with how tight they were as a six-piece band, especially considering how fast they played and that they didn't have a drummer. They looked like a bunch of fellow college professors. It was a cool set. 

 

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - For me, they were the highlight of the Outlaw Festival. They definitely brought a different kind of energy that you could really feel in the crowd, especially when they played SOB. In the week leading up to the concert, my brother had played me a few songs by them, including that one, and I liked what I heard. If you're not familiar with them, I highly recommend checking out their music. To my ears, they have kind of an old-school rockabilly/soul vibe.  

 

Bob Dylan - I'll preface by saying that I respect Bob Dylan as a songwriter to a certain degree, and I appreciate his contributions to American folk music. That said, while I do like a handful of his songs (all of which he wrote in the 1960s), I tend to think that he has been coasting on his reputation ever since. I have no desire to see the recent movie that I suspect only mythologizes him further. For what it is worth, I happen to think that he is extremely overrated as a lyricist, and as a musician and a performer, I absolutely do not get the appeal. I had seen him play live one other time, about twenty years ago, and back then, I thought that maybe he was just having a bad night. However, this recent performance was every bit as terrible. My overall impression is that he does not seem to enjoy what he does, and he acts as though he resents his fans. Personally, I think that his songs invariably sound better when other people play them. 

 

Willie Nelson - Don't worry. After my brief diatribe on Bob, I'm not going to shit on Willie. Even at 92 years old, he is still cool. Unlike Dylan, he gave it his all as the festival headliner and seemed humbled by the adoration that he received. Willie Nelson truly is a living legend, an American icon. Incidentally, I have never smelled so much marijuana in a public place as I did during his set. This festival was my sixteen year old son's first "real" concert, and it may or may not have been his first contact buzz. I didn't ask. After the show, he did say that seeing Willie Nelson perform was the highlight of the evening for him. I, too, am thankful that I got to see him play. I hope I can still sing and play guitar when I'm that age.

 

Gary Clark Jr. - I had heard his music before, but this was the first time that I had ever seen him perform. He is a great guitarist and seemed like a genuinely decent human being. His concert had a cool vibe, and the opening act, whose name I forget, were also quite good. They were a younger band, clearly influenced by the guy that they were opening for.

 

The Avett Brothers - This was my favorite concert that I saw this summer. I have been a fan of them for years but had never seen them perform live until this. They played a solid two and half hour set with no opener and obviously loved sharing their music with the audience. I later learned that the Avett sister played keyboards during the show. The crowd was singing along with them for most of their set, which made it feel like more of a communal experience. 

 

The Chameleons - If you aren't familiar with them either, they are a band that has been playing since the 1980s but which I had never heard of until this show, where they opened for the Psychedelic Furs. Even though none of the songs were familiar to me, I thoroughly enjoyed their set. Their songs had good hooks, and frankly, I was kind of surprised that I had never heard them before. 

 

The Psychedelic Furs - I saw Richard Butler's other band, Love Spit Love, many years ago with Sponge and Live. As for the Psychedelic Furs, they played a couple of songs that I had heard before, but nothing that I knew all that well. They put on a good show, and even if they are getting up there in years, they still have a lot of energy and stage presence. Most of the crowd seemed to be far more familiar with their work than I was.

 

Now that I'm back home in rural Colorado, it's quite a bit harder to catch live shows, especially of "big name" performers, as we're not between any two commonly traveled places here. That said, I'm thankful for the musicians who do live in or venture to this part of the country, just as I am grateful for the opportunities that I had to see these shows back in Michigan. Special thanks to my mom and my brother for helping to make that happen.   

 

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Summer Songs

Here are a few tracks from my back catalog with a summer vibe:

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent art.

 

 

Death Drive and the Pleasure Principle

 I wrote this song about six years ago. The truth behind it has only grown truer.

 

 

Like. Share. Play loudly. 

 

*Here it is on YouTube and Spotify. Available on other streaming platforms as well. 

 

For the Love of Music

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a social media post where a local nonprofit organization that helps young families was looking for musicians to volunteer for an event. I responded, thinking it to be some kind of fundraiser. 

 

I soon learned that the event was to be part of an ongoing summer program for kids. Cool, I thought. I can support that. This was pretty far removed from my experiences as a musician, but I agreed to participate, as it seems like a good organization that helps the local community, and I love to share my love for music. They also happen to be about four blocks from where I live. I am nothing if not a good sport.

As a general rule, if someone asks me to play music, unless I have some prior commitment, I will usually say yes. Granted, I may ask to be compensated accordingly and have reasonable time to prepare, but as my own representative in such matters, I determine stuff like that on a case-by-case basis. This was well within the realm of sure, why not?

 

Per the request of the event's organizer, I brought a binder full of singalong tunes with me, as well as a music stand to hold it. I also had some lecture notes in there, the idea being that this could also be an educational opportunity. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

 

Upon arriving and unloading my gear to the parking lot, I soon discovered that it was way too windy for any of that. The music stand kept falling over and the binder wouldn't stay open to any particular page for more than a few seconds. So I shifted to plan B, at least until the wind died down. It never did. 

 

In retrospect, it's probably just as well. Even when my own kids were growing up in a house full of music, I didn't subject them to a lot of traditional children's songs. It's just not what I do. In the case of this event, I was willing to make an exception, but it seems that the fates and/or the weather had other ideas. I was fine with that.

 

Plan B entailed using a headset mic and trying to think of anything in my catalog of original music that sounds good on acoustic guitar, was more or less thematically appropriate for the audience, and doesn't contain any swear words. I also tried to incorporate as many teachable moments as I could under the circumstances.

 

I think I played thirteen or fourteen songs in total, including some pretty deep cuts. I may have messed up a lyric or two, but I can say with some certainty that I am the only one who noticed. Rank that among the joys of independent musicianship.

 

The good people who gathered there in the parking lot with me, amidst the evening sun and the relentless wind, all stuck around to the end. I think most of the parents and grandparents, etc. appreciated the rare opportunity to hear some live music. The kids seemed to dig it, too, unless high fives have lost their value altogether in this economy.

 

It was fun. I like to think that everybody got something out of it, even if it wasn't exactly what any of us may have expected. Funny how that works.

Music is meant to be shared. Sometimes my favorite places to do so are those in which a person might be surprised to hear it, like porches, parks, back yards, and parking lots. 

 

Thanks to those who listen, and to all the other musicians out there who share the love.