Mavericks Concert, 5/16/2014

The long-awaited Mavericks concert was last Friday night at the Keswick Theater in Glenside. Darling Wife and I were excited - we enjoyed them so much at the Folk Fest.

Showtime was listed as 8pm, and there was no mention of an opening act, so we hustled to make it there by 8:00. Sure enough, the Mavericks came on around 8:15.

I was wondering what the band line-up would be. They were a 9-piece band at the Fest, but the publicity photos for this tour show five people. I was wondering if this would be a stripped down - but no, nine people came out - the same lineup as last summer. I guess the other four aren't officially "Mavericks."

They were everything we remembered. It's hard to describe exactly what they do. There's a rockabilly feel...and a bit of a Latin feel...and there's such an infectious beat that you simply have to get up and move.

They announced before the show that dancing wasn't allowed in the center aisle - but it was allowed in the side aisles. Well, after a few songs, there was no containing Darling Wife - she got up and went down the right-side aisle (we were seated about half-way back toward the right.) I lost track of her, as I was enjoying the show.

Two and a half hours later, after about six encores, they finally said goodnight for the last time and the house lights came back on. I waited for Darling Wife...then waited some more...then finally saw her. It turns out that she got pretty much right in front of the stage, and pronounced it the best time ever. I'm pretty sure that if Raul Malo had beckoned, she would have jumped on the tour bus, and I'd now be getting postcards from the road. But sadly, it wasn't to be.

The Mavericks are seriously the funnest band out there. Not to be missed.

Nickel Creek Concert (Part 2)

(Continued from here)

I'm finally getting around to writing a review of the concert. First of all, a few people, when I mentioned that I was going to the show, asked what kind of music they play - and I struggled for a response. I wanted to say "bluegrass" - but that's not entirely accurate. They play bluegrass instruments, and they do play a few traditional bluegrass songs. "Modern acoustic"? "Americana"?

Their Wiki page describes them as "American progressive acoustic music trio", which is probably the best you can do in summary - but still not an answer that rolls off the tongue in conversation.

The tour is advertised as the 25-year anniversary of the formation of the band - which is boggling, since they're all in their 30's now.

I'll start with this note. I follow a few people on Twitter, and Steve Martin is one. He's funny (obviously), and is also a respected bluegrass banjo player who tours with the Steep Canyon Rangers (who, as an aside, are on the bill for Folk Fest '14). Anyway, I saw this Steve Martin post on my Twitter feed last night:

Flabbergasting concert with Nickel Creek tonight. Musicianship reigns supreme.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

The band is three people: Chris Thile on mandolin, Sara Watkins on fiddle, and (brother) Sean Watkins on guitar. They all sing - and they were accompanied by upright bass player Mark Shatz.

So yes, flabbergasting. They're all incredible musicians, and they're as tight as can be. It was pure pleasure to watch and listen to. Chris Thile is regarded as not only the best mandolin player, but one of the very best musicians, and I can't add any accolades beyond saying it was jaw-dropping to watch. But what I really enjoyed were, 1) how much fun he seemed to be having, and, 2) how *easy* he made it look.

Of course, it's a band, not a Chris Thile solo show, and each of the four musicians commanded attention. The fiddle and guitar work were top-notch, and the vocal harmonies were very impressive. Mark Shatz on the upright bass fit in very nicely, and he was prominent without being overpowering.

They played for two hours, and had us clapping our hands, stomping our feet, and yelling for more. If you have the chance to see them, they're not to be missed.

Musical Week in Review, 5/16

As usual, there's more going on than time to write about it. I know I still have my Nickel Creek concert review to write (spoiler - it was *awesome*!) Here are a few random notes:

* Here's something I blogged last year after the Folk Fest:

The Mavericks: I had never heard of these guys, but they blew the place away. Totally fantastic. They were a 9-piece band, including horns and accordion. They had a swing that almost sounded Latin at times - and the program said the bandleader is a Cuban-American guy based out of Miami. His voice had almost a Roy Orbison sound. Almost everyone we talked to later said some variation of "Holy smokes, did you see the Mavericks?!?" I would absolutely see them again if they came locally.

Well, they're in town tonight, and Darling Wife and I will be there. We've been looking very forward to this. If you're not dancing, swaying, clapping your hands, or tapping your feet when the Mavericks are playing, you're most likely dead.

* Speaking of the Folk Fest, I saw on a friend's FB that it's 90 days to Folk Fest '14. Darling Wife and I have our "all festival camping" tickets. The initial line-up is here. I won't say I'm super-excited about anyone specific (though Tommy Emmanuel will be a highlight), but in my limited experience, part of what makes the Folk Fest really cool is that you discover fantastic people you never would have heard of otherwise. I was really hoping Nickel Creek would be on the bill, but they're not (at least not in this initial line-up.)

* Rosewood has a gig tomorrow night at the West End Alley in Pottstown. We've played here a number of times over the past year, and it's always been a very fun evening. We've been working on some new songs, and a couple will be in the set. More details in my gig write-up afterwards.

Nickel Creek Concert (Part 1)

I've become a big fan of all things Chris Thile, including the bluegrass/progressive acoustic band where he got his start, Nickel Creek. I saw the announcement last year that the band was getting back together after a 7-year hiatus, and that there would be an album and a tour.

When a tour date was announced for the Tower Theater, I was poised and ready. I fired up my web browser - and was able to get one ticket. No available pairs. It was a good location - basically front and center, so I grabbed it. I asked Darling Wife if she still wanted to go (seated separately) if I could get another single. She did, and I was able to get a second single seat.

Fast forward to the day of the show. We had the first ticket I ordered...but not the second. We searched and searched...and couldn't find it. I went to my e-mail to look for a confirmation...and I didn't have one. I have no idea what happened - I have a clear memory of ordering the second ticket, but there's no record of it. I guess there must have been a final confirmation ("click here to complete your order"), and I didn't click it. I'm still mystified....

I looked online to see if tickets were still available...and a few were. It looked like the venue had reserved some seats and had released them at the last minute. There was most of a row available in row CC (right-center, 8 rows from the stage.) I grabbed it (taking care to actually complete the transaction), and we were good to go.

The Secret Sisters

We got there a little before the 8pm showtime. There was an opening act, The Secret Sisters, and I wanted to see them. We found our separate seats - Darling Wife with the first ticket, a fantastic seat, left-center, about 15 rows back, on the aisle. She told me to take the better seat, as I was the one who really wanted to see this band.

The Secret Sisters went on a little after 8:00, and we *loved* them. The band was two sisters from Alabama who sing roots/country songs. One sister played acoustic guitar on some songs, and they were backed by an electric guitar player and a drummer. The vocal harmonies sounded great, and I know I've heard some of their songs on WXPN. They were very well-received by the crowd.

I did some Googling of them afterwards, and they're not unknowns by any means. They've gotten attention and help from some big names (most notably, Jack White and T-Bone Burnett).

During the intermission, I told Daring Wife to come sit with me. There was an empty seat to my right, and two to my left. If someone arrived late with those tickets, she could go back to her seat - but if they didn't, then we could sit together.

Shortly after 9:00, no one had arrived to claim those seats, and the house lights went down and Nickel Creek came onstage.

(To be continued)

Musical Month in Review

I'm so far behind in blogging that I'll never catch up - and I won't even try. But there are a number of things going on, each of which could easily be a post of its own.

* I had another bakery gig with Rosewood on Apr. 18, and I really think it was our best yet. It was our first time playing out with our new sound system, and it sounded noticeably better - both to us, and to some listeners who've heard us before. Every table in the place was reserved (not that it's a huge place, but still...), and we got some very flattering feedback. Oh, and I played mandolin on one song. Exciting and scary at the same time. We're still working how to properly fit it into the mix.

* I've sold one bass amp and bought its replacement. Here's today's favorite.

* I'm still fairly mandolin-obsessed. I'm having fun with the Mike Marshall lessons - and I'm now fairly proficient at sending him a video of my playing. His feedback is always helpful, and I can feel that I'm improving.

* We're going to see Chris Thile with Nickel Creek tonight at the Tower Theater, and I'm excited. Chris is a mandolin prodigy/virtuoso. He has a number of collaboration projects and solo efforts all going on seemingly at the same time, and he's currently touring with his original bluegrass band (that he started when he was eight years old.) I very much wanted to see his classical show last fall at the Academy of Music (he was touring behind a solo CD of Bach partitas), but I couldn't. I heard from friends afterwards that it was awe-inspiring. Stay timed for a review of tonight's show.

* Still on Chris Thile, there are 5-6 videos on YouTube of a recent visit he made to a vintage instrument dealer in Nashville. Fascinating.

* I wasn't able to make the monthly bluegrass jam last night at Chaplin's. Darling Wife was just getting back from her home and native land. Maybe next month.