#lobo: futz

[krispyweiss]

The Sound (Bites) of Live Music - 2017 in Review

It was another fabulous year in live music.

Concerts big and small; acts Sound Bites has seen scads of times and acts that broke his Sound cherry; festivals and “an evening with;” old timers and newcomers. These concerts were the sound of live music in 2017 and Sound Bites has the best of them below.

Shows are ranked in the approximate oder of quality with the number of times seen in parentheses. The concerts took place in Columbus, Ohio, unless otherwise noted and are ranked by grade. Any shows that merited a B+ or lower are excluded.

A+

Rhiannon Giddens/Steep Canyon Rangers (6)/Pokey LaFarge/Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Music Hall, Cincinnati, Nov. 12: The third of three concerts/recording sessions took place on a Sunday afternoon as Giddens, the Rangers and LaFarge focused on post-World War I American compositions. A sublime mixture of classical music and Americana’s best contemporary artists and the show of the year. It’ll be released sometime in 2018 as the second in an ongoing series.

Punch Brothers (3)/I’m With Her/Julian Lage, Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Aug. 12 Playing alone, together and in various combinations on the American Acoustic tour, the co-headliners slayed the audience with originals and covers of everyone from Adele to Randy Newman.

Tommy Emmanuel and David Grisman, Speaker Jo Anne Davidson Theater, Nov. 10: Emmanuel played an opening solo-acoustic set before appearing with Grisman for songs from their duet LP, Pickin’, and other selections. Pure, jaw-dropping virtuosity.

Roger Waters (2), Nationwide Arena, July 20: A left-wing, multi-media assault on the senses that found Waters revisiting politically minded tracks spanning from Pink Floyd’s Meddle to his own Is This the Life We Really Want?

Steve Martin (2)/Martin Short/Steep Canyon Rangers (5), PNC Pavilion, Cincinnati, Sept. 16: Mostly a comedy show - and one so hilarious Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites walked out with sore throats and tummies from laughing so hard - this concert also featured the Rangers playing bluegrass alone and with their patron, Martin. And when Short danced across the stage in drag and with humongous fake boobies during “Pretty Little One,” the two art forms merged in perfection.

A

Willie Nelson (11)/Van Morrison (3)/Avett Brothers, et al. Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pa., Oct. 10: At the Hershey stop of Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, Nelson was in top form with an expanded, guest-filled band; Morrison played a spellbinding concert that was the best of the three the Sound Biteses saw this year; and the Avetts proved all the fuss is legit.

Brian Wilson, Palace Theatre, April 21: Backed by an enormous band that included former Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chapman, Wilson revisited Pet Sounds and surrounded it with big hits (“I Get Around”) and deep cuts (“California Saga”). Sublime doesn’t touch it.

Van Morrison (2), Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Fla, Jan. 18: After seeing Morrison for the first time the night before and thinking nothing could be better, the man came back and proved Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites wrong, playing a different set and wailing away on saxophone, guitar and harp.

Van Morrison, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Fla., Jan 17: The only thing better than seeing Morrison for the first time is seeing him subsequently.

Los Lobos (13), Music Box Supper Club, Cleveland, March 31: The band played Kiko in its entirety and stretched it to two hours, keeping the essence of their high-watermark album while futzing with the arrangements enough to keep things interesting for those of us who have the LP tattooed on our brains from repeated listenings over the past 25 years.

David Crosby & Friends, Kent Stage, Kent, Ohio, Nov. 5: Sound Bites endured a solo, three-plus-hour drive through thunderstorms and a tornado warning and arrived at the Kent Stage stressed out, soaking wet and with just minutes to spare. The bad vibes melted away about 40 seconds after Crosby and his stellar band took the stage with “In My Dreams” and the ride home was just fine after an amazing performance from rock’s premier male singer.

Tedeschi Trucks Band (8)/Wood Brothers (3)/Hot Tuna (7), Rose Music Center, Huber Heights, Ohio, July 22: All three bands were in top form on this stop on the Wheels of Soul tour, even if the Woods and Hot Tuna didn’t get enough stage time. All was forgiven when each band joined in during Tedeschi Trucks’ typically searing headlining set, which featured high-test originals and covers and made Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites wish they had attended the previous evening in Cincinnati.

Chicago (12), Rose Music Center, Huber Heights, Ohio, May 20: Playing a set short on schlock and long on tracks from the Terry Kath era, Chicago played the best of the dozen concerts Sound Bites has seen of the band since 1982. Chicago was a rock band at first and it is a rock band now.

Robert Cray Band (8), Midland Theatre, Newark, Ohio, Sept. 29: Cray doesn’t mess around - he plays his songs in a workmanlike manner, plays them well and still sounds almost exactly like the guy who first came on to the scene nearly four decades ago. Ageless. And timeless.

Wood Brothers (4) Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, Ohio, Nov. 9: Debuting tracks from their forthcoming album and playing old favorites, the Woods played the best of the four concerts Sound Bites has been lucky enough to see from the band. Though their named after brothers Oliver and Chris, multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix is the trio’s secret weapon.

Martin Barre (2), Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza, May 3: Playing acoustic and electric sets, Barre and his spectacular, three-piece band nailed Jethro Tull songs from across the band’s catalog, mixing them in with periodic selections from Barre’s solo career.

Rosanne Cash (2), Kuss Auditorium, Springfield, Ohio, Feb. 11: Performing in an acoustic-duo setting with husband John Levanthal, Cash showed herself a better singer live than in studio and Leventhal’s arrangements made her songs sparkle in the sparse, in-concert setting.

Dweezil Zappa (6), Express Live!, Jan. 22: Fomerly known as Zappa Plays Zappa, Dweezil and his crack band somehow managed to pull off Daddy’s songs in a way that was both appropriately reverent and appropriately irreverent. Don’t think of Dweezil and company as a tribute group. Think of them as a rock ‘n’ roll symphony interpreting one of the 20th century’s most-important composers.

Los Lobos (14), Music Box Supper Club, Cleveland, April 1: With Kiko in the rear view, a looser Lobos took the stage the following evening with a retrospective set of originals and covers that found the band members switching instruments, taking requests and inviting up a local ringer on stage to shred with the wolf pack. On any given night, Los Lobos are capable to going places only a few bands can go - this was one of them.

Leo Kottke (4), Thirty One West, Newark, Ohio, Oct. 24: All by his lonesome but sounding like a quartet, Kottke showed once again why, like Tigger, he’s the only one.

Old Crow Medicine Show (2), Express Live!, May 31: Playing Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde from front to back, the Crows put a new twist on an old standby, adding a bunch and taking away nothing. There was a nice tribute to the recently departed Gregg Allman via “Midnight Rider” in the encore, which also featured (natch) the Dylan co-write “Wagon Wheel.”

Bruce Hornsby (10), Midland Theatre, Newark, Ohio, Sept. 22: If there’s anyone more versatile than Hornsby, Sound Bites is yet to meet him. This solo-piano workout took the concept of recital to a whole ‘nother level.

Southern Culture on the Skids (2), Skully’s Music Diner, May 9: “Too Much Pork for Just one Fork.” “House of Bamboo.” The only thing that outshines SCOT’s sense of humor is SCOT’s musicianship. Flying fried chicken and fans dancing onstage only add to the shenanigans when they come to town.

Bob Weir & the Campfire Band, Proctor & Gamble Hall, Cincinnati, Jan. 12: Backed by members of the National in an acoustic-centric set that was heavy on songs from Blue Mountain, Weir put on the best performance Sound Bites has seen out of him in a decade or more and proved he should do more shows that move away from his Grateful Dead legacy. When “Oh Boy” popped out of “Dark Star,” all was right with the universe.

Del McCoury Band (2), Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, Ohio, March 4: There’s bluegrass. And then there’s the Del McCoury Band.

The HillBenders, Fur Peace Ranch, Pomeroy, Ohio, Aug. 5: The Who’s Tommy is even creepier when performed in a bluegrass setting. The HillBenders opened for themselves with a set of originals before diving into the tale of the deaf, dumb and blind kid. If this tour comes to your town, go.

Tedeschi Trucks Band (7), Palace Theatre, Jan. 23: This was the weakest TTB show Sound Bites has ever seen. It was astounding.

Lake Street Dive, Newport Music Hall, Aug. 10: Rachael Price is mesmerizing - impossible to take your eyes and ears off. The rest of the band is just as potent and Lake Street Dive is probably the only band in the world that could make Sound Bites shake his tail feather to George Michael’s “Faith.” Their version of Wings’ “Let Me Roll It” - like the rest of their performance - also did not suck.

A-

Ray Wiley Hubbard (2), Woodlands Tavern, June 23: Hubbard likes to call his music “an acquired taste.” It takes about three seconds to realize this guy should be at the top of everyone’s must-see list.

Elizabeth Cook (2), Rumba Cafe, Oct. 23: At turns funny and heartbreaking, Cook possesses a gorgeous voice and an irresistible, smart-ass stage presence. She’s like Todd Snider in drag and her solo-acoustic show is anything but a drag.

Todd Snider (9), Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, Ohio, Feb. 4: At turns funny and heartbreaking, Snider possesses a laconic voice and an irresistible, smart-ass stage presence. He’s like Elizabeth Cook in jeans and his solo-acoustic show is a terrific mix of music and comedy.

Jerry Douglas Band, Thirty One West, Newark, Ohio, Aug. 15: Eschewing bluegrass for jazz, the Dobro player extraordinaire brought a huge band to Newark and nullified any disappointment by delivering a barnburner of a concert that made you wonder why he didn’t do this sooner.

Los Lobos (15), Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, Ohio, Aug. 20: With bassist Conrad Lazano and guitarist Cesar Rosas MIA, the Wolves nevertheless delivered with a set heavy on rarities and covers. The pit was packed with dancers for most of the second set, proving a short-handed Los Lobos is still among the country’s best live acts.

Yonder Mountain String Band (2), A&R Music Bar, July 6: Adding more heat to an already sweaty and packed bar, YMSB proved there is life after Jeff Austin.

Holly Bowling (2), Woodlands Tavern, Feb. 10: The classical pianist who specializes in Phish and Grateful Dead covers delivered two sets of Phish and Grateful Dead covers arranged for classical piano and knocked off plenty of socks in the process.

Steel Wheels (2), King Center for the Arts, Dec. 9: When a bluegrass band features a drum solo early in the concert, you know you’re in for something different. The Steel Wheels are something different. And they’re something else as well.

12/20/17

[futzyou]

@last-czarnian

All right, so this pocket-dimension futz? It needed to be solved. Kate hadn’t escaped from aliens just to be stuck on some other planet! (Some other dimension, god this was weird.) She needed info, but with the curfew in place, she wouldn’t risk a full recon with the team. This would be a totally solo act, but that was fine! She was Kate Fuzting Bishop, Hawkeye extraordinaire, she had this in the bag! 

Ducking and dodging around Doom’s police squad was easy enough. They weren’t nearly as ruthless as the Strike Force, and in a way, really seemed to be there just to keep the peace. Unfortunately, Kate didn’t have time for peace tonight. She made her way to the edge of the city, just to get a glimpse at what lay beyond. 

As soon as she crossed the border, she felt it. The warm, summer-y air that had drifted through the city streets was gone. It was cold, the wind howling, the landscape littered with jagged rocks and smoke. In the distance, she thought she saw fire, explosions, and she definitely heard more demons screaming to the sky. 

“Futz,” she breathed, taking it all in. It was a lot, a part of her hadn’t really believed where they were until she saw it herself. Maybe that’s why she was really here. It was overwhelming, but Kate had dealt with overwhelming before -- that’s why, when she heard the crunch of a footstep behind her, she didn’t let it take her by surprise. Whipping around, drawing an arrow and notching it in one fluid motion, she turned to face the intruder. “Who the futz are you?” she snapped, aiming right between his eyes, though she didn’t let loose just yet.