Vetiver 10/6/16 Cafe 9

Vetiver is the brainchild of Andy Cabic, a cohort of Devendra Banhart and the folk revivalists. Cabic on acoustic guitar and vocals, lead guitar/pedal steel, and drums were the trio. Clever folk melodies that had some open spaces for jamming. Cabic's got a soothing voice, kind of a slurry, not so smartass Loudon Wainwright. Lead guitar was excellent, he was able to switch from pedal steel to stratocaster with ease, with one solo sounding downright Tom Verlainey. Drummer used brushes and mallets that pushed some songs into jazz territory. I recently picked up a re-issue of folk casualty Karen Dalton, with liner notes that thank Vetiver. Cabic and company sound familiar and new, folk and jazzy. They said their mini tour of the northeast enabled them to pick apples and do some hiking, genuinely nice guys.

Woods 9/30/16 Spaceland Ballroom

Woods is billed as a freak-folk outfit. Two guitars, bass, drums, and keys/sax player comprised Woods. A second drummer/percussionist was on stage, though I think he was part of the opening band that just refused to exit stage right. The show started with some pedestrian pop gems that eased the crowd into the kicked-in-the-balls falsetto of the guitar singer frontman. An odd dub reggae workout gave insight into Woods' omnivorous musical sensibility. Next up was a lengthy dervish jam that oozed middle eastern sounds. At this point in the show, the disarming high voice, that didn't fit the bearded, spectacled, trucker hat wearing singer, seemed comfortable. Woods can definitely jam, their trippy lyrics often revolved around dark and light. The keys/ sax player looked like a mashup of Kenny G and Ted Nugent ( minus the right wing bloviating).

Blitzentrapper w/ Kasey and Clayton 9/28/16 Spaceland Ballroom

Kasey and Clayton are a couple of fresh faced folkies that seemed psyched to be touring with the likes of BT. Kasey on vocals and acoustic, and Clayton on guitar and vocals, with drums and bass. Good, original songwriting had a rocking Carter family vibe
BT evening was billed as an "evening of stories". Hailing from Portland OR, this is the third time I've seen BT. Lead vocals and guitarist reminds me of Jason Scwarzman with deadpan comic addition to the mix. Keyboards (Korg) helmed by a spectacled red haired wild man who reminded me of the sax player on the muppets. Drums/vocals, lead guitar, and bass rounded out the quintet. Many BT songs are stories like the classic Furr, Black River Killer, and Below the Hurricane. The onstage comfort of these guys makes for a completely relatable concert experience. Inter-song banter about a festival with Neil Young, Pearl Jam, And Blind Melon was a jump off point for the lengthy barrage of covers that evolved. Songs from Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Unknown Legend from Neil's Harvest Moon, Gillian Welch's Miss Ohio were great. Lengthy, rockin version of Dylan's Lonesome Hobo was the highlight. Closed the show with a 3-part harmony take on Phil Collin's In The Air Tonight.

Patti Smith 9/19/16 Sprague Hall Yale

Keynote speaker for the literary Windham-Campbell prize, Patti Smith is a breath of fresh air in the land of pomp and circumstance known as Yale University. A true Renaissance woman, Smith has given to music: the seminal records Horses, Easter, and Dancing Barefoot; literature: critically acclaimed Just Kids ( concerning her early years with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe), M-train, and Woolgathering; and photography, her show of black and whites at the Wadsworth Atheneum was fantastic. Smith's talk was centered on "why I write", which morphed into "how I write". She read a passage from an unfinished work titled "Devotion", then described real life situations that evolved into the fabric of this fictional work. Patti Smith is a monumental artist who comes across so humble and real.

Mystic Braves w/ Dream Ride 9/17/16 Cafe 9

Happily caught the whole opening set from Dream Ride. Two keyboard/guitarists, an unusually tall drummer, and an eye-catching singer frontman were part of the Mystic Braves posse. Dreamy, Dream Ride had an infectious, trippy, vibe. The singer had an awesome Yosemite Sam hat, sparkly medallions and jewelry, and a70s pimp suit that looked like it came off the rack of Huggy Bear (from Rockford Files fame). His stage swagger looked like he was paying attention in the Jagger 101 class. The drummer, who was spindly and 6'7" had this huge mop of hair that was a cross between dreads and a fro. I laughed when the singer referred to him as Palm Tree, which is exactly what he looked like. Some good pop psychedelic originals and covered Crimson and Clover and Fleetwood Mac's Dreams.
California's Mystic Braves continued the surf,garage,jangle pop of Dream Ride. Bass, two guitars, and drummer sounded like The Seeds or Psychotic Reaction. Original tunes sounded like they were right out of the excellent Nuggets compilations curated by Lenny Kaye. Songs meandered, having some pop beginning and end with trippy, distorto sequences sandwiched. Chatted with bassist Tony and singer Julian after the show. They were having a mini east coast run, back to Cali then off to Europe for a while.

Acid Dad w/ Straight To VHS 9/14/16 Bar

I knew I was in for a treat when I saw STVHS set up for their show. A power punk trio of drums, guitar and bass gathered around a 70s close-and-play type TV with a built in VHS player. Loud, original songs gave a whiff of Ramones and the Jam with the muscular grunge of Nirvana. Hailing from New London CT, STVHS routinely switched instruments and vocal duties for a thoroughly enjoyable set. If the show got boring, one could always zone out to the classic tapes on the VHS. On this particular evening, some bad 70s clay-mation  looked like Yoda in an episode of Mod Squad.
The buzz of Brooklyn hipsters changing the music scene gets tiring. Acid Dad are worthy of the accolades. A four piece outfit of two guitars, bass, and drums were a loud , punkier version of  the Velvet Underground. One song sounded like a stretched out version of European Son. Everyone in Acid Dad sang, and all had hair that covered their faces when singing. A great set that looked like the house band at the Cousin It convention.

Legion of Jerry 9/11/16 The Back Porch Old Saybrook

Final installment of the season for the hippie Sunday afternoon Mecca that is the Legion of Jerry. The Back Porch looks out over the marina and a decent gathering of head-bobbers showed their support. Set list included Bertha, Scarlet Begonias, Bob Marley's Small Axe, female singer did a rousing take on Joni Mitchell's Coyote. Highlight was Mission In The Rain and Let It Rock (which I played earlier in the day from my original albeit scratchy vinyl). For most of the show, the venerable David Gans lent his guitar and vocal chops to the mix. Show closed out with the bar's proprietor hopping on stage to belt out Brokedown Palace.