Mystic Braves w/ Creation Factory 9/17/18 Cafe 9

Thankfully, caught most of the set by opener Creation Factory. Two guitars, bass, and drums spewed a wall of psychedelic garage sound. Light on vocals and heavy on jams, the sprawling tunes reminded me of live Quicksilver Messenger Service. The band's attire matched the sound, one guitarist had a Noel Redding complex with paisley and ascot, mutton chops, and a white guy Afro. The drummer moved nonstop, getting maximum beat from a minimal kit. I have been a fan of this music for years ( Psychotic Reaction, The Seeds, The Electric Prunes) but rarely get a chance to view a modern example of the lineage. One song ended with the refrain "acid burns my brain, acid makes me insane".
Headliner Mystic Braves carried the garage torch through the evening. The first band's drummer moved to keys, and the bass moved to lead guitar. Joined by bass/vocals, guitar/lead vocals, and a new drummer, MB had more vocals and discernible song structure than Creation Factory. Jangly guitars and harmony vocals moved the garage to Laurel or Topanga. Lead guitar had chops and seemed like he could chameleon into any style. Anyone interested in garage psych or paisley underground would do well to Spotify these true keepers of the flame.

Charlie Hunter Trio 9/16/18 Cafe 9

I was dismayed to see that this Sunday afternoon show was billed as "sold out" on the C9 website minutes before I was due to leave. Intrepid, I rode my bike the 6 minutes to the venue. As I was locking the bike, I spot Charlie chatting with some hipsters outside. In my usual kook fashion, I pull out some old Charlie Hunter story and ask him to put me on the guest list. He obliges by saying he has no friends on the list, so I'm it. Two sets of guitar wizardry ensue. The trio was not the usual lineup. Instead, Charlie on guitar, Kei Okawa on drums, and young female vocalist Lucy were the group. Charlie is a musical omnivore and it showed. Some old blues standards, Soul of a Man, a Ruth Brown tune, Angel Eyes popularized by Sinatra or Bennett, were split up with George Michael's Faith, a Roxy Music tune among others. At one point Charlie says the crowd is ready for the drummers solo on Porkestra. That's right Kei played two squeezy pig toys while performing his solo, which gave a surreal beatbox effect. At the set break, I congratulated Kei on his innovative solo, he said he had a spare pig in the car if he busted one. On Charlie's early aught Analog Playground release, he enlisted a little known Norah Jones to sing Roxy's More Than This. While Lucy was no Norah Jones, her capable vocals were a welcome addition to the afternoon. Closed with a great version of Lucinda William's Can't Let Go and encored with an excellent version of Howlin Wolf's ( or maybe Cream's) Spoonful. Another example of the power of positive kooking.

Michael Musillami Trio +2 9/14/18 Firehouse 12

Always an exciting time when a Firehouse 12 season opens up. First on the fall docket was the MMT+2 group. The trio was Musillami on guitar, George Schuller on drums, and Joe Fonda on upright bass. On this evening, the plus 2 were Jason Robinson on sax and Kirk Knuffke on cornet. The sound was full, with Robinson taking the first solo honors. Schuller's assured drumming kept perfect time. I'm not sure if Fonda is shrinking or his bass is getting bigger, but on this outing he looked like the midget from Twin Peaks slow dancing with Uma Thurman. The bass playing was stellar, even going to the bow for a bit. Knuffke oozed downtown cool with hipster beard and hat and vintage plaid pants. The cornet has a creamy sound, like a trumpet with the edges sanded off. Musillami played a hollow body that sounded like Eric Gale on the first tune. The second song was more of a ballad that reminded me of Pat Metheny's New Chataqua recording. The final tune was "Uncle Fino's Garden" an angular bop workout that included all players nicely. Michael said his Uncle Fino was a safecracker who buried his stolen goods in the garden. As a young boy, Michael didn't understand why his uncle was so adamant about him not playing in the tomato patch.

E w/ Polluter 9/9/18 Spaceland Ballroom

Young shred outfit Polluter was playing when I arrived. Crunchy guitars and manic drumming made for a spastic beat. I congratulated the drummer for not blowing a head gasket with his fierce pace, he was wearing a purple cape which I assumed gave him some kind of drumming super-power.
Boston trio E has been positively reviewed in this blog before. Thalia Zedek on guitar and vocals was in the punk band Come from the 80s and 90s, Jason Sidney Sanford on vocals and homemade guitar, and drummer who played like Kid Millions but looked like an assistant football coach were the trio. Zedek, dressed in black, had the air of a punk godmother who had seen and done much in her decades in the biz. She was the main vocalist, and while the lyrics were difficult to pick up over the din, the songs had a discernible gut-punch feel. My last viewing of E at Bar in New Haven had me attempting to photograph Sanford's "homemade" guitar. He fashioned the axe by welding pieces of small gage wire in the outline of a guitar, with fret board and strings. The poor lighting at Bar and the near invisibility of this instrument made it look like Sanford was playing air guitar. Spaceland proved not much better at getting a snap of this elusive instrument. Chatting with Sanford as he was setting up, I noticed on the inside of his homemade case for his homemade guitar he had his address and the note "this box contains homemade musical instruments and electronic effects". We laughed at the need for the note as a means to suppress any suspecting TSA agent thinking it was a Flying V dirty bomb carrying drone. Sanford's style was jerky movements and monster sound which reminded me of Bowie or Byrne. One song was introduced as "Cannibal Chat Room" which shows you where this trio was coming from.

Martin Sexton w/ Alternate Routes CTFolkfest 9/8/17 Edgerton Park

Sketchy weather kept the crowds down at this annual event. While there was a full slate of music ( caught a tune of regional bluegrass outfit Upstate Rubdown, and local faves Goodnight Blue Moon), we showed for the final two acts. Local pop rock outfit Alternate Routes aren't particularly folk, but have played together for a decade or so. Guitar (sometimes slide), lead vocals/guitar, drums, bass, and female harmony vocals made up the quintet. Original songwriting was good, but they needed a hook to move the crowd. The benefit of tenure showed in the band's tightness, but in today's crowded market, a band needs something to make them stand out. Alternate Routes are in search of that something.
Martin Sexton, from Syracuse, played most of the Gathering of The Vibes festivals. This means I saw  him annually (at least) for 15 years or so. A true one man band, Marty plays guitar, usually playing lead and bass lines simultaneously. Layered on the deft guitar work are the vocals, which have a huge range, from low to falsetto. Add percussive tapping, scatting, and clever use of microphone fade and placement and there might as well be 5 people on stage. I was curious to see how the falsetto fared over the years and was happily surprised at its strength. Martin's body of work hasn't grown much recently, but early ought chestnuts like Black Sheep, Wonderbar, and Glorybound haven't lost their luster. At one point, Martin said that " rock and roll is like a river, you put something in, and you take something out". He launched into his tune while teasing U2's With or Without You, then Cheap Trick's Surrender, then the Beatles Let It Be. Closed the set with Turn On your Lovelight ( for the hippies) that segued into This Little Light of Mine, complete with audience members adding to the fray. Encore was a beautiful gospel inflected version of Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round in Circles".

Chris Smither 8/25/18 Guthrie House Great Barrington MA

Veteran folkie Smither was at this year's Green River Fest. I passed on him there knowing that I would be traveling to the Guthrie "church" in late August. The Guthrie Foundation is a non-profit affair helmed by Arlo and fam to help the needy in this area. Hot meals, free legal services, yoga, and even BYO God religious services are provided in this church/concert space. We figured that sleepy-eyed Chris was in his mid-70s. His effortless acoustic picking style was rooted in folk, but dabbled in blues and Nawlins soul. He played sitting, while his feet tapped percussively. This wasn't just keeping time, but an added dimension to the one-man, one-guitar troubadour. Two full sets of songs dotted with stories over the years. Before doing a cover of Chuck Berry's "Maybelline" (in a minor key!), Chris talked about choosing songs to cover. They need to be "sturdy" so they can handle abuse and interpretation. Another story came regarding his popular "No Love Today" song which has a refrain referencing the produce man's call down his street as a youth in the Big Easy. He said he was in Hawaii and stumbled upon a kid playing the tune in a produce stall. Chris remarked that it made him feel good that the youngster was playing his tune, to which the kid responded ," that's not your tune man". Other covers of Doc Watson's " Sittin On Top Of The World", and Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" were excellent. In the handshake line, a guy in front of me had a picture of Chris in a Newport Folk program when he played there at the age of 23, "just want to see if your autograph looks the same" he said.

Jeffrey Lewis and Los Bolts 8/6/18 Cafe 9

Brooklyn renaissance man Lewis is busy. He is a cartoon artist, I believe Fuff is the character in his DIY zines. The music was a trio with Lewis on guitar and vocals, young trans girl on bass and vocals, and drummer. Lewis' speedy, nasally, comic demeanor reminded me of They Might Be Giants. Songs ranged from punk to pop and even some twang in there. Lewis went off on some poetry slam rant about "wanting it both ways". One song was about collecting vinyl ( he's moving on to CDs, "search out the format that no one wants, currently") Another speedy punk workout about despair and depression was excellent. Lewis also showed a couple of "short films" which consisted of him standing on a chair while flipping through large scale comic books he'd drawn. One "film" was about French history and the evolution of the guillotine, while the other After Dark was some comic book porno that involved a parrot. The band was tight and rocking for this truly original artist.