Steve Gunn with Ellison Jackson 7/29/21 Cafe 9

 Hooray! The pandemic is over and two of my favorite guitar slingers share the bill at Cafe 9. Cue a humongous record scratch, because the opener , Nashville based William Tyler tests positive for COVID. Replaced by former NewHavenites and now chilly scenesters EJ. I have seen these guys with a larger group back in the day, tonight it was two, vocals and guitar and standup bass. These guys have aged well and the singer’s style reminded me of a nicer, less obtuse, Stephen Malkmus from Pavement. They did an admirable last minute fill in, but it was hard not to regret William’s absence. You know he would have played some duet work with Steve.

Versatile guitarist Steve Gunn has been positively reviewed in this blog before. A resident of Philadelphia as well, Steve has had quite the evolution. He has some punk roots, played jazz  and instrumental work with drummer pal John Truczinski, ambient soundscapes and more. In the past few years he has discovered an ability to sing, albeit in a fractured freak folk fashion. The song lyrics are hard to follow but his voice and playing are captivating, especially when it’s just him, acoustic guitar, and some effects pedals. He played a tune from Tyler’s catalog in homage. Some new material including a great reading of The Byrd’s Wild Mountain Thyme was featured. Morning Has Mended from recent The Unseen Inbetween and the title track from Way Out Weather, were excellent. Gunn appears to be “on the spectrum”, and I mean that as an asset to his craft. He gets bothered by crowd noises, which was not a problem from this rapt pandemic-addled crowd. As with any adversity, the new normal will present subtle (or maybe not so) changes to the live music experience, I’m just happy to be back.

Basel and the Supernaturals 6/25/21 New Haven Green

 Still under-attended finale of this years International Festival brought Chicago funk outfit Basel and the Supernaturals. Basel, the chapeaud frontman is an American whose parents emigrated from Aleppo, Syria. He spoke of the genocide and war atrocities of his parents home country and the constant peril his extended family has to endure. The music was bass slapping poppy funk which is an incongruous juxtaposition to talk of genocide. Basel had a Jamiroquai complex with his attire and vocal style. I hope next years festival entry boasts a renaissance in talent and attendance as we emerge from lockdown.

Ladama with Chili Wille Groove Band 6/26/21 New Haven Green

 Funksters Chili Willie warmed up a sparse International Festival crowd on the green. This festival has gotten a little weaker in recent years, and a pandemic and ensuing “protocols” didn’t help matters. The evolution back to normality not only requires de- virusing the world, but convincing people that normal is possible. Funk is some good glue, even if Chili Willie coaxed a mild hip swivel from the crowd, it’s live music.

Ladama is billed as an international female activist collective. A member from Brazil, one from Colombia, one from Venezuela, and one from Brooklyn. They sang in multiple languages, played percussion, guitar, drums, and congas. They were very happy to be in front of a live audience after a year of international zooming. Show highlight was a speedy rendition of the Eugene McDaniels/ Roberta Flack chestnut “Compared To What”.

Dr Caterwaul’s Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps 5/2/21 Best Video

 Mayday! Mayday! Live music is in free fall due to global pandemic. Luckily for us, with the help of vaccines, sweatpants, Netflix, and the desire to live, small signs of life are sprouting from this beloved scene. Who better than Doc C to get the ball rolling. The group was five with singer accordionist Adam Matlock, violin, guitar, drums, and standup bass. The set started with a gypsy flair, dove into some show tune type material. Matlock and crew are musical omnivores and the set could have gone in any direction. A plucked violin loped into an excellent rendition of London Calling with the violin player singing lead. The ground is still sparse for music events, and masked singing must be trying, but credit this crew and the supporters who showed for a toe in the water.

Bonnie Prince Billy w/ Jonathan Richman 3/11/20 College Street Music Hall

What am I waiting for? The day the music really died. A viral pandemic chokes the globe and live music is one of the first to fall, collateral damage from head in sand politicians cross pollinated with increasingly insidious microbes that seem to be able to outsmart Bill Gates, Dr. Fauci, and Donald Trump. It is with heavy heart that I review this show. Jonathan Richman fronted a seminal punk band The Modern Lovers, a quirky cult unit with a few under the radar hits. I have seen him before and his wild-eyed child-like goofiness brings to mind dearly departed savant Daniel Johnston. Richman sang songs in French or Italian because they " sounded better". His songs about "cold pizza" or "dancing at a lesbian bar" were poignant and hysterical. With a dwindling crowd, Richman urged the audience to close in (a few days prior to social distancing). At one point, Jonathan spied a young fan and brought him onstage to sing backup.
I have wanted see Bonnie Prince Billy for years. His real name is Will Oldham and he has fronted and collaborated with a wide array of folkies and "out" musicians since the late 90s. An early release I See A Darkness was my path in, literate but dark lyrics coupled with a world weary voice is captivating. A random video of Oldham and Zach Gallifinakas singing a Britney Spears song on a riding mower piqued my curiosity further. BPB also performed a couple of knockout cuts on the recent Grateful Dead tribute behemoth The Day of the Dead. On this evening, BPB was joined by Emmet Kelly ( no, not the sad-faced clown from the early 1900s) a honey voiced pal to help plow through his set.  The new release I Have Made A Place was the main source of material. While a Spotify listen exhibited a slick production, two voices and two acoustic guitars in the echoey live setting was magical. It's hard to think that this will be my last posting for a while, but have faith, live music is like a dandelion in a cracked sidewalk, that shit ain't going anywhere.

The Kerry Boys 3/8/20 Thornton Wilder Hall Hamden

It is rare that I am junior by 20 years at a musical event, but the Kerry Boys at 3pm on a pre-St Patty Sunday, at the library no less, brought out the oldsters. The KBs have been spinning their yarns for 30 years. Two guitars/vocals, banjo, and electric bass is their lineup. Lead singer and frontman has the Irish brogue and corny inter song banter that moves the set along. The other guitarist and sometimes mandolin player is Pierce Campbell, a local folkie who I've seen often back in the day as an opening act. The band engages the crowd with various sing-along and clap-along segments. Most tunes are traditional, with the exception of Galway Girl ( thanks Steve Earle). I realize that Danny Boy, the lynchpin of any Irish set, is the most impossible song. With high notes, swooping falsetto, the bloke that wrote it must be chuckling in heaven as he looks down on a planet of Irishmen, true and faux drunkenly yodeling their way the verse.

75 Dollar Bill w/ Headroom 3/4/20 The State House

It is always great to see touring artist's jaws drop when they view New Haven's own shred collective Headroom. Fronted by experimental guitarist ( and sometimes Spaceland bartendress) Kryssi Battalene, a local lefty feedback purveyor, a droney rhythm guitarist, throbbing bass, and acrobatic drummer, Headroom always brings the sonic assault. The sheer experimental "guitar army" create washes of psych-drone-shoegaze fuzz that rocks. Kryssi has been adding some subdued vocals that add an extra element to their sound. One feedback battle between Kryssi and the lefty was great.
75 Dollar Bill is a Brooklyn duo comprised of Che Chen on microtonal guitar and percussion and Rick Brown on percussion. Chen's Touareg guitar sound is a function of his study with a Mauritanian master. The guitar is repetitive and trancey and reminded me of the Mdou Moctar shows I saw last year. Brown was a sight to behold, he sat on a wooden box that he struck with what appeared to be bath loofahs covered with tube socks. The sound was pulsing tympanic. Sometimes he picked up a cigar box and some other shakers and things to color the flow of Chen's guitar. I'm pretty sure I scoffed at the notion of drums/ guitar as a viable unit pre-Black Keys and White Stripes. I'm glad to say I was wrong, while the Keys and Stripes have enigmatic front men as a dimension, the rawness of those bands and 75 Dollar Bill is striking. On a final tune, Chen picked up a soprano sax, they called a friend up with an alto sax, and Brown played a series of plastic oil funnels fitted with sax mouthpieces. This band's take on what I will call Africambient was thoroughly entertaining.