Writer's Notebook - James Rafferty Blog

Brian Wilson's Band: Live in Rhode Island

This past Friday, the buzz in the air was palpable as my wife and I entered the events center at the Twin Rivers Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island. This was our first visit to the venue and parking have been confusing, but that all faded as we joined the crowd waiting for Brian Wilson's band to appear.  

Just after 8:00 p.m., the band began to take their places on the stage. I'd heard that Brian was recovering from some physical issues, but it was still a bit of a shock to see him being rolled behind his piano within a wheelchair. Moments later, the band played the crystalline early notes of California Girls and the show began. Brian's voice was a bit shaky, but he sang the lead vocal and was soon buoyed by lush background vocals.  

Brian's band is currently on tour and playing two shows entitled Greatest Hits and Pet Sounds: the Final Performances.  This show was the Greatest Hits version, but later we also got to hear about half of the Pet Sounds album played live.  So how did it feel?  It felt wonderful. Brian has assembled an incredibly talented band and the Greatest Hits mostly referred to the work of the band he co-founded over fifty years ago, the Beachboys.  Brian wrote most of the Beachboys music and his band plays a broad and deep version of the group's music and also played a few tunes from Brian's solo career.  

This version of the band also has several members besides Brian who played with the Beachboys at various time.  Al Jardine, sang lead vocals on numerous songs, including signature pieces such as Sloop John B and Help Me Ronda.  His son, Matt Jardine, first played with the Beachboys in the late Nineties and has a strong falsetto that can fill in the high notes Brian used to sing. Matt did a wonderful job singing lead vocals on Don't Worry Baby and anchored the high end of the group's harmonies. When I saw the Beachboys in 1997, Matt had just joined the band, so he knows the material very well. 

Another highlight of this concert was the participation of Blondie Champlin.  Blondie was with the Beachboys for a couple of years in the early Seventies and brought a hard rock edge to the group, plus strong vocals. His signature song is Sail on Sailor (co-written by Brian) and it was great to hear him belt it out live at this concert. His voice is not as sweet these days, but is still strong. He's a commanding stage presence and played some outstanding guitar solos on a gold Les Paul. He was also featured as lead vocalist and guitarist on Feel Flows (a Carl Wilson song) and Wild Honey.   

Another standout in the band is Darian Sahanaja, who has been an arranger and band leader for Brian for the past twenty years. He's extremely versatile as a musician, playing vibes, keyboards and several other instruments.  On this night, he sang a compelling version of Darlin', a soulful, upbeat song from the late Sixties.   

But truly words and a listing of songs don't really capture what we saw. This is a great band with lots of energy and versatility. Brian toughed it out and participated all night long, often singing the lead vocals. A highlight for me was their rendition of Add Some Music to Your Day, featuring lead vocals from Brian and several other band members and gorgeous harmonies.  By my count, the band played 29 songs in all.  The band finished with Brian's powerful Love and Mercy, a song he wrote in the late Eighties which ranks with his best work.  

If this band comes anywhere near your town, go and see them. Brian is a living legend and his music and the sound of the Beachboys lives on.  

 

A Deep Dive with Joni Mitchell

Last week I began to read the book, Joni Mitchell, The Anthology, authored and curated by writer Barney Hoskyns.  It's a collection of reviews, conversations and interviews covering all of Joni Mitchell 40+ year musical career. It's a fine way to cover her career, since over time her musical journey took many turns and it helps to hear the views of writers reacting to all of it and also get Joni's own insights through wide ranging interviews and conversations at different times. I burned through the book in just a few days, tugged by the many memories I have of her music, both as she has performed it and through the many other artists who have interpreted her songs. My own Joni Mitchell journey began in the summer of 1974. I was on an internship in Wisconsin and one of the other interns played the music of For the Roses for me. I was immediately hooked and dove in deep when I heard her next album, Help Me, just after that. From that point on, Joni was one of my musical north stars. She didn't know it, but we traveled on parallel musical journeys. As she began to delve into jazz, I started shifting my own music in that direction, getting instruction at a local music studio on jazz guitar and getting direct exposure over the next few years to musicians such as Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays as they were just breaking out.  

In a similar manner, Mitchell's music expanded beyond the solo focused early efforts -- which culminated with the remarkable Blue album and began to be supplemented with other musicians. But as several writers in the anthology note, Mitchell's music was quite unique and didn't fit the normal rock and roll or folk modes as it evolved. So she started working with jazz musicians -- first the LA Express, led by the lyrical woodwinds player Tom Scott and then ascending up the jazz ladder to work with some of the most inspiring musicians of that time, bassist Jaco Pastorius and later, saxophonist Wayne Shorter. I saw her play live with the LA Express in August 1974. That show included a mix of her solo oriented material, mostly dating from Blue or earlier albums, and the songs from the Help Me and For the Roses, which were a good fit for the LA Express. The crowd seemed most enamored with her older material and in fact, hearing Joni play with musicians like guitarist Robbin Ford was a dramatic departure from solo renditions backed by her own piano, acoustic guitar or dulcimer. I was intrigued by all of it. I soon bought Blue and found she was already quite a mature songwriter by this point, which had been quite obvious at the show.  

A few years later, she produced one of my favorite albums, Hejira, which was the first to include Jaco Pastorius as a collaborator. I was already familiar with Jaco from Weather Report, but Mitchell's music showed that he could use his fretless electric bass to add extraordinary color to her compositions. A couple years later, Joni embarked on her most experimental album, when the ailing bassist Charles Mingus invited her to augment some music he had written. This most unlikely of partnerships resulted in the Mingus album, though Charles died of complications from ALS as she was putting it together. In the book, pianist Ben Sidran discusses the project with her and we also get a review from writer Sandy Robinson. Like most reviewers, he felt the album was flawed and was too big a leap for Mitchell to take on successfully. In my own view, the album had its moments, but didn't really work as a whole. But there was one extra bonus on the back end. 

Mitchell took the music on the road and was backed by a who's who of contemporary jazz musicians, including Jaco, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays and Michael Brecker. I saw this band play live in 1979 at Forest Hills in New York City and it felt like a dream to see so many of my favorite musicians on stage together. It didn't always work, but it was remarkable what these musicians were able to add to Joni's music and yet it still felt like Joni was the artistic director. A good example of this band was captured on the Shadows and Light album. As the reviewer Ian Penman notes, Jaco played very well. For example, I just pulled out my vinyl album and listened to The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines. On this song, Jaco shows he can play straight ahead jazz that totally kicks butt and he and Michael Brecker soar into the stratosphere along with drummer Don Alias during the highly collaborative solo part. It is such a joy to hear how well they played together and it's poignant to think how much the jazz world lost when Jaco's life spun out of control and he died young. My own band has been working on playing Free Man in Paris, so it's a lot of fun to hear what this hot band did when they applied their chops to one of my favorite Mitchell anthems. 

One of the delights of Hoskyns' book is that it compelled me to pull out my Mitchell albums -- both vinyl and on CD -- and go back and listen again. This is a journey I'd encourage any fan of Mitchell's music to take. I didn't like everything she has released, but so much of it stands the test of time and shows just how much an artist can grow even over the course of a long career. I don't know if we'll hear any more Joni Mitchell new music again, but the music she has already produced is among the very best of her generation.   

 

British Invasion of Norwood

Last evening. my wife Cindy and I went with friends to see a highly entertaining musical performance at the re-modeled Norwood Theater in Norwood, Massachusetts. The show was called The British Invasion Years and used a clever premise to transcend the typical tribute band scheme. The four musicians played music from The Beatles and their Sixties contemporaries and then back stopped that with music they called The American Response. Even better, they didn't limit the music to the 1963-1965 period, but stretched out to cover music throughout the decade as long as it fit the themes.  

The four musicians managed to play music from some very different groups and still make it succeed musically. The band's co-leaders are guitarist Lee Scott Howard and bassist Bobby M.. They've played together nearly 30 years and their musical rapport contributed to the band's tight musical feel. Lee and Bobby play their instruments well, but also are fine and versatile vocalists. Lee has unusual gifts -- he can hit the high notes akin to the Zombie's lead vocalist Colin Blunstone, but also plays some fine guitar. He mostly stayed with Sixties style licks, but couldn't resist occasionally adding some sizzle from more contemporary rock guitar licks.  Bobby M. sang lead vocals on numerous tunes and anchored the bottom on his cherry-colored Rickenbacker bass guitar. Bandmate Jon Wolf adds versatility on keyboards and guitar, along with harmony vocals and the occasional turn on lead vocals. The fourth member of the regular group, Jeff Alai, is off the tour for now, but the substitute drummer played well and looked the part with his long blond hair.  

So what about the music? The band kicked off the night with three songs from the early Beatles including I Saw her Standing There. Both Lee and Bobby were able to sing McCartney style vocals and the three singers added a nice harmony blend. The music then shifted both in time and style, as the band played Time of the Seasons from the Zombies. I saw the Zombies play a few years back, but this band did the songs justice. Lee's vocal range is outstanding, so did well on the lead vocals, with the band filling in the rest.  Then Jon Wolf played the Rod Argent keyboard parts with verve.  They followed with She's Not There, which was equally good. And so it went.  In the British Invasion section, they flash cut between multiple groups of diverse styles including Herman's Hermits, the Kinks and notably, The Rolling Stones.  

The Stones mini-set was impressive. It kicked off with Satisfaction, with Bobby on vocals and then they followed in quick succession with Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown and Jumping Jack Flash. Both of the latter tunes were done extremely well, with a mix of Jagger style vocals and expert guitar work from Lee Scott Howard. Here the guitar was much like the records, but had the verve of life performance. A bit later, the band did Back in the USSR and noted that the Beatles' White Album was celebrating a 50th anniversary.  

After an intermission, the band shifted to music from American bands. For me, this section felt a bit weaker, but mainly due to the inclusion of a few chestnuts of bubble gum music and several tunes from the Monkees. But there were outstanding moments. The band launched into Love Her Madly and Lee Scott Howard dropped his voice into the bass register vocal and neatly captured the Jim Morrison style. Howard had a tough task, needing to both do the lead vocal and add the Robbie Krieger guitar parts, but he did well and the rest of the band were rock solid. The band did an obligatory rendition of Sweet Caroline -- Neil Diamond's song which has improbably made the journey from the NYC Brill Building to become the anthem for the local Red Sox.  The band also played a Vietnam era song, Fortune Son, by the Creedence Clearwater Revival and captured that song's bittersweet mood. Earlier, the band had spent time with local Vietnam Vets and this song closed the circle.  

The band closes the show with more Beatles music. On this night, Twist and Shout got folks dancing in the aisles and Got to Get You Into My Life was a rousing rocker. That was it for the formal set, but they stayed on and Howard began to sing the familiar vocals of Hey Jude and got the crowd revved up one more time.  Afterward, the band members came out to the lobby and we chatted a bit with them as we headed out.  This was a great show and I'd recommend it if they come to your area.  They tour throughout the US and you can find their schedule at their web site. 

Here's a picture of the band in the theater last night.  

 

Ode to the Last Allman Brother

The year before I went to college, a friend came back from his university with a new discovery -- a new group called the Allman Brothers Band.  My friends and I loved the music, but it was beyond the capabilities of the fledgling band we formed a few months later. The intensity of the dual guitars of Duane Allman and Dickie Betts were powerful and Duane's slide guitar work was like nothing I'd ever heard.  Younger brother Gregg wrote some fine tunes such as Whipping Post and the group quickly became one of my favorite bands.  

All of this came to mind when the news came that Gregg Allman had passed at age 69, some 45 years after his older brother Duane died. The Allman Brothers had been a big part of my musical roots and my passion for the band endured.  

When I went to college, I told all of my friends about the band, so we were excited when we saw the following poster about an upcoming live concert at Skidmore College, just about 30 miles north of our school RPI in Troy, New York as we approached the end of our freshman year.  

We didn't have a car, but managed to get some rides up to the concert area and were there when the band set up.  This was just weeks before the band released its Live at Fillmore East album. The music was phenomenal, even though we were hearing some songs like Elizabeth Reed and Statesboro Blues for the first time or in much more extended renditions than I'd heard on the studio versions.  My recollection was that they played two long sets.  Duane was clearly the leader and introduced all of the songs in addition to playing slide and lead guitars on his Les Pauls. Gregg's hair had grown long and blond, and he anchored the group on keyboards and vocals. 

That fall I returned to college after a summer break and bought tickets to see the band again in November, 1971. We were all stunned to hear the news of Duane's death in late October that year. We'd expected the band would cancel, but the remaining members re-grouped and played the concert as scheduled. On some tunes, both Dickie and Gregg played guitar, and Dickie filled in the missing slide guitar parts, but the loss of Duane was palpable.  

Tragedy continued to visit the band and by the next time I saw them in 1972, bassist Berry Oakley had also died. But the Allman Brothers Band carried on and forged a different sound with contributions from newcomers like pianist Chuck Leavell and bassist Lamar Williamson.  

Duane had created a framework that was designed to last and you could never forget that there had been two Allman brothers in the original band.  I saw the group several times during the next few years before they went through a period of breakups.  As a musician, I learned from both Duane and Dickie on guitar and also learned to play some of Greg's best songs such as Midnight Rider and Melissa. Gregg's first solo album worked well and he did a fine job both on his own music and on songs like Jackson Browne's These Days.  

During the Nineties, the band got new life as guitarist Warren Haynes joined the group and brought back the dueling guitars concept that had worked so well when Duane was in the band.  Later in the decade, a young player, Derek Trucks, started filling in as yet another amazing slide guitarist.  

I took my oldest son to see the band in 2007. This version featured both Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks on guitars -- both slide and electric -- and Gregg sang most of the vocals.  It had been thirty years since I'd seen them, but the band played wonderfully and Duane's spirit was still present in the the band's style and intensity. 

I've been in a rock group the last several years and I've brought in several of the Allmans' songs into the bands repertoire, including songs like "Statesboro Blues" and "One Way Out."  Just last week, I played on the porch with several musicians from my church and we jammed on acoustic instruments on songs like "Midnight Rider", "Rambling Man" and "Melissa."

And now the youngest Allman brother has joined his older brother in the ranks of the departed. The two men leave a rich legacy of music that will stand the test of time. The Allman Brothers Band created a remarkable blend of southern rock and blues and bought an improvisatory ethos into the world of rock. Gregg managed to carry the flag as the surviving Allman and it's hard to dispute how well the band turned out even as the membership changed over the years. And his songs also live on, telling tales of life on the road and both the light and dark side of life. He will be missed. 

 

Rocking the Night: Chestnut Street Revue - 2011

A week ago Saturday night, the rains came and driving was a slog through a dark night looking around the corners of hugh snow banks deposited by a month of snowstorms.   For those who braved the weather, the Chestnut Street Revue in Franklin, Massachusetts offered ample rewards, as about 25 musicians gathered in various combinations and played a wide variety of music at a fundraising event for the First Universalist Society of Franklin (FUSF).   My own group, B4 (short for Basement Blues and Beer Band) arrived at about 6:30 and we played a sound check.  The sound guys wanted us to turn down the guitars, so we worked out compromises and mostly went with the levels they suggested. 

The program started at about 7:40.  The first set featured a well-known local group, Critical Mass, which features vocal ensembles backed by a rhythm section of piano, bass and drums, with a mix of electric and acoustic guitars.  My favorite tune of their set was a fine version of the Traveling Wilburys song End of the Line, which featured vocalist Alec Danz who channeled the spirit of Roy Orbision's rockabilly tenor on the choruses.  This set also featured several smaller groups.  Amazing teenage violinist Tom Lazinski played, accompanied by his equally talented mother Michelle Kelley on piano, and they offered a jazzy rendition of a standard which alternated between slow and fast tempos.  Another highlight of the set was the work of vocalist Kay Kelly Hardt who sang an original, backed up by a subset of the band Victims of Gravity, and then cavorted through a humorous tune about young love at the local Starbucks, accompanying herself on piano.  

Our band, B4, led off the second set.  We normally field a lineup of 2-3 guitarists, keyboard, bass and drums, but on this night, we were joined by vocalist extraordinaire Pamela McIntyre and her son Seth, a fine saxophonist.   We led off with Stormy Monday.  Our version owed a bit to the Allman Brothers, but with Pam on vocals, the song went to lot of different places, as she built up tension over the course of the song and then closed out with a powerful last verse.  Along the way, Dave Kassay and I added in guitar solos and Seth added his own jazz-inflected spin on the song.  Here's what the group looked like with Pamela upfront on vocals:  

 

After that, we changed tempos and played If I Die Sudden from John Mellencamp, which started out slow, then built up lots of energy.  Our bassist, Chris Sternadore, belted out the vocals on this one, joined by harmonies on the final verse.  The lyrics were rather ironic considering the setting -- a church meetinghouse -- as Chris assured all of us that if worst came to worst, he wouldn't need a preacher around as he parted from this world.  

On the following song, Pamela rejoined us and we played a Canned Heat style blues called I Pity the Fool.  The song is built around a repeated groove, which started with sparse instrumentation, and then filled in as we went along.  On this song, I pulled out my metal slide and offered up a slide guitar solo on the third verse.   Pam once again brought the music up to a crescendo to take us out and guitarist Dave Kassay finished it with a cool bluesy turnaround.  

For our fourth and final song, we moved away from the blues and kicked off our rendition of Bob Seger's Fire Down Below.  The song began with a kick on the snare from our drummer Richard Fields, triggering a series of high bent notes from guitarist Roger Bouchard.  Our keyboard player, Larry Rapisarda, came in with a raucous lead vocal and the band settled into a classic rock and roll groove.  I had a lot of fun with this song, since I got to add in the Chuck Berry style double vibrato notes on the choruses and then played a more free form in the middle.   Toward the end, Larry yelled out the title one more time, then Roger offered a faux ending with a 4 bar lick.  As the notes echoed, Larry counted off 1, 2, 3, 4 and I jumped in to play a few more licks, taking it out with a two bar bent note turnaround ala Keith Richards.   Here's one more photo of the band: 

 

After this, B4 got to sit down, but the music kept on coming as several more musicians played.  Highlights included an intense version of Cause We've Ended as Lovers from the remarkable guitarist Dan Feerick, backed by a subset of his band Victims of Gravity.   Shortly after that, the rest of the Victims of Gravity came on the stage and finished the show with several tunes, including a full-throated rendition of a J Geils medley.  You can see several clips from VIG's set at the following link on You Tube.  

After that, most of the musicians gathered one more time on the stage and we did a quick version of Twist and Shout.  So ended a fine evening of rock and blues.  For many, the fun continued with parties afterward, but my wife and I headed home so that I could sleep a bit before heading off way too early the next morning for a business trip to Nashville.  I heard lots of music down there too, but that's a tale for another time.   The next time there's live music in your area, go out and take a listen.  I suspect you'll be glad you did.