Will the Real Vince Gill Please Stand Up?

I discovered Vince Gill--well, I had been aware of him as a pop or country-pop singer, so I guess l rediscovered Vince Gill, a new Vince Gill--through videos from Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Fest, especially his scorching performance of "Sweet Thing" in (I think) 2007, the one with Bill Murray as MC. Since then I've managed to find other "killer guitar" tunes, including one of his early hits, "Oklahoma Border Line," on You Tube, along with some terrific blues, bluegrass and traditional country songs featuring Vince Gill with the Time Jumpers.

And I've read that Vince Gill has become one of many--but, perhaps, one of the most prominent, most influential--cheerleaders for the history of country music and for country music traditions.

So, anyway, I had never seen Vince Gill live, so my wife and I packed up a suitcase and drove for 5 hours to see him at the beautiful Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, IA. And, well, I suddenly remembered my first impression of Vince Gill as a pop/country pop singer. I could close my eyes and easily imagine that that was Celine Dion down there singing his big hits. Let's put it this way. For the first half of the show, the greatest pedal steel guitar player in country music today, Paul Franklin, had almost nothing to do.

But I gotta be honest. When he played "When I Call Your Name," his first really big hit from 1990, and "Take Your Memory with You" and "I Still Believe in You" and "One More Last Chance," well, the place went wild. So, of course, he's got to play 'em.

But he did play some killer guitar--he closed the almost 3-hour show with "Oklahoma Border Line,"  finished up with "Liza Jane" for his encore, and he showed why he's one of the great guitar players in the world.

Still, I thought the highlight of the show came when he sang real, intimate country songs like "A World Without Haggard," dedicated of course to the memory of his friend Merle Haggard, who passed away earlier this year. It was a heartfelt, passionate vocal performance. Even better was "A Sad One Comin' On (A Tribute to George Jones)" from his latest LP, Down to My Last Bad Habit.
Also in that softer, more intimate and more heartfelt mood and more countrified style were the title track from that new LP and "The Old Lucky Diamond Motel" from 2011's Guitar Slinger.

But not only was the show more pop than country, it also dragged a couple other times as well. Like I said, Gill played for 3 hours without a break, and that's a good thing. But his band got a break as Gill played solo for 40-minutes. But he only played 4 songs, spending most of the 40 minutes on stand-up comedy. He told some hilarious stories about his relationship with his dad. One night his dad called him up with an idea for a song. "If you finish (writing) this song," daddy said, "and if you record this song, you'll be bigger than Elvis." Vince replied, "Daddy, if I finish this plate of food I've got here, I'll be bigger than Elvis." So, OK, it was pretty funny, but it wasn't what I drove 5 hours to see.

And, then, near the end of the show, he brought out his daughter, Jenny, now 34, who has decided she wants to be a singer. She sang 4 songs that I would describe as blue-eyed, or in her case, brown-eyed soul. The fourth song was Alex Chilton's "The Letter," and the band surely rocked out on it. Jenny has a strong, pretty, but pretty much untrained voice. It has a naturally pleasing timbre to it, but there's not much style or art to the delivery. Again, not what I drove 5 hours to see.

Still, there's plenty to admire about Vince Gill and his band. The 3-part vocal harmonies were very nicely done (I didn't get the names of the 2 backup singers). The second electric guitarist was damn good and Vince gave him plenty of solos on the more rock and roll types of songs. Paul Franklin was, well, Paul Franklin on the pedal steel, eventually getting a chance to shine on the more traditional-sounding numbers like "A Sad One Coming On"and "A World Without Haggard." Willie Weeks was terrific on the bass guitar. I had no idea he was playing with Gill--he comes from here in Minnesota, where I first saw him in the 1960s in a cover band called Michael's Mystics.

Gill played for 3 hours non-stop, without a break, and it seemed heartfelt enough when he said, more than once, how much he and his band just love to play music and how blessed he is that people want to come out and hear it. All the more reason why it was so jarring when his daughter cheerfully introduced herself by saying she was here to "promote my EP."

I guess Vince is stuck with his pop songs and his pop fans. But if you asked the real Vince Gill to please stand up, I do believe it would be the Haggard/George Jones-lovin,' guitar-slingin' Vince Gill that I've come to admire. The mix was a little bit unsatisfying. Overall grade: B.

Benny Golson. Bonnie Raitt. Booker T. Charlie Haden. Marty Stuart. Richard Thompson.

I’ve written once or twice in the past about FREE OUTDOOR SUMMER MUSIC. For the past several years, I’ve published a list of free outdoor summer music—OK, including a few indoor and/or not-free events as well. Long about tax day, my friends start emailing to say, Where’s your list? This year I published my list as always but a whole series of scheduling conflicts generally prevented us from attending many of the events. The highlight until recently had been seeing Booker T. Jones and the MGs as headliners of the Twin Cities Blues Festival at Mears Park in St. Paul.

Well, we made up for lost time over the past week or so. First we saw Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives at the (free) Leinie Lodge at the Minnesota State Fair, and they were indeed superlative. Then came a trip to Chicago where we saw Benny Golson and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra at the (free) Chicago Jazz Fest at Millenium Park, and then Richard Thompson and Bonnie Raitt at Ravinia (not free).

Let’s review in order of quality. That would be Charlie Haden, Marty Stuart, Richard  Thompson, Bonnie Raitt, Benny Golson and Booker T.

Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra

The only thing that could have made this a better experience is if Charlie was still with us. But bassist and composer Charlie Haden passed away 2 years ago at the age of 76. His band, thank goodness, continues to create and perform the most awesome jazz you can hear under the continuing leadership of his long-time collaborator—arranger, pianist and bandleader Carla Bley, now 80.

The Liberation Music Orchestra is a 12-piece band and while the bass, even in Charlie’s absence, continues to come forward with numerous solos, it comes across as mostly a brass band. The interplay of the 3 saxophones, 2 trumpets, trombone, French horn and tuba in terms of harmony and timbre is what really makes the Orchestra tick and cook and soar.

For example, I always thought that “Amazing Grace” was way overplayed. After hearing the Orchestra play Bley’s arrangement thereof, I realize it is rather vastly underplayed. It is played with too little passion, too little innovation, too little care, too little skill. When it is played with passion and innovation and skill, it is a gorgeous piece of music. Not only does Bley bring out the beauty of the song, the song too brings out the beauty of these brass instruments melding and clashing and infiltrating one another. What a beautiful performance.

Haden and Bley and the Liberation Orchestra go all the way back to the late ‘60s, and it has always had a leftist political bent. Early on it also had a strong Latino influence, as on my personal favorite, Charlie’s “Song for Che”—Che Guevara, that is. Regardless of your politics, the song soars and cries and screams and shouts, and also whispers on Charlie’s incredibly beautiful statement of the base melody on the bass. No, they didn’t play it the other night. But the idea of seeing Charlie’s Orchestra, even without Charlie, 40 years after discovering “Song for Che,” well, that was a bucket lister that I never imagined I would experience. Coming on the heels of 40 years of waiting, surely the concert would fail to meet my hopes and expectations. No. It met them with room to spare. A+.

Marty Stuart and His Incredible Superlatives

A week earlier I had seen Marty Stuart and he too more than met my expectations. He mostly played the rockabilly that he is mostly known for, but he is also a walking, talking, breathing repository of the history and soul of country music. And, so, frankly, the highlights were his trips down memory lane for Marty Robbins’ classic “El Paso” and the chestnut “Orange Blossom Special.”

On “El Paso” His Superlatives bassist Paul Martin and drummer Harry Stinson provided a gorgeous 3-part vocal harmony while guitarist Kenny Vaughan mimicked but also improvised and expanded on Grady Martin’s classic acoustic guitar accompaniment. On “Orange Blossom Special” Stuart improbably played it solo on the mandolin and made it almost as interesting as the usual fiddle arrangements. It was a total tour de force of stringed wizardry.

Very, very highly recommended. Stuart is a consummate professional and showman and not only knows how but is totally committed to providing solid entertainment and a great experience for the audience. A.

Richard Thompson Trio

Being honest, I rated Richard ahead of Bonnie (Raitt) largely because I had never seen Thompson whereas this was, oh, the 6^th or 7^th time (?) that I’ve seen Bonnie. I love Bonnie. But Richard was really terrific, and anybody who knows anything about Richard Thompson knows that means sizzling guitar work and powerful vocals on some mix of an expansive catalog of rocking (and/or folk-rock) tunes with incisive socially-aware lyrics. Meanwhile, his rhythm section of (I think) Michael Jerome, drums and vocals, and Taras Prodaniuk, bass and vocals, was just about as powerful as it gets.

He closed, just for instance, with the classic “Tear-Stained Letter” from maybe his best record, 1983’s Hand of Kindness, played at a break-neck pace with a totally pounding rhythm. “Cry and cry if it makes you feel better,” he sang, “Set it all down in a tear-stained letter.” I always assumed the song to be, well, sarcastic. In other words, “Cry and cry if it makes you feel better”…loser.

B+.

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie is well into elder-stateswoman status. She can do no wrong. Well, except maybe fail to play enough of her hits. And so, she did. Play her hits. Love Me Like A Man. No Business. I Can’t Make You Love Me. Dimming of the Day. Something to Talk About. Angel from Montgomery.

Her voice is in surprisingly wonderful shape compared to many of a similar age. She is a great slide guitar player. Her repertoire is as approachable as anybody’s. She is a likable persona on stage. And she delivered all of those things at Ravinia. I guess the only complaint is just that it’s the same old schtick. Except, yeah, I said already that that’s also her strong suit. Still, she’s not a revival band, not a caricature of her primetime self. She’s still the real deal. 

Meanwhile, I gotta mention...Ravinia. There's a covered amphitheater that seats, well, I'm not sure, 3,000 maybe? And then there's the "lawn" seating. Bring your blanket, bring your chairs, bring your candles and your wine and your wind-chimes and your favorite incense and your favorite friends and show everybody what an elaborate scene you can create on the lawn at Rivinia!!! OMG! And, by the way, you can't see the stage! Now, in fairness, the sound is great. They've gone to great lengths to get a good quality of sound out on the lawn. But it's 75 percent fashionistas and 25 percent music fans. Weird. 

Still, if you are there for the music, well, you can enjoy that after you've gotten over your total sense of amazement at the upwardly mobile social scene out front.

Still, I have to say: B+.

Benny Golson Quartet

Golson is an 87-year old saxophonist who played with Diz, Bird, you name it. And like Bonnie Raitt, his music still sounds fresh and new, he’s not some old guy going through the motions. To some degree, that’s thanks to a kick-ass band led by pianist Mike LeDonne, with Buster Williams on bass and Carl Allen on drums.

Still, the spotlight is on the incredibly lush tone that Golson still gets out of his saxophone. There are few or no histrionics, nothing fast and furious, just that beautiful tone, and that’s plenty good for me.

I have to add, as Golson did, by the way, that, like him, I have never seen an outdoor amphitheater as beautifully choreographed for music lovers--and lots of them--as this. The Pritzker Pavilion, that is, at Millennium Park. Super highly appreciated and recommended.

He closed with a jazz standard and the story of seeing Lawrence Welk play it on TV once upon a time. “The music,” Golson said, “was horrible!” but kind of like a train wreck (pardon the expression). A person couldn’t look away. Welk introduced the song saying, “Here’s a song by Duke Ellington, his theme song, ‘Take a Train.’” Could not stop laughing.

B+.

Booker T. and the MGs

Okay, this was way back in the heart of summer though what’s really different about it was that, frankly, it was a let-down. Booker T. still plays an admirable Hammond B3 at the age of 72. He’s not particularly dazzling technically, he doesn’t play anything fast, but he is a musician of immense taste. And when he closed with one of the great grooves in rock history, “Time Is Tight,” well, people were groovin.’

His band was pretty so-so, however. The guitarist, it turns out, is his son, and who’s gonna say that Booker T. Jones shouldn’t go out on tour with his kid? “Father and Son Blues” was, in fact, about the only non-classic that he played, and it was pleasing enough. Otherwise he and the MGs played his classics including songs on which he performed as a sideman, such as Otis Redding’s “Respect,” which Booker T., surprisingly, sang. He sang a bunch of tunes, in fact--"Hey Joe." "Purple Rain" and more--and surprisingly Muddy Waters “I’m A Man” was probably his best vocal. The guy’s got a nice blues voice, you know, surprisingly.

He also played some guitar, surprisingly. He’s an admirable musician, both in terms of his catalog and career and the way he still plays today. But it was a pretty understated show with not a lot of energy.

C.

Top Songs

1. Amazing Grace--Liberation Music Orchestra

2. El Paso--Marty Stuart

3. Time Is Tight--Booker T.

4. Song for the Whales--LMO

5. I Can't Make You Love Me--Bonnie Raitt

6. Tear-Stained Letter--Richard Thompson

7. Take the A Train--Benny Golson

8. No Business--Bonnie Raitt

9. America the Beautiful--LMO

10. Angel from Montgomery--Bonnie Raitt

So that was my summer. And a good summer it was, mainly because of Charlie Haden, Carla Bley and their Liberation Music Orchestra. God bless!

The Music of Ry Cooder

To my mind, Ry Cooder is one of the most under-rated artists of the rock era. OK, he’s #31 on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 100 greatest guitarists in rock, which ain’t exactly chopped liver. And their write-up is nothing if not adulatory.

“Cooder's life on guitar,” Rolling Stone reports, “has been distinguished by a rare mix of archaic fundamentals and exploratory passion, from his emergence as a teenage blues phenomenon with Taj Mahal and Captain Beefheart in the mid-Sixties to his roots-and-noir film soundtracks and central role in the birth and success of the 1996 Havana supersession Buena Vista Social Club. As a sideman, Cooder has brought true grit and emotional nuance to classic albums by Randy Newman, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. Cooder is also a soulful preservationist, keeping vital pasts alive and dynamic in the modern world.”

Wikipedia says, “(Ry Cooder) is a multi-instrumentalist, but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing many genres including Americana, folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and much more.”

Yeah, much more. Or, maybe much less. I mean, I don’t care how you slice and dice it. Sure, this is a folk song. That’s a blues. That’s gospel., and that’s rock ‘n’ roll. But, no, it’s not a little bit of this and a little bit of that. At it’s heart, Ry Cooder’s music is just one thing, and that is, well, it’s Ry Cooder’s music. It comes from a heart and a voice and a soul that over almost 50 years, now, has proven that it runs hot and it runs deep.

And of course, he is not just a guitarist. Yes, that's his calling card. Nobody would call him a great singer. But he sings, he plays guitar, he composes and arranges complete musical experiences. He is a true auteur of rock music, broadly defined. It is in that category that he is so sorely underrated.

The Slide Area

Still Wikipedia has it mostly right. The essence of Ry Cooder’s heart and soul is his guitar, and especially his slide guitar. His is the brightest, most phosphorescent, delicate and expressive tonality in rock music. It doesn’t matter what he’s playing. That’s Ry Cooder on the guitar. You can hear it. You can feel it.

And, yes, there’s his rootsy-ness. But what, exactly, does that mean? From 1970 to 1987 he released 11 albums, almost entirely made up of covers. Ry didn’t really write in those days. And more than anything, he was covering songs from his youth, the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.

“Money Honey” by Jesse Stone (1953), “The Dark End of the Street” by Dan Penn and Chips Moman (1967), “It’s All Over Now” by Bobby and Shirley Womack (1964), “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King (1961), “I Can’t Win” by Lester Johnson, Clifford Knight and Dave Richardson, “Little Sister” by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman (1961), “Go Home, Girl,” Arthur Alexander (1962), “I Think It’s Going to Work Out Fine” by Rose Marie McCoy and Sylvia McKinney (1961), “634-5789” by Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd (1966), “Get Rhythm” by Johnny Cash (1956), and many, many more.

Yes, there’s Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly and Alfred Reed (“How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live” from 1929) and Blind Willie McTell. But this isn’t just roots music. This is protest music, a genre that is virtually dead today but for Cooder. He’s not singing them because they’re old. He’s singing them because they’re not old, or antiquated. They’re as alive and relevant today as they were in the old Dust Bowl. And more than Bob Dylan or Pete Seeger or anybody else working today, he is channeling the voice of Woody Guthrie. He sees the exploitation and greed in today’s world—the same exploitation and greed that Woody saw in his day—and he is willing to call it by its rightful name.

It all comes together in his own recent (21^st century) composition, “El Corrida de Jesse James,” in which the outlaw Jesse James is up in heaven. He sees the greed and corruption on Wall Street today, and he begs God to give him his .44 back and to let him go back to earth to make things right. But once here, he finds that the corruption runs so wide and so deep that, as Cooder says in his introduction, “one man with a gun can’t do much about it.”

Ry Cooder’s Blues

And, then, there’s this. Like they say of Eric Clapton, Cooder’s not black, but he’s had the blues. He has a right to sing the blues, because he’s had them. Nobody could sing so many incredibly sad and heart-broken ballads over the year who hasn’t felt it.

So there’s “The Dark End of the Street” (1972), “The Way We Make a Broken Heart” (1980), “That’s the Way Love Turned Out for Me” (1982), “5000 Country Songs” (2008), and lots more. Cooder’s vocals have always been looked at as a throw-away element in his music—you know, passable; acceptable only because he’s also a world-class guitarist. But the pain that he captures and conveys on songs like these is palpable, and evidence of a real vocal talent and a real genuine feeling for, well, that feeling of the blues.

Here it all comes together, ironically, in an instrumental. The title, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” (Cooder titled it “I Think It’s Going to Work Out Fine”) speaks for itself, right? Things are gonna work out. Well, not to hear Cooder play a mournful slide guitar version at a dirge-like pace. In his hands—with his voice and heart and soul—it’s one of the most beautiful and saddest songs ever recorded in rock music.

So there’s the slide guitar, and there’s that down-and-out attitude, whether it’s expressed in social or personal terms. And finally, there’s the whole world music, Tex-Mex and Cuban eclecticism. Some people remember that it was he who rediscovered the Cuban music sound and brought it one last gasp of fame and popularity through the recording of The Buena Vista Social Club in 1997. He followed that up with a Cuban record of his own, with guitarist Manuel Galban, called Mambo Sinuendo, in 2003.

But most importantly here, he has incorporated Tex-Mex into his own sound. It’s not an excursion, it’s not an exploration, it’s there in the heart and soul of Ry Cooder. His long history of collaboration with Flaco Jimenez is the most tangible evidence. But, then, on his 2013 live album, Live in San Francisco, there’s a Tex-Mex horn section that absolutely rips things up in a mariachi style.

Timeline

1. As noted above, from 1970 to 1987 three were 11 LPs consisting almost entirely of covers. The slide guitar, the roots (including the old roots, the Dust Bowl ballads and the like, and the new roots, the ‘50s and ‘60s R& B), the down-and-out, underdog attitude (whether politically or romantically motivated) were all there in equal parts, and Tex-Mex became more and more of the sound as time went by.

The last of these, 1987’s Have a Ball, was more electric, more rock ‘n’ roll, but only in hindsight does it suggest any changes in direction for Cooder. And, yet, it would be 18 years before he would release another solo record.

His following seems to have been pretty consistent throughout this period. His first record, Ry Cooder, charted at #216, but created some positive word of mouth and, as a result, his second record, Into the Purple Valley, charted at #113. Two other records charted at #167 and #177 (we don’t have numbers for some of the others), but his biggest hit was appropriately enough his best record, Bop Til You Drop (1979) at #62. This was certainly in part because it was supported by his first-ever single release, “Little Sister.”

2. From 1988 through 2004, Cooder abandoned solo recordings of rock ‘n’ roll music. Instead, he wrote and performed for a number of movie soundtracks. Actually, he’d been doing them quite regularly since 1980, and Primary Colors in 1998 was #15. That, along with Paris, Texas (1985), Crossroads (1986) and Trespass (1993) are probably the best known.

Then there was the Cuban thing. Cuban music had had a run of popularity as a novelty on the American pop charts in the 1950s. It was flashy, syncopated, big band dance music. Perez Prado and his band were the most popular of them. A cha-cha version of Prado’s “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” was a #1 hit in 1955, and his “Patricia” also got to #1 in 1958.

Cooder produced Buena Vista Social Club in 1995 featuring several of the leading Cuban artists still living, then recorded his own Cuban record, a collaboration with guitarist Manuel Galban in 2003. Mambo Sinuendo, which included a cover of “Patricia,” became Cooder’s biggest hit ever, charting at #52. It was also #1 on the World and on the Latin charts. (Buena Vista Social Club, on which he did not play, topped out at #80.)

He also recorded Little Village with John Hiatt, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner (it charted at #66), as well as collaborations with Ali Farka Toure and the Chieftans.

This was his most successful period in terms of charting and also industry recognition, as he received a total of 6 Grammies, mostly in the world and Latin categories. His more conventional folk-blues has never been so honored.

3. Then in 2005 came his first solo recording in 18 years, and the 1^st recording in a so-called “California Trilogy” that came to include Chavez Ravine, My Name Is Buddy and I, Flathead. Now Cooder was not just a performer but a songwriter as well. Most of the tunes on these 3 records are Cooder originals, some of them co-written with his son and drummer, Joaquin Cooder, and some co-written with others.

My Name Is Buddy charted at #168 (#40 in Switzerland, #41 in the U.K.). We don’t have numbers for the other two.

The musical style is all over the board. Chavez Ravine, the story of a lost Hispanic neighborhood in L.A. and the baseball stadium that supplanted it, is mostly Tex-Mex. My Name Is Buddy is acoustic folk, very much reminiscent of his Leadbelly and Woody repertoire. And I, Flathead, well, it’s rootsy, too, but recalling more those days of Cooder’s youth in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The Flathead of the title, a play on Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, is a Ford Flathead engine, by the way.

In 2013 he released a live album that had to have been a conscious effort to recap his entire career—more specifically, the entire core of his entire career. The Cuban music of his middle period, his most popular recording ever, is not represented. But otherwise, you’ve got 3 really rootsy tunes, meaning compositions of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. You’re got the ‘60s roots in “Why Don’t You Try Me” and “The Dark End of the Street.”

But mostly you’ve got the Tex-Mex sound of Flaco Jimenez and a mariachi-style horn section that rips it up on “El Corrida de Jesse James” and others.

This was his 1^st live album since Show Time in 1977.

What's Next

Currently Cooder is touring with Ricky Skaggs and Mrs. Skaggs, Sharon White. What will come out of the collaboration remains to be seen, as is what Cooder does after that.

What here for a follow-up which will be a ranking of Cooder’s best LPs and best songs.

Live Music in Minnesota in 2014

Most but not all of the live music that we see nowadays is free or cheap, mostly outdoor concerts over the summer months. Precious little of it is your conventional concert in a stadium or concert hall and with a ticket price in the $20 up to $100 range. Fortunately, there is a wealth of music in venues that suit our taste pretty well and most of it is free or maybe there's a $6 cover or thereabouts. So with that in mind, here's a quick tour of the live music that we saw in 2014.

Live Music in 2014 Best Shows

1. Robben Ford with Greg Koch Band—Lowertown Guitar Fest (Mears)

Ford really commands the stage playing world-class guitar in support of capable vocals and an engaging stage personality. The Greg Koch Band was a perfect complement. Make a note to watch for Dylan Koch, drummer, to emerge someday, and maybe not too far off into the future, as a great, great player. I mean, he already is that, but someday he’ll be recognized as such.

But returning to Ford, I’d call him smooth or pop-rock/pop-blues, and he is very very highly recommended. An underrated artist, at least based on what I have heard of him in my little corner of the world.

Mears Park is a downtown park in St. Paul and it is a terrific venue for live music, though it is subject to the weather.

2. New Standards—Music in Mears

I had the pleasure of meeting Chan Poling, keyboard player and vocalist for the New Standards and formerly The Suburbs, at a private party this year, and was embarrassed to admit I had never seen the New Standards. Consisting of Chan’s keyboards, John Munson on standup bass, Steve Roehm on vibraphone, and Poling and Munson on vocals, it turns out they have the freshest sound around, and create exceptionally original and pleasing versions of, well, new standards—songs that most people would recognize from the 1980s to the present.

Their signature  is the Suburbs’ biggest hit, “Love Is the Law,” featuring a really lovely little riff in the piano and vibraphone, which is really their signature sound as well. Online you can find versions of "Love Is the Law" with horn sections playing that riff, and with drums, and other instrumentation. If you see them live, and especially if you see them free, you'll probably just see the trio. Either way, this is a terrific band.

3. High 48s—Loring Park, Franconia Sculpture Park and Aster Café

A high 48 is a specific type of rail box car. The High 48s are a traditional bluegrass band based in the Minnepolis area. I tend to be more of a newgrass guy, but these guys do traditional bluegrass right, with tremendous energy and precision. They’re just fun, fun, fun, so we saw them three times this year.

4. The Butanes—Shaw’s

The Butanes are billed as a blues band but that’s just playing to the local market. What they really do is blue-eyed soul and light R & B, and feature the classic Hammond B-3 organ sound. Their version of Booker T.’s “Time is Tight” was a highlight for the year.  On this particular night, they also had Maurice Jacox singing with them and his version of Sam and Dave’s “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, Something Is Wrong With Me” was terrific.

5. Jim Campilongo--Lowertown Guitar Fest (Mears)

All I can say is the guy sitting next to me came all the way from Wausau, WI, to hear Robben Ford, but he left with a Jim Campilongo record under his arm. His “Blues for Roy,” a tribute to Roy Buchanan, was absolutely great and inspired me to go back and rediscover Roy on You Tube. Roy’s “Sweet Dreams” became another of my big hits of 2014 along with Jim’s “Blues for Roy.”

6. Communist Daughter—Music in Mears

7. Fort Wilson Riot—Music in Mears

8. Small Cities—Music in Mears

I have a Communist Daughter EP but the other two bands were new to me. Both impressed. Communist Daughter, meanwhile, was better than I expected. In concert, their music rocks more than it does on disc, with a fair emphasis on percussion, at least on certain tunes.

9. Rosie Flores—Lowertown Guitar Fest (Mears)

Rosie is surely in her 60s (age-wise) and she is a marginal guitarist and just a passable vocalist. But she just exudes personality and makes her songs her own by the force of that personality. So she was in fact very very entertaining. 

10. Willie & the Bees Reunion—The Cabooze

Willie & the Bees were the best "local" rock 'n' roll band ever in the Twin Cities, though it would be more accurate to say they were a blue-eyed soul band. Their heyday was in the 1980s, and this was like their 2nd performance together in almost 30 years. We used to see them at a downtown Minneapolis dive called Moby Dick's that was bulldozed in maybe the early 1990s.

The fact is they were pretty rusty, so this was for nostalgic value mostly. On that score, it was a fine event.

Live Music 2014 Awards

Best Artist—Robben Ford

Best Band—Robben Ford with the Greg Koch Band

Best Vocals—Maurice Jacox with the Butanes

Best Guitar—Robben Ford

Best Keyboards—Chan Poling, New Standards

Best Bass—Roscoe Beck, Greg Koch and Robben Ford bands

Best Drums—Dylan Koch, Greg Koch and Robben Ford bands

Best Other Instrument—Steve Roehm, vibraphone, New Standards

Best Songs*

*This list includes songs that weren’t necessarily performed in these concerts, but that these concerts inspired me to go out and find and listen to, such as  Roy Buchanan’s “Sweet Dreams,” inspired by Jim Campilongo’s “Blues for Roy.” Similarly, the Butanes covered Booker T.’s “Time Is Tight,” but it is Booker T.’s version that makes this list.

           

1. Sweet Dreams—Roy Buchanan*

2. Blues for Roy—Jim Campilongo

3. Time Is Tight—Booker T. and the MGs, covered by The Butanes*

4. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, Something Is Wrong with Me—The Butanes with Maurice Jacox

5. Love Is the Law—The New Standards

6. Snow Day—The New Standards

7. Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’—Robben Ford

8. Speed of Sound—Communist Daughter

9. Ghosts—Communist Daughter

10. Supermarket—Willie & the Bees

Actually the highlight of the High 48s was a guest appearance by Derek Johnson, formerly of the High 48s and now of course with Monroe Crossing. He is brother of the High 48s mandolinist Chad Johnson who is also now leaving the band. The gig at the Aster Café on November 28 was a “farewell to Chad.” So Derek showed up, and Chad and Derek played a lovely duet, and then Derek played a tune or two with the band. I don’t recall what Chad and Derek played but it was indeed lovely and would be top 10 except I don’t remember what song they played.