Gomez and Black Joe Lewis at the 9:30

Gomez headlines but opening act Black Joe Lewis steals the show.

Sometimes front row center is not a blessing. Such was the case at the 9:30 Club last night. When UK rockers Gomez took the stage, the technical gods cursed those of us in the front center as all three vocal mics were muted. It may have been an issue with lead guitarist Ben Ottewell’s amp turned up too high. Whatever the reason, the strength of Gomez lies with its three lead vocalists and I (and friends) could not hear their vocals at all.

Speaking of vocals, Ben Ottewell, in my opinion, is one of the greatest voices in rock and he should be singing harmony at all times when not singing lead. He was a bit underutilized last night.

By the fourth song, I left my prime spot, moved back quite a bit, and voilá! Vocals—loud, clear, and well mixed. As an older Gomez fan, the highlight for me was “Tijuana Lady” from their debut album, the only song they performed from it. Gomez tours the States infrequently enough that “Whippin Picadilly” from that same album should be a staple at their shows and wasn’t played this time, but I digress.

Another highlight for older Gomez fans was “Shot Shot” from their second album, In Our Gun, which opened the show (and during which I rocked out despite no vocals). Another gem they played from that album was “Detroit Swing 66.”

The new album, A New Tide, which comes out tomorrow, sounds pretty good and in line with their usual sound. The single, “Airstream Driver,” is catchy and fun, and Ian Ball does a great job on lead vocals.

But the opening band’s tight 45-minute set stole the show. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, a blues/funk/soul band from Austin, with a funky—and quite multicultural—horn section, positively rocked the place. I’d caught part of their set at Austin City Limits last fall and knew what this seven-piece powerhouse was capable of doing. Joe entertained with “Big Booty Woman,” a song inspired by his observations during a visit to DC. Perhaps most poignant was his song, “Bitch, I Love You.”

As they rolled through much of their debut album, Tell ’Em What Your Name Is, one could easily detect the James Brown and Lightnin’ Hopkins in his influences. During “Gunpowder,” I was transported back to college marching band as the horn riff was pulled from “Soul Finger.” The set was a booty-shakin’ and enlightening experience.

Stanley Jordan at Blues Alley

Stanley Jordan, Blues Alley, Washington, DC

March 26

Recommended Beverage:

Brother Thelonious Belgian-Style Abbey Ale

Jazz guitar legend Stanley Jordan opened the first of two sets of a four-day run at Blues Alley with an eclectic, heartfelt mix. Throwing his entire soul behind every note, Jordan displayed his unique guitar style, the touch technique, which sounds like multiple guitars. Watching his fingers fly across the frets is stunning every time.

Jordan played several songs from his latest disc, State of Nature. On two of them, he played piano and guitar simultaneously because he didn’t have his cellist in tow. Each song on the disc represents man’s relationship to the environment, particularly our responsibility to take care of it. On one song, he created the mood by removing the sixth note of the C major scale. Another song symbolizes man’s unintentional damage to the earth. Yet another, a Mozart concerto as you’ve never heard Mozart, represents each person’s uniqueness.

Jordan’s set included a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence.” And he ended the show with his signature cover, a variation on a variation of “Elanor Rigby.”

See the Stanley Jordan Trio free this summer at Reston Town Center: August 22.

Where Will ClubD Be?

March 29: Gomez w/ Black Joe Lewis, 9:30 Club
April 4: R&B Revue, State Theatre

more to come...

Legendary R&B Revue Kicks Off in Florida

City Limits,
Delray Beach, Florida March 20, 2009

The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue began its latest tour in Delray Beach, Florida and is making its way up the East coast. The high-energy, jump blues show features Tommy Castro and his band, along with three other blues all-stars: DC native Deanna Bogart; Chicago's Ronnie Baker Brooks, and J. Geils Band harp player Magic Dick. The idea was born out of the annual Legendary R&B Cruise. The four had jammed together late-night during the first cruise and decided they would take the gig on the road as an annual tour.

Each blues legend plays a short set and then they all come together after the break for an all-star jam where anything goes. Local Florida act JP Soars and the Red Hots, with saxophonist Terry Hanck, opened the show and jammed with them in their second set. Noteworthy was a homemade guitar Soars played, made out of a cigar box and two strings. He plugged it in and let it rip, and the sound was outstanding.

The Legendary R&B Revue comes to the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA on April 4.

Photos: (left) Magic Dick; (right) Deanna Bogart with Tommy Castro; Ronnie Baker Brooks

Catch ClubD on the Road this Spring

March 20: Legendary Blues Revue, City Limits, Del Ray Beach, Florida
(Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Magic Dick, Deanna Bogart)

April 24-27: Jazz Fest in New Orleans

May 7: Franz Ferdinand, Roseland Ballroom, NYC
late May: Music venue review: Whistle Binkies, Edinburgh UK

Lucinda Williams Rocks the 9:30 Club

Lucinda Williams, March 4, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

It was as if Lucinda Williams telepathically heard my appeal for a blues show. The southern belle played a high-energy two-hour-plus set at the 9:30 Club Wednesday night. Other than a handful of songs from her newest album, Little Honey, and a couple of other songs, her second show of two nights was entirely different from the previous night. This one focused heavily on blues, rather than country, and was reportedly more up tempo. She did not, however, neglect her country side. One of many treats was “Passionate Kisses,” a song later recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter, which earned Williams her first Grammy in 1994 for Best Country Song. The song that followed, “Greenville,” Williams boasted, was one later recorded by Emmylou Harris.

Williams has been making music for three decades, hopping among genres: blues, country, folk, rock, and it's refreshing that she pulls from her entire catalog and changes up her shows so frequently. There were undoubtedly fans at both shows this week and they essentially experienced two different sides of her.

This was my first Lucinda show and I cannot be happier about it. I came close to seeing her at New Orleans Jazz Fest a few years ago but the headliner competition was stiff and I wound up instead checking out Van Morrison. On the way out, I did hear her final song, “Get Right with God,” and eagerly awaited getting to hear a full set. It was worth the wait.

Her backing band Buick 6 opened the show.

Set List: (courtesy of Dave)
I Just Want to See You So Bad
Happy Woman Blues
I Lost It
Circles and X’s
Can’t Let Go
Right in Time
Passionate Kisses (solo acoustic)
Greenville
Jackson
Fruits of My Labor
Tears of Joy
Real Love
Out of Touch
Little Rock Star
Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings
Unsuffer Me
Atonement
Honey Bee
Righteously

Encore:
Disgusted
The Things I Used to Do
Joy
Long Way to the Top (AC/DC)

Steve Poltz Is....he just is.

Steve Poltz played two eclectic sets at Lou and Rain's house in East Windsor, NJ on Sunday. One never knows what one will get at a Poltz show. It ranges from somber to quirky, speckled with the unexpected and the outrageous. You will be moved; you will laugh; you will sit there at times in utter disbelief. He is a little nutz and, if you tell him that, he is honored to hear it.

During the break, I introduced myself and told him a little story that wound up making it, in a slightly altered version, into his next set as a dedication. I told him that my boyfriend's ex wasn't into live music and so when Dave and I started dating, we went to see Poltz at Iota, and Dave got sentimental during "You Remind Me Who I Am." Now he can enjoy concerts again, with someone who shares that passion and, in that regard, it's become our song. Thanks, Mr. Poltz, for playing it for us.


Set list: (courtesy of Rob Hanning)
Set 1
Going Up the Country (Canned Heat cover)
Music Box
California Krikor's Waltz
This Rice Looks Like a Butterfly
Special Heshial
Everybody Needs Rain (improv)
WWGD
Moon River
Medical Career
The Hargrove Situation
Dahmer's Song
Freebasin' Celery
Sugar Boogers
Super Taco Dilemma
Dreams #2
Things You Should Know About Me
Killing Myself To Be With You

Set 2:
You Remind Me Who I Am (dedicated to me and Dave!)
If It Feels Right (this and the above he co-wrote with Anya Marina)
You Were Meant for Me (song he co-wrote with his ex-girlfriend, Jewel)
A Million Miles Away
Look to the East / Good Morning
Murder Isn't Funny
Space in Steve's Head
Salt Suit
Watching the Elephants Dance
Spider & Bumblebee
Medicine
I Faked My Life
Dick's Automotive

Joie Calio Plays Two-Hour Show at NJ House Concert

Joie Calio, a Seattle-based singer-songwriter-guitarist, performed a two-hour solo acoustic set at a house concert in Medford, New Jersey on Saturday night. It was a fantastic night filled with soulful, gorgeous music, and complemented by a bass-shaped cake.

Dada fans know Calio as that band’s longtime bassist. Calio confirmed that night, in fact, that Dada is working on a new album and plan to tour on it later this year. But he also has a side project called X Levitation Cult and continues to write and record solo material. Much of Saturday’s show was devoted to XLC’s debut CD, Happiness in Hell, which is filled with bittersweet lyrics, sweetly sung. And Calio, the co-lead singer of Dada, ably threw in a few Dada songs too, notably “Dorina,” “Agent's Got No Secret,” and "Rise."

The long set included several songs from his 2004 solo album, Complications of Glitter, including “About Monkeys and God,” “You’re Not My Sunshine,” and the title track. He also played a few covers, notably “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “Rockin in the Free World.”

The crowd of about 40 also got treated to a new song he’d written just a few days earlier following his car accident while driving in the snow. The song, “Roundabout” is his most bluesy one yet and featured slick slide guitar. It was extra appropriate that night as one of his biggest fans there found herself getting into a car accident on the way to the show. She made it though, dedicated fan she is.

Our evening’s hosts, Michelle and Tim, had made a chocolate cake modeled after Calio’s red bass (see photo). It was both a work of art and delicious and it enthralled Calio who seemed to be thinking about it throughout the show.

Calio was very friendly and mingled with the crowd after the show. He learned that my boyfriend and I were the mystery couple hanging in the band’s room after the New Year’s Eve Dada show in Philly. (At the time, we were ensconced in a long conversation with Phil, the drummer). And, we learned how the band derived its name, a cool, but not brief, story.

According to Calio, at a party one night, he was showing some intoxicated folks the levitation trick, one involving a few people using just their fingertips to lift someone. Guests were awed and he wound up getting requests at future parties to do the trick. Soon, he found himself at the doctor with a bone chip on his knuckle. When he told the doctor how it happened, the doc prescribed this advice: “No more levitation!” So the “levitation cult” idea was born from all of the requests, but he wanted a third word in his band name. Unsure what it would be, he kept writing “x” before “levitation cult” as he pondered a cool first word. Finally, one day, his producer said he liked the “x” so that stuck.