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Opening band
Maki (the name, translated from a rare ancient Hawaiian/Swahilli dialect,
meaning "Smashing Pumpkins meets Whiskeytown") displayed some
promise with well-crafted songs over at The Fox in Boulder last night that
garnered some scant attention from the Stranger's Almanac fans that had
gathered to see the first show on the tour from Ryan & Pals.
Ryan comes out, looking like Chrissy Hynde's baby brother and rocking like
Chrissy in her youthful, spirited prime. I love the new band and Caitlin
is better than ever. Like Ryan, she could be a rock chanteuse one song and
a country crooner the next. They both have an impressive command over
their strings as well and the two of them continually are in such a
natural synch with each other, the crescendo's they hit vocally and
instrumentally are the magic you can only hope to ever see mesh live?.from
anyone. The new guitarist?.I think it was Roy Orbison's son?..fits right
in and his leads were
timed and tasteful.
Whiskeytown plays two hours or so last night?. the vast majority of the
set is all new, never recorded-yet songs despite the constant requests for
16 Days, Inn Town, & Turn Around. No Waiting To Derail either. Their
encore is actually close to an hour set in itself featuring about four
songs with just Ryan & Caitlin. But they scatter Houses on the Hill,
Dancing With the Women (a great, countrified slow version which blasts the
recorded version out of the water), and Pawn Shop is No Place over the set
of entire, premier new songs no one ever heard of. Two of the last three
songs were Yesterday's News and Not Home Anymore. Then you had the middle
of the set cover of Neil Young's Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, which
was most enjoyable. At that point, I wanted to hear Barstool
Blues.
Since the new
songs are so f*cking good?.the crowd was extremely receptive
fortunately. And these songs are that good. Ryan is one of the best,
natural, prolific songwriters working today, period. Some great
straight-ahead country, some rhythm guitar rockers that are as good as
vintage early Stones or anything?..and even a few power rock anthems. A
few of the songs were called Bar Lights and Wanna Know Why.....there was a
bunch of them and they were all excellent. It is so great to see an act do
a show that is no slave to previously-released or any expected material.
I'm surprised a show like last night's is even legal in this day of
corporate canned shit concerts. I'm surprised the record company doesn't
sue them for playing so many new songs they have not recorded. I am
grateful that there are still artists left that take this approach to
music in the tradition of Miles & Coltrane freedom.
Whiskeytown seemed to be enjoying themselves as well and made clear
references to how this scene was so much more enjoyable than 'f*cking
Fogerty". Caitlin explained that Ryan didn't mean to say "f*ck
Fogerty", as in Mr. Fogerty, but actually he meant "f*ck the
sheds and those kinda tours". I guess the catering really sucked on
that gig as well. Oh?..one last thing?..Ryan explained that the new
re-issue of Faithless Street will have like 23 songs on it, including some
alternate takes of SA tunes. It sounds like a must but I really, really
want recordings of the new songs, which it sounds like they haven't even
planned recording yet of. From the band's comments on stage, I assumed
that they don't know when these can be released (people were asking). Is
there a record company problem? If they can't record these gems?.I'm gonna
kick someone's ass. If anyone records a kind set of these tunes on this
tour?.please let me know in the meantime. Thanks.
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