Strand of Oaks with Twin Limb, The Back Room of Collectivo

photo courtesy of CJ Foeckler Photography

The old adage of "never miss a Sunday show" was proven right once again.  Rock 'n roll can't solve life's problems in and of itself, but it can, and does, give us strength.  That sentiment was palpable at Strand of Oaks's sold-out performance this past Sunday at the Back Room at Collectivo Coffee.  Fans were packed into the coffee house well before opener Twin Limb took the stage, and were treated to a night of pure rock goodness.

photo courtesy of CJ Foeckler Photography

Timothy Showalter, the singer-songwriter behind Strand of Oaks, has long been known as an outstanding lyricist who is able to transport his listeners into the intimate settings of his tunes.  His narratives have covered such topics as heartbreak, aspiration, overcoming pain, and longing for better days. However, Showalter took his music in a different direction on his latest release, 2017's Hard Love, opting to channel more hopeful optimistic themes rather than the darker imagery and reminiscence that dominated 2014's critically acclaimed breakthrough record, HEAL as well as his earlier work.

photo courtesy of CJ Foeckler Photography

Showalter is a master of his craft, and the new material came alive on stage with zeal, passion and, above all, a sense of joy.  Strand of Oaks were on the A game from their opening cords of the night. Taking a page perhaps from their former tour mates, My Morning Jacket, Strand of Oaks took to jamming out most of their numbers of the evening.  The loose feel on stage lead to terrific interplay between Showalter and guitarist Jason Anderson, who would often trade off licks and add some good ol' wailing to much of the set.

Strand of Oaks's most recent single, "Radio Kids" was given a jammy intro and full-throttle rock treatment.  Likewise, "On a Hill," the opus of Hard Love was a stand out set highlight with roaring guitars, thumping bass and blistering drums.  Moreover, Strand of Oaks reworked some older material from HEAL to give it a looser and more elated feel.  "HEAL" was more uptempo, and "JM," turned into an epic jam-fest of a tune, with the audience singing the refrain of, "we've got your sweet tunes to play." The highlight of the evening was Strand of Oaks's set closer, "Everything" off of Hard Love which featured opener Twin Limb performing alongside Strand of Oaks on stage.    The interplay between musicians lead to nothing short of a rock 'n roll party on stage, exuding the love of playing music that is evident in Showalter and his band mates.

photo courtesy of CJ Foeckler Photography

Opening for Strand of Oaks was Twin Limb, a trio from Louisville, Kentucky, who I recently saw perform alongside Jim James during his last solo tour.  Twin Limb's heavily nuanced sound served as somewhat of a musical compliment and contrast to the power rock of Strand of Oaks.  With a smorgasbord of effects pedals, atmospheric accordion riffs and staccato drums, Twin Limb delivered a strong set, drawing heavily from 2016's Haplo release.  The influence of touring with Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) was also evident in Twin Limb's set with guitarist Kevin Ratterman's psychedelic riffs complimenting the spacey, ethereal harmonies of vocalists Maryliz Bender (drums and vocals) and Lacy Gutherie (accordion, keyboards and vocals).

Thank you Tim for the sweet tunes you play :)

Greensky Bluegrass with Cris Jacobs, The Riverside Theater 3/17/17

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Greensky Bluegrass brought their foot stompin' sounds to the Riverside Theater for a St. Paddy's Day hootenanny.  The five piece outfit from Kalamazoo, Michigan plays a fast-paced style of bluegrass with quick-timed interplay between the musicians.  The band consists of Dave Bruzza (guitar). Paul Hoffman (mandolin), Michael Bont (banjo), Anders Beck (dobro), and Mike Devol (bass).  Greensky Bluegrass is a high energy live act whose varied set lists, clever covers, and lengthy improvisational jams make them a fan favorite for folks who enjoy traditional bluegrass music as well as those who enjoy rock jam bands.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Greensky played a robust show, performing two sets of music and playing more than two and a half hours. While Greensky has released some quality studio albums, most notably, 2016's Shouted, Written Down and Quoted and 2014's If Sorrow's Rain, their live performance far eclipses their studio efforts.  Drawing heavily on the energy and enthusiasm of the continually bopping crowd, numbers like "The Four," "Miss September," "Past My Prime," and "Demons" were all well-received and stretched out beyond their studio lengths, much to fans delight.

As with many stellar bluegrass outfits, Greensky also performs a number of reinterpretations of others' music.  A show highlight was an over thirteen minute rendition of Bob Marley's "Small Axe," a daring move to take a reggae song and strip it down into a bluegrass number.  Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible" was another stand-out cover, as was the second set closer, "Ain't No Bread in the Bread Box," by Roy Rodgers and Norton Buffalo, which was later popularized by the Jerry Garcia Band.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Opening the evening was Cris Jacobs, a Baltimore based singer songwriter who recently was reviewed by Rolling Stone Country as one of the ten new artists to watch in 2017.   Jacobs combines elements of blues, country, bluegrass and soul into his music.  His music has drawn comparisons to Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and even Nathaniel Rateliff.  Jacobs's set drew heavily from his 2016 debut solo release Dust to Gold.  Jacobs's affable demeanor and high energy set made him a great pairing for Greensky Bluegrass.  In fact, Jacobs guested with Greensky during the second set during "I'd Probably Kill You," and "Simply Irresistible."  Jacobs's strong performance makes him a great candidate to return to Milwaukee for a show at Collectivo or Anodyne Coffee.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Greensky Bluegrass Setlist:
Set I:
The Four
Wheelhoss
Lose My Way
Small Axe (Bob Marley Cover)
Please Don't Bury Me
Demons
Pig In A Pen
Take Cover
What's Left of the Night
Miss September

Set II:
Tied Down
I'd Probably Kill You (with Cris Jacobs)
Simply Irresistible (Robert Palmer cover with Cris Jacobs)
Keroscene
In Control
A Letter to Seymour
Past My Prime
Frederico
Wings for Wheels
Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox (Roy Rodgers cover)

Encore:
For Sure Uh Huh
Run or Die

Allah-Las with The Babe Rainbow, Turner Hall Ballroom, 3/15/17

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

The intersection of checkered-themed and brightly colored lights made the Turner Hall Ballroom feel somewhat like a discotheque from the late 1960's, and that could very well have been the point when Milwaukee was greeted by two acts who blend together elements of music from an earlier era-- Allah Las and The Babe Rainbow.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Hailing from sunny Los Angeles California, Allah Las combine a tightly woven form of rock 'n roll with a heavy influence in surf rock and psychedelic music from the 1960's.  The band emanates a laid back vibe on stage and are very much California rockers of the old sort.  The band consisted of its core members, Matthew Correia (percussion), Spencer Dunham (bass), Miles Michaud (vocals, guitar), and Pedrum Siadatian (lead guitar), and were also joined on stage by a keyboardist and conga player.  The subtleties of the Allah Las' music is what makes them a stand-out act, as each of the band members had something unique to bring to the band's overall sound, and the band mates often traded off lead vocal duties.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Their generous set consisted of material from all three of their albums, 2012's self-titled release, 2014's Worship the Sun, and 2016's Calico Review.   The musical dexterity of the band came through on a number of stand out tracks. Allah Las can run the gamut from shorter, infectiously catchy pop ditties like "Could Be You," (a stellar track from Calico Review), to more trippy numbers like "501-415," from Worship the Sun to full blown jams like "Catamaran," perhaps the band's most well-known song off of their debut record. Throw in some groovy instrumentals like "Sacred Sands" off of Allah Las, and a well-placed Television cover, and you have an act who is reinventing a style of music from the past to make it unique and relevant today.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Opening the show was The Babe Rainbow, a quintet from New South Wales, Australia who, came to the stage wearing mock turtlenecks and high waisted pants, looking like they could have just stepped off of the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine to go into Turner Hall.  Their lead singer, Angus Dowling himself looked like Leif Cassidy doppelganger.  With a heavy emphasis on bongos, maracas and a variety of tambourines, alongside psychedelic guitar riffs and steady bass, The Babe Rainbow's colorful stage show and energetic presence was wildly entertaining.  Along with the Allah Las, The Babe Rainbow's music brought about  themes of summer beaches, surfing, and just plain having fun.   Isn't that what a good rock 'n roll show should do?

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Willie Watson with Chicago Farmer- 3/4/17- Cedarburg Cultural Center

photo by Will Piper

Fans at the Cedarburg Cultural Center were treated to performances from two top-rate modern folk storytellers on Saturday night, with Chicago Farmer and Willie Watson.

photo by Will Piper

Armed with just a guitar and harmonica, Cody Diekhoff, aka Chicago Farmer performed all original material, drawing from last year's Midwest Side Stories, LP but playing a fair amount of back catalogue tracks as well.  Chicago Farmer's exceptional storytelling engaged his audience from the first verses of "Umbrella," a stellar cut off of Midwest Side Stories.  Chicago Farmer's style of folk is heavily influenced by the protest songs of the early 1960's, and while he certainly has a throw back sound musically, his stories tackle modern issues- both comical and poignant.  "$13 Beers," was a narrative lament about over-priced libations at a big country show in Chicago, whereas "Assembly Line Blues," a track off of his 2006 release, From A Small Town in Illinois told a timeless tale of a working man's struggle.  The highlight of Chicago Farmer's set was "Backseat," a song dedicated to his wife from his 2013 Backenforth, IL record.  There is an earnest sincerity, charm and sweetness to this tune which made me look it up on Spotify immediately when coming home from the show.

photo by Brian Norman

Headlining the evening was Willie Watson, who appeared on stage with an old-timey hat, black suit and an arsenal of two guitars, a series of harmonicas and a banjo.  Watson achieved notoriety as a founding member of Old Crowe Medicine Show, but has carved his own niche as a solo artist since splitting from his former band in 2011.  Watson performs his set in the style of many of the great folk performers before him, opting to play his reinterpretations of older songs, rather than originals. Watson's greatest gift his is soaring voice which breathed new life into tracks like "Mexican Cowboy," a stand-out song off of his 2014 Folk Singer Vol. 1 record.  Music clearly gives Watson great joy, and his infectious smile was evident throughout the evening.  Watson's style of folk is heavily rooted in gospel and early blues music.  "Dry Bones," a song Watson introduced as a "bad ass gospel number" treated the crowd to some stellar banjo work and more spiritual lyrics.  Watson closed his set with a rousing rendition of "Midnight Special," perhaps his most well-known solo track, which had the crowd singing along and on their feet.  For an encore Watson showed off some rootsy blues on slide guitar before sending the crowd home happy with a fast-picking rendition of "John Henry."

It was a pleasure seeing Willie Watson and Chicago Farmer in the friendly confines of the Cedarburg Cultural Center, which served as a perfect venue for a "sit down and soak it in" show like this.  These two could have easily drawn well at a variety of venues downtown, but chose to play to a diverse crowd of music lovers in "Cedar's Burg" instead.