Shakey Graves and the Punch Brothers treated Summerfest concert goers to an evening of alt-country
and Americana music on an albeit not-so-summery 60 degree evening overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan at the BMO Harris Pavillion.
Photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch
Shakey Graves, the stage name of actor turned songsmith, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, put on a riveting 75 minute set to open the evening of energetic rock music often with blues, country and southern influences. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Shakey Graves certainly gave off a southern rock vibe with a Texas flag hanging off the stand of his keyboard. Early on in the set, Shakey Graves encountered problems with their amplifiers and pa system. A stalwart performer, Rose-Garcia was able to keep the crowd engaged despite technical difficulties. The highlight of the show was Rose-Garcia inviting surprise guest Monica Martin, lead singer from Phox, to join him for a duet on "Call it Heaven," which was followed up with an impromptu and energetic rendition of the band's hit, "Dearly Departed." Live, Rose-Gracia is quiet a proficient guitarist, alternating from quick picking Americana style to electric rock. His energy alone made him an entertaining and engaging act.
photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch
The Punch Brothers followed. The Punch Brothers are somewhat of an all-star ensamble of bluegrass musicians, featuring Chris Thile on lead vocals and mandolin. Thile is considered one of the best mandolin players living today, and his virtuoso licks, especially on more traditional bluegrass numbers was exemplary. Joing Thile were four other stand out musicians including, Noam Pikelny (formerly of Leftover Salmon) on banjo, Gabe Witcher on fiddle, Chirs Eldridge on guitar, and Madison native Paul Kowert on upright bass. Kowert had lots of time to shine on stage and was pretty amazing showcasing his skills on the bass.
After the raucous foot stomping of Shakey Graves, a lot of the audience at the BMO Harris Pavillion left, leaving the Punch Brothers to play to a quarter-filled amphitheater. That didn't stop the Punch Brothers from putting forth their best effort, but it was harder to get the crowd up and as energetic. A more intimate venue may be a better fit to showcase the talents of these outstanding musicians. Still, it was a great evening of jams and good music.
So, after making the bold claim in my last review that My Morning Jacket was the best live act touring today, could they back it up two nights in a row in the same town, with many of the same fans in attendance? Simple answer- Yes, they could!
There was definitely a different vibe to the Sunday show, which consisted of 21 different songs that were not played the night before. For starters, the theater was about half-full, the smallest crowd I've seen for a Jacket show since I first saw them in 2006. The fact that many of the Jacket's fans are men in their 30's-40's with families, like myself, and it being Father's Day might have had a lot to do with this fact. However, once again, the band gave it it's all and then some. For night, "Numero Dos" to quote Jim James, The Jacket started out on a more mellow note, choosing a set list of songs that are lyrically more reflective in nature and musically a little slower in tempo than the night before. In a bold move, the band chose to play a lot of deeper cuts (9 of which were over ten years old), and showcased only a couple of tracks off of their most recent record, The Waterfall. And for the mood of the crowd, this was exactly the right fit.
After a riveting "Spring (Among the Living)" from 2015's The Waterfallto open the show, the band started off a series of songs that worked perfectly together to create a chill vibe to fit the atmosphere at the Riverside. "Compound Fracture," perhaps the most radio accessible song off of The Waterfall came second. Another early highlight was the reggae infused groove-laden "Off the Record," which the band flowed into "First Light." Reflective tunes like "Golden," one of the stand out tracks from It Still Moves, was set against another softer number, "Thin Line," off of The Waterfall.
The "jam band" theme really came out more towards the latter part of the main set, with a truly creative sonic run of tunes that started with the often requested, "Dondante" off of 2005's Z album sequencing perfectly into "War Begun," a track that dates back to the band's debut alum, 1999's The Tennessee Fire, and then flowed into the reggae infused set closer, "Phone Went West," which hearkens back to 2001's At Dawn record.
If there was any doubt that The Jacket would segue from more slow tempo numbers to rockers, it was quickly refuted in the encore. After a solo acoustic, "I Will Be There When You Die," (also from 1999's Tennessee Fire disc), The Jacket cranked it up to eleven for a run that would feature "Strangulation," into an epic "Run Thru" and then finishing off with crowd pleasing tracks, "Anytime," and "Mahgeetah."
So, after two evenings, approximately five hours of music, unique lighting for each song, music spanning the band's discography, and fans with ear-to-ear grins and fists in the air for the whole time, is My Morning Jacket the best regular touring rock band out there today. The simple answer is yes.
Opening both nights of My Morning Jacket's residency at the Riverside Theater was Floating Action, a band fronted by Seth Kaufmann and hailing from Black Mountain, North Carolina. Like My Morning Jacket, Floating Action is a rock band with southern grooves. Their sets both nights featured members of The Jacket sitting in, including Carl Broemel guesting on lap guitar both nights, and drummer Patrick Hallahan joining the opener to pound the skins the second night. Floating Action was highly entertaining and had Dante Schwebel, the guitarist of Hacienda and most recently Spanish Gold, jamming as a member of the band, Floating Action was a perfect rock opener to get fans pumped for My Morning Jacket, and stood out as a great soulful rock act.
My Morning Jacket Set List: Courtesy of Setlist.fm 6/21/15
My Morning Jacket is the best actively touring rock band out there. Period. That is a very bold thing for me to say, and I know it, but after their performance at the Riverside Theater before a sold-out audience on Saturday night, I think that most fans in attendance would agree with me.
As a fan of "The Jacket" since their breakthrough album It Still Moves came out in 2003, I've had the chance to see Jim James and company's steady rise. What makes the band so great is their constant evolution in their performance. Earlier shows played around more with vocal distortion and strobe lights amid more succinct renderings of their songs. Later shows, including the band's past two "Spontaneous Curation" tours include set-lists that vary nightly and allow for fan input and requests on social media. Their last stop in Milwaukee at the BMO Harris Pavillion in July of 2012, was my favorite concert of the year that year, and I recall writing about The Jacket was at the height of their powers.
Fast forward three years, and with a return-to-form album, this year's The Waterfall, in tow, and The Jacket might be at their best yet. This summer the band is playing multiple venues for multi-night residencies, including the beautiful Riverside Theater.
For their first night, The Jacket opened with the lead-off track off of The Waterfall, "Believe," and proceeded to enter a nearly two and a half-hour jam fest. The band seamlessly flowed songs into one another, with fluid transitions, much like you'd expect when seeing an act like Phish or Widespread Panic in their late 90's prime. "Circuital," rolled into "Evil Urges," "Only Memories Remain," jammed into "I Will Sing You Songs," and then into "The Way that He Sings," and my set highlight, "Dancefloors." The always powerful, "Steam Engine," rolled into the rarer track, "The Bear." The Jacket's light show clearly is the band's sixth member, and created nothing short of a glorious tapestry of lights to go along with each of the numbers.
While often dubbed, "the indie rock jam band," My Morning Jacket showcased their musical prowess and improvisational skills like never before in the first night of their Milwaukee run.
Glass Animals front man Dave Bayley holds Milwaukee near to his heart, and for good reason. The highly energetic singer and guitarist of Oxford England's electro-psychedelic indie pop act, Glass Animals recalled that Milwaukee was their first stop on their first ever US tour. A few songs later Bayley again gave props to our fair city, stating that the Riverside Theater is one of the most beautiful venues his band has ever played in. These factors and a highly energetic crowd helped Glass Animals bring their A game for a set on non-stop energy and fun. The diverse crowd, which ranged from high school students to men and women my age and older, bobbed their heads, swayed, and pumped their fists in their air for an hour and ten minute set that heavily featured of the band's debut album, Zaba which dropped last year.
Like their contemporaries from the other side of the pond, Alt-J, Glass Animals incorporate loops and catchy melodies to drive their tunes. Glass Animals at times mixed up how the melodies were delivered, however, performing some of them on the drums, which were set up with a hybrid electronic pad and traditional kit set up.
As for their performance, Bayley is a true front man, running about the stage, climbing ontop of the speaker stack and into the box seat area, and even crowd surfing while singing "Love Lockdown," a Kayne West cover which the band used as their encore. Several of the tracks from Zaba received extended jams, including their signature tune, "Gooey," The well-choreographed light show paired well with Glass Animals grooves and dancable jams, leaving the crowd smiling throughout the set,
I confess, if I wasn't the type of guy who reads all sorts of music blogs, I would have never stumbled upon Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, and I would have missed out on one of the best performances I've seen all year. Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's music critic, rated Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen one of the "must see shows" of the spring. A simple YouTube and Spotify search of the band made me realize quickly that these guys had some great chops. However, bluegrass is a genre I believe that must be experienced live in order to truly appreciate the trade offs between band members and intricacies of the jams the musicians are performing. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen exceeded expectations in this regard, even with the two primary vocalists (Solivan and bassist Danny Booth) admitting to the crowd that they had colds (and slugging down copious amounts of tea during their two hour plus performance).
With a stage containing a back drop of signs of old businesses from around the Milwaukee area, Solivan, joined with his bandmates, Mike Mumford (banjo), Danny Booth (upright bass), and Chris Luquette (guitar) for a riveting two set performance. The sets contained a well-rounded mix of original compositions, instrumental numbers, traditional country tracks and some well-interpreted covers. Highlights included a foot thumbing cover of "The Letter," a former #1 hit by The Box Tops in 1967. The interplay between Solivan, Booth, Mumford and Luquette gave this timeless track new life. In another daring cover, Solivan envoked the muse of "a famous bluegrass artist" (or not), the late Bill Withers, performing his 1971 hit "Ain't No Sunshine." Cold or not, Solivan's soulful vocals matched the heartbreak and determination of this tune.
Newer material from the group's 2014 Grammy nominated record, Cold Spell, was particularly well-received, and showcased the amazing talents of all four musicians. Tracks like the title track, "Cold Spell," and "Better (Days Go By)" showed off the diversity of the bandmates strengths ranging from vocals to musical interplay.
The show finale, however, "Country Song," which was dubbed by Solivan to be a "bass odyssey" really allowed the four virtuosos to trade off licks in what turned out to be a 20 minute long jam and medley of rhythms, harmonies and styles. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen in many ways draws comparison to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, another group of extremely well-versed musicians who came together to give the genre of bluegrass a unique sound. I hope that we will get to see Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen back in Milwaukee in the near future. The hearty and respectful crowd on a Sunday night clearly appreciated the tunes and the sky is the limit for this talented group of pickers.
As for the venue... how can you not love Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company? The great smell of freshly brewed coffee, paired with some of the best acoustics in the city and a unique decor made for the perfect setting (aside from perhaps a front porch) to see this act.
Breathtakingly beautiful is not a phrase that I think I've ever used in describing a concert until last night's stunning performance by Sufjan Stevens at the sold-out Riverside Theater. The capacity crowd hung on every note sung and played by Stevens and his exceptional crew of backing musicians, creating a silent and eerily serene environment at the Riverside during the two hour performance.
Sufjan had the audience in the palm of his hands and delivered one of the best performances I've ever had the privilege of seeing. The often flamboyant Stevens is known for bombastic shows with long tunes backed by orchestral arrangements and a wacky array of props. He and his eleven-piece band played in elaborate winged costumes during their 2006 show at the Pabst Theater. Then Stevens returned in 2012 to Turner Hall, dubbing himself "Surfjohn Stevens" for a concert titled, "The Seasonal Affective Disorder Yultide Disaster Pageant on Ice." The setlist for this show featured over thirty renditions of holiday songs with some other material peppered in, performing a concert which literally had confetti raining down upon the crowd and a stage set up which would put the most festive home on Candy Cane Lane to shame.
Last night's performance was nothing like these other two shows. Yes, it was Sufjan with his same layered arrangements and soft voice, but the performer has never appeared more earnest or exposed as an artist. The result was a concert that held the audience, quite literally, on the edge of their seats, and as quiet and respectful as I've ever seen a crowd in Milwaukee behave for a concert (and that includes going to the symphony!)
photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch
The show consisted of two parts. The first was Sufjan playing his entire new album Carrie and Lowell, a record that serves as an homage to his mother who passed away of stomach cancer two years ago and his stepfather. Sufjan played ten of the eleven tracks off of the album straight through without any banter. Each of the Carrie and Lowell songs was constructed with unique lighting arrangements which set the mood for the track. Sometimes grainy home videos of Stevens growing up were played behind him. Other times scenery of the western United States flowed on the monitors as Stevens recalled trips he and his family would take out west when he was young. The gut wrenching sense of loss and yearning that comes across when listening to Carrie and Lowell resonated ten-fold live.
The second part of the show featured songs that thematically tied into the themes of family, live, loss, and yearning for belonging, many of which came from Stevens 2004 banjo driven spiritual record, Seven Swans. Highlights included, "Sister" and "All the Trees in the Fields Will Clap Their Hands" from Seven Swans, along with "For the Windows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" from Michigan. Each track was played with the utmost precision. By the time the concert ended, Stevens had brought the crowd to their feet giving the artist a thunderous and deserving standing ovation. This was the least we could do for a man who bore his soul, delivering an evening of majestic music.
Benjamin Booker's laid back nature served him well as he and his trio performed to a strong crowd at Turner Hall. Booker got on of the best rubs in the music business when he was selected as an opener for Jack White. When I saw White last summer at the Eagles Ballroom, Booker's set stood out as one of the better support performances I saw last year.
Since his opening gig for Jack White, Booker released a fantastic self-titled record that encompasses aspects of traditional rock, New Orleans blues, and garage rock to create an innovative take on a classic sound. His Facebook page describes his genre as "Tent City Revival," which is perhaps as good of a descriptor as any. Booker for a young artist has a lot of musical chops. For most of his nearly ninety minute set, we saw Booker as we'd expect to see him-- playing loud and rocking out. Up tempo, three cord, hooks engaged the crowd with the set opening, "Always Waiting." Other tracks from his album oozed with raw energy including"Chippewa" and "Wicked Water."
photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch
On other tracks, Booker and his trio opted to ditch the louder rock sound for a more Americana roots vibe, with drummer Max Norton picking up a mandolin and Alex, Booker's bassist, opting for a fiddle. These tunes while different than the tracks on the album, were very well received, and were some of my favorites of the evening. You can tell that Booker is loving what he's doing, as his energy and exuberance radiated throughout the performance. By the end of the set, Booker and hsi band played a rousing rendition of their single, "Violent Shiver," into the jammed out, "Have You Seen My Son."
Before taking the stage at Turner Hall, Booker and his bandmates performed an in-studio performance at 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. In his interview Booker came across as a very humble and relaxed performer, especially touring with his first band as an artist who more or less, thanks to White, exploded onto the scene. There is a good reason why Benjamin Booker's tour is selling out shows all over the country. Catch this white hot artist when you can still see him in small venues. I have a feeling there is a lot more to be heard from him as he continues to craft and refine his sound.
photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch
Setlist: Always Waiting Chippewa Old Hearts Happy Homes Kids Falling Down Blues Slow Coming Little Liza Jane Shout Bamalama Spoon Out My Eyeballs Wicked Waters Violent Shiver Have You See My Son? By the Evening
