Buffalo Gospel- District 14 Brewery, 5/27/16

photo by Will Piper

This past Friday,  music fans who attended the sold out show at Bayview's quaintly intimate District 14 Brewery were treated to outstanding Americana music at its best to kick off their Memorial Day weekend.  Buffalo Gospel, a band I once declared "Milwaukee's best kept secret," continues to gain new fans and momentum.  Their fan base has certainly grown as they take a hiatus from summer touring to enter the studio to record their much anticipated second full-length record, a follow up to 2013's We Can Be Horses.  The band has undergone a lot of growth and transformation in the past eighteen months, as they now regularly perform as a quintet with Field Report guru Christopher Porterfield joining them on guitar.

As the band is becoming more accustomed to the tighter quintet arrangement, vocalist Ryan Necci is simultaneously  cutting loose and allowing his fantastic vocal range to soar.  Necci's lyrics have always been great but his vocals recently have reached a new level of depth and soulfulness.  I had the great pleasure of attending the "How to Write a Popular Song" show curated by Christopher Porterfield this past winter as part of the final days of the Alverno Presents series.  While that entire performance was outstanding, a certain number, "Hello Central, Give Me Heaven," gave me serious chills with the intense vocal range Necci displayed.

Moving forward to last Friday's performance, the highlights of the show featured Necci cranking on the vocals alongside the steady beats of Nick Lang on the drums.  Lang's skills are noteworthy as the band has relied increasingly on tight rhythm arrangements to help drive their sound.

The show highlight from last Friday was a newer track, "High Time To Hang Fire," which featured Necci's vocals at their finest.  This new track is one of the ones that will soon be featured on Buffalo Gospel's second full-length release.  The great news to report from the show is that I still get goosebumps from listening to Necci sing, whether it is paying homage to the work of Charles K. Harris at the Alverno show or exploring original compositions.  I have a feeling that Buffalo Gospel will only get tighter and hone in on their soulful Americana sound when we see them play again this fall.

photo by Nathan Meilke

Setlist:
Set I:
Homeless
Hill Outside My Home
Hard Labor Side of Gettin On
Waiting For the Lights to Go Out
Letters to Georgia
She Ain't Gonna Hold
Old I Do of Mine
Lonestar
When Lonesome Comes Calling
Can't Afford to Die

Set II:
The Western
Song of the Ox
Mule
Hoarse as a Crow
18 Wheeler
High Time to Hang Fire
On the First Bell
If I Was the Last Man
Son of a Gun

Elephant Revival, Dead Horses & Trapper Schoepp- Turner Hall Ballroom, 5/11/16

The boundaries of Americana music were pushed in a myriad of different directions Wednesday night at the three-quarters-full Turner Hall Ballroom as Elephant Revival, Dead Horses and Trapper Schoepp joined forces for a terrific mid-week triple bill.

photo by Stephen Bloch

Proudly hailing from Nederland, Colorado, Elephant Revival is an eclectic band of uber-talented musical gypsies joined together to create some of the more nuanced-heavy music I've experienced in quite some time.  The quintet seamlessly alternated instruments during their engaging headlining set which featured a heavy amount of tracks off the band's excellent release Petals, which came out last month, along with a solid amount of songs from earlier records.  Instruments used in this performance included everything from guitar, banjo, mandolin, pedal steel, fiddle, washboard, cello, horns, and even a musical saw (something I had never seen played before).  Elephant Revival excel in creating a sonic aesthetic with layered precise arrangements.  Their ethereal sound and harmonies captivated the audience.  No wonder Elephant Revival has become a large drawing band out west, and is playing Red Rocks this summer.  Despite limited exposure in Milwaukee, they drew a captivated crowd of fans, myself included, who would eagerly see them again.

photo by Stephen Bloch

Dead Horses, the co-headliner of the evening, is an Oshkosh-based quartet fronted by the lush soulful vocals of singer-songwriter, Sarah Vos.  Dead Horses have a powerful sound, which is punctuated by the seamless interplay between Vos, guitarist Peter Raboin, and upright bassist Daniel Wolff.  Their set ranged from more intimate acoustic arrangements to outright full-on  jams.  Dead Horses excelled in the more free-forming moments of the evening, and pull off a tight Grateful Deadish vibe when the band gets deep into its grooves.   In an ambitious move, Dead Horses covered Radiohead's "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" from their In Rainbows record, which was a highlight of the evening.  Dead Horses performed a great deal of their set list with tunes from their forthcoming new release, which will be a must have for my 2016 music collection once it comes out.

photo by Stephen Bloch

Opening the evening was Milwaukee native Trapper Schoepp, who like Dead Horses and Elephant Revival has an excellent collection of new songs in his repertoire with his latest, Rangers and Valentines dropped last month.  Schoepp, who was joined by his brother Travis on stage, played an acoustic set which focused on his blend of Americana and traditional rock 'n roll vibes.  New tracks like "Ballad of Olof Johnson" and "For Jonny" came across warmly and make me want to be sure to check out Trapper Schoepp with his full band soon.

photo by Will Piper

Jeff Tweedy- Weill Center For the Performing Arts, Sheboygan, WI 4/29/15

photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch

As his set was coming to a close, Wilco's veteran frontman Jeff Tweedy quipped with the capacity crowd at the Weill Center that he wished he could play the Wilco tune, "Kingpin" as part of his solo set so he could use the line "I want to be your kingpin, living in Sheboygan."  The crowd of course was amused, and in many ways this line, and the friendly reaction it received, showcased the level of comfort between the songwriter and the audience which drove the show on Friday evening.

Jeff Tweedy's performance at the Weill Center in Sheboygan was the musical equivalent of putting on an old broken-in baseball cap... it's comfortable, fits well, predictable and if it could talk it would have thousands of stories to tell.  Tweedy's performance was the latest part of the Etude Series, a collection of concerts performed in and around Sheboygan featuring prominent Americana artists to help promote the non-profit Etude Education Group and the Etude School in Sheboygan.   Their mission of Good Music + Good Cause has allowed some great up and coming acts like Phox and Hailey Bonar to play venues in Sheboygan, along with other larger established acts like Tweedy and the Avett Brothers.

For Jeff Tweedy's show, he played a twenty-three song set alone on stage with just an arsenal of acoustic guitars.  It looked like he had purchased a new denim jacket since the last time I saw him play with Wilco a couple of years ago at the Riverside Theater, but aside from that, it was classic Tweedy... scraggly beard, round face, glasses, cowboy hat and all.  Tweedy has about as deep of a catalogue as anyone in the business today, with nine Wilco albums, two Wilco and Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue albums, four Uncle Tupelo records, and not to mention his wide repertoire of side-projects like "Golden Smog" and "Loose Fur" to draw from... and that doesn't include covers.  As a die-hard fan, Tweedy could have played a set with 40 tunes and I still would find ones that I would have liked to hear.  His catalogue is simply that deep!

photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch

What Tweedy did play was a wide array of material spanning all parts of his career, from "New Madrid" from his early Uncle Tupelo days to "Where Do I Begin," a new track off of last year's Wilco release Star Wars, and a little bit of everything in between.  Tweedy nailed great renditions of songs he's known to do well solo including, "I'm Trying to Break Your Heart," "Laminated Cat," and "Passenger Side," as well as stretching himself and his listeners by tackling more guitar driven Wilco numbers like, "Bull Black Nova" and "Impossible Germany," both of which are known for long-lasting experimental guitar solos from Wilco's lead axe-man, Nels Cline. "Nothingsevergoingtostandinmywayagain," featured a respectfully subdued clap along to mimic the percussion part of the track from Summerteeth.  A highlight of the evening for me was an earnestly spirited rendition of Tweedy performing "Simple Twist of Fate," by Bob Dylan, a song that appeared on the I'm Not There soundtrack.  Another high point was when the audience cheered for Tweedy's son Spencer who made the trek with his dad up from Chicago and accompanied Jeff, performing a duet of "Give Back the Key To My Heart," as the first song in the encore.

There were no frills about the Tweedy performance, no strobe lights or special effects, just a man with his guitars telling his tales.  Sometimes that's all you need for an incredible night of music.

photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch

Setlist:

1. Via Chicago
   (Wilco song)
   Play Video
2. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
   (Wilco song)
   Play Video
3. New Madrid
   (Uncle Tupelo song)
   Play Video
4. Hummingbird
   (Wilco song)
   Play Video
5. Remember the Mountain Bed
   (Billy Bragg & Wilco cover)
   Play Video
6. Lost Love
   (Golden Smog song)
   Play Video
7. Please Tell My Brother
   (Golden Smog song)
   Play Video
8. The Late Greats
   (Wilco song)
   Play Video
9. Bull Black Nova
   (Wilco song)
   Play Video
10. Laminated Cat
    (Loose Fur song)
    Play Video
11. Where Do I Begin
    Play Video
12. Impossible Germany
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
13. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
14. In a Future Age
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
15. Kamera
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
16. Simple Twist of Fate
    (Bob Dylan cover)
    Play Video
17. I'm Always in Love
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
18. Jesus, Etc.
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
19. Born Alone
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
20. Passenger Side
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
21. I'm the Man Who Loves You
    (Wilco song)
    Play Video
22. Encore:
23. Give Back the Key to My Heart
    (Doug Sahm cover)
    Play Video
24. A Shot in the Arm
    (Wilco song)

Ray Wylie Hubbard- Cedarburg Cultural Center 4/9/16

photo by Will Piper

"If this is the first time you've ever seen me perform, let me remind you that I am an acquired taste," Ray Wylie Hubbard quipped with a smirk and deviant expression on his weathered, beaded face during his recent sold-out show at the Cedarburg Cultural Center this past Saturday night.  Oklahoma born, Texas raised, and Cedarburg bound was the moniker that the Cedarburg Cultural Center used to advertise Ray Wylie Hubbard's performance.  This true road-traveled folk, country, and blues performer drew a capacity crowd for a concert which could have easily taken place at a venue downtown.  Thank goodness for Ozaukee County, Kathy Lanser and her team landed Ray Wylie at the Cedarburg Cultural Center for an intimate evening songs and tales from the road.

Ray Wylie Hubbard is a man who's seen a lot in his sixty-nine years on Earth.  With a career that dates back to the 1970's, Hubbard is often viewed as a songwriter admired by other musicians in the field but not a commercial success in terms of mainstream record sales or radio hits. His biggest "hit," was penning the often covered, "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother," which was popularized by Jerry Jeff Walker in 1973, and since covered by a plethora of singer-songwriters, country crooners, and even the jam band, The String Cheese Incident.   

In recent years however, Ray Wylie Hubbard has experienced a career renaissance and gained more attention and fans due to his constant touring and a series of critically acclaimed recent releases including: 2006's Snake Farm, 2010's A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C),  2012's The Grifter's Hymnal, and 2015's The Ruffian's Misfortune.  It should come as no surprise that the majority of Hubbard's set focused on songs written in the past ten years, although he did play "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," after a group of fans requested it before the show, which seems to be an exception, not the norm, in terms of his regular playlist.  

photo by Will Piper

Hubbard is a true troubadour in every aspect of the word-- he is a poet who delivers his messages via song.  Joined on stage with his son Lucas on lead guitar, and a prolific drummer, Hubbard traversed an eclectic ninety-minute-plus set of tunes often steeped in the "after hours" side of life. Hubbard's dusty, smokey aura and bawdy tales stick to your gut like how your shoes may stick to a rowdy saloon floor when the lights come up at last call.  This is most evidenced on tracks like "Snake Farm," "Mississippi Flush," and my personal favorite, "Drunken Poets Dream" which Hubbard penned with another one of my favorite country-blues artists,  Hayes Carll.  

However, Hubbard's banter and storytelling in between songs was arguably as entertaining if not more so than the songs themselves.  Hubbard spoke of characters from his past like "Mambo John" who made hats out of dead animals.  I must say, out of the many shows I've seen throughout my lifetime, few songwriters could hold a candle to Hubbard's earnest banter on life.

As many folks are starting to get more interested in contemporary artists who are performing traditional or "outlaw" country music (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Hayes Carll, Nikki Lane and Margo Price all come to mind), it is great to hear from a true pioneer in the field- Ray Wylie Hubbard, a troubadour if there ever was one.

The Record Company and Buffalo Gospel- Turner Hall Ballroom 3/39/16

Last Wednesday, 88.9 Radio Milwaukee provided an amazing concert experience highlighting the homecoming of a true Milwaukee musician accompanied by a true Milwaukee band.  As such, I would have gladly come out on any day of the week to see either band.  Milwaukee fans came out in droves, selling out the Turner Hall Ballroom and giving fans in attendance a true musical treat.

photo by Stephen Bloch

Buffalo Gospel began the evening as the opening act for The Record Company.  At first glance this may seem to be an odd pairing, Americana meets rock.  However, I found there could not have been a better ensemble.  I have now seen Buffalo Gospel a total of three times.  Each time they add more to their sound and it's great to see their evolution as a band.  This show highlighted further evolution of the band with more rock undertones as well as the addition of Chris Porterfield to the band.  This show's rendition "The Western (The Devil Is Me)" and "If I was the Last Man" left me with shivers.  I am always quick to recommend Buffalo Gospel to those interested in Americana music and after this show, I place them on a must listen list.  Buffalo Gospel more than delivered on the big stage.

photo by Stephen Bloch

Now for the main event, The Record Company.  For those of you who don't know, this was a homecoming for the The Record Company's lead singer, Chris Vos.  Chris Vos's humility and recognition of friends and family in attendance made me feel like I was part of something special...and I certainly was.

"We are the Record Company, and we play rock and roll."  Vos delivered on his promise with an electric performance.  He and the whole of the three piece band delivered an energy that made it hard to stand still...and I am not much for dancing.  "Off the Ground" brought the house down with its epic baseline and Vos letting it all go.  The Record Company delivered a contagiously electric show throughout, making it hard for me to sleep that evening.  This live show is one of the top five I have seen.  For those of who were not fortunate enough to catch The Record Company this time around, make sure place them as number one priority on your Summerfest list. 

-Jeremiah Weber, guest blogger for MKE Rocks

Jose Gonzalez and yMusic- Pabst Theater, 3/19/16

photo by Brian Davis

Majestic, exquisite, goose-bump inducing and breathtaking- these are the words that come to mind when describing Jose Gonzalez and yMusic's performance at the Pabst Theater.   The evening began with the classical revivalist group, yMusic, performing a brief but compelling set.  The New York based sextet which features virtuoso musicians Rob Moose, Nadia Sirota, Gabriel Cabezas, Alex Sopp, Hideaki Aomori, and CJ Camerieri, has earned quite the following with appearances last year at the inaugural Eaux Claires festival, alongside the Tallest Man on Earth, S. Carey, the Staves and Bon Iver.  Most recently, the group has collaborated with Ben Folds and Jose Gonzalez.  The ensemble performed to a packed house, with everyone in their seat in time for the opening band- a rarity for a weekend show in Milwaukee.  The set consisted of a series of newly arranged pieces, alongside a cover of an old Sufjan Stevens electronic song from his 2000 A Sun Came record.

Following a brief intermission. the second part of the show featured Jose Gonzalez coming onstage solo.  Armed with only one acoustic guitar, the Swedish indie folk singer began a six song set by himself, which featured selections spanning his lengthy career.  The prestine finger-picking on the guitar came across crystal clear with an audience who may have been the quietest I've ever been part of at a venue the size of the Pabst.  Not only was the crowd quiet, but I cannot recall being at a show where I saw no one take out cell phones to take pics or videos without the artist specifically asking that they refrain from doing this.  I followed sut, and soaked it all in, taking just one pic during the encore, and my friend, Brian Davis, who was front row for the show, taking a couple of quick photos at the start of the set for this blog. To be honest, the lack of technology use at the show was refreshing.
 

photo by Brian Davis

Highlights of Gonzalez's solo mini-set included set opener, "Stay in the Shade," one of Gonzalez's earliest works, and "Line of Fire," a standout tune that Gonzalez penned with Junip in 2014 (and earned the group the Pipes's Picks Album of the Year Honors for that year).  

Then came the main event, where Gonzalez asked yMusic to join him for the remainder of the set.  There is a true sense of humility to Gonzalez who sat to the far left of the stage with yMusic more in the middle.  This was not yMusic backing up Jose Gonzalez, but rather a joint performance of the songwriter and the classical ensemble.  Their set together was well-oiled and fluid, showcasing the musicians' strive for perfection in their crafts.  yMusic added detail to older Gonzalez tunes like "Crosses," "Lovestain" and set closer, "Heartbeats" (a cover of The Knife's song).  However, while these tunes may have seem enhanced by the chamber orchestra's arrangements, the newer material off of Gonzalez's acclaimed 2015 release, Vestiges and Claws, soared, as yMusic added a sweeping dramatic dimension to tracks like "Open Book" and "With the Ink of a Ghost."

For an encore, Gonzalez saved some of his finest work, performing his biggest hit, "Down the Line" solo, followed by a truly rousing rendition of his latest single, and set highlight, "Let it Carry You," from Vestiages and Claws, accompanied by yMusic. 

Jose Gonzalez rarely tours or plays Milwaukee, so seeing him joined with yMusic made this a truly special and unique evening.

photo by Will Piper

Fort Frances- Cedarburg Cultural Center, 3/12/16

photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch

You could tell from the moment that David McMillin, Aaron Kiser, Jeffrey Piper and newest member of Fort Frances, Jason Ryan, took the stage, that these were four gentlemen who loved playing music together.  They entered the stage caring brass instruments they amusingly found in the backstage area the ornately intimate Cedarburg Cultural Center, with ear-to-ear grins.  Needless to say, the saxophone and trombone never made their way into the set, but the band delivered a riveting ninety minutes of career-spanning material featuring tracks from their 2001 debut LP The Atlas up to tracks off of their latest record set to drop next month, Alio.  If I had to summarize Fort Frances's live performance in one simple sentence it would be: Fort Frances is fun.  

The Cedarburg Cultural Center is known for having one of the most respectful audiences of any venue around- where patrons politely clap between numbers and don't talk during songs, which makes it a great place to both see live music as well as for musicians to perform.  However, McMillin quickly instructed the crowd after their set opener, "Habits," to feel free to get up, dance, get beverages, etc., saying that we're here to have fun.  And have fun the strong crowd at the CCC had!

photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch

Fort Frances is an audience-friendly band, and the musicians quipped frequently on stage about everything from how Cedarburg should be the hub of Milwaukee, and the rest of the city its suburb to creating an improv jingle for "Piper Pancakes," in honor of bassist Jeffrey Piper's affection for the ever-fluffy flour based breakfast confection.  The palpable joy exuded from the musicians on stage, transferred into their songs, and brought large grins to the audience members as well, who gave a riviting standing ovation to end their performance.

Fort Frances couples McMillin's self-described "sensitive rock" lyrics and slightly drawling vocals with a solid indie rock sound from Kiser's percussion, Piper's bass and Ryan's piano licks and guitar work.  Kiser and Piper often sing harmony along with McMillin to form stunning soundscapes  and robust refrains on numbers like "These Are the Mountains Moving."

In many ways, the band's latest material is some of it's most adventurous and progressive.  New numbers like,  "Light Years," "You Got the Wrong Man," and "Building A Wall," were well-received and showcased the band pushing its boundaries more.  These tunes make the audience wait in anticipation for the band's second official LP Alio to drop next month.

photo courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch

In addition to original material, Fort Frances played two beautiful reworked covers. The first was a piano-driven rendition of Wilco's "I'm Always In Love," which they recorded as a Valentine's Day treat to their fans and released online.  The second was an encore performance of "I Shall Be Released," by Bob Dylan which featured the quartet gathered around the gorgeous Cedarburg Cultural Center's Steinway piano with McMillin playing and the rest of the guys singing along.  This was certainly a goosebumps inducing selection in a set that was filled with the magic of what fun it is to create and experience good rock music.


 Opening for Fort Frances was Will Pfrang.  Pfrang is a young singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso who performed an engaging thirty minute set in a style similar to Jack Johnson in many ways.  Pfrang mixed refreshing numbers from his 2015 release "All Figured Out," along with some well-placed covers.  Despite some technical issues with the mix early on, Pfrang demonstrated outstanding poise on stage, choosing to make technical difficulties a reason to sing Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" unn-miced and acoustic.

Fort Frances Setlist:

Habits

Ghosts of California

How to Turn Back Again

Anonymous

I'm Always in Love (Wilco cover)

These Are the Mountains Moving

Best of Luck

Light Years

Piper Pancakes (**first time played)

You Got the Wrong Man

Building a Wall

Days Get Heavy

I Had Love

Plastic Hearts

Encore:

I Shall Be Released (Dylan cover)

Cities in Dust