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Concert Review
Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Sonny Landreth
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Dave Alvin and The Guilty Ones
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Cathy Richardson Band
July 5, 2013 @ American Music Festival
By Dave Miller
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Dave Alvin spoke for himself, but could have been speaking for many who attended FitzGerald's American Music Festival.
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"I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be on this particular day than here," Alvin said during his headlining set July 4 at the Berwyn roadhouse. The four-day festival, which ran from July 3-6, was like a family reunion of musicians and concertgoers who play and patronize the venue. Many have attended the fest for years. More than 50 acts played on three stages over the four days. I attended the middle two days.
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Early arrivals not only received a discount on the cover charge, but they had a chance to sample some acts they wouldn't necessarily see on their own. For me on July 4, that was Luella & The Sun from Nashville. Singer Melissa Mathes aka Luella sounded like a country version of Ronnie Spector with a little girl's voice and even in her enunciation. She dressed like a rock star with a dress made of plastic six-pack holders. The songs didn't stand out to that extent, but they were interesting nevertheless. Joe McMahan provided tasteful guitar.
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The act circled for the day on my calendar was Michelle Malone. She put on the best show I saw in 2011, and she was similarly mesmerizing with her blues-infused rock informed by her 1970s influences Bonnie Raitt, Mick Taylor, Joe Perry and Jackson Browne. You can hear those musicians in her singing, guitar playing and songwriting, only her performance is more physical and sexual than all of them. Add it up and it's a power-keg package. "Am I doing all right?" Malone asked at one point. The answer was obvious, but the crowd answered enthusiastically anyway. After a fun version of "Camera," Malone played some songs from her new album, Day 2. She sang like a songbird on the album's title track and then aired "Wasted on You," a reflection of her life and career that sounded like a Stones country song. Old favorites such as "Miss Miss'ippi" and "Feather in a Hurricane" rocked with whirlwind authority. The only unfortunate aspect of the set was that it came in late afternoon. Malone deserves to be the headliner in most cases, but that was the last thing on the humble performer's mind. "There's so many great musicians here that you can't swing a stick without hitting one," she said.
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I caught the last handful of songs by a local band of teenagers called The Blisters, who have actually been together for years. It includes Jeff Tweedy's son, Spencer, on drums. It would be a lazy comparison to say the band sounds like Wilco, if it wasn't so true. Its members exuded a musical sensibility beyond their material. They closed with a cover of "I Shall Be Released," which featured a surprising sonic takeoff near its end.
Kevin Gordon and his band started a set with a pair of low-key numbers before picking up the pace with Nashville friends Mathes and McMahan from Luella & The Sun joining his band onstage. Gordon got over his gritty, detailed songs such as "One I Love" and "Deuce and a Quarter" with his devotion to them.
Sonny Landreth took the stage in deceptively unassuming fashion. "How's it going?" he asked the crowd. "Let's see if we can stir it up." He opened with a couple monster instrumentals and the three musicians onstage formed a formidable power trio. Some rock fans are fond of dismissing slide guitarists, but Landreth not only brings the power, but injects rock drama into his music. There's a reason why Eric Clapton invited Landreth to play his Crossroads concerts. Bassist Dave Ranson, Landreth's longtime friend, was the secret weapon. Looking like a badass Ed McMahon, Ranson banged the strings and made them bend to his will.
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The other backing musician who turned out to be a revelation was Alvin's Guilty Ones drummer Lisa Pankratz. She played with her ears open and eyes locked on Alvin, accentuating her hits whenever the moment called for it and generally hitting the drums like somebody did her wrong. As far as Alvin, he is the big draw for many American Music Fest attendees. He's played FitzGerald's for decades now. After also playing a fest set the night before, Alvin had plenty left to deliver a typical strong show which included "Abilene," "Dry River" . He demonstrated plenty of commitment, too, not taking off his jacket in the hot club until playing a half dozen songs. Alvin ripped off guitar solos as if he was a Southwestern character in one of his songs. Of course, as is tradition, he played "Fourth of July." This version saw club owner Bill FitzGerald throwing hundreds of napkins in the air toward the stage in celebration. Alvin brought his brother, Phil, onstage, for "What's Up With Your Brother?" and they had an awkward moment in mid-song before stepping on each other on the mics. "This is how bands break up," Dave quipped, in reference to the brothers' Blasters. There may be tension when the brothers get together, but there's magic, too. Phil was all smiles in between singing. "I'm doing my best not to play air guitar up here," he said. "American Music" reminded everyone of the power of The Blasters. Three more songs, including a revved-up, crowd-pleasing finale of "Marie Marie" into "So Long Baby, Goodbye" pushed the performance past the midnight hour.
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The next day brought the best performance I saw in the two days, and that's saying something considering what transpired on July 4. Leave it to Cathy Richardson to rise above such greatness. The hometown hero showed once against she is capable of doing anything on a stage. With her usual foil, fiddler and dance machine Anne Harris, absent, Richardson played guitar hero, while mixing it up all night with her ever-evolving guitarist, Jude Gold. While she tours far and wide as the lead singer of Jefferson Starship, Richardson plays her home turf like she's ready to defend it, if need be, to the death. That doesn't mean she isn't ready to have fun. Her shows always have loads of it, including this one. Richardson opened with a seven-minute epic romp through the club special, "Berwyn," joined by harmonica-playing friend Ellen Miller. Next, Richardson uncorked her jaw-dropping voice on "I've Changed" and "Everything," Then it became officially showtime. After an Oscar-worthy eye roll that punctuated her saying it was an honor just to be nominated for a Grammy, Richardson launched into "Fly" and took that into "Age of Aquarius," which saw Gold wailing on his guitar on the right side of the stage with Richardson on her knees twisting the controls to her guitar like a mad scientist. At one point in the show, Richardson sliced open the tip of a finger, but she was not to be derailed. A big finish brought "Drink, Drink, Drink" and the treat of the night, an unsetlisted cover of "Barracuda" that had the balls to soar into Ann Wilson territory. "Wow," one concertgoer stammered when it was over. "Wow..." Indeed.
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The Bottle Rockets packed a generous number of songs into their designated 90-minute slot. It included a healthy dose of new music, including a four pack. "We like it, we need to rehearse it and you're going to take it," Brian Henneman said boldly with a twinkle in his eyes. The two-guitar buzz of Henneman and John Horton can do more for you than a case of energy drinks. Henneman shared the thrill of buying his Richenbacker with his wife's approval in one of the new songs called "Big Lotta Love."
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I looked forward to listening to James McMurtry and his novel-like detailed take on subjects including our country, but his ongoing guitar problems early in the set grew old quickly to a worn-out concertgoer standing in a tight crowd under a hot tent. I bailed with sights and sounds in my head that beat any fireworks.
Cathy Richardson Band setlist:
Berwyn
I've Changed
Everything is All I Want
Fly/Age of Aquarius
Tiny Particles
Beautiful Girl
Miracle
Picture This
Good
Closet Cultivator
free-form jam
Drink, Drink, Drink
Barracuda
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Start: 7:03 p.m./Finish: 8:20 p.m.
Totals: 14 songs, two hours 25 minutes
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Photo Gallery #1
Luella and the Sun
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Luella and the Sun
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Luella and the Sun
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone crowd
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival (photo by Michelle Malone)
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival (photo by Michelle Malone)
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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Michelle Malone
July 4, 2013 @ American Music Festival
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American Music Festival Photo Gallery #2
American Music Festival Photo Gallery #3
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