Time Travelling with Pokey LaFarge Again

Pokey LaFarge live at the Corner Hotel – 9 April 2015

Proust may have had his petit madelaine  to evoke the past, but you didn’t need any memory joggers at the Pokey LaFarge concert last night to be swept back in time. The music does it from the first song, as you feel a rush of pleasure in the toe tapping syncopated rhythms of Pokey’s excellent band, playing the old time music that Pokey LaFarge specialises in.

Hell, even us senior music lovers weren’t born when this kind of music was the rage, but Pokey attracts fans of all ages and the music is apparently timeless.

The band are now a seven piece (including Pokey) with a drummer recently being added.

They are Joey Glynn on bass, Adam Hoskings on guitar, Ryan Koenig on harmonica, washboard and snare drum, T J Muller on cornet and trombone, Chloe Feoranzo on clarinet and saxophone and Matthew Meyer on drums & cymbals.

We were given a taster before the feature act with New Orleans musician Luke Winslow King playing a great opening set. He also has a vintage look about him, and his taste in music is similar to Pokey’s encompassing old time blues and jazz.

 
Luke Winslow King live at the Corner Hotel – 9 April 2015

Unfortunately I didn’t note his set list nor could it be lifted from the stage, but I recall he sang Travellin’ By Myself which I have previously watched on You Tube.  He’s worth checking out as he’s an excellent guitarist and has an engaging stage presence.  Let it be said, he was a quality opening act.

Pokey LaFarge and band didn’t waste any time getting the crowd up and dancing (where space permitted) and singing along. As I noted at last year’s Pokey LaFarge concert at the same venue, Pokey establishes an instant rapport with the audience that is amazing to experience.  He’s a consummate showman of rare talent and dresses the part.

This time he wore a stylish blue denim suit over a blue shirt, with a flashy diamante studded bow tie and cool black shoes, and I noticed that he was wearing bright red socks underneath it all to match the red and white checked handkerchief poking from his breast pocket..

Pokey has just released a new record entitled Something In The Water and the band kicked off their set with the lively closing track, Knockin’ The Dust Off The Rustbelt Tonight following that with another new one, Underground.  Most of the songs on the set list were in fact drawn from the new album, but they played many old favourites as well, like Bowlegged Woman, Devil Ain’t Lazy, La La Blues for instance.

Pokey and Chloe share the mike in a duet.

As mentioned previously there was a lot of audience participation, executed with great enthusiasm I might add, with sing-alongs to many songs and muted dancing. As it was a stand up gig, there wasn’t much room for dancing, though the young out of it thing next to me thought she was dancing in time, but alas was not. I was seriously considering giving her the elbow when she kept stumbling into me. Thankfully she moved elsewhere and annoyed someone else.

Pokey and band played for 1½ hours and returned for a three song encore, finishing with the old Ray Charles song Let’s Get Stoned.

It was a superb concert, even better than the one last year. You emerge from a Pokey LaFarge concert as if from a dream time – a Golden Age so to speak - of the pre war American Mid West expressed through its music. Listening to Pokey’s CDs does not have the same impact as seeing him live, so catch him if you can.

The guy standing next to me was some kind of music journalist who enthused to me that he’d just discovered his new favourite band.

He kindly allowed me to steal the set list from the stage.

Pokey LaFarge Set List – Corner Hotel – 9 April 2015

1. Knockin’ The Dust Off The Rust Belt Tonight
2. Underground
3. Bowlegged Woman
4. City Summer Blues
5. Wanna Be Your Man
6. Actin’ A Fool
7. Goodbye Barcelona
8. The Spark
9. Something In The Water
10. All Night Long
11. Let’s Get Lost
12. Devil Ain’t Lazy
13. La La Blues
14. When Did You Leave Heaven
15. Close The Door
16. Drinkin’ Whisky Tonight
17. Central Time

He also sang a few other songs not mentioned on the official set list as I distinctly remember Hard Times Come And Go was sung at one point.

Encore

1. Far Away
2. What’s The Matter With The Mill (Muddy Waters cover)
3. Let’s Get Stoned

A Musical Interlude–Kevin & Dustin Welch at the Caravan Music Club

R to L –Kevin & Dustin Welch live at Caravan Music Club – 28/3/15

What a pleasure it was to be back in the urban wilds of Oakleigh at the Caravan Music Club! It has to be one of the best music venues in Melbourne, so it’s a pity it is so far away from where I live.

However, last night, after taking up the offer of a ticket from our neighbour B, I got to attend a wonderful concert by US singer songwriters, father and son duo Kevin Welch and Dustin Welch.

Kevin Welch is no stranger to these shores having toured here many times with fellow Dead Reckoner Kieran Kane. I first saw them in November 1999 at the Continental Cafe and like everyone who was present on the night, was blown away by their performance.

This is Dustin Welch’s first tour of Australia but he has been making a name for himself in his home country as an accomplished multi instrumentalist and literate lyricist.

He and his dad make a dynamic duo, sharing a taste for the same type of music, as well as having a ‘chip off the old block ‘ similarity in voices and delivery.

The evening was kicked off by local singer songwriter Dan Waters, who performed a mesmerising set, mostly comprised of songs from his debut album La Vita E Bella. Typified by his dry as a dust bowl delivery that reminds me of James McMurtry, and others of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash, his gritty urban ballads of low life and desperation grow on you as you listen to the words.

Dan Waters live at Caravan Music Club – 28/3/15

Included in his set was the terrific Guilt And Shame, Didn’t Mean To Hurt No-One, and Heat of December.

There was a short break after Dan Waters’ set, after which the main act assumed the stage and played for something like two hours, taking turn about to sing songs from their dual repertoires with each providing vocal and instrumental accompaniment to the other.

The first song, sung by Kevin Welch was The Great Emancipation, one I had not heard before. In the main Kevin played mostly new songs, but there were several familiar tunes among them, such as Postcard From Mexico, Millionaire, Jersey Devil, Train To Birmingham and Marysville, a song he wrote in response to the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009.

Kevin Welch – looking older than when I last saw him

Of course I’d never heard any of Dustin Welch’s songs, so they were all new to me.  I was particularly taken with Sparrows, Paranoid Heart Poor House, Cannonball Girl and Whisky Priest, a song inspired by the Graham Greene novel  The Power and the Glory.

Dustin Welch live at Caravan Music Club – 28/3/15

Just about every time I’ve seen Kevin Welch in concert, he has experienced problems with his guitar. This time a string broke, a brief way into the set, so he was obliged to borrow Dan Waters’ instrument which he played for the rest of the night.

Dustin had no trouble with his instruments – banjo, slide guitar and acoustic guitar. And he certainly knew how to play them.

It was a great show by two consummate showmen, one young, one old, the family relationship creating a marvellously engaging listening experience.

Here’s a video of Kevin & Dustin performing Postcard From Mexico

Kevin & Dustin Welch Set list
Caravan Music Club (28/3/15)

1. The Great Emancipation
2. Postcard From Mexico (David Olney cover)
3. Paranoid Heart
4. Marysville
5. Sparrows
6. The Flower
7. The Lower East Side (co written with JTE)
8. Millionaire
9. Poor House
10. Come A Rain
11. Cannonball Girl
12. Dust Devil
13. Two Horses
14. Jersey Devil
15. Don’t Tell Em Nothin’ (co written with Cary Ann Hearst)
16. Train To Birmingham (John Hiatt cover)
17. After The Music’s Gone
18. Patch Of Blue Sky
19. Whisky Priest

Encore

Too Old To Die Young

I’m anticipating several musical treats in the coming months. First up in April is the exhilarating Pokey La Farge, followed by the soulfully beautiful Iris Dement in May, whilst in June I have tickets for the Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell concert at the Palais which promises to be a ripper.

Stylish Americana – Time Travelling with Pokey LaFarge

Pokey LaFarge live at  Corner Hotel 12 March 2014

Pokey LaFarge and band are '”artfully dodgy ambassadors for old-time music, presenting and representing the glories of hot swing, early jazz and ragtime blues" who have "made riverboat chic cool again."

I must admit that two months ago I had not heard of Pokey LaFarge, but an article on the artist in Rhythms Magazine led me to check him out on the internet, and subsequently to purchasing tickets to his show at the Corner Hotel.

So it was with high expectations that I arrived at the Corner on Wednesday night, and I left at the end of the night feeling that my expectations had been well and truly exceeded.

Mustered Courage


Mustered Courage – Nick Keeling

The opening act was local Bluegrass band Mustered Courage, who performed a short set of songs mostly from their recent album Powerlines. They put on a lively act of fast bluegrass ala The Old Crow Medicine Show or Mumford & Sons. A four piece band they are:

Nick Keeling – lead vocals, banjo
Julian Abrahams – Guitar, vocals
Paddy Montgomery – Mandolin, vocals
Josh Bridges – Bass, vocals

They were warmly received by the substantial crowd that was amassing for the main act and were a quality opener of whom SMH reviewer Bernard Zuel writes: “ Like the Dillards 45 years ago, there's toughness to this mountain music even when it's high and sweet. Like the Dingoes 35 years ago, there are no pretensions but strong tunes”. 

Mustered Courage Set List

1. Sweet Blue Eyed Darling
2. Southern Style
3. Allegheny
4. Cruel Alibis
5. Standin’ By Your Side
6. Train 45
7. Powerlines

Pokey LaFarge


Pokey LaFarge with his horn section – Chloe Feoranzo & TJ Muller

It is very rare to come across a band who can engage so  instantaneously with their audience, but Pokey LaFarge had the practically sell out crowd in the palm of his hand from the first song.

He had them singing along in no time, clapping, dancing on the spot (as it was a stand up concert, there wasn’t any room for dancing), each song drawing rapturous applause.  The vibe was love, love, love all night long.

A thoroughly engaging entertainer, Pokey Lafarge certainly looked the part. He has a wonderful interesting face, and a tremendous sense of style, dressed as he was in a loose creamy white suit, under which was a pale lemon shirt. Around his neck he wore a retro tie patterned with horseshoes and beautiful two tone, cream and tan, shoes clad his feet.  He wouldn’t have been out of place at the Oaks, and looks like a cross between a Gatsby film extra and Jimmie Rodgers.

And the music was sublimely exhilarating, instantly causing an unconscious foot tapping reaction and urge to dance or clap your hands - uplifting to the heart and the soul.

Pokey’s take on the music of the American past sounds completely authentic. The scintillating rhythms of Ragtime Jazz, Swing and Blues took us back to a time before we were born, yet sounded simultaneously fresh and familiar. He would probably object to my using the “retro” term as on his Facebook page he says “It’s not retro music, it’s American music that never died'”.

Pokey LaFarge wrote most of the songs on his latest self titled record, but they are indistinguishable from the period pieces and traditional songs of the 1920s, 30s and 40s which he favours. Take Central Time, one of Pokey’s compositions, which goes…

The Missouri is my right arm, the Ohio is my left
But I’m livin’ on the Mississippi River where I like life the best
I don’t mind the west coast, and I don’t mind the east coast
Oh, baby but I ain’t gonna live on no coast

Chorus:
I’m just a plain ole Midwestern boy
Gettin’ by on Central time

… and  though it is a modern song, possibly autobiographical – Pokey was born in the Midwest – it has the genuine feel of music from a bygone period. Pokey sees himself as an innovator and preservationist, not a traditionalist. His voice sounds as if it is issuing from an old 78 record or mono radio.

Ably supported by his hot band, Pokey LaFarge, performed a total of 16 songs the highlights being Hard Times Come And Go, River Boat Shuffle, La La Blues, Central Time and In The Graveyard Now, though truth to tell, as every song was performed with verve and energy, it is hard to pick standouts.

The band are Joey Glynn on bass, Adam Hoskings on guitar, Ryan Koenig on harmonica, washboard and snare drum, T J Muller on cornet and trombone and Chloe Feoranzo on clarinet and saxophone.

They were excellent, one and all.

There is always one! You know the fan who has had a few too many drinks and wants the rest of the audience to know how much he loves the band or artist? Well we had one of them close to where we were standing. At one stage he yelled his appreciation at the end of a song, which caused Pokey to pause his stage patter, unhook the microphone and present it to the fan with the remark “This person has something poignant to say”  The fan was over the moon, and shouted into the mike “Holy fucking shit!” much to the amusement and/or outrage of everyone else.

When the main set was over, a concerted effort by the totally smitten audience drew Pokey back for an encore. He returned munching a slice of water melon, remarking that water melon was, after music, his favourite thing in life.  He started by singing Josephine solo, before being joined by the band for Show Me The Way To Go Home the popular 1925 Irving King song, no doubt a hint that the night’s entertainment was drawing to a close. However, as Pokey said, to go out on a lively note, Bowlegged Woman was the final song.

It was indeed a night of timeless music. You had to be there to experience the fun and magic of time travelling with Pokey LaFarge and his ace band.  

Pokey LaFarge Set List

1. The Angel Of Flowers
2. Close The Door
3. Goodbye Barcelona
4. All Night Long
5. Sweet Potato Blues
6. Cairo Illinois
7. Riverboat Shuffle
8. Hard Times Come & Go
9. Kentucky Mae
10. The Good Lord Giveth
11. Central Time
12. When Did You Leave Heaven
13. Fan It
14. La La Blues
15. Window Faces South
16. In The Graveyard Now (also known as In The Jailhouse Now)

Encore

1. Josephine
2. Show Me The Way To Go Home
3. Bowlegged Woman

Check out this video of Pokey Lafarge performing Central Time

Super Saturday – Melbourne Racing Autumn Carnival Finale

Fiorente contests the Group 1 Australian Cup this weekend

It’s not really the finale of Group 1 racing in Melbourne, as the Group 1 William Reid Stakes will be run on 21 March, but Flemington’s autumn carnival of racing culminates on Saturday.

Three Group 1 races are on the cards this weekend, two at Flemington and one at Warwick Farm in Sydney.  The Australian Cup and the Newmarket Handicap feature in Melbourne, and both have attracted really top notch fields and mouth watering competitions between the top runners.

In the Newmarket Handicap, a sprint over 1200 metres, we have class sprinters like Moment of Change, Samaready,  Shamexpress Lankan Rupee and Knoydart, so how do you choose between them? I’d really like Samaready to win and she does have a good chance to do so at her favoured distance of 1200 metres. Can Moment of Change keep his Group 1 winning streak intact? And who can beat Lankan Rupee, currently in top form and the winner of his last four starts. Shamexpress won the Newmarket last year as a three year old, but carries considerably more weight this year. He ran a close second to Snitzerland in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at his last outing and she is not running on this occasion.

The Australian Cup has the very classy Fiorente, who won the Peter Young Stakes first up a fortnight ago, up against new gun Shamus Award, who proved his class last week in the Australian Guineas.  Shamus Award has a weight advantage (54.5kg vs 59kg) and if he can assume and maintain the lead will be very hard to catch. He defeated Fiorente in the Cox Plate last year, doing just that. I doubt that he will be able to get away with it on Saturday, the other jockeys now being aware of his winning tactics.  However, fellow three year old Thunder Fantasy also backing up in this, could be a good chance also, not being all that far away in his last few races. Last year, three year olds Fiveandahalfstar and Super Cool fought out the finish with Super Cool  proving the victor on that occasion

One runner that interests me is Voleuse de Coeurs, the Irish mare who came over here for the Melbourne Cup and was bought by Australian interests to continue racing here. She won the Irish St Leger by 6 lengths, a month or so before she arrived on these shores. She’s obviously an excellent staying mare, so I’m really keen to see how she goes in the Australian Cup. As it’s run over 2000 metres, it might be a bit short for her as her wins have all been over 2600 metres.

The support card at Flemington boasts three Group 2, and two Group 3 races as well as the features, so it’s quality racing all round, though I’m not going to preview any of them here. And as mentioned previously, Living Legends Efficient and Zipping will be parading throughout the afternoon.

In Sydney at Warwick Farm, It’s A Dundeel will be kicking off his autumn campaign in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes, a race over 1600 metres.  A small field of  8 runners will be competing for the prize, and include Boban who has been a tad disappointing so far this season, his stable mates Hawkspur and Moriarty and Gai Waterhouse trained three year old Order of the Sun. I’ll be cheering for the super little stallion It’s A Dundeel.

The support card at Warwick Farm is just as good, if not better than that in Melbourne, though it seems the races will be run on a slow to heavy track, after a big storm passed through Sydney the other day and showers are expected to continue into the weekend. 

The Group 3 Wiggle Stakes is one race I will endeavour to watch from Flemington.  It has my favourite mare Catkins up against Dear Demi who is resuming after a break. Catkins can handle heavy tracks and already has one win under her belt since resuming. Dear Demi  has won on heavy going, but she has never won first up.  Others in with a chance are Miss Stellabelle, Fire Up Fifi and She’s Clean

Melbourne weather continues fine, so the track at Flemington will be good.

As this is the last race meeting I will be attending for a while, I’ll try and vary my blog posts a little from now on. It’s Music Festival season, and even if I am not attending either the Port Fairy or Brunswick Music Festivals, I do have some live musical treats coming my way.

Next Wednesday I’m really looking forward to seeing Americana artist Pokey LaFarge who plays my kind of music – country blues, western swing – in his own unique style. He’s on at The Corner Hotel.

And at the end of March I have a ticket to the Rolling Stones at Rod Laver Arena. I last saw the Stones back in 1995 at the MCG on their Voodoo Lounge tour. The Rolling Stones have always been my favourite rock ‘n roll band, and even if they are somewhat elderly these days, I’m sure they’ll still pack a punch. I have a pretty good seat in the lower tier and hope to get photos of Mick & Keef et al in action.

In April I’m off to see Tift Merritt and Jason Isbell at the Northcote Social Club. Should be a great show. I’ve seen Jason Isbell twice before, but this is Tift Merritt’s first Australian tour.