Saturday, August 29, 2015

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages at Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza, Worthington, Ohio August 28, 2015

     Sometime about 1987, I read a review of the album Ow! Ow! Ow! by Barrence Whitfield and the Savages in Rolling Stone magazine. My roommate at the time, Ricky Lee Allen, bought the album and we listened to it A LOT. We were captivated by the energy, the style, and retro sound. From that time until 2015, I have bought every Barrence Whitfield recording I could find. I have dreamed of seeing the band in concert but never had. I once almost skipped a rehearsal dinner in Boston to see Barrence and the band (almost). I have been to hundreds of shows in the last 5 years, how could I miss seeing these guys live? Well 2015 changed all that. I could write a short story about my first encounter with Barrence Whitfield and the Savages in the Over The Rhine district of Cincinnati in the Spring. Suffice it to say: it was epic. I talked to Barrence multiple times that day, he signed multiple CDs, posters, and a setlist, and he posed for my favorite selfie of all time. Oh, and the band was AMAZING live -- just like I had always hoped.


     I knew a new album was coming out, the terrific Under the Savage Sky and I was hoping they would come back to Ohio to play. I thought with the Savages drummer, Andy Jody, being from Cincinnati and the banding recently recording at Ultra Suede Studio in Cincinnati, the chances were good the band would return to Ohio for some more live shows. On Friday August 28th, 2015, I attended just such an event at Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza in Worthington, Ohio.
     VENUE: I really like this venue. They serve terrific coal fired pizza, have a good selection of adult beverages, they book some terrific musicians, and it is quite the intimate setting.
     When I arrived, I was headed for the entrance when I realized the man himself, Barry White (i.e. Barrence Whitfield) was standing right behind me. We talked for a few minutes, we discussed the show in Cincinnati with the Sonics, and Peter Greenberg (writer/guitarist for the band) walked up. Peter and I talked for a few minutes and as much as I hated to leave the presence of these awesome gentlemen, I felt I would lose my reserved table if I delayed my arrival at the front desk any longer. Once I checked in at the front, Barrence came in and as I waited to sit down, he and I talked some more about my Barrence Whitfield and the Savages t-shirt and the tour merchandise.
     HEADLINER: The band consists of Peter Greenberg on guitar, Phil Lenker on bass, Andy Jody on drums, Tom Quartulli on sax, and Barrence Whitfield on lead vocals. This is a really strong lineup. They play very, very well together and Barrence Whitfield's vocals are as strong as ever.
     The band played through a very strong, lively set of new and older material. Newer material off the recently released album fit right in with the older classics. Some of the highlights from the Under the Savage Sky album included "The Wolf Pack", "The Claw", "I'm A Full Grown Man", and (with an interesting story told beforehand) "Incarceration Casserole". We also got some great classics from the band: "Bip Bop Bip", "Georgia Slop", and "Walkin' With Barrence". Although the venue lends itself to sitting at a table to listen to the band, by late in the show the small space in front of the stage had quite a few people up and dancing to the songs. A very strong performance. I really like the new material.
MERCH: The band brought along two styles of t-shirt featuring the artwork from the new album, as well as CDs and vinyl from the latest two albums.
     As soon as the show ended, I asked Phil Lenker the bass player if I could have his (and one of only two I saw on stage) set list. He said yes (thanks!) and I was lucky enough to speak with each of the band members and they all signed the setlist. Peter Greenberg and I talked about his time away from the music industry, Barrence and I attempted another selfie (a poor job on my part as the flash did not want to cooperate), and I talked with Andy about living in Clifton and the upcoming MOTR show next Friday.
     Along with the Woodward Theater show in the Spring, these are two of my top 10 concert experiences. This band sure makes me happy! If you have not heard their music, put down what you are doing and check it out here right now. And if you have not seen them live, add that to your list of must-see shows. I am already planning the next time I will see them live!
MY RATING: I give this whole concert experience a 5 out of 5!

 Peter Greenberg, Andy Jody, Barrence Whitfield, Tom Quartulli, and Phil Lenker at Natalie's.

 Barrence Whitfield and the Savages.

Barrence belts out another great song! 

The new CD signed by Barrence and Peter, the setlist signed by the band, and the OTR selfie of Barrence and I now signed by Barrence. 

Thursday, April 2, 2015

CD102.5 Side A featuring Bleachers on March 28, 2015 at the LC Pavilion


     The beloved CD102.5 (previously CD101), the independent alternative radio station in Columbus, Ohio, is celebrating it's 25th anniversary. In Spring, they often put on shows featuring both established alternative and up-n-coming alternative artists. I was fortunate to attend the "Side A" indoor show on March 28, 2015 at the LC Pavilion. Note that George Ezra was originally in the line up but was replaced by Ms Mr as George and band were performing that evening on Saturday Night Live!
VENUE: As said before, I have seen many shows at the LC. This was a sold-out indoor show on a chilly Spring day.
OPENERS: We arrived in time to see Meg Myers set. Fierce and enjoyable! Big Data was next and had a very nice set. Ms Mr was on next and had an upbeat, move your feet set with a good sound. All three were enjoyable additions to the show.
HEADLINER: Bleachers have come on strong since their debut last year. Jack Antonoff, who had previously fronted Steel Train and being part of fun., founded the new group. Their hits "I Wanna Get Better" and "Rollercoaster" have been played on the radio and featured on TV ads. They play catchy, alternative rock with an anthemic sound. Being a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, it was hard not to notice the 1985-era sleeves-cut-off Springsteen-like shirt Mr. Antonoff wore.
     I am occasionally disappointed with radio-friendly bands in concert as the material may sound flat compared to the studio versions. This was in no way the case with Bleachers -- their material transitioned well to a live venue. 
     With just one album under their belts, the band played (I think) all of the album material. They played a lively, up-bear cover of "Go Your Own Way" that leaned more towards Lindsey Buckingham's  performances of the song than Fleetwood Macs. Quite an unexpected pleasure!
     Highlights included terrific versions of "Shadow", "Wild Heart", and "Like A River Runs". Both "Rollercoaster" and "I Wanna Get Better" had the crowd shouting along and rocking out. A really terrific show. Here's to looking forward to more material from these guys. 
My rating is three stars for the openers and four stars for Bleachers. Thanks bands! And thank you CD102.5!


Meg Myers

Meg Myers' band

Big Data

Big Data

MS MR

MS MR

Jack Antonoff of Bleachers

Jack Antonoff of Bleachers








Sunday, February 1, 2015

Jack White at the Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio on Saturday 1-31-15.


     I have been a fan of the White Stripes and Jack White throughout the twists and turns in his musical career. I was never fortunate enough to see the White Stripes in concert, but this show was the fourth time I have seen Jack White. The other three: an amazing show at the Scottish Rite facility in the Masonic Temple in Detroit a few years ago, an outdoor show at the LC here in Columbus a couple years back, then a festival headlining show at Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. I have really enjoyed each of these shows. Jack White puts on a tightly controlled, well played show.
VENUE: The concert was at the Value City Arena, Schottenstein Center. There were tickets still available right up until show time. And the upper deck was curtained off. The floor was general admission standing and was quite packed. I was seated in the lower bowl to the right of the stage.
OPENER: Chicano Batman is an East Los Angeles chicano-psychadelic rock band. These guys are accomplished musicians. Once in a while they seemed to get into quite a good groove. As I have seen Alabama Shakes and Shovels and Rope open up for Jack White, these guys were a disappointment.
HEADLINER: Jack White joined a drummer, bassist, keyboardist, violinist, and a multi-intrumentalist. The stage was bathed in blue light -- this has been on going stage theme this tour. Jack seemed to be at about 80% full voice. Jack's guitar work and the whole band are at the peak of their powers. Other than the typical off-color "squeak" of a miss on the guitar, every note was spot on.
     The set list was very good. Although there were times where the crowd lost interest and seemed to be waiting until they could hear something they recognized, there were some typical deep tracks and some hits. 
     Knowing that he was in "enemy territory", Jack White spoke to the crowd about playing at the Ohio State University being his "peace offering" from a Detroit native. 
     Highlights amongst the songs: "Icky Thump" as the opener, "Hotel Yorba" with some special instructions from Mr. White, "Sixteen Saltines", a sloppy "Fell In Love With A Girl", a different take on "We Are Going To Be Friends", and the closer of "Seven Nation Army", when Jack and band performed it well and Jack said "So you know this one?" to the happy crowd.
     A good show. Probably the weakest of the four shows I have seen, but Jack White and band put on quite a show. I give the show a 3 out of 5 stars.

 Chicano Batman.

 Jack White and his band.

 Jack White

 Jack White

 Jack White and his band.

 Jack White

 Jack White

Jack White

John Mellencamp and Carlene Carter Cash at Mershon Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio on January 30, 2015.

      This is the third time I have seen John Mellencamp. Each show has been very good. The first time was the Scarecrow tour at a stop in Cincinnati. The second was the No Better Than This tour stop in Columbus. This show was in support of Plain Spoken.
VENUE: The Mershon Auditorium at the Ohio State University is a terrific performance space with excellent site lines and really good acoustics. 
OPENER: The daughter of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Carlene Carter Cash has been performing for over 50 years. She is in terrific voice now and she sang her own songs, a Carter family song, a Johnny Cash song, and others. Carlene added some interesting stories in between the songs. Her current husband, Joe Green, joined her for two songs. I was happy with the performance and the opportunity to see her in concert.
HEADLINER: John Mellencamp has done a variety of styles over the years. His current band can play them all: the rockers, the acoustic songs, the alt-country, and everything in between. John was in good voice for this show. The band sounded terrific.
     Early in the show, there were some real highlights: "Minutes to Memories", "Small Town", and "Human Wheels". Then came an acoustic "Jack and Diane" that really sounded special and unique. Mid show brought Carlene Carter Cash out to sing with John Mellencamp on two songs on the play that Stephen King and John Mellencamp collaborated on. From there on, the show closed with a run of seven top-notch song performances: "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Paper in Fire", "If I Die Sudden", "Crumblin' Down", "Authority Song/Land of 1000 Dances" (wow! -- I kept wishing for a snippet of "Hang On Sloopy" though), "Pink Houses", and then a grooving "Cherry Bomb" that had the crowd up and dancing. 
     John Mellencamp has matured over the years. His voice, his writing, and his musicianship have all benefited. This show was an excellent example of someone who can play great versions of old and new material later in his touring lifetime. 
     My rating of the show is 4 out of 5 stars.

 Carlene Carter Cash.

 Joe Green and Carlene Carter Cash.

 John Mellencamp.

 Carlene and John.

 John Mellencamp.

John Mellencamp.

Bob Seger and the J. Geils Band at Nationwide Arena on 1-29-14.

     I have seen both of these bands in the past, but was looking forward to seeing both bands. I saw J. Geils at Hara Arena in Dayton on the Love Stinks Tour. An odd thing happened at that show: I left my seat to go to the restroom. I was walking down the concourse and was following right behind a man dressed with black with a big fro of hair. He certainly looked distinctive! I thought he looked like a rock 'n' roll musician. Once the J. Geils Band arrived on stage later, I realized that that gentleman was Magic Dick, the harmonica player for the band!
VENUE: Nationwide Arena was the location and was nearly a sell out. Good crowd!
OPENER: The J. Geils Band had long time singer Peter Wolf, harmonica player Magic Dick, and keyboardist Seth Justman along for this tour. The other musicians were very good. The band ran through many of their hits with high energy and a terrific sound. Top songs included "Looking For a Love", "Give It To Me", "House Party", "Love Stinks", "Must of Got Lost", and "Centerfold". A really good opener.
HEADLINER: Bob Seger is in his late 60s but has the energy and fire to put on a really good rock show. His voice has aged some but he still sounds quite good. And his band and back up singers really fill out the sound. Alto Reed, Bob's saxophone player for years, is still along for the ride. And the drummer was Don Brewer! He was the drummer for Grand Funk Railroad. He also wrote and sang their first big hit "We're An American Band".
     Bob hit all the highlights amongst his hits. And the new songs sounded right at home with the other songs. I was happy to hear "Like A Rock", which Mr, Seger stated he very rarely plays live. I always look forward to hearing "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" and this version was terrific. "Hollywood Nights" is always a high-energy concert favorite and this version did not disappoint. This has not been billed as a pre-retirement tour, but if it turns into that, Bob Seger and his band are going out on a high note!
     I rate this show 4 out of 5 stars.
 Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band.

 The J. Geils Band.

 Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band.

 Bob Seger and band.

 Bob Seger.

 Bob Seger.

 Bob Seger.

 Bob's guitarist from Columbus, Ohio (!) and Mr. Seger.

Bob Seger.