Calley Bliss and Angie Gillis @ the Sapphire Room (Riverside Hotel) (5/25/13)

I would've liked to have attended this year's Ranch Fest, but I needed to stay around Boise this past weekend.  One of my oldest friends graduated from BSU, and no way in hell was I gonna miss his celebration party.  It worked out well overall: the party was fun times (the morning after, not as much), and the open spot in my Saturday schedule gave me the chance to check out this Idaho Songwriters Association show.

There were about thirty-five people in the Sapphire Room when I arrived.  The official count of the evening was ninety, a number that my own count bore out.  Very respectable.

Local musician Angie Gillis opened the show.  If you've seen her tending bar at the Red Room, you know that this is one smart, tough dame (got good taste in music too: I remember her putting on Exile On Main St. one night).  Anyway, I was glad to find that these qualities carried over into her music.  Her breathy vocals may have reminded some of my indie-centric brethren of Cat Power, but her plainspoken, no-bullsh*t lyrics were much closer to Loretta Lynn or Miranda Lambert.  And actually, her singing had plenty of spunk in it too: on one number, she adopted a nice, sarcastically girly screech to emphasize the middle finger that she was giving some guy stupid enough to tell her how a woman should behave.  Gillis came off as a little nervous--she had to turn away from the relatives sitting up front at one point--but her voice, words, solid country tunes and good sense of rhythm still earned some loud cheers and whistles from the crowd (and not just her family either).

Up next was Calley Bliss.  With her polished jazz-pop tunes and yearning, thoughtful lyrics, Bliss went down much smoother than Gillis did.  She had her share of piss and vinegar, though: she capped off her first set with a sweetly, sensibly strident anti-Monsanto number ("Let's bankrupt those suckers.").  The populist in me also appreciated the opening sing-along of U2's "MLK" (Bliss thoughtfully provided the lyrics on slips of paper) and the guest spots that she gave her music students (she wasn't just being nice; some of those kids could play).  But whatever your feelings about her politics, her vocals could not be denied.  Warm, strong, low and lustrous, Bliss's voice may not be the most beautiful that I've ever heard, but it's definitely in the ninetieth percentile.  Throughout, bassist Tom Jensen and pianist Dustin Wilson provided sensitive support.  It's just a shame that I found out about her so late--she'll be moving to New York soon.

You can find info on Calley Bliss on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Rich O'Hara, Martha Hopper and the Idaho Songwriters Association.  If you like what you've read and would like to help keep it going, click the yellow "Give" button and donate whatever you can.  Even $5 would help.

John Cazan, Coleman & Reed and Sam Lay @ the Gamekeeper Lounge (1/12/13)

Picking which shows to review on this blog can be hard sometimes.  Saturday night was a case in point: not only did Neurolux host its Sun Blood Stories/Iconoplasty/Phantahex bill, the Van Allen Belt/Hey V Kay/Dirty Moogs show at the Red Room seemed equally promising.  In the end, though, I opted for this Idaho Songwriters' Association gig, which featured three local acts I'd never encountered before.

The crowd numbered fifteen people when I got down to the Gamekeeper Lounge and stayed at about that number for the rest of the night.  Richard O'Hara, one of the two head organizers of the ISA, speculated that the Packers/49ers game sucked up most of the audience for this show.  He may have been right, although I imagine that the crappy weather and the plethora of other shows happening this same night were factors as well.

Local musician John Cazan opened the show.  My ears perked up when the emcee announced that Cazan had played gigs with the Coasters, the Drifters and Little Anthony and the Imperials.  For the most part, this set didn't let me down.  While some of his backing tracks tended a little towards the elevator-jazzy side, Cazan's smooth, finely aged croon went down nicely.  Even better, his fluid, elegant guitar soloing called to mind Nils Lofgren or maybe Stevie Ray Vaughan at his most lyrical ("Lenny," "Little Wing").  As a nice little bonus, the man sure did love dogs: he played two songs that were inspired by his pet pooches.

Michelle Coleman, Daniel Reed and Dominique Tardif from the local Americana group Shakin' Not Stirred played next.  Tardif's terse mandolin solos, Coleman's straight-ahead guitar strumming and Reed's sly basswork fell into such an easy, seemingly effortless groove that they made younger indie-folk groups sound insufferably tight-assed by comparison.  The same went for their insouciant between-song banter and lyrics about dancing outside naked in the middle of the night, neighbors be damned.  Their gorgeous three-part harmonies were no joke, however.  Neither was Coleman's loving, precisely crafted song about her father's passing.

Sam Lay closed out the night.  "You may be watching history tonight," the emcee told the crowd during his introduction.  I don't know about that, but Lay's breathy tenor, nimble strumming and soloing, well-crafted tunes and funny, self-deprecating banter all showed a maturity well beyond his seventeen years.  Show me a teenager who writes lyrics about living in a "gullible theocracy" and I'll show you a songwriter to keep an eye and ear on.  His dad played guitar and harmonica on one song, and local singer-songwriter Gayle Chapman chipped in with some keyboard and harmonies on another.  Lay's mom sat at the front and filmed part of the set.  She must be very proud.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.

The Idaho Songwriters Association Open Mic @ the Gamekeeper Lounge; The Thomas Paul Band @ Neurolux (12/18/12)

I wound up being much busier this night than I'd planned initially.  I'd already marked down the Matthew E. White/Thomas Paul show at Neurolux on my calendar when I caught wind of a show set up by the Idaho Songwriters Association.  I'd been eager to check out something by this organization for a while--they tap into a part of the music scene around these parts that doesn't seem to get as much attention as the younger bands do.  When I heard that folk legend Rosalie Sorrels was going to drop by and play a little, that clinched it.

I counted a little over forty people when I arrived at the Gamekeeper Lounge.  Unfortunately, Rosalie Sorrels didn't make it down: I overheard some folks saying that she got snowed in and couldn't make the drive to Boise.  That was too bad, but the eleven musicians that I did see didn't leave me with much reason to complain.

Musicians Who Played:

Steve Eaton--The ISA's head honcho kicked off the proceedings with a pretty decent song about loving your fellow man (he'd started thinking about it, he said, because of the school shooting in Connecticut).  He also talked about how he and other musicians had set up the ISA because they'd grown tired of trying to play over bar chatter.  That's something I can readily sympathize with (I've written more than once about wishing that audiences would stop talking during shows).

Bob Kohnke (with Don Cunningham)--This gentleman's strong, straight-ahead vocals, sly harmonica and sharp original blues tune went over very nicely.

Zack Tyr--I knew I was gonna like this guy when he said that he'd come down to see how many people he could piss off.  However, no one seemed offended by his uproarious put-down of Tim Tebow entitled "Jesus Loves Me Better Than He Loves You."  Quite the opposite, in fact.

Johnny Shoes--A last-minute addition to the list (someone else had signed up but hadn't shown up).  He played a pretty good Merle Haggard-esque original about the true holiday spirit (no b.s. commercialism, caring for the less fortunate, etc.).  Not sure what was up with the bandage on his left hand, though.  Hope it's okay.

Bill Rector--This gentleman's pleasantly jazzy tune and funny, oddball lyrics got some support from a whistle/mouth-trumpet solo courtesy of Steve Eaton.

Monelle Smith--With her warm, low voice, I'd have listened to this lady sing the menu.  Her driving, minor-key tune sounded much better than the menu, however.  It also added a nice touch of rock to the proceedings.

Casey Russell--He was most likely right: you probably won't hear his Christmas song about Santa Claus eating Viagra-laced cookies on the radio.  That made me even happier to hear it here.

Mike Cramer--In addition to running the soundboard for most of the time that I was there, this gentleman got to show off his rich, sonorous baritone and a smart, slightly off-kilter tune about a ladies' man going to seed.  Title: "Throwin' Noodles at a Wall."

Dave Starr--His sprechgesang sounded a little creaky, and his song about Kent State shooting victim Allison Krause could've used some trimming (though admittedly, most any song on this topic will probably sound prolix next to "Ohio").  Still, you had to give the man points for having his heart in the right place.

Lee Penn Sky--I've known about this guy for a while, and I'm glad that I finally get a chance to write a little about him.  His rich, soulful baritone, clipped strumming, Dylanesque harmonica and greedhead-bashing lyrics went over very well indeed.

Pat Folkner--Before he played, I overheard Lee Penn Sky insisting that he did NOT want to follow this lady.  A wise move: Folkner's tender, gorgeous voice and detailed, devastating Civil War-themed ballad could've put Joan Baez to shame.  Truly stunning.

Tim Swanson (with Lou Armstrong)--Poor guy: his first time out here and he had to follow Pat Folkner.  He managed just fine, though, with his catchy number about kissing off an ex.  Lou Armstrong's slick fills and soloing helped too.

Kristina Liming--She was pretty nervous--in addition to playing her first gig ever, she was playing her first song ever.  However, between her smart lyrics, memorable melody and breathy, quietly aching singing, she acquitted herself in fine style.  Hope she keeps it up.

Wilson Roberts--This gentleman has been around for a while--he and Steve Eaton chatted about playing gigs together for twenty-five years.  It surprised me, then, that I hadn't heard his ultra-catchy tune about a good woman's love giving him strength a million times before.  Damn impressive.

Part of me wanted to stay longer, but I'd made arrangements to see the Neurolux show and didn't want to miss it.  I'd found out earlier in the day that Matthew E. White had cancelled, but Thomas Paul was the man I really wanted to see anyway.  Paul's solo acoustic version of "Waiting for the Miracle" at the Record Exchange's Leonard Cohen Birthday Bash had blown me away, and I wanted to check him out with a full band.

I counted about sixteen or seventeen people when I got there.  The crowd would build to a respectable enough thirty-plus by the time that the Thomas Paul Band played their second set.  A big chunk of the audience seemed to be there to support Thomas Paul's bassist, Bob Nagel.  Use your friends wisely, that's what I always say.

The Thomas Paul Band took the stage around 9 pm.  Between Bob Nagel's fluid, Claypool-worthy basslines (the man was wearing a Primus shirt), Louis McFarland's muscular drumming and his own clean, wiry guitar and thoughtful, soulful croon, Paul sounded as impressive with a band as he did solo.  They powered through two sets--the second of which featured Boise Philarmonic flutist Jeffrey Barker and was broadcast on Radio Boise--with a winning mix of jazz, blues, funk and country.  The crowd spent most of both sets in their seats, but they cheered warmly.  Pretty good stuff.  Definitely wouldn't mind seeing this group again.

You can find info on the Thomas Paul Band and the Idaho Songwriters Association on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Radio Boise.