Music

I’m pretty sure that singer-songwriter Ryan Adams is my adolescent son’s soulmate.

No, no. Wait. I have evidence.

• He came onstage at Red Butte last night wearing the same Heavy Metal Shop tee shirt my kid has.
• Both have a bit of a reputation for their child-like tantrums.
• I don’t think either of them have brushed their hair in days. Maybe weeks. 
• Adams made a lot of booger jokes and one fart joke last night—and my kid is all about fart and booger jokes. Because he’s 12.

Okay. So I’m exaggerating a little, but here’s another thing the singer-songwriter and my kid have in common: youthful exuberance. In fact, when Adams took to the stage at Red Butte last night in front of a sold-out and enthusiastic crowd, his centered and enthusiastic energy was infectious (maybe that’s thanks to the personal bonsai tree he kept in front of him all night).

Starting with “Trouble,” Adams’ setlist was full of favorites, spanning the length of his solo career (still no Whiskeytown for this long-time fan, sadly), but most notably, the songs were longer, turning into an almost Grateful Dead-ish concert full of long jams with Adams’ band, The Shining. This band, one he’s toured with for a couple of years now, make big sounds and make the effort that goes into creating them seem easy, not unlike their frontman. Adams spent lots of time moving around the stage and shredding his guitar from lots of different positions, including the classic rock-star-on-knees-with-arched-back yoga position.

There seem to be very few casual Ryan Adams fans in Salt Lake. Members of the crowd last night are among the ones who have been following him from the beginning of his career. They pay attention to set lists and pick up on the nuances of songs on the docket and the significance of those left off. They sing along and they watch in rapt attention when his band riffs at the end of a song in spectacular fashion, as they did during a truly incredible “Magnolia Mountain.” But, I think for fans, new and old, the stand-out moment of the night was when he brought opener Amanda Shires onstage to sing “Sweet Carolina” with him—her role, the one Emmylou Harris played in the studio version of that song—resulting in a beautiful rendition of a heartbreaking song.

Adams’ banter, though less plentiful than it was a year ago, still engaged the audience through the show. Because here’s the thing, Ryan Adams is a genuinely funny guy. And it’s not just booger jokes and fart jokes and jokes about an audience member looking at the stage like the band looks at the “good stuff” in their tour bus refrigerator (you really had to be there). He lead the crowd in a “freakout countdown” for two members of the crowd whom he said were “losing their (expletive)” and sang a little ditty about our fair city he called, according to a setlist published on his Instagram account, “Another Beautiful Goddamn Night In SLC, it even referenced an infamously bad show here several years ago—I think, and not the excellent show last year at Red Butte—with lyrics, “I’m so glad it’s not the last show, that was shitty. So glad the moon is out in Salt Lake City… I’m wearing my Heavy Metal Shop t-shirt, feeling good, just another beautiful goddamn night in Salt Lake City,” and he handed out tee shirts to the crowd, calling out folks in the front for their positive concert behavior. A change from the Ryan Adams who used to storm off-stage if the audience was too loud.

And so, Ryan Adams has grown as an artist and entertainer. And he he has grown up. It was fitting still, at the end of the night, that he closed (without an encore, ““This is our fake encore,” he said, “I normally would’ve left right now, but I’ll just stand here.”) with “Come Pick Me Up,” a great song, but a tale of immature love gone wrong. After all, there really were a lot of booger jokes.

Sunday night may have been a perfect night at Red Butte. The weather was lovely and turned into a crisp late summer chill as the sun set, the sunset was beautiful (thanks, inversion) and there were two safe (and sold-out) acts on the stage who were too polished to seem genuine, despite their considerable talents.

Everything old is new again—even in music. There is no doubt that vintage sounds are making a comeback—for proof look no further than Alabama Shakes, Leon Bridges, Vintage Trouble, etc. Lake Street Dive is no exception. The band, who met at one of the best music schools in the country, are a well-oiled machine. And their crowd, younger and hipper than many Red Butte Shows, ate up every minute of it.

Lead singer Rachel Price’s voice is a powerhouse, there’s no doubt about that. And, she’s beautiful. And she wails. She growls. She carries the band with her vocals—and this is a good band. Her vocals are tremendous, but that Broadway classical training comes through as a bit too perfect.

At no point in the night was her range and perfection more obvious than during the encore, a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”—she’s not Freddie Mercury good, no one is—but girlfriend delivered the best cover of the classic that I’ve ever heard.

Speaking of encore: Here’s a first, opening act and singer-of-sad-songs Gregory Alan Isakov played an encore AS THE OPENER. I have never seen such a thing before.

In fairness to Isakov, he’s just come off a headlining tour, and he’s a local favorite in Salt Lake. He had a small but committed group of fans, most of whom sported tattoos and handlebar mustaches, gathered near the stage for his entire set. But still, opening acts don’t do encores. It was cocky and seemed out of place with his humble guy schtick.

In all truthfulness, Isakov shouldn’t be opening for anyone—and certainly not the peppy, upbeat Lake Street Dive. But, the one thing the  headliners, Isakov had in common was that they both seemed a little too perfect and comfortable in their roles.

On Thursday evening, Red Butte was treated to a virtuoso performance of Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez by guitar maestro Pablo Villegas.

It was a strange night at Red Butte, where a small but enthusiastic crowd had plenty of space to spread out and crack open their picnic baskets. The lady next to me had brought what appeared to be a small banquet, served on compact table complete with a tablecloth. “Ok, where’s the vodka?” asked one of her group as she handed out the ringed cloth napkins—Red Butte definitely makes for better people watching than Abravanel Hall.

In contrast to their audience, the symphony orchestra were positively cramped for space on the Red Butte stage as associate conductor Rei Hotoda lead them through a performance of Dvorak’s classical overture to kick off proceedings.

The charismatic Pablo Villegas then made his entrance for his debut performance in Utah and spoke at length to the crowd about the music he was about to play and why it’s so important to him. He explained that the music is about a conversation between a man who has recently lost an infant and god, with the guitar representing the man and the response from god being channeled through the orchestra. Heavy stuff indeed and, to my right in preparation for this intense musical journal, more vodka was opened at the banqueting table.

Rei Hotoda told us that she considers the second movement of Aranjeuz’s 1939 masterpiece to be one of the most beautiful pieces of music she has ever conducted. It’s difficult to argue with that statement, as the performance by both Villegas and the orchestra was immaculate. The first and third movements are much lighter and draw on flamenco and folk influences, and Villegas was able to hold the audience in rapt attention. Although returning to the stage for two encores after the performance of Concierto de Aranjuez did seem like overkill, especially as the temperature had started to drop.

Once Hotoda was convinced that Villegas had finally and permanently exited the stage, an intermission was called. Although the already small crowd dwindled further as scores of folks headed out of the exit in response to the falling temperatures. The orchestra, now under patio heaters, reemerged post intermission to perform some Strauss, Smetana and Tchaikovsky.

The fairly sparse crowd was probably due to a combination of the cooler weather and the fairly expensive tickets. After all, there are biweekly opportunities to see the orchestra at Deer Valley. But overall a it was pleasant evening, despite the cooler weather later on.

To the best of my recollection, Ryan Adams has played Red Butte Garden twice. Once, in 2007—and it did not go well. And again last year—and it went really well.

I have been a fan of  Adam’s music since I first heard Whiskeytown’s Strangers Almanac—one of the best alt-country albums ever made. Adams started Whiskeytown with the angelic-voiced Caitlyn Cary, and though the band didn’t last long, their three albums are still on heavy-rotation at my house.

After Whiskeytown, Adams launched a solo career starting with the phenomenal Heartbreaker, but quickly became prolific and released albums at a manic pace—at the detriment of quality. But, he’s slowed down. He’s got a new band and a new outlook—maybe divorce made him grow up a little, that happens to the best of us. And did y’all hear the cover he did of an entire Tswift album? That could have gone really, terribly wrong, but I dare to say that his 1989 is better than hers.

Amanda Shires, who plays a mean fiddle, opens. Shires is married to singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, who I would not be at all surprised to see take the stage for a song or two on Monday night.

The show is sold-out, but you know the drill. Highly motivated buyers will find a way in or hike up the hill. Gates open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30.

The last time Lake Street Dive was in Salt Lake they played two sold-out The State Room shows on back-to-back nights. Now, almost exactly a year later, they’re playing a sold-out Red Butte Garden show.

What a difference a year (and a few days) makes. Lake Street Dive is on the fast-track to stardom now.

The group met in Boston, but take their name from a street of unsavory bars in lead singer Rachel Price’s home town of Minneapolis, MN. And they are gutsy, soulful and and also very, very white. (How white, you ask? Well, a member of calls himself McDuck. So, pretty, pretty white.)

And with a shout-out to the girl upright bass player (one of my favorite things in the world), it’s lead singer Rachel Price who carries the group with her vocals. Price has a performance style that’s part Billie Holiday-meets-Janice Joplin and part Broadway star. And the band’s sound is a contemporary-nostalgic one—think Dusty Springfield meets Alabama Shakes. I know, I know, this isn’t really making sense. But listen. Watch. And then come to Red Butte Sunday night (if you can score tickets) and see for yourself.

Lake Street Dive plays Red Butte on Sunday August 14. Doors open at 6, the show starts at 7. Local-favorite singer-songwriter and perpetual Salt Lake opening act Gregory Allen “Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride” Issakov opens.

Thursday evening presents a rare opportunity to enjoy the Utah Symphony in an outdoor setting, as associate conductor Rei Hotoda leads the orchestra in a program of light classics and audience favorites at Red Butte on Thursday evening.

The orchestra will also be joined by self-styled classical guitar hero Pablo Villegas, as he performs Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Rodrigo once said that his concerto, inspired by the gardens at Palacio Real de Aranjuez near Madrid, “is meant to sound like the hidden breeze that stirs the treetops in the parks” – which sounds ideally suited to a Red Butte show.

Other pieces that will feature on the two hour, plus intermission, program will include Carnival Overture by Dvorák, Emperor Waltzes by Strauss, The Moldau by Smetana, Tchaikovsky’s
 Symphony No. 6, and “Pathétique,” Movements II. and III.

The forecast for Thursday is a little cooler, so it promises to be a lovely evening at Red Butte in the company of a world-class orchestra, who hope to “transport your mind to another place and evoke the sounds of nature.” Given that tomorrow is the first night of the Perseid meteor shower, there could well be a spectacular visual backdrop for the show.

Doors at 7pm, program begins at 8pm. Tickets still available from Red Butte Garden’s website – $32 Garden & USUO Members / $37 General Public / $15 Youth/Child

Local Reggae band Makisi opened a highly-anticipated show with a solid 45-minute set of roots rockers, lover’s rock, and groovy ballads. The soulful baritone voiced lead singer and the well-rehearsed ensemble got the crowd dancing. A highlight was a nicely done cover of Third World’s “When Push Comes To Shove.” Their performance was spiked with quick transitions and segues in between tunes.

Steel Pulse came onstage to an already packed dance floor full of veteran, cheering fans. The eight piece band played the intro for the first song setting the mood for lead singer and songwriter David “Dread” Hinds to make a dramatic entrance on a fan favorite “Raid Blues Dance.” Fronting the band sans guitar, dancing and interacting with the audience and band, David got the energy up right off the bat.

Dread Hinds intermittently grabbed his guitar to skank thru a Steel Pulse aficionado’s wish list of tunes from a catalogue that goes back forty years. Classic songs “Your House,” “Ravers,” “King James Version,” “Roller Skates” and many others were flawlessly executed by the group with clever segues and dance hall “toasts” (Jamaican rapping) inserted into songs. Jerry “Saxman” Johnson quoted John Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things” during an extended solo on “Drug Squad”—which was a highlight of the instrumental prowess exhibited through the night. The  first few lines of “Star Spangled Banner” served as a clever introduction to “Rally Round the Flag,” and the unison choreography on stage kept the positive energy escalating.  David favored us with some top notch Blues harmonica playing on a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower,” which he dedicated to the memory of Jerry Garcia—noteworthy because it was the anniversary of Garcia’s passing. They closed the show with “Stepping Out,” another fan favorite that included some call-and-response audience participation.

The crowd took the irie vibe of the show home with them after a thoroughly entertaining hour and a half of the best Reggae has to offer. I found it well worth the admission for a world class band in an intimate venue.

Michael Franti is what my Wyoming born-and-bred father would call a damn hippie, but the crowd at Red Butte on Tuesday night seemed to think he was a damn likeable one.

Franti and his band Spearhead played to an eclectic audience that is unique to Utah – older folks, young families with children, and college kids looking for some fun. The crowd was jumping from the first notes of “Sound of Sunshine,” when dozens of beach balls were shot into the air by audience members. By the way, if you don’t like being constantly told to put your hands up or jump really high, a Michael Franti concert is not for you.
Lots of families with little kiddos flooded this concert, and Franti took advantage of that by having kids come up on stage during several songs to sing and dance with him.

“I love that here in Utah, families come together to listen to my music,” Franti said.

Part of Franti’s appeal is his willingness to immerse himself in the audience. He and his band members ventured into the crowd onto several occasions to perform about half the concert on small platforms. This meant that those audience members could join him on the mini-stages to sing and dance alongside the barefoot, tatted artist. Franti’s music is a mix of pop, techno, rap, funk and reggae. When he opts for an acoustic guitar, you can really see his talent, but most of the time his band takes over.

When Franti sang “We are all earthlings” things got a little too granola for me. Franti verges into reggae territory (he’s pretty much obligated because of his dreadlocks) but it comes across as reggae for really white people. I am a really white person, so I feel that I can make this judgment. There’s too much pop and not enough steel drums and pure vocals, but maybe that’s just his style. The crowd loved it. Franti’s “My Favorite Wine is Tequila” and “Good to be Alive Today” got the crowd moving their hips and singing along.

In between songs, Franti lamented the chaotic violence that has plagued the world in the past months. Franti said he is “uniquely informed” about social issues because of his diverse ethnic heritage and family. He called for love and acceptance to fight against hate. Some of his songs attempt to make those same statements about peace and social justice, but I feel that just as soon as he’s onto something, he backs off with lyrics about loving a girl or dancing in the sunshine. His music is catchy and definitely dance-worthy, but I was left wanting more of the in-between-songs Franti with his firm convictions and hope for the future.

The love for the earth and humanity – and possibly for herbal refreshment – was strong with Franti’s crowd. All around me, concertgoers had donned t-shirts with Franti’s mottos of “Love is my religion” and “Eat, sleep, hug, kiss, dance, change the world, repeat.” Several times in the night Franti urged the crowd to “give the people you love a big hug.” The crowd obeyed, sharing their love (and spilling their beer). He even got people to square-dance with their neighbors.

Franti and his band sang his rap/pop song “11:59” for an incredibly long time – long enough for the band to make it around the entire amphitheater several times. The number was split up by Franti’s Jamaican backup singer belting out some of Adele’s “Hello” and Franti’s tribute to Prince with “Purple Rain.” The medley went on forever, but it was still interesting, and he got more cute children involved, so good on him.

When he returned to the stage, Franti busted out upbeat hits like “We do this every day” and “Life sounds Like” to a crowd reaction of – you guessed it – more jumping.

One of Franti’s final numbers was his most well-known hit, “Say Hey (I Love You).” He brought a bunch of children on-stage and kind of sped through it. A little bit of a disappointment, considering that most of the crowd was sticking around for that song. Franti’s concerts definitely have a specific audience, and it looks like Red Butte just fit the bill.

“We are what have always been—a roots reggae band with a message of positivity for anyone who listens with their heart.” An apt description by David “Dread” Hinds, founding member and main song writer of the Grammy winning UK reggae ensemble Steel Pulse. The group formed in 1975 by a trio of school mates from Handsworth Wood Boys School in Birmingham, England. Home to a large number of post World War II Jamaican immigrants and several emerging Reggae artists including UB40 and Musical Youth, they were initially denied home town Caribbean venue gigs due to their Rastafarian religious beliefs. Soon they were touring with Punk Rock luminaries including the Stranglers, XTC, The Clash, and The Police, as well as established Reggae act Burning Spear.

The musical content combines hook laden catchy song writing, dance able grooves, tight arrangements and vocal harmonies, and highly conscious lyrics. Their live performances are an entertaining and uplifting ride through new and classic material from a deep catalogue. In my experience they never disappoint.

Local Reggae artist Makisi is opening the show.

Steel Pulse plays The Depot on Tuesday night. Tickets are still available $25 in advance through Smithtix or $30 day of show at the Depot’s box office after 5 pm. Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8 pm.

Grab your best red, gold and green tam, get feelin’ irie, and check out some  “Reggae Ragamuffin Rub-a-Dub” with one of the best.

Red Butte favorites  Trucks Band rolled into town on Sunday for the last night of their Wheels of Soul tour; they did not disappoint.

The sold out crowd were presented with almost four hours of quality live music, between the three acts. The north Mississippi Allstars and Los Lobos were billed as “rock ‘n soul” collaborators, and it truly was an evening of collaboration. Meaningful collaboration is, to some extent, dependent on mutual appreciation and the ability to place ego to one side, and, in that spirit, one of the outstanding themes of the evening was the complete lack of ego on the stage. 

The North Mississippi Allstars kicked things off for a well received 40-minute set, with Luther Dickinson on guitar and vocals clearly enjoying himself. There were guest appearances during the set from Tedeschi Trucks backup singer Alecia Chakour, David Hidalgo from Los Lobos and Derek Trucks himself, joining in on a 12-bar blues that segued into Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working.”

Then Los Lobos sauntered on stage fresh from their Saturday show at the State Room and proceeded to be brilliant. Opening with Evangeline and moving onto “Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes,” before being joined by the aforementioned Luther Dickinson for “Don’t Worry Baby.” You’re at an excellent show when you can see many people backstage watching the show and dancing during the opener.

Alecia Chakour reappeared to sing on a Steve Winwood cover, before Susan Tedeschi bounded on stage to give a stellar performance of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s going on?” Trucks reappeared for the next number, before the finale of “La Bamba” which also included Susan Tedeschi who, in the spirit of collaboration, was content to sing backup, with her own backup singers, for her opening act.

Then, the Tedeschi Trucks Band began their almost two-hour set with an a cappella number from the backup singers, before the band let rip with “Anyhow” and “Midnight in Harlem.“ Highlights from the set were the moments of collaboration. César Rosas from Los Lobos joined in for the straight up blues Hendrix number “The Sky Is Crying,” with Tedeschi pulling off an outrageous solo to remind us that her guitar is not just there for show. David Hidalgo was brought back out for “Learning To Live Together,” with he and Derek trading back and forth on the solos.

After a stellar performance of “Had To Cry Today,” a Blind Faith cover and the second song performed during the evening written by the perennially under-appreciated Steve Winwood, the main set closed with “Let Me Get By,” the title track of their Tedeschi Trucks’ latest album. The encore comprised of a soul version of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and a brilliant cover of “Let’s Go Get Stoned” from Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen album – they absolutely knocked the bollocks off it!

Derek Trucks is undoubtedly a world-class guitar player, and is recognized as such by his peers and critics. But what sets him apart from the few contemporary blues guitar players who are young and can play at his level, such as Joe Bonamassa and Gary Clark Jr, is that Trucks has paired himself, professionally and personally (they are married), with a truly exceptional vocalist in Susan Tedeschi.

When Derek Trucks lets loose with his Gibson SG guitar, it is a sound that few on the planet can replicate. It’s the same story when Susan Tedeschi opens her mouth to sing. When you see phenomenal guitar players who sing, such Bonamassa and Clark Jr, the show can often be disappointing to some degree as the incredible guitar playing writes checks that limited vocal ability simply can’t cash. There are exceptions of course, such as Buddy Guy whose vocals were astonishing at Red Butte earlier this summer; but the combination of Susan’s vocals and Derek’s guitar work is absolutely outstanding.

In summary, this was one of the best shows in terms of quality and, less importantly, value for money at Red Butte this summer. I’m sure most of those lucky enough to attend are hoping for a repeat performance in 2017.