News & Articles

Judy Collins playing the grand piano during one of her two weekend performances at the West Theatre. Photos by Jill Fisher.

After a month-long hiatus in the Southwest in May, during which I missed a slew of highly desired musical performances here (including all of Duluth Dylan Fest!) I returned in time to take in a couple outdoor concerts. 

The first was a benefit for Safe Bay (a CHUM initiative) at Vineyard Church on Arrowhead Road on Thursday, June 5. There I got to hear a few songs by Charlie Parr and Hannah Rey. 

The second was on Friday, June 6, at Earth Rider’s Festival Grounds. It was a fine, if somewhat cool and breezy, evening with Thor Leseman and his backup players, Mike Ballard on drums and Austin Korkowski on bass, opening for the Big Wu. 

It was so nice to be back in the Twin Ports for two of the first outdoor performances of the season. Of course I also missed Bent Paddle’s Festiversary on May 10, not to mention the long-awaited opening of the latest music venue, the Alhambra.

Arriving a bit early at Earth Rider gave the Curmudgeon and me the opportunity to enjoy some of Misisipi Mike’s Friday Primer gig at Cedar Lounge before the outdoor concert began. Then it was fun to see Thor in full voice singing (sometimes close to hollering) his own material. His band for this concert was called the Breadwinners. It seems the band’s name has changed with each concert they’ve played.

Thor Lesseman and The Breadwinners

Thor’s songs (he played 13 originals) have some interesting lyrics. The first was “Knight in Shining Armor” which could include “Not” in the title. Those I found most engaging were “My Place,” “Stay A While” and “Everybody’s Got Problems.” 

I especially appreciated his decent rendition of Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue,” not having heard much Dylan music recently. It appeared that the threesome had a good time on the Earth Rider stage, though there wasn’t much dancing happening; the crowd was a bit thin but grew as folks trickled in for the Big Wu performance. 

The Big Wu has developed quite a following and before its first number was finished the area in front of the stage had filled in with people bopping to the music. This was only the second time the C and I saw this band perform – the first was at a free concert produced by Rocky Wall Entertainment in Silver Bay last July. However, in the last couple years I’ve become a fan of two of its members, guitarist and vocalist Mark Joseph (and his band American Soul) and keyboardist Al Oikari. 

The Big Wu

As a result I had high expectations for this group, which also includes Chris Castino (guitar, vocals), Andy Miller (bass, vocals) and Terry VandeWalker (drums, vocals). With this many vocalists, one can certainly appreciate the harmonies they produce. And one would anticipate there would be significant variety with different players taking lead vocals. Yet this self-described jam band ends up playing very long tunes, resulting in less singing. 

After a few numbers, all the numbers started to sound the same to me, sorry to say.

But the big treat this past weekend was not one but two concerts by Judy Collins at the West Theatre. The first, on Saturday, June 7, was actually the second show to be booked given that the Sunday evening show sold out in record time. 

Since I had a telephone interview with her back on April 24, I had some idea of what was in store, at least with regards to which songs she would sing. As indicated she opened with her hit of Joni Mitchell’s composition “Both Sides Now,” performed “When I Was a Girl in Colorado” and closed with “Amazing Grace.” 

The one I found to be most surprising (and well done) was her cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust.”

Judy Collins with pianist Russell Walden

The first announcement she made when she came on stage was to label herself as the American Idol of 1956! 

At 86 years of age I wasn’t sure whether her voice would be what we’ve come to expect from her albums, but it was very pleasant to hear her pure, on-key vocals with that incredible range still intact, despite a cold she was suffering. 

Indeed, several of her numbers ended on extended clear high notes that warranted the extended applause she received. 

What was a complete surprise were the blue Mae West quotes, jokes, comedic stunts (taking a sip of some unknown liquid and flopping backwards as if drunk!) and sly political comments. 

Her 12-string guitar required a fair amount of tuning and she joked that sometimes it seemed necessary only due to poor hearing, finally giving up saying it was “close enough for folk music!” 
Both comments elicited laughter from the audience who could definitely relate. She noted how important laughter is for healing, which is helping her recover from the death of her husband, Louis Nelson, six months ago.

Besides the jokes she, like other older performers we’ve seen at The West, shared stories from her past about singers and celebrities she’s worked with, including Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen. 
She revealed her lusty reaction upon first seeing Cohen, who had come over to share his compositions with her: “Who cares if he has any good songs?”

Another aspect of the first night’s concert was the extent to which the audience was encouraged to sing along to her familiar tunes. The Curmudgeon commented that Pete (Seeger) would have been proud. 
On the other hand, a medley of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Country Roads” seemed to be a bit beneath her, though again folks were happy to sing along.

The original show booked for Sunday evening contained many of the same jokes (one was calling herself the Betty White of Folk Revival) and format, but with enough amendments, different stories and songs, to make it worthwhile seeing a repeat performance. 

For instance she opened with the Beatles’ song “Norwegian Wood” and substituted Joni Mitchell’s “River” for the Joan Baez number she sang the previous night. This latter ballad was set up by telling us of her first public performance as a three-year-old in which she was told to sing something she knew. Dutifully she sang “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” even though it was April! 

As she had said the previous evening, “like it or not you’re my grief group,” referring to dealing with her husband’s death and the need for laughter. 

In this show her selections included Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” which was quite nice, with the audience joining in on the choruses. She again graced us with her talent on the piano, performing “Since You Asked” from her breakout album Wildflowers and “Arizona” from her latest album Spellbound. 
But it was the oldie but goodie “Send In The Clowns” that showcased Collins at her best. She closed again with an acappella rendition of “Amazing Grace” with the audience singing along.

It was clear that she succeeded in her goal of “making people happy” based on the audience’s response. And she must have been satisfied too as she sent us off with the promise that she’s “gonna come back to Duluth.”

As for spending May out west, I had just a little time to explore what I hoped would be the music of that part of the world. Since I’ve visited Prescott, Arizona, numerous times through the years, I knew where to seek it out – primarily at the saloons lining that city’s “Whiskey Row.” 

There I discovered a sweet rockin’ indie pop band Joey Gutos playing at The Bird Cage. That band is based in Tempe, Arizona, and it was good to dance to! 

Down the street I happened into a line dancing class at Matt’s Saloon on a Thursday evening ,where country tunes were being spun for the choreographed steps. 

Later that week I heard the band Country Fusion at the same place. The setup there was interesting, with the band high above on a balcony overlooking the bar and huge dance floor. 

And talk about dancing! The place was filled couples doing western swing; all the guys in cowboy hats, the ladies dressed to the nines and everyone (except me) wearing cowboy boots! 

On my last Saturday evening there I got over to Whiskey River Tavern to hear several tunes by Trey Friddle, a down and dirty local country band. Then it was back to The Bird Cage to hear what is probably the best local band in Prescott, The Cheektones, named for its leader Don Cheek. 

On this occasion a really hot female guitarist, Llory McDonald, joined the band for several numbers. Wow, she was something!

When I ventured up to Jerome, Arizona, a place called The Spirit Room had a band playing on Saturday afternoon: The Fey. This Sedona-based band is a throwback to glam rock, with a female lead singer appropriately attired in a fairy costume. 

The lead guitarist is from Ireland and has been known for playing Irish folk songs from his earliest days in Dublin. I asked him why he wore a mask over half his face and he explained it was to distinguish himself from the Irish folk groups he sang with. 

On my way home with a stay-over in Grand Junction, Colorado, I had hoped to hear some more regionally-based country music if possible. Instead, the only gig I discovered was a gig by the band, Framing Red, from Jackson, Mississippi, of all places! They were pretty much a heavy metal band. So much for finding regional sounds during this travel outing! 

But my main take-away from such explorations is that the music scene here in the Twin Ports is as good as it gets.

And now here I am, back in my heart-home town looking forward to a summer jam packed with music in all the right places. 

I can’t wait to see what’s on offer at Bent Paddle, Glensheen’s Pier, Chester Bowl, Pier B Courtside, Superior’s Porch Fest and all the rest. 

I see that Big Wave Dave and the Ripples are playing this Friday, June 13, at Earth Rider’s Festival Grounds, together with Timothy Martin & the New Norms plus The Gemstones. See you there!