music reviews

Review of live performances - Richard Shindell at the Baldwin Station, Sykesville, MD, 01/24/08, by Jim Havard:

We went up last night to see Richard Shindell at Baldwin Station, a restaurant in a converted train station along the Patapsco River in Sykesville, MD -- a small 50s throw-back town west of Baltimore. Every time I drive down Main Street there, I immediately feel like I've time-traveled to a simpler time. We've seen him there 3 times, and about 15 or so times total within a two-hour drive of DC.

Ann and I arrived around 7:15, after taking the metro to my car at Eastern Market and driving about an hour up from DC. We sat at the bar and had a drink and by 7:30 we were brought in for our seating in the dining room (and concert venue). The room is very small and tight, with red brick walls, deep wood trim, stained-glass windows, several fairly formal looking dinning tables with chairs with high backs, and a small stage in the front left corner. We were placed facing the stage at the very front table, with a couple of guys in their early twenties, and a mom and dad with two young girls around 8 and 9. The girls, one in particular, chatted a lot with us about music and food. We had a great steak salad and then some oyster-filled pastries, some pheasant sausages with fennel, pecans and cranberry sauce, and a bottle of cotes du' rhone, and then a molten chocolate cake with ice cream and berries to end. We ate all this while we watched and listened to Richard 8 feet away.

Richard came on stage, looked out at the room of happy eaters and drinkers smiling up at him, and said "How did it come to be that I'm up here and you're down there?" He continues to like peforming in the vicinity of trains. Trains passed during two songs and he smiled each time. After one time he asked, is that an Amtrak line, or is it just freight? Before playing "Come on Clara" (a great song about a mule), he explained how he has been writing songs about more bizarre subjects of late. Someone asked him why. He went into a pretty long explanation -- most subjects have already been written about many times, often by Bob Dylan, who seemed to have tapped into a vein of songs and then taken them all for himself, leaving not much left. So, Richard is finding more and more remote subjects -- including a mule named Clara, a balloon man walking along a beach in Buenos Aires, and a juggler -- I'm really looking forward to his next album. Richard asked if anyone had ordered and received the live VT CD. I responded yes to both. Some people hadn't received it yet. Richard was most excellent as always, playing great new and old songs, and a cover or two, including Northbound 35, which I love. We were so close, we were hearing his guitar and voice directly, not through the speakers. The sound was very warm.

Afterwards, Richard was sitting at the bar near the door talking to a line of fans; we waived to him as we were leaving and he pointed at me and said "I know you . . . wait, let me guess . . . forestry right??" I explained it is the EPA and that we had sat at that bar 6 or 7 years earlier and talked about indigenous rights and EPA, and he had recommended a book called Ceremonial Time. He asked if I read it and I said "of course and it was great." After getting outside, excited that he had recognized and called to us, we went back in (under the pretense that Ann had left something). We sat at the bar, and Ann had a Makers Mark with my assistance, while we talked to the sous chef and waited for the crowd to clear. We talked with Richard for a few minutes about US politics, global warming and EPA and FEMA and then discussed the Juggler -- he said it will be on the next album (I believe he said the recording is already finished). He said he recognized Ann too. We each took our pictures with Richard on Ann's phone.
Set List:
Waiting for the Storm
Kenworth of My Dreams
A Summer Breeze, A Cotton Dress
Northbound 35
Are You Happy Now
Transit
Ballad of Mary Magdalene
Sitting on Top of the World
Intermission
The Hobo Song
Fishing
State of the Union
Last Fare of the Day
Come on Clara
Balloon Man
Parasol Ants
Hazel's House
There goes Mavis
Encore: Wisteria

Review of live performances - Richard Shindell at the Tractor Tavern, Ballard, WA, 11/19/00, by John Havard:

We saw Richard Shindell last night at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. The place is down toward the boat locks/fish ladder where the ship canal comes in from Puget Sound. We could walk there if we want (well, it'd be a 30 minute walk). 5 minute drive max. Anyhow, he was great. He played two ~45 minute sets. The crowd was good... about two hundred maybe, not too crowded but full... When he first came out, he was all business, no talking. Then he started adding some stories... he's a very funny guy. What a great songwriter though. And I've never seen someone use so many tunings; the guy is an intonation perfectionist on his guitar. And he is an incredibly clean guitar player. Excellent stuff. I bought Somewhere Near Patterson at the show. What's your favorite CD of his? (unit14 response: blue divide)

Anyway, thanks for the tip. I'll definitely see him when he come again. Two other guys are coming to the Tractor Tavern in the next 3 weeks that I should check out: James Keelaghan (the guy who wrote that "Cold Missouri Waters" tune on the CryCry Cry album (RS did a great version of that last night), and Greg Brown. You'd like the place: small, no frills, good beer.

Review of live performances - Richard Shindell and Peter Mulvey at the Ramshead, Annapolis, MD, 09/12/00, by James Havard:

Yes, I did go. It was very good. I went with Dan and Jen Brest. Kasia couldn't make it. Shindell is an extremely good songwriter, guitarist and singer. He said he was a bit tired because he had just come off a long plane ride and was boxed in by a very large sleeping man the whole time. I wonder where he had been; after looking at his web site I see he just moved to Buenos Aires -- that may be it. So, I'm not sure he was as on as he usually is, but I wouldn't really know. He sat down the whole time, but said that he usually stands. There was just one other musician with him -- a piano player (played accordion on a couple of songs). As you suggested, I focussed mostly on Shindell. I'd like to see him by himself for sure. The few times when it was just him playing (the first verse of some songs and one complete song), his great guitar work came through; also, I think he controls the dynamics more effectively when he's on his own, and his voice sounds best when its just the guitar. The piano player was pretty good -- a bit frilly for my taste though. Had some pretty impressive solos.

I only recognized one song -- "Are You Happy Now." I'd heard it on the radio, and you do it too, right? I was hoping he'd do "Blue Divide" (I know you do that one), but he didn't. Looking at his website to help me (since I don't really know his songs), along with "Are You Happy Now," he definitely did "The Next Best Western," "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen," and "The Kenworth of My Dreams." I think he also did "Beyond the Iron Gate" and "Confession." I will certainly go see him again!

The warm up act, Peter Mulvey, was good. He looked quite young. His lyrics were more aggressive than Shindell's I think. Seemed a bit arrogant (Shindell seemed anti-arrogant). But some of his songs were quite good. And he sings and plays guitar very well. He had one other guy with him who played guitar and some sort of short, high pitched guitar. I think it had 4 pegs. It may have been some sort of mandolin, but didn't look like one.

I'll send you the Mets tickets. They're coming back around I think.

Thanks for pushing the Shindell show! - Jim

Review of live performances - Richard Shindell at the Church of Gethsemene, Brooklyn, NY, 04/10/99, and Cry Cry Cry at the Palace Theatre, Stamford, CT, 04/18/99, by Thomas D. Havard:

Before continuing with the review below, I just want to mention that I have seen Richard Shindell perform several times since this review was written, and can safely call myself a huge fan, if not a groupie. He really is worth seeing. His studio albums don't quite capture the intimacy of his live show, but they are all full of great songs. My favorite is Blue Divide. On to the review:

On Saturday, April 10, 1999, I left Stamford destined for a day of good times in New York City. First stop was Aqueduct Race Track, also known as the Big A, also known as fluid central. It was Wood Memorial Day, the final N.Y. prep for 3 year olds on the way to the Kentucky Derby. I didn't cash a ticket all day, unfortunately, but I did witness the breaking of 2 track records. The more impressive of the 2 was Kelly Kip's running of 6 furlongs in 107 2/5, breaking his own record of the year before. A horse named Adonis took the Wood, so I assume he is bound for the Derby on May 1st. I won't be betting on him, which probably means he's got a good shot. I never met up with my friend Tim, but it turns out he was there.

What does all this have to do with Richard Shindell? Well, outside the track I picked up Linden Blvd., after some wrong turns, and drove west to Brooklyn, sun in my eyes the whole way, to the Church of Gethsemene, where Richard Shindell was giving a concert. A sign outside the church welcomed all to the protestant gathering place, although the concert was hosted by a Jewish organization I can't pronounce or spell. About 100 people were gathered in the small church when Richard took the stage, picked up his Martin guitar, and broke into his first song, something about inside the gates, or outside the gates, or something. It's on one of the 2 albums of his that I don't have yet but must get soon, because this guy is great. His voice, I believe in the baritone range, rings out beautifully, and with an unaffected truth that pretty much makes you pay attention. And the lyrics are worth paying attention to. Many of his songs tell stories, told in the first person by truck drivers, soldiers, immigration officials, women and men of past and present. Between songs while tuning, Richard talked about how the characters in the songs aren't him, and that he just makes stuff up. But his delivery is passionate and makes every song believable. And while singing these songs, his guitar is doing great things. He plays a lot of his songs with a capo on, fairly far up the neck, and the notes, sometimes hammered, have a high and lonesome sound that fits the songs and his voice perfectly. He played two 45 minute sets with a 15 minute break in the middle so that the audience could go downstairs and buy brownies, apple juice and other food items. Some of that folkie brownie food and talk can get a little nauseating, but the music was great. I recommend seeing him if you can. He actually lives in Valhalla, NY, the best town around by a dam site.

The following Sunday, April 18, 1999, I went with my cousin Mike, his wife Judy, and their friend Katia to the Palace Theatre, right here in Stamford, to see Cry Cry Cry. Corina stayed home and watched young Jack Havard while we went out for pints of guinness and then the show. I had never been inside the Palace before, and was surprised at how nicely renovated the interior was compared to its fairly seedy façade. Cry Cry Cry is sort of a folk supergroup consisting of Richard Shindell, Dar Williams, and Lucy Kaplansky, performing covers of songs written by some of their favorite songwriters, like Michael Stipe, Cliff Eberhardt, Johnny Cash, Fred Eaglesmith, Julie Miller, and some other people I forget or never knew. This was a harmony event, and a very worthwhile show. Dar Williams, probably the best known of the 3, seemed very honest in her delivery and wore a long purple dress in honor of her birthday. A fourth musician, Billy Masters, stayed behind and off to the side of the 3 main musicians, adding tasty backup on a variety of guitars and mandolin. One key, in my opinion, that makes this group work, besides obvious talent, is a lack of egos and anyone taking the spotlight away from the group as a whole. That said, Richard Shindell, while not trying to, still stole the show in my opinion. I highly recommend checking him out, with this group, by himself, or both ways.