Continuing Saga of “Tales”
On many a Wednesday over the past 23 years, Santa Ynez’ cowboy-vibe-y Maverick Saloon has been duly transformed into a song culture palace. The transformation comes courtesy of the unique series known as “Tales from the Tavern,” bravely founded and helmed by siblings Ron and Carole Ann Colone, with the patronage and hearty support of various parties all over the Santa Ynez Valley. The series has become a rootsy musical pageantry and dress-as-you-are success story of an importance reaching far beyond county lines, and a fine model of how to celebrate rootsy music and yes, tale-spinning is also part of the performers’ recipe for success.
The current series opened with Paul Thorn and closes with Dave Stamey on November 13 (sold out, but wait list-enabled). Gazing at the list of past artists in the Tales series program book indexes a dizzying array of important musicians from the worlds of the singer-songwriter, Americana, recovered punksters, and vets of note, including Dave Alvin, Joan Baez, Rodney Crowell, Donovan, John Doe, Janis Ian, Chris Smither, Jimmy LaFave, and two of my favorites — Bonnie Prince Billy and Shelby Lynne. But a lot of the magic happens in the margins, with musician’s musicians and insider heroes — from the underdog world of what Peggie Jones, for many years the dogged head of the similar “Sings Like Hell” series at the Lobero, called music by “the best artists you’ve never heard of.”
Such an artist-deserving-wider-recognition — Robbie Fulks — settled into the Tales domain two weeks ago and duly bedazzled all aboard. I sheepishly confess to my ignorance of this unique artist, a strikingly fine guitarist in the country-bluegrass-new-folk modes and a strong singer whose songs are literate, twangy, and often hilarious. Consider me a convert.
Now 61, Fulks is a bespectacled, tall drink of wry wit and musical inspiration, and boasts a biography with a wandering but logical trajectory, from North Carolina to Greenwich Village to life as a Music Row staff songwriter in Nashville, and is now having his songs anointed by TV placements. He has also written about music and has enjoyed the company of some legendary musicians — such as certifiably hip jazz/new music/etcetera violinist Jenny Scheinman, who played with him at his 2022 Tales show.
His discography, 15 albums deep, most recently tapped his rich bluegrass cred on last year’s Bluegrass Vacation, from which he played “Old Time Music is Here to Stay” — with some badass banjo picking in tow. Fulks’s Tales show was speckled with wry between-song patter, tales from his own life — as in his anecdotal religious life yarn “Seventies Jesus” and the wistful saga of leaving the humble hometown for the outside world and opportunity, “Fare Thee Well, Carolina Gals.” He dipped into balladic poignancy with “The Buck Starts Here,” and socio-historical compassion worked in as well in “Alabama at Night.” “Bands,” a satirical ditty written during the pandemic lockdown, is a crazy-funny song — amplified by a crowd sing along — about the irritating obsession with trivial details of one’s old bands, including the yawn-some tales told by his plumber.
Early in the show, the ever-droll and self-effacing Fulks warned us, “I’ll be throwing out a lot of old-fashioned pop culture references, because I’m out of touch. I’m not that likable of a guy, so I’ll be foolin’ ya.” We were effectively fooled, and the evening’s final impression was that Fulks is very much in touch — with a cultural world of his own devising and reconstructing.
Kristofferson Echoes, Continued
Kris Kristofferson’s passing a few weeks back left a chasm on a hip side street of American musical culture, where inspired songwriters help create the collective unconscious bed of songs covered by many and massaging our memories. Of course, more than most famed songwriters, Kristofferson became a legend of his own multi-leveled making, involving his part-time status as an outlaw country artist, gruff-toned character singer, actor, activist, and Rhodes Scholar from his own school of cool.
I think back to one of the interviews I did with Kristofferson, then 80 and about to play the Lobero. He spoke fondly of Robert Altman’s masterful Nashville, an under-appreciated item in Kristofferson’s filmography, which led to the subject of the then recently released Crazy Heart, starring his friend (and Santa Barbaran) Jeff Bridges, whose protagonist bore a possible resemblance to Kristofferson in his wilder youth.
Kristofferson commented, “I remember thinking it looked like a drunken version of some of my history. I’ve always thought I looked like Jeff, or he looked like me, one or the other. That first film he did, Fat City, when I saw that, I thought he looked like my little brother. I’ve heard a lot of people say he was channeling me or something. I’d like to think that my life has been a little happier and more successful. But (music producer) T Bone (Burnett) and Jeff are old friends.”
Bridges’ friendly, grizzled charisma is also easily compared to Kristofferson, and when this flustered journalist bid adieu thusly:
Well, Jeff … I’m sorry, Kris, I don’t want to keep you.
Don’t call me Jeff anymore.
Sorry, that was a Freudian slip.
Unless when you talk to Jeff, you call him Kris … (laughs).
TO-DOINGS:
For those who haven’t had their party-timing fill by Halloween, head over to SOhO on Friday, November 1, for the special and fittingly named show known as “Zach Gillʻs Underground Dance Party Gift celebrating SOhO’s 30th Anniversary.” Say no more. Gill, whose musical life includes keyboardist/ally duties with Jack Johnson, and his own jam-alicious entity ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), is sure to summon up a surprising and dance-happy party gift come Friday.
The Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara is back in our faces and ears this weekend, and always a great reason to get out of the house. The ambitious ensemble founded and led by multi-instrumentalist and multi-idea-nurturing musician Adam Phillips has found a happy groove and a devoted audience for a season of carefully crafted concert programs around select themes. Following this season’s opening program of “Sounds of the Sixties!,” the upcoming thematic handle is “Fall Harvest,” to be unveiled in the inviting intimate ambiences of St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley church in Los Olivos, El Presidio Chapel, and Trinity Episcopal Church.
Folk music of a different flavor and geo-cultural nature are headed to Community Arts Workshop on Saturday night, with the arrival of Hawaiian artist of note Leokāne Pryor and slack key specialist Kimo West. John Lyle will also be on hand for a solo guitar set. The show, part of the local music-linked “4XSB Music Series,” is a co-presentation of CAW and S.B. Acoustic, responsible for ushering in a rich harvest of acoustic guitarists from far and wide into our town in the past several years.
