ON the Beat | Songs, Stories, Masses and Solos of Note

This edition of ON the Beat was originally emailed to subscribers on November 21, 2024. To receive Josef Woodard’s music newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

Singer-Songwriter-Story-Spinner Corner

Santa Barbara County’s music calendar has long cast light on the special musical species of the singer-songwriter with storytelling attached. The driving agenda is embedded in the very name of the now 23-year-old series “Tales from the Tavern,” bringing tasty sounds and between-song tale-spinning to the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez.

The most recent series wrapped up last week with a popular, the “western” singer and cowboy entertainer Dave Stamey, who packed the place and, according to series co-creator Ron Colon (who runs the machine with his sister Carole Ann), is also the best-seller on the series’ in-house record label. Stamey comes to work neatly-attired, in white shirt and tie, a vest and clean ‘n’ pressed jeans, and his songs are likewise neatly-crafted and catchy, well-stocked with wisdoms and witticisms. Last week’s set list included “The Purgatory Cantina,” “Buckaroo Man,” a singalong “They Call the Wind Mariah,” and his wistful, mortality-glimpsing waltz “For the Sake of the Moon.”

A few weeks back, another Tales veteran, Jeffrey Foucault, demonstrated his own impressive work and voice (“voice” as in a collection of interwoven talents — singer, writer, guitarist and vibe-maker) in a very different Santa Ynez Valley venue of note, Lost Chord Guitars. The intimate and invitingly warm and clear-toned room was launched by famed studio designer and guitarist Chris Pelonis — whose resume includes a key role in Jeff Bridges’ band — and his wife Kim back in 2019, as a dual personality high-style guitar store by day and performance venue by night. The latter personality has ramped up considerably in the post-pandemic days, making Lost Chord one of the area’s more enticing rooms suitably for sitting and listening up. And sipping on an adult beverage.

Lost Chord made for an ideal atmosphere for the special musical brew of Foucault and his hand-in-glove band — featuring young guitarist Erik Koskinen, whose opening set was ear-openingly fine. The Wisconsin-born and now New England–based artist drew on songs from The Universal Fire, number 15 in a discography going back to 2001, and an eagerly-awaited first album since pre-pandemic and drew us into his distinctive and rough/refined song world. Among the places he stopped in his setlist were the moody new “Monterey Rain” and “Des Moines,” a personal favorite, and not only because I popped out there. Foucault is welcome in these parts anytime.

After being in the dark for too long, I finally rubbed the fuzz out of my brain and got to hear what the fuss was about this guy John Craigie, whoseblend of insight and sly humor warmed up the Lobero Theatre last week (read Don Brubaker’s review soon). His job description is nailed by the singer-songwriter-storyteller moniker, but with the addition of left field comedian (comparisons to Mitch Hedberg follow him, along with nods to John Prine and Woody Guthrie). Craigie, whose work alongside locals Jack Johnson and Glen Phillips make him an honorary city key-holder, has released another juicy album, Pagan Church, but the tunes that struck deepest to this newbie were his uniquely poignant “Mallory” (about connecting with a deaf woman at a house concert) and his anthemic “I Am California,” closing the Lobero show in a bath of bittersweet waltz time bliss.

Saturday Night Fever, Mass and Blues Division

The Santa Barbara Master Chorale’s fall program qualified as an adventurous variation on choral tradition, bringing the fresh and invigorating sound of Argentine-retooled Mass tradition to the First Presbyterian Church over the weekend. SBMC, now a ripe 55 years deep, is currently led by director David Lozano Torres, who cooked up this “Vengan domingo” program — with the Argentinian-flavored liturgical works of Martin Palmeri’s Misa a Buena Aires (Misatango) — the ancient mass tradition meets tango — and Ariel Ramirez folk music-tinged Misa Criolla.

We were treated to the impressive vocal attributes of soprano Camila Lima and tenor Felipe Prado, along with tango-associated bandoneon playing by the masterful Korean Shinjoo Cho. Also in the mix, local hero Tony Ybarra’s ensemble, featuring the fine flutist Melody Collins. It was not, alas, your grandfather’s choral concert. A bouquet of kudos is deserved.

After the Masses on Saturday night, I raced over to catch the second set of the Santa Barbara Blues Society wingding at the Carrillo Rec Center, where Oakland-based soul-blues-spiritual singer Terrie Odabi was busy making a strong and impactful impression in her local debut. Fittingly, the religious spirit continued for this music-seeker, as she led her hot band through her version of the classic spiritual “Wade in the Water,” reminding the crowd that spirituals/gospel are a bedrock of the blues, R&B and virtually every facet of American pop music (the last point being my own).

After that opening, though, the powerhouse singer got down to feistier, danceable business (setting the Rec Center’s spring-loaded dance floor to jiggling) with steamy groove tunes and a closing “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by her “blues shero” Big Mama Thornton. She cleverly folds social commentary into her party-timing music, as well: “Doing Nothing Ain’t Enough” refers to her day job as a case worker in Oakland upset about the fate of homeless children, and her “Gentrification Blues” (from her album My Blue Soul) lives up to its title.

Here’s hoping this will be the first of many Santa Barbara visits from this blues/soul/gospel queen.

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Lee’s Licks, and Heart

Ever-tasty and never-hubristic guitar hero Albert Lee — who, for the record, lived briefly up around Painted Cave — made one of his periodic gig stops at SOhO on Sunday, and both thrilled and soothed a large happy crowd. Lee, well-known for his work with Emmylou Harris, rubbing elbows and licks with Eric Clapton and many other gigs, is now 80 and he delivered the supple guitar mastery we eagerly want, on Richard Thompson’s “Tear-Stained Letter” and the extended solo margins of his anthem “Country Boy at Heart.”

But, moving over to piano crooner mode, Lee also impressed with his sensitive piano man mode on tunes by Jimmy Webb, his old ally Rodney Crowell’s “Gain Control Again” and the touching Glen Campbell number “A Better Place.” Ending back in dust-kicking mode, Lee broke out his lick palette on rockabilly legend Johnny Burnett’s “Tear it Up.” Which he and his ripping fine band did handily.

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TO-DOINGS:

CAMA, responsible for the dazzling Philharmonic Baroque concert at the Granada last week, shifts locales this week to the Lobero, where CAMA’s chamber-sized “Masterseries” opens with the always-welcome violinist Anne Akiko Meyers (see storyhere). Coming off of double wins last week at the Latin Grammy awards (for her recording of Alberto Marquez’ Fandango with the L.A. Phil) Meyers, joined by pianist Fabrio Bidini, will offer up an enticing, mostly contemporary-yet-accessible program of Glass, Morton Lauridsen, Marquez, Corelli and more.