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(Note:
If you are in a crowded club, and you need to get through
massive amounts of people, I don't care how many
times you have to say it in an evening, if you cause
someone to have to move or you rub up against them, say
"excuse me"!! And if you're carrying a cigarette -
don't walk through the crowd until you're
done! I, of course, am the first to
"ssshh" people in theaters, and last night, I
said "No, really, excuse ME!" to about 15 people throughout
the night!! Some were too drunk to notice. Some turned,
embarrassed, and said "I'm sorry... excuse me" and smiled.)
OKAY...
so... Once again, I managed to survive while holding
up my wall on a crowded night at Linneman's!! Thanks to the
Riverwest Pub Crawl, along with corned beef and cabbage in
the back, the place was pretty crowded for St. Patty's Day
and to see Frogwater. I'd seen Frogwater once at the
Dubliner (yes, I know... I need to add the
Dub to my list!), but how I came to see them for the
first time was pure luck, I think. I'd first
seen Tom, the mandolin player, sit in on a set with the
Headless Chickens at the Nomad.
With suitcoat and hat on, Tom looked like someone pulled
from the 1940s -- he didn't quite fit with the 3 younger
guys in that band. He did fit right in muiscally, however.
They were great!! Rockabilly meets folk, mixing in
mandolin... Never saw the Headless Chickens after that. :o(
shame. They've probably changed their name, or moved on.
(I didn't know it at the time, but Tom's performing
with them was purely imprompt.) A couple of months later, at
an after Christmas bash at Shank Hall, I saw Tom -
Milwaukee's mandolin playing "icon" - once again sitting in
with Willy Porter. A couple months after that, I saw
Tom while out at the Dubliner, and approached him telling
him I'd seen him perform at those various gigs, and he
laughed at the luck that I was at 2 gigs that
apparently weren't with his "normal" band. He gave me a
couple fliers for Frogwater and the Milwaukee Mandolin
Orchestra.
The
post-Christmas show was also the first time I'd ever heard
L'il Rev. I'll admit, as I stood next to "my wall" at
Linneman's, my head leaned up against a framed article about
L'il Rev announcing a past show he played at Linneman's and
I must have read it about 3 times, so it's hard to not
"borrow" the essense of it. Simply put, Rev is one of
those people who, when he performs, you're blown away by not
only how talented he is - there is no end to that! - but by
how "natural" he is. He has a boyish face, a casual look,
and again, with the hat on, looks as if he, too, was pulled
forward in time from the 1940s. The article called him an
"old soul," which is exactly how it feels to watch him
play.
A celtic
band on St. Patty's Day, Frogwater were playing since noon!!
(check the schedule on the web site) They didn't start until
10:30. You'd think that by this time they'd be too exhausted
to work up much energy. Susan, the "fiddle" player, even
stated "you're watching zombies on stage here, folks!" And
yet... these zombies blew the crowd away!! Before Rev
arrived (a string of car trouble that day, they said), Susan
- the fiddle player - was blowing the crowd away!! I can't
begin to tell you how incredible she is to watch play. One
of the most amazing "fiddle" players I've ever seen (and my
step-sister is in a Celtic band as well), her style,
technique, energy, and obvious enthusiasm and love for the
music just poured out. She would do a little dance, a quick
Irish "kick," etc... Soon after they started, L'il Rev
arrived, and soon the crowd was led in a number of Irish
sing-alongs lead by Rev... He sang, played banjo, guitar,
recorder, and at various point strapped on his belt which
held various types of harmonicas (dare I say "mouth
organs"?). Mark, the guitar player, had some truly shining
moments, too (when Susan wasn't playing her heart out, or
Rev singing... :-) ) Most notably, the tune in which he
played banjo. (The crowd was urged to urge Mark play banjo -
I think he would have anyway.) Oddly enough, while it added
so much to the overall sound of the band, Tom on the
mandolin played, for the most part, unassumingly on the
side, interjecting the occasional bit of comedy between
songs.
By the
middle of the 2nd set (yes... the "zombies" played their
hearts out, with two encores, until 1:30), there was dancing
in the middle of the small club, and most everyone was
stomping or clapping (or both) to the beat of the songs, or
raising their shot glasses in tribute to the Irish!! :-) You
really couldn't help yourself!! It was really such a great
show, and the Celtic music is so "happy" that it made me
forgive all those idiots who didn't bother to say excuse me!
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