Reviews

Artist:Gateshead Americana Festival
Venue:The Sage
Town:Gateshead
Date:25-26/07/09
Website:http://www.jumpinhot.com/

Sunday

I was told by my friend that The Midnight Ramblers did a great set outside and had everyone tapping their toes, so it was a shame I missed that one.

Paul Lamb and Johnny Dickinson were on stage as I returned outside to join my friend but finding them far too bluesy for either of our tastes we headed back inside to the Americana Lounge where the special guests were Mother’s Ruin and Diana Jones. Each performed a few songs, which allowed my friend to hear them and me to hear some songs not played in Hall 2. Diana even opened it up to requests.

I stopped to speak to Diana,who proved to be a lovely lady indeed, then wandered back outside to check out Hank Wangford, the final performer outside. Having heard many people rave about him I was looking forward to seeing his set. He has a great sense of humour and a great backing band. Whilst not particularly to my taste, others seemed to enjoy his set.

I was a little disappointed that Devon Sproule with woodpigeon was in Hall 2 Sunday evening but was looking forward to my selection - The Flatlanders plus Rodney Crowell, ironic since the last time I saw him was in All Saint’s Church, 300 yards, as the crow flies, across the River Tyne.

Rodney came on stage and the wonderful surprise was that Will Kimbrough was playing with him. Having seen Will a couple of times with Rodney and a few times with Kate Campbell, that was exciting. He was also backed by an Australian musician called Jedd Hughes.

Launching straight into The Rise and Fall of Intelligent Design, where Rodney speculates on what it is to be a woman, Moving Work of Art and Earthbound, the latter of which was accompanied by a great story, aswell as some great guitar riffs from Will and Jeff, he then slowed the pace right down for Ridin’ Out the Storm. He has often been called ‘The Storyteller’ and as he tells this true story of a man he met, I think it is clear to see why. this is one of his finest efforts as a songwriter expecially when followed with the haunting Til I can Gain Control Again, (which Texas singer songwriter Kimmie Rhodes loves so much she recorded it.)

Following this, Rodney, acknowledging the talent sharing the stage with him, handed over to Will Kimbrough and stepped aside while he performed a great solo song, Jedd accompanying him on guitar. They then switched so Jedd took centre stage. His voice at times reminded me of Bryan White, though I found myself distracted watching Will’s guitar work.

Rodney resumed his place and took us through a gospel song he wrote at his mum’s insistence, 11 years after her death, and then slowed the pace for Closer to Heaven. He then told us the story of twins he knew growing up, one of whom was HIV positive. This inspired two songs which Rodney always plays back to back, one from the perspective of each brother; I Wish It Would Rain and Wanderin’ Boy.

However, the unchallenged highlight of Rodney’s set was I Walk The Line (Revisited) originally released on the 2001 album The Houston Kid, with the Man in Black himself singing the chorus. Will Kimbrough did a more than respectable job of filling Cash's shoes in this role on the night. Rodney Crowell prefaced this song with an amusing story about Johnny Cash. It involved his first meeting with the man when he was first engaged to his eldest daughter Rosanne Cash. Unimpressed with a remark made by Rodney, who thought he had great gravitas, Cash dismissed him with the words "I don't know you well enough to miss you when you leave" Rodney smiled and said ‘Now that is gravitas!’ Will does a great Johnny Cash for the chorus and all three trading guitar riffs made for a great song to end the set, leaving those new to those on stage in no doubt that they had just experienced something far more than an opening act; absolute talent.

After a break, The Flatlanders, aka, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, all Texas legends in their own right, took to the stage to huge applause. Cards on the table, I really didn’t know what I would make of this performance, but suffice it to say it was one of the best shows I’ve seen. It also strikes me as being testament to what The Sage has achieved in its five years that this was one of only two performances by the Flatlanders in England, the other being the Barbican in London.

All three hail from Lubbock, Texas, home also to Waylon Jennings, Kimmie Rhodes, Natalie Mains and of course Buddy Holly. Rumour has it that their first recordings were instigated by Buddy Holly’s father. Three decades later they were brought back together by a call from Robert Redford asking if they could give him a song for his movie The Horse Whisperer, and the rest as they say, is history.

Launching straight into their first three songs, they seemed to not pause for breath between. Then Joe Ely introduced them before Jimmie Dale Gilmore took the vocal lead on the next song, reminding me almost uncannily of Willie Nelson. It was immediately obvious that all three have great voices and when you put those three voices together the band becomes greater than the sum of its parts, as it were.

Trading lead vocals all night, they took us on a musical journey to Texas, telling us stories as well as playing music. Those of us who have been to Texas surely found ourselves reminiscing and those who haven’t must have been left longing to see it for themselves.

The way we Are, penned by Jimmie Dale’s son, Colin, was followed by If I Were a Bluebird. Sharing stories of the days when they all shared a house in Lubbock, where ‘there was always someone awake and someone asleep’ Ely told us that Butch brought this song to the breakfast table one day and they’ve been playing it ever since. Dallas followed, along with some incredible riff trading between the three men and their lead guitarist, demonstrating they have a talented band backing them. The pure joy of watching this all take place is that it is searingly obvious what tonight is all about for all on stage. It is about playing music for the sheer love of playing music and the love of entertaining people with that music. It is on rare nights such as this when the audience feels at one with the artists on stage and it really becomes a shared experience about more than just watching them perform, about people from different places, being united by a common love, music.

After what felt like no time at all, they were taking their leave of the stage. At this point something happened that I have never seen before – every single person in the stalls, spontaneously stood in standing ovation.

Clearly nobody was letting them leave without an encore so they came back quipping ‘I’m sure we know a couple more songs...’ Ely's take of Terry Allen's Gimme a Ride to Heaven was particularly well-received, preceded with the comment that sometimes you look way down the road and see a hitch-hiker and wonder ‘is that a halo,’ pretty much setting the scene for the song.

I think by the end of the night everyone was left to, to quote their closing song. Thank God for The Road, the one which brought them to The Sage tonight to allow us to share the company of three Texas legends. The same road, I sincerely hope, will bring them back for a repeat performance, very soon.

That without a doubt is one of the best shows I’ve seen anywhere, not just at The Sage, and there couldn’t have been a better way to end this year’s Americana weekend. A joyous, Texas sized reminder of why we all love and celebrate Americana music in the first place. Full marks to both The Sage and Jumpin’ Hot Club for another excellent weekend - I look forward to seeing what they will bring us in 2010.

Helen Mitchell

pics:Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock-photocredit Helen Mitchell