Ian Hunter and the Rant Band (Helsinki)
Do you like rock and roll? Then you would have enjoyed it.
Music Consumed
Robbie Fulks and Redd Volkaert (Ale House)
Rallied to the Ale House after Grey Fox as this performance had a mandatory attendance requirement. It didn’t disappoint with Redd Volkaert demonstrating his Grammy winning Telecaster skills. Robbie Fulks sang his songs, covered Michael Jackson, Johnny Paycheck and accompanied Redd through a history of country music and Western Swing all the while flatpicking everyone’s face off. He also managed to double people over with an improvised song about Troy.
Thanks again to Mark Gamsjager for booking shows like this making the Capital District a better place.
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival 2015
Another absurdly good year. Weather held except for a 10 minute derecho cutting off the Hillbenders’ performance of Tommy.
![The Hillbenders' Jim Rea and Chad "Gravy Boat" Graves on guitar and dobro](http://soundingstone.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1096.jpg "Jim Rea and Chad "Gravy Boat" Graves")
Dale Watson (WAMC) / Brent Gorton and the Tender Breasts (The Low Beat)
It’s a good night when you can see Dale Watson anyway, but bonus goodness when you walk out the door, cross the street and catch Brent Gorton and the Tender Breasts. Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones opened for Mr. Watson and his Lone Stars.
New Pornographers (Bearsville Theater)
As with the winter show in Northampton, less people showed up than I would have expected. Good for those of us who did. Thao and the Get Down Stay Down opened quickly dragging skeptics out of the lobby. You have 5 days to see the Austin City Limits show here.
Solid Sound 2015
Music because it’s good. Mostly the rain missed the musical events, but the Saturday overnight at Solid Ground was… um… rough. There was a tent graveyard at the exit Sunday morning.
Missing from the photos is Nels Cline improvising with Norton William’s Stained Radiance; a live painting dance happening. It was un-photographable. Also missing are the Felice Brothers because my lens focused on the rain, not the stage, and the last act Tweedy because I was, sorry, saturated.
Jason Isbell (The Egg)
The 400 Unit. With Craig Finn opening.
-
- Craig Finn opened
-
- The 400 Unit
-
- Both Mr. Isbell and Sadler Vaden play a bit of guitar…
-
- Mostly from Southeastern but a couple of new songs from an album due this summer
Sufjan Stevens (Palace Theater)
Finally a show that sounded good. Looked good too. Mostly covered the new album Carrie and Lowell.
-
- Cold Specks opened
