Live At The Linda

THE AMERICAN ROOTS SERIES AT THE LINDA PRESENTS:DELLA MAE
Thu, May 31 - 8:00 pm
$18.00
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RANI ARBO AND DAISY MAYHEM
Sat, Jun 2 - 8:00 pm
$15.00
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ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Fri, Jun 8 - 8:00 pm
$8.00
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THE AMERICAN ROOTS SERIES AT THE LINDA PRESENTS: SWEETBACK SISTERS
Fri, Jun 15 - 8:00 pm
$15.00
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Mon, May 14, 2012 - Ray Wylie Hubbard

At the age of 65, Texas music maverick Ray Wylie Hubbard made his long overdue Albany debut at WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, The Linda, on Monday night, and midway through his show, he admitted that he didn't know what to expect when he got there.
Fortunately, his fans knew pretty much exactly what to expect, and the somewhat rowdy crowd - at least for a Monday evening - packed the place to near capacity.
Obviously, his reputation preceded him.
One of the pioneers of the outlaw country movement as well as the cow-punk scene, Hubbard pretty much summed up his approach with his opening song, "Rabbit," when he sang the final verse: "We've a short time to be here / So get out of your rut and get in your groove." By the time he hit the chorus of his second song of the night, "Snake Farm," the crowd was hootin' and hollerin' right along with him. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this is a sing-along," he said, interrupting the song midway. "It ain't exactly 'Kumbaya,' but it'll do."
Accompanied by his 18-year-old son Lucas on electric guitar, Hubbard rambled through a collection 16 songs, most of which landed in that sweet spot smack-dab in between country and blues. There were raucous tunes like "Wanna Rock and Roll." There were sweet ballads like "Without Love." There were songs about gambling and guns like "Mississippi Flush." And there was even "The Messenger," which was inspired by Bohemian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. But whatever he played, it was all 100 percent Hubbard - songs that walked the tightrope between the profound and the profane.
He sang "Name Droppin'," but he had already name-checked quite a wide swath of musical references, including Otis Redding, the Alarm, Muddy Waters, the Mississippi Shieks, Tony Joe White, the Rolling Stones, Freddie King and the Hudson Brothers.
Best of all were the new songs from his latest album, "Grifter's Hymnal" - spot-on songs like "Train Yard" (featuring Hubbard on some slide guitar) and "Count My Blessings" (which interpolated the tale of Sam Cooke's death through Lightnin' Hopkins-style finger-picking). And the highlight of the new tunes was the based-on-a-true-story "Mother Blues," recounting an unforgettable night in a Dallas strip club, as the father-and-son duo sat onstage echoing each other's sympatico, deep-twang, swamp-boogie guitar licks.
Opening the show was singer-songwriter Dustin Welch, the son of singer-songwriter Kevin Welch. His short solo set didn't exactly knock it out of the park, but songs such as "Sparrows," the rockin' "Don't Tell 'Em Nothing" and the closing "Two Horses" certainly showed a lot of potential. Read More

Sat, Apr 7, 2012 - Michael Daves @ The Linda

ALBANY - "Do you know what time it is? I know it's only the third song, but it's already Murder Ballad Time."
And indeed it was.
Lanky guitarist Michael Daves launched into "Rain and Snow," leaning his high lonesome voice against the modal drone of his guitar. Midway through the tale he snaked an eerie six-string solo into the mournful wail.
Good stuff.
Daves was recently in Hudson, at Club Helsinki, with mandolinist Chris Thile, but Saturday at The Linda he was playing solo, diving headfirst into a pool of bluegrass and Old Time classics.
He's almost a machine. He can play heavy duty stuff flawlessly. He can sing to match any Bill Monroe track. And he can drop science about the background of his material with the best of them.
But Daves also understands the heart behind the music. That was much was wildly evident at The Linda and not just in the good grease that he smeared all over every line. Banging out his tunes on a cheap Truetone guitar, Daves bled bluegrass.
He culled from the catalogs of Olla Belle Reed, Tommy Jarrell, The Louvin Brothers, Jimmie Rodgers and others, giving each credit along the way.
Vernon Dalhart's "The Prisoner's Song" reached back to the earliest roots of country music, with Daves noting that Dalhart hailed from the same Brooklyn digs that Georgian Daves currently calls home.
Once he'd established his turf, Daves invited two old friends onstage. So old, in fact, that they knew him before he was born.
"We were at his baby shower," Barbara Panter beamed. Panter and partner Whit Connah are old comrades of Daves' parents, and they taught him much of what he knows about the genre.
As a trio, the group was cozy, clearly enjoying each other's company. Occasionally the chatter veered towards the academic, but even when it slowed the pace it was curious, with the couple hinting at how they taught Daves the ropes.
Connah contributed some nice blues harp throughout the night, and led fine renditions of Johnny and Jack's "Ashes of Love" and Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #9." Panter offered Kitty Wells' "I Don't Claim To Be an Angel."
Best of the night was Daves' spookily dead-on take of the Monroe classic "With Body & Soul."
"You can find versions of this on Youtube," Daves said in reference to Big Mon. "Everybody knows he was the father of bluegrass, but there's one take of this that proves he's the grandfather of rock & roll, too."
Daves' burning rendition made that clear enough.
Dan Johnson opened the show with one of his many iterations of the Expert Sideman. As an artist, Johnson continues to grow, settling into a role as a roots evangelist with nods to Monroe, Blind Willie Johnson and Rev. Gary Davis. He's also lately been responsible for bringing many great players like Daves to town. Kudos. Read More