Of Freo and Crows
PLENTY happened in Fremantle last week.
The West Coast Blues 'n Roots Festival happened in my front yard.
It kicked off at 11am with Backsliders and they sounded pretty good, the rattling pots and pans around the house seemed appropriate. We dropped in to the festival for a short visit and caught Dan Sultan on the main stage. It's clear that Dan and his band put everything into every show and they looked and sounded pretty good to me.
Then it was over to a tent for Mary Gauthier. The Nashville performer dealt good naturally with a couple of setbacks. First the sound. The sound boys, as she pointed out, wanted to rock. Mary doesn't rock, she tells stories. It took three or four songs for an acceptable mix to be made. Then mid-way through the new song Sideshow a festival employee walked right up the aisle of the seated venue to the very front picking up rubbish: "That trash man is just perfect for this song," Mary said and went back to Sideshow.
We looked in at The Swell Season in a bigger tent. They sounded good but it was too crowded.
We went home then to prepare for our next big gig. We could hear Newton Faulkner – his one-man go at Bohemian Rhapsody was noteworthy.
Next gig was the Dockers and the Crows at Subiaco Oval. I was confident. It took more than a quarter of an hour for a goal to be scored despite good chances for both teams. There were lots of mistakes, mainly because the game was being played at such high intensity.
In the second quarter Fremantle took over and it happened in the centre square where problems usually start for the Dockers. Aaron Sandilands was directing the ball brilliantly to Michael Barlow (who was making a debut of note) and David Mundy while Stephen Hill was zipping in from the wing with great effect.
The Dockers proved far too good for the Crows. Matthew Pavlich's brilliant game was lost on many because others also performed, Luke McPharlin and Roger Hayden were confident defenders, Paul Duffield continued on from last year and Hayden Ballantyne's speed and willingness to chase was scattering the Crows.
Back at the Blues 'n Roots there was more bad news for Crows. I have it on good authority, from more than one source, that Old Crow Medicine Crow's set was ruined by poor sound.
We got home in time to sit in the lounge and listen to Crowded House. It was nice enough, but am I alone in thinking a lot of their songs sound the same?
Unlike the Crows from Adelaide, Old Crow Medicine Show had a second chance. On Monday night they performed at Mojo's in North Fremantle. Six members, lots of banjos, great voices, skilled playing, every song delivered like to was their last chance. This line-up had the added bonus of the wonderful Gill Landry. If OCMS had any bad memories from the festival they didn't mention it and it didn't show. They played on into the night. They had fun and so did we.
Many years ago Mojo's was wine bar called the Stoned Crow.
•Old Crow Medicine Show on stage at Mojo's North Fremantle. Photo by Les Everett.
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April 12, 2010, 2:13 pm
Rick Kane
We caught Old Crow Medicine Show at a place called Mossvale in Gippsland. Playing on the same bill was Justin Townes Earle. It was a terrific gig.
JTE was as good as reviews I've read. His guitar work (simple rhythms and understated playing underlie seemingly multi-instrument sound) was a standout.
OCMS rocked out. For a bluegrass band they played like punks. If they played any faster they'd burn their fingers.
Mossvale is a picnic area half way between Leongatha and Mirboo North (home of Grand Ridge Brewery). It's a great site to see bands.
These acts kicked up a storm as unsettled clouds hovered, battling it out with a radiant autumn sun until the moon rose into a beautiful April night.
JTE joined OCMS for a few songs including, "Can't Hardly Wait", the Replacements' song he covered on his last record. The night finished at 8.30pm in general darkness and with satisfied punters.
We headed back to the Leongatha motel to stay the night. Just after midnight the motel owner tapped on our door to turn the music down. Dutifully we turned Johnny Cash down a notch. Cheers