Graham Parker ~ 2006 November 4 ~ Rosendale Café, Rosendale, NY
Graham Parker accompanying himself on Fender electric guitar, Gibson acoustic guitar, and harmonica
Set List (with guitars noted)
[Gibson acoustic]: Watch the Moon Come Down - Anything for a Laugh - Socks 'n' Sandals - Almost Thanksgiving Day - Ambiguous (new song) - I Discovered America - The Other Side of the Reservoir - He's Misstra Know-It-All {Stevie Wonder} - [Fender electric]: Can't Take Love for Granted - Here It Comes Again - Sharpening Axes (switched to Gibson halfway through the song) - [Fender electric]: - Temporary Beauty - White Honey - [Gibson acoustic]: Christmas is for Mugs - Nation of Shopkeepers - Heat Treatment ... encore ... [Fender electric]: Back to School Days - Discovering Japan - You Can't Be Too Strong - (a cappella): Cupid - [Fender electric]: Hip Shake {Slim Harpo via The Rolling Stones}
Review
Off to see Graham Parker at the fab Rosendale Café. As Concert Going Partner and I were driving along the Mass. Pike, there was a snow flurry. Widely spaced, plump flakes that left a little drop for a second or two after landing. The flurry didn't last long and soon we were across the state line into New York. The Rosendale Café's website's directions turned out to be perfect. We pulled into the lot and parked next to a car with a "People's Republic of Rosendale" bumper sticker, arriving in time to catch a glimpse of Graham inside doing a sound check.
Just before 5:00 we went in and Mark, the proprietor, remembered us from the last time we were there and showed us to our seats, front and center. Graham was there with his son, Jimmy, unloading their CDs. He said he had gotten into a rhythm signing the CDs (all 2,000 of them) and realized he was even signing copies that he'd be bringing along with him to shows. He said it made his shoulder sore. GP reports that the new studio album is due in March. He's not sure whether he will tour with a band or solo. He likes the flexibility of the solo shows and said that attendance doesn't seem to suffer because of the lack of a band. However, he realizes it's bad for a rock 'n' roller's image to only do solo shows.
Concert Going Partner and I ordered our dinner, one having spinach lasagna and the other pumpkin ravioli. We looked around at the interesting art show on the walls, consisting of Halloween-themed works, some nightmarish, some whimsical, made from various and sundry multimedia thingies. Jimmy came out to staff the merchandise table, which was just to the right of the stage, and I attempted to be his first customer by purchasing 103 Degrees in June. I asked, "So, how does this work? You get to keep the money?" Later on the Parkerillas from the Yahoo group started to show up, Maureen, Mary ("CapGirl"), and Jerry.
A couple of minutes after 8:00 Graham Parker came in the front door with his acoustic Gibson and went on stage, where he was introduced briefly by Mark, and began the show with "Watch the Moon Come Down," which I had expected since the almost full moon had been spectacular the previous couple of nights. He followed with the wonderful "Anything for a Laugh" and a song I had previously not heard him sing, "Socks 'n' Sandals." He sang the complete version, including the verse about "doing aromatherapy and stinking up the house'' (same as the Bastard of Belgium version). Too bad Deepcut to Nowhere has the edited version; I really don't think the full song is too long. When you're being brilliantly funny, one more verse is not a bad thing.
GP introduced a number of his soccer mates who were sitting in the back of the room and accused them of smuggling mutton in their pockets into the café (which is a strictly vegetarian restaurant). He said he once tried to get them to eat fruit (mango and pineapple in a bar) after a soccer game, and according to his story they took him outside and beat him up.
Graham was dressed in a long-sleeved blue striped shirt, gray trousers, well-worn black Keds, and a '70s-style pair of orange aviator glasses purchased on eBay. I think it's the first time I've seen him perform without a string tie. He had his shirt unbuttoned a button or two and it gave him a hint of the look of a rakish rock star. His hair was also a bit longer than it's been for at least a couple of years, and I (as the refugee from the hippie era that I am) approve of the somewhat longer tresses.
In honor of the meat-eaters in the audience, the beautiful "Almost Thanksgiving Day" was the next selection. Then GP talked about the new album (for which he still has not announced a title), and played three songs from it. First was a brand-new song that to my knowledge GP has never performed before, "Ambiguous." Before the show I had peaked at his music stand and noticed he had the lyrics to this song, but mistakenly thought it was "Ambivalent" (a song on Songs of No Consequence). Next was the absolutely wonderful "I Discovered America," which Graham says has an impressive title but nothing much going on in the lyrics. (Watch out when Graham says that sort of thing about one of his songs.) He followed with "Other Side of the Reservoir," which he says is the "Rosendale Café song," a song inspired by the nearby Ashokan Reservoir, which in the early 20th century was turned from a lush mountain valley into a reservoir for the NYC population. He said that the song is really about more than just a reservoir, that if it was only about a reservoir it would be a folk song, and warbled a few notes making fun of folk singing. Although I have been known to rave ecstatically about some of Geep's unreleased material, I am withholding any opinion of "Other Side of the Reservoir" until I hear the album version. He says it plays for 8:20 and has great musicianship. (Umm ... Parker does prog?)
Then Graham went off on a tanget about Stevie Wonder, and how resentful he was of Stevie for writing hits "when he was 10," and performed "He's Misstra Know-It-All." He said he just made up the chords when he couldn't find them on the internet. Another one of those fab r&b covers that Graham just loves to do.
"Let's go electric," said Graham and switched guitars to approving applause from the audience, picking up the trusty Fender, and played "You Can't Take Love For Granted" (does he REALLY say "can't take love for granite" when he's singing this, and if so, is that what he really MEANS by the lyrics?) followed by "Here It Comes Again." Then he started into another favorite of mine, "Sharpening Axes," which he actually started twice because he wasn't sure of the lyric (pretending that he was about to ask ME what the opening lyrics are -- gulp). But halfway into "Axes" the speakers started to emit this horrible scratchy noise and after a couple of bars stopped making sound at all. Graham made some comment about the amp blowing a fuse -- "can't understand it, that thing worked great in 1976" -- and switched seamlessly to the acoustic Gibson to finish the song. Helpful remarks shouted from the audience included "where's the roady?" and "is it plugged in?" The second question actually WAS helpful, since it turned out the problem was nothing worse than a loose cable, which he fixed in a moment and was able to switch back to the Fender electric for the next two numbers, "Temporary Beauty" and "White Honey."
Then back to the Gibson and he announced that in addition to 103 Degrees in June, he also had copies of Christmas Cracker to sell, and said that its now-defunct record company had actually let him have their back inventory of that EP. He announced "Merch Boy" (Jimmy) to cheers from the crowd. Merch Boy was sitting at his table to the side of the stage and seemed to be enjoying the show. To show why we should buy a copy, he played the very funny "Christmas is For Mugs," and if my Concert Going Partner, the faithful Graham Parker completist, hadn't bought Christmas Cracker when it was new back in the '90s, I would have definitely purchased a copy on the spot, although I did glance anxiously in the direction of Merch Boy during the verse about the (ahem) adult toys to see if there was a reaction. Graham explained that in England a "mug" is a "sucker."
In Feb. of 2004 when I first saw Mr. Parker live, he was trying out songs for Your Country, and one he was trying out at that time was "Nation of Shopkeepers," and ever since then it has been one of my favorite songs to hear Graham perform. He had the Rosendale crowd sing the easy descant ("doo-doo-do-doo-dooo / doo-doo-doo-doo-dooo / doo-doo-do-doo- do-d'-doo / doo-doo-doo-doo-doooo") while he sang "scat" along with us. I had fun doing it and inside my head (or in my imagination) it sounded great. I WISH I had a recording of the show 'cause I'd love to hear how it REALLY sounded. Geep followed this with "Heat Treatment."
Following a pause for applause, during which time he graciously accepted a bouquet of yellow roses from the audience, the encore set began with "Back to School Days," which he said Dylan had played on his satellite radio show when he had a show of songs about school. But Dylan had apparently played the wrong version of it (a demo version) and not realizing it was a demo, said "that was Graham Parker with the Rumour, Brinsley Schwartz, etc." GP did a great imitation of the nasally Dylan getting the credits on the song totally wrong. He followed with "Discovering Japan" and "You Can't Be Too Strong."
Then he put down the guitar and said, "The last time I was here I sang 'Someone To Watch Over Me' and I think this time I'll do 'Cupid,'" and proceeded to belt it out, a cappella (at least one female fan in the back row shrieked!! [Not me -- you won't find ME in the back row at a Graham Parker concert!]). It was fabulous! He sang with such power he was out of breath at the end. Singing without instrumental accompaniment isn't easy; it's just you and your naked voice, nowhere to hide. In case anyone asks, tell them that Graham Parker sure CAN SING. Picking up the Fender again, he finished the show with "Hip Shake," which he said the Rolling Stones had made famous, but it's originally by Slim Harpo, and he played it with such a soulful feel that I was transported for a moment into a smoke-filled boozy nightclub instead of a clean, bright vegetarian café.
Musical highlights of the show were "Socks 'n' Sandals," one of Graham's funniest laugh-out-loud songs; "I Discovered America," which is one of the best songs from the new album, at least of the ones I've heard; "Sharpening Axes," with his adept guitar-switching in the middle; "Christmas is for Mugs," another song that incites laughing out loud; "Nation of Shopkeepers" with its delightful audience participation; "Cupid"; and "Hip Shake."
This is the second time I've seen Geep at the Rosendale Café, and it's a great place to see him perform since many of his friends and neighbors attend. A thrilling moment for me was when he introduced me and my Concert Going Partner to the crowd. "All the way from Cape Cod -- did anyone else come a long way to see the show?" A woman over to the side yelled "Dallas," but she couldn't have been such a great fan because she left before the show ended. Merch Boy did a brisk business after the show and I didn't see any copies of 103 Degrees in June left on the table as I was leaving. Get yours before it's sold out!
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