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... by Joanne Corsano

Band Personnel: Joziah Longo, lead vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica; Sharkey McEwen, lead guitar, mandolin, backing vocals; Eric Puente, drums; Tink Lloyd, accordion, ukulele, melodica, cello, tambourine, backing vocals ... also known as The Grand Slambovians

Grand Slambovians - Picture - Very Happy Now - Very Unusual Head - Windmills - Slambovia - Hey Levon - Tink (I Know It's You) ... intermission ... Fumes - Pushing Up Daisies - Northern Sea - Buffalo Girls - Ravenous Ways - Box of Everything - Look Ma No Hands - Alice In Space ... encore ... Alligators.

"Picture":

"Very Unusual Head":

"Buffalo Girls / Ravenous Ways":

"Look Ma No Hands":

One of the reasons I go to so many concerts is my curiosity about different venues. No two venues are alike, and the setting and the audience often make a big difference in what a concert is like. The Bearsville Theater is located in a cavernous barn-like building on a main country road leading out of the charming village of Woodstock (where the famed music festival didn't happen). There are restaurants next door and even though we got to the venue early, there seemed to be hundreds of cars scattered throughout a series of randomly-shaped parking areas surrounding the cavernous barn and neighboring buildings, one of which houses a radio station. When Concert Going Partner and I pulled into a space in front of that particular building, we could hear the voice of a d.j. inside announcing a song and then heard music playing -- it was like being back in the '60s when there were real radio stations.

Once inside the cavernous barn building, one sees that it is on at least four levels, or maybe five depending on how you count them. The lower level is reached by a tightly wound spiral staircase, fortunately brightly lit, leading downstairs to restrooms and coat check, and also artist's green room. On ground level is a spacious bar area where patrons can grab a drink before the show, with a huge window in the wall separating the bar from the rest of the building, through which one can see the performance space. Once through the bar, it's down a half flight of steps into the performance space, where there were about a dozen rows of seats, arranged in three sections, facing the 3 foot high stage, and there was also a high balcony in the back overlooking the performance space.

The stage was plenty big enough for the many Slambovian instruments, and the sound was very good, although the atmospheric, dark stage lighting was not good for photography. I took a few videos with my trusty Flip camera; scroll up for links.

This was my first time attending a show at this venue. Joziah mentioned that this is their annual post-Thanksgiving show here, and when he asked for a show of hands from people who'd never seen them before, only a few hands were raised. It was a repeat audience, very loyal and extremely enthusiastic. I think that a drinking crowd once in a while is a good thing; one doesn't want to get too folky now, does one? I don't actually think that the enthusiastic reception was due to alcohol, but I'm pretty sure the audience member who repeatedly yelled out for "The Great Unravel" had had a couple of glasses of an intoxicating beverage. It was a convivial and festive atmosphere and Joziah, especially, seemed to genuinely appreciate the heartfelt outpouring of affection from the crowd.

The set list included a couple of exciting surprises, including "Fumes," a beautiful ballad from the Circus' double album Flapjacks From the Sky. If you can't place the title, this is the song that includes the lyrics "I always was, always will be, in love with you." The song opened the second set. They gave a little taste of the upcoming Christmas shows with "Slambovia," the Christmas version.

Joziah began one song by saying that Eric (the not-so-new-anymore drummer) wanted to do a particular song from the most recent record (The Grand Slambovians), but then instead of starting that song he started in on the traditional cowboy song "Buffalo Girls," which the rest of the band played along with as if they had rehearsed. Only after they were finished with "Buffalo Girls" did they play Eric's requested "Ravenous Ways." I got a video of this typically Slambovian medley (link higher on this page).

New songs included "Very Unusual Head," which features a weird mouth-trumpet bit from Sharkey, and to which Joziah somehow appended a bit of "Flying Trapeze"; "Hey Levon," a tribute to the late Levon Helm; and "Box of Everything," slated to be the title track of the upcoming studio album. The main set ended with the exciting "Look Ma No Hands" in which Sharkey plays a killer (I mean killer!) guitar solo, and then with the always crowd pleasing "Alice in Space."

The one-song encore consisted of "Alligators," a song that the band has been using to end some shows lately; it has never been on a studio record and only appears on one of their official live bootleges, and with its "see you later alligator" lyrics makes a definite statement that the show is over.

Interested in my other Circus reviews? Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with Slambovian content.

Click for 2012 Concert Page with links to all 2012 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years

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