December Shows

It's been awhile since I've posted a recap of the concerts I've attended recently. I've been recovering from a surgery and work has kept me busy. I did manage, however, to make it out to a few shows in December.

The first show I attended was Michael Fracasso at Anderson Fair. I was not familiar with Michael or his music. I have to thank my friend Christi for inviting me to come out and see this show. Michael has a wonderful high tenor voice that is reminiscent of Roy Orbison or Don Everly of the Everly Brothers. Michael is an accomplished musician with a lot of poise...which became evident when he broke a guitar string on the very first song. He didn't miss a beat, however, and finished the song by singing a capella and alternating with some fine harmonica playing. He played a number of great songs but one song, in particular, made quite an impression. His song "Red, White & Blue" from his newest cd may well be his masterpiece. You can watch a video of Michael performing this song here.

Here's a video of Michael performing his song "1962" with Patty Griffin:



Next up was the Mike McClure and Scott Miller show at the Mucky Duck. Both artists performed solo acoustic sets. Mike opened up the show and was then followed by Scott. Here's a clip of Mike McClure playing his song "Haunt Me No More":



Here's another clip of Mike performing his cover version of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic":



Scott Miller hails from Virginia. His songs are often humorous and he has many songs that deal with historical events.

Here is a video that features one of Scott's "historical" songs "The Rain" (sorry, there aren't many "clean versions" of Scott's songs):



Here is another clip that features Scott's humorous side with his song "Eight Miles Per Gallon" (once again not a "clean version"):



Then I saw the phenomenal Justin Townes Earle perform at Cactus Music and the Mucky Duck.Justin first performed a free in-store appearance at Cactus and then did a full show at the Duck with Samantha Crain opening.

Here is a clip of Samantha Crain performing her song "Traipsing Through the Aisles":



I had seen Justin perform once before at a very sparsely attended concert at another venue over the summer. His performance at the Mucky Duck was far superior and has to rank as one of the best concerts I saw in 2008. The well known music blog This Mornin' I am Born Again featured a great post on this very concert.

Here's a music video of Justin's song "The Good Life" which is the title track from his newest cd:



Here's a clip of Justin performing two songs by Townes Van Zandt..."Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold" and "Rex's Blues":



Here's another clip of Justin playing one of his dad's songs "Tom Ames' Prayer":



Next up was the Band of Heathens and Hayes Carll show at Warehouse Live. This show was very well-attended and was close to a sellout crowd. Local musician John Evans opened the show.

Here is a clip of John Evans performing his song "Goin' Down Loud":



The Band of Heathens took the stage next. Here's a clip of the Heathens playing their song "This I Know":



Finally, the always terrific Hayes Carll took the stage to close out the show. Hayes and his band played a loud and raucous set in front of an equally boisterous crowd. Here's a video of Hayes performing his song "Highway 87" (which was written about his experiences while living in Crystal Beach on Bolivar Peninsula):



Here's another clip of Hayes performing his song "Beaumont" live on a British television show:



The last concert of the year I made was Clandestine at the Mucky Duck. Clandestine is a local Celtic band that has been playing together for several years. Here’s a clip of them playing the tune “Craig Gallagher’s” composed by E.J. Jones: