"Monsters of Folk" - ha ha!
April 18 - Tin Angel in Philly.
Dave Alvin, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Chris Smither & Tom Russell

This was my first concert at the Tin Angel, a 10:30 Saturday
night show (because I waited too long to get tickets for the
7:30 show.) Later they added a Sunday show as well. The Tin
Angel is in the heart of Philadelphia, which meant arriving
by car made for a challenging and expensive parking
situation. But it was worth it.

It was an intimate venue, with an enthusiastic crowd. I expected
the four of them to be on stage separately, similar to the
Susan Piper/Suzzy Roche/Karen Savoca concert I went to
recently. Happily, this was not the case- which explains the
"Monsters Of Folk" title. The four of them were on a tour
together which began in Seattle. They each did several songs
from their individual repertoires, with one, two or three of
the others joining in as appropriate. It all seemed relaxed,
possibly unplanned, but they meshed very well. You could
feel the respect and regard they have for each other.

Tom Russell was the only artist of the four I knew nothing
about. He is the quintessential gentle folk guy. He reminded
me of Tom Rush, with his deep voice.

Dave Alvin was the folk-blues element of the grouping, adding
bluesy licks to the rowdier numbers, primarily. Dave is a
former member of the Blasters, legendary rockers from
California. King of California.

Ramblin' Jack represents Old Guard folk- a legendary character
who spent time travelling with Woodie Guthrie, and carries
on in that tradition, with a healthy dose of cowboy
troubador. This night he didn't Ramble much (I hear his
nickname comes from his storytelling, not his travelling
ways, though that would be equally valid.) He did add
touches of humor here and there. As did Dave Alvin, with
pointed gibes at his brother, former lead singer of the
Blasters, Phil. They apparently haven't been getting along
too well...

Chris Smither is a smooth picker and singer, and especially a
wonderful songwriter, with having had his songs covered by
Bonnie Raitt and others, and his own singing is now commonly
heard on local public radio station WXPN. He covered at
least three of his songs from his last CD, "Small
Revelations", in impressive fashion.

Together they filled the room with a full, rich blend of voices,
especially on the rowdy conclusion of the show, three Woodie
Guthrie songs, on which they had everyone singing on
clapping.

It was a great show.