Conversation with Nathan Kalish

Nathan Kalish just wants everyone to have good start to the school year. It doesn't matter to him if you're done with school or you've just signed up for classes, Kalish and his band the Wildfire look to return rested and tan for a show at the Pyramid Scheme on August 31. This particular back-to-school special, featuring up-and-comers Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys, is one that Kalish hopes will appeal to the professional student in all of us. "We wanted to do a back to school show for the college kids," Kalish said en route to a recording session. "Our music fits real well with Gunnar's. Each band has a similar fan base so this should be a good ticket." Furthermore Kalish (pictured third from left) can sense the potential of the evening by the relevant musical styles of these two bands. "Both of our bands are guitar driven," Kalish said. "Gunnar comes from the modern country side with some pop rock sound thrown in. The Wildfire is outlaw country with pop sensibilities." The show at the Pyramid Scheme, along with the Legal Immigrants, marks the return of Nathan Kalish the promoter. "I promoted all our home shows here in the past seven years," Kalish said. "It can be kind of stressful to say the least. Gunnar is such a powerful band live it makes more sense for us to open up for them. Fans of this guitar forward kind of sound might take this opportunity to see Kalish and company perform before he embarks on a 2 1/2 month long tour with Nashville's Deadstring Brothers. "I'm going to be the opening act for them," Kalish said. "I'll be solo playing my originals. I've toured with them before as a guitar player and a bass player."

Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys wsg Nathan Kalish and the Wildfire and Legal Immigrants, Friday, Aug 31, Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids. Doors 9:00pm, show 10. More information at Pyramid Scheme dot com.

Interview with Dave Alvin: Survivor of the Fittest

Photo by Beth Herzhaft

Dave Alvin is the first to admit he's not the most prolific of songwriters. He is still, however, a highly regarded writer of life-scape songs. It seems the hectic time-oriented pace of a traveling musician doesn't always allow for quiet corner time.  "There just isn't a lot of time for critical, creative, or any kind of thinking," Alvin said with a gruff little chuckle. "The way I tour it's very hard to write on the road; I've been touring the same way for 30 years." Despite the rigors of this work situation Alvin's songs have been covered by Dwight Yoakam, James McMurtry, and Alejandro Escovedo. Alvin's on-the-go writing process changed slightly in 2009 when he toured with the Guilty Women. "At full force it was an eight piece band," Alvin said. This time around the extra drivers got him out of some wheel duty. "I love to drive one of the vehicles and it's relaxing for me," Alvin said. "But now I could say, 'Here, you drive for a while. I'm going to sit and write some songs.'" The reprieve granted him much needed space to write. Soon after he was bringing in tunes from the road and making things happen once he got home. "I'd have a week or two off back home in California. I'd call up some friends, go in the recording studio, and cut a song. Then I'd go back out on the road." These recordings became the basis for his esteemed Eleven Eleven release. But there is something more to learn about Alvin in that he's something of survivor. So other than having former Blaster saxophonist Lee Allen as an early adviser in the music scene, he seems all right. "Lee taught a lot of us guys life survival techniques," Alvin said. "He showed us how to survive bad times and good times. Both have their pitfalls and perils. He said, try to show up on time--all those little things," Alvin said with a laugh. He says the importance of going into the music business with a sound frame of mind cannot be understated. "It's a weird surreal life sometimes," he admits. "When you're around long term survivors of this lifestyle it will either send you running toward the exits or into more of a full blown embrace of trying to make a living doing this," Alvin said. "Musically it affects you one way but when you know guys personally it affects you another way. The thing Lee taught me and Steve Berlin (Alvin's former band mate in Blasters) of Los Lobos is how to still love doing this." Alvin, with a career spanning thirty-plus years, knows how rough it is out there. "Something you learn from survivors is how to pack up all your blues and troubles and keep moving ahead," Alvin noted. "Whether there's hope or not you have to keep telling yourself there is or you're not getting out of bed in the morning." To his credit Dave Alvin has done several albums of acoustic music and several electric rock releases. He says that in concert, just like Richard Thompson, he tries to negotiate the heady rapids between the two presentations. "It's all the same to me," Alvin said of the songs performed each night. "They are the same notes on the guitar whether they're loud or quiet. But it boils down to what the song wants. I know that sounds crazy but it's the truth. A lot of good songs can be played anyway you want to play them. Night and Day by Cole Porter can be played in a variety of formats. You can do it as a rock-n-roll song or a polka," Alvin said. After all that does he still plan on turning it up in Grand Rapids on March 6? "They'll be some quiet moments but otherwise it will be rocking," Alvin said with a slight laugh. "You better bring your earplugs just in case." 

Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones at Tip Top Deluxe Bar and Grill on March 6. Doors at 7:00 pm, show at 8.
More info at Dave Alvin's website.

Interview with Anders Osborne

Photo credit: John McCusker/The Times-Picayune

When you're at sea sometimes it feels like the sun never sets. This was the apparent case for blues musician Anders Osborne, fresh off a jam band cruise from the previous week, as he continued to soak up the musical sunshine.

"They had this boat going in the Caribbean with a bunch of people playing and another big slew of people dancing," Anders said with a laugh from his home in New Orleans.

To know the very essence of Osborne is to know the cruise must have been a spectacle of styles. The Osborne view of the jam band scene on the boat included funk, roots rock, and electronica.

"It was quite the hodge-podge," Osborne said of the various bands. "But mostly it's the after-life of the Grateful Dead following. Only now the new generation is jumping on board. I got into playing those crowds in the early 90s with folks like Joan Osborne, Rusted Root, and The Radiators." 

If there was one musician of the hundreds aboard the jam band cruise befitting the Artist at Large title--as he was known on the boat--it's Osborne. 

"People get to invite me to be a special guest on their shows," Osborne said. "This time I played with Toots & the Maytals and Bruce Hornsby. I was featured in George Porter's band (original bassist with the Meters). I also got up there with Bill Kreutzmann's (Grateful Dead drummer) band called 7 Walkers."

For artists like Anders Osborne defining oneself in the crowded jam band landscape can be tricky. When you talk stylistic presentation, Osborne likes the combination of improvisational music skills and a wallop of showmanship.

"People respond to my improvisation when I do my full band," Osborne said. "We rock and create on the spot. I grew up around a lot of jazz. But at the same time I came up with Neil Young and the hard driving rock and roll shows of the day."  


A good song knows no boundary. Not to be content with singular musical scene credit, Osborne is known for his original compositions across multiple genres.

"I've always tried to spend a little time on the songs and craft them to the best of my ability," Osborne said. "From time to time you get a little recognition for what you do and that's cool." 

One form of respect he wakes up to everyday is the diversity of artists who recorded his songs: Tim McGraw, Tab Benoit, Kim Carnes. What is it about Osborne's compositions that make them so worthy?

"I have never directly heard any comments from these people who have cut them," Anders said. "The decision to record is a very personal one. It varies. If you're not a songwriter you receive a bunch of songs and you go through them with your producer. The timing of everything just has to work out. You have to be in a certain place, maybe going through a divorce or something. Songs relating to that are more natural to sing. I don't think there's a method to this madness. Sometimes as a writer I get lucky."

Originally from Sweden, Anders Osborne says he was sixteen years old "full of energy and displeased with my position in life" when he left home. Osborne started to hitchhike, and--over the course of about three years--ended up in Northern Africa and Egypt.

"I met someone from New Orleans on the way and eventually made it down here," Osborne said from his home of twenty-seven years on The Ridge (original high point above sea level) in New Orleans. "It felt like home so I decided to stay here."

On this current tour with Keb' Mo' which makes a stop in Grand Rapids on Jan 21 at the Intersection, Osborne plans on performing an acoustic guitar set. 

"I haven't done it in a while but hopefully I'll be up to speed with it," Osborne said with a chuckle. "I think I'm going to try to stick with an acoustic. Other times I'll sit down with my amp and play an electric (guitar). What I'm trying to do this time is to find a specific tone for my performance and stick with that. The idea for me is more of a complete show. It starts with me and goes into Keb' so that there are no fuzzy lines. I want the audience to go from one thing to the next and feel that it was a nice transition for their entertainment."

Keb' Mo' and his band with Anders Osborne, 7pm, Saturday at the Intersection. 

More information at sectionlive.com

Interview with JD McPherson

Roots rock performer JD McPherson was pretty sure a cold which had dogged him for a week was turning the corner. But even a few sniffles couldn’t undermine his enthusiasm about playing a sold out show in nearby Tulsa OK just a couple of miles from hometown in Broken Arrow.

“It will be kind of a reunion because I haven’t played in Tulsa in a couple of years,” McPherson said. “I haven’t played in Tulsa with his new outfit yet. It’s going to be interesting to see who comes out.”
And if the sold out show that night wasn’t enough to get McPherson stoked, he could get just as excited about his first US tour which makes a stop in Grand Rapids on Dec 9 at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill.
When we talked guitarist/singer McPherson and his band had been enjoying the comforts of home at his house in the Tulsa area by sleeping in, making a homemade breakfast, and watching Sponge Bob.
“We were in Spain for two weeks, then home for a week, and now were starting this tour,” McPherson said. “This is the first proper US tour of getting in the van and being gone for a week or two. We’ve played a couple of shows in Chicago, a couple in New York City and Boston but that’s about it. I love playing in the states. We are going from Chicago down to Austin and back. The middle of the country is our neck of the woods so we’re starting here.”
If that weren't enough to keep McPherson beaming there was also a recent tour with Nick Lowe. "Nick was playing a short solo tour up the west coast," McPherson said. "We wanted to take the whole band. The only condition was that it had to be one person. It wasn't quite right according to etiquette to have a band open up for somebody who's performing with an acoustic guitar. So I just brought my electric and a small amp. We played LA, San Fransisco and Portland. It was one of the best experiences of my life." (Click here to see JD and Nick Lowe perform together)
What the crowds across the Midwest have amassed for is McPherson’s own brand of early R&B and high octane rockabilly blues. Not bad for a kid who grew up listening to punk music.
“I’ve always been consumed with music,” McPherson said. “I was interested in the ethnomusicology side of things and the tribal cultures that develop within popular music. The most tribal music of all was the punk stuff. Every band had their own thing. Minor Threat were these (Washington) DC clean living guys who were straight edgers. They played really intense music but were clean living type of individuals. Bad Brains were all black guys, Rastafarian’s, and they used to be jazz musicians. Now they play hardcore music because it’s the new form. Plus when you’re a teenager you’re looking for something to be involved in and this is something to be angry about. Punk rock is the music for those type of people. It’s fun and energetic; the Ramones are great and super catchy.”
McPherson says this independent fiery spirit was evident in the early R&B they incorporate into their sound.
“The old rock and roll had a lot in common with that stuff: it’s very enthusiastic and high energy especially the Little Richard, Larry Williams, and the New Orleans rhythm and blues,” McPherson said. “It has a lot of style and joie de vivre (joy of life). And that what’s we try to do each night.”

JD McPherson and band featuring Jimmy Sutton and Jason Smay at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill Dec 9, doors at 8p.

Interview with Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo; Dec 9 at the Intersection

To better understand the popularity of Donna the Buffalo's hybrid of rock, country, and zydeco music we begin with the Appalachian fiddle origins of founding member Tara Nevins. Nevins was a student studying classical violin at the Crane School of Music (SUNY), Potsdam NY, when the old-timey fiddle bug took hold. "I was in high school when I got the 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' record," Nevins said while getting ready for a Dec 9 tour stop at the Intersection in Grand Rapids. "So I knew about fiddle music, loved it, and wanted to learn it. Then when I went off to college I actually met people who were playing this old time mountain music and I dove very heavily into that." Nevins furthered her learning with a field study of  the instrument at the roots music festivals of the south. "By attending the Mount Airy and Galax fiddlers conventions I was lucky enough to become part of this community of folks who were playing this old time music," Nevins said. During this period she was able to witness legendary fiddlers, like Benton Flippen and Fred Cockerham, whose old time styles would leave a lasting impression. Once she was steeped in this old time music she was asked to play in an all-female string band. "Once I was already part of that community of fiddle players I then hooked up with three other women and we formed our band called the Heartbeats." Nevins still keeps in contact with the girls from the Heartbeats to the extent that a couple of them played on Nevin's new solo record Wood and Stone (Sugar Hill). "We've been playing together a little bit again lately," Nevins said of the Heartbeats. "They've been helping me with a few support dates for the new record." On Wood and Stone Nevins addresses the vulnerable aspect of the human condition in detail. "This record is pretty personal," Nevins said. "The majority of the songs are of the relationship journey nature but they're very upbeat sounding. The whole notion of people staying together forever is becoming more and more iffy to me the more I look around and experience. It's really painful and really hard but every time you come out of these relationships you definitely grow and learn something about yourself." Of the 12 songs on Wood and Stone two are covers; included is a Van Morrison song (Beauty of Days Gone By) and a new version of the jazz standard "Stars Fell on Alabama." "I was asked to adapt "Stars" for a movie a couple of years ago in the fiddle/old time mountain style. I used the same lyrics but rewrote the music; completely rewrote the melody and added fiddle and banjo." (Click here to see a video of this song) Wood and Stone was recorded at the studios of Levon Helm (The Band) in Woodstock NY; Helm is featured on drums on two tracks. One characteristic of the songs of Donna the Buffalo are the positive, sometimes socially political nature of the lyrics. Nevins would have it no other way.  "I'd rather write a positive song than a negative one," Nevins said. "I think it speaks to my general life attitude. There's something to be learned in everything."

Donna the Buffalo wsg Big Dudee Roo, 7 pm, Dec 9, at the Intersection

Interview with David Nelson of the New Riders of the Purple Sage

Jerry Garcia. The Byrds. Zane Grey. These are just a few names associated in some way with the fabled California band New Riders of the Purple Sage. Just the band's name alone could be the subject of an entire chapter. The story goes that founding NRPS members David Nelson and Robert Hunter (noted lyricist with the Grateful Dead) were sitting around trying to come up with a name for their new country-rock outfit when Hunter suggested Riders of the Purple Sage. Not wanting to be confused with the 1930s band of the same name-also the title of a 1912 book by western adventure novelist Zane Grey-Nelson decided to add the New moniker. The band member lineage of The Riders is indeed rife with history. At one time founding member Jerry Garcia was trying hard to split time between the New Riders and his brand new band called the Grateful Dead. At that time Garcia was playing pedal steel guitar almost exclusively. But then again he wasn't getting any better on the instrument. So he left the Riders to focus on playing the guitar with the then-fledgling Dead. This infamous move opened the door for the Buddy Cage era on pedal steel guitar. As David Nelson describes, the association with Garcia and the Riders even predates this late 1960s band shuffling. "I met Jerry in 1962," Nelson said from the van en route to a tour stop in Kentucky. "At the time I loaned him my banjo and he borrowed my acoustic guitar. We started a bluegrass acoustic band called the Wildwood Boys. It was Bob Hunter, me, and Jerry. We played around the San Fransisco peninsula area, many gigs, for a about a year. It was a lot of fun in those days." Needless to say there will always be a connection between NRPS and the Grateful Dead. But as Nelson points out the NRPS of today is not trying to regenerate an earlier period of jam-band mentality. "The difference between the old New Riders and the new New Riders is that we're not trying to recreate from the 70s-era," Nelson said. "When we're playing a song we're taking it out there to where it feels tonight instead of being a slave to the old arrangement." One highlight to a live performance of NRPS is the guitar Nelson plays for a good portion of the show. "It's a Gene Parsons StringBender," Nelson said. "He invented it back in the Byrds days. Clarence White was playing it then and Gene was the drummer in the Byrds. It takes the second B string so when you pull the neck down, the lever (inside) is where the strap is usually, you get a bend to an exact note rather than a string pull that pulls indefinitely. You tune it to bend to a whole step similar to what the pedals do on a pedal steel. I've been using this guitar for years. I'm really into it and enjoy it." This particular incarnation of The Riders came together in 2005. Along with the veterans in the group like Cage and guitarist Michael Falzarano (formerly of Hot Tuna), NRPS welcomed two newcomers to the band in Johnny Markowski and Ronnie Penque. According to Nelson drummer Markowski and bassist Penque not only hold their own instrumentally but they offer valuable songwriting contributions. "They bring a lot; both sing and have their own bands," Nelson said. "It's been a great thing. They are largely responsible for the renaissance of this band because they made it possible for me, Cage, and Falzarano to actually start doing it (again). I didn't think it was even possible but we tried it and it's working."

New Riders of the Purple Sage wsg Gunnar and the Grizzly Boys at the Intersection Oct 30 at 7:00pm.

Interview with Marc Broussard: "Cajun Soul Singer"

“Chet, you ol’ dog!” exclaimed singer Marc Broussard over the telephone. With such down-home exuberance evident right off we could have been talking about Broussard’s favorite football team, the New Orleans Saints. “I’m fired up about coming back to Grand Rapids--I can’t lie,” continued Broussard. To hear this sincerity it’s easy to understand why he has remained as one of the top vocalists going. Broussard’s music ripples with powerful currents of R&B, gospel, and swamp pop. His soul-laden original songs have always been quality crafted and delivered with emotional depth. Not bad for starters. Marc Broussard hails from the tradition rich, potent soil of Louisiana; so far has lived up to the southern soul singer heritage part. But when it comes to musical tradition down there, he says he comes by it honestly courtesy of the nearby Cajun community up by his hometown of Carencro. “I would say that some of these local boys, like Belton Richard and the Cajun and zydeco musicians, were always fun to listen to,” said Broussard from a recent tour stop in Columbia MO. “I’m still being influenced by Cajun and zydeco music,” continued Broussard. “Roddie Romero is an excellent musician and a good friend of mine. I’m a huge fan of Roddie’s stuff, no doubt about it. He started out playing accordion but he has turned into, truly, one hell of a slide guitar player. We’re going to do some writing together for my next record.” Broussard also readily acknowledges the influence of noted songwriter and fellow Louisianan Bobby Charles of “See You Later Alligator” fame, which was later immortalized by Bill Haley & the Comets. “Bobby’s a great, great songwriter,” said Broussard. "He wrote some fantastic songs for Fats Domino (“Walking to New Orleans”) and Bob Dylan.” Broussard appears in Grand Rapids at the Intersection on Sept 19 in support of his newest release simply titled Marc Broussard (Atlantic). The effort was produced and co-written by Nashville’s Jamie Kenney, who also contributed piano parts to the project. “Jamie was hugely instrumental in bringing about these arrangements,” said Broussard. “As a co-writer it’s rare to have such a connection from the get-go. We got along as musicians and as people. He’s supremely talented and a joy to work with.” For all the pop sheen applied to the Broussard release, the song “Eye on the Prize” is the most representative of Broussard’s “bayou soul” origins. “Prize” starts out swampy, murky, with a slash of slide guitar as you might expect and just keeps going. “We’re doing that one on tour now but doing it a little differently than the record version—a little more dynamic,” said Broussard. “I think it’s one of the shining moments on the album. I wish we would have had more time with “Eye on the Prize” before calling it quits on the recording. The original version of that song is vastly different than what we recorded. It started out really smooth and pop sounding. Imagine taking a Steely Dan song and totally swamping it out,” said Broussard with a chuckle. The Marc Broussard band coming to town will feature noted Memphis Hammond B-3 player Al Gamble on keys. In addition to a busy touring schedule, Broussard is known for his philanthropic work with post-Katrina New Orleans. “There was obviously a huge outpouring of support from all over this country and all over the world which allowed New Orleans to reclaim itself from shortly after the storm,” said Broussard. “Out of that tragedy it brought about some sort of reformation in that city. Obviously the New Orleans Saints football team winning a Super Bowl championship after the storm was a big part. Drew Brees (Saints quarterback) and those guys have been huge motivational factors for people who were skeptical about moving to the city. It’s funny how a football team can give a shot in the arm to a city like that but they sure as hell did. The city, I think, still has all of its charm and all of its culture but it’s got a little more pep in its step these days. I’m excited about being there.”

Marc Broussard wsg Chic Gamine & Scars on 45 at the Intersection Sept 19. More information at Marc Broussard's web page.