This show included birthday boy Ray Mason, Dillard & Clark, Miriam Makeba, Furry Lewis, 75 Dollar Bill, Staple Singers, Lee Ann Womack, Shovels & Rope, The Klezmatics, Riddy Arman, John Lee Hooker, The Sevens, Jamaican Steel Band, and music from Madagascar…plus more.
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Lament For a Straight Line Radio – the last two Wednesdays of the month at 9 pm on WRIU.org
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The bass player walks when walking is needed. The lyrics don’t mess around, even when they’re describing the act of messing around. And the singer, occasional waitress, ex-Amazon clock-puncher and unassuming country thrush Charlie Marie, lets her voice catch in her throat exactly when the scene she’s describing gets a tad overwhelming. And, as we know from life in general and country music in particular, things get a tad overwhelming more and more these days. Don’t worry, Marie ain’t a wilting flower who only delivers glum valentines in a succession of heartache tunes. In a key song from her Ramble On album, she calls her good-looking, over-controlling, soon-to-be-ex an “asshole” while leveling-up in the self-respect department. “What a pity,” she says shrugging off their demise, “baby I’m a tough kitty.” Strong records are littered with those kind of memorable moments, and Ramble On, Marie’s debut if you don’t count a couple here-and-gone EPs a few years ago, has its fair share. The Rhode Island-based singer came up on Patsy Cline, tried her hand at college classes and open-mic nights in Music City, and has honed a yen for classic country without abandoning modern pop instincts. Several Ramble On songs are catchy as hell. Up-tempo tunes are a forte. Everything clicks when Marie gallops through bouncy swingers like “Bad Seed” and “Ramble On Man.” And she sounds quite comfy reminding us that a little backbeat never hurt a honkytonk aura; between the liquid steel guitar and saucy Wurlitzer on “40 Miles To Memphis,” this Ocean State cowgirl proves that she shines with the oomph of a band behind her. Indie country records are hit or miss, and when something sticks out, it’s wise to shout about it. Charlie Marie has made a great little album, one that not only boasts a song called “Heard It Through the Red Wine” (yes, the depth of the performance equals the wit of the title as she explains how merlot can be a truth serum), but one that makes you want to hit the replay button as soon as you’re done with it. Twang now has a hot cup of Dunkin in its hand.
Charlie Marie plays the Rhythm Stage at the Rhythm and Roots Festival on Saturday at 1 pm
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Our final preview of the Rhythm and Roots Festival 2021. It’s been fun learning about Rose & the Bros, Trigger Hippy, and those duet records by Rihannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi. And jumping back into the Paul Cebar end of the pool. His bands are a blast. Fuck Texas, take a ride and see you at Ninigret THIS weekend.
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Laughed it up with Paul Cebar during a recreational visit to the Crescent City in the late ‘80s and had a feeling from the get that we shared a musical world view. Sometimes ya just know. Soon after, the debut album by his then-band The Milwaukeeans arrived, and my appreciation for the lanky singer-guitarist tripled because its title described the holy grail vibe most well-travelled rock ‘n’ roll outfits are searching for: That Unhinged Thing. Jewels such as “Twice Little Sixteen” distilled several Caribbean strains and then poured ‘em into Chuck Berry’s boot flask. Yep, Cebar’s a multi-tasker, one of those omni guys. But that was eons ago. Since, through the songcraft that supports his vision and the non-stop road work that earns him new listeners each year, the Wisconsin hero has turned a regional following into a bigger picture. Iterations of his ensembles come and go. It’s his Tomorrow Sound group that’s been in action for almost two decades now. Records like Fine Rude Thing deliver the swinging frenzy that thumps at the heart of their dapper raunch. The grooves come at you from all sides. Cebar’s a scholar of rhythm music (check his ‘Way Back Home’ radio show Wednesdays on WMSE for a glimpse) and his dedication to the African diaspora has delivered us many riches. Last time he rolled through our area I wrote a blab celebrating the nonchalance of his pan-stylistic approach. R&B, jazz, funk and soul constantly swirl through Tomorrow Sound’s beat-driven tunes. Absorb “The Gimp Sparrow,” the kickoff track from their 2007 album and you see what I’m saying. Team Cebar has innumerable ways of causing an uproar.
Rhythm and Roots Festival info
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