Saturday, February 13, 2010 Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley, CA map thefreight.org/ Show 8:00 pm
One of this country's most astute musical commentators, veteran singer-songwriter and three-time Grammy nominee Loudon Wainwright III has been sharing his superb songs with us since the late 1960s, performing live, on television and radio, and on over 20 acclaimed albums. Tonight he showcases numbers from his latest project, High Wide & Handsome, an amazing double CD of tunes originally recorded by Charlie Poole, the legendary singer, banjo picker and bandleader of 1920s. A superb singer and lyricist who balances unflinching honesty and a knack for pulling the rug out from under his own pretensions, it's no wonder that Loudon found a kindred spirit in Charlie, a rambling showman known for his reckless ways and what Loudon refers to as his "funny, strange, sad, powerful music." Classics like "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues," "Sweet Sunny South," "He Rambled," and "Take a Drink on Me" get the Loudon treatment tonight, as he takes us on a memorable visit to Charlie's life and times: "This lovable, charming rascal," Loudon declares, "left in his wake enough stories, mostly humorous, for a double feature matinee, complete with newsreel, short subject, and a couple cartoons."
opener:
Alex Caton & Pete Winne  Alex Caton plays music that feels as much at home in a modern, big city venue as it would have at the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940s. Joined by her musical partner Pete Winne, this duo plays a dynamic mix of driving Appalachian fiddle tunes, classic country, gospel, and original songs. Alex has toured the states and Europe extensively over the last decade, nurturing and sharing the heritage of old-time music; and Pete and Alex plan a European tour in 2010 to promote Alex's newest release, the "Sinners and the Saved," which was recorded at roots-rock legend Levon Helm's Studio in Woodstock, NY this past winter. With their seamless vocal blend, fiery fiddling, and haunting clawhammer banjo-playing, Alex and Pete forge the newest link in central Virginia's unusually rich acoustic music lineage.