Last week I played at the Empire Revue, which was fun (as always). I only played one song so it seemed silly to make a separate post about it. Anyway, it was 'A Dozen Lovely Roses' (aka 'Jenny and Frank'), one of my fairly new songs.

Tonight was the Empire Revue, also fun! The four songs I played tonight were:

1. A Dozen Lovely Roses
2. Photo Album
3. Absolute Zero (theme song)
4. Avocados and Beer

I enjoyed playing 'Absolute Zero', but I wasn't sure whether it was a song I wanted to add to my permanent repetoire -- I thought it might be a little too derivative of Dion's 'The Wanderer'. Afterwards, I talked to Scuffy and Tara about it and they convinced me it was worth keeping in the rotation, so ... we'll see!

The crowd was sparse (not unexpected for that 10 am to noon slot), but as I was packing up a woman did shout "I liked the song about the potatoes!" so that was good. Afterwards I drove up to Newburyport and watched Morris dancers.

Anyway, the set list:

1. Gypsy Woman
2. That'll Never Happen No More
3. Sister Kate
4. In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down
5. Railroad Bill
6. Didn't They
7. I Believe To My Soul
8. A Dozen Lovely Roses
9. Barstow
10. Hybrid Car
11. Deep River Blues
12. Watching Killer Robots Eat Your Head
13. San Francisco Bay Blues
14. Waterbugs
15. Mick McGuire
16. Caldonia
17. Potato
18. C-H-I-C-K-E-N
19. I Walk The Line
20. Hickory Wind
21. Big Road Blues
22. Before You Accuse Me

A bunch of people came to the show -- many thanks!

Here's the set lists:

Set 1:

1. I Walk The Line
2. The Dire Wolf
3. Jenny and Frank (A Dozen Lovely Roses)
4. Careless Love
5. San Francisco Bay Blues
6. Lowland
7. Thorn In Your Side
8. St. Louis Blues
9. Nothing in Rambling

Set 2:

3 solo jwgh songs: Big Road Blues, That'll Never Happen No More, "Pumpkin, Mrs. Farnsworth"
4. Rider in the Rain
5. Early in the Morning
6. Big River
7. Barstow
8. Johnny B. Goode ->
9. Lucky Old Sun
10. Sam Hall

Set 3:
3 solo CMO songs: Thin Un-leaven, The Honey Bee, Going Swimming
4. Little Red Riding Hood
5. Working on a Building
6. Deep River Blues
7. All My Love's In Vain (with guest vocalist Jeri Verdi)
8. Beans and Cornbread
9. Tear My Stillhouse Down
10. The KKK Took My Baby Away
11. Waterbugs
12. Done Somebody Wrong
13. Hybrid Car
14. My Babe
15. Before You Accuse Me

We did three new songs last night -- four if you count 'Spike Driver Blues', which I think we only played in public once before, at Whole Foods. Anyway, here are the lists. New songs marked with a *.

Set 1:
* All My Love's In Vain
That's All Right
Route 66
Folsom Prison Blues
Tea in my Teacup
Spike Driver Blues
"Pumpkin, Mrs. Farnsworth"->
Sin City
Thorn in Your Side ->
Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

Set 2:
3 solo CMO songs: Thin un-Leaven, Powderfinger, The Honey Bee
* Done Somebody Wrong
* I'm Ready
I Believe To My Soul
Barstow ->
The Dire Wolf ->
Loving Cup
Cow Cow Blues

Set 3:
3 solo jwgh songs: A Dozen Lovely Roses, Caldonia, San Francisco Bay Blues
Deep River Blues
Nothing in Rambling (with Cousin Jake)
The Weight (with Cousin Jake)
My Babe (with Cousin Jake)
You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover
Worried Man Blues
Going Swimming
Sweet Home, Chicago
Didn't They
Werewolves of London

Set 1:
1. Sister Kate
2. Dear Someone
3. Route 66
4. The Dire Wolf
5. C-H-I-C-K-E-N
6. Bright Lights, Big City
7. I'm Working On A Building
8. Tom Rushen Blues
9. Powderfinger (audience choice)
10. Stone Sober Blues

Set 2:
3 solo jwgh songs: San Francisco Bay Blues, You're Bad And You Won't Go Away, A Dozen Lovely Roses
4. Lucky Old Sun
5. Before You Accuse Me
6. Barstow
7. Liberty
8. Mick McGuire
9. Going Swimming
10. Didn't They
11. Beans & Cornbread

Set 3:
3 solo CMO songs: My Babe, Honey Bee, St. James Infirmary
4. Worried Man Blues
5. Hybrid Car
6. Naked Man
7. Big River
8. Tear My Stillhouse Down
9. Whiskey in the Jar
10. Dead Flowers
11. Waterbugs
12. Midnight Special

I just got home from FOO Fest, where I played two songs as part of the Empire Revue show at AS220. The songs I played were Photo Album (on guitar) and Hybrid Car (on piano). I had a good time ... hope y'all can make it to FOO Fest today!

I have a bit of a conflict later. Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores are playing at AS220 at 9 pm, while meanwhile at Nick-a-Nees the Wippets are opening for Paul Geremia. Currently I'm leaning towards going to Nick-a-Nees, but we'll see what I decide ...

Set #1:
1. Early in the Morning
2. Rider on the Rain
3. Get Your Kicks On Route 66
4. No Money Down
5. I Believe To My Soul
6. Nothing in Rambling
7. The Lion Song
8. Low Land
9. Gypsy Woman
10. Leaving in the Morning

Set #2:
3 CMO songs (Pity Me My Darling, I Truly Understand, Honey Bee)
4. Caldonia
5. Liberty
6. Hybrid Car
7. Going Swimming
8. San Francisco Bay Blues
9. Dead Flowers
10. Thorn in Your Side

Set #3:
(3 jwgh songs: Big Road Blues, In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down, Railroad Bill)
4. Big River
5. You're the Tea in My Teacup
6. Me & Curby
7. Midnight Special
8. My Babe
9. Waterbugs

Last Thursday at White Electric I played in the Ballad of America Band. Also playing that night were Allysen Callery and the Chris Monti Acoustic Band (with Steve Jobe on viola and Bob Asperinio on upright bass). Everyone sounded great, and it was lots of fun! I hope we'll do another show there again sometime.

The Ballad of America Band was composed of David Haller on guitar and fiddle; Chris Monti on guitar, banjo, and harmonica; me on accordion and guitar; and Bob Asperinio on upright bass. We played:

1. THE FOX. dh: guitar, vocals. cm: guitar. ba: bass. jwgh: accordion.
2. TIMES ARE GETTING HARD. dh: guitar, vocals. cm: banjo. ba: bass. jwgh: accordion.
3. DEEP RIVER BLUES. jwgh: guitar, vocals. dh: guitar. cm: banjo. ba: bass.
4. I TRULY UNDERSTAND. cm: banjo, vocals. dh: fiddle. ba: bass. jwgh: guitar.
5. SHENANDOAH. dh: fiddle, vocals. cm: guitar. ba: bass. jwgh: accordion.
6. JOHN HENRY. dh: guitar, vocals. cmo: banjo. ba: bass. jwgh: accordion.
7. COLORADO TRAIL. cm: guitar, vocals. dh: fiddle. ba: bass. jwgh: accordion.
8. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. jh: accordion, vocals. cm: guitar. dh: guitar. ba: bass.
9. GOING DOWN THE ROAD FEELING BAD. dh: fiddle, vocals. cm: banjo. ba: bass. jwgh: guitar.
10. STEALING. dh: guitar, vocals. cm: harmonica. ba: bass. jwgh: guitar.

I think that's about right.

The Killdevils were the featured act at Becky Chace's singer/songwriter spotlight night at Tazza tonight. Here's what we played:

1. The KKK Took My Baby Away
2. St. James Infirmary
3. Deep River Blues
4. Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other
5. Take the Skinheads Bowling
6. Barstow
7. Tear My Stillhouse Down
8. She's an Angel
9. Sister Kate
10. Ring of Fire

Fun show; we did a bunch of new songs, which I will mark with an asterisk.

This coming Wednesday The Killdevils are playing at Tazza as part of Becky Chace's singer-songwriter showcase series.

Anyway:

1st set:
1. Saint Louis Blues
2. In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down
3. Whiskey in the Jar
4. Caldonia
5. The Dire Wolf
6. Barstow *
7. Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other
8. Route 66 *
9. Folsom Prison Blues
10. Deep River Blues

2nd set:
3 solo jwgh songs: Big Road Blues, That'll Never Happen No More, Watching Killer Robots Eat Your Head
4. The Weight
5. Sister Kate
6. Rosalie McFall
7. Blue Light Boogie
8. Big River *
9. Leaving Home
10. San Francisco Bay Blues *

3rd set:
3 solo Chris Monto songs: Roll Another Number, Kind Hearted Woman, C-H-I-C-K-E-N
4. Down in the Dumps *
5. Werewolves of London
6. Before You Accuse Me
7. Johnny B. Goode
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken? *