Again, not together, but I saw them both tonight. Richie played to a packed Highline Ballroom crowd that seemed like a mix of metal heads and strangely “normal” looking people (and of course, I’m sure, a ton of guitarist). Of course he kicks ass when he shreds on his axe, but his songs and lyrics are not the most original I have to stay. Nevertheless he’s a great player and he plays and sings his ass off. Reminded me a bit of Sambora vocally and you can hear echoes of Jimi and others in his playing, it’s just so fast and precise that it’s mindboggling.
Later my buddy Robby Angelucci (on tour with Frankie Valli, coming through the tristate area) walked over to Canal Room where long time Rolling Stones background singer Bernard Fowler and a great supporting band were giving their all to a nostalgic r’n’r crowd. Bernard’s voice is great (there’s something special when a black man signs rock’n’roll… like with the Livig Colour guy…) and his energy is uncompromised and dedicated. Keith Richards was in the crowd and was rumored would sit in but ended up not doing so. Great sound (mixed by the legendary Night Bob) and show nevertheless!

No I didn’t see the two of them live together. I spent the first half of the night at BB King’s to see The Moth’s finalis, where Bridget (whom I blogged about before) kicked ass with her stand-up comedy style storytelling and closed the night with a grand slam story about getting her mom stoned.
Then I ran down the West Village to see the Bitter End’s weekly installment of Oz Noy. I got there early and caught the second half of Lizzy Loeb’s set (if memory serves me right), a talented young singer songwriter who enlisted Shawn Pelton on drums for her record and this one gig tonight. After her Oz was up and was killing it with his riffs, licks, solos, sounds and pedal switching… The Oz Noy Twisted Blues Band tonight featured the great and fun Will Lee on bass, Rocky Bryant on drums & Jerry Z on keys (that was a first for me). Of course they killed it and when they were done it felt too short a set! Great musicianship.

My good (and corageously fasting) friend Kaoru and I went to see Mary Halvorson tonight. She performed with a great band comprised of the great Trevor Dunn on bass, an impressive Tomas Fujiwara (subbing for Chess Smith), Jon Irbagon on sax (rumored to be a world champion at Dr. Mario) and Jonathan Finlayson (whose playing is almost as cool as his vintage Kellog’s fruit loops t-shirt). The quintet played great and it was the first time I got a chance to appreciate her compositions (although I had seen her playing before with Marc Ribot at Le Poisson Rouge). With long horn lines and harmonies punctuated by written free-jazz guitar structures leaning on the solid foundations of such a great rhythm section, the quinted effortlessly spaced from improv to form flirting with moody and delicate atmospheres and bursting flames in full on full out pieces! All the solos were killer! This young and humble composer is definitely one to follow and one whom I hope to work with sooner rather than later.