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Thursday, January 6, 2011 The Bakersfield Californian
Eye Street
Famed troubadour at Spotlight Guitar, mandolin master set for intimate show Sunday BY PAT EVANS Contributing writer
M
y brother Marty gets around — even some places he’d rather not get around to, since he’s a captain and career attorney in the U.S. Navy. Because of all the hip places Marty has lived — Baghdad aside — he’s been delighted to see John McCutcheon several times. The first time was a lark, but Marty was amazed and became a loyal fan. Me? Even though we’ve always stocked some McCutcheon titles, I’ve never listened to them, and I don’t recall ever selling any. But ever since our record store started putting on shows 15 years ago, Marty has been asking me when McCutcheon is coming to Bakersfield so I can crawl out from underneath my “rock.” Have you ever had this experience? You finally open your eyes to something amazing right underneath your nose? Well, last summer I finally looked into John McCutcheon: He’s widely regarded as the best player around of the hammered dulcimer and known as a master on guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and piano. I listened to some songs and watched some live clips. Whoa! I’ve owned a record store for going on 29 years. How could I have been so oblivious? I contacted his agent and after being politely told that John’s California dates were already booked and that maybe we could get a date in 2012, I got the news a couple of weeks later that Jan. 9, 2011 was a possibility. The agent asked where John would play, and I told him about the Spotlight Theatre. “Ninety-nine seats?” came the astonished reply. “Ninety-nine seats for John McCutcheon? You’re kidding, right?” Since I do shows in Bakersfield, I’m used to this part. This is where I have to explain that, musically, Bakersfield is not really in California; it is surrounded by California. Yes, it’s Buck’s town and Merle’s town, with a rich music history. But unless a music group or artist had a radio hit in the ’60s or ’70s it’s not easy to get people to go. Then I made my case for the Spotlight Theatre. Sure, the Spotlight is way too small for a world-class musician who has toured the globe nearly four decades. But because of the incredible acoustics, views and intimacy of the Spotlight, John McCutcheon has his best chance of flooring folks and turning them into fans who will drag their friends to future, larger John McCutcheon shows. The agent contacted McCutcheon, who was touring Australia at the time, and John gave his approval for the date. John McCutcheon, born in Wisconsin in 1952, carries on the ancient traditions of the troubadour: to entertain, to inform, to revive, to engage and to encourage. His shows are fun and funny, but also enable the audience to consider past and present news from the perspective of the classic observer, in the tradition of Mark Twain, Will Rogers and Woody Guthrie. McCutcheon’s lyrics are often humorous, but also poignant and provocative as evidenced by his 1986 piece “Christmas in the Trenches,” which recounts an actual World
PHOTO COURTESY OF DON SHOROCK
John McCutcheon performs at the Tumbleweed Festival in Garden City, Kan., in 2007.
John McCutcheon with Tamera Mahan and Friends openings When: 6:30 p.m. Sunday Where: Spotlight Theater, 1622 19th St. Tickets: $25 and $20; 831-3100
War I temporary truce. An excerpt of the stirring lyrics from that song: “My name is Francis Tolliver. I come from Liverpool. Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school. To Belgium and to Flanders to Germany to here, I fought for King and country I love dear. “‘Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung. “The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung. Our families back in England were toasting us that day, “their brave and glorious lads so far away. “I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground. “When across the lines of battle, came a most peculiar sound. “Says I,‘Now listen up, me boys!’ each soldier strained to hear, “as one young German voice sang out so clear. “‘He’s singing bloody well, you know!’ my partner says to me. “Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony. The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more. As Christmas brought us respite from the war. “As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent, “‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ struck up some lads from Kent. The next they sang was ‘Stille Nacht,’‘Tis ‘Silent Night’,” says I.
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky. “There’s someone coming towards us!," the front-line sentry cried. All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side. His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright, as he bravely strode unarmed into the night. “Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man’s land. “With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand. “We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well. “And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave ’em hell. “We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home, “these sons and fathers far away from families of their own.” McCutcheon’s latest album, “Passage,” was released in October and contains several songs dealing with recent news, as told from the perspective of the common man. I’ve enjoyed the album’s music and its refreshing, contemporary topics. I’m also impressed by the guest musicians and vocalists: Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, Tim and Mollie O’Brien and Stuart Duncan. The speaker in the album’s first song, “One More Day,” is a coal miner who survived last year’s Massey Mine explosion in West Virginia. I am very grateful that John McCutcheon is no longer in my blind spot. A wonderfully rich musical moment will happen this Sunday night as poet John McCutcheon and his staggering array of instruments appear on the Spotlight Theater stage. Be one of the lucky 99 to start your year on a high note. — Pat Evans owns World Records downtown and books and promotes concerts like this one.