By Ted Silverman [ Setlists | Ted's footnote ]

The Last Day Saloon's weekly Five Arm's Music Series has been showcasing the best in Bay Area-based American Roots music every Wednesday night since last fall. Tonight produced it's most successful booking to date: Del McCoury and his band, all the way from Nashville. Del's collaboration with Steve Earle has had an impressive effect upon the fan base of Bluegrass music and this event was prima facie evidence, judging by the line outside of this often sleepy concert venue.

The evening's entertainment began with a taste from longtime Bay Area Bluegrass stalwarts High Country. Butch Waller (Mando), Larry Cohea (banjo), Tom Bekany (Fiddle and 2nd Mando), Jim Mintun (Guitar) and Glen Dauphin (Bass) presented a tight 90 minute set of Gospel, Fiddle Tunes, Bill Monroe and Stanley Brothers chestnuts, plus a few well-written originals. High Country displayed an impressive degree of virtuosity with excellent dynamics and a good sense of harmony. Larry Cohea's banjo picking raised the roof. The standout portion of their set was the instrumental duet of Little Rabbit / Tennessee Blues led by the twin mandolins - and Butch Waller played a '23 Loar. It is easy to see why High Country was honored with the privilege of opening for Del McCoury.

High Country

Following this tasteful hors d'oeuvre, the sound engineer cleared away a forest of mics, etc., and placed a single, elegant, omnidirectional AKG on a boom stand. Del and his band crawled through the packed crowd and began to rev it up like a top fuel dragster smoking its tires before screaming down the quarter mile.

Talk about bang for the buck! These folks played two 90-minute sets consisting of over 45 songs. Ronnie McCoury's Mandolin chops we're clean, melodic and fiery. Jason Carter added color and emotion to each tune. Rob and Mike popped out with effervescent solos throughout the evening. Each member of the band was featured both instrumentally and with solo, duet, trio, quartet and quintet vocal arrangements. Outside of their instrumental skills each member of this tight-knit ensemble contributes pinpoint harmony, lead and tenor vocals. The band performed a well-rounded variety of bluegrass styles, including many an interesting song from outside the idiom. John Sebastien's Nashville Cats, Bob Dylan's Walk Out in The Rain, and Country Singer Glenn Sutton's What Made Milwaukee Famous (Made a Loser Out of Me) were just a few of the many well-delivered treats. Ron McCoury put the band through its paces with originals such as the mandolin driven Red Eyes on a Mad Dog and Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Twist. Rob McCoury, Jason Carter and Mike Bubb all took turns leading the band though an entertaining list of bluegrass chestnuts. And Del honored numerous requests from the ravenous crowd.

Del McCoury Band

Witnessing these guys in action proved they can entertain, even astound, an audience with a sense of confident ease. Del is perhaps the genre's finest living vocalist and quite a lot of his innate talents have rubbed off on his sons and their cohorts Jason Carter and Mike Bubb. It is obvious that this is one well-honed Bluegrass act.

Del recounted tales of his early days playing banjo with Jack Cooke's band in the barrooms of Baltimore. He spoke of days spent laboring and weekends on the road touring sometimes more than 1000 miles from home, and returning to work each Monday Morning. He told the tale of his introduction to and subsequent employment as singer and guitarist for Bill Monroe. He remarked on the musical evolution of his sons, his initial introduction to David Grisman and the evolution of the Bluegrass Community as well as the stories behind some of his more recent and highly acclaimed recordings. Del reflected on his long career in the music industry with a humble gratitude. Surprisingly, he suggested that, in the present, his musical lifestyle was not as inspiring to him as it most likely was for the "kids in the band". His sons Ronnie and Robbie along with Mike Bubb and Jason Carter display a fire and ferocity of skill in support the quintessential tenor vocals of the leader of this band as if they were born to the task. And indeed a few of them were. The Bluegrass community is well represented by Del McCoury and his band. They are clearly a fan favorite. Their easy going yet hard driving style is matched evenly by their formidable talent, accessibility and genuine warmth.

Article and Photos © Ted Silverman, San Francisco, USA

High Country:
Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Virginia Waltz, Reno Breakdown, You're Not Alone, I Hear a Choo Choo Coming, How Mountain Girls Can Love, John Henry, Big Country, Lonesome Rider, Blues For Your Own, Saturday Night Mandolins, Little Rabbit / Tennessee Blues, Highway of Pain

Del McCoury Band
(1) Blueridge Home Where I'm Bound, She left Me Again, Red Eyes on a Mad Dog, It's Time to Go, Nashville Cats, I Got the Back Slidin' Blues, Walk out in the Rain, Troubles All My Own, I Love a Girl With A Mind of Her Own, I Feel the Blues Movin' In, Little Darlin' Pal of Mine, Get Down On Your Knees and Pray

(2) Train Wreck of Emotion, I'll Be There If You Ever Want Me By Your Side, Crying Heart Blues, Bluegrass Twist, Body & Soul, Just Because, I Know Your Married But I Still Love You, I've Been Blue, I Don't Love You Like I Used To, True Love Never Dies, Breakdown, Cold Rain & Snow, Black Jack County Chains, Henry Walker, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Look of a Perfect Diamond, I Wonder Where You Are Tonight, Beauty of My Dreams, Baltimore Johnny.

Encore: City of Stone, Lonesome Road Blues

Earlier on in the evening I witnessed the band's soundcheck and had privilege of a short interview with Del. Their single-microphone style of musical delivery is rare in these days of highly technical sound production, but it serves as just another example of the bands inherent sincerity. Working out the kinks in a sound system is something these guys obviously have had some experience with as they spent the better part of an hour locating and equalizing away particular feedback-inducing frequencies. It was a special privilege to watch them run through their paces on tunes like Earl's Breakdown and Take Me Back And Try Me One More Time with just myself and a sound engineer as the audience. Eventually I sat down with Del and was graced with his warmth and charm. I can confidently say there is not one ounce of pretension about this man or his band. There's a straightforward aspect to him and this easy nature comes through in both his music and conversation. With a raconteur's wit he explained how, as a child, he would listen to Grand Old Opry with his brother Jerry. Jerry later got himself a job and would bring home LP records. Once Del had heard Flatt and Scruggs' Rolling in My Sweet Baby's Arms he basically wore the record out trying to figure out the unique Scruggs banjo style. The rest is history.

1st Jan 2000, updated 3 Jan 2007