By Jean Brandon

Report: Peter Rowan with Tony Rice

Peter arrived for his sound check at about 7 p.m., muttering about trains being late etc. We wondered if anyone had warned him about British Rail. Derek and I left Peter to continue his sound check and went to find a chippy (north England for "Fish & Chip shop. not a carpenter...) We were back by 8 after the best haddock and chips for a long time, cooked by a Turk, would you believe, the most helpful and polite shop-person we have ever met!

The Musician is a nice, small venue in the centre of Leicester; it's a bit reminiscent of The Sweetwater in Mill Valley, California (for anyone who knows it!) but with the bonus of colour TV relays for those not in the main concert area who otherwise wouldn't see the show.

The evening was kicked off at about 8. 30 by Thad(eous) Kaye (guitar/lead vocals) and his wife Angela (bass/harmony vocals) (gig report). They performed a mixed repertoire of Country and Bluegrass songs with some superb, creative flatpicking from Thad and solid bass and harmony vocals from Angela. The selection included, Is it True That I've Lost You, Evangeline, Leaving Louisiana in The Broad Daylight, Walking in Jerusalem Just Like John and Roll on Buddy. Thad provided a very acrobatic flatpicking intro on the last one!

They did several Stanley Brothers numbers, including Riding That Midnight Train in high gear! High on A Mountain, Turn Your Radio On, Which Way Does That Old Pony Run. Too Hot To Handle from Hi-Lo Brown and the Timberliners finished a very entertaining set, paving the way for the main attraction of the evening: Peter Rowan.

By this time the venue was bursting at the seams, with a palpable feeling of anticipation as they waited for Peter Rowan. Peter came on to roars and cheers of appreciation, wearing a black Stetson and a colourful Indian blanket vest which I fancied taking home with me! Not to mention his silver and turquoise Native American rings and his small Martin guitar with its' giant sound!

Peter Rowan has become a legend in his own lifetime in the Bluegrass and Roots genre. A onetime 'Bluegrass Boy' with Bill Monroe, a founder of several innovative bands (including The Free Mexican Airforce, The Rowan Brothers, Earth Opera, Muleskinner, Sea Train and The Panama Red Riders. He is also a writer of powerful songs such as Walls of Time, The Free Mexican Airforce, The Land of the Navaho and many more. As he settled into his first set it became very obvious why he is viewed in this way. The audience were captivated from the first, giving a great reception to Moonlight Midnight Moonlight! He managed to slip both Freight Train and Wildwood Flower as breaks into Panama Red. "Oops, my roots are showing," he quipped! He then sang Tumbleweed, The Spirit of The West from his heart.

After singing Blue Moon Of Kentucky he explained that Bill Monroe was once asked did he mind Elvis Presley recording it and turning it into a Rock and Roll song. "Heck no," Bill replied, "them was powerful cheques!"

His performance was studded with interesting anecdotes from his travels, like the time he was with Bill Monroe at the Bean Blossom festival, Kentucky and Bluegrass Breakdown (as the tour bus for Bill and the Band was called) broke down! He and Bill passed the time by writing The Walls of Time! He introduced one song by saying, "My daughter wrote these words when she was just 5years old."

Man of Constant Sorrow, The Cuckoo (a Jamaican-Reggae-influenced version) and The Blue Velvet Band followed. His last story and song, The Free Mexican Airforce, brought the spell-bound audience to it's feet as he finished an impressive first half with the promise of more to come.

By this time the room had become very hot and hazy, many of the audience being smokers. Peter's first words as he started his second set were, "Thank you for not smoking," but it seemed to make little difference; a far cry from his native California, where singers can be sure they aren't disadvantaged and disabled by noxious, toxic fumes.

The wonderful second set included Cold Rain and Snow, The Trail of The Navaho (fabulously sung), Come On And Break My Heart Again and Armageddon. After asking for requests the shouters eventually hit the right numbers and Peter followed with The Seeds That My Daddy Sowed and Raglan Road (which had the hairs on my neck stood on end and a lump in my throat!). After his final song, Lay My Lonesome Down, he sang White Dove as an encore for... Belle Monroe. Yes, that was Belle, not Bill... it's the stage name of a certain lady BG singer we and Peter all know very well, and the reason why we were Peter's guests for the night! Belle is our daughter Pam and sings with Peter in San Francisco, where she lives.

He must have been an hour after the end of his gig when he'd finished signing posters and CD's and chatting to his fans that we finally got a word in before the 110 mile motorway journey home, full of road works and diversions... Apart from that - a fablulous evening!

Before closing I must mention the excellent sound quality in The Musician, which is due entirely to both the high quality of the equipment and the skills of the resident sound engineer, Malcolm Randle.

For anyone interested in the food joints - exit the Musician, turn right to the end of the street then turn right again. Several eating places there but at the next junction turn right again and you'll see the chippy a few yards down on the right. (After that plug we expect free fish & chips next time!!!)

Jean Brandon, Chester. Write to Jean

Peter Rowan gig report at Strictly Bluegrass 2002

Corrected 31 Dec 2004