LIVE REVIEWS
Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns Mandala2
Kichijoji, Tokyo, Japan
Material: Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns provide crowd-pleasing original material and intelligently chosen covers, which they make their own. Originals blend bluegrass, old-school country, roots and Irish folk. Apart from the one classic rock cover, their borrowed repertoire is exclusively Urban music. The effect being more infectious than comedic, pogoing breaks out during raucous covers of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” and Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise,” which they offer as an encore. Standout originals include the bluegrass-flavored “Half the Time,” and “Such a Smile,” the latter earning a song placement in NBC ’s The New Normal. Musicianship: Sam Berry delivers his storytelling vocals like Boxcar Willie, while performing rhythm guitar on his Martin. Julian Peters brings Chet Akins-like leads and bluegrass picking on his own Martin, and contributes equally professional vocals. Yuuki Shiroma plucks bass lines with the feel of a jug or an upright, and drummer Darren Scaife wields his brushes masterfully, seamlessly transitioning the band from genre to genre. Tim Marchand switches between percussion and saxophone with ease, and provides competent backing vocals as well. Guest musi-
!"#$"#%&!'()(
Contact: info@jimmybinksandtheshakehorns.com Web: http://jimmybinksandtheshakehorns.com The Players: Sam Berry, lead vocals, guitar; Julian Peters, guitar, vocals; Yuuki Shiroma, bass; Tim Marchand, percussion, sax, vocals; Darren Scaife, drums; Jonathan Bojarzin, mandolin, lap steel, harmonica, cowbell. Username: jimmybinks
Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns: Bluegrass, roots and Irish folk originals blended with urban covers. cian Jonathan Bojarzin proves his worth as one of Tokyo's finest multi-instrumentalists, fleshing out the songs on mandolin, lap steel, harmonica and cowbell. Performance: Lead vocalist Sam Berry greeted the crowd warmly, receiving playfully hostile responses like those of a British pub crowd. After the third song, Berry announced that they had to strip a bit, because they were going to speed things up. Cheers erupted as the audience noticed that the band were wearing brand new Jimmy Binks t-shirts as undershirts. Humor, being an essential part of their lyrics, was also used effectively between songs. “While you’re on your way to the toilet, you can buy our CD” and, “This next song is about murder, not that I think murder is funny,”
being two of the best lines of the night. Having six musicians on a small stage didn't allow the band to run around, but the audience was given more than its money’s worth in the form of tasteful jamming and solos worthy of Tom T. Hall's backing band. Summary: Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns are a crowd-pleasing country band who have found their sound as well as their audience. The main point holding them back may be choosing venues that limit their movement too much. With better PR and management, this band could vie for success on an international scale. Very inspiring, both to watch and to listen to, Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns are definitely worth keeping track of in the next few years. ——Laurier Tiernan
Louise Goffin The Hotel Cafe Hollywood, CA
Material: Louise Goffin is the daughter of Gerry Goffin and Carole King and you can expect to hear their influence in her music. Songs of friendships, farewells and personal evaluations are exemplified by “Archives” and “Two Different Movies.” Cheap hotel rooms, lonely train cars and long stretches of empty road tells a story which Goffin explained is, “picked up on the highway of life.” Musicianship: Tension and tempo are central to the work; stark with only vocal and instrument for the first verse, then building with the full band to a crescendo. Goffin continually adjusts sound levels for the variety of instruments and styles. It would be nice to see an actual horn section rather than synth for the mod pop opener, “Dance (With The One Who Brought You)” and the artificial Hammond organ is excessively in the mix on “New Year’s Day.” MacIntyre adds subtle cymbals with soft mallets and good oldfashioned kick thumping to work up the crowd
*)+!#,-(.
Contact: nicole@Lafamos.com Web: http://louisegoffin.com The Players: Louise Goffin, lead vocalist, multiinstrumentalist; Craig MacIntyre, drums; Bob Glaub, bass; Billy Harvey, vocals, guitarist; Lee Curreri, piano, keyboard. Username: Louise Goffin
Louise Goffin: Grammy-nominated producer performing with soft elegance. for the country jams. Glaub steals the show, banjo took a pit fall not once but twice, becoming locking in his bass lines with his pumping Mesa a character in the show as Goffin explained, “A Boogie amp. good instrument is like a good relationship.” Performance: Goffin and Harvey traded lead vocals to spotlight two originals by Harvey, which added an Americana flair to the set as Goffin took to banjo. The show stealer was “Clicking To The Next Slide,” which she explained was a reference to View-Master toys used as a metaphor for childhood perceptions of time. The song was stylistically comparable to Lenny Kravitz or Jason Yudoff. The banter between songs was fun; that heavyweight contender
Summary: The hot feature of Louise Goffin’s set is “New Year’s Day,” a selection from Goffin’s first Grammy-nominated album A Holiday Carole which she produced for Carole King. The songwriter was dared to play this piano-based song on guitar and did so with a soft elegance that held her audience breathless. She excels at this ability, resonating with her audience as much as the music’s sustain. ——Brooke Trout March 2013
www.musicconnection.com 53