music
Music Forecast 28 Concerts 30 Nightlife
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Marriage License LUCINDA WILLIAMS, BACK AND BLESSED.
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ucinda Williams is a pistol. She’s quick and direct, a woman who knows what she wants. She once interrupted an Omaha concert midway through because it was “too damn hot.” “Who do I have to fuck around here to get a fan?” she asked. In her early years, Williams was a straightforward country and folk singer. She put out her first record at the ripe age of 25, in 1978. In the late ’80s, Rough Trade released Lucinda Williams, her breakthrough album, which received attention from like-minded artists such as Tom Petty, EmBY mylou Harris and Steve Earle. “I don’t think I really realKYLE ized that ‘wow, I can do this’ EUSTICE until right before I did that selftitled album in 1988,” Williams, now 58, says in her lazy Southern drawl. “I’d been writing the songs that are on that album, and I started getting some recognition when that “I’ve been tortured already,” Williams says. “I album came out. That was really when I finally don’t need to continue to be tortured.” went wow. I was living in Silver Lake. My rent was only $400 a month. I was in heaven. I was in it’s always going to be there. There’s a lot of hog heaven. I had money for my rent, groceries natural conflict within ourselves. I grew up with poets and novelists and short-story writers. The and didn’t have to work a day job.” Williams has tossed rock, roots, blues, and majority of them were college professors who even an occasional dash of hip-hop into her were married with kids running around and had musical stew. She’s back again this year with a normal life. But a lot of people want you to be Blessed, her ninth studio album, which shows some tortured soul. I’ve been tortured already. her at perhaps her most vulnerable. It’s also the I don’t need to continue to be tortured. Once first album that she’s done since marrying her you’ve been tortured, you have that in you and you can use that to draw from.” longtime manager, Tom Overby. Blessed is a chance for Williams to show even “I didn’t expect it, but when I got together with Tom, I seriously had people ask me, ‘Well, the most skeptical fan that despite her newnow that you’re in a relationship, are you going found love, her ability to craft an honest, heartwrenching song is still there. to be able to still write?’ People Produced by Don Was (the actually asked me that! I was Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan), so dumbfounded, I couldn’t Lucinda Williams Friday, November 11, Blessed continues to explore even answer,” Williams says. at Liberty Hall. Williams’ emotive side. Her “For one thing, happiness lyrics have always been bare is relative anyway. Yes, I’m and transparent, almost feral. happy with Tom, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have bad days, But the hint of a woman in love bubbles under and it also doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be the surface. “Working with Don was one of those opaffected by other things going on in the world portunities that just kind of presented itthat are going to bother me and upset me. “It’s just this idea that your art is affected self. We didn’t want to make the same album by whether you’re married or in a relationship twice. We wanted to bring some fresh blood or have a nice house,” she continues. “I’m an in and a new set of ears, and it proved to be a artist, and it all comes from within me. There’s really good decision,” Williams says. “I’ve got all this stuff in there that I can dig from, and some extra songs for the next album. That’s 24
the pitch
NOVEMBER 10-16, 2011
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one reason I’m so excited about this album, because it’s kind of my way of saying, ‘See? I’m married and in a good relationship, but look what I’m writing now.’ ”
The Deal with Alejandro Escovedo The tribute show has been an unavoidable phenomenon in Kansas City in 2011. Among the individuals most responsible for this trend is Cody Wyoming. In February, he organized a tribute to Exile on Main St. A sold-out Crosstown Station crowd watched as a revolving door of more than two dozen local musicians celebrated the classic Rolling Stones album. Wyoming was also heavily involved in a live theatrical production of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, held in late April at the Living Room. For such occasions, Wyoming has assembled what is more or less a core band — he calls it the Cody Wyoming Deal. They play the songs of Texas roots-rocker Alejandro Escovedo November 10, but this isn’t a tribute show. Rather, Escovedo will be at the venue, onstage, singing, front and center; the Cody Wyoming Deal will serve as his backing band. The Pitch recently spoke to Wyoming about this pretty special evening. The Pitch: How did it happen that Alejandro Escovedo tapped you to play with him? pitch.com
Wyoming: Matt Kesler, who owns Midwestern Musical Co., which is the guitar store where I am actually working as I talk to you, has been friends with Alejandro for years. And it’s Matt’s birthday the night after the show at 1911 Main, and he’s having a party and invited Alejandro to come in for it. Anyway, Matt wanted him to play a show while he’s here and told him he’d put together a band for him here. He asked Alejandro if he remembered me, and he did, so I just put together the band, which is basically the band I did The Wall and Exile on Main St. with. How did Escovedo know you from before? Back in the ’90s, it seems like he’d play at Davey’s three or four times a year. I think a lot of us here in Kansas City, and most everybody in the band, got to know him that way. Who’s in the band? Chris Meck on guitar. I’m playing guitar. Erik Voeks is bass. Mike Stover will do steel guitar and mandolin. Paul Andrews on drums. And then we’ll have some backup singers: Katie Gilchrist, Abigail Henderson, Lauren Krum. So is everyone a fan of Escovedo’s work? Yeah, absolutely, and it’s really nice that it happened to turn out that way. Pretty much everyone involved has been going to see him for years and years. So most of the stuff we’re learning to play we’re already pretty familiar with. We started rehearsing informally in the middle of September continued on page 26 M O N T H X X–X X , 2 0 0 X
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