music: concert review

> LOUD AND RICH TOUR (Pittsburgh 10/25/09)
Richard Thompson and Loudon Wainwright III

By: Randall McCaslin
Photos: Heidi Allyn

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To label Richard Thompson a folk rock icon would be an easy thing to do –and quite correct -  but the journeyman guitarist and storyteller is so much more than the sum of his parts. His 40 plus year career had its beginnings with the British folk rock outfit – Fairport Convention and has carried him through phases of electric and acoustic guitar mastery including his collaboration with film director Werner Herzog on the soundtrack for the film Grizzly Man – the story of Timothy Treadwell. His current release Walking On a Wire is a 70 plus song box set that spans his career – from Fairport Convention to his work with ex-wife Linda Thompson and includes loads of his solo tunes. His collaboration with other musicians is extensive, eclectic, and includes the likes of Dave Pegg of Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, Bonnie Raitt, Louden Wainwright III who shared the bill and stage with him, Jack Bruce, Michael Stipe, John Lydon, Elvis Costello, Henry Kaiser, Anton Fier of the Golden Palominos and Sugar, and Dave Thomas of Pere Ubu and many others.  He has earned many honors and was coined the “greatest guitarist you never heard of”. His voice is deep and haunting and his signature black beret is a little symbolic of the darkness and perhaps dangerousness of his music and lyrics.  

Louden Wainwright III is also a veteran folk dude. A direct descendent of Peter Stuyvesant – the founder of New Amsterdam – which became New York – creativity in his family abounds. His father was a writer for Life magazine – and his children Rufus and Martha are also musicians. He was married for a time to Kate McGarrigle of the McGarrigle Sisters. He is best known for the novelty song – “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road” and had a guest role on the TV series M*A*S*H as the troubadour Dr. that sang “Oh Tokyo”.

     The evening  began – after listening to the Steelers beat the Vikings on the radio on the drive down 79- with meeting our friends Dan and Theresa  for  an  early dinner at  Me Lyng a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant in downtown Homestead,  a lovely little oriental place with great service and great food. Heidi and I  had the Canh Chuua – a Vietnamese hot and sour soup for 2 that was excellent with just the right amount of heat – warm from the lips to the belly. We also had the Cha Gio – Vietnamese spring roll – that was deep fried – good but just a tad overcooked – and it was served without any dipping sauce. Our entre was Peking Duck and was a little disappointing – although the flavor was pleasant – I think the duck was not as fresh as it could have been. Because the preparation is so labor intensive they probably make them on Friday for the weekend and it was cool and a little chewy. Like any restaurant – you have to get to know the specialties and go with them.   All in all a very nice eating experience and would return.          

   The concert venue was the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Munhall, Pa. which essentially is on the hill overlooking the site of the Homestead works - the former site of US Steel where Andrew Carnegie made his vast fortune. The steel mills are all gone and a strip mall now sits on the site where Carnegie put down the Homestead strike – one of the bloodiest labor disputes in US history. Carnegie eventually spent his later years as a philanthropist building libraries all around the U.S. to promote literacy and the English language and  the Library in Munhall was one of the earliest. The Victorian structure is beautiful. The music hall had orchestra and balcony seating and we were in the balcony. The audience was composed mainly of 50 somethings – who I was envisioning would have been sitting on the grass at an outdoor festival 30 years ago grooving to the heavy sounds of Jefferson Airplane or Dylan.

      The show was billed as Loud and Rich – and Loud took the stage solo and at about 7:35. A friendly and engaging performer he kidded with those coming late – “glad you could make it “! His songs were for the most unfamiliar to me – self described as “songs for the new depression” his set began with “Cash for Clunkers”. The tone of his guitar was very familiar. Heidi turned to me and said – his guitar sounds just like yours and I told her does because it is, and he later sang a song about his D-28 Martin and its  adventure in an airport.  His sardonic humor emerged with his songs of “death and decay and shitty love”. Upon completion of his set he returned with Richard Thompson for his encores. Louden Wainwright was a perfect set up for Richard Thompson. After a brief intermission Rich took the stage with his traditional black jeans, shirt, and beret.

(09-1026)

related links:
Richard Thompson - official site