Chuck Ragan, Christina Wagner and The Darling Cavaliers @ The Social (6-12-09)

Opening the night was a local band called The Darling Cavaliers. This 5-piece band consists of Michael McCarver on acoustic guitar/vocals, his wife Natalie McCarver on vocals/tambo, Mike Roberts on lap slide guitar/electric guitar, Bailey Strobel on vocals, and Dennis Matestic on percussion. This band started off to a relatively thin crowd of about 50 people, which grew to about 120 toward the end of their set. The band’s style is steeped in Folk & Mountain music, which has been experiencing a second revival in the last few years. I also caught some Honky-Tonk style in both their sound and their attitude – this is a band for good times, cold beer, Irish whiskey and instilling a sense of camaraderie among friends and strangers alike. It’s hard not to smile and enjoy the moment when a band like this is on the stage. The vocals were shared between the McCarvers & Strobel, and all the members seemed as comfortable performing to the growing crowd as if they were jamming in a living room on a lazy Sunday afternoon. There were plenty of sing-along choruses, and the musicianship was quite good. Roberts’ work on the steel guitar was as impressive as his electric guitar chops – he has a very “busy” style that adds a much appreciated Rock & Roll edge to the Folk style. Mike McCarver’s vocals were gruff in contrast to Natalie’s and Bailey’s styles, making for a good combination. Matestic had a makeshift kit set up behind the rest of the band – mostly percussion instruments attached to or resting on a chair next to where he sat, and he made the most of a minimalist arrangement. This band put on a top-notch performance, toasting the crowd with several shots and setting up the rest of the night with their dynamic personalities. Seeing this band perform again would be a real treat.

 

Second on the bill was Christina Wagner, a solo acoustic musician/songwriter from Jacksonville, FL. She took a seat on the stage, and proceeded with a hauntingly unique & beautiful voice, a proficient finger-picking style, and plenty of attitude for the crowd which had grown to around 200. Her style is a mellow Folk, with just enough sensual Southern mannerisms to make your eyes gloss over. Unfortunately, a number of people felt compelled to discuss their work days during her songs, which was a rude distraction for those who came to listen. It was fitting when she said something along the lines of “It would be great if you talkers would just shut the f*%# up while I’m playing...I only have a few more songs...” Amen to that. After all, it wasn’t a cocktail social – get a clue and have some respect, people. In spite of the annoying blather, Wagner’s set was enchanting and wonderful, with hints of Jewel Kilcher’s earlier style. Her lyrics are achingly honest...her voice is angelic, with an all too rare use of rising and falling dynamics that simply cannot be authentically accomplished by those who haven’t earned the emotional depth required to pull it off. She closed with a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Give My Love To Rose”, and her performance left me silently overwhelmed for a few minutes. If you happen to get the chance, I highly recommend sitting through one of her shows – and keeping your mouth shut.

 

Lastly, Chuck Ragan took the stage, accompanied by Jon Gaunt on fiddle. Gaunt is formerly of Gainesville’s Whiskey & Co., and has been a regular with Ragan’s live shows & the Revival Tour. By this time, I counted close to 300 people gathered inside the venue, which hadn’t quite reached capacity – it was still possible to walk around toward the rear bar/merch area. I ran into Chuck briefly in the parking lot upon first arriving, and he seemed tired. According to his wife, Jill (who was working his merch booth), he had been fishing in the Atlantic for the last couple of days and getting very little sleep. Either way, it didn’t have any effect on the intensity of his set – it was every bit as powerful as if there was a full band onstage. It’s not difficult at all to see how Ragan is the nucleus of intensity within the unparalleled live performances of Gainesville’s Hot Water Music. He is based in Gold Country, CA, & currently signed to SideOneDummy Records, a Los Angeles-based Punk/Indie label. The set list for the night consisted of various songs from his solo albums, a couple of covers, and a few brand new tunes:

 

1) The Boat

2) Don’t Cry

3) Do You Pray?

4) A quick improv jam where Gaunt played like he was possessed – it was nice to see the magnitude of virtuosity this guy is hiding up his sleeve (and in his bow).

5) Geraldine

6) Coal Tattoo (Kingston Trio cover)

7) It’s What You Will

8) Between The Lines

9) Rotterdam (a new song from his upcoming album, “Gold Country”)

10) Open Up And Wail

11) God Deciding (originally by Hot Water Music)

12) Bleeder (Alkaline Trio cover)

13) Bloody Shells (from Bristle Ridge, Ragan’s collaboration album with Austin Lucas)

14) Hold My Bed (also from Bristle Ridge)

15) Cursing Concrete (originally by Rumbleseat)

16) For Broken Ears

17) Symmetry

18) California Burritos (originally by Rumbleseat)

19) Cut ‘Em Down (another new song from the upcoming album “Gold Country”)

 

Thanks to Jill Ragan for being kind enough to help me out with some of the new songs’ titles. Playing a 19-song acoustic set is no small feat, and Ragan kept the energy at an unwaveringly high level from beginning to end. His voice was exceedingly powerful, magnificently harsh, and the epitome of a salty excellence that comes from living each moment to the fullest. This music is part of the current American Folk revival, but the Punk ethic is still there – the truth is that there is a very fine line between Punk Rock and Folk music...you just have to look between the lines. His tour continues on with the upcoming dates:

 

June 15 – Common Grounds (Gainesville, FL)

June 20 – 516 Soundstage (Shreveport, LA)

June 21 – The Door (Dallas, TX)

June 23 – Launchpad (Albuquerque, NM)

June 25 – Rock Room @ The Penthouse (Las Vegas, NV)

June 26 – The Knitting Factory (Los Angeles, CA)

June 27 – Velvet Jones (Santa Barbara, CA)

June 28 – Downtown Brew (San Luis Obispo, CA)

June 29 – Café Dunord (San Francisco, CA)

July 10 – The Blue Lamp (Sacramento, CA)

 

Along with the quality of the music, Chuck’s lyrics offer the profound wisdom of what one would expect from an aging storyteller. It can’t be ignored like so much of the shallow and decadent rubbish littering the airwaves. If anything, his two-day fishing excursion off of Melbourne Beach, FL energized his performance. Sometimes, running on fumes is the best way to peel away the shell and shine the brightest. Ragan’s performance was inspiring with a sincerity that scarcely exists in a mass-produced corporate culture of instant gratification on demand...

 

- Marc Ganancias