The Guthrie Clan covers Wilco & Bragg on tour

[Dude]

I half thought about attending this show when they were in Waukegan, IL, but I had a lot of work to do that weekend.

 

Arlo Guthrie concert a family affair

 

BY LYNN SAXBERG, THE OTTAWA CITIZENOCTOBER 29, 2009

 

OTTAWA — Woodstock-era folksinger Arlo Guthrie returned to Ottawa on Wednesday with close to a dozen members of his family joining him on stage in the magnificient surroundings of the Dominion Chalmers United Church.

 

Three daughters, a son, a son-in-law and a handful of grandchildren sang and played instruments, demonstrating the prodigious musical talent that appears to run in the Guthrie family. What's more, many of the songs they sang were written by Arlo's late legendary father, sing-songwriter Woody Guthrie.

 

"I guess you realize by now this ain't the Sound of Music," Arlo said near the end of their fine performance. "We're not the Von Trapps but maybe we'll get a ski lodge someday."

 

In fact, they already have their own family estate in Western Massachusetts, complete with a renovated church for concerts and community activities. Daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie and her husband, Johnny Irion, told us all about with a song about their favourite time to be at home. When the Lilacs Bloom was marked by the couple's stellar harmonies and poignant acoustic guitar work.

 

There was another song or two before Arlo strode on stage. White hair to his shoulders, in jeans and a black leather vest, the Guthrie patriarch sang, told jokes and played acoustic guitar. It was funny and entertaining, to be sure, but Arlo also provided valuable insight into his father's creative process. He told stories about how Woody would "steal" songs by borrowing the music from old gospel tunes and rewriting the lyrics. Woody couldn't read music, Arlo noted, but there's an endless supply of lyrics in the Guthrie archives.

 

Under the guidance of Arlo's sister, Nora, who's not part of the current tour, many of those lyrics were presented to contemporary folk artists to come up with melodies. Billy Bragg, Janis Ian, Wilco and the Klezmatics are some of the artists to breathe new life into Woody's words, and part of the purpose of this tour is to showcase those songs.

 

One highlight was the Klezmatics' Gonna Get Through This World, with its feel-good lilt and haunting vocal by Sarah Lee. Her voice also soared on Birds and Ships, a Woody love song put to music by Bragg, while Johnny lent a rockier edge to Airline to Heaven, a Woody song recorded by Wilco.

 

The group also played a couple of Arlo's signature songs, including standout, full-band versions of City of New Orleans and Coming Into Los Angeles that had the audience singing along. However, he left out the hippie anthems Alice's Restaurant and The Motorcycle Song.

 

During the first half of the concert, the Guthrie family featured the pre-school members of the gang during several charming, kid-friendly songs, including Take Me To Show and Tell and Don't I Fit in My Daddy's Shoes?, both from Sarah Lee's new children's album, Go Waggaloo, recorded with the family. The youngsters returned to the stage to join the mass finale, a rousing This Land is Your Land, Woody's most famous song, delivered with both Canadian and American verses.

 

Too bad there were no children in the audience to enjoy it. Of the 400 or so folk fans in the audience, most appeared to be over 50, the demographic able to afford the $50 ticket price. It was a terrific concert, but as a fundraiser for the Ottawa Folk Festival, it could have used a few more people. The folk audience for a Wednesday night in Ottawa was split between the Guthries and a tribute to Leonard Cohen at Centrepointe Theatre