Concert Reviews

Beacon Theater, New York NY, 26 Oct 1988

The New York Times, 30 October 1988

Populists' Common-Sense Voices
by Stephen Holden

During the evolution of the modern folk-music movement, one quality that has remained in scant supply is an plainspoken unpretentious sincerity. From Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to John Denver and Jackson Browne, even the most talented and well-meaning performers, in delivering political messages, have tended to treat the concert stage as pulpit.

With today's younger generation of folk singers, however, the impulse to preach seems much less pronounced. Both Billy Bragg and Michelle Shocked, who shared the bill at the Beacon Theater on Wednesday evening, are devoted folk populists who pointedly eschew celebrity posturing to speak in common-sense voices. Mr. Bragg, from England, is an outspoken socialist who strongly opposes Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Ms. Shocked, one of the most talented younger American folk performers, grew up in East Texas, the setting of many of her best songs, and now lives in London where she is involved in grassroots causes.

Performing together in a concert benefiting the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power and the Living With AIDS Fund, Mr. Bragg and Ms. Shocked offered a bracing contrast of earnestness and whimsy on Wednesday. Although Mr. Bragg spent most of his set accompanying himself on an electric rhythm guitar, his strongest tune was an a cappella rendition of "Tender Comrade," a searching reflection on male bonding in the armed forces. Only his strong Cockney accent prevented his spare postpunk folk tunes from registering their fullest impact on a New York audience.

A storyteller in the seriously funny rural style of Arlo Guthrie, Ms. Shocked sang her colorful vignettes about growing up in East Texas with an easygoing good humor that was utterly winning. Ms. Shocked rarely addressed political issues, preferring to let her wonderfully detailed vignettes of ordinary lives weave a musical tapestry of shared experience.

The Palace, Los Angeles CA, 7 Mar 1989

Los Angeles Times, 9 March 1989

MICHELLE SHOCKED: THE GAP BETWEEN ART AND ATTITUDE
By Robert Hilburn, Times Pop Music Critic

Michelle Shocked, who headlined the Palace on Tuesday, is a Texas vagabond who has been hailed as everything from a Joan Baez with humor to a female Woody Guthrie.

In an age obsessed with technology and flash in pop music, Shocked favors plain attire (a black cap, black sweater and jeans) and plays her songs on a $75 guitar she bought 10 years ago in a pawn shop. Even the lanky performer's songs are simple -- at least on the surface.

Employing a folk singer's restlessness and innocence, she writes in her most affecting numbers about such everyday matters as old dirt roads, volunteer fire departments and kids' pranks.

In last year's highly acclaimed album "Short Sharp Shocked" she turned those down-home images into wonderfully perceptive and original commentaries on people's aspirations -- and the factors that sometimes crush or defuse those dreams. Like much of Guthrie's work, the commentaries are occasionally laced with a sharp social bite.

At the Palace, the freshness and warmth of the album's songs were especially endearing. How surprising then that Shocked's manner seemed far less generous and engaging.

While working hard at disarming the audience with a folksy informality (lots of shy winks and aw-shucks smiles), she seemed discouragingly programmed.

Many of the song introductions were word-for-word and wink-for-wink repeats of her set when she opened a few months ago for Billy Bragg at the Wiltern Theatre. Even worse, there were signs of the ultimate protest singer's disease: a patronizing attitude.

Shocked explained to the supportive Palace audience that she now lives in London because she is disenchanted with the social apathy in her native land.

Rather than offer the charitable spirit of someone who wants to encourage people to be more understanding, she acted as if anyone who disagreed is an inferior being in need of scolding.

"This is a song about Vietnam," Shocked said sarcastically, in introducing an anti-war song by the late Steve Goodman. "That was a war about 15 years ago."

Later, Shocked took on a discouragingly easy target: evangelical hucksters.

The obvious and heavy-handed moments contrasted sharply with the grace of the album. They also raised questions about the future of Shocked's work -- work that to this point has been exceptionally promising.

Because Shocked is female and sings in a folk-based style, she has been frequently linked in pop trend pieces with Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega. But Shocked is in no way a shadow of either artist.

There is a rural, open-spaces feel to her music, as opposed to the urban tension of Chapman or the uptown sophistication of Vega. On record, where she uses a band, Shocked offers inviting folk, rockabilly and roadhouse blues touches.

At the Palace, where she was accompanied by just the $75 guitar, the music was more plain, but the themes were no less engaging.

In songs such as "Memories of East Texas," Shocked sets the scene with a greater sense of landscape than most pop writers. She speaks of the "pine-green rolling hills" and "all the curves down by Kelsey Creek and the detour by Lindsay's pasture."

In establishing the comfortable, everyday images of hometown sentimentality, she is just setting up the listener for a twist at the end: a reflection on how small towns can be intolerant and break the spirit of young mavericks.

The same sense of understated commentary -- and even fury -- is found in "Graffiti Limbo," a story of a New York graffiti artist who died of strangulation under reportedly cloudy circumstances after being arrested by police.

But Shocked's artistry isn't limited to confrontation. "Hello Hopeville" is a sweet tale of two people on the run, one eager to leave home and the other looking for one after a long time on the road. Sample line, "He was waiting for a station / Just like some people wait for a train."

With songs this graceful, there is no need to hammer people with sarcasm or turn them off with smugness. The humanity of Shocked's work carries its own power and persuasion. At the Palace, she needed to show more faith in that humanity.

9:30 Club, Washington DC, 15 Mar 1989

Washington Post, 17 March 1989

MICHELLE SHOCKED
By Kathi Whalen

Though folk singer Michelle Shocked stands alone on stage with just her acoustic guitar, waiflike and vulnerable she's not. Her ingratiating performance at the 9:30 club Wednesday was truly a night of soul-baring, but these confessionals were bold and designed to provoke thought, not pity.

She picked a bittersweet, jazz-tinged path back to her teen-age years ("Memories of East Texas"), mashed all her politics into a single bit of a cappella country-blues ("Garden Salad Diplomacy") and reflected on grown-up-rebel relationships in Top 40 folk ("Anchorage") with a perpetual, unself-conscious grin. Best when her words touched not so much the audience as their singer, Shocked came close to tears during "The Ballad of Penny Evans," and Leadbelly's "Midnight Special" had her giggling and beaming with joy in her affection for the song.

Her flair with a pun and general homespun attitude leavened the heavy dose of proselytizing she injected into the set, and those still feeling a little alienated might have found refuge, whether or not this was Shocked's intention, in "Penny Evans," an ironic tribute to a woman who had no use for politics at all.

Lisner Auditorium, Washington DC, 30 Apr 1990

Washington Post, 2 May 1990

SHOCKED'S SASSY COUNTRY ROCK
By Joe Brown

On Monday night, Lisner Auditorium became the country's hippest coffeehouse. Or maybe it was the most happening street corner. Three folk-rock acts -- Michelle Shocked, Poi Dog Pondering and John Wesley Harding -- former buskers and wandering minstrels all, were united for an inspired jamboree.

Clearly having a ball fronting her tight, slick (but still swinging) sextet, headliner Shocked explained her sudden shift from politically correct folkie to sassy country swinger by quoting Emma Goldman: "If I can't dance, you can keep your revolution." She invited audience members to dance in the aisles, and as the brass blasts of "Silent Ways" kicked in, they came finger-snapping and hip-shaking down the aisles; when the band vanished for Shocked's acoustic solo set, the dancers sat there cross-legged, equally ready to sing along to "Memories of East Texas" and other conversationally sung, emotionally engaging favorites.

Shocked picked a tough act to follow when she chose as her tourmates Poi Dog ("mutt" in pidgin Hawaiian) Pondering, a merry band of eight former street musicians from Hawaii, Texas and elsewhere. Poi Dog's sophisticated primitivism is possibly the happiest sound in pop right now.

As the band set up the slowly accelerating locomotive chug that began "Big Walk," antic singer Frank Orrall twirled an illuminated globe all over the stage. Augmented by such atypical rock instruments as violin, mandolin, accordion and tin whistle, Poi Dog makes pop music for the global village, and a game of "spot the influence" can be played with every song: In "Pulling Touch," for example, you might have heard hints of Jonathan Richman, the Tijuana Brass, "Magical Mystery Tour"-period Beatles, "Desire"-era Dylan and "Remain in Light" Talking Heads, just for starters.

Opening was Briton John Wesley Harding (who borrowed his name from a Dylan album), offering a brief but impressive solo set of songs about world and bedroom politics sung in a style that combined Billy Bragg's British brashness with Elvis Costello's verbosity and roller-coaster melodies.

Coach House, Santa Barbara CA, 29 May 1990

Los Angeles Times, 31 May 1990

SHOCKED DOESN'T RETREAT; SHE STILL SUPPLIES HIGH VOLTAGE
By Jim Washburn

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO -- In switching from her folk-based songs to the seemingly less-confrontational jump-blues pleasures of her current horn-driven "Captain Swing" album, Michelle Shocked has some fans and critics thinking she's abandoned her radical barricades.

At the Coach House Tuesday night, Shocked's overwhelming, life-charged 21-song performance made it clear she's not retreating, just exploring other avenues of liberation. Specifically, her performance asserted, there's no point in manning the front lines unless you've also got your backfield in motion.

Before getting far into her set, the slight, impish singer felt it necessary to justify her recent changes to the audience. She wryly maintained, "It's no secret that political correctness has been a serious social disease for the last several years... Don't make the mistakes I did." In prescribing shaking some booty to Professor Longhair tapes as a cure, she went on to quote radical forbear Emma Goldman: "What good's a revolution if I can't dance?"

Shocked's flat-out-wonderful, dance-happy music needed no justifying manifesto. Like the glory days of ululant "wop mop a lu mop" rock, the wild, unfettered spirit of the singer and her six-piece Captain Swing Revue conveyed all the liberation one could ask for.

With some input from her producer, Pete Anderson (who also helms Dwight Yoakam's recordings and is a master guitarist in his own right), Shocked has assembled a monstrously good band, with a stylistic purview ranging from swinging Louis Jordan-influenced jump arrangements to free jazz to rampant rockabilly.

Though Shocked's voice is far from naturally suited to the rigors of a horn-blaring outfit, she pushed her limitations and communicated the crucial life and emotion often missed by more skilled singers.

Sometimes awash in the band's anarchic-but-tight musical melee, her lyrics remained politically incisive -- as with the current album's "homeless trilogy" of "God Is a Real Estate Developer," "The Cement Lament" and "Streetcorner Ambassador" -- and evocative of the byways of American life. With a rare eye for detail, "(Making the Run to) Gladewater" beautifully delineated adolescent life in a small Texas town.

Throughout that song and others, the band members provided a constant foil for Shocked. In place of the refined fire of Anderson's playing on the albums, band guitarist Jon Dee Graham delivered wrenching, emotional guitar lines. Keyboardist Skip Edwards ranged from gospel organ hues to Longhair-ed romps on his instrument, while horn players Jim Pollock and Darrell Leonard touched on everything from Sidney Bechet to Don Cherry in their spirited playing.

In expanding her musical scope, Shocked has by no means lost touch with her folk finesse. She did a mid-show solo acoustic turn, playing the haunting, fragile reminiscence "Memories of East Texas," "5 a.m. in Amsterdam," an a cappella Steve Goodman anti-war ode, and a mandolin and fiddle instrumental tune, "Jeff Davis," on which she was joined by her father and brother.

Her closing encore song, the unreleased "Makin' Jam," recommended eschewing the "corporate jam factories" because "If you want the best, you've got to make your own."

As the band percolated under her voice, Shocked made her point more explicit: "If there's one thing that I want you to know, it's that if I can do this, you can do it too. . . . When it comes down to it, there's a thing true about music and politics: They're both too important to be left to professionals like us."

If that isn't the basic -- though all but subverted lately -- message of rock and roll, what is?

Opener John Wesley Harding fared better with the audience than when he first appeared at the Coach House a few months back. He earned an encore call this time, but his performance remained more clever than compelling. One could do worse than to draw on Elvis Costello as a signal influence -- along with Harding's comparatively tortured wordplay, he's got the Big E's vocal inflections down to a T -- but Harding's own limited talents couldn't help looking that much thinner when he so often borrowed Costello's big suit.

Coach House, Santa Barbara CA, 29 May 1990

Los Angeles Times, 31 May 1990

MICHELLE SHOCKED'S DANCE-HAPPY REVOLUTION

Like Dylan when he "went electric" in '65, Michelle Shocked has alienated a number of fans and critics with her switch from folk-based songs to the seemingly less confrontational jump-blues-flavored music on her current "Captain Swing" album. The foment has been such that Shocked evidently thinks it necessary to justify the switch during her shows.

At the Coach House on Tuesday the slight, impish singer wryly asserted that "political correctness has been a serious social disease for the last several years... Don't make the mistakes I did." She went on to cite a cure, quoting radical forebear Emma Goldman: "What good's a revolution if I can't dance?"

Shocked's flat-out wonderful, dance-happy music needed no explication: The wild, unfettered spirit of the singer and her six-piece Captain Swing Revue conveyed all the liberation one could ask for. Her voice is far from naturally suited to the rigors of a horn-blaring outfit, but, pushing its limitations, she communicated the crucial life and emotion often missed by more skilled singers.

Though sometimes awash in the band's anarchic-but-tight musical melee, her lyrics remained politically incisive, and evocative of the byways of American life. Coupled with the still-potent solo folk finesse evidenced on the haunting, fragile reminiscence "Memories of East Texas," the "new" Shocked remains one of the best things to happen to American music in years.

Shocked also appears tonight at the Bacchanal in San Diego, Friday at the Ventura Theatre in Ventura and Saturday at the Wiltern Theatre.

-- Jim Washburn

"A Gathering of the Tribes" festival, Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa CA, 7 Oct 1990

Los Angeles Times, 9 October 1990

DIVERSITY CAPTURES A FOLLOWING
All-Day Festival Features Stylists Ranging From Hard Rockers To Folkies To Rappers.
By Mike Boehm, Times Staff Writer

COSTA MESA -- Chalk up one small blow for diversity, if not for overriding musical excellence.

Dubbed "A Gathering of the Tribes," the all-day pop smorgasbord at the Pacific Amphitheatre on Sunday attracted 9,000 to 10,000 people, according to promoters -- not a bad draw for a 14-act bill that lacked even a single marquee name capable of headlining an amphitheater in Orange County.

This gathering sprang from British rocker Ian Astbury's idea of creating a festival of contrasting stylists ranging from hard rockers to folkies to rappers. While at least 95% of the audience was white, listeners' enthusiastic embrace of the lineup's two rap acts, and their willingness to sample and enjoy the 10-hour day's full range of performers, showed that diversity has a constituency.

Any worries about rap being rejected, or merely tolerated, disappeared the moment Queen Latifah burst onto the stage late in the afternoon with hammering beats and exuberant personality. She instantly ignited an audience that was ready to rock after having been served a diet of much milder stuff. On a day of performances that were mostly mixed and occasionally dreary, Latifah and Michelle Shocked claimed the two strongest showings.

(A traditional hoop dance by a chanter and a dancer from the American Indian Dance Theatre was another highlight, combining athleticism, symbolism and the almost magical manipulations of an escape artist).

Latifah's raps offered overworked boastful themes, but what she said mattered less than how she said it. The New Jersey rapper's 20-minute set communicated zest, humor and friendliness and a healthy measure of confidence and self-respect. Latifah summoned her pal, Sinead O'Connor, from the wings at one point. O'Connor said one word -- "hello" -- then retreated, ending the day's best chance for a surprise combination of talents.

The lineup's other rapper, Ice-T, was all profane bluster and attitude. Sometimes he made sense -- notably in his between-songs attack on anti-rap censorship. Ice-T suggested that race, not morality, is the motive behind moves to suppress rap: "It's not the fear of you hearing a word I might say. It's the fear of you liking me, the fear of white kids liking black kids, and us getting along again."

But the Los Angeles rapper's determination to be uncompromising makes him a blind fool when it comes to the subject of sex. Noting that he has been criticized for sexism, Ice-T flaunted it by calling a blond, buxom, halter-topped fan on stage, then using her as exhibit A in a lesson that women are sex objects first and foremost.

Ice-T was hardly the day's only performer to sing about raw lust. But some of the others presented a few of the emotions involved. Hard rockers Soundgarden, for instance, were able to offer some contrast between the rampant hormones of "Big Dumb Sex" and the deeper longing of "I Awake." Some sense that Ice-T appreciates women as people, as well as mounds of manipulable flesh, would be helpful.

Public Enemy might have supplied another rap vision on that subject, what with the new-found respect for women on its "Fear of a Black Planet" album. But the popular and controversial politicized rappers didn't appear as advertised.

Speaking angrily to the crowd at separate junctures, Astbury, Latifah and Ice-T said Public Enemy was missing because of pressure from local authorities. But Rick Pickering, Costa Mesa's assistant city manager, said Monday that he was not aware of any efforts by the city to keep the band off the bill. "That's not an area that we would typically get involved in," Pickering said. Costa Mesa Police Chief David L. Snowden and representatives of the band could not be reached Monday for comment. Alex Hodges, in charge of concert booking for the Pacific, had no comment when asked backstage Sunday whether there had been pressure from the city to take Public Enemy off the program.

Public Enemy had been scheduled to perform at an identical "Tribes" show held Saturday at the Shoreline Amphitheatre outside San Francisco but did not appear there, either. In that case, Astbury said in an interview, the group's key rappers, Chuck D and Flavor Flav, failed to make the show because they missed a flight. It had been announced on Friday that Public Enemy would perform at the Bay Area Tribes show, but not in Costa Mesa.

Advising the audience that too much "political rectitude" can cause hemorrhoids, Shocked -- who has been known to deliver a political broadside or two -- offered good-time rocking blues that often romped with humor and energy thanks to sharp backing from her allies for the day, the 10-man Tower of Power.

But Shocked interrupted the fun for "Cold Comfort," a stark folk song about dealing with grief. She said she wrote it for the Tower of Power drummer, whose mother was killed recently by a drunk driver. After that, bringing Tower of Power back for a closing "What Is Hip" was awfully abrupt, but there was no room for deft pacing in a 30-minute set.

The Indigo Girls could take some hints from Shocked about the advantages of not being too solemn. The acoustic folk duo from Georgia mounted some lovely harmonies (there was a nice, rowsing version of the Youngbloods' "Get Together") but these women remain earnest to a fault.

There was a reminder during Indigo Girls set that a gathering of diverse tribes creates lots of chances for misunderstanding: While the folkies were singing, Ice-T conducted a grand entrance, promenading along the aisle parallel to the stage and greeting fans before settling into a seat, where he attracted more attention.

It didn't sit well with Indigo Girl Amy Ray. "The purpose to be here is . . . not to cause a scene. Everybody's given (his or her) time," she told the crowd, with justified annoyance. Interviewed at his seat, Ice-T said he meant no disrespect.

Actually, Ice-T's stroll through the crowd was fun, and the diversion from the Indigo Girls was no great loss. Still, he should have saved it for a break between acts.

The day's least-known performers, Canadian folk-rockers Crash Vegas and British '60s revivalists Charlatans U.K., emerged as promising newcomers who both deserve fuller hearings in more intimate surroundings. Crash Vegas' intense waif of a singer, Michelle McAdorey, is an intriguing figure, and the band's instrumental trio was adept at gradually building a song's intensity. The Charlatans' dominant Hammond organ sound conjured shades of early, pre-metal Deep Purple and "Revolver"-era Beatles among other '60s sources. Not exactly original, but it made for some nice, enveloping waves of sound.

The other rookie rock band on the bill, London Quireboys, regurgitated old Rod Stewart and Faces stuff. They came up with spirited guitar cranking and piano banging on "7 O'Clock" but showed none of the warmth, humor or bonhomie of vintage Stewart.

The Cramps played longer -- and worse -- than any other band on the bill. The Los Angeles group's mix of rockabilly, '60s garage rock and campy sex-and-horror shtick would have been more palatable if it had been executed briskly. Instead, the Cramps' sound was a jumbled mess of ugly fuzz bass, inaudible guitar and hoarse vocals from scrawny Lux Interior. Lux is one of the last people on earth you'd want to see cavorting with nearly nothing on -- but of course he did, anyway.

Soundgarden's sludgy hard rock lacked a sharp honed edge, but the Seattle band did pack a rumbling wallop. Singer Chris Cornell's emotional howls on "Hands All Over" and "I Awake" lifted those numbers out of the instrumental murk.

Mission U.K.'s barefoot singer, Wayne Hussey, was an extremely energetic panderer but still a panderer. His leaps into the audience and gambols about the stage were attention-getters, but the band's pompous music was at odds with his fun-loving persona. By the way, those were canned rhythm and keyboard tracks on the two songs that Hussey pronounced "the best you'll hear all day."

Former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones makes a decent hard rock sidekick, but his singing was too weak to make him much of a band leader. Things improved when Astbury took over the vocals for the last three songs, and his partner in the Cult, Billy Duffy, arrived to add some guitar riffing. It was monolithic stuff, though, and not nearly enough to fire up a crowd that was clearly tiring near the end of a long day.

Iggy Pop finished with a set that was awfully restrained, considering his well-earned position as one of rock's most combustive live performers. A mediocre band with a guitarist given to metal-style noodling didn't help. But Pop's material was mostly first rate, especially since he drew heavily on the repertoire of his original band, the Stooges.

Pop was the only performer in the lineup who began recording in the 1960s (only Jones and the Cramps got their start in the '70s). No misty Woodstock sentimentality for Iggy, though. Singing the Stooges' song "1969," he remembered it as a time of alienation: "Another year for me and you, another year with nothing to do."

If Astbury is really serious about diversity, the next time the Cult -- an established arena headliner -- goes on tour, he'll insist on a Queen Latifah, a Michelle Shocked or a Charlatans U.K. as an opening act, instead of the usual "compatible" opener. That could mean some financial sacrifice, because "compatible" acts tend to increase the draw.

But if that happens (and don't bet on it, because it would mean going against the principle of profit maximization), it will be interesting to see whether audiences not primed in advance for diversity are as receptive as the crowd that came to the Pacific on Sunday, open to anything.

Times staff writer Rick VanderKnyff contributed to this report.

Palais, Melbourne, Australia, 9 Mar 1991

The Age, Melbourne, Australia, 11 March 1991

Michelle Shocked - and got away with it
by Suzy Freeman-Greene

You can call Michelle Shocked anything as long as it isn't predictabie. That was the message on Saturday night as the Texan singer did her best to escape the stereotypes.

"It's no secret that political correctness has become a serious moral disease," she told her audience in a cute east Texan drawl. Most of us didn't have a problem with that; we only began squirming when she observed, "And you do seem like a bit of on anal retentive bunch..."

It takes someone as friendly, playful and unpretentious as Ms Shocked to get away with a comment like that. She did, of course, and the next second the aisles were crammed as fans embraced their cue to dance.

When she played here early last year, Ms Shocked stunned us with a spare, display of her voice and her acoustic guitar. This time we saw a rockier, even more relaxed version. Her decision to tour with The Messengers signals a desire for a musical change and she seemed happy to be playing with other musicians.

Ms Shocked is a performer who escapes classification. She smiles and screams and slaps her guitar; then quietly tells us a slyly funny story. One minute she is clowning around; the next she sings the fiercely sad ballad of a Vietnam war widow that leaves you stiff with anger.

Her unconventional concert began with a set from the Messengers; who were later joined by Ms Shocked for a number of rock and roll tracks. After an interval, she sang a brilliant acoustic set and then introduced a surprise guest, Paul Kelly, whose version of 'Tighten Up' could have done without the additional female vocalists.

She sang favorite tracks from 'Short, Sharp, Shocked' and 'Captain Swing' in her clear, sharp voice. A highlight was her reworked version of an old fiddle tune called 'The Weavin' Way'; my only reservation was that it would have been nice to have heard some more new material.

This was her first show with the Messengers and while she is obviously an admiring fan it was still very much a love affair between Ms Shocked and her audience. The sheer force of her exuberant personality ensured a wonderfully intimate night. Her advice was, "This is your party so swing it." It was followed to the last beat.

Birchmere, Washington DC, 20 Oct 1991

Washington Post, 25 October 1991

SHOCKED AND SOUNDLY ROCKED
By Eric Brace

Michelle Shocked put on a stunningly brilliant evening of music and musicology at the Birchmere Sunday night. While she admitted that having the entire audience seated at tables might have taken away some of her energy, she left no one feeling cheated, and her melding of country, blues, swing, folk and bluegrass slighted none of the genres.

The best part of the show was the first half, which featured Shocked and the truly great Austin trio the Bad Livers sitting in a semicircle, playing songs from her upcoming album. The record will be a doozy, featuring mostly traditional fiddle tunes to which Shocked has written lyrics. "Prodigal Daughter," a version of "Cotton-Eyed Joe," was the standout, taking on society's gender-based double standards with something approaching lyrical genius. Her reworkings of such old pickers' favorites as "Blackberry Blossom" and "Soldier's Joy" were similarly satisfying.

The second half of the show was a showcase for Shocked's earlier songs such as "The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore" and "If Love Was a Train," stripped down to their most emotional essentials. The Bad Livers (guitarist and banjo player Danny Barns, bassist Mark Rubin and fiddler and accordion player Ralph White) must be complimented on complementing Shocked's compositions with uncanny intuition.

Sanders Theater, Boston MA, 23 Oct 1991

The Boston Globe, 25 October 1991

Expect The Unexpected From Michelle Shocked
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff

Michelle Shocked has fashioned a career that truly follows the dictum: Expect the unexpected. As a folk ingenue, she burst on the scene five years ago through campfire tapes made at a rural Texas music festival. She then became an urban folk darling with the escape-the-city anthem "Anchorage," followed by an out-of-left-field album of swing music.

Her latest project is a folkie's dream -- taking a 48-track mobile studio on the road, recording with the likes of Doc Watson, Pops Staples, Alison Krauss, Levon Helm and Norman Blake in their natural habitats, from Woodstock to a riverboat on the Missouri River, a barn in Tennesee and an antique store in Georgia. "I went to see all of my heroes. It was like putting myself in the middle of all my favorite records," Shocked told a capacity 1,200 crowd at Sanders Theater Wednesday.

The trip's object was to unearth old fiddle tunes and write new lyrics to them. The album, "Arkansas Traveler," won't be out until February, but she previewed most of it at Sanders. Some tunes were insubstantial, hobbyist exercises ("Blackberry Blossom," "Strawberry Jam"), but others were profoundly moving, such as the Cajun-spiced "Prodigal Daughter," based on "Cotton-Eyed Joe"; and "Shaking Hands," based on the the fiddle standard "Soldier's Joy." The latter was a Civil War term for morphine; and Shocked added these chilling lyrics: "What the bullet would not kill, the needle will."

Occasionally, she became preachy, saying of Pops Staples that "Creedence Clearwater Revival stole everything from him." That kind of extremism was unbecoming. But more often than not, she was in jolly, enthusiastic form, whether discussing her new marital engagement or asking the crowd to lock arms and square dance when Boston percussionist Mr. Bones joined in. She also played solo and with the three-piece Austin string group the Bad Livers, serving up a few early hits and, during a second set, adding a theatrical backdrop of a country cabin and wood stove for down-home flair. Expect the unexpected, to say the least.

Lone Star Roadhouse, New York NY, 24 Oct 1991

The New York Times, 27 October 1991

Michelle Shocked's Style
By Karen Schoemer

On Thursday night at the Lone Star Roadhouse, Michelle Shocked introduced "Woody's Rag," a Woody Guthrie song, by inviting an audience member onstage. She put a mandolin in his hand and announced that she was going to teach him the chords so he could play along. When the audience good-naturedly heckled his lack of expertise, Ms. Shocked laughed too; for a moment there she had crossed a fine line and become just another spectator at the show.

A lot of rock and pop music professes a populist ethic, but few singers take the concept as seriously as Ms. Shocked. Her debut album, "The Texas Campfire Tapes," was literally recorded around a campfire with just an acoustic guitar and crickets chirping in the background. Her songs dig past contemporary folk into its roots of country, blues and Western swing, and her lyric sheets name what key each song is written in, just in case listeners want to pick up a guitar and play it themselves.

Ms. Shocked's two sets at the Lone Star -- one acoustic and one accompanied by a mandolin-slap bass-fiddle trio called the Bad Livers -- were also founded on the principle that music belongs to everybody. Wearing a black tank top, black stretch pants and black sneakers, looking more like a bike messenger than a folkie, she would sometimes stop a song in the middle to explain what it was about. When it came to a key word or phrase in a song, she would speak it instead of singing it, as if she wanted to be seated at a table with all the members of the audience, gazing straight into their eyes.

Ms. Shocked's second set consisted of early American fiddle tunes to which she had set her own lyrics, and which will make up the bulk of her coming album, "Arkansas Traveler." She unveiled a front-porch stage set, complete with a hanging lantern, moonshine jugs and a screen door. Such a blunt literalization of her populist ethic at first seemed unbearably hokey, but Ms. Shocked and the Bad Livers tore into rewritten Americana traditionals like "Prodigal Daughter" and "Blackberry Blossom" with such fervor that the stage set almost seemed real.

Town And Country Club, London, England, 4 May 1992

The Guardian, London, 6 May 1992

TOWN AND COUNTRY: MICHELLE SHOCKED
By Robin Denselow

Michelle Shocked has progressed from obscure, quirky Texan folkie to unpredictable and even more quirky celebrity, now based in Los Angeles. It's been a cheerfully idiosyncratic success, involving work for the squatters' movement, a debut album recorded on a Walkman at a folk festival that topped the British indie charts, the startling selections of self-written blues, personal ballads and anger in the Short Sharp Shocked set, then a less happy excursion into forties swing.

Now, doubtless to the delight of her record company, she's come up with her most commercial album yet. Arkansas Traveller places her as a front-runner in the country/roots movement that's gaining ground in America as white rock thrashes around for new directions. It includes easy-going songs like Come A Long Way, the first Shocked material to be guaranteed radio play, and it helped her pack the T&C. But thankfully she's as individual as ever.

Coming on like some Southern preacher's daughter in floral frock and straw hat, she started by showing how her five-piece multi-instrumentalist band could mix every roots style going, from blue grass to blues, country ballads, ragtime, rock and a hefty dose of post-Pogues Irish. Ms Shocked played mandolin and guitar, her deadpan, cool Californian sidekick Alison Brown produced some rapid-fire banjo work and stinging guitar solos, while the rest played anything from fiddles to keyboards, accordian, drums and spoons.

The new songs included the gently stomping, bluesy Secret Of A Long Life, a sweet and sturdy guitar ballad, Blackberry Blossom, and just one almost over-twee piece Over The Waterfall, which was saved by a rousing fiddle jig workout. But there's a tougher side to this oddball all-rounder. During the encore she spotted a favourite fan squashed near the front and stopped the show for a good five minutes as she invited her on stage to be taught the mandolin part to Woody's Rag. Amazingly, she didn't lose her audience in the process, just softened them up for a timely reminder of the Los Angeles riots and police brutality with Graffiti Limbo, still the strongest song she's written. Los Angeles hasn't tamed her yet.

Town And Country Club, London, England, 4 May 1992

The Times, London, 8 May 1992

Wandering Off The Trail
By Alan Jackson

Michelle Shocked, Town and Country

The fortunes of the 32-year-old Texan singer-songwriter have certainly changed since 1986, when Pete Lawrence of the British label Cooking Vinyl heard her perform at the Kerrville Folk Festival. He recorded her on a small cassette machine, and the resultant Texas Campfire Tapes introduced a spirited voice to an international audience. Now with a major label, she recorded her recent third LP, Arkansas Traveller, in very different circumstances.

To get an authentic atmosphere for songs exploring the origins of American roots music, Shocked travelled across the United States and Ireland in a mobile home, collaborating along the way with such luminaries as Clarence Gatemouth-Brown and the Hothouse Flowers. The results were recorded via a 48-track mobile studio, and formed the basis for the set of her current British tour.

Unhappily, despite their obvious commitment and attention to detail, few of the album's 14 tracks play to her original strength as a narrative songwriter of economy and insight. With the Town and Country's stage transformed into something resembling a Walt Disney barnyard, Shocked and her skilled band romped through a series of songs generously decorated with violins, mandolins and banjos, yet somehow missing any sense of emotional realism or urgency.

The multifariously costumed artist's normally rich and fluent voice was strident on "Contest Coming (Cripple Creek)" and "Shaking Hands (Soldiers Joy)", while the traded joke of the album's title track proved every bit as self-conscious live as on record. Only the excellent recent single, "Come A Long Way", matched the considerable best of her earlier work.

A considerable number of fans demonstrated no such reservations, their patience even encompassing the spectacle of members of the audience being invited up on stage to take part in one of several encores. The clamorous reception they offered her marked the evening a convincing victory for Shocked, but suggests it may be some time before she is encouraged to question the creative wisdom of her current direction.

Town And Country Club, London, England, 4 May 1992

The Independent, London, 7 May 1992

Alternative Roots
By Jim White

Given the acreage of cropped hair, muscles and boots lining up at the bar to buy pints of beer, it might have come as something of a surprise that the huge cheer which greeted Michelle Shocked was overwhelmingly in the upper register. But Ms Shocked has always been a woman's woman, and the wimmin were out in strength on her return to this country.

She was wearing a Gibson guitar and an eccentric striped outfit which would have benefited from an adjustment to its horizontal hold. As she expressed herself delighted to be back, it became clear that the broad grin she was also wearing was to remain a fixture.

"I'd like to introduce my band," she began, leading her guitarist towards her bassist. "Alison this is Ged. Ged, Alison." Such light-heartedness seemed to surprise some of those gathered, fans schooled on her more politically direct material.

"I hear she's gone back to her roots on her new album," said one of the out-numbered men there. "I hope it's not all country." After an opening skirmish with electric pick-ups lasting no more than three numbers, it became clear the man was to be disappointed. Shocked and her band left the stage to a pair of mandolin players, called Dollar Bill & Mary. As the pair sang a bluegrass ditty, exhibiting more twang in their vowels than Duane Eddy has in his guitar, the roadies worked at converting the stage into a comic-book hillbilly set, stringing lanterns from the drum-kit and erecting a picket fence in front of the footlights. Shocked then emerged from a little wooden shack stationed stage left, already into her first costume change.

Now wearing a floral print dress and straw hat, she plunged into material from her new album, Arkansas Traveller. "The Arkansas Way is rocky and hard," ran the lyrics of one song. The music, however, was not. Shocked played mandolin, her guitarist metamorphosed into a banjo player and the pianist squeezed an accordion.

"They must be taking the piss," said the fan in disbelief.

But, although there was some incongruity in the hugely-muscled drummer tapping out a delicate rhythm on a triangle, there was nothing silly about it. The music reeked of verandahs, rocking chairs and good ol' boys, and soon the whooping, stomping atmosphere in the crush up front resembled a barn rave.

After half a dozen jolly, cotton-pickin' romps, Shocked disappeared into her wooden Portaloo again while the audience were treated to something you don't often hear at a rock concert, a banjo solo. She re-emerged wearing another horizontally-striped outfit, the electrics were turned up and she clipped through a selection from her rockier past, such as "Ride That Train" and "Little Sister". The change was engineered without any noticeable join, her blind pianist, for instance, was as happy taking Jerry Lee Lewis runs up his piano keyboard as he was hoe-downing on his accordion. She finished with "Come A Long Way", a track from the new album, which appeared to have everything a country-rock song could wish for: a singalong chorus, an insistent beat, poignancy, disappointment and endless geographical references.

The encores turned into an energetic celebration. In the first a fan was called up on stage for a mandolin lesson. In the second, several women were hauled up to dance. The third was an old song, "Graffiti Boy", about an incident of police brutality, topically dedicated to Rodney King. "I live in LA, and I just feel there ain't no justice," she said. And for the first time the smile slipped and she looked, well, shocked.

Barrowland, Glasgow, Scotland, 10 May 1992

The Herald, Glasgow, 12 May 1992

Michelle Shocked at Barrowland, Glasgow
By Johnnie McKie

Headlines for this one should read Going into Her 'Chelle. For when the delicate Ms Shocked shambled on to the stage with her band and mumbled a few greetings, her folksy charm seemed more suited to less public surroundings.

Yet the youthful audience, evidently more at home with Vic Reeves than Jim, were slowly being delighted by the melodic sounds of early singles like On The Greener Side and Anchorage. Then disaster struck.

Michelle invited her parents onstage to perform a hillbilly number. Such a tactic if employed by Wilson Phillips (Brian Wilson's and John Phillips's daughters) would be greatly appreciated. But this -- a country and western karaoke -- was asking for trouble. 'Chelle then returned with her band dressed in outfits last seen in Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza, and produced a lame half-an-hour of pantomime country with scarcely a yee-haw from the audience.

After this ramshackle diversion, the Shocked band donned less studied working clothes again to play a selection of tracks from the new Arkansas Traveller LP, but the unexciting new songs failed to stir the uncommitted.

If Ry Cooder were dead -- and thankfully he's not -- he'd surely be turning in his grave at this paltry imitation of country-rock. Finally Ms Shocked played (too many) encores, but at least included the potent If Love Was a Train from her strong acoustic debut LP Short Sharp Shocked.

Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA, 9 Jul 1992

Los Angeles Times, 11 July 1992

NOT DEAD, BUT NOT QUITE ALIVE, EITHER
Bob Weir And Rob Wasserman Display Particularly Intense Musical Personalities But They Lack Lyricism, Playfulness And Humor.
By Mike Boehm, Times Staff Writer

With highly skilled folkies Bruce Cockburn and Michelle Shocked in tow as opening acts, Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman launched a summer tour they've dubbed "Scaring the Children" Thursday night at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.

Weir, the Grateful Dead singer-guitarist, and Wasserman, the free-lance instrumental virtuoso who hits his bass harder than our punch-less Anaheim nine can hit a ball, didn't get around to explaining the significance of their tour's name. In typical Dead fashion, the headliners said nothing whatsoever during their 75-minute set before several thousand blissful young Dead fans who were dressed in the usual tie-dye and peasant-dress regalia. A press release issued by the duo's publicist says they didn't want to go on merely billing themselves as Weir & Wasserman, because their names alone "sounded like a law firm."

You could see how Wasserman's approach to the upright bass might scare some children. For one thing, the streamlined, futuristic, six-string electric bass he used during most of the show looks like some device Darth Vader might employ to harm cute, furry Ewoks. For another, Wasserman favored an aggressive attack full of booms and vrooms and dissonant, plangent skids that gave his solos and fills something in common with a day at the drag strip.

(Wasserman, who also plays in Lou Reed's band, learned firsthand recently what it means to perform under really scary circumstances. The Los Angeles riots broke out the night Reed played a brilliant show at the Greek Theatre, making Wasserman an inadvertent Nero who had to bass-fiddle while a city burned.)

Weir's apocalyptic vision in the set-closing anthem, "Throwin' Stones," could be construed as scary, but the Dead kids were more delighted than afrighted, clapping to keep time, doing hoppy dances and shouting along enthusiastically on the "ashes, ashes, all fall down" refrain.

No, what was really scary about this concert was the thought that the Grateful Dead might one day retire, and Weir will decide to try a second career as a singer of lounge standards. His rendition of the Frank Sinatra tune "Witchcraft" was a grating horror, so tuneless it could have served as a Bill Murray-style sendup of the saloon-ballad mode.

But Weir, who is nothing if not earnest, wasn't trying to be funny. His voice hasn't a hint of lyricism, body or roundness. It's all hard, flat surfaces, austere and severe, declamatory and earnest, with an element of almost puritanical rectitude. That worked in some settings, but a ballad singer he ain't. With the Dead, Weir is balanced by the mellowing influence of wizened old creaky-voiced Jerry Garcia.

(It's verboten for Weir and Garcia to sing and play together in Irvine with the Grateful Dead, by the way. The City Council insisted that Irvine Meadows stop its annual Grateful Dead concerts a few years ago, after an overflow of ticket-less fans and overnight campers in the Dead's wandering caravan of followers caused traffic miseries and riled the neighbors. Irvine Meadows' Solomonic, but not nearly as lucrative, solution has been to split rock's most reliable touring cash cow in two: The Jerry Garcia Band arrives at the Meadows on Aug. 1.)

Weir and Wasserman both displayed particularly intense musical personalities. But they lacked other qualities, such as lyricism, playfulness and humor, that can make for a well-rounded show. They tackled some beautiful songs, such as Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece," and Weir's "Looks Like Rain." At such moments as those, one wished they were a trio, with a passionate, soulful and accomplished singer to help them do the songs justice.

At their best, Weir/Wasserman formed a commanding, physically bracing rhythm section. Standing shoulder to shoulder, or turning face to face, they were able to prod and play off each other in driving, forceful, extended passages.

The furtive, bluesy love song "Eternity" showcased their ability to communicate musically. After Weir had intoned the song's lofty sentiment, "Let's love each other through eternity," one looked for Wasserman to second the emotion with a solo running toward tenderness or soaring loveliness. Instead, he hurtled into the void on a noisy, unsettling excursion that recalled the spacey dissonance of the instrumental break in the Byrds' "Eight Miles High." The journey toward eternal love, the solo suggested, is a strange, hazardous space shot buffeted by existential asteroid fields that can tear such a tender capsule apart. When Weir started to sing again, the lyrical sentiment remained the same -- "Our love will never die" -- but his voice was charged with the desperation of a man who had understood the daunting import of Wasserman's solo.

Such excellent moments came often enough to make it worth bearing with Bob and Rob through their insufficiently melodious adventure.

Evidently, nobody told Michelle Shocked anything about scaring any children. Instead, she delighted them with her smiling, folksy presence, an array of strong and varied material, and an earthy and adept little string band that included her brother, Max Johnston, on fiddle and Allison Brown on banjo, dobro and guitars.

Shocked's between-songs chat kept you (or, as her Texas drawl would have it, "y'all") in her confidence while building connecting bridges between songs. After singing the wry "Making Trouble for the V.F.D.," Shocked explained that its tale of pre-adolescent pyromania was true -- well, almost. Then she followed with "Eddie Bonebrake," an edgy blues that cast the fun-loving firesetter from "V.F.D." in a darker -- and, according to Shocked, more truthful -- light. Eddie's father had been killed by lightning before his eyes, Shocked said in her intro, and the song, embellished by this mobile performer's effective body English, told the poignant tale of how he compulsively lit smoky fires -- maybe to signal his dad in heaven or maybe to blot out the sky that had struck him dead.

Shocked showed her political agitator side with another blues, "Graffiti Lies," managing to register righteous indignation over police brutality while keeping a sardonic sense of humor. But the highlight of her set came on more personal songs, such as the folk-pop tune "Anchorage," about an old and enduring friendship, and a stretch of tradition-rooted songs from her fine current release, "Arkansas Traveler." Those numbers took her from pretty Celtic airs to hard-driving bluegrass. The Deadheads let out a disappointed groan when Shocked didn't come back for an encore after her enchanting 45-minute set.

Cockburn, with his professorial mien, looked more as if he had arrived to instruct the children. Without being didactic, he did impart lessons in a set that was graceful, eloquent and passionately rendered. It played like an extended meditation that encompassed both a fallen world ruled by exploitative power and a visionary realm of transcendence and redemption.

Playing solo, Cockburn seemed less distant than he had while fronting his own band at Anaheim's Celebrity Theatre earlier this year. His nine-song set, including a well-earned encore, stayed away from some of the less-inspired material that intruded on that show.

"If I Had a Rocket Launcher," inspired by death-squad attacks in Latin America, said as much about Cockburn's skill as a composer and a guitarist as it did about his political passions. Playing reverb-drenched electric guitar, Cockburn enacted a drama with finger-work, using pulsating rhythms to portray the menace of a helicopter-borne death squad, the racing panic of flight among its intended victims, and, in sharp, clinching chords, the final resolve to resist.

All hands gathered for an evening-ending encore treatment of the Willie Dixon blues classic "Spoonful" -- Weir/Wasserman booming out tough rhythms, Cockburn inserting some twisting electric guitar lines, and Shocked, relegated to backup vocal duty behind Weir and Cockburn, having fun slapping her thighs in time and weaving like a happy kid in the middle of a game of dodge ball.

Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis MN, 14 Jul 1992

Star Tribune, Minneapolis MN, 15 July 1992

Guitarist Bob Weir And Friends' Acoustic Tunes Revive Memories
By Jim Meyer

Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Bob Weir and a few musical friends turned back time a bit during a short, strange show of acoustic music at the Orpheum Theatre last night.

Through his ongoing collaboration with bassist Rob Wasserman, Weir has tried to make creative space for himself outside the Grateful Dead tradition. But this program -- which included notable singer-songwriters Bruce Cockburn and Michelle Shocked -- did bring back memories of the days in the '60s when disparate but sympathetic groups would join together for loose-knit superconcerts at Winterland Ballroom or the Fillmore.

But apparently you can't go all the way back to the way it was. Even this bill filled with potential headliners didn't generate quite the draw it might have -- forcing the concert to be moved from the Civic Center Forum to the smaller Orpheum Theatre.

Aesthetically, that change was for the better because these small groups and soloists were more suited to a theater than a small hall.

The sales might be a reflection on Bob Weir, now on his third annual tour with bass guitar innovator Wasserman. It's debatable whether he's a singer you would consistently want to see in a live duo.

As a singer he is quite ordinary, possessing neither a strong natural range nor a clear individual style. When he's interpreting standards such as "Witchcraft," "Take Me to the River" or Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece," his faults are all the more evident.

Within a merry band like the Grateful Dead - who've made overambition a musical philosophy for decades - this mediocrity is acceptable, perhaps endearing. But left to his own with only bass accompaniment, Weir's musical experiment is almost amazing in its overextension. Fortunately, he's backed with no ordinary bassist. Though the term "revolutionary" is often overused in music, Wasserman has brought a strong depth and expressive power to rock bass like few others. With the invention of various customized six-string basses and his rugged attack on standard upright, he brings a sturdy jazz feel to modern rock.

In fact, Wasserman was the key to the finest moments of the Weir/Wasserman set. Beginning with his pure solo in mid-set, he swerved from an edgy redefinition of the typically soft "Over the Rainbow" into an interlude featuring bowed-bass, before swooping down to a floor-shaking workout on the riff from Willie Dixon's "Spoonful."

When Weir returned, "Spoonful" was the basis for an extended improvisation that better displayed Weir's strength. (The "Spoonful" motif was also the root of a final jam involving all three acts.)

Wasserman's interesting bass tones also enhanced Weir's best vocal moments. When Weir works with the mellower moods of his own repertoire, he doesn't need to prove himself anyone's equal, and a deeper, truer tone emerges.

This small-group get-together offered a return to the roots for Michelle Shocked. Her big break came when an English record producer recorded a solo acoustic set on a portable cassette machine at a folk festival in her native Texas (now available on "The Texas Campfire Tapes").

To her credit she's parlayed that fluke into a major-label record deal that's allowed her to record albums that bounce from standard folk-rock to big band jazz. On her new album, "Arkansas Traveler," she toured the country in a mobile recording studio, cutting sessions with her admired American music artists such as Pops Staples, Doc Watson and Gatemouth Brown.

Because of her casual affiliations with the protest movement, her obscure personal history and her ever-changing musical focus, it's been hard to see the real artist behind the ambitions.

It was hoped that this concert would unveil an unobstructed view of her personality, and that it did, for good and bad.

For starters, this exciting, comparatively new artist deserved better than opening up to a barren house at 7, but she dealt with the challenge rather strangely.

She attempted over and over to get a sing-along going on "Memories of East Texas." Not only is the song too personal to really invite audience participation, but there was hardly any audience at the time.

Then she performed her new single, "Come a Long Way," with mere bass accompaniment. Too bad, because it seemed much too early to waste a strong song on the sparse crowd, and this bouncy tune might have benefited from the larger group that eventually joined her.

When the group did join in, things really cooked. Alison Brown was consistently sensational on guitar, banjo, and an overturned steel guitar that she played with a bottleneck slide. The four-piece version of the group - featuring her brother Max on violin - got the crowd energized on "Prodigal Daughter (Cotton-Eyed-Joe)," but she responded to the audience's awakening by almost berating them for their disinterest. "This next song's about morphine. You might relate to it," she kidded.

The following versions of "On the Greener Side" and "The Secret to a Long Life" got the crowd on their feet, much to Shocked's pleasure, but she made it all into more of an ordeal than necessary.

This tour also gives valuable exposure to Canadian songwriter Bruce Cockburn, known for stinging topical songs as well as more broadly philosophical lyrics reflecting his Christian humanist outlook.

Sony Records is re-releasing all 19 of his albums dating back to 1971 - an unusually strong commitment to an artist's back catalog, and a testament to Cockburn's creative diversity and consistent quality.

His nine-song middle set featured many of his more famous and angry topical songs such as "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" and "Call it Democracy," but on new songs such as "Someone I Used to Love" and the opening instrumental "Train in the Rain," he proved to be an under-rated guitarist. His fluid, jazzy style and complex chord sequences were truly impressive.

All in all, with some of the bad vibes and the not-so-great music, it was not quite as groovy as the Summer of Love, but the selection of strong talents on the bill probably gave everyone in the theater a few things to cheer about.

Jim Meyer is a freelance writer from Minneapolis.

Silverado Theater, Boston MA, 7 Oct 1992

The Boston Globe, 8 October 1992

Shocked's Show Goes On, Despite Disputes
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff

The Silverado concert series got off to a rocky start last night. The club looked great -- with rows of chairs placed on the dance floor to enhance the concert setting -- but the show was sabotaged by disputes beyond the club's control. Headliner Michelle Shocked and her main opening act, The Band, feuded beforehand. The Band ended up not playing -- and the reasons are as varied as the plots on your average daytime soap opera.

No one wanted to talk on the record, but it appears that The Band did not want to wait around 90 minutes after their set in order to join Shocked for a finale. The tour has played six cities so far (out of a planned 28) and tension has built up over this issue, with Shocked taking it very personally, sources said. The blowup came yesterday afternoon. Depending on whom you talked to, Shocked gave the promoter an ultimatum that either The Band was off the show, or she was.

Shocked's camp denies the ultimatum and is still hoping The Band will be back on the tour, which lands at Carnegie Hall tomorrow. But it was an eerie scene last night, with whispered conversations in corners (The Band's Rick Danko even flitted through the room at one point, at a pace that would have impressed Olympian Carl Lewis), and a sense of total bafflement among the nearly 1,000 fans.

Amazingly, Shocked showed no ill effects from the day's emotional traumas. She and her four-piece band, including former Boston banjoist (and Harvard grad) Alison Brown, pumped out a foot-stomping blend of old-timey/bluegrass music, Western Swing and the kind of wonderfully instructive acoustic experimentation that marks her latest album, "Arkansas Traveler." There were even elements of cornpone humor akin to the "Hee Haw" TV show - all without any trace (or any mention) of the day's melodrama.

If anything, Shocked went out of her way to express contentment. "I'm so happy to be here tonight. I love you all. That's a goofy thing to say, but I really mean it," she said. It was a bit strange, but you got to give her credit for playing well and also overcoming a few glitches in the sound system.

Another opener, the ageless bluesman Taj Mahal, opened effectively, reviving archival country blues such as "Freight Train" and "Sitting on Top of the World," plus updating with a touch of burlesque: "Big Legged Mamas are Back in Style." The other opening act, Uncle Tupelo, was less successful, playing acoustically (as opposed to their rowdily electric Neil Young style) and not really pulling it off, though they redeemed themselves when they joined Shocked later on.

Carnegie Hall, New York NY, 9 Oct 1992

The New York Times, 13 October 1992

The Past Without Nostalgia
By Jon Pareles

With her band plinking and fiddling an old mountain tune, Michelle Shocked stood onstage at Carnegie Hall on Friday night and, like a square-dance caller, led the audience in "chair dancing." After telling the audience to lean left and right, forward and back, she instructed, "Put your hands in the air, and wave 'em like you just don't care" -- a ritual of hip-hop.

Ms. Shocked prizes history and heritage, but she has no fear of anachronism. Her opening song proclaimed, "When I grow up, I want to be an old woman," and her voice can take on the twang and quaver of an Appalachian grandmother, the slides and clarity of a Celtic singer, or the sultry insouciance of a blueswomen. Yet with all of her connections to musical roots, she doesn't treat the past as a nostalgic refuge or a quaint relic, but as an area for unsentimental investigation, for interrogation.

Her songs about the present are conversations and chronicles, full of homey details and gentle humor; "Anchorage" is simply a catching-up letter from a friend. Taking songs from the past, Ms. Shocked examines them for similar details, even if they're hidden. At Carnegie Hall, she described trying to figure out what lay behind well-known but enigmatic tunes, finding the story of an abortion in "Cotton-Eyed Joe" and morphine for wounded Civil War troops in "Soldier's Joy."

Those are two of the fiddle tunes that Ms. Shocked adapted, with her own lyrics, for her current album, "Arkansas Traveler" (Mercury). They're part of Ms. Shocked's heritage; she learned them from her father, Dollar Bill Johnston, who joined her onstage, along with her brother Max Johnston. On her current tour, Ms. Shocked leads a modified string band, including fiddle (Ray LeGere) and banjo or flat-picked guitar (Alison Brown, who plays with a traditional banjoist's poker face), and often without drums. In songs from earlier albums, though, the band brought an assured touch to Western swing and electric blues. Her one new selection, "Custom Cutter," was a Celtic-tinged song about a farmer nervously awaiting help for a make-or-break harvest.

Ms. Shocked's touring Arkansas Traveler Revue also includes the group Uncle Tupelo, which updates rural styles with modern pessimism, and Taj Mahal, who reanimates old blues songs with his own playful traditionalism; knocking out shuffles and boogie-woogie on piano or picking country-blues on guitar, he showed off a master's offhand syncopation and mercurial vocals. He returned during Ms. Shocked's set for "Jump Jim Crow," a ragtimey song about stereotypes of black entertainers: "Who is really the jigaboo?/Is it the white man, the white, talking that jive/Or the black man, the black, trying to stay alive?"

Obviously, Ms. Shocked has serious topics in mind, but she doesn't let them interfere with the pleasure of the music. "Arkansas Traveler" itself was a backdrop for corny jokes, like a vaudeville routine; "Over the Waterfall" is a tall tale about someone who shoots the rapids in a barrel, concluding, "It don't hurt you when you fall, only when you land." Like her traditional forebears, she tucks any anger or despair between the lines, not concealing it, but keeping it in perspective.

From the stage, Ms. Shocked said her albums so far have been tributes looking back to her models: Texas songwriters, swing (both Western and big band) and fiddle tunes. She has already gone far beyond imitation. And her abundant musical gifts, her light touch and her clear ambition promise even more as she moves forward into songwriting that she can call her own.

George Mason University, Fairfax VA, 21 Oct 1992

Washington Post, 26 October 1992

MICHELLE SHOCKED
By Mike Joyce

Michelle Shocked seemed a bit shellshocked when she performed at George Mason University Wednesday night. A tour built around the singer's latest album, "Arkansas Traveler," featuring the Band, Uncle Tupelo, Taj Mahal and her own group, had just "unraveled," she told the crowd, so that only Taj Mahal remained on the bill with her. She didn't offer much of an explanation, apart from alluding to a lot of "backstage drama," though her management later said the decision to pare down the lineup was hers.

Whatever the reason, Shocked seemed emotionally distraught at times, verging on tears not only when she discussed the tour but when she spoke of her obviously painful relationship with her mother. Throughout her two-hour set she punctuated her songs with rambling anecdotes -- some of them touching, some amusing, several others hopelessly convoluted.

But the songs -- and especially the applause they generated -- often lifted her spirits as she plucked out simple melodies on a electric guitar and occasionally sang with an old-timey purity and power. The best tunes, drawn from her first and third albums, included a poignant "East Texas Memories," an expanded version of "Anchorage," a wonderfully animated duet with Taj Mahal on "Jump Jim Crow" and a bittersweet "Prodigal Daughter." Still, the blues artist's opening set of finger-style guitar tributes to Etta Baker, Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson, barrelhouse piano blues and robust sing-alongs was far more consistent and enjoyable, if by no means as odd.

The Palace, Hollywood CA, 7 Nov 1992

Los Angeles Times, 9 November 1992

A DOWN-HOME MICHELLE SHOCKED

If "Hee Haw" is ever revived for the MTV generation, there's a perfect host ready: Michelle Shocked. On Saturday at the Palace, Shocked made country corn out of the traditional mountain tune that provides the title for her latest album, "Arkansas Traveler," getting five audience volunteers on stage to engage in some down-home silliness.

But there was much more to the show than pickin' and grinnin' -- though Shocked was sporting a big grin throughout the evening. She explained that the show recapped her "trilogy" of albums laying out "where I come from, musically speaking." As she looked back on what she's done with her roots -- Texas singer-songwriter styles, swing music and mountain folk -- she seemed justifiably proud.

With three semi-acoustic sidekicks and some help from opening acts Taj Mahal and Clarence (Gatemouth) Brown, Shocked darted in and out of her various styles. Along the way, she joyously injected her own irrepressible personality and politics.

If her serious moments occasionally seemed pedantic and the silliness sometimes really silly, she can be forgiven, since both come from her genuine enthusiasm. And how can you fault someone who in one week goes from playing at the President-elect's celebration in Little Rock to getting a jaded Hollywood crowd to do some giddy square-dance steps en masse?

Hee haw, indeed.

-- Steve Hochman

"In Their Own Words", Rhythm Cafe, Santa Ana CA, 29 Jan 1993

Los Angeles Times, 1 January 1993

THEY'RE NOT AS GOOD AS THEIR WORDS
By Mike Boehm, Times Staff Writer

SANTA ANA -- The "In Their Own Words" concert at the Rhythm Cafe was pregnant with mistakes waiting to happen.

That dicey element is part of the excitement of this ongoing, occasional series of concert tours, in which accomplished songwriters are thrown together to make a show out of talking about their music as well as playing it. In an era when most concerts aspire to glitch-free efficiency, the "Words" tours offer a night out when you don't know what's going to happen.

The audience does have one pretty solid guarantee, however: When a show is in the hands of good songwriters, it's hard for it to go too far wrong. In terms of song quality and the level of individual performances, Friday night's show -- featuring Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Michelle Shocked and Allen Toussaint -- was strong indeed.

The performers in this foursome didn't know each other well, if at all. And, since the Rhythm Cafe show was only the second night of an 18-city tour, one wondered how well they'd be able to mesh, and how many of those potential goofs they'd be willing to risk against the possibility of striking a fresh creative spark.

The four played it conservatively for most of the two-hour, 20-minute session, concentrating on individual performance, with limited, low-risk musical interplay. Seated in a row on stage, the songwriters took turns until they'd gone through the line five times. Then they came out for an encore, and took the plunge with an attempt at full, four-way collaboration.

As such plunges go, what they'd intended as an improvised-on-the-spot blues number was a real belly flop. Singer-guitarists Ely, Clark, and, especially, Shocked didn't improvise much that was cohesive or even coherent. That left Toussaint, the New Orleans R&B master and pianistic wonder, to carry the "vamp in G" with some bawdyhouse piano improvisations of his own.

One suspects that by the end of the tour the four will be working well together with backing harmonies, rhythmic support and maximum exploitation of Toussaint's keyboard ability (his more than 30 years' experience as a record producer figures to make him particularly adaptable to other musicians' needs).

On night two, it was a little disappointing to watch Ely or Shocked silently mouth someone else's chorus lyrics instead of jumping in with wholehearted harmonies. It might have been better if they'd been somewhat more venturesome with vocal and instrumental interplay, even if it meant that more of those mistakes-in-waiting would indeed leap out.

Ely, who plays second-fiddle on guitar in his own band, did offer tasty, if nothin'-fancy solos and fills in support of songs by his fellow Texans, Shocked and Clark.

The show's most satisfying moment of collaboration came when Toussaint jumped in with barrelhouse piano on Ely's "I Had My Hopes Up High," making a boisterous rocker even more so. By the end, the two were smiling broadly, having ventured something new and seen it work.

What the show lacked in cohesiveness it made up in variety, with four very different personalities on display, along with four widely contrasting musical approaches.

Clark, a big man with a craggy visage, was droll and drawling, and not beyond directing some of his crusty humor at the evening's host, Danny Kapilian. (Kapilian, the "Words" tour manager, did a credible job as stand-in moderator for Billy Vera. He said after the show that Vera, a Los Angeles R&B bandleader, actor and talk show host, had to bow out because of a sudden change in the shooting schedule for a part he was playing on "Beverly Hills 90120." The explanation should have been given to the audience at the outset.)

At one point, the moderator asked Clark to explain some of the inner mechanics of his songwriting -- a question that implied writing songs is a logical, trial-and-error process, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Clark responded with some cranky, though not nasty one-liners, then played "How'd You Get This Number," a song full of absurd humor that clearly isn't the product of a highly rational mind. "How the hell you gonna explain something like that?" the singer mused when it was over.

Clark, whose style weaves folk and country (making him an influential forebear of such other fine Texas performers as Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett), excelled with a grainy, homespun storyteller's voice well suited to songs rich in dialogue, character, and setting. He supported himself on guitar with nimble, assertive finger-picking.

While emphasizing humor, Clark also registered with a couple of fervent songs, "L.A. Freeway" and "Come From the Heart" -- the latter, a Kathy Mattea hit written by Clark's wife, Susanna, and their friend, Richard Leigh, was his choice for the final round, in which the songwriters were asked to play a song they hadn't written themselves, but wished they had.

Ely provided the show's rock 'n' roll fire, strumming and belting his way through a series of rousing numbers before switching to pretty, wistful balladry in his outside choice, "If You Were a Bluebird," by his Lubbock, Tex. buddy, Butch Hancock. Asked to sing one of his hottest rockers, "Musta Notta Gotta Lotta," Ely demurred at first, saying he didn't think it would work without a rhythm section. "Anybody got a trash can lid?" Ely wondered, before plunging ahead.

The smallish but unremittingly enthusiastic audience did its share with robust clapping-in-time on the rockabilly stomp, while Ely did his best whooping Jerry Lee Lewis impression. We waited in vain, though, for Toussaint to kick in with the equivalent on piano, which would have been hot sauce on a thoroughly tasty bite of rock 'n' roll.

Toussaint has a reputation for holing up in his New Orleans studio and rarely venturing out on tour (the "Words" trek will be the longest of his 35-year career as a headliner). "I don't do this enough to feel comfortable; I'm suffering up here," he said, disarmingly, to the first Orange County audience he has ever faced. A sincere, quietly charming man, he managed to get in his share of funny lines during Q&A segments.

Toussaint's usually smooth, low-keyed vocals sounded tentative at times, and he strained when reaching for high notes. But it was a treat to watch him engage a white grand piano with a true master's aplomb.

His "Southern Nights" was bathed in the most fragrant, creamy tones anyone could coax from a keyboard, evoking warm, cheek-stroking breezes and the shimmer of full moonlight on the waters of a still bayou.

In a tribute to Professor Longhair, the patriarch of New Orleans R&B piano, Toussaint moved from classical flourishes to the trademark romping, bouncing syncopation that Longhair created. He finished the tribute with "Thank You Lord," the affectionate gospel ballad he wrote and performed for Professor Longhair's funeral in 1980.

As Toussaint explained, he is no stranger to writing songs to order, offering as evidence "Wrong Number (I Am Sorry, Goodby)," a winsome, hangdog ballad that he tailored for Aaron Neville 30 years ago. By the last round, when he offered a soulful reading of Bob Dylan's "Mama, You've Been on My Mind," Toussaint's level of comfort and confidence were clearly rising.

There's no shyness in Michelle Shocked, who was as wry as the others between songs, but went for darker musical hues than her counterparts. Her choices included two new, unrecorded original songs, and a fiery, a cappella version of Steve Goodman's Celtic-influenced anti-war folk song, "The Ballad of Penny Evans."

One of the new songs, which Shocked also performed in an excellent set with an acoustic band last year at Irvine Meadows, was a wailing, belting blues about her childhood friend, "Eddie Bonebreak." Supported by some rapid, buzzing lead licks from Ely that added to the intensity, Shocked sang about a boy whose father is killed by lightning, then turns to pyromania in an act of vengeance: he sends smoke skyward, "hoping God will choke."

Darker still was a recent composition, apparently called "Stillborn," which marshaled vivid rural imagery to describe a haunting day in the life of a midwife after she has delivered a dead infant. Even in the funny blues, "When I Grow Up," Shocked moved from humor to desperate intensity as she sang the refrain, "When I grow up, I wanna be an old woman" -- suggesting there's no guarantee the song's protagonist will make it that far.

At its best, the "Words" concept will allow ideas and opinions about music to fly back and forth across the stage as readily as the music itself. That sort of engagement, debate and repartee didn't emerge here, possibly because the moderator in this case was a guy who has to spend the rest of the tour with these people and couldn't prudently attempt the valuable role of instigator and provocateur. If a tad mannerly, this installment still let fans feel they were getting an up close, in-person, inside look at four musical personalities who are all worth getting to know well.

"In Their Own Words", The Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge MA, 13 Feb 1993

The Boston Globe, 15 February 1993

'Their Own Words': fun night of talk and tunes
By Jim Sullivan, Globe Staff

CAMBRIDGE -- The "In Their Own Words" singer-songwriter series took root about three years ago at the Bottom Line in New York. It has also spawned a road-show version, the third of which showed up Saturday night for two sold-out shows at the Middle East Downstairs: New Orleans master-of-all trades Allen Toussaint, folk/punk/feminist star Michelle Shocked, country-folk stalwart Guy Clark and self-described "new kid on the block" blues guitarist Sonny Landreth, who just took over for Joe Ely.

The idea is for these four musicians to play tunes, swap licks, talk about their craft and generally enjoy themselves in a less-than-formal setting. Toussaint, the legendary songwriter-pianist-producer-arranger, said Saturday that he accepted because "It's very much a non-pressure system. And it's good to be this close to other songwriters." Toussaint, one of the highlights, played "Happy Time," "Yes, We Can-Can," "From a Whisper to a Scream," "Brickyard Blues" and the new "Hanging Tough."

There was no sense of competitiveness during the two-hour early show. These people seemed comfortable in one another's presence, chipping in or laying back as the song demanded. Landreth was the MVP utility man -- "I've got Guy on one side of me and Alan on the other; I'm like in this bubble of awe," he said later; Clark was the bittersweet curmudgeon-genius; Shocked was the current "star" and vocal tour de force; and Toussaint had a gentlemanly aura that could hush the crowd and a boogie keyboard style that could bring it to a fever pitch.

One problem: Emcee Merilee Kelly of WBOS-FM sounded like a chirpy, giddy cheerleader. "Is it hard for you to be up here alone?" she burbled at Shocked. "That's kinda how I started," said Shocked, trying to be polite. Some members of the audience let Kelly have it with hisses and catcalls. Other bad audience manners: A few too many folks seemed not to realize the nature of the program -- equal billing, chat and music -- and screamed out for Shocked to sing more. Kelly did get one great response from Toussaint, as to whether he felt anyone gussied up his songs too much. "Oh, no," he said. "Anytime anybody wanted to dress it up or put a tuxedo or an evening gown on it was all right by me."

Much as parties seem to kick in after an hour, this gig caught fire in the second half. Shocked scored with "Anchorage" and wove in a story about how she and the friend named in the song fell out of touch and got reunited for Shocked's recent wedding via MTV; Toussaint's "Can-Can" was a pure delight, as he kept urging Landreth to pick up the tempo; Clark's songs about old friends and homegrown tomatoes made you want to reach out to the former and bite into the latter; Landreth's slide guitar work got you groovin'. "It's important," Landreth said later, "to invite people in. It's like jazz, or something -- it's the unknown that brings up the creative part."

"In Their Own Words", Birchmere Restaurant, Washington DC, 15 Feb 1993

Washington Post, 20 February 1993

SONGWRITERS' OWN WORDS
By Geoffrey Himes

"In Their Own Words," a concept launched by New York's Bottom Line, brings a handful of disparate songwriters together to talk about their craft and perform some examples. The edition that came to the Birchmere Restaurant for two shows Monday night included Texas storyteller Guy Clark, New Orleans producer Allen Toussaint, Texas folk singer Michelle Shocked and Louisiana swamp guitarist Sonny Landreth. Radio personality Mary Cliff of WETA-FM served as the moderator.

Clark talked about his troubles with titles (he had wanted to call "L.A. Freeway" "Pack Up All the Dishes"); Shocked spoke of her newfound love for classic black gospel music; Toussaint said that "in the land of syncopation, if there's anything consistent about us it's the inconsistency of where we put our beats"; and Landreth exclaimed that he has more songwriting heroes than he can count -- adding that he can't count all that high.

Shocked unveiled "Homestead," about a farm widow on the prairie, which might be the best thing she's written yet. All evening Landreth played slide guitar parts so breathtakingly that he once made Clark forget his own lyrics to "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train". Toussaint played some very funky piano on Landreth's rocking version of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway." It was an evening of surprises and revelations, but the highlight was Toussaint's long, heartfelt monologue about his father, illustrated with piano phrases and climaxed with "Melody in C," a remarkable song he had never played onstage.

Earth Day concert, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD, 22 Apr 1993

Washington Post, 27 April 1993

EARTH DAY
By Geoffrey Himes

Scheduling a six-hour outdoor concert for an April night in Maryland shows a certain lack of respect for the environment, and Thursday's Earth Day concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion could have used some global warming. The crowd was given plenty of reason, however, to stand up and stomp by seven acts who played with lots of energy and, for the most part, good taste as well.

The show was almost evenly split between musicians who preached too much and those who didn't preach enough. Michelle Shocked complained about politicians who preach but then gave her own meandering sermons. When she stopped talking and started strumming her guitar, though, "Come a Long Way" and "Over the Waterfall" proved just how far she has come as a singer and songwriter.

Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett was uncertain whether to praise the Clinton administration for its progressive rhetoric or condemn the Democrats for their lack of action. When Garrett and his Australian band performed songs from their new album, the appropriately titled "Earth and Sun and Moon," they sounded like nothing so much as late-period Who, a hard-hitting band with good songs and an annoyingly operatic singer.

The two best musical acts of the evening were NRBQ and the Robert Cray Band, but neither made any connection to the concert's raison d'etre. Bluesman Cray sang and played the guitar as beautifully as ever, even if he hasn't found a way to vary his sound. NRBQ previewed two delightful songs, "Girl Scout Cookies" and "Over Your Head," from its next album, due this fall from Rhino. NRBQ also brought along two horn players from the Sun Ra Arkestra and transcended the concert's planetary limitations with a musical journey aboard Sun Ra's "Rocket Number Nine (Take Off to the Planet Venus)" that ended in the kind of cacophonous jam induced by the Venusian atmosphere.

Dances to American Music, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York NY, 1/2 May 1993

The Times, London, 7 May 1993

Shocked if not stunned
By Adrian Dannatt

Rock met dance in New York, when Mikhail Baryshnikov and Michelle Shocked topped Mark Morris's bill.

Given New York's cultural overload, there is only one way for producers to capture attention. Heap on the stars, build up the attractions, until an event becomes an absolute must-see. Thus it was with Mark Morris's Dances to American Music: a sold-out weekend of celebrity performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Not just two world premieres here, not only Mikhail Baryshnikov and Morris himself dancing, but also live music played by luminaries as varied as the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Michelle Shocked, as well as costumes by the hottest young designer in town, Isaac Mizrahi.

If the resultant glamour was almost too much Tama Janowitz chatting to Lou Reed, Park Avenue hostesses air-kissing it just proved the power Morris now wields as one of the few choreographers willing to put his energy and fame behind contemporary dance. Morris has been aided in this by the White Oak Dance Project, which he created with Baryshnikov in 1990. Here, members of White Oak shared the stage with Morris's own dance group.

As a choreographer largely inspired by his choice of music, Morris can be at a disadvantage. This was most evident in the first piece, the world premiere of Mosaic and Untitled to Henry Cowell's String Quartets Nos 3 and 4. The music was so beautiful and this rare performance so perfect, thanks to Ma's cello, that it seemed an unnecessary distraction to have dancers in unfortunate pastel ensembles by Mizrahi gliding around.

Of course, it was exciting to see Baryshnikov. The simple gestures hardly taxed him, but he demonstrated that rare ability for a dancer to do almost nothing, but do it stylishly. He lay on the ground, dirty bare feet waving at the audience (as if naked soles were the main difference between contemporary and classical dance), while the strings hummed: an insect trembling in its death throes. But Morris's aesthetic is inherently jolly and perhaps the best section was a jig, a sort of sea-shanty meets Peking Opera, danced with joyous energy.

Likewise the best part of the second world premiere, Home, was the ferocious stomping, tap-dancing hoedown performed by Morris and his dancers to the fast fiddle-playing of Michelle Shocked and the bass of Rob Wasserman. The punky Texan folksinger and Grammy-winning bassist stood at the side, the set stripped back to the bare bricks of the theatre, and the dancers in suitably rural russet tones.

But while the hoedowns were great fun and performed with infectious enthusiasm, the sung laments interspersed into the set were altogether less convincing. Putting live singing and dancing together is inherently dangerous and the dilemma of narrative dance was posed by the all-female ensemble acting out a sentimental ballad called "Yolanda". Shocked's voice was not at its best, and the wailing lament and flailing limbs of the dancers combined to embarrassing effect. Somehow, Morris's sensibility does not seem suited to coy Americana.

If Shocked's contribution was the most anticipated and least effective, the Three Preludes of Gershwin, played with a smoky, Tin Pan Alley charm by pianist Linda Dowdell, were the most impressive section of the evening. Danced on alternate nights by Morris and Baryshnikov, wearing black and white outfits with gloves that made the hands oddly outsized, they conjured a range of American references, from Mickey Mouse to Chaplin or even Michael Jackson, all with effortless grace and simplicity.

The last section, Grand Duo, to music by Lou Harrison, began with one of those portentous, symbolic tableaux vivants that recall the worst of New Age performance, a ring of dancers in silhouette pointing to the sky. This gesture was repeated throughout the piece which, with the multi-cultural, SF score by Harrison, began to seem like a visitation by aliens.

The extraordinary, surprisingly rare pleasure of hearing live music in a dance context should never overwhelm the choreography itself. It began to seem during this evening that Morris was less a great choreographer than a DJ with excellent taste in both music and musicians.

The Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge MA, 1 Jun 1993

The Boston Globe, 2 June 1993

Michelle Shocked jumps genres with glee
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff

They call David Bowie a chameleon. Well, he's got nothing over Michelle Shocked, whose genre-hopping has become a signature trait. She began as a folkie discovered over a campfire in Texas. She's since recorded swing jazz, country, Cajun, blues and fiddle music.

She's dubbed her latest genre "fonk" -- a hybrid of folk and funk, which last night also encompassed a liberal dose of good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll.

Shocked is mainly in town to assist the Mark Morris Dance Troupe, for which she wrote three new songs in a production presented by Dance Umbrella at the Emerson Majestic Theatre. But she couldn't resist booking five nights at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, where last night she unveiled her new band, the Casualties of Wah. It's so named because she's recently become obsessed with the wah-wah guitar pedal - a psychedelic throwback - which she and her new lead guitarist, Andy Kotz, employed to exhilarating effect last night before a sold-out house of Shocked fans.

Playing only their second gig together, Shocked and company had a late start because of several calamities, including the fact they had barely slept since performing their debut show in Miami the night before, then had their equipment arrive late and had their van towed. Not to mention that she rushed over to the Central Square club from the Mark Morris performance.

It was a comedy of errors that fortunately had a happy ending -- happier than the last time Shocked was in town, when she played the Silverado club in October and got in a dispute with her opening act, The Band, which ended up leaving the tour.

Shocked displayed new energy -- and new material -- last night, including "Mother, May I?," a funky tune about imploring her mother to dance, before her mother ends up teaching her a few dance steps of her own. It was a playful number in which Shocked dressed up in a feather boa a la Mae West. This festive tone was maintained for most of the show, especially when she reworked some of her older songs and emboldened them with a fresh rock attitude.

"I'd like to rearrange some old songs, which can only mean trouble," she said with a huge grin on her face, before launching into her "homeless trilogy" of "The Cement Lament" (given a double wah-wah treatment), "God is a Real Estate Developer" and "Streetcorner Ambassador." An added playful touch was playing the theme from "Shaft" during one interlude.

Rocking with a Fender Strat, she also breathed new life into her earlier songs, "On the Greener Side" and "33 RPM Soul." Her new quartet -- hand-picked through auditions in Los Angeles -- was excellent, including drummer Thaddeus Corea (Chick Corea's son), synth keyboardist Robert Rinderer and bassist Lynn Keller. She gave each a lot of room to jump in with fills -- and the result was some of her best genre-hopping yet.

Olympia Theater, Dublin, Ireland, 9 Apr 1994

The Irish Times, 14 April 1994

Michelle Shocked
Olympia
By Kevin Courtney

Michelle Shocked made two startling revelations at the Olympia on Saturday night. Firstly, she told the capacity audience that her record company had rejected the songs for her fifth album, Kind Hearted Woman, forcing her to seek an independent manufacturer and oversee the distribution herself. Secondly, she admitted that it wasn't her who started those fires she sang about on her Short, Sharp Shocked album it was a guy named Eddie, who did it because he wanted to choke God to death for killing his daddy with a bolt of lightning.

She may not be the fire brand we thought she was, but Michelle Shocked is certainly unquenchable, and her righteous anger remains undimmed. In Graffiti Limbo she sings about a young black graffiti artist who dies in prison under suspicious circumstances, leaving nothing to the audience's imagination concerning the manner of his death; and in Cold Comfort she freezes the blood with the tale of a drunken driver who kills an innocent person. You can almost feel the beer elbows hesitate as she sings "Heavy drink was on his breath/her death was on his hands".

Resplendent in long hair and long brown dress, Shocked seemed deceptively waif like, but her voice and delivery were as strong and sassy as ever. When she rocked, as in (Don't You Mess Around With) My Little Sister, her voice bore a cracked similarity to that of fellow Lone Star, Maria McKee, but it was during her gentle, poignant pictures of life and struggle that her true tones really rang out.

Shocked was joined by Fiachna O'Braonain and Peter O'Toole for much of the show, and the two Flowers added a fragrant backing to Shocked's fertile folk/rock.

House of Blues, Los Angeles CA, 17 Aug 1994

Los Angeles Times, 19 August 1994

MICHELLE SHOCKED DISPLAYS MATURITY AT HOUSE OF BLUES

About seven years ago, Michelle Shocked emerged as a precocious, political East Texas folkie devoted to the power and purity of songs and the stories they can tell. After side trips into jump blues and string-band experiments, she's now returned to her beginnings.

On Wednesday at the House of Blues, she showed that she's no longer a sly kid, but a mature artist bearing songs full of complex, achingly personal narratives. The first part of the show was taken up largely by the 10 new, unfamiliar songs from her self-released "Kind Hearted Woman" album, which is only being sold at her shows.

The fans who packed the club embraced the new material, a moving song cycle of loss and redemption. With able aid from guitarist Fiachna O'Braonain, bassist Peter O'Toole (both members of Ireland's Hothouse Flowers) and drummer Cedric Anderson, she gave disarming, natural readings of the new material, followed by a frisky, generous set of audience requests.

As charming and intriguing a performer as she's been in the past, this finally seemed to be the real Shocked on stage. That doesn't mean she's settled down, stylistically speaking: She's currently working on a new album with New Orleans funk-soul master Allen Toussaint.

STEVE HOCHMAN

Mean Fiddler, Dublin, Ireland, 1 Jul 1995

The Irish Times, 4 July 1995

Not surprising now, Ms Shocked
Michelle Shocked - Mean Fiddler

By Kevin Courtney

Watching Michelle Shocked onstage at Dublin's Mean Fiddler on Saturday night, it's hard to believe that the girl-next-door type with the bobbed hairstyle and the brown evening dress used to be a skateboard punk, but, as the Texan campfire queen assures us during Anchorage, she did once sport a mohawk and a nose-ring.

Rebellion has always been integral to the protest songs of Michelle Shocked, and though some might compare her with that archetypal sweet strummer, Melanie, Shocked has always had more in common with the frontline folk of Joan Baez. Her days of civil disobedience seem to be behind her now, and the dust seems to have settled on the dispute over her most recent recording, Kind Hearted Woman (she refused to release it on a major label, choosing to sell it at her own gigs instead) however her political polemic now appears to have mellowed into homespun hokum.

As with her Olympia appearance last year, Shocked enlists the help of two fine Irish musicians, Fiachna O Braonin and Peter O'Toole, and this affable back-up team hits an immediate musical rapport with the Texan troubadour. Fiachna is well up on his county, blues and bluegrass technique, while Peter shows both his fluidity on bass and his prowess on mandolin. Most of all, the trio of personalities onstage displays an infectious good nature which spreads to the audience, and helps smooth over some of the duller moments in the set.

When Shocked is giving it loads of welly, her Texan twang warbling with abandon, then everything seems to sail along on a fresh breeze but when she gets into some lengthy storytelling intros, a dead calm descends on the proceedings, and the show seems to drift along, aimless band rudderless. Among the better, more uplifting moments are Must Be Loft, from her Captain Swing album, Memories Of East Texas from her seminal Short, Sharp Shocked, and Come A Long Way from Arkansas Traveller. Michelle doesn't need to shock anymore to get her point across, but it would be nice if she could still surprise.

The Tralf, Buffalo NY, 21 May 1996

Buffalo newspaper, May 1996

Michelle demands that her fans leave shocked

By Lawrence W. Gallick
News Contributing Reviewer

Michelle Shocked lived up to her controversial and irreverent reputation Tuesday night in a unwieldly performance in the Marquee at the Tralf.

Shocked can play the roles of performance artist, folk singer and record industry victim. She was a little bit of all three in a performance filled with convictions and dreams that turned into a confrontational and brutally honest display of artistry.

Within the first four songs, the Dallas-born Shocked began a theme of protest by conversing with the audience members.

Shocked broke down the wall that divides the audience and the performer "into gods and mere mortals." She became one of us. She transformed several hundred overheated people to names and voices.

Or so she claimed.

Shocked demands more from her fans than just sitting and listening. They become part of the show. She launched into her first set determined to personally revive the idea of audience participation.

Shocked at times sounded ragged, but maybe that was all part of the plan. Incorporating her mistakes into her tunes, Shocked switched to her mandolin and extended two songs, "Over the Waterfall" and "Soldier's Joy," to let the audience into her mood.

Music wasn't the only attraction -- there was also dancing. Shocked left the stage during the hypnotic chords of "Anchorage" to waltz with her fans. Buffer-free.

Shocked is an excellent musician and songwriter, but her strength is best described as controversy.

This kind of stage demeanour is not for everyone, and audible response to shocked was mixed.

She wants only the strong fans to survive. She seemed willing to jettison the halfhearted and to challenge the devoted. It worked.

The Music Hall, Portsmouth NH, 26 May 1996

Associated Press, 29 May 1996

Shocked shocks her faithful

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- Folk singer Michelle Shocked broke down in mid-song to say her concertgoers lacked diversity, then ran off stage to her tour bus.

"She left the audience with a sour taste in their mouth. They felt blamed for her breakdown," said Tom Colletta, who attended the concert at the Music Hall.

According to Colletta, Shocked broke down in tears during Graffiti Limbo, about a black graffiti artist killed by police in a New York City subway during his arrest. Then she made her comments to the audience.

Shocked is white, as are most of her listeners.

Neither Shocked nor her agent returned calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival, Newport RI, 11 Aug 1996

The Boston Globe, 12 August 1996

At Newport, Only The Finest Folk
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff

NEWPORT, R.I. -- Irish singer Maura O'Connell said it best: "I can't tell you how beautiful it is here," she told yesterday's capacity crowd. "All of you out there, and the boats in the harbor, it's just beautiful. When you do this for a living, this is what you aspire to."

Indeed, Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival has reasserted itself as one of the leading acoustic events in the nation. And certainly many fans agree, for the festival's combined attendance for Saturday and Sunday was 19,500 - the most since the fest was revived 11 years ago after being inactive since the storied '60s.

Yesterday's sold-out show of 10,000 -- a routine happening when the Indigo Girls headline here -- was marked by illuminating sets from the Indigos (debuting half a dozen songs from their next album), Michelle Shocked (joined dramatically by Louisiana fiddler Clarence Gatemouth Brown), Bruce Cockburn (debuting two politically charged tunes from his next disc, "The Charity of the Night"), Lisa Loeb (showing unexpected strength as a solo act) and, well, that's for starters.

The weather gods cooperated with a spectacular day, which was a treat given the monsoon that cut the festival short four years ago. "I smell suntan oil, and that's always good," Loeb told the crowd.

I didn't make it down Saturday (a summer cold laid me low), but I arrived yesterday to discover the place still buzzing from the arrest of a female fan who jumped up onstage during Ani DiFranco's set and wouldn't leave. Security was tightened yesterday as a result.

There hadn't been much jamming on Saturday -- with the exception of Peter Rowan's joining the Nashville Bluegrass Band -- but there was yesterday. Bluesy belter Michele Malone sang with the Indigo Girls, but the wildest free-form occurred when Gatemouth Brown hopped up with Shocked. They did some traditional tunes ("Arkansas Traveler" and "Soldiers' Joy"), then kicked it up a notch with Hank Williams' "Jambalaya." It really felt like a folk festival when they were on stage.

However, it felt like a church service on Jupiter when Shocked first came out. She's had a confused history lately - remember when she insulted a crowd in Maine earlier this summer for not being integrated enough? This time she came out singing "Holy Spirit/Come By Here," then asked the audience to lock hands, telling them good-naturedly but bizarrely: "You are all ordained as my holy celestial choir, all you expletive atheists." But she was cool about it and won the crowd over, as did her brother, Max Johnston (a member of Wilco), during an invigorating cameo.

More contemplative sets came from David Wilcox (who is less strained and more enjoyable in concert than on some of his records) and O'Connell, who fronted a three-piece band and sang with an angelic grace.

Brown's own set was delightfully varied, moving from horn-spiced swing to the fiddle breakdown "Up Jumped the Devil." That led to Loeb's more cerebral, but immensely satisfying, set of reconfigured MTV pop hits ("Stay" and "Waiting for Wednesday"), as well as flamenco-flourished "Rose Colored Times" and the new "Falling in Love," about a motel romance right out of Hollywood.

Cockburn's solo stint was masterful (keyed by the hypnotic new "Night Train" (about "the ultimate forgetfulness of violence"). But the long-awaited, well-deserved climax came from the Indigo Girls, who soared with robust cover tunes (Neil Young's "Down by the River" and the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses"), but, most notably, with new originals "Don't Give that Girl a Gun" ("...she's already one," sang Amy Ray) and hushed piano ballad "Kind Friend" by Emily Saliers. The Indigos' crowd favorites were again their spiritual anthems, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" and "Closer to Fine," which closed this lustrous day.

El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles CA, 19 Oct 1996

Daily Variety, 22 October 1996

Michelle Shocked and the Casualties of Wah
Pony Stars

Michelle Shocked and the Casualties of Wah; Pony Stars (El Rey Theater, L.A.; 700 seats; $ 18) Promoted by Goldenvoice. Bands: (Shocked) Richard Susumu Armstrong, Michael Rinta, Carl Wheeler Jr., Jamie Lee Brewer, Joel Smith; (Pony Stars) Max Konrad Johnston; Herbert Joseph Rieth III, Andrew William Mason. Reviewed Oct. 19, 1996. Fresh from a fight to be released from her former label, Michelle Shocked made what can be only called a triumphant performance at the El Rey. The battle with Mercury Records had been over artistic freedom; from Saturday's show, it looks like she's planning on exercising it plenty, now that she's pacted with Private Music. Previous albums have seen Shocked transmute from a folkie with acoustic guitar to the horn-laden "Captain Swing" to the rustic "Arkansas Traveler." A two-year resident of New Orleans, she's working these days with a band performing in that city's characteristic R&B style, with a repertoire of songs entirely her own though at least one number was written with premier New Orleans composer-producer Allen Toussaint. The terrific band, curiously, is from Oakland, a city not noted for its second-line swagger. Shocked's set (a Springsteenian three hours long) consisted, to a great extent, on material she hasn't recorded for either label: she performed only three numbers from her four Mercury albums, and didn't intro a single song from her new "Kind Hearted Woman" until the 90-minute mark. A couple of songs, notably "Little Billie" (about a Crescent City club owner who sings like Billie Holiday) were performed during Shocked's recent brief set opening for the Chieftains at the Universal Amphitheater; here, with a full band, the sound was even more powerful. A belting singer, Shocked is also an above-par writer: the torchy "Why Do I Get the Feeling" would be a highlight of anybody's set, and "I'm a Lucky Dog" is a witty gospel song written from the titular canine's point of view. And, it (like many of the songs, even the new ones) resulted in fairly spontaneous audience participation; always a good sign. "Kind Hearted Woman" is a downbeat affair; somehow, though, the mini-set (played mostly without the band) worked: Shocked had no trouble keeping an audience, most of whom were on their feet, respectfully quiet when appropriate. Of her vintage songs, the reflective "Anchorage" (with her brother, Max Johnston, of the show-opening acoustic trio Pony Stars joining in on fiddle) drew the greatest response; the up tempo "If Love Were a Train" also went down well. The set closed on the upbeat, with a disco-styled number, and a generic New Orleans Indian chant of the "Iko Iko" stripe. The whole thing, reflective and depressing songs included, was a damned impressive affair. Who in the room would have told Michelle Shocked that she couldn't cover any artistic ground she wanted?

Todd Everett

The Fillmore, San Francisco CA, 21 Oct 1996

The Oakland Tribune, 23 Oct 1996

Shocked Value

Full of surprises and energy, Michelle Shocked delivers a sensational performance
By William Friar

If someone could figure out a way to bottle Michelle Shocked, Starbucks would go out of business.

Who needs caffeine when you've got the inexhaustible energy Shocked displayed in San Francisco Monday night? Toward the end of her three-hour set at the Fillmore, Shocked was still pogoing around the stage barefoot, throwing herself into yet another smoking tune. Throughout, she flashed a toothy grin wide as her native Texas.

Come to think of it, Shocked-in-a-bottle would make Prozac obsolete, too. Her love of music and the joy she experiences while performing are so obvious and heart-felt that it makes you happy just to see her so happy.

Anyone who has listened to the singer/songwriter's new album, "Kind Hearted Woman," might find it hard to imagine such a joyful show. The somber work, filled with tales of death, has been compared to Bruce Springsteen's stark "Nebraska." Its most cheerful tune is about a young boy who watches lightning reduce his father to "smoking bones." Not exactly feel-good music.

But Shocked, true to her name, is full of surprises. It took an hour and a half before she played a single tune from the new album, her first in four years. (Shocked sold earlier versions of "Kind Hearted Woman" at her concerts, but a dispute with her former label prevented its release until this month.) Instead, she started off with an unfamiliar, horn-driven gumbo of funk, soul and R&B, laced with Cajun spices borrowed from her adopted New Orleans home.

A highlight of this section was "Little Billie," its funky R&B-propelled sound perfectly wedded, in typical Shocked fashion, to a tale of a woman dancing at the funeral of her son, shot dead in the projects.

It was on these numbers, backed by the six-man Casualties of Wah, her turbo-charged band, that Shocked's brassy voice was put to best use. She's an amazing belter, equally powerful at both ends of an impressive range.

Her voice was also a powerful instrument on the more spirited numbers of the concert's middle section, which was devoted to some of Shocked's earlier material. Her sound was passionate and uplifting on the folk rock "Come a Long Way," playfully seductive on the slow-grinding "If Love was a Train."

Oddly, her singing was less effective on folksy ballads such as "Anchorage" and "Silver Spoon," the kinds of songs that those only vaguely acquainted with Shocked's music identify her with. Monday night, her voice nearly overpowered the music, as she half-spoke, half-blasted out the lyrics.

Shocked has spent the last few years gaining independence from her former record label, which she felt was trying to saddle her with a folkie image and limit her artistic growth. Perhaps she's still too busy celebrating her freedom to explore new sonic horizons to give her quieter folks songs the attention they deserve.

Opera House, Toronto, Canada, 5 Nov 1996

Imprint, 15 November 1996

Shocking!

Michelle Shocked
Opera House
Tuesday, November 5
by Scott Draper, special to Imprint

After a public absence of four years, Michelle Shocked is touring with a new collection of songs called Kind Hearted Woman. Shocked is one of those artists that's hard to classify. Her intelligent, bitter-sweet lyrics are set to music that combines elements of folk, blues, funk, and many other influences. In between songs, Shocked told the audience stories about the songs. Her story about "Hard Way" from Kind Hearted Woman was especially touching. "Hard Way" is about her running away from home (or being thrown out) when she was fifteen. By the end of the song, she had the audience singing the chorus, 'I'm not old enough to be on my own but I'm much too old to stay'. She was backed up by an excellent band that consisted of a small horn section with a big sound, a guitarist and a drummer. Her brother, a fiddler, joined her on-stage to perform a version of "Cotton Eye Joe." In "Winter Wheat," Shocked sings about her battle with her former record label, whom she sued on the basis that they violated the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, which abolished slavery. The lyrics "Winter wheat, the grain is groaning on the stem" have great importance to her, because she finally won her battle and has released Kind Hearted Woman on her new label, Private Music. Midway through the show, she sang a bluesey birthday song to one of her bandmember's friends who was in the audience. After two hours, she finished the show with a disco funk song that had most of the audience shimmying and grooving on the dancefloor. Shocked jumped onto the floor and danced with the audience. It was a fitting end to an eclectic and entertaining show.

Chapin Theater, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley MA, 6 Nov 1996

Union News, Springfield MA, November 1996

By Kevin O'Hare

SOUTH HADLEY - There's only one thing ever certain about seeing Michelle Shocked in concert, and that is to expect the unexpected.

The spunky, soulful singer/songwriter lived up to her unpredictable reputation Wednesday, and in the process delivered a remarkable performance at Mount Holyoke College's Chapin Hall.

There were only about 300 fans on hand for the show, but that atmosphere no doubt contributed to Shocked's sizzling set. Indeed, the mood was so intimate that one local fan, UMass grad student Gloria Witkus, was invited to grab a guitar late in the concert and sing an on-stage duet with Shocked on "Strawberry Jam." She answered the call in splendid fashion and drew a huge audience response.

Shocked is supposedly on the road promoting her dark and often disturbing new album, "Kind Hearted Woman." But shunning convention, she played only two songs from the disc during her 18-song, two hour and 10 minute performance. Instead, the songwriter concentrated on even newer material, from an album that hasn't even been recorded yet. Many of those new songs, which were inspired by her re-discovery of religious faith and her move to New Orleans, rank right alongside some of the best of her career.

Backed by her rock solid five-piece band Casualties of Wah, under the direction of keyboardist Carl Wheeler, she kicked off the night with six new songs. There were several standouts, included the horn-tinged opener, "Why Do I Get the Feeling You're Not Listening to Me," and the stunning, tragic R and B gem "Little Billie." Shocked's singing, always an overlooked aspect of her talent, was exceptional throughout the night, most noticeably on another new cut, apparently titled "Oh Cleveland."

Mid-way through the night she brought out her brother, Max Johnston, who had played in the well-received opening act PonyStars. Johnston's violin work added a melancholy splendor to Shocked's 1988 breakthrough ballad "Anchorage," and the emotion-drenched follow-up "Come a Long Way," turned out to be the high point of the concert.

The singer gave her band lots of room to air out, and songs such as "Juicy Lucy," "Peach Fuzz," and "You Are So Good To Me," offered some sparkling interplay between the rhythm section and horn players Rich Armstrong and Michael Rinta.

Shocked did perform a couple of tracks from "Kind Hearted Woman" during her encores - the extremely sorrowful "Stillborn," and the rural tale of hard life "Homestead."

Besides the aforementioned "Strawberry Jam," she also delivered a heartfelt "Memories of East Texas," as an encore, closing the night with a raucous, fiddle-fired "Prodigal Daughter," in which Shocked had the audience on the dance floor following her square dance calls with delight.

Theater Of Living Arts, Philadelphia PA, 8 Nov 1996

Philadelphia citypaper.net, 14-21 Nov 1996

Gyrate column
By Margit Detweiler

Michelle Shocked throws a hoe-down.

Looking chic herself last Friday was a shiny-shirted, shag-headed, white-guitar-totin' Michelle Shocked who wowed the TLA audience with a two-and-a-half hour concert.

Her brother's band, The Pony Stars, opened for Shocked with their enjoyable but sloppy folk-rock doomed by mediocre harmonies. Fortunately, Shocked revived the crowd, plunging into New Orleans-style material from her forthcoming album. Shocked's swinging band, The Casualties of Wah, was stellar — led by Toni Tony Tone's Carl Wheeler on keys, Joel Smith on drums, Jamie Lee Brewer on bass, Richard Susumu Armstrong on trumpet and Michael Rinta on trombone. You might have sworn this swinging troupe hailed from the Big Easy, but Shocked found all of 'em in Oakland, CA.

"In New Orleans, it don't matter where you're from if you're a tourist," said Shocked, who recently relocated to New Orleans herself. "Natives will call you a Cleveland." Shocked's a talker, for sure. But when she stops talking, she sings in a soulful, banshee-like vibrato. She moved from this gospel-charged material to her old folk material like "Anchorage," "Cotton Eyed Joe" and "If Love Was a Train" and created a virtual party. She enticed the audience into howling in one song ("Lucky Dog"), shaking hands with their neighbors in another, and, with the fiddling assistance of her bro, participating in a hardcore hoe-down. Then, as if to sober up the scene, she moved into starker, morose songs from her latest album, Kind-Hearted Woman — songs about "death, death, death" as she said, like the keening and wailing "Stillborn." Jumping moods like freight cars, she brought the audience back to their feet with requests and more jubilant numbers. This evening, for one, wasn't going to end in tears.

Graffiti, Pittsburgh PA, 13 Nov 1996

Consumable, 23 December 1996

CONCERT REVIEW: Michelle Shocked and the Casualties of Wah, Pittsburgh, PA
- Rob Hillard

Halfway through an unforgettable three hour performance, Michelle Shocked looked at the ceiling and said, "Ya know, I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and regret having ever opened my mouth."

Humble words from a performer whose combination of words and music had already taken her admiring audience by the hearts and left them searching for their souls. A passionate artist with a penchant for preaching, Michelle spent a cool autumn evening in Pittsburgh spreading strong words amidst an exciting variety of musical adventures.

Stylishly dressed in black velvet pants and a lavender velvet T-shirt, Michelle needed no introduction as she strapped on her trademark white Stratocaster and scratched out the opening riff of "Graffiti Limbo". While she originally revealed the familiar surroundings of the Graffiti stage as her inspiration, it soon became clear that it was the "not guilty" verdict in a heavily publicized local trial that had truly stirred her passion. The case of a white police officer from suburban Brentwood, one of several officers accused in the choking death of a black motorist named Jonny Gammage, closely parallels her musical tribute to a black graffiti artist named Micheal Stewart, who died of suffocation in the presence of eleven New York City Transit cops. Michelle made it clear that she wanted to know how the audience felt about the verdict." Can you imagine what kind of death it is to die, if the last sight you see is people treating you unjustly?"

Michelle left the song and the sermon unfinished. Instead she brought out her five-piece band, the Oakland-based Casualties of Wah, and rolled into a sizzling trio of torchy lounge numbers that could have melted the ice in a freshly stirred cocktail. Fiery versions of two new songs, "Innocence Waits" and "Why Do I Get The Feeling" warmed up the stunned audience. Keeping the pace, she belted out "Little Billie," which tells the story of a mother's mournful dance for the death of her son ("She scratched the coffin with her shoes"). Seasoned fans have learned to expect the unexpected from Shocked, but this wonderful lounge act caught everyone by surprise.

The loud cry of Dixieland horns provided a soulful intro to "Poor Boy," and before we knew it, Michelle and her boys had dragged us out of that greasy lounge and into the cobblestone streets of her adopted hometown of New Orleans. Here in the Big Easy, she told the comical tale of an unwelcome party guest named "Wizard," then shared some words of caution with the "Clevelands," an amusing label used to identify Bourbon Street tourists.

Transitioning next to a tongue-in-cheek gospel rendition of "Lucky Dog," Michelle made it clear that the night was young and we still had a lot of ground to cover. She brought up her brother and former Uncle Tupelo sideman, Max Johnston (his acoustic trio, the Pony Stars, opened the show). Max played fiddle on her vintage hit, "Anchorage," deviating from the standard waltz to include an unusual polka break. Max stuck around to play guitar on a rousing rendition of "Come a Long Way" that was one of the evening's many highlights.

An enormous proponent of audience participation, Michelle used the spirited emotion of "If Love Was a Train" to get us to join her in an ass-shaking rendition of the Dirty Dog dance. With everyone still on their feet, she brought up Max and the Pony Stars and picked through a version of "Prodigal Daughter" that started out as a square dance, then culminated into a blazing hoe-down. Things cooled down a bit with the funky rhythm and blues of "Quality of Mercy," a delectable cut from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack.

"Look y'all. I'm not trying to impress, I'm trying to commune." With that, the band took a break as Michelle revisited the sermon she had begun earlier. With the staggering rhythm of "Graffiti Limbo" as her backdrop, her passions soared again as she bared her soul. She told how earlier that day, after the verdict was announced, she had attended the mayor's press conference, then stopped into a local police station to check the mood. She recalled a similar incident in her past, living in LA during the Rodney King trial. Her stories were dotted with lessons of death, religion, and the paradox of skin color. Throughout the song, she used words to try and describe her emotions. Then, as she rolled back her head and wailed the final verse, she let us all feel her pain.

Seeking comfort from her musical companions, she brought back the Casualties of Wah for another pair of new songs, "Peach Fuzz" and "Tabloid," then dismissed them once again for a short but powerful solo segment. Here, Michelle showcased several songs off of "Kind Hearted Woman," her most recent release on the Private Music label (www.private-music.com/pm). She started off with "Stillborn" and "Homestead," two sad, stark tales of a woman dealing with the hardships of life and death.

"VFD" was the last of only four songs Michelle played from her three Polygram releases, an era she now seems to be putting behind her. The recent release of the retrospective Mercury Poise (originally dubbed Mercury Poisoning by Michelle) marks the final chapter in Michelle's long battle to be released from her contract with Mercury/Polygram. With the support of a new label, and her first national release in four years, you can expect to hear a lot more from Michelle Shocked, possibly as soon as next spring.

"VFD" was followed by Michelle's sequel to this pyrotechnic tale of a childhood friend named "Eddie" who liked to start fires in the fields of East Texas. Wrapping up her solo set with the sad story of a mother losing a child, "A Child Like Grace" was accompanied by a moving sermon on death and the importance of life.

For the finale, Michelle brought back her wonderful band to bring us all forth from the depths of despair." Juicy Lucy" is a rocking R&B number that allows the whole band to stretch. Michelle retreated to the back of the stage where she danced in abandon while we listened to each member take a break:Carl Wheeler Jr. on keyboards, Jamie Brewer on drums, Joel Smith on bass, Richard Armstrong on Trumpet, and Michael Rinta on trombone. Wrapping up the three-hour set with the sweet sounds of the 70's, Michelle used "You Are So Good To Me" song to thank her fans, introduce her fine band, and then retreat through the club to the exit while the music played on.

Michelle Shocked stretched the boundaries of live entertainment this evening, bringing impassioned sermons about racism and death on a stage already crowded with lounge room love songs, Crescent City R&B, and bluegrass hoedowns. All said, it was an intensely satisfying affair, as this kind-hearted woman took us all from the deepest despair to the highest highs in a matter of a few small hours.

Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA, 17 Nov 1996

Tourdates.Com

Rating: 9
Name: Billy Ray Kimbell
Date: 11/17/96
Venue: Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA, USA
Email: bkimbell@macon.mindspring.com

The final night of the "Effortless Mercy, Neverending Suffering, Infinate Love, and Kinetic Grace" tour was a resounding emotional and musical epiphany. Shocked wove a hypnotic web with fluid Shaharazad dance and storytelling. She is the rare artist who is adament about telling the truth. Her songs are stories that come from life experiences. The stories are not sugarcoated by delivery. The evocative images are as real to Shocked as they are to the listener. Michelle's memory of the events still charge her adrenal gland and still break her heart. The audiance was confronted with a beatific soothsayer who does not spare the listener the pain of life nor does she deny the beauty of suffering. The music is as honest and direct as the words. The styles of music are as varied and as complex as the life that creates the tales.

The "Casualties of Wah" rock. The band is made up of trombone, trumpet, keyboards, bass, & drums. I don't have the personnel list but these professional and talented Czars of the Stage moved effortlessly from the stirring jazz/blues influenced love ballads that opened the show, into Dixieland, Texas Swing, Bluegrass, Folk, Alternative, Hayseed Minstral, and Funk that served at the ingredients for tonight's musical gumbo. The solo sessions of Shocked were the quietest and most gut wrenching moments of night. Even in pain Michelle Shocked seems too happy and in love with life to do anything but infect her audiance with the need to experience each moment of the music of their own lives and to savor every morsal of our own cacophony, be it dissonant or harmonic.

Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, 24 Nov 1996

The Irish Times, 26 November 1996

Tony Clayton-Lea

Michelle Shocked will never be the kind of woman that the music industry really, really likes - she is too independent, wilful, and uncommercial for it. She began her career in the mid-1980s as a boyish singer/songwriter who released her debut album, The Texas Campfire Tapes on a small label, unsure of how it would be received but eager to find out.

Ten years later, she has been through enough industry trials to make even the most resilient of artist retire to the woods. As a last, winning resort against her previous record company, Mercury, Michelle cited the 13th Amendment to the (American) Constitution - the abolishment of slavery - to highlight her plight. She was set free, the label possibly breathing as much a sigh of relief as she did.

Bowed but not out, Shocked started a European tour in Dublin on Sunday night, promoting a new album, Kind Hearted Woman, on a new, minor label, Private Music. If that seems like she has squared the circle, then it's only half right.

Far more self-assured on stage than she used to be - and somewhat less "boyish" than heretofore - Shocked opened the show with a boisterous blast of New Orleans brass and R&B, a loose style that doesn't suit her as much as she thinks. She was later joined on stage by Fiachna Ó Brionáin and Peter O'Toole of the soon-to-be-rejuvenated Hothouse Flowers. The guitar ante was, therefore, upped, and the pace of the show moved in a similar direction. Then came quite harrowing songs of stillbirth and family violence, and Michelle was back on steadier ground, her often skilful material wrapped in a cloak of broody guitar lines and impassioned, melodic singing.

The remainder of the show reverted to a good time stew of varying styles, only some of which were successful. But then, that's Michelle Shocked for you - always eager to experiment, and never willing to pander to the demands of an easy-listening audience.

9:30 Club, Washington DC, 1 Mar 1998

Washington Post, 3 March 1998

MICHELLE SHOCKED
by Mike Joyce

"Are you indulging me a little?" Michelle Shocked asked her audience at the 9:30 club Sunday night. Well, yes, you could say that. In fact, the crowd was clearly willing to overlook the countless false starts, missed cues, abrupt finishes and deflected requests that punctuated the sprawling show in return for a thoroughly spontaneous performance. Besides, how often do you hear a singer-songwriter with a strong affinity for Appalachian music exuberantly performing and choreographing soul classics like "Cool Jerk" and "Brick House"?

Backed by her new three-piece soul band, the Anointed Earls (a Southern corruption of "anointed oils"), Shocked spent most of her time onstage raising the crowd's spirits but not before trying to raise its awareness of what she called "environmental racism" in Louisiana. A short Greenpeace film titled "Cancer Alley" prefaced her band's performance and served as the inspiration for the title track of her new limited-edition CD, "Good News." "This used to be God's country -- Heaven on Earth, peace in the valley -- now they call it Cancer Alley," she declared in a voice at once searing and sorrowful.

For the most part, though, Shocked seem intent on having a good time, singing robustly, dancing wildly and constantly urging the crowd to do the same. The ensuing funkathon hardly suited some of her best-known tunes, but she squeezed in a laconic version of "Anchorage" and unveiled a few new songs that revealed "Good News" to be something more than the "glorified demo" she described it to be.

House of Blues, Cambridge MA, 8 Mar 1998

The Boston Globe, 10 Mar 1998

A Joyful Shocked Finds Essence Of Music
By Joan Anderman, Globe Correspondent

At a time when so-called alternative music has faded into an achingly familiar refrain of scrappy guitar changes and plaintive singing, Michelle Shocked is still happily criss-crossing the American music landscape like nobody's business, and nobody's idea of a career trajectory. This is, after all, the woman who several years ago sued her record label, Mercury, citing the 13th Amendment -- that's the one abolishing slavery. Creative control, if not corporate dollars, in hand, Shocked is rebuilding her career with a series of multinight residencies in small clubs and what she accurately describes as "an eccentric little archival recording" of new material that's being sold at the shows.

Shocked has explored the blues and R&B in the past, in and among honky-tonk, hymns, fiddle tunes, rock, and swing. Now she's diving headlong into the tradition -- and if the idea of a tall, skinny white girl wailing with a four-piece, all-black band called the Anointed Earls sounds unlikely, you have two nights left to bear witness to the depth and breadth of Shocked's talent. The group is still finding its footing, and the first few songs sounded like a rehearsal: searching for tempos, fumbling into harmony vocals, misjudging dynamics, conferring and adjusting midsong. Once the proverbial pocket was found, however, the walls came down.

Like her band, Shocked was unsure and ebullient. She continues to be a radiant, unpretentious performer who distills the essence of whatever style, or styles, she's investigating. At Sunday's sold-out show, she sang dirty soul riffs with the openheartedness of a folk singer and played fuzzed-out blues guitar like a Delta punk. "Good News," a roiling R&B groove that belies its theme of environmental disaster, was commissioned by Greenpeace, with whom Shocked is collaborating to draw attention to the health dangers posed by PVC plants near the town of Convent, La. The tune accompanied the 14-minute film "Communities in Crisis," which was shown on TV monitors at the start of the show, and Shocked grouped the evening's politically oriented songs around it: the mournful "Stillborn" from 1994's "Kind Hearted Woman" and the new song "What Can I Say," a sly, jazzy bit of funk about the demise of natural habitats.

Shocked pulled out favorites -- among them the raucous old-time rocker "Little Sister," buoyant, bittersweet "Anchorage," "VFD" (which segued into a head-spinning cover of the '70s funk treatise "Fire"), and the lilting, country-folk "Prodigal Daughter." But the rest of the set was devoted to her new material. "Little Billie" was a barn-burner, sung straight up with a chaser of grit. The band gathered center stage for "Can't Take My Joy," a luminous a capella gospel song, and explored the vibrant space between notes on the soul ballad "Forgive to Forget." A perpetually grinning Shocked preached the healing benefits of swinging your hips, and orchestrated a full-house square dance, matching all that musical mastery with -- of all things in this day and age -- irrepressible joy.

CBGB's, New York NY

The New York Times, 21 Mar 1998

Grass Roots Showing
By Jon Pareles

The latest stop in Michelle Shocked's rambles around the United States is New Orleans, and she has begun to go native. On Monday night at CBGB, she led a band steeped in funk and the blues, and she sang about Louisiana subjects from the chemical pollution around Lake Charles to the jubilant funeral of a boy shot dead in a New Orleans housing project. She has also absorbed something more: the spirit of music as a communal event, where bringing pleasure to a roomful of listeners is more important than promoting songs or CD's.

After spending the late 1980's and early 90's recording for a major label, Mercury, Ms. Shocked has gone back to the classic role of the itinerant grass-roots musician. Her current album, "Good News" (Mood Swing), is available only at her shows, and it's packaged in one folded sheet of paper.

Through her career, she has been a student of genres, from folk-rock to jump-blues to Appalachian tunes; she's content to add her own words to old forms. She has taken to blues and funk with typical enthusiasm. She yowls and whoops, grinning with delight; she sends the band on long excursions with solos, call-and-response and audience-participation rump-shaking. Her band also recharges her older material, from the folk-rock of "Anchorage" to the hoedown of "Prodigal Daughter (Cotton Eyed Joe)." She even induced the CBGB audience to swing their partners.

Amid the good-time grooves, Ms. Shocked sang about notions no less serious than love, death, truth and faith: a lusty rendezvous, memories of a daughter who died, a denunciation of tabloid news, an argument with anti-homosexual preachings. There's a gospel streak in Ms. Shocked's music; her album package unfolds to the shape of a cross, and onstage she said, "I've been going to church a lot." Her encore, sung in a cappella harmony with her band, summed up her convictions, proclaiming, "Can't Take My Joy."

CBGB originally stood for Country Bluegrass Blues, and with Ms. Shocked in town, even the punk club found its roots.

The Mint, Los Angeles CA, 25 Mar 1998

Reuters/Variety, 30 March 1998

Monday March 30 8:16 AM EST

REVIEW/PERFORMANCE: Michelle Shocked Electrifies

Michelle Shocked (Mint; 170 capacity; $15)

By Todd Everett

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Although record label executives seem daunted by her chameleonic musical presentations, Michelle Shocked has no trouble connecting with live audiences as she moves from acoustic folk, big-band "swing," Appalachian string band music to whatever else might strike her as interesting. The March 24-27 stand was the last of a series of "residencies" at East and West Coast clubs.

For the sake of comparison, her last local appearance was more than a year ago at the much larger El Rey; in the time between, she released an album on Private Music and the label switched owners, leaving her -- and the company's former staff -- standing on the corner, watching the traffic. She's selling her current, self-produced album at the gigs.

The singer-songwriter's current love seems to be rhythm and blues, of the kind identified with Memphis and her current home, New Orleans, with occasional dashes of pure gospel, such as the encore "Joy, Joy, Joy," on which Shocked and the entire band sang, a cappella.

The interesting aspect of this is that, while she writes new songs for each incarnation, much of her vintage material is strong enough to transmute interestingly -- originals including the wistful "Anchorage" hold up over a subtly electric backing to a full-blown, Canned Heat-styled version of "When I Grow Up (I Want to Be an Old Woman)" and a driving, loping "If Love Was a Train," all originally recorded acoustically.

During the course of her 2-1/2-hour set, Shocked at various points had the audience singing along, couples waltzing, bartenders dancing, and members of the crowd shouting "Rutabaga!" (must be some kind of folk thing).

The club's acoustics and Shocked's own relatively quiet speaking voice made her introductions largely inaudible at the back of the room, but those in front seemed to be enjoying what they were hearing.

Promoted inhouse. Band: Jubu Smith, Cassandra O'Neal, Jamie Brewer, Cedric Anderson. With: Texicali Horns (2). Opened March 24, 1998; reviewed March 25, 1998; closed March 27.

Reuters/Variety ^REUTERS@

"Not In Our Name" - Dead Man Walking: The Concert, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA, 29 Mar 1998

MSNBC, 29 March 1998

THE MESSAGE LIVES IN THE MUSIC

‘Dead Man Walking’ concert surprises, impresses
By David Fenigsohn

LOS ANGELES, March 29 — It is not often that Eddie Vedder is upstaged during the course of a concert. And it is a rare thing for such talents as Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Ani DiFranco to perform without making the evening their own. Then again, Tom Waits is usually not on the bill.

Waits’ set was the highlight of “Not in Our Name — Dead Man Walking: The Concert,” a three-hour musical event Sunday night at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles that brought together one of the strongest lineups of the past several years. The artists had gathered at the request of actor Tim Robbins to perform a benefit for Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, and Hope House, a pair of organizations dedicated to abolishing the death penalty and preventing crime before it occurs.

The powerful message of the evening was never far from mind. Artists strove to raise awareness of the issues surrounding capital punishment as well as provide great musical entertainment.

Kicking things off was Steve Earle, who opened with the poignant and appropriate “Billy Austin,” a ballad sung from a death-row inmate’s point of view. His four-song set was highlighted by “Ellis Unit One,” Earle’s contribution to the soundtrack of the film version of “Dead Man Walking,” directed by Robbins. Earle, an ex-convict and recovered drug addict, pointed out from the stage that he personally “has had a lot of second chances.” His songs detailing the criminal justice system are rich in detail and accuracy and made all the more effective by his weathered singing voice.

Next up was Michelle Shocked. Shocked began her career as an introspective folk singer, but has morphed into a smokin’ blues act. Mixing spoken word segments with some hot guitar licks from her crack back-up band, her set was short yet energetic.

Completing the first portion of the evening was Lyle Lovett, one of country music’s best live acts. Lovett took the stage singing “Promises,” a lovely ballad also from the “Dead Man Walking” soundtrack. Dressed head-to-toe in black, playing acoustic guitar and accompanied by a cellist, Lovett delivered definitive versions of “L.A. County” and the title track to his most recent album, “Road to Ensenada.” The most electrifying moment of the first set was when Lovett invited Earle to duet on a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Serving as the master of ceremonies was Robbins, who appeared genuinely excited to be sharing the stage with musicians whom he had selected. In between acts, Robbins read from the “Dead Man Walking” book, and, in the evening’s only low point, cracked a few failed jokes.

The second set opened with what most of the audience had been waiting for — the first concert appearance by Tom Waits in years. Waits, considered by many to be a living legend, has been in semiretirement for most of the past decade. He appears occasionally in acting roles, but rarely onstage.

Sporting a sharp-looking coat and tie and appearing energetic and lively, Waits gave a command performance. Backed by a versatile four-piece band, he scat, spat and even sang in his trademark whiskey-soaked voice. Live, Waits does more than just deliver his densely lyrical semi-jazz compositions. He emotes his songs, contorting himself while he sings, biting off and bellowing individual lines, whispering or moaning others.

Highlights of his 30-minute, 8-song set included “Jesus Gonna Be Here,” during which Waits sang a few of his lyrics through a large red megaphone and pumped his fist during the closing beats. But as energetic as he was during his up-tempo guitar-driven numbers, Waits is a piano man by trade. He offered a majestic reading of piano ballads “The Fall of Troy” and “A Little Rain,” proving himself as talented a live musician as he is a songwriter. The evening’s first standing ovation brought him back for a one-song encore, for which he selected “Yesterday is Here” rather than any of his better-known material.

DiFranco drew the unenviable task of following Waits, but she was up to the challenge. Clad in elevator shoes and black leather pants, DiFranco performed several songs off of her album “Little Plastic Castle,” including the melodic “As Is” and a somewhat-abbreviated version of “Fuel.” DiFranco radiates a powerful stage presence. She plays her guitar as though it were a percussion instrument, slamming her taped-up fingers on the strings to form her chords. But she is also capable of captivating a crowd with just her voice, as was clear when she recited a poem to a rapt audience during her set.

The evening’s final act: Eddie Vedder. In sharp contrast to his performances with Pearl Jam, Vedder sat cross-legged on a series of pillows for the length of his set. He opened with a solo-acoustic cover of the Cat Steven’s song “Trouble,” before launching into the concert’s only Pearl Jam song, “Dead Man Walking,” which did not appear on the soundtrack to the film.

With that, Vedder cried out “bring out the band” and was joined by Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, David Robbins (Tim’s brother) on guitar, and Pakistani musicians Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and Dildar Hussain. Vedder’s contribution to the “Dead Man Walking” soundtrack had been a pair of duets with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, Rahat’s uncle. While Rahat is not yet at the same level of talent that his uncle was, he and Vedder managed to recreate a similar magic while dueting on “The Long Road” and “The Face of Love.” Vedder took a secondary role in these songs, allowing Rahat’s soaring voice to dominate the eastern-flavored tracks.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a benefit concert without an all-star finale. It was only appropriate that Waits take center stage for the last song of the evening. He sat at his piano and banged out a spirited, if rough, version of “Innocent When You Dream” with backing vocals from Earle, DiFranco and both Robbins brothers. After the first verse, Lovett reappeared with surprise guest Bonnie Raitt, who turned in a sweet slide-guitar solo as her contribution to the evening.

Earlier, Robbins had introduced Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking” and a leading advocate for abolishing the death penalty. In her comments to the audience, Prejean called the concert “a wonderful healing beam of light.” And that is as good a description as any of this tremendously successful event.

"Not In Our Name" - Dead Man Walking: The Concert, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA, 29 Mar 1998

E! Online, 30 March 1998

"Dead Man" Live: Movie Spawns Charity Concert

by Marcus Errico
March 30, 1998, 2:45 p.m. PT

We've seen the movie. We've heard the soundtrack. Now we have the concert.

Tim Robbins brought together a bunch of his high-powered musical pals for "Not in Our Name, Dead Man Walking" -- a one-off concert Sunday night at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium benefiting anti-death penalty groups.

Along for the ride were many alumni of the acclaimed Dead Man album: Eddie Vedder, Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett and Michelle Shocked. Also appearing was indie dynamo Ani DiFranco. ("The only reason Ani wasn't on the original album," said Robbins backstage, "was because I was too lame. I got hip to her too late.")

Earle got things going with a reflective acoustic performance that included his outstanding "Ellis Unit One" from the soundtrack. Shocked and her band followed, plugging in for a bluesy, crowd-pleasing set topped by an a cappella rendition of the gospel standard, "Joy, Joy, Joy."

Acoustic guitar-wielding Lovett closed the first act with a countrified performance, including "Promises" (his Dead Man offering) and "Lungs," a rollicking duet with Earle dedicated to late Texas folkmeister Townes Van Zandt.

But the show really kicked in after intermission when the reclusive Waits took the stage -- his first concert appearance in two years.

Welcome back, Tommy boy. Waits lumbered around the stage, his growl intact, barking his Dead Man soundtrack songs "Walk Away" and "The Fall of Troy," as well as whiskey-and-tobacco-soaked classics, like "Goin' Out West" and "Jesus Gonna Be Here" -- several times crooning through his trademark megaphone.

Waits' raucous seven-song set was twice as long as the other performers. After a two-minute standing ovation he reappeared and encored with "Yesterday Is Here."

DiFranco came next, singing four numbers, including her anti-death penalty song "Crime for Crime" and a moving "As Is." She gave way to Vedder, who soloed on Cat Stevens' "Trouble" and his own "Dead Man Walking" (a song that didn't make the album cut).

Then the finale: a Vedder-led ensemble that included Pearl Jam pal Jeff Ament, Doors drummer John Densmore, tabla-master Dildar Hussain and Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, nephew of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose hypnotic chants were a highlight of the film's soundtrack. They launched into a rousing rendition of two Dead Man songs, "The Long Road" (which Eddie dedicated to Nusrat) and "The Face of Love."

Waits closed the concert by leading all the evening's performers through "Innocent When You Dream" with a surprise cameo by Bonnie Raitt on lead guitar.

"I'll tell you what. This is opening up whole new world's for me," an overjoyed Sister Helen Prejean (author of the book on which the movie was based, and the model for Susan Sarandon's Oscar-winning role) said of the benefit. "Music is such a connecting, healing thing."

Robbins put it a bit differently. "Musicians," he said, "are much cooler than the rest of us."

Aladdin Theatre, Portland OR, 20 Feb 1999

To: "Texas Campfire" <texascampfire@onelist.com>
Subject: [texascampfire] Michelle Shocked at the Aladdin
From: Mitchell J Laurren-Ring <mick@xxxxxxxx.xxx>
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 19:05:42 -0800

Last night Tina and I went to see Michelle Shocked play at the old Aladdin Theatre. We arrived at the Aladdin around 19:00 and the show was set to start at 20:00. As we drove by looking for a parking spot, I noted that there wasn't a line of people extending around the block like when I saw Jello Biafra there last year. The doors were open and only a few people milled around under the marquee outside. Smokers and meeters, no doubt.

At the door we were asked to show the contents of our bags. Signs warned that all recording devices were banned for the performance. I opened my bag and showed the pair of binoculars on top and somehow forgot to mention the digital camera that lay underneath. As it turned out I never snapped any pictures anyway since my digital camera doesn't work well without a flash.

Once inside, we wandered inside to get an overview of the seating situation. The original plan was for me to check out the floor section and Tina to scout the balcony. We both had our cell phones and we could call each other and report our results. All that was abandoned when we saw that relatively few people had arrived and there were still prime seats remaining on the floor. We ended up about ten rows back from the stage in the center section near the right aisle.

While we waited we talked and watched people. We noted there were an inordinate number of lesbians there and Tina wondered why Michelle had such a big lesbian following. There were quite a few people reading books to spend the time. Old blues and soul music played on the PA as Bart Bull, Michelle's husband, scurried about the stage preparing for the performance.

The onstage setup was simple. A single microphone stood front and center. A pair of electric guitars rested in their stands directly behind the microphone where one would normally find the drums. One guitar was the white guitar that appears on the cover of Kind Hearted Woman. To the left of the guitars was an old Rhodes electric organ with a small synthesizer stacked on top. To the right was a guitar amp with a bottle of water waiting to refresh.

At a couple minutes before eight, a woman from KINK 102 that I presumed to be a DJ came out to thank us and the promoters. She also admonished us that the live performance is so special that capturing it is almost impossible ‹ so don't even try. She even went on to suggest that if anybody had a video camera, tape recorder or camera that now would be a really good time to take it back to the car. People giggled nervously. I don't know if that is standard operating procedure at the Aladdin, but when I was there to see Jello Biafra, there were no such warnings. Of course, Jello didn't have some goofball DJ introducing him, either.

After the introduction Michelle came out by herself dressed in a silver Italian suit (she mentioned it was Italian later) and wearing silverish purple tresses. It was cut in a kind of Dorothy Hamill bob that looked pretty good on her. Just the same it was a little weird looking given the simplicity and shortness of her hair in the past. Later I noticed that she wore white cowboy boots.

She thanked us for the applause and quickly retrieved the other guitar which I think was sort of off­white or light yellow with white trim. She talked for a little bit about being rusty and hoping that we can forgive her that. She said something about getting the early ones over with early and launched into "Anchorage". She seemed a little unsure of herself as she played arpeggios lightly on the electric guitar, but she sang strongly and with emotion. When she got to the part where Leroy says, "Keep on rockin'", she really wails it and remarks that "some things get better with age."

Next came "Anchorage" featuring some mouthed monkey noises after "We'll raise them on tiger's milk and green bananas"followed by "Come A Long Way', one of my favorite songs. Unfortunately, I don't think it translates well to a solo song and I really felt the lack of a band during certain parts like "So I shimmied up Wilshire like a little silkworm". I did, however, smile when she sang of "the sweet green icing of MacArthur Park". Because of semi­recent discussions of this song on the Texas Campfire mailing list, I half expected to hear some more explanation of the song, which she is wont to do during many of her songs. However, on this night the only explanation would come during the next song.

"Graffiti Limbo" is undoubtedly a staple in Shocked's show and she played it with great feeling and conviction on this night. When the bridge came where she explains what the song is about, she mentioned that she wrote the song in '83 (or was it '82?) which I had not known before. As has been the case on live recordings that I'd previously heard, she gave further details about the Michael Stewart case that did not make it on to the record and explained how justice really is blind.

At some point during these opening songs, Michelle brought out a huge wad of beads to "show us where we've come from." She told us about people humiliating themselves and begging to get beads thrown to them and then demonstrated her humiliating begging technique. While she was telling us she lofted several strands into the audience much to everyone's delight. After only a few strands, she recruited someone sitting in the front row to do the tossing while she told us about Mardi Gras. The volunteer was considerably less adept at the task and had a tendency to throw line drives rather than fly balls. In fact, the first strand that he threw caused many people in the audience to duck and it ended up whizzing right past Tina's head.

While this guy pitched beads into the audience, Michelle told us a story about the Zulu Warriors and where they originated and what they were about. She sort of danced around the subject quite a bit, but when she revisited it later that night, it became clear that she was quite upset about the situation. Evidently a friend of hers was wearing some Zulu Warrior beads at Mardi Gras and somebody walked up to him and tore them off his neck saying, "You are no Zulu Warrior." Her friend is white and the tearor was black. She seemed unsure of how to say it delicately, but the message was, "You shouldn't have to be black to be a Zulu Warrior. You are a Zulu Warrior in your heart."She ended the schtick (her description) by tossing some Zulu Warrior beads into the audience followed by the remainder of the other beads all at once.

After introducing a keyboard player named Sondra, she did a song about having the blues. It was not one I had heard before, but not introduced as "new" so I assume it's on one of the self­released albums. After that she said it was time to try some newer songs and launched into a trio of three songs that most in the audience had never heard. The first was called "I Know What You Need" and, as it's title might imply, was sort of an empathetic love song. "Forgive To Forget" from her self­produced, no­label album Good News, proclaimed the virtues of letting go and not holding on to the past. During this song she encouraged the crowd to sing along with the chorus, but because nobody really knew the song, the singing was quiet and reserved.

"Go In Peace, So In Love" was also beautiful and quiet and spoke of the virtue of a peaceful life, a theme that seems to be re­occurring for Michelle in the newer material. Much like "Come A Long Way" and "Anchorage", it's one of those songs that makes you smile at the simple but beautiful moments that life brings. Incidentally, the "so" in the title is synonymous with "therefore" and not "very", a semantic distinction that I think is important.

Throughout the night Michelle kept a steady patter going in between songs. Unfortunately, I did not keep notes on that aspect (Tina kept saying "It's so bright!" when I would turn on my Newton to write down the last two songs), so I can only insert conversations approximately where I remember them occurring. One such conversation occurred early into the performance. At first I didn't know what she was talking about because, once again, she was kind of skating around what she wanted to say which I believe is this: she appreciates and is thankful for the love that she and her audience can share during a performance but she's afraid "they" (i.e. outsiders) will not understand it and will call it a cult. The discussion went further into the merits of love, etc. but that was the gist of it, I think.

The next song she played, "Fever Breaks", benefited greatly from the sparse instrumentation of the night. She introduced the following song by telling us that she had written it once and thought it to be too chipper so she rewrote it. "No Wonder", from the aforementioned Good News album, proved to be as she described especially since she sang the lyrics so they sounded even more syruppy.

It's no wonder the sun
Waits outside your window
At the break of day
As if to say
Come out to play
Let's have some fun

After singing that first verse, she sorta cracked a smile and said, "I told you so." After she finished "No Wonder" she said she'd play it the other way. "Evacuation Route" is a sad song about a mom taking her children and leaving her husband told from one of the children's perspective. Very compelling. A final note about this song is that I found the melody to be very reminiscent of "No Sign of Rain" from Kind Hearted Woman.

The next song proved to be one of the highlights of the evening but first Michelle told us about a little town in Mexico that her and her husband, Bart, like to visit occasionally. She told us of how they went there to celebrate New Year's Eve but found out that everybody in Mexico celebrates the New Year at home with their family and friends. So they went to a bar to get snockered but everyone left before midnight and they were there by themselves by 11:00 so they just went home and went to bed.

The song was called "La Cantina El Gato Negro", which translates to the Black Cat Cantina but it doesn't sound as good in English. Anyway, she would sing the chorus with a Spanish flurry and sort of a flamenco dancer pose. It was fun and funny. I look forward to an album with this song. Definitely a change of style for her.

At one point during the evening she told us about how Michael Jordan adapted to his loss of "air" as he got older by improving other parts of his game which she seemed to draw inspiration from. As if to demonstrate her own adaptibility, later she told us that she was teaching herself to play lead guitar. "It's not that hard, it turns out." She demonstrated her new­found ability during an instrumental break in "Fog Town" with an extended jam that morphed into what I believe was a 70s song about the Monkey & the Weasel, after an extended jam on that song, she returned to play the final verse and chorus for "Fog Town".

All nightshe kept joking about the large Mag Light that she had sitting next to her microphone stand. Allegedly it is there to remind her to "lighten up." At this particular moment she picked it up and started goofing around with shining it on her face. She asked to have the stagelights dimmed so that the flash light was the only light on stage. She held the flashlight under her chin like you do when you're telling scary stories around the campfire and read a poem called "The Seed Market." She said she did not write it while confiding that she was as talented as Jewel in that aspect. The poem was serious but the moment was zany. Tina thought the whole thing to be goofy and boring. I liked it.

After it was done she said that she liked doing covers and why don't we do another cover? "The L & M Don't Stop Here Anymore" was another song that benefitted greatly from the sparse arrangement although I must admit that I kept hearing the slide guitar part in my head. Probably during this song a female fan ran up the aisle and left a postcard on the stage. Michelle directed the bead gentleman from earlier to throw it into the audience and then remarked that if it was a postcard that the fan should find her address and mail it to her ‹ she was kind of busy right now.

I found the exchange interesting and somewhat cold. It reminded me of when I had seen her several years later at an in­store. As she was walking off the stage to go sign autographs, I handed her an envelope with a letter inside that I had written. Several minutes later a gentleman approached me and politely informed me that Michelle was averse to such things having been the recipient of subpoenas before. At the time I bought it but now I'm not so sure.

Eventually all things must come to an end and so it was with the purple wig that Michelle wore. She tore it off while remarking how ridiculous it was and the suit jacket followed shortly after along with some comments about how nice of a suit it really was. Feeling unrestrained she launched into a spirited rendition of "If Love Was A Train", a song that I've always considered one of the dirtiest and sly songs I know. After it was done Michelle announced that she thought it would be better if she quit while she was ahead, took a bow with Sondra and headed offstage. The crowd stood and applauded for several minutes screaming their approval and yelling for an encore.

When Michelle came back out and re­donned her guitar, people began yelling out requests. At the point when the crowd was quiet and Michelle was not talking yet, I yelled out "Prodigal Daughter" as loud as I could. Several other people yelled, "Yeah! Prodigal Daughter!" She said that those requests sounded like a good idea and proceeded to play the opening for "Prodigal Daughter" somewhat haltingly. She sang the first verse and commented that it did not sound right. She retrieved a capo from the top of her amplifier and attached it at about the third fret. She played a few chords and picked it up at the second verse. The whole song was done very offhand and was clearly not one she had played for awhile. Nevertheless the audience joined in to sing the "Cotton­Eyed Joe" chorus several times. It felt very communal and intimate.

That feeling lingered for one more song as we sang with her on the chorus to "The Secret To A Long Life". At the end of the song, she did a call and response thing with the chorus and then asked us to wave our hands in the air when we sang the "Ohhhhhhh" part. We did and she thanked us right before declaring "It's a cult!"

Next she told us that she was going to play one that she was working with "last night". It was slow and quiet and I wrote down the title as "Just The Way Things Go". It was a Zen moment as the entire crowd sat in rapt attention. After it was over she again said she had better quit while she was ahead. She retrieved Sondra from backstage and they bowed again and left. The house lights came up a few seconds later.

On the way home we both raved about the night's performance. At one point I remarked how lucky I felt to be able to see such a high quality artist at such a small venue (the Aladdin seats well under 1000). Very lucky.

House of Blues, Cambridge MA, 27 Dec 1999

Boston Globe, 29 December 1999

Shocked gives fans a lengthy workout
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff

CAMBRIDGE - One wild ride. That sums up Michelle Shocked's astonishing -- and totally exhausting -- roller-coaster show that lasted three hours and 10 minutes on Monday, the first of two sold-out nights at the House of Blues. It was a marathon, even by Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen standards, but made all the more demanding because she focused entirely on new material. That may be a first for such a long concert, at least in the pop field.

As with any Shocked endeavor (and she's not called a chameleon by chance), it was fascinating to watch her succeed and fascinating to watch her fail. She did both on Monday, drawing from 30 songs that she and friend/collaborator Fiachna O'Braonain of Hothouse Flowers wrote in the last month. That averages a song a day -- an impossible rate that only a young Bob Dylan was able to pull off with sustained inspiration.

Shocked wrote so quickly because she was responding to a challenge to do a New Year's Eve show at New York's Bottom Line -- but only, she said, if she could play new songs. These House of Blues shows are warm-ups for Friday night's gig. The songs revealed some extreme highs and lows musically, but also hinted that Shocked has the core of a great album if she can pare the songs down to a workable number.

The tunes were essentially played chronologically and divided into what Shocked called "three separate arcs." One was "the singer-songwriter tip," the second to show off "the musicality" of her new five-piece band the Philosopher Kings (keyboardist Sean Dancy and trumpeter/bassist Rich Armstrong stepped forward to sing), and the third to illustrate her "Afrocentric influences," meaning blues, gospel, and funk. The last arc was the most enjoyable, as Shocked cut loose on the danceable "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper," the three-part funk song "Raise the Praise," and "Mama Get Yer Ya-Ya's Off."

Shocked frequently thanked the fans for their patience (though half had left by show's end) and admitted, "I'm not going to lie to you and pretend that we know what we're doing." It was the band's first gig and that came across, but so did a winning, if unwieldy, display of unfettered versatility and open-hearted lyric writing.

The highs included the reggae song "Match Burned Twice" (about reviving an old love flame), a coffeehouse sing-along "A Joy That's Shared," the many-worded, Graham Parker-like "Survival of the Prettiest" (recalling her rough high school years where she was "the virgin who acted strange"), and the Stax-Volt-style love ballad "Where Did We Go Wrong." These were surrounded by the occasional sappy number for which Shocked wrote some obviously glib and immediate lyrics that needed tightening up. But give her a thumbs-up for the effort -- and let's hope she chooses the best for an album.

House of Blues, Cambridge MA, 27 Dec 1999

The Boston Herald, 29 Dec 1999

Fans Shocked By Singer's Odd Show
By Daniel Gewertz

Michelle Shocked always has come off as a bona fide eccentric. But the show she tested out at the House of Blues this week may be her oddest maneuver yet.

Shocked's entire three-hour, 30-song show was written during the past month, approximately one song per day. The show often resembled a public rehearsal, with Shocked sometimes counting off intervals for the band and finessing arrangements at the last second. She often referred to written lyrics; a friend held up music sheets when her hands were busy.

Shocked was not pressured by some outside force to stage an all-new show or produce a CD by a certain deadline. She wrote these songs specifically for two gigs here and three concerts at New York's Bottom Line.

Perhaps she did it to break out of her creative doldrums. But considering Shocked's love of fable and tall-tale in song, it also seemed as if the singer was creating a myth of her own: An artist so inventive and wild she created a whole show in a month.

Shocked always has been glorious at appropriating different genres and using them in deep, soulful ways. On Monday, the opinionated Shocked gave advice to others: "All musicians who stay in one genre sell themselves short."

This writer saw a bit more than half of the three-hour show. The loose affair was both brave and self-indulgent. A few songs showed Shocked at her best, including the gospel-based "If Not Here Than Where?" The song's great chorus became a highly successful sing-along: "A burden shared is all but half the trouble-A joy shared is joy made double." Shocked still has a wonderful way of reaching the heart of the matter.

There also was a mariachi-style nonsense song made up of Spanish lines from a tourist phrase book. There was a half-spoken childlike fable with doo-wop chorus that began "Did I ever tell you of the time I was changed into a rabbit by the midnight owl?" There was hard rock, pop, gospel, a few songs by guitarist Fiachna O'Braonain of Hothouse Flowers, and more than a few aimless ballads and unfinished songs.

The House of Blues was filled with fans who seemed happy to be part of the in-crowd, able to see art in the making.

After three gigs in New York, the group will disband for a while. An album culled from this material might surface next year.

The Bottom Line, New York NY, 30 Dec 1999

The New York Times, 3 January 2000

Eclecticism In a Family Affair
By Jon Pareles

Michelle Shocked decided to write 30 new songs, enough music for two full sets, when she was booked in late November for three nights at the Bottom Line. Working with the guitarist Fiachna O'Braonain (of the Hothouse Flowers), she made her deadline for her first set on Thursday night, when she introduced more than a dozen songs in nearly as many styles.

Ms. Shocked, who still calls herself a folk singer, used to make a defiant show of eclecticism. Now, she and her fans jovially assume it.

She sang blues, reggae, norteno, punk, gospel and folk-rock songs with her new band, the Philosopher Kings; she even rapped a few verses. In a voice that could be wry, genial or fervent, she sang reminiscences and observations, biblical homilies and a promise to "get your ya-ya's off." For her they were all musical kin at a big family reunion.

The set let fans hear a songwriter at work, trying out material to be culled and refined later. Ms. Shocked's month of songwriting yielded a handful of songs that are already worth saving. In "Scared Little Rabbit on the Flat-Tire Road," she narrated a droll, magical tall tale (fit for illustration as a children's book) over a chugging Memphis soul riff. "If Not Here Then Where" was a wanderer's love song, quiet and folksy, while "Moaning Dove," about perching on a bar stool looking for love, harked back to Appalachian dulcimer tunes.

She also had hybrids, like an instrumental set of Celtic pennywhistle tunes (played by Mr. O'Braonain) atop a John Lee Hooker-style boogie. And "Picoesque" reached for Los Angeles local color by mixing the folk-rock of the Byrds with the East Los Angeles bounce of a Mexican-style accordion. Other songs, like a punky high school chronicle, "Survival of the Prettiest," called for some editing.

But Ms. Shocked, who fought a bitter legal battle in the mid-1990's to end a recording contract with Mercury Records, doesn't fret over whether a song is suitable for recorded permanence. Like an old fashioned troubadour, she writes for the moment with the audience, not for the ages.

Many of the songs in her early set were amiable genre pieces, like a funk tune about the pleasure of running to a parked car to find "Time on the Meter," with few goals beyond making feet tap.

Ms. Shocked was most ebullient when the songs moved toward gospel. Singing words from the 23rd Psalm, her voice rose over churchy chords from her keyboardist, Sean Dancy.

And in a song with the refrain "That's so amazing," she merged folk-rock and gospel, seeing the orbits of Moon and Sun as a perpetual revolution that "transforms all creation for all time." As both her arms and her voice moved skyward, Ms. Shocked was at her best: creating a joyful moment with a durable song.

House Of Blues, New Orleans LA, 6 Feb 2000

To: texascampfire@onelist.com
Subject: [texascampfire] James Andrews with Michelle as a guest @ the House of Blues, dontcha know
From: "ominous spiritous" <jamonster@xxxxxxx.xxx>
Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2000 22:25:00 PST

HEY!!!

I just got back from the House of Blues show and let me tell ya man, it was cool.

The show was a benefit for John Sinclair, whose house burned down. I got there just before the Treme Brass band.

The House of Blues venue is COOL. For an event like this it was roomy enough yet still pretty full. This city may be filthy, corrupt, and the roads are so bad that driving can give you kidney damage...but they do know how to put together a show.
The whole thing was thrown together at very short notice.

Snooks Eaglin played after the Treme Brass Band. Snooks is an older gentleman with a LOT of charisma who plays the guitar more like a bass. He's probably in his mid sixties and blind. He's cool and has a strong following here. Snooks' set was only four songs long but it lasted about 40 minutes or so. He did a cover of James Andrews 'New Love Thang' which James came out and played trumpet for.
Snooks works a crowd with a kind of presense that makes you feel like you're performing for him.

After Snooks, John Sinclair came out and thanked everyone for coming and read a poem called 'Spiritual' about the medium of Jazz and Blues.

The whole event flowed so that there was always something happening on stage. The crowd thined a bit after Snooks played, but then filled again just before James Andrews came on.
The crowd itself was divided by the balcony and the floor.
The floor crowd was mostly college kids and the balcony looked to be mainly the middle-aged crowd. I only saw two black folks who weren't working in the audience...which is kind of how it goes in this city.
It also kind of shows who the listeners of the blues and jazz stations are in this city. (Most radio in New Orleans is 'oldies' or country. There is one 'alternative' station, a pop station, and an 'oldies' R&B station. for a music town it's pretty disappointing.)

At any rate, James came out with a fairly large band featuring Trombone Shortie ( a fifteen year old kid who kick ass on the trombone and isn't half bad at drums either) and Michelle Shocked.
Michelle was touted as the Featured Celebrity guest, but was pretty humble. As James began his set, which only featured one song but ran a good 20-25 minutes long, Michelle stood towards the back and played tamborine and danced. She really looks like she hasn't aged at all. Her hair is still at mid-length.
James' new cd won't be out until Mardi Gras-about three weeks away- and it was performed by he, Michelle, and Trombone Shortie.
During the song MS played guitar, sang back-up vocals(but she was pretty much drowned out but James and the brass), danced, and took a piggy back ride on James.
MS did perform a funky little guitar solo during the set. But for the most part she hung out and played back-up. James tried to feature her by pointing and metioning her a lot, but she was very proffessional about her appearance as he was the headliner.

The crowd was REALLY into the show. It was cool.
After they all left the stage James and the rest of the band led a short procession aroung the right half (facing the stage) of the bar. Michelle was not in the procession.

After that the place really emptied out. between ten and twenty percant of the crowd left.
I hung around... it was still pretty full, and waited for the Wild Magnolias ro come out but after a ten minute wait while the rest of the band and a couple guests tried to get the singer out I left.

It was unusually quiet in the quarter tonight, even for a Sunday night.

At any rate James knows how to really get a crowd going. Michelle was cool and looked like she was having a blast.

That's it from me.
Thanks for listening!
Take Care!!
jb

Rosebud, Pittsburgh PA, 4 Apr 2000

Wall Of Sound, 5 April 2000

Michelle Shocked's Unique Performance

PITTSBURGH -- Not many musicians would try to write 30 songs in 30 days, much less decide to perform all 30 in a three-hour-long set. Heck, most musicians won't even consider playing three-hour sets, regardless of the song count. But to then book yourself as the opening act -- and to invite an indeterminate number of perfect strangers to be your backing band? That might be regarded as sheer lunacy.

But Michelle Shocked has never been one to care what anyone thinks about her creative notions. She's based her career on defying convention, making each album stylistically different and managing to escape a major-label contract with complete ownership of all her work, another precedent-setting achievement. So Shocked's idea to recruit untested musicians to help open her show at the Rosebud Tuesday didn't seem so illogical to those familiar with her history.

Local radio station WYEP-FM extended her invitation to the masses; anyone who knew her work and could play an instrument was welcome to show up. No auditioning was involved.

A dozen performers arrived, jamming together while waiting for Shocked to finish sound-checking with her actual band, the Mood Swingers. The new recruits included a flutist, a fiddler, and a mandolin player, along with several guitarists. A few were strong vocalists, most were above-average players, but all were dedicated fans. The fact that they still had to buy tickets to the show presumably prevented a flock of tone-deaf kazoo-bearers from showing up.

After Shocked appeared and had them run through a few songs, she announced, "Oh man, I'm impressed. Very impressed.

"I got a great band," she crowed to the sold-out crowd of 450 as the menagerie trooped onstage. "Y'all are in for a treat."

The group delivered credible versions of "When I Grow Up," "Come a Long Way," and "Anchorage," as well as a sampling of Shocked's other best-known compositions, complete with solos and accomplished harmonies from newbies Jenifer Baker and Haylee Heinsberg. Each time a local performer soloed, the audience cheered loudly. Grinning widely, Shocked wrapped it up with a sing-along on "Strawberry Jam."

Beaming as she stepped off the stage, flutist-vocalist Heinsberg announced, "It was probably one of the biggest dreams of my life to get up onstage with [Shocked] and do 'Come a Long Way.'"

Though Pittsburgh was the first place Shocked has tried the experiment, she hopes to give it a go on a few other dates. As for those 30 songs in three hours, she pulled that off, too, without a clunker in the bunch. -- Lynne Margolis

Rosebud, Pittsburgh PA, 4 Apr 2000

To: <kindheartedwoman@egroups.com>
Subject: [kindheartedwoman] Pittsburgh show
From: "Rob \"Gumby\" Hillard" <hillard@xxxxxx.xxx>
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 02:12:55 -0400

Picking up where Tunaboy left off, the show here in Pittsburgh was amazing in a way that most shows would never dare to be. My attention span for music is short, because there is so much good stuff happening musically that it's hard to dwell on anything but the very best. But Michelle reinforced by belief that she is truly one of the great American songwriters of my lifetime, while also confirming that she plans to continue wandering her eccentric path of mainstream rejection (i.e., this just ain't designed for the casual listener, and that's precisely the point).

The show opened just before 8pm with a 30 minute set that featured "Michelle & Her Pittsburgh Band," which was a good-looking bunch of 10 solid musicians, including a few vocalists who really seemed to know her material (in fact, one of these singers was my friend Haley, whose husband Todd also played guitar. Their own group - the Wolf Creek Wailers - is one of the only bands I've ever seen that actually covers Michelle Shocked tunes.). Michelle led em at an easy pace through five old nuggets - When I Grow Up, Anchorage, Fogtown (with solos all around), Come a Long Way, and Strawberry Jam (even more solos). It was loose, like a campfire jam, but it was fun to listen to and great to watch the band members having the time of their lives...

A short break later, Michelle was back with her Mood Swingers - Rich Armstrong (who played in her Fall 96 lounge-funk band Casualties of Wah) on trumpet, tambourine, and vocals; Peter Buck (not, not *that* one) on drums; Sean Dancy ("plucked from a church in Southcentral L.A.") on keyboards and rhythm guitar, and, of course, her collaborator and man-most-in-need-of-a-fashion-makeover Fiachna O'Braonain on mostly guitar and falsetto vocals. Bart Bull sat in on accordian for a few tunes (denoted with a *). He looked anxious at moments before the band went on, but much more grounded that the "madman" who reportedly stomped out the Texas Campfire a week or so back (For the record, his hair is sorta spiky and straight. He looked to be a more relaxed and cleaned up than the last few times I've seen him.).

[BTW: Michelle's appearance hasn't changed a bit in the 3.5 yrs since I last saw her. Still shaped like a beanpole, her straight hair about shoulder length, and still dressing in whatever suits her fancy that day. Tuesday, this was a black cotton t-shirt of sorts with an aztec pattern on the front and gold paisley sleeves, tight black pin-stripe slacks, and red platform sneakers.]

Here's the setlist, as best I could derive:

Michelle Shocked & the Mood Swingers
Rosebud, Pittsburgh 4/04/00

Match Burn Twice ->
Thank You
-band intros-
It's Only Just a Dream (Latitudes of Imagination)
Scared Little Rabbit on the Flat Tire Road (Jump Little Rabbit Jump)
Boudreauxtown Marsh - Fiachna on vocals
Survival of the Prettiest
Giant Killer
Picoesque
That's So Amazing (singalong)
Croi en Laoch (Warrior's Heart) - Fiachna on Irish vocals
If Not Here (Then Where?) - w/ the singers from her opening band ("A burden shared is only half the trouble... A joy that's shared is a joy made double")
Lonely Planet
Midnight Howl
(I don't think so, but I may have missed one here, as I took a break to get a massage, a very cool free service on "Planet Girl" Tuesdays)
Moaning Dove
A Glance, A Vow, A Kiss
Peaceful Loving Feeling ->
Surely Goodness & Mercy
Time on the Meter ->
Mama Get Yer Ya Yas Out (wild dancing, big sing-along) ->
Raise the Praise
ENCORE
Butterfly Hill (dedicated to the tree-squatter of the same name) ->
Match Burn Twice reprise

The set was much as I expected, given the reports from this group of her holiday run in NYC and Boston - All originals, culled from the 30 songs written in 30 days last Nov-Dec with help from Fiachna. We didn't get them all, which is probably a good thing since I'd expect we got the best of the bunch, and a few of those were somewhat lacking. Much as I was intrigued by what I was hearing, I couldn't help but think that even a genius has a bad day every now and then. "Scared Little Rabbit on the Flat Tire Road" was little more than a children's book laid across a simple rhythm'n'blues groove. Of course, that loungy sound is not my favorite, since I also cared little for the Kahlil Gibran-inspired "A Glance, A Kiss, A Vow" that Rich sang.

But I'll dismiss the short shots and focus on the slam dunks - There are some GREAT new songs amongst this hurriedly packed trunk of tunes. Of particular note was the opener - which was also reprised as the final encore - a reggae-infused nugget I'll name after the rhetorical question repeated throughout the chorus, "(Did You Ever See a) Match Burn Twice?"

Did you ever see a match burn twice?
Fire lies in ashes cold as ice
Kindle it will spark still the same
Igniting love's old flame

Other highlights included the spirited Cojunto rocker "Picoesque" (so named for the main drag near her house in L.A., where she spends half her time nowadays b/c "Bart loves it there"), the Spanish-inflected "Lonely Planet" (which happens to be one of my wife's favorite TV programs, check it out on the Travel Channel), and the gospel-funk trilogy that closed the set (great fun). There were a few classic shell-shocked love songs, like "Moaning Dove" and "Thank You." And then there were her wildly inspired moments of pure no-holds-barred gospel preaching, "That's So Amazing," "Surely Goodness & Mercy," (which had her reciting biblical verse) and "Raise the Praise" the latter of which had her literally leaping for the heavens. Wow! Now, I'm not a deeply religious man, but that sure was a powerful moment that touched my heart in a most invigorating way.

Stylistically, it was allllllll over the board. Not only was there reggae, funk, gospel, cojunto and R&B.... There was the four-guitar garage band attack of "Survival of the Prettiest" and "Giant Killer" (during the latter, her voice almost reminded me of Rush singer Geddy Lee), the dreamy torch song "It's only Just a Dream," the soaring psychedelic number "Midnight Howl," and the Irish folk-rock ballad "Croi en Laoch," which Fiachna said is Irish for "Warrior's Heart."

Overall, I was quite impressed. But it was apparent that there were folks who were less than thrilled with her decision not to play anything from her extended songbook (beyond the 5 tunes in the opening set). I heard a few hecklers in the audience, spotted several stunned faces, and witnessed more than a few folks walk out early. But they were in the minority. Mostly I saw smiles all around. I think most of us were just happy as heck to have her back. I didn't care *what* she wanted to play, I just wanted to hear her play *something* again As long it isn't kumbaya :) That's something no one needs to see her attempt again...

At the merch table, there was no new limited edition recording (just as well, as I might have considered stocking up on copies to finance my daughter's college education), but she did have a good supply of copies of KHW, AR Traveler, Capt Swing, and Short Sharp Shocked - all of which are reportedly out-of-print. Glad to see there still some copies out there, in case my copies begin to rot. There was a $15 superman blue t-shirt with the Mood Swingers logo - a heart created by placing the letter M on top of the letter S (I'll scan it in this weekend). Get it? M S, Michelle Shocked, Mood Swingers? And then the tour name on the back, but no dates. I picked up an extra one for a friend who I thought might enjoy it, but I could be convinced to trade it for a copy of _Good News_. And there were copies of Bart Bull's dissertation, which I

Ok, it's horribly late, so I'm going to sign off. If you can get to one of the remaining shows here on the east coast this week, by all means, don't miss the chance. If you are too far away, rest assured that she does plan to record the best ones later this year. So she'll likely be playing them for a short while at least, hopefully in some other parts of the country (not to mention the world). I sure feel truly blessed to have had 'chelle come and sing em on my stomping grounds.

Cheers,

Gumby

Rosebud, Pittsburgh PA, 4 Apr 2000

To: 'Darren' <darren33@dingoblue.net.au>
Subject: RE: MS tomorrow at Rosebud
From: Tim Roolf <tim.roolf@xxxxx.xxx>
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 12:53:59 -0400

Good Morning Darren,

From "better hold on to yourself" (paraphrased)

Went to the show last nite, drank from the light machine.

It was a sell out, and more inspirational than any function, religious of secular, that I have ever been to.

WYEP, the local National Public Radio station put out the following buzz last week

http://www.wyep.org/

I thought about showing up with a tambourine, or a kazoo, but didn't want to embarrass myself in front of MS. As it turned out, the eight people who ended up playing were very talented. Anyway, Kathy and I were first in line and got the best table in the house. I brought a camera, a small voice recorder I borrowed, and all of my CD's. I had intended to use the recorder for a set list, since I was running it on the slow speed and it would be so Low-fi. It didn't work, and I have no set list... but I have pictures (coming soon) and autographs on all my CD's.

The opening act (MS and the pgh all stars) went about 45 minutes. There were four guitars, a 12 string, a mandolin, a violin, a flute and a harmonica. The violiner and the mandoliner were excellent, and one of the female guitar players was able to sing excellent harmony. She opened with When I Grow up. They played Anchorage, come a long way, fogtown, strawberry Jam, and at least two others. She was so involved with the players!! She led intros for their solos and shared the mike for harmonies. Later in the show, she invited all of them back on stage for the chorus on "a joy shared is doubled". How unbelievably warm and sincere the whole set was. And, suprisingly, technically entertaining.

The mood swingers consisted of Fiancha Obrien on electric guitar, Sean Dancy (I think) on keyboards, rich Armstrong on Horn(s) and bass, and Peter Buck on drums. These guys could jam!! Bart Bull came up and played accordian on two or three songs, and they alternated instruments from song to song. They were all over the musical spectrum... They moved from accordians and tin whistles to heavy metal electrics with aplomb. At one point, MS, fiancha and Sean were all playing electric guitar for a rousing power-chord attack, while for other songs, Sean handled the baseline from his keyboard and Rich played an extremely modified, customized trumpet. Rich also had a custom coronet/french horn thing. At one point, MS even played bass. Rich played excellent horn, sharp attacks, amazing range, and wonderful tonalities with a mute (or his hand in the end of the horn). He also sings very well and pulled lead Vocals on at least two songs. Fiancha could JAM. He was flawlessly proficient, and handled the edgy stuff with a forceful mix of effects (fuzz, etc.) and virtuosity. I was truly impressed. MS got into the act often, wailing away on the strat with reckless abandon.

I'll have more tomorrow, I want to print out the stuff from the NY and Boston shows and see if it jogs my memory on the songs she played.

Oh yeah,

Even after playing for 4 hours (she was her own opening act), she hung around for 45 minutes after the show, talking to people, posing for pictures and signing autographs. What a warm, open, sincere person!!

Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis MD, 5 or 9 Apr 2000

Baltimore Citypaper Online, 12-18 Apr 2000

FEEDBACK

Writing Wrongs

Michelle Shocked at the Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis

Review By Lee Gardner

The annals of songwriting are full of 20-minute miracles. Sir Paul McCartney wrote the music for "Yesterday" in a quarter-hour. The lurching, cock-wagging guitar riff for "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" came to Keith Richards in his sleep. When a bolt of inspiration creases your forehead and flies down your arm to your fingers, you can count on making on-the-spot magic. The rest of the time you have to sweat and fret and hone over time like everyone else.

A few songs into her set at the Rams Head Tavern, cult-figure folkie iconoclast Michelle Shocked informed the capacity audience that she and former Hothouse Flowers guitarist Fiachna O'Braondin, holding down stage right, had recently written 30 songs in 30 days, and that the evening's set would be drawn from that body of work. The limits of the duo's forced-march songwriting experiment became more and more clear as Shocked and the Mood Swingers, her adroit four-piece band, rolled through 19 of the tunes. The songs ranged from passably pleasant to mediocre to downright bad; many of them might have become something finer if given more than 24 hours to gestate.

The show proper began well enough with a trio of the new experiments: a vampy reggae tune enlivened by the Swingers' crack vocal harmonies; a somber love song with the paradoxical payoff line "I need nothing from you"; and a romping tune called "Jump Little Rabbit," full of the drawling Southern folk hokum Shocked makes more charming than anyone else. She seemed musically liberated by the new material, as the band jumped from rockers to gospelized numbers to Spanish drags to ballads and back.

But most of the compositions came off like homework. Whether recycling a string of soul clichés for a nondescript ballad or confessing to raiding a Spanish phrase book for cross-lingual come-ons, Shocked and O'Braondin were clearly racking their brains to wrap up some of their daily assignments. (If we're going to get technical about this, I don't think setting the Lord's Prayer to some stock chords for "Goodness and Mercy" counts as "writing a song.") Even the promising tunes seem half-formed at best, full of maladroit lyrics and half-spoken melodies (a particular shame, because the show reasserted that Shocked can write and sing fine, soaring ones). A lot of the material was just plain silly -- both intentionally ("The Midnight Howl," a Hendrix rocker that found Shocked wailing about "cosmic love") and, perhaps, not ("Survival of the Prettiest," another rocker that offered up observations on how high school is just so unfair). Even the most appealing tunes, like the gospel arm-waver "That's So Amazing" and the acoustic ballad "Mourning Dove" were big-hearted but soft-headed.

Shocked provided a telling contrast for the new tunes with her own opening set. Having sent out a pre-show call for local players, she took the stage at house lights' first dimming with a pickup band she had rehearsed just before show time in a Rams Head hallway: a half-dozen or so guitarists, a fiddler, a blues harpist, and a little girl with a drum. Crowded around a few mics, the Strawberry Jammers, as Shocked introduced them, ran through a handful of her best-known tunes, including the surreal yarn "When I Grow Up," her benedictory 1988 hit "Anchorage," and her tough-talking street-life tale "Fogtown." The set reaffirmed that Shocked's best songs still hold their edge, their appeal, and their sense of surprise, even done in shambolic hootenanny style. Those tunes probably got more than a day's worth of work, and they're the ones I went home humming.

Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria VA, 6 Apr 2000

Washington Post, 8 April 2000

Michelle's Shock of Non-Recognition By Dave McKenna

Michelle Shocked bragged to her Birchmere audience Thursday night that she'd recently written 30 songs in 30 days. Worse yet, she made everybody listen to almost all of 'em.

Shocked is unquestionably an enormous talent with a huge voice and a lovably spacey demeanor. She broke into the music business during the female folk wave of the mid-1980s, when crudely recorded cassettes of her playing guitar and singing for friends were commercially released as "The Texas Campfire Tapes."

She opened her Birchmere show by inviting some members of the audience onstage to play along with her on charming but off-key versions of fan favorites such as "Anchorage" and "Come a Long Way."

Shocked wants it known that she's strayed from the campfire, however. After dismissing the amateurs and calling up her technically proficient backing quartet, she announced that she would devote the rest of her show to material from a writing binge she went on late last year with Fiachna O'Braonain, late of Hothouse Flowers. Working from charts, Shocked et al. wore out the clearly stunned crowd with a disjointed 2 1/2-hour barrage of reggae, disco, funk, Celtic, Tex-Mex, zydeco and even preachy gospel tunes.

Shocked's most accessible new song was a melodic power ballad that found her chanting "A burden shared is only half the trouble" over and over. She begged the crowd to harmonize with her, but many fans, possibly upset that they'd paid full price to witness what amounted to a band rehearsal, declined to share the burden. By the end of her set, what had been a crowded club was half-empty.

Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria VA, 6 Apr 2000

To: kindheartedwoman@onelist.com
Subject: [kindheartedwoman] 4/6/00 Alexandria, VA - Pt. 1 (long)
From: Hutchinson Bart M IHMD <hutchinsonbm@xx.xxxx.xxx>
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 11:29:11 -0400

I saw Michelle last night in Alexandria, VA (just outside of DC) and am still reeling!

I also participated in the pre-show jam. That was amazing! If anyone on this list is going to one of her upcoming shows, and you play an instrument (any instrument), you should definitely bring it and jam with her. It was awesome. I also got to meet another lister - Eric - who came down from somewhere in PA (4 hours away).

There were a bunch of us playing electric guitars (3 of us, plus Michelle), a guy on bongos/congas, a guy on dulcimer, a guy on tenor (?) sax (it's the BIG sax - the thing was probably five feet tall!), a woman on backing/harmony vocals and a 7 year old girl on a bongo (she was the daughter of one of the guitar players), and there was also a guy on washboard.

Before the show we went backstage where MS and the band were hanging out having some appetizers. She gathered us around, learned our names, and started teaching us the songs we were going to do. A few of the people knew the songs already, including the dulcimer guy who did some great solos on Anchorage and Come Along Way. (Eric the lister also knew the songs, so I kept an eye on him and his hands!) The rest of us learned the chords and the changes and the various background vocal parts as well as solo breaks. She was so cool and patient with all of us - and she was SO into it. I think she was having as much fun as we were.

After we "learned" the songs, she said we could just hang out back there with her and the band until the show. Wow! At one point she was sitting on a couch (alone), so I walked over and asked her about how and when they travel from show to show. ( This was something I've always wondered about rock stars/musicians - when do they go to the next show? that night? or the next morning?) She started answering me and then motioned that I should sit down on the couch next to her! Wow - talk about hospitality! If anyone cares..........she said they usually leave for the next show after they finish whatever show they're playing. They sleep on the bus and she said it was easier to sleep on the bus than in a hotel. She also said that since this tour was so short, they were just traveling by van (so they were going back to the hotel after the show). Then she started telling one of the guys in the band, or her husband (I forget which) about using Alamo rent-a-car again because she had a coupon for it. I got the impression that Michelle herself was taking care of renting the van they were driving around in! That one blew me away. She was so cool and down to earth and normal - there was not one shred of pretentiousness or rock star attitude at all. My God, the woman was renting her own car, using a coupon!! And she's the star! Unreal!

(Woops - I just realized the above story is a little out of order. I first asked how she had the energy to deal with teaching a bunch of hacks her songs before each show, and dealing with us. That's when she had me come sit next to her on the couch. Then we started talking about her tour and sleeping on the bus and all that.)

So I'm sitting on the couch next to Michelle, picking away on my guitar and having a conversation with her. I asked about the new material and the future - - as you've heard, they have 30 new songs and they'll record them next fall after they road test them. Meanwhile, her husband Bart was coming and going giving us the status of the show - - how much time we had to go, etc. He also was very cool to all of us jammers - asking if we needed anything, etc. The rest of the band was milling about, warming up and tuning up.

Finally, it was time for us to go on. All in all, we were probably backstage hanging and learning the songs for an hour and a half. Unreal.

We hit the stage to a big applause - obviously it was all for Michelle, but it still felt pretty good - I can't imagine how cool it would be to have that rush every night. She told the crowd what was going to happen and introduced us all by name, and then we were off. We did: Old Woman, Anchorage, Fogtown, Come Along Way, Memories Of East Texas and Strawberry Jam. She had each of us (guitar players) solo in different songs, and then in Strawberry Jam we all got to solo - including the conga drum guy, including the washboard guy, including the woman who was singing background vocals - Michelle told her to sing some scat, and she did. It was great!

There were a couple of points where I was getting chills - just listening to her hit some of those wailing notes was amazing. I half wish I was out in the crowd to enjoy it all, but being up there was priceless.

After our set we went backstage again and everyone was praising us to no end. They were all so damn nice! Herself, her husband and her band all told us how great we were. I know they were just being kind, but it was a very nice gesture. They were all so sweet.

Again, Michelle let us hang around back there until the real show started! We were all just basking in the glow and buzzing on our little set, and mostly expressing the shock at what just happened - - I was on stage playing with Michelle Shocked! I WAS ON STAGE PLAYING WITH MICHELLE SHOCKED!!!!!!!! It's a dream come true just to see her play live - this was way too much.

Her husband and I had a conversation about our names - Bart. I told him I thought he was the first "Bart" that I've ever met - true. He seemed to agree for year's past, but said that he's been meeting more Barts in the last few years. He was very cool. Very nice and friendly.

At one point she went into another room to change into her gig outfit - funky orange pants (tights) with big white flowers and a sort of tie died shirt. Oh yeah, one more thing about her appearance - - She doesn't age! She looks exactly like she always has (other than her hair - but even that was the nearly the same as last time - almost shoulder length in the back and her bangs down to her eyes). It must have something to do with the power of the music, because I really don't think she is aging at all!!! And her voice is as strong as ever. Clear as a bell and as powerful as a hurricane! Her voice has always floored me and this show was no exception. God, she can convey so much power and emotion with her voice! Truly amazing and inspiring.

We left the backstage area just before they went on and just before I left I had another chance to talk to Michelle. I told her something I've always wanted to, but never had the chance (actually I told her this once before - one of those shows where she was signing discs after the show - Kind Hearted Woman, I think). Anyway, I told her that while I love her studio albums and can't wait for the new one, that her live stuff has a power about it that blows the studio stuff away. I said that I'd leave her shows completely floored by the live versions that I'd just heard - something about her voice that has so much more power and energy live than on the studio releases. She seemed genuinely touched - she stood there and listened to me like I was an equal - or at least somebody who's opinion she valued. Obviously, she probably hears this "fan-gushing" type of stuff all the time, but she seemed almost moved, and thanked me for my words. I hope she comes through with a live album or better yet a box set!

Well, that's about it for the pre show/jam part. Sorry for carrying on so long. I'll tell you about the show in another email.

Bart

To: "'kindheartedwoman@egroups.com'" <kindheartedwoman@egroups.com>
Subject: [kindheartedwoman] 4/6/00 Alexandria, VA - Pt. 2
From: Hutchinson Bart M IHMD <hutchinsonbm@xx.xxxx.xxx>
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 15:23:42 -0400

Michelle and her Mood Swingers took the stage at 9:32 pm. Someone commented on the derivation of the name of the group - here's my take. They are constantly changing the mood of the music. By that I mean, one song is a rocker, the next a ballad, the next a funk number, the next gospel, etc. Many different moods/styles of music. The other thing that was constantly changing was who was playing what. It was like each player was going through different moods and expressing them on different instruments (maybe I'm reading too much into this and taking it way too far, but I'm still giddy from the show so forgive me). Here's what I'm talking about:

Michelle played guitar, bass, and bazouki
Rich Armstrong played trumpet, bass, and tambourine
Sean Dancy played keyboards, guitar, and bass
Fiachna O'Braonain played guitar, some kind of piccolo thing, and maybe
mandolin (I'm not completely sure about that though)

All of them sang background vocals, and Fiachna sang a couple songs and Rich sang one.

The set list and the whole show seemed to be just like the stuff that's been posted about the Pittsburgh show.

The material was all over the place but it was all pretty upbeat and happy. There was nothing as dark and grim and depressing and bleak as songs like "Stillborn", and "Winter Wheat", etc. Some songs were full blown rockers with screaming vocals and screaming guitar solos. Others where pretty, folky-type songs. A bunch had a definite funk feel to them, and a bunch more were spiritual type songs. Those were some of the best. During one of the spiritual songs, "Surely, Goodness and Mercy" (I think) she was reading a passage from the Bible from the 23 Psalm - (I shall walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and I shall fear no evil.....) It was very moving. She was wailing out the vocals and preaching about the love she feels from the band and audience and how she used to be paranoid and turn her friends into enemies for no reason, but now all she feels is love. (that's not that great an explanation, but it was an awesome song and performance anyway)

She also had plenty of great lyrics and neat little turns of phrase. One went something like "a burden shared is only half the trouble, I knew you cared, I knew you'd understand, a burden shared, is only half the trouble, but joy that's shared is joy made double, joy that's shared is joy made double"

One song was sung in Spanish, one song, sang by Fiachna was sung in Irish or Gaelic or something.

Her voice was as true and strong as ever. Her performance was as passionate and as moving as ever. It was just a great show. All new material, but never boring to the fans.

It was 12:04 am by the time they were done!! 2 and a half hours of bliss, and that's not counting the opening jam session.

After the show, those of us who played in the jam session went back stage again to get our stuff. Michelle and the band were huddled around a table eating their dinner. I told them all how good it was and that I thought they should just record one of these show and put out the album now - there's no need to polish the material. I also thanked them and begged them to keep touring and come back. They seemed appreciative and thanked me back. Bart (her husband) asked me and the rest of the jammers if we had a good time. Of course we did. He also said they've been having a lot of fun with the jam session idea.

All in all it was a great evening. I was blown away by the music (as usual) but even more amazing was how cool and down to earth and normal they all were. Great people, great musicians.

Over and out,
Bart

PS - she said they added another show in Annapolis, MD on Sunday night because the first one was sold out, so if anyone lives near there, you should think about going. If you live far away, you can fly into BWI and rent a car!

Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria VA, 6 Apr 2000 &
Ziggy's, Winston-Salem NC, 8 Apr 2000

To: darren33@dingoblue.net.au
Subject: Michelle Shocked concert comments
From: "Andrew L. Sisk" <andysisk@xxxxxxx.xxx>
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 20:56:37 PDT

Darren, hi, Andy here. I stumbled across your site and thought you would like some additional comments on Michelle's recent shows. I had the good fortune to see most of her show at the Birchmere in Alexandria, and lo and behold when I went home for the weekend to my hometown of Winston-Salem, NC, I got to see her again as my sister insisted I go again. I'm so glad I went to both because they were some notable differences.

Before I share some thoughts, I will say I was very excited to get to see her again. The only other time I saw her was probably around four years ago when she toured for Kind-Hearted Woman. That show was in Winston-Salem, and let me tell you, it was a disaster! It was a packed bar (Ziggy's), but most of the crowd really wasn't into it. I've never understood why people would blow money to hear someone sing and then not listen. Anyway, she was pretty pissed. I just remember instead of the encore she prayed for the audience. That didn't really go over well!

As a true fan, I was ready to see her in DC where I suspected the crowd would be more respectful. For brevity I won't rehash what's already been reported, but I will say that the audience jam was great to watch! They all did a super job -- particularly the funky dulcimer player. Michelle really seemed into it, and the audience reponded to her enthusiasm.

The main show, however, was decidedly mixed. The previous review from the Washington Post was a bit harsh, but I really agree that the show had some room for improvement. First of all, some of the songs still seemed to be works in progress. I agree with the reviewer who panned the rabbit song. Match Burn Twice, however, was awesome, and I loved Pico.

Another negative was the very forced singalong on the joy that's double is joy shared number. This was reminiscent of the Winston-Salem debacle. If the crowd isn't into it, drop the idea. She didn't, and it went over like a lead balloon. The preachiness of some of her comments seemed to bother alot of audience members, too -- including my ride. We were among the many who left early. Even though this sounds pretty negative, I am a big fan -- it's just that these two shows were not among her best.

So I go home and think that's the end of it. Hopefully Shelby Lynne will be better next week (she was). But when I went home I was forced to go again, even though I was very reluctant. I am soooo glad I did go, because much to my surprise, this very intimate show in Winston-Salem rocked!!!!

The first thing I noticed at Ziggy's was the pathetic crowd. It was about 9:30, and I would say not even 75 people were in the club! I didn't know if it was the bad show from a few years earlier or her lack of new material, but the crowd was tiny. It would eventually get up to about 250 I'd say, but a very intimate feel. For example, no one stood down front. Just a few kids sprawled out on the floor. I was very worried that this would not be a good show.

But oh how I was wrong. Again an audience jam to start the show. They were the Buddy Cats this time instead the Retard Endings. I'd say they were just as interesting as the group in DC. Big kudos to the fiddler -- she rocked! She needs to meet up with Christian the funky DC dulcimer player! They played the same songs with one exception. Instead of "When I Grow Up," the fiddler went to town on "Cotton-Eyed Joe." Though the audience was small, it responded with enthusiasm to the audience jam. Very cool.

On to the main show (It's getting late, so I'll be brief). Basically she cut the show alot and they seemed to play the best of the 30 new songs instead of trying everything. The only song that didn't seem to go well was the one the trumpeter played. He needs to project his voice. I had no idea what he was saying, but that's always a problem when you do new material. However, Michelle's style is so accessible that that wasn't a problem when she sang. Of particular note was just the fact that the band and the crowd just seemed to click. Particulary Michelle and Fiachna (spelling?- sorry!). The rabbit song was MUCH better tonite as she actually hopped like a rabbit into the crowd! She seemed so happy! And Fiachna also came out into the crowd when they rocked out on that instrumental song -- back alley something -- I forgot the titles. The one singalong was "That's So Amazing," and much to my surprise, the audience responded enthusiastically! EVERYONE was really into it, and if you could have seem the look of pure joy on Michelle's face, just priceless.

The encore was another smoking version of Match Burn Twice, only this time everyone in the house was up dancing! It was so incredible, and I think Michelle learned a lesson from DC. You want to leave the crowd begging for more. The other very sweet thing occurred at the end of the show. Michelle skipped off stage waving her arms in a motion as if she was trying to soak in the moment! Exactly the feeling I had! A tremendous evening!

I hope you can use some of this for your site. All best, Andy

Szene, Vienna, Austria, 12 Apr 2000

To: darren33@dingoblue.net.au
Subject: michelle shocked website
From: Karsten Huelsemann <karsten.huelsemann@xxxxxx.xx>
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 22:31:15 +0300

Darren -

<snip>

Anyway, why this comes up is because I saw Michelle Shocked and the Mood Swingers play here at Vienna (at a club called Szene) two nights ago. It was m-a-r-v-e-l-l-o-u-s.

A little pre-concert information, just to bore you to death ;-) - there was a short feature on a local radion station, with an interview and two acoustic "live in the studio" tracks ("nothing from you" and "blackberry blossom").

And the story is getting better: they gave away three packages of two tickets to those calling in. I did, and for the first time ever in something like this, I actually won. I called a friend who joined in (she had thought of going but backed out b/o money), so we went and I could give away the ticket I already had to someone else there.

The venue holds about 300-500 people (I am very bad at making such guesses), and it was nicely filled. Not packed so one could not breathe, but no uncomfortable open spaces either.

Michelle opened with a short acoustic set, just her and Fiachna O'Braonain on guitars.

First song was "anchorage", then "memories of east texas", then a couple others ("come a long way", if I remember correctly). Then she said the audience could decide which the last acoustic song should be. I shouted out "blackberry blossom", someone else shouted something I did not understand, another bloke yelled (much to Michelle's joy) "anchorage again". Michelle asked for the consensus song, and I made my wish again (prompting her to respond "we heard you the first time" - obnoxious person I can be ...) Anyway, "blackberry blossom" it was. She said she had not played it in a long time and it would be a crappy version (unlikely she had just rendered a version that afternoon). It wasn't - it is a wonderful song.

After that she brought on the rest of the band, and they went on for a total of almost three hours, moving through a most diverse set of musical genres, doing some 30 new songs, all sort of instruments - besides guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards, these were trumpet, accordeon (Michelle's husband joined for two tracks to play it), tin whistle, and percussions, changing instruments among them and really enjoying themselves (and the audience). They also did an encore of some three or four songs and finished with a song dedicated to the girl who spent two years living in a tree (I remember reading about it in a German weekly but cannot recall her name).

I must say I still like "the acoustic Michelle Shocked" best. Yet there were two songs in the show (one called "survival of the prettiest" and another that followed it immediately) which truly were in good old punk spirit (a little reminiscent of the rendering of "fog town" on the "Short Sharp Shocked" album). But it was quite some experience (and very different from the CURE concert I had been to the night before ...)

<snip>

Regards,

Karsten

Major's Hill Park, Ottawa, Canada, 14 May 2000

SHOCKED TO THE CORE

Eclectic mix puts crowd in party mood
By IAN NATHANSON -- Ottawa Sun

MICHELLE SHOCKED
Major's Hill Park, Ottawa
Sunday, May 14, 2000

OTTAWA - Excuse the Jewel reference, but who has saved Michelle Shocked's soul?

Whatever religious-type high the 38-year-old got wind of last night, it caught on with the roaring souls who braved an unusually frigid evening at Major's Hill Park to see Shocked and her superb band for a two-hour sizzler of a set.

Sizzler? Big time.

Those who thought she disappeared from the music biz altogether got the, er, shock of their lives when Shocked and her crack band delved into an eclectic mix of blues, gospel, folk, rock and punk, sometimes all rolled into one.

When she wasn't pumping the crowd to croon along to That's So Amazing or bop their derrieres to Match Burning Love (her opening and closing number), Shocked impressed with groove-inspired, Jackson Browne-like renditions of hits Come A Long Way and Anchorage, an early-in-the-set surprise. The twists and turns continued: A punkish sway here (Survival of the Prettiest), a Cajun barbecue there (Picoesque), a swamp-boogie blues jam one time, her blues take on Psalm 23 another time.

Dressed in a pink skirt, Ms. Shocked made it clear she wasn't going to let single-digit temperatures get in the way of her performance.

JUMP AROUND

"Normally, when I throw a party in my 'refrigerator,' I encourage people to get up and dance," Shocked told the crowd. "Seems as how y'all are sittin' there nice and snug, I intend to jump around as much as I can."

Not only did she jump around, she smiled and cavorted heavily with fellow bandmates Fiachna O'Braonain (the Hothouse Flowers guitarist/tin whistler with the 'tulip' shirt), keysman Sean Dancy, bassist/trumpeter Rich Anderson, drummer Peter ("I am not from R.E.M.") Buck and hubby Bart Bull on accordion. If anyone needs a lesson in on-stage presence, band camaraderie and a desire to fire up a cold, cold audience, surely Shocked would make a great teacher.

Even dressed in a balloonish crown courtesy of some Dutch rugby team? Aw, hell, why not?

While it's early yet, opening acts Neko Case and Kelly Hogan have the potential to reach Shocked levels. The fiery red-haired Case especially has the country torch and twang thang down pat with plenty of fine, fine tuneage from her acclaimed Furnace Room Lullaby. Her warped humour showed she still has a punk twinge, particularly when she delivered a "ribbing" to the Pork Express truck.

Boy, them country gals sure can be strange in the cold.

House Of Blues, Chicago IL, 22 Jun 2000

Chicago House of Blues 6/22/00

As the curtain drew slowly back on the Chicago House of Blues stage, Michelle Shocked and Her Mood Swingers were already into a funky reggae groove with a terrific Latin flavored trumpet accompaniment. As she stepped up to the microphone her voice went unheard for a moment because of an apparent sound problem. She immediately begged the 300 or more fans assembled comfortably to "Don't believe what they say about first impressions". That minor initial sound problem would be the last disappointment in her 2 ½ hour performance. Thanks to the Graffiti-limbo website, I knew not to expect too many familiar songs. She did not name each new song so an accurate set list would have been difficult.

She spoke briefly about how she and Fiachna O'Braonain prepared 30 new songs in 30 days just prior to a New Years Eve performance in New York City ("Imagine That"). She said that this group has been spending some time in a San Francisco recording studio and is touring to get back in touch with fans and to "Try the new material out on you. Send these songs through the wash and spin cycle to see what gets spun out and what gets recorded to eventually end up on your local retail shelves".

Some of the early offerings included a ballad "Nothing at all". "Anchorage" and "Come a Long Way" were also played early in the evening. Her musical soul mate Fiachna took lead vocals twice this night. Once Michelle played mandolin during his jazzy tune. I could not remember the name of her very good drummer. The others were Sean Dancy on keyboards and Rich Armstrong on Trumpet and electric bass. Maybe an hour into the show everyone except the drummer plugged in electric guitars and launched into a hard rock number "Wam Bam Thank you Mam". The audience roared and Michelle declared "Here is another one just like the last one". Those two thundering rock and roll numbers were perfect examples of her amazing musical versatility.

The second half of the evening included the song about the girl who spent two years in a tree to protest the clearing of 200 foot tall redwoods in favor of development in California. Rich Armstrong took lead vocals on this song named for "Butterfly Hill". Her husband Bart joined her onstage with his Accordion to a slow Cajun type number that changed in and out of an upbeat Zydeco romp. After the band jumped into "If Love was a Train", It was audience participation time as she ordered everyone to take part in the "butt dance". The large group on the floor in front of the stage did not disappoint. Like a bunch of hypnotized disciples, they all did a 180 at her command to shake their booties at the stage. Later her gospel gem "Can't take my Joy" was presented in pure acapella with the group arm in arm at Michelle's center microphone. She again pleaded for and received group participation, then fooling everyone by turning "Can't take my Joy" into "Cumb Bye Yah". "That's So Amazing" was another sing-a-long. A real smooth Muddy Waters style blues number stands out late in the evening. I can't recall the new songs before the encore but they were great as the audience roared for her return. She returned blushing with her hands over her heart, obviously humbled by the prolonged adulation of her fans, old and new. As she had also done at earlier points in the evening, she took time to speak from the heart about the joy she was feeling at this very moment, and how you can only feel joy in the present. Before the last song Michelle said, "We are going finish just the way we started". The opening reggae number was replayed to everyone's delight.

Of the 20 or so songs presented in the evening, I had previously only heard 4 of them in person or on CD. I'm eager to have this great new music for myself. It will be interesting to see how they are produced and distributed. Part of me wishes she would seek out a well-known producer and become an overnight commercial success like Bonnie Raitt. Her own testimony seems to indicate that she already has more success in life than she could have ever imagined. Her fans are equally blessed to be able to hear her in the small intimate venues that allow her to share her emotions through music and have the audience show their praise in return. The incredibly accomplished artists that make up "Michelle Shocked and Her Mood Swingers" left Chicago at the top of their game, just like Mike, but far from retirement.

Jeff Woods, Williamsville IL.

Piazza Costello, Udine, Italy, 20 Jul 2000

To: <kindheartedwoman@egroups.com>
Subject: [kindheartedwoman] Udine, july 20 2000
From: "Giorgio Brianese" <giorgio_brianese@xxx.xx>
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 13:06:33 +0200

Hello friends!

Darren asked if anyone have seen a recent Michelle show, and Rob did suggest me to write some lines about the show Michelle Shocked performed in Udine (Italy) few weeks ago. So here they are (and sorry for my bad english).

The venue was very, very nice: the castle's courtyard, with people watching both, the stage and the front-wall of the castle. The weather was fine: despite the summer (the show was on july 20) there was a nice wind blowing. But, first of all, there were a couple of stars to listen to: Michelle Shocked and Joan Baez!

First on the stage was Michelle : a short (50 minutes) set, but really very very impressive. Michelle played her electric guitar and used her voice at the best. Other players: an italian guy at the violin (Michele Gasich, if i understand the correct name), and Rich Armstrong playing trumpet and bass (what a musician!).

There was also a drunken man standing up with his acoustic guitar just in front of the stage. Policemen tried and tried again to bring it out during Prodigal daughter: in vain. Michelle, without stop playing her guitar, asked him something like this: "... my friend, do you play guitar or are you just scaring around?", inviting him to join the crowd on stage and to play with her. And ... well, he did! "Only in Italy, only in Italy...", Michelle said laughing .

Second surprise: a little later (the drunken man was not yet on stage) miss Baez joined Michelle and harmonized with her: really a very, very intense instant, as you can imagine by yourself.

The whole show was really great, and it's difficult to say which songs were the highlights of the night: maybe Prodigal daughter and Fogtown.

Joan Baez set: well, i don't know what to say; i've seen her on stage a couple of times in the past, and she was really great; but this time ... well, she seemed cold and her mind seemed to be elsewhere. A very good band, a very good voice, but no emotions at all. Things that happen (a friend of mine says that two days before her show was totally different).

Well, that's all, friends. Looking forward to listen to Michelle on stage again!

Regards.
Giorgio

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Birmingham, England, 29 Jul 2000

Michelle Shocked - Ronnie Scott's Birmingham 29 July 2000
by Gary Chapman

I got to Ronnie Scott's and went to the 'Frontroom' which an adjoining bar. The girl who was managing the night checked my reservation and then tried to have a go at me because didn't want to eat she said only diners had reserved tables I told her they hadn't mentioned that when I booked and if I felt like something later on I would.

I got a table right at the front about two feet away from the stage I was joined by four guys who were by themselves as well. Michelle Shocked almost always plays only small venues, the support act was Jo Hamilton a (very) young kind of a folk singer similar to the old Michelle, I'd never heard of her but her stuff was pretty good.

Michelle Shocked came on at 10pm, she has changed in appearance a bit since since the Texas Campfire' days, she is now 38, and has two children (which she bought her and who watched her from the wings of the small stage) she wore flared jeans and a scarlet top, a bit different from that skinny waif in the black cap of the 80's.

But she was excellent. She played a mixture of songs from Texas Campfire Tapes to Arkansas Traveller and some stuff I'd never heard but was good, and her band were outstanding as well. She was joined by Fiancha O'Brien from the Hothouse Flowers who has been playing with her on and off for about seven years.

As she is, she was very political and talked a lot on stage, explaining the songs and telling little stories here and there, she seemed to take us through the evening in stages, first the rockier stuff, then more folk type, and then finishing off with as she called 'The uplifting part of the show' some gospel songs which she wanted us to chant the chorus. One song, I didn't get the title was about not accepting changes in life the chorus was 'just let go' that felt good.

Amongst the old familiar stuff she did were the now classic'Anchorage', 'Little Sister' Prodigal Daughter', 'The Secret To a Long Life' and on 'When I grow up' at the part which says 'Were gonna have 120 babies' she said 'Are y'all deaf? that's what I said!

She and the band were on stage for 2 1/2 hours she was only supposed to do 2 but she said ' 12.30 how's that for a show' it was nice of her to do that extra 1/2 hour. She did an encore 'VFD' but couldn't come out for a second as the MC said 'She's flaked out with her kids' and her husband Bart Bull, who joined her on accordion for a couple of numbers.

As they were packing up, I chatted with Fiancha O'Brien saying I'd always been a fan, mentioned her record company trials suggesting it was similar to Morrissey's (I had to get him in somehow!)

All in all a top night well worth the hassle and travelling.

One little gripe regarding the club management: I went to Ronnie Scott's in Soho ten years ago, it was a relaxed low key atmosphere, it has changed a lot, it's more corporate now, expensive meals packages and the beer at 3.20 a pint! but I was expecting that, there's nothing wrong with spending the money but you shouldn't be pressurized to do so. But then again it's business, and they want your cash.

Quays Theatre, The Lowry Centre, Manchester, England, 1 Aug 2000

The Guardian, 3 Aug 2000

Super trouper

Michelle Shocked
The Lowry, Salford****

James Hopkin
Thursday August 3, 2000
The Guardian

Back in the 80s, Michelle Shocked was marketed as a spiky-haired misfit, a post-punk political activist who had lived on the streets for a while and got up to no good. The cover of her best-known album, Short Sharp Shocked, pictured her being arrested during a demonstration in San Francisco. Since then, she's had other battles to fight. A three-and-a-half-year wrangle with her former label, Mercury Records, saw her recover the rights to her own songs, but the ordeal proved so bitter that she vowed never to sign again.

Instead, the emphasis is on playing live, and a relaxed and diverse set opened with Anchorage as Fiachna O' Braonain, the slightly batty guitarist from Hothouse Flowers, addressed the strings with such delicacy that you could hear every note resound. This versatility was matched throughout by the extraordinary range of Shocked's voice: from country drawl to bluesy slur, and spoken word to gospel grandiosity.

Hopping from foot to foot like a mischievous elf, Michele Gazich provided quirky accompaniment on the electric fiddle. This former orchestra member from Turin worked up a rapport with Shocked, mimicking the nuances of her voice with clever effect.

With Richard Armstrong adding bass, vocals, and a sleazy muted trumpet, the band were in full swing for If Love Was a Train. A simple arrangement built up in intensity as a metallic guitar and choppy violin led to a middle-eight for which the band turned their backs on the audience and, well, wiggled. Suffice to say, Shocked's slow, rhythmic hip sway was the most convincing.

Taking requests, the sultry, long-haired singer led us through Blackberry Blossom and Secret to a Long Life, her every head-shake, smirk and aside adding theatre along the way. She may have been a fighter once but she's a true entertainer now.

***** Unmissable **** Recommended *** Enjoyable
** Mediocre * Terrible

Jazz Cafe, London, England, 2 Aug 2000

To: kindheartedwoman@egroups.com
Subject: [kindheartedwoman] MS at The Jazz Cafe, London, 02 Aug 2000
From: argante00@xxxxx.xxx
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 21:30:02 -0000

Hi,

Searching for MS stuff, I came across the Graffitti Limbo site. I thought you might like to have my few comments about Michelle Shocked at The Jazz Cafe on Wednesday 2nd August 2000.

I have to say I'd never seen her live, but really loved her music after my brother recommended her to me. When I saw her name in a local listings magazine, I couldn't believe my luck and set about trying to get a ticket, which was hard, because it was sold out. Luckily, I got a single ticket and went alone.

The Jazz Cafe is small and it's standing room only. By 9pm it was pretty packed and became more so. Michelle opened with a couple of new songs, both of which were great. The second was something like 'I don't need anything from you'. She said she'd been asked to play a New Year's concert in New York (imagine that...) and hooked up with Fiachna O'Braonan to write these 30 new songs.

The place came alive when she sang her old stuff. Several times, she stood back while the crowd sang her songs to her...which she seemed to like. She thanked us for 'sharing that with her'. She was in amazing form and had the crowd doing 'the butt dance', square dancing, shaking our neighbour's hands and so on. An amazing touch was when a group of girls passed a birthday request up to her near the end of the night. Not only did she get the crowd to sing the song, for 'Angela', but she got the girls up on stage to sing with her.

Fiachna was fab, as was Rich Anderson, but the crowd was merely polite when he played his trumpet solo. They were obviously more interested in Michelle.

For me, the highlight of the show was 'Anchorage'. The crowd was buzzing all night and Michelle played from 9pm until 12.20. The mixture of enthusiasm and showmanship, combined with a fabulous group on stage made the night absolutely the best gig I've ever attended. I can't wait for her to record the new stuff and I also can't wait to see her live again.

Cheers,

Elizabeth
London, England.

North Meadow, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle WA, 23 Aug 2000

Seattle Times, 25 Aug 2000

Michelle Shocked at the zoo: back in the musical current

by Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times staff critic

You can't go to a ZooTunes concert without kids and a picnic basket.

It's not required, actually, but it seemed that way Wednesday evening at the Woodland Park Zoo, where a capacity crowd enjoyed perfect sunny weather, neighborly good vibes and Michelle Shocked, her band and backup singers.

ZooTunes concerts are held at the expansive North Meadow, with its thick, barefoot-friendly grass and backdrop of big, leafy trees. Families spread out blankets, low-back chairs and picnics, and there's still room for kids to dance, frolic and drip ice cream and Popsicles.

"This is so beautiful," Shocked said, looking out at the brightly dressed audience.

The folksy, rootsy, Texas-bred singer-songwriter seemed to have slipped off the radar in recent years, so it was good to see her back and in top form. She brought along a batch of new songs, from 30 she and Hothouse Flowers guitarist Fiachna O'Braonain wrote last November in preparation for a millennium New Year's Eve concert. O'Braonain was among her five-piece band, and so was Shocked's husband, Bart Bull, on accordion.

The kids loved "Jump Little Rabbit," in which Shocked imagined herself in a children's story, and joined in the playful "booty dance" that accompanied "If Love Was A Train," a celebration of love's sometimes bumpy road. Folks also got up to dance to the rocking "Survival of the Prettiest," a bittersweet remembrance of high school.

"If Not Here" was a tribute to Shocked's friends who have died, but it celebrated rather than mourned them, with a refrain of "Joy that's shared is joy made double." "Picoesque" was inspired by Shocked's neighborhood in Los Angeles, and it bounced from the gospel of a black church to the Latin rhythms of the local bodega. "That's So Amazing" praised the awesome beauty of the moon and stars. "Butterfly Hill" honored the woman who lived two years in a redwood to save it.

Among the few old songs were "Anchorage," Shocked's great song of lost love, and the autobiographical "Memories of East Texas." A welcome surprise was a slow, bluesy take on Jimi Hendrix's "House Burning Down."

Dingwalls, Camden, London, England, 22 Mar 2001

Michelle Shocked

Dingwalls
Camden Town
London
Thursday 22nd March

February rain pouring down in England.

Browsing through the Sundays over coffee I catch my eye on a banner ad for Michelle Shocked in England.

Have to go.

Simple.

The last time I saw Michelle play live we were both a good bit younger. 14 years to be precise. She was playing a benefit gig for a Help the Homeless charity here in London, Short Sharp Shocked was just out, and she did 2 hours of solo semi-acoustic material, in defiance of a temperamental P.A., in "that hat" and with that voice.

I was the geek who turned up in a business suit and sat mesmerised throughout.

Having, as I must confess, rather lost touch with her recording output since Captain Swing, I was as stunned as I was impressed with the 21st Century version of Michelle who bounded on the stage at Dingwalls last Thursday.

For those who don’t know the venue, suffice it to say that it is ideal for this sort of gig. About 200-300 capacity, all standing, and gently sloping down towards the stage. Even those at the back are no more than 60 or so feet from the mike stands. The intense sweaty atmosphere and knowledgeable audience contributed a lot to the evening.

We kicked off with a taut, smoky rendition of Match Burns Twice, and an introduction to the band: Rich Armstrong (Cuban Private Eye), Fiachna O’Braonain, (Over-animated Leprechaun) and a new recruit introduced as "Super Dave" Upton (?) on steel guitar.

Michelle then said that from the previous night’s gig in Norwich it was pretty obvious that people wanted to hear the old stuff, so in order to get it out the way she offered "The Texas Trilogy" of Memories of East Texas, Gladewater, and VFD, followed by a full on, rocking stomp through Fogtown and Come A Long Way. The band sound was spot on, with shades of the early Rolling Stones at times, and pumped along by Armstrong’s soulful Tiahauna brass inserts.

Michelle seemed exceptionally relaxed with the audience and the band, and bantered with fans and (gentle) hecklers throughout. At one point she plucked up a front row girl’s annoying cell phone and congratulated the ill timed caller for being live on stage at Dingwalls, but asked if she would mind calling back later "cos’ we’re trying to do a song here!" The equipment played tricks again, (It’s not me Michelle honest!), but audience participation in sorting out added to the fun. Best of all that voice was still there, but fuller and richer than I remembered it.

The rest of the evening was an alternating mix of old standards, new songs, and a smouldering cover of Hendrix’s House Burning Down. The only off note tracks of the night were the slightly cheesy Butterfly Hill, and an overlong Pooter’s Town Marsh. Not due to vocals of Messers Armtrong and O’Braonain respectively, which were fine, but more to do with the flatness of the songs compared to the beating hearts of the other material.

After almost two and a half hours, and a final lift the roof off, call and response version of Secret to Long Life the band departed, to re-emerge after 5 minutes of hollering and stomping from us lot out on the floor, for a haunting, pared down 5 a.m. in Amsterdam, with Armstrong wandering about in the audience playing trumpet quietly to himself.

Guess you have figured by now that I liked it. Michelle was the consummate sassy rock chick, and in a strange way, I was 18 again.

Like I said... Simple.

Andy Keeler (2001-03-27)

Dingwalls, Camden, London, England, 22 Mar 2001

To: <darren33@dingoblue.net.au>
Subject: MS on tour
From: "Martin Ffitch" <ffitch@xxxxxxxxx.xx.xx>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 21:25:53 +0100

I was fortunate to see MS last week at Dingwalls in London, and again last night at Cambridge Junction.

I'm not sure if it's really news as I saw you altered the web site, but MS confirmed that the "forthcoming Dub Natural Cd is not the forthcoming Cd" That is going to be called "Deep Natural" and will, alledgedly, be released in "a couple of months" [The crowd groaned, and she replied: "It will!" (or something similar)]

The 2 gigs were very different. Dingwalls was quite relaxed, with a lot of old material plus the new songs she has been playing lately: 'Pico Street', 'Butterfly Hill', 'Match burnt twice', 'That's so amazing', 'Booterstown Marsh' etc [sorry I'm crap at remembering set lists] Bart had a hard time due to cable problems on MS's guitar. He was fumbling with all the connections, but the audience could see that the cable wasn't plugged into the guitar. MS had a great quote "You have the hard times - And I'll sing about them!"

It appears that the gigs inbetween hadn't gone well, with people calling out for songs and not letting her try the new ones, so at Cambridge she pleaded with the audience to let her play new songs (they agreed). If anyone called for a song, she played it but made them stand on the side of the stage holding a can of 'Spotted Dick'. She was pretty stressed about getting the new songs across. Complaining about the back lights being too hot she said: "Can we have a little less drama and a little more... hydration". I'm trying to remember the other new songs she played but I can't except the gospel inspired 'Peachfuzz' and the guiness inspired 'Draughts of Dublin'.

She was selling the Dub Natural CD after the gig in Cambridge (but not Dingwalls).

<snip>

Martin

Dingwalls, Camden, London, England, 22 Mar 2001

To: kindheartedwoman@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [khw] new album & dingwalls 22 march
From: rgreer@xxxx.xx.za
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 13:17:46 -0000

hi everyone

just got back to work - had a great trip & loved the show.

the show

i got there quite early to get a decent place in the queue, but still ended up quite far back in the queue. the doors opened about half an hour late, and by that time the rear end of the queue wasnt even visible.

and who on earth ever thought that selling draught beer at a crowded concert was a good idea (one those curious english customs??). the queues were so long & moving so slowly i just gave up on the idea of getting a drink & went & got a good spot - about 4 people from the front & almost directly in front of michelle.

the show started around 20 minutes late. a very low key start with everyone just walking onto stage, picking up their instruments & going into "match burn twice". the band was michelle, fiachna, rich armstrong, and a steel guitar player called david (i missed his surname) who impressed in a big way.

after match burn twice, michelle said that she was getting the idea that everyone was only wanting to hear old music, so that was what she was going to play. this seemed to go down well with most of the audience, but with me it was a huge disappointment - i wanted to hear new music.

she then went into her east texas trilogy - memories of east texas, the vfd, run to gladewater (i think). at one point a cellphone started ringing right at the front left of the stage. michelle made the culprit bring the cellphone up, & carried on singing her song into the cellphone - which the audience (& myself) really appreciated!!

after the east texas trilogy, michelle went down on her knees to beg the audience to let her play some new songs, and so, on to the highlight of the evening - "thats amazing" sung with all the power & emotion that i was expecting, based on the reports i have heard from other people. an awesome song!!! unfortunately an early peak to the evening.

from there on the evening was more about fun, with michelle, and to a certain extent, fiachna hamming it up. it was great fun, but a bit disappointing - i wanted more new music, and perhaps a bit more serious/emotional. as i remember the new songs played were jump little rabbit - which started as an acapella after fiachna broke a string in the previous song, & michelles guitar & rich's bass were both out of tune. they also sang house burning down, with michelle commenting on how she had come to appreciate jimi's music, having previously thought of it as just noise, picoesque, the song rich sings ( i forget the name ) & the second best highlight of the evening which was boudreax town marsh sung by fiachna. a great performance by a really great artist.

there seemed to be a wonderful rapport between fiachna & michelle on stage - it is easy to see why they have worked together for so long. i cant help feeling though that fiachna could come out with something really really good if he devoted a bit of time to solo work, away from both michelle and the hothouse flowers. he really impressed me.

when michelle started playing "secret to a long life" it was clear that the end was approaching. it took ages to get her back on stage for an encore - "5 am in amsterdam" with rich wandering around in the audience with his trumpet - gave a nice atmosphere.

the sound was not bad, but tended to get a bit shrieky when the levels got high - and they did get high, with some really wild instrumental passages, where fiachna & michelle went kind of wild on guitar, & david did some red hot steel guitar.

after the concert i hung around till rich, fiachna & bart came out to pack up. there was a fellow list member ( i cant remeber the name now ) there as well chatting with bart - the usual stuff about how much michelle hates bootlegging etc. one thing which i did find kind of interesting was that bart mentioned that michelle doesnt even really listen to any recordings/albums of any kind. she was brought up making her own music, and that is how she sees music.

which is all very well if you have sufficient talent to make your own music. i dont....

he also mentioned that michelle had surprised them all, just before coming on stage by saying that it was going to be an "oldies" evening (bummerrr...)

he also confirmed that there was to be a show on the 23rd (the following evening) somewhere in south london (i didnt catch the venue name) & invited the other list member to go along, even though the show was apparently sold out (they were having most of the conversation - i was just really listening)

i asked him about the demise of the experiment with audience members playing with the band at the beginning of the show. he explained that they considered it to be a great success, and that michelle in particular loved the results. it was just that it was too draining on her having to get there, coach the musicians, and then go into a long show, on some occasions without even a break to get supper before the show. so they reluctantly dropped the idea.

he also mentioned how much michelle was missing her cat - should have guessed she is a cat lover!!

i got bart, rich & fiachna to sign a copy of the cd for me - i missed the steel guitar player tho. bart then asked michelle to come out & chat, but she was really tired, & agreed instead to let folks go through the little rest room there & get autographs. at this stage dingwalls security was doing their best to throw everone out on their ear, but bart explained the situation & got them to agree.

so we lined up & got michelle to autograph the cds. there were also a small pile of posters there, & i managed to get michelle to autograph one of those for me.

anyhow - i had a really great time. saw london, saw snow, & saw michelle!!! (even met a list member!!)

ron

Dingwalls, Camden, London, England, 22 Mar 2001

Country Music International, May 2001

Michelle Shocked
Dingwalls, London

Texas-bred singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked seemed to have disappeared from the music scene in the last few years, so it was good to see her back and in top form. She was met by rapturous audience who had waited patiently whilst final sound checks delayed her appearance by 45 minutes.

Finally, there was some movement on stage, and Michelle came out with a three piece band, singing an acappella song from her new album. The audience loved it and the screams were loud. Michelle looked fresh and full of energy, smiling and talking to the crowd in a very relaxed, down-to-earth manner. She played electric guitar backed up by pedal steel, bass and the electric lead/acoustic guitar of Hothouse Flowers' Fiachna O'Braonain.

She laughed about the fact that she is always expected to play her older songs and promptly did, with "Memories Of East Texas" from her very successful Short Sharp Shocked 1988 album. She continued with "Anchorage", from the same album, giving it a very relaxed, storytelling performance.

Her face was so expressive, living through every line of the song. An absolute highlight was the rocking "Don't Mess Around With My Little Sister", on which Michelle danced and rocked together with band and audience.

After playing several more hits she said: 'Please, please let me do some new songs' and fell to her knees laughing. She had brought along a batch of new songs, written by her and guitarist O'Braonain of "Butterfly Hill" left a strong impression. The crowd also loved "Jump Little Rabbit", and joined in the playful body dance that accompanied "If Love Was A Train".

Other memorable songs were "Picoesque", inspired by her Los Angeles neighborhood, and "That's So Amazing", with its powerful chorus, and strong harmonies. My personal highlights were "Come A Long Way", to which the crowd screamed out the chorus; "Over The Waterfall", on which O'Braonain played tin whistle; and the lovely "Prodigal Daughter", although I missed the sound of fiddle and banjo featured on the album. It was a very powerful, emotional and lively show leaving a lasting memory of Michelle and her music.

Lilly Drumeva

Zodiac, Oxford, England, 24 Mar 2001

Michelle Shocked - The Zodiac - Oxford 24 March 2001

Michelle Shocked came on stage at around 9.30 through a side door at Oxford's Zodiac Club a decent sized venue to a rapt response, and went straight into 'Match Burn Twice' complete with a Mexican style horn, her voice was just as powerful as ever, wearing Jeans, and a blue T-Shirt. She introduced her band, Rich Armstrong from LA (where Shocked now lives), on bass and trumpet, her husband Bart Bull who watched nervously from the side of the stage, and who joined her on accordion for a couple of numbers, and her musical soulmate, the ever present Fiancha O'Braonain, and a guy who played steel guitar, I'm sorry I forgot his name.

After 'Peachfuzz' she addressed us, and asked us to "Shake the hand of a person you've met before" and then doescy-doh with them (you never know what to expect from her) then she asked us to take part in the 'Booty Dance' and we all turned round and shook our behinds. "That was ass-tronomical" she said. "We thank you from the hearts of our bottoms."

She did some old favorites 'Anchorage' with a new bluesy twist,'Gladewater' and a sing along version of 'Memories of East Texas' which went down well. Other songs included 'Come a Long Way', 'The Secret To a Long Life', 'Can't Take My Joy' and 'Eddie Bonebreak'.

She is the sort of performer who if a show is going well, (and they usually all do, now) then her adrenaline gets flowing, she can run and run, and run, she seems to have an inexhaustible supply of energy, she feeds off her audience, which was a large cross-section of people, she still has a large gay following, and at the start of the show a woman with a large pot of flowers managed to give her the pot, which she taped to the mic stand.

The band was excellent, O'Braonain's guitar playing was as good as ever. And Rich Armstrong stood out as well.

She painted us a little picture of where she lives in LA, you could almost see the sunshine and the beach at the end of the road, she did sermonize at times, but I like that sort of thing I find it soothing, and a lot of what she said made sense.

"You're looking at someone who used to hate herself" she said. "It doesn't matter whether the glass is half or empty, THERE IS A GLASS."

She finished with an encore of the excellent 'Match Burn Twice' and after thanked us, said she hoped "they'd played some of your favorites."

She was onstage nearly 2 1/2 hours, a constant ball of energy, and was brilliant, if you could bottle Michelle Shocked, we wouldn't need Prozac. Eat your heart out Britney.

Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury, England, 25 Mar 2001

Salisbury, United Kingdom, 25 March 2001

I had my doubts about going to see Michelle at Salisbury (having had not so good experiences seeing another band there), and from the reports from other venues (where everyone seems to have had a good time) I should have realised that Salisbury was unlikely to meet the same standard.

The lights having gone down some time before the actual arrival of the band on stage when they did come on it was very low key. Michelle made some remark about it - maybe this is where the event started to go a bit wrong.

They started with Match Burned Twice - I can't remember everything else that was played or the order, but if I remember rightly it included, as well as a few songs I don't know the titles of:-

Memories Of East Texas (with a long introduction about how she learned to drive on a VW Beetle without being shown by her father how to work a manual gearbox - I'm sure I've read this somewhere but can't remember where)
VFD
(Making The Run To) Gladewater
The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore
That's So Amazing
Anchorage
Graffiti Limbo
When I Grow Up
Hello Hopeville
(Don't you mess around with) my little sister
Must be luff

There were noticeably fewer songs from Arkansas Traveler than played at some of the other venues - I don't think any were played at all. I also don't remember anything being played from Kind Hearted Woman.

Michelle seemed to get frustrated with the audience response - initially during Memories of East Texas when she was trying to get the audience to sing the chorus. There are several problems with Salisbury Arts Centre, which is a converted church. The back of the hall merges with the bar area, so people sitting there don't seem to get fully involved - I've seen this happen with another band. I also suspect that you get people coming not to see any particular band, but coming to support their local arts centre. They therefore don't know in advance what they are going to see.

Despite (I thought) reasonable efforts from the front of the hall Michelle obviously decided enough was enough, and launched an angry appeal for more involvement. The gist of her argument was that music is something that is made by everyone involved in a gig, not just by the band - she said something like "we don't want to stand up here like some kind of freak show". There was also a long explanation of how much help she'd had from all the band members and Bart.

For a short time I thought she was just going to walk off - but she stayed and, after some songs where she was still clearly angry, played some great music. The audience response improved too - during "When I grow up" she had the audience counting up to 120 (for 120 babies).

There was still an edge - when people called out requests her response was something like "Oh, I get it - you've paid the cash and I've got the money in my pocket so I've got to give you what you want". You've really got to hand it to the band - a couple of times when people shouted out requests she played them straight away, leading to some quick swapping round of instruments.

Near the front one member of the audience was using a digital camera to take a lot of pictures - so many I actually thought he was there in some official capacity. This turned out not to be the case, as after Michelle said in the introduction to "It must be luff", something like "he's near the front, he's got a camera, it must be luff" he was escorted out temporarily by Bart and returned later without the camera.

I've got to say that, for the first time ever, I didn't stay to see if there was an encore or not - I don't know why.

- GJ

The Junction, Cambridge, England, 26 Mar 2001

To: <darren33@dingoblue.net.au>
Subject: MS on tour
From: "Martin Ffitch" <ffitch@xxxxxxxxx.xx.xx>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 21:25:53 +0100

I was fortunate to see MS last week at Dingwalls in London, and again last night at Cambridge Junction.

I'm not sure if it's really news as I saw you altered the web site, but MS confirmed that the "forthcoming Dub Natural Cd is not the forthcoming Cd" That is going to be called "Deep Natural" and will, alledgedly, be released in "a couple of months" [The crowd groaned, and she replied: "It will!" (or something similar)]

The 2 gigs were very different. Dingwalls was quite relaxed, with a lot of old material plus the new songs she has been playing lately: 'Pico Street', 'Butterfly Hill', 'Match burnt twice', 'That's so amazing', 'Booterstown Marsh' etc [sorry I'm crap at remembering set lists] Bart had a hard time due to cable problems on MS's guitar. He was fumbling with all the connections, but the audience could see that the cable wasn't plugged into the guitar. MS had a great quote "You have the hard times - And I'll sing about them!"

It appears that the gigs inbetween hadn't gone well, with people calling out for songs and not letting her try the new ones, so at Cambridge she pleaded with the audience to let her play new songs (they agreed). If anyone called for a song, she played it but made them stand on the side of the stage holding a can of 'Spotted Dick'. She was pretty stressed about getting the new songs across. Complaining about the back lights being too hot she said: "Can we have a little less drama and a little more... hydration". I'm trying to remember the other new songs she played but I can't except the gospel inspired 'Peachfuzz' and the guiness inspired 'Draughts of Dublin'.

She was selling the Dub Natural CD after the gig in Cambridge (but not Dingwalls).

<snip>

Martin

The Lomax, Liverpool, England, 28 Mar 2001

To: kindheartedwoman@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [khw] Michelle at Liverpool.
From: futuredj@xxxxx.xxx
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 00:52:55 -0000

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd give you the lowdown on the gig at Liverpool. What a night!! is all I can say. I was really apprehensive going to a gig on my own but the England match was on and my mates were all watching that. Michelle hit the stage at 8.45 and the crowd snuggled up at the front with a clear dance floor between us and the stage. A good mix of older couples, students and normal people!! I've read posts about earlier gigs so was looking out for MS being a bit annoyed with the crowd, venue etc. I can honestly say she was the happiest looking person in the place. She smiled constantly, laughed, joked, chatted and genuinely looked like she was having a great time. I was stood at the front left by the speakers but was stood next to a balding, 40-something, cheap jacket-wearing muso who didn't move a muscle throughout. Michelle, maybe through experience of earlier gigs, or just happiness, didn't attack the crowd with 'get-up-and-dance' favourites straight away. They just got into it. It was a pleasure to watch. If you've seen my earlier posts, you will know that I don't know all of Michelle's albums so hearing stuff that was knew to me was just great.

Forgive my ignorance if I mention obvious tracks you all know but most of it was new to me. The bits that hit my brain:-

Match Burned Twice..intro A new one..didn't get the name Another new one...A truly beautiful song. "I can make the water taste sweet". "Rest your head on my breast". What was that anyone?

Versions of other classics were run through in totally different versions to the ones on record. When I used to see bands I'd get annoyed if they played around with classics with new styles or ad-libs, but these were just great. Slower, funkier..the band having a really good time. A real sanity-check was "The L&N Dont Stop here Anymore". Played slower and more drawn out the lyrics really hit home. Really superb stuff.

Michelle chatted between songs and was subjected to a few bits of Scouse humour. As it was the final gig (I didn't know that!), she got a round of Courvosier for the band just before "Making The Run To Gladewater", and proposed a toast to the crowd. A real heartwarming cheer was given by all. No disrespect to other towns but she said, "I always knew that when I came to Liverpool, I knew I'd meet, warmth, kindness and some great people". A cynic would say that could be construed as rock-star posturing but the warmth in the room was evident. She told a story about hiring a booze boat in Australia with Bart and her dad and was talking about messing around surfing when a guy leaned over from a neighbouring boat and said, "Excuse me. Aren't you Michelle Shocked?" Fiachna then sung a FANTASTIC song, Boudreax Town Marsh?, which really went down well. Rich sung a song and then her number 1 fan, Sam Mu?,(God knows), did another tune.

A girl from the crowd bought Michelle a drink which the steel guitar player happily drunk. A few more unfamilliar songs (to me!) were played then a few of the dub tracks came out. The crowd didnt really seem to go for it except for one of them that just kept going and going which raised the level a bit. Couple more classics then she headed for "The Secret To a Long Life" and then a gospel type tune that the audience joined in with. "Match Burned Twice" then the band left the stage. Coming back on, she said, "I knew I was forgetting something" while Anchorage was intro'ing in the background. It was at that point I plucked up the courage to shout, "Keep on Rocking Girl" which she laughed at. A great rendition of Anchorage was then played with the crowd joining in. They then finished with a mass hug and plenty of bows. A great gig.

I bought the CD and got back through the barriers to talk to the band. Fiachna and Rich were really happy to talk, Michelle was then downstairs. Collared Bart to get it autographed, which he was REALLY reluctant to do, but, hey, it was a long trip. Told me to get a pen, the only one I could get was a biro, and then took it off to Michelle. I then became the ONLY proud owner of Dub Natural with a big love heart and Michelle Shocked written on the front! I am one happy bunny.

Sorry for going on but I really enjoy reading other posters views on the gigs. A great night.

Cheers guys,

Del.

Patio Lounge, Indianapolis IN, 10 Jul 2001

Nuvo, 19 Jul 2001

Michelle Shocked
The Patio
Tuesday, July 10

Cars slowly passed by; their querulous passengers' mouths forming the words "Who's Michelle Shocked" from behind rolled-up windows. The rest of us waited in line for the Patio doors to open, rain misting down.

Finally inside, we awaited an opening act, but Michelle Shocked needs no band to warm up her audience. She needs not a drummer, nor a violinist; and so it was Tuesday night.

Shocked, a vanguard of eclectic music styles including folk/rock/Cajun/blues/bluegrass, led a three-piece ensemble including Fiachna O'Braonion from Hothouse Flowers on guitar and vocals and Rich Armstrong on "bugle horn," bass and vocals. Peter Buck (not from R.E.M.) accompanied one tune on the accordion, but mostly hunkered near the stage. Shocked referred to a pair of 99 cent sunglasses she bought at a gas station that day as "a little memory of Indianapolis," and then opened with "Forgive to Forget."

Notorious for her candor and conversation during shows, she continually smiled, and spoke to several fans like she knew them. Her wry, bluesy voice powered through "When I Grow Up" with jubilant yelps and howls, while O'Braonion, on piccolo, and Armstrong, on bugle, sparred for second place.

She played many songs off her soon-to-be album, Deep Natural, evincing her keen ability to depict details. Socially aware, richly talented, fiercely passionate, the little girl from East Texas delivered a show that should leave the passers-by wishing they'd parked and come inside.

--Jill Brooks

Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis MD, 22 Aug 2001

Washington Post, 24 Aug 2001

Michelle Shocked

"The more I forgive, the more I forget," Michelle Shocked sang Wednesday night, moments before joking that revenge remains the sweetest satisfaction of all. The Texas-born singer-songwriter told the packed house at Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis that her new "let it go" attitude has helped her deal with some of the "massive anxiety" and "trust issues" she's faced in her life.

But if Shocked is finally at peace with the world, it hasn't dulled her energy or eccentricity onstage. Currently touring with the Perverse Allstars, a sharp sextet that features guitarist (and Hothouse Flowers co-founder) Fiachna O'Braonain and trumpeter Rich Armstrong, Shocked is still capable of putting on a freewheeling show, brimming with passion, outrage, tenderness and humor.

Though she plans to release an album early next year, her two-hour concert was clearly tailored to delight longtime fans who came to hear their favorite songs. None of them, however, was rendered too faithfully amid the band's colorful excursions into Tex-Mex, New Orleans funk and Southern gospel. Among the highlights were a sprawling, blues-drenched version of "When I Grow Up," an exultant, tambourine-shaking rendition of "Good News," a loosely improvised "Hold Me Back -- Frankie and Johnny," and a crowd-charged "Come a Long Way."

While performing her breakthrough hit "Anchorage," Shocked paused and asked the audience if she should allow Hallmark to use the tune as a commercial jingle. Suffice it to say that the crowd's roaring response would not have pleased the singer's financial advisers.

Shocked appears at the 9:30 club Sunday night.

9:30 Club, Washington DC, 26 Aug 2001

To: <kindheartedwoman@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [khw] 8/26/01 DC show review (long)
From: Hutchinson Bart M IHMD <hutchinsonbm@xx.xxxx.xxx>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 14:33:41 -0400

Michelle played the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on Sunday August 26th 2001. Here's a review.

When I got to the show just before the doors were to open (7:30) there was a small line forming. A few minutes later a small, old looking RV pulled up right next to us with none other than Fiachana driving! We could look in through the front window and see Michelle sitting there. Also inside were a few teenage girls (more on them later). A few more minutes later the back door opened and Michelle walked out and headed to the back door of the club. No one seemed to notice her (she was behind me so I couldn't wave or say hi). She was wearing a long sun dress which she changed out of for the show. Fic then got out (right near me) and I gave him a "two arms in the air, with pumping fists" salute. He smiled, locked the RV and went to the back of the club. Obviously, since no one noticed Michelle, Fic went by completely anonymously.

A few minutes later they let us in and I went up to the balcony to grab a seat. Seconds later, Fic was on stage setting up his guitars. Other band members also came out and set up their stuff.

At about 8:30 (a half an hour before showtime) they started playing Dub Natural on the club's PA. A few minutes before 9:00 Bart Bull came out with water bottles and as he was putting them near the various mics, a few people down in front started talking to him and shaking his hands. He then tuned Michelle's guitar (the Hendrix style left handed-right handed Fender Strat).

A few minutes later Bart came back out on stage and addressed the crowd. He told us that the music we were hearing was Dub Natural and that it was for sale, and he then said that her new album, Deep Natural, would be out in January and it would be in all the stores! Hurray for accessibility! He went on to say that it was a "smoking record" and he thought we would all love it. He also mentioned leaving your email address on a list in the back for info on Michelle -- unfortunately I never found the list so I couldn't sign up, but if anyone else goes to shows, you should look for the list, or maybe get an address for the rest of us to send our info to.

By now it's a little after 9:00 and the club is EMPTY!! I've never seen this place so empty, in fact I've never been to a concert that was so undersold. You could have walked through the door at showtime and easily got down to essentially the front row (this is a general admission club with no seats on the floor). Up in the balcony there were plenty of available seats, and lots of open spaces along the railing. I was shocked at how few people were there. I got a little nervous that the sparse crowd would set Michelle off or bum her out, but to her credit, she never mentioned anything about it, and the people who were there were way into it, and she was into them.

The show started at 9:10 with Forgive to Forget. I think I give the set list here and then get back to the details. I've included some times that I wrote down so you can get an idea of how long the songs were........

9:10
Forgive to Forget
That's So Amazing (with Bart on accordion)
Picoesque (with Bart on acc.)
Good News
(Jen Carr talking about the World Bank and the WTO)
What Can I Say?
10:05
Anchorage
(band intros)
Magic Bracelets (Fic singing)
I Know What You Need
10:27
Come Along Way
Match Burn Twice
VFD >
Fire (?? Some funk-type tune)
If Not Here (with Fic only)
Fogtown (with Bart on acc.)
11:08
Memories of East Texas
Peachfuzz
If Love Was a Train
11:36

Encore:
Can't Take My Joy
Street Corner Ambassador
11:48

As you can probably tell, the songs were very long (some were over 10 minutes). This was mostly due to her various raps during the songs. She'd start a song, sing a verse or two, and then the music would get quiet and she would start talking. She'd talk for 5 minutes or so and then go back and finish up the song. The raps were the same old stuff -- I've had a lot of pain and mistrust in my life, then I found love, or God, or forgiveness, or whatever -- those kinds of things. Honestly, I've grown pretty tired and bored of this kind of thing. I hate to say it, but it's true. Every time I see her I have to hear about all her troubles, etc. Ugg. I feel bad about saying it, because to hear and see her say this stuff, it obviously means a lot to her and it's very heartfelt, but it's often a bit of a downer and it's getting old.

I also think the shows (and the songs suffer) because of it. To me, a lot of the new songs were very good as songs, but when you stretch them out and mellow them out with the talking, they lose something. All the talking seems to water down the power that could be conveyed in the tunes. It also seemed to sap the energy -- you'd get into a song (during the verse), and sort of be rocking along, and then everything would come to nearly a halt when she'd do her talking. At one point during one of the raps someone near me yelled "PLAY, PLAY". Fortunately Michelle didn't hear her.

Now, back to the show...........like I said, I liked the first two tunes (Forgive to Forget, and That's So Amazing) but the overall effect was not that great due to the talking. That's So Amazing featured Bart on accordion and an unnamed young girl on backing vocals (she looked like a cousin or relative of Michelle who was introduced at a previous DC show and sang "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls" -- this was a few years ago).

She was one of the teenage girls that I saw in the RV. It turns out that the other 2 were Fic's twin 10 year old daughters!! She told a story about doing a few shows in Annapolis, MD (one hour north of DC), and then driving up to Burlington, VT for a show on Saturday night and then driving all night (10 hours) to get to DC. She also said that Fic did all the driving! And he was traveling with his twin daughters. Damn! What a schedule!

Good News was next and it had another long intro about the chemical companies and cancer alley and all that (it was here when someone yelled "PLAY"). Again, the song was great, but it took a long time to get there. Somewhere in the middle she introduced an activist friend of hers, Jen Carr, who spoke for four or five minutes on the evils of the World Bank and the WTO and big corporations and all that. I never really knew what all the protesting was all about regarding the WTO and her speech enlightened me a bit.

Another new song, I Know What You Need was next and then came Anchorage. The crowd was very happy to hear something they knew! Unfortunately her delivery was pretty loose and the song lost most of it's effect. This was a problem with all the old songs -- she did them, but they were sort of half assed versions. My wife's quote was "she butchered them" which was pretty much true. It's not that I can't appreciate a version of a song that sounds different from the album (I'm a huge Dylan fan after all), but these were just sloppy, rough versions. Much of the melody in the lyrics was ignored in favor of screaming, slurred vocals, which held little or no emotional power. Most of her old songs were too loose and sloppy to be effective. Sure, she's probably sick of them, but then she shouldn't do them. It's a crime against the songs themselves!

Fic then sang his song, Magic Bracelets, about some guy the Hothouse Flowers were working on an album with -- "the Godfather of Reggae". I don't recall his name, but it wasn't Bob Marley!

After that was I Know What You Need, another new tune that I don't really remember and then came Come Along Way which also suffered from a very loose, non-caring delivery. I wish I could better describe the delivery of these songs but they just left me feeling cheated.

Match Burned Twice, VFD and Fire were next - her trio of Fire songs as she called them. Match Burned was good, but it struck me during this tune that I don't like her current sound! I don't like the sound of the trumpet, and I don't like the heavy bass vibe that she has. I should mention that some of the best moments came from Rich Armstrong, the trumpet player, but I just don't like that sound. Also, Fic should solo more and play harder. Again some of the best moments came when he was soloing, but it was very infrequent. She's had this same band/sound for the last few times I saw her, and I'm ready for her to move on! Maybe it's just my hang up, but I thought she sounded best when she had her "bluegrass" sound happening -- the Arkansas Traveler period.

Fogtown (featuring Bart on accordion) was one of the better tunes of the night, but it was still had a bit of the cavalier delivery that plagued her other old songs, but that was nothing compared to what she did to Memories of East Texas! At this point in the show she was asking for requests. East Texas was the second (Fogtown the first). They play through the intro and get to the first line, but Michelle misses it because she's drinking a beer that someone bought her (a corona with a lime), so she asks the crowd to sing. It was pretty funny/cute to see her try to sing the song but keep screwing up because she was drinking (not drunk, just drinking the beer when there were lyrics to be sung). She'd motion for the crowd to sing, which they did. At one point she stepped up to sing and just burped into the mic! This was pretty funny and seemed to catch her by surprise. She seemed a little embarrassed by this and ran back towards the drums while laughing. But again the crowd had to sing. I figured that she'd start the song over and really do it, but that was it. It was fun to see her goofing around, but on the other hand it was almost insulting to listen to such a half-assed version.

Peachfuzz and If Love Was a Train finished up the show.

For the encore they came back and did Can't Take My Joy and then she said at this point they usually do the Secret To a Long Life Is Knowing When It's Time To Go. Then she said, you know, that's kind of a predictable ending, but you've been so good to us that we want to do something special. So she asked for requests. Everyone was shouting out things and then she said in response to someone, "Street Corner Ambassador?" "Well, that's kind of a hard one and I don't know it anymore and the band has never played it, but you have such a sincere look on your face that I think we'll give it a try" She and the band formed a huddle to try to figure out how to play it and after a few minutes they decided it was in the key of F. She started singing a cappella, and the band slowly picked up the tune. It was really cool to watch. At first it was a little rough with a wrong note here or there, but by the second verse they were all locked in and tight. This was probably the highlight of the night. She stuck to the melody and sang it like she cared. It was great! After the verses, she left the stage and left the band out there to jam a little, which they did, and then the show was over.

She played for about 2 hours and 40 minutes!

As you can probably tell, I wasn't blown away by this show. In fact it was by far my worst Michelle Shocked concert experience. I usually leave her shows all fired up and inspired and blown away, and genuinely moved, but that didn't happen with this one. Oh well, one out of ten ain't bad.

Bart

Atwood Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center, Anchorage AK, 10 Nov 2001

Anchorage Daily News, 14 Nov 2001

Shocked gives fans double dose of 'Anchorage'

By Wesley Loy
Daily News Music Reviewer

Michelle Shocked and her band opened up their Saturday-night show with a lilting, horn-tinged groove and an earnest imperative: "Let it go, let it go, let it go."

That's saying something coming from Shocked, whose counterculture life has been mostly about conflict -- with her parents, with the cops, with her record label, with just finding a balance.

Now, she told an appreciative but below-capacity crowd in Atwood Concert Hall, she's an "old woman" of 39, a housewife stressing over stuff like "people using paper towels when they could perfectly well use a sponge."

That's not to say Shocked has lost her fire. Popping lozenges to cool her tour-burned throat, she pushed her powerful vibrato through a vagabond tour of protest rockers and folk favorites, reggae riffs and a Latino-laced ode to her Los Angeles 'hood. She had help from superb sidemen like Rich Armstrong, whose trumpet never bulled in too strong.

At times it seemed as much a storytelling as a concert. Shocked -- clad in a black tee emblazoned with a glittery red star and the word "child" -- preached environmental justice and dropped bits of autobiography into her songs.

In her seldom-performed old folkie "Memories of East Texas," she told how she bought a battered Volkswagen and "sprayed that sucker Corvette orange." The crowd sang the refrain: "I learned to drive on those East Texas red-clay back roads. And I mean to tell you, my friend, they weren't no easy roads."

Nope, they weren't. Shocked chose her stage name as a wink to her days as a mental patient and war protester. She was a music bum, homeless for a time, living a life most just couldn't.

Yet that life and those songs somehow appeal to many: A girl with metal in her face. An old woman in pigtails. Guys off ski slopes and construction lines. A dude in a kilt. They were all there, and they packed the dance floor by the stage.

Of course, most were eager for Shocked to bust out our unofficial town song, "Anchorage," from her Grammy-nominated album "Short Sharp Shocked" (1988). She sang it -- sort of -- not once but twice.

For the uninitiated, "Anchorage" is about two Texas buddies swapping catch-up letters. They've not talked for two years, not since Michelle sang a love song at her friend's wedding. The friend writes that she's no longer in Dallas but "anchored down in Anchorage" with husband Leroy and little Kevin, who's missing a tooth and just starting school.

Shocked began her first rendition of the song about midconcert, and before she was much into it she trotted out Kevin -- tall now, with model looks and reputedly a job making coffee drinks here in town. The song took a further detour when Shocked sandwiched in that wedding song, "Carrickfergus," featuring band member Fiachna O'Braonian's nifty tin whistle.

In short, Shocked's local "Anchorage" debut was awfully chopped up, hardly resembling the album original, so it was nice after the main show to see her step back onto the stage, just her and an acoustic guitar, for an encore performance. "Ah, perfect," I thought. "An unplugged Anchorage.' "

She started singing but again swerved into storytelling -- how she and her friend worked together in a Dallas telegram company, how great Leroy had been for her, how the couple wanted a picture of their "skateboard punk rocker" friend living among rats and dope dealers in derelict New York City buildings.

Shocked finished up with "Can't Take My Joy," a religious chant from a forthcoming independent album. (She sells her music at shows; stores no longer stock her stuff due to the legal separation from her old label, Mercury.)

After hearing the music and heartfelt testimony, some fans walked out of the dance pit in tears and swore that Shocked was a little misty, too. Well, it was sweet. But hopefully, the next time she comes to town -- she promised to make it back within a year -- she'll sing us a straight version of "Anchorage."

Judging by the smile she blazed all night, Shocked is anchored in genuine happiness these days. She's let it go, and it sounds fine. Keep on rocking, girl.

Rolling Thunder Down Home Democracy Tour, Travis County Expo Center, Austin TX, 23 Mar 2002

The Nation, 24 Mar 2002

The Online Beat by John Nichols

The Lollapalooza of the Left
03/24/2002 @ 11:47am

Singer Michelle Shocked strapped on her guitar and took the stage for the performance that would finish the first stop on the Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour. Looking out at the faces of several thousand cheering Texans, the woman who has penned hits such as "Anchorage" broke into a huge grin and told the crowd, "We just didn't know what we were going to find when we showed up this morning. We didn't know if you all were going to show up. But I think it's been an unqualified success."

Shocked got no argument from the crowd, or from organizers of what may well be the most unlikely scheme to stir the nation's populist sentiment since someone suggested pulling together a protest outside the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle.

Texas populist Jim Hightower's plan to "put the party back into politics" with a rollicking national tour of speechifying, entertaining, organizing and coalition-building along the lines of the 19th-century Chautauqua gatherings had always been greeted with a measure of skepticism. Hightower's friends and allies mumbled that the Lollapalooza of the Left idea might be a hair too ambitious. Would it really be possible, at a time when conservative President George W. Bush is supposed to be enjoying 80 percent approval ratings, to pack a fairgrounds east of Austin for a day of Bush-bashing, corporation-crunching, plutocrat-poking politics with a punch? Hightower admitted that he worried about whether he would prove right one of the best lines of Oklahoma populist Fred Harris: "You can't have a mass movement without the masses."

But the organizers need not have worried. The masses were ready for this movement.

"This is just what a lot of us have been waiting for -- the call to action," said Cate Read, an airline industry analyst who watched from her Houston office as employees from the nearby Enron building carried their belongings out of the collapsed corporation's headquarters. "People are ready to start making some noise about what's been going on in this country. The media makes it sound like everyone's for everything George W. Bush does and that is just not the case -- not even in Texas."

By the time filmmaker and author Michael Moore arrived at mid-day, to the foot-stomping, fist-pumping and cheers of close to 7,000 rebels against the consensus, this corner of Texas was definitely not Bush country.

"Where are we? In a barn?" Moore yelled over the roar of the crowd that had packed into what was, indeed, the Travis County Exposition Center's horse and hog showbarn. Clearly delighted, the most populist of popular entertainers let rip with an assault on the suggestion that dissent is no longer appropriate in post-September 11 America.

"Let me tell you something about the (president's) 80 percent approval rating..." bellowed the author of the nation's No. 1 best-seller, "Stupid White Men." "It's bullshit" came the yell from a fellow in a cowboy hat. "That's right," responded Moore, "it's bullshit."

Echoing the slogan emblazoned on stickers many at the event wore, Moore declared, "We are the majority in this country." For the last six months, he argued, we've been told 'watch what you say,' 'don't dissent,' 'don't question the leader.' Let me tell you something: There is nothing more American than asking these questions."

If there was a theme for the day, it may well have been that dissent is back in fashion. Hip-hop, Tejano, rhythm & blues and folk performers including MC Overlord, Ruben Ramos, Marcia Ball and Shocked flavored their shows with rebel yells, performance artists played the Enron scandal for laughs, game booths allowed kids to toss a ball and knock down a nuclear missile. Workshops took on everything from radioactive waste to genetically-modified food, from militarism to racial profiling, from corporate excess to the "selected-not-elected" presidency of a former Austin resident named Bush. Columnist Molly Ivins got people all worked up.

Everyone got into the act, even Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who walked across the country at age 90 to raise the issue of campaign finance reform and who, at 92, is madder than ever about special-interest influence on government. "I have 16 great-grandchildren," she said, to chants of "Go Granny D." "I want them brought up in a democracy, not a fascist state -- which this country is fast becoming."

Between Granny D and Marcia Ball's rhythm and blues show, US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill, delivered the day's most passionate address. "We come to this Chautauqua because Dr. King was right: America has issued a promisory note and it has come back marked insufficient funds," boomed Jackson, recalling the sudden shift in attitudes about federal spending last fall. "On September 10, we were told there was not enough money for Social Security. But on September 12 or thereabouts, there was $40 billion to find a cave man in Afghanistan -- and we haven't found him yet."

To rising applause from an audience that stayed into the fast-cooling Texas night to hear him, Jackson recounted the $95 billion in new military and corporate-welfare spending that has been authorized since the September 11 attacks.

"We come to this Chautuaqua because 53 million children trapped in separate and not equal schools, and 45 million Americans without health insurance, deserve the same (level of) national response that bin Laden got," boomed Jackson, as he called for a restructuring of national priorities that recognizes a need not just for security against attack from abroad but also for security from hunger, illness and neglect at home.

"My friends, I don't know how to make the Democratic party better and I don't know how to make the Republican party better," Jackson concluded, as tour organizers were already preparing for Chautauqua events in Atlanta, Chicago, Pittsburgh and other cities. "So let us move forward from this Chautauqua not to make the parties better but to make the union better and more perfect for all."

Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas TX, 18 Apr 2002

Dallas Morning News, 20 Apr 2002

Soured hours
Michelle Shocked delivers tight jams and a bad attitude

By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News

An impromptu game of musical chairs broke out Thursday night at Sons of Hermann Hall during Michelle Shocked's concert. But instead of adding comic relief, it put a major damper on an otherwise splendid performance.

The weirdness began before the music even started. Eager to see the Dallas-born singer's first hometown concert in a half-decade, many fans showed up at 8 p.m. -- the advertised "doors open" time for the 9 p.m. show. But inexplicably, they were forced to stand outside the Deep Ellum club for an hour and a half as the late-arriving Ms. Shocked conducted a sound check inside.

When the doors finally opened and people filed in, some fans decided they'd been standing long enough: Several folks began helping themselves to metal chairs stacked up in a corner of the hall, others followed suit, and before you knew it, the dance floor was filled with happily seated fans.

So far, so good. The crowd waited patiently through an opening set by Austin swing-jazz guitarist Slim Richey, even though it had every right to be antsy: The show had been billed as "an evening with" Michelle Shocked – official concert lingo for "Thank your lucky stars we're not making you sit through an opening act tonight."

But the mood turned strange after Mr. Richey's set ended, and Ms. Shocked's husband and bandmate, Bart Bull, began shooing fans off their seats, stacking up the chairs and hauling them away. Never mind that the crowd was heavy on older fans in their 40s and 50s, or that Ms. Shocked's folk-flavored repertoire isn't exactly nonstop party music: Mr. Bull wanted the whole crowd up and rockin' like they'd come to see Blink-182.

Some fans refused and sat on the wooden floor throughout Ms. Shocked's show, making the singer visibly upset.

"Thank you for allowing us to conserve our energy," she said midway through the set, her voice dripping in sarcasm. Later, as she was about to leave the stage, she congratulated herself "for not throwing a tantrum" and then warned fans that she wouldn't return for an encore unless they gave her the riotous applause she deserved.

The ploy worked, and fans screamed loud and long enough to coax her back onstage. But the singer still wasn't happy.

"I didn't know what to make of you tonight," she said, chiding the seated fans for looking as if "you came to sing 'Kumbaya.'"

True, it was far from your standard folk concert. Ms. Shocked and her airtight band, the Perverse All-Stars, started the show with an hour of smoldering reggae-gospel-soul jams from her new CD, Deep Natural. She was just as impressive revisiting old favorites such as "On the Greener Side" and a trumpet-fired "Come a Long Way," and for an encore, she debuted a promising unrecorded new tune, the Springsteen-like "Pico-esque."

She was also a hoot to watch -- constantly high kicking and rubber legging her way across the stage. But for all her savvy as a performer, she still needed to learn one very important concept: It's the audience's right -- not its duty -- to act as wild and crazy as she does.

Pearl Street Nightclub, Northampton MA, 11 May 2002

Union-News, 13 May 2002

Sister Shocked delivers message of simple joy

Monday, May 13, 2002
By KEVIN O'HARE

REVIEW

NORTHAMPTON -- She once seemed like a sure bet for long-term stardom, but Michelle Shocked's fiercely independent attitude never quite fit with music industry expectations.

That cost her, so much so that the tough, controversial and totally unpredictable Shocked's commercial career has slipped significantly since the time she was an overnight folk-punk sensation in the late 1980s.

But by the sounds of it, she's not losing any sleep. For the immensely talented Texas songwriter is answering a higher calling these days.

She's also making some of the best music of her life.

Refreshing and offbeat as ever, Shocked delighted a crowd of approximately 300 fans at Pearl Street Saturday during one of her all-too-infrequent area appearances. Backed by an exceptional five-piece band dubbed "The Perverse All-Stars," she sang songs from throughout her career, but focused heavily on her soulful and spiritual new offering, "Deep Natural."

Riding a wave of down-home gospel fire, the woman known to fellow churchgoers in New Orleans as "Sister Shocked" turned in a rollicking two-hour-and-10-minute performance. Punctuating the 18-song set with enough provocative sermonizing to make a Southern preacher proud, she nevertheless delivered a message of simple joy and thankfulness.

The mood was typified by "Amazing," an early set standout that built upon the musical theme of "Amazing Grace." While her band played majestically behind her, Shocked took the song straight over the top, her voice soaring into a powerhouse upper octave.

In contrast to some previous area performances, Shocked seemed focused and on target this night, starting with the previously unreleased reggae gem "Match Burned Twice," through such highlights as "What Can I Say," a funky "Peachfuzz" and the beautiful, four-part-harmony-filled "If Not Here."

She's switched musical styles constantly in her career and did the same Saturday, offering everything from the fiddle-fired country of "Prodigal Daughter (Cotton Eyed Joe)" and searing rock "(Don't You Mess Around With) My Little Sister," to the folk-based wonder of her early breakthrough hit "Anchorage."

As she often does, the songstress brought several audience members on stage with her to perform a light-hearted "Strawberry Jam" midway through the night.

Shocked was helped greatly by the band, which was anchored by guitarist Fiachna O'Braonain of Ireland's Hothouse Flowers, bassist Jamie Brewer and trumpeter-flugelhorn player Rich Armstrong. Keyboardist Paisley Hinton and drummer Peter Buck also contributed significantly during the course of the show.

The set built strongly toward the back half with a bayou-flavored "On the Greener Side," the dub reggae groove of "Can't Take Away My Joy," and superbly reworked versions of crowd faves "Come a Long Way" and "Memories of East Texas."

The singer encored with "Forgive to Forget" -- complete with a lengthy monologue urging listeners to let go of past bitterness -- before tearing through the rockin' final farewell "Secret to a Long Life."

Village Underground, New York NY, 15 May 2002

New York Post, 17 May 2002

CROWD WOWED BY ECLECTIC SHOCKED
By DAN AQUILANTE

May 17, 2002 --

MICHELLE SHOCKED

Michelle Shocked will play a return engagement at the Warsaw, in Greenpoint, on July 26, $15. (718) 387-5252.

There was a key moment at the Michelle Shocked Village Underground concert Wednesday.

She had just completed playing "Strawberry Jam" where she pulled amateur musicians from the crowd to play mandolins, spare guitars and anything that could make music.

In her best I-got-something-to-say voice, the diminutive Texan told the audience "music is like politics, it's too important to be left in the hands of professionals."

That's the way Shocked entered music -- as an amateur who loved to play -- and despite how good she's gotten strumming 'n' humming in a variety of styles, at heart she's a campfire singer who believes everybody is in the jam, not the players on stage.

That attitude and her homespun songs are why the crowd adored this singer/songwriter who operates under the radar of mainstream music but still has a large cult following.

The fans at the VU gig seem as different from one another as Shocked's songs.

There were heaps of hugging lesbian couples, single guys who weren't going to get lucky, yuppie pairs and NYU students.

Under normal circumstances Shocked's fans would have little in common, but in this intimate Village basement club the feeling was that of a dysfunctional family picnic.

At one point, one of Sappho's daughters smacked a guy in a Grateful Dead shirt for getting too close, and then they both went back to watching the show.

While Shocked and her crackerjack six-man band aren't much to look at, musically they're tight.

Everyone sings as well as (if not better than) Shocked, and the combination of guitar, trumpet, bass, drums, keyboards and pedal steel guitar allows the band incredible flexibility in creating sound.

Although the loudest cheers were for Shocked's old stuff like "Anchorage" and "The Greener Side," the real magic of the night came in the new brass-meets-guitar gospel-styled tunes such as "That's So Amazing" and "Can't Take My Joy."

Shocked was a little pretentious, and way too precious when she did her talking-song schtick like the insipid "Rabbit Song" and the way-too-long yawn "Peachfuzz," but those were just mild digressions in what was overall a good concert.

Agnes MacDonald Music Haven Stage, Central Park, Schenectady NY, 21 Jul 2002

Times Union, Albany NY, 22 Jul 2002

Crowd gets Shocked treatment

by MICHAEL ECK, Special to the Times Union
First published Monday, July 22, 2002

SCHENECTADY -- "Joy, joy, joy, hallelujah," Michelle Shocked sang midway through her second set Sunday afternoon in Schenectady. She might as well have sung that refrain all day, because joy was clearly the theme of her lengthy show at the Agnes MacDonald Music Haven Stage.

Even when she explored darker themes, Shocked still seemed filled with the spirit.

Shocked and crew arrived at 2 p.m. for the 3 o'clock gig, so many in the crowd got to hear the sound check as well as the show. Nevertheless, she hit the stage on time and played for almost three hours.

After a slightly too-loose opening number -- "Memories of East Texas" -- Shocked laughed and said, "We're gonna have to sing 'Kumbaya' to make up for it." The joke turned into a full-fledged, soulful rendition. In the second set she made the audience sing along with "The Midnight Special" as well. Surprises, however, are par for the course with notoriously eccentric -- and prodigiously talented -- Shocked. She doesn't use a set list or a net, and her performances scan the musical horizon in an even more eclectic way than her thematic albums.

She touched on folk ("The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore"), rock ("Come A Long Way," "Anchorage"), swing ("On The Greener Side," "My Little Sister"), campfire country ("Prodigal Daughter") and the blues ("When I Grow Up") as though all were second nature.

Her magic voice -- equal parts sass, smoke and Texas rain -- tied all the disparate elements together.

Onstage, Shocked was joined by a bass, guitar and trumpet trio that sounded surprisingly full despite its diminutive size. Hornman Rich Armstrong in particular gave the from-the-hip harmonic structures a broad sweep. And his battery of Miles Davis-like effects ably re-created the Jamaican dub elements so important to Shocked's latest album, "Deep Natural/Dub Natural."

She sampled "Forgive to Forget" and "That's So Amazing" from the latter. And the above-mentioned album-opening track, "Joy," was a crowd-pleaser too.

She closed her first set with an a cappella take of Steve Goodman's Vietnam War-era tearjerker, "The Ballad of Penny Evens." The song, especially in Shocked's hands, has lost none of its power.

Joy, joy, joy indeed.

Shocked also offered some advice about the joy (again) of making homemade music in "Strawberry Jam." To prove her point she invited fans - Akbar, Branda and Marsha - up to make some music with her.

MICHELLE SHOCKED

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Agnes MacDonald Music Haven Stage, Central Park, Schenectady

Musical Highlights: Shocked, who urged the crowd to make homemade music, invited fans onstage to perform with her during "Strawberry Jam."

The crowd: A relaxed gaggle of Sunday music fans lined the hill, while a few got up to dance in front of the stage at the show's end.

Length: 2 hours 45 minutes. One intermission.

Northern Lights Theater, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Milwaukee WI, 14 Aug 2002

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 Aug 2002

Shocked is full of fun, fervor

Her blend of musical styles, politics, religion makes entertaining mix

By DAVE TIANEN
of the Journal Sentinel staff

I don't think I heard a Gregorian chant, and there definitely weren't any whaling songs.

But that's just about all Michelle Shocked overlooked Wednesday night at Potawatomi Bingo Casino's Northern Lights Theater. Performing before a full house, Shocked led the crowd on a romp through the American songbook that included rock, blues, calypso, reggae, gospel, country, funk and Celtic. And she did it with verve, enthusiasm, humor and, most of all, a contagious sense of fun.

It was Shocked's first show in a casino, and her audience clearly hit the jackpot. She danced, sang, told stories, did a little political agitating and put in a good word for the Lord. Like another recent Milwaukee visitor, Bruce Cockburn, Shocked blends left-of-center political convictions with a rich streak of Christian faith. A high point of her set -- and there were many -- came when she went to her new album, "Deep Natural," for the joyous rave-up of "Good News," a song that reflects both her politics and her faith.

In "Good News," she celebrates an unlikely alliance of poor black folks and Greenpeace activists who came together to block the construction of an environmentally dangerous chemical plant in rural Louisiana. The song itself is chock full of gospel fervency and features a killer solo by saxophonist Rich Armstrong.

"Deep Natural" is a superb piece of work, and not surprisingly, the show featured a generous sampling. There was the rollicking funk of "Peachfuzz." There was a soulful celebration of faith in "That's So Amazing," which functions as sort of a 21st-century sequel to "Amazing Grace."

There were a few nods to older material as well. One highlight was "Anchorage," in which the singer trades letters with an old friend from Texas who suddenly and unexpectedly finds herself a housewife in Alaska. And likes it.

Shocked jokes that you're not supposed to preach at people about politics and religion and she does both, which is true. But she does it with such warmth, joy, humor and conviction that you end up feeling entertained and enlightened more than harassed and annoyed.

There are certainly record company executives who would tell you that Shocked's long habit of bouncing between musical styles and directions has been a hindrance to her career. Maybe. Maybe not.

But in concert, it helps keep her fresh, inventive and totally unpredictable.

And that -- as Martha likes to say -- is a good thing.

Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz CA, 30 Aug 2002

Metro Santa Cruz, 4-11 Sep 2002

Shocking Revival!
By Mike Connor

OK, so maybe Michelle Shocked's born-again revelation and gospel explorations are common knowledge by now, but ultimately what it comes down to is... seeing is believing. As I was sufficiently prepared for an evening of activist-minded gospel, Michelle Shocked and the Perverse All-Stars then of course kicked off the show with what else but an African-flavored jam ("In the year 2010/The Pope, the Pope is African"), which was nice because it inspired the World Famous Butt Dance, wherein the entire band stood cheek to cheek, shaking their various groove things at the seated Rio audience. It was as if to say, "See how much fun you could have if you'd just get up and dance?" Ohhhhh, and dance they did, but who wouldn't when faced with a whole show "designed to uplift and inspire... first of all your ass!" Boogie-woogie blues, gospel, reggae... even a punk rock version of "Anchorage"... you name it, they played it. Well, OK, there was no Scandanavian black metal, but they really were all over the map. Michelle was all big squinty-eyed smiles and cackling laughter, seemingly in high spirits the whole night through.

Which may be where Jesus comes in. She eased us slowly into the deeper waters, starting out with an anecdote about an observation of the people of St. James Parrish in Louisiana, who inspired her when they rallied against a polyvinyl-chloride company through their church and their faith. But even when she brought it all home with "That's So Amazing" and a version of "Amazing Grace," she did her best to keep her speeches nondenominational: "In my pursuit of injustice and hatred, I lost my vision of beauty. [Now] I can look right into the face of hatred and see the beauty. I can see the light shining, and that's my faith, y'all. That's my faith." Amen, sista.

Speed highlights: W.F. Butt Dance, punk rock "Anchorage," bluesy duel between tinwhistle and trumpet, Michelle's fiddling debut, hubby's accordion solo and Michelle's niece Rachel singing a verse in "Joy," because, damn, that girl can sing. Added bonus: I got to be Roadie for a Night, and I believe I've got what it takes to make it to the top, baby, because I was good. Damn good.

Anti-War Rally, Malcolm X Park, Washington DC, 8 Mar 2003

Reuters, 8 Mar 2003

Authors Arrested in War Protest at White House

Sat Mar 8, 8:59 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acclaimed authors Alice Walker and Maxine Hong Kingston were among a group of 23 women arrested in front of the White House on Saturday as they protested against what they called a misguided march toward war, protest organizers said.

"They were in front of the White House, registering their discontent with the war and the war plans and were arrested by Park Police simply for standing in front of the White House and saying 'no' to war," said Gopal Dayaneni, a spokesman for the anti-war group CodePink which organized the rally.

A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police confirmed that about 25 people had been arrested on the sidewalk in front of the White House for crossing police lines and demonstrating in a closed area.

"The president may pretend that he doesn't want to hear us, he doesn't see us, but believe me eventually he will see us and he will hear us," Walker, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for her novel "The Color Purple," told CNN before her arrest.

Kingston, perhaps best known for her 1976 novel The Woman Warrior, has won numerous awards for her work and was a recipient of a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 1981.

Several thousand demonstrators, mostly women wearing pink, took part in the rally timed to coincide with International Women's Day. Celebrities in the crowd included singer Michelle Shocked and actress Janeane Garofalo.

"The White House refuses to listen to the people of the world who are trying to stop this immoral and unnecessary war from happening, and won't even let peaceful protesters get near them to express our dissent," CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans said.

CodePink, whose name is a play on the Bush administration's system of terror threat warning levels, said Medea Benjamin, who founded the group with Evans, and Amy Goodman, the host of the Pacifica Radio program "Democracy Now," were also arrested.

President Bush has sent more than 250,000 troops to the Gulf to be ready to invade Iraq to oust President Saddam Hussein and destroy the chemical and biological weapons which Bush says the Iraqis have. Baghdad denies having such arms.

The U.S. preparations for war have generated widespread international opposition but Bush said his main concern is the security of the United States.

Anti-War Rally, Malcolm X Park, Washington DC, 8 Mar 2003

Washington Post, 9 Mar 2003

In Effort to Keep the Peace, Protesters Declare 'Code Pink'

By Sylvia Moreno and Lena H. Sun
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, March 9, 2003

Chanting "Bush says Code Red; we say Code Pink" and "Peace, not war!" thousands of women marched through downtown Washington yesterday to the Ellipse to protest the looming prospect of war with Iraq.

About 25 protesters were arrested without incident late in the afternoon for refusing to leave the pedestrian mall in front of the White House after U.S. Park Police closed the area to demonstrators.

The march was timed to coincide with International Women's Day and began with a morning rally at Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, in Northwest Washington. Similar rallies were held yesterday in 50 cities, from Anchorage to Honolulu. Washington's event was sponsored by CodePink Women for Peace, an organization whose name was inspired by the government's color-coded terror alert system and that has held daily vigils against the war in front of the White House since Nov. 18. The rally featured speakers ranging from authors Alice Walker and Maxine Hong Kingston to singer Michelle Shocked and nuclear disarmament activist Helen Caldicott.

"The best substitute for war is intelligence, and we have it... and we have good hearts," said Walker, wearing a pink stole, a pink top and pink elastic bands in her dreadlocks. "We have to believe we have good hearts, that we don't have to murder to change minds."

If code pink was the mantra of the day, the color also lent a festive theme to the accessories worn by much of the crowd, from pink boas to Day-Glo pink wigs and pink silky slips to pink duct tape and stuffed pink bunnies. There were the Raging Grannies from Rochester, N.Y.; Women in Black-D.C.; the Goo Goo Dolls Fans for Peace; Women and Children for Peace; Grandmothers for Peace; Black Voices for Peace; D.C. Asians for Peace and Justice; and the Takoma Park Kids for Peace.

"I'm half-Palestinian, and I don't want another war in the Middle East," said 10-year-old Gabriella Smith, a fifth-grader at Piney Branch Elementary School who organized Takoma Park Kids for Peace. She and some of her classmates have been holding a 90-minute vigil every Friday afternoon since Feb. 14 in front of the Takoma Park municipal building and will continue, she said, "until the war's done."

The rally and march came on the heels of President Bush's news conference Thursday night in which he said he would seek the U.N. Security Council's approval next week of a proposal by the United States, Britain and Spain to go to war against Iraq if President Saddam Hussein does not disarm by March 17. But Bush indicated that regardless of the outcome of the U.N. vote, he was prepared to take military action against Hussein, who is suspected of possessing banned weapons of mass destruction.

CodePink spokeswoman Medea Benjamin, who is on leave as the director of Global Exchange in San Francisco to run CodePink, called the event a "celebration of life."

"Let's celebrate the beautiful world community we have, and let's find ways of dealing with each other that don't include killing each other," she said.

Benjamin said that she and 14 other American women visited Iraq for 10 days in February on a "people-to-people" mission. They spoke to Iraqi women who, she said, did not understand why the Bush administration was threatening to invade their country or was seemingly obsessed with Hussein.

"They said they were being terrorized by George Bush and they said, 'We are not a threat to you. Saddam Hussein is our problem,' " Benjamin said. "We were there to show the women of Iraq that we know when bombs fall, they don't fall on dictators. They fall on innocent women and children. And we told them we don't want to see any of their children killed because we feel about their children like we do our own."

The Rev. Graylan Hagler, pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northwest Washington and the sole male speaker at the rally, said he believed his perspective was an important part of the event.

"Black people and people of color are always locked out of the debate in this country and particularly in the international arena," said Hagler, who also spoke later in the day to several religious groups that held an interfaith peace walk that began at the Washington National Cathedral and ended at the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Avenue NW.

"We have always been involved in the military, as a hope for jobs and for benefits to go to school, and then we are used as cannon fodder in a war that has no beneficial effect on our standing in this society," he said.

March organizers had been denied a permit to march directly in front of the White House. Instead, police told organizers earlier in the day that a few groups of 25 protesters each would be allowed to march in front of the White House on the Pennsylvania Avenue pedestrian mall. But when Benjamin, the CodePink spokeswoman, and several of the rally speakers, arrived at the 17th Street entrance to the area, they were rebuffed by police.

"Go get 'em, girls!" someone yelled from the crowd as the small grouped talked about what to do. The women sat down on the sidewalk and chanted, "We're putting our bodies on the line to stop this war while there's still time;" then stood up and, after a few minutes, were allowed into the pedestrian mall by D.C. and Park police.

They entered a little after 3 p.m., but Park Police later closed Lafayette Square and the surrounding area to stop additional protesters from entering the area in front of the White House. About two dozen protesters -- including Benjamin, Walker and Kingston -- who stayed on the pedestrian mall, were asked by police to leave. They did not.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Park Police officers began arresting members of the group. One by one, the women were put in plastic handcuffs, while others continued to chant and sing, "Peace, Shalom, Shalom" and waved a banner that read, "Code Pink: Women for Peace," according to Rick Hind, a legislative director for Greenpeace who was a few feet from the women, behind a barricade.

Sgt. Scott Fear, a Park Police spokesman, said the women were charged with "being in a closed, restricted area" and would be released within a few hours. Most of those arrested were still being processed about 9:30 p.m., Park Police said.

Meanwhile, protesters who had been waiting all afternoon to walk in front of the White House expressed their disgust and frustration.

"Why would you deliberately impede the exercise of constitutional rights by a group of grandmothers wearing pink?" asked Nancy Skougor, 61, a D.C. resident and former political science professor. "What are they afraid of?"

Molly Malone's, Los Angeles CA, 25 Mar 2003

LA Weekly, 4-10 Apr 2003

MICHELLE SHOCKED
at Molly Malone's, March 25

"You may be Shocked, but I'm awed," quipped Paul Krassner to Michelle Shocked, delighting the packed house. There was a palpable hunger in the air at Molly Malone's, a need to simultaneously express outrage at the devastation wreaked upon Iraq by the U.S. military while making a joyful noise to relieve the concomitant widespread nausea. In front of fiery fake logs and with piped-in chirping crickets, Shocked presided over the fourth and final "Campfire Series," equal parts variety show, anti-war protest and benefit for International ANSWER. Shocked's endearing Texas twang and down-home demeanor are proof that -- in spite of the spurious spin -- dissent is profoundly Middle American.

Shocked delivered three songs in her folk-with-'tude trademark style -- "Who Cares?," "Looks Like Mona Lisa" and "Go in Peace" -- and, as mistress of ceremonies, introduced Groundlings legend Maryedith Burrell and the Firesign Theater's Peter Bergman, who presented mock awards called the Bummers. Tony Blair won Best Adaptation of a President for "impersonating a prime minister while actually wanting to be First Poodle of the United States." L.A.'s diva deluxe Suzy Williams belted out three tunes with Bill Burnett as the Boners, including "Dear God We Broke the Planet." Artist David Willardson painted and Pogues accordionist James Fearnley squeezeboxed throughout, notably while the performers leaped out of their seats and danced a jig.

The highlight was Realist editor/Yippie co-founder/investigative satirist Krassner's pointed standup. He remarked that this "was the first time in history that one country tried to get another to disarm so they could invade them" and reminded the audience to laugh, otherwise "it'll only help the terrorists." Thankfully, no one needed help during Krassner's brilliant set. (Michael Simmons)

Prince Of Wales, Melbourne, Australia, 21 Apr 2003

The Age, 24 Apr 2003

Not short, but Shocked is still sharp

MICHELLE SHOCKED
Prince of Wales, St Kilda,
April 21
Review by Chris Beck

With energy to spare, Michelle Shocked gave an, at times, verbose, three-hour performance that spanned her life as an activist, singer and born-again Christian.

As the spotlight faded up, the singer smiled broadly and welcomed everyone in her refined Texas drawl, declaring her approval of the vibe. She then sang an emotional protest song unaccompanied to highlight her stand on the Iraq crisis: "They say the war is over, but I think it's just begun." She stood alone on stage for the next 30 minutes to "muse and riff on my thoughts".

The rape she endured in Europe gave her "a point of view", she said, as she launched into drawling blues that railed against racism and injustice.

After tales of mental institutions and another rape, she sang a wailing version of the black prison anthem Midnight Special, and the audience sang along.

The life lessons could have been far more succinct and less self-righteous -- "Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt love. Am I right?" But when the band, including former Mothers of Invention lead guitarist Mary Stuart, joined her, she lightened up and the show became more fun.

Memories of East Texas, a soulful folk tune from her Short Sharp Shocked album, produced a beautiful singalong from the mainly female true believers in the audience. Shocked was genuinely touched that not only did the crowd know the chorus, they sang the verse as well.

Songs included the fun, bluegrass Prodigal Daughter, the rousing pop hit, Come a Long Way, the rock'n'roll glory of Don't Mess Around with My Little Sister and, of course, Anchorage, the song that put her on the map.

Her musical moods snapped from hillbilly screams and folksy solemnity to cranked-up thrash and, towards the end of the marathon, she did a couple of songs from her latest, soul-inspired album, Deep Natural.

She wasn't into spruiking her product like so many touring acts; she didn't even mention the album. Shocked wanted to sell the message and, at this gig, she was preaching to the converted.

Regent Theatre, Arlington MA, 31 May 2003

The Boston Globe, 2 Jun 2003

Strong yet vulnerable, Shocked shines in emotional excursion

By Ashlea Deahl, Globe Correspondent, 6/2/2003

If the sign of a gifted performer is how emotionally drained she leaves her audience, Michelle Shocked, Janis Joplin's soul sister of the South, is approaching the status of musical genius.

The self-proclaimed radical feminist, embracing her latest cause of promoting independent radio, commanded the stage -- and soapbox -- for three hours Saturday night at Arlington's Regent Theatre, where she crooned, cried, and cut loose to a crowded house.

"Operation Campfire: Shocked and Odd" traversed the musician's eclectic catalog of blues, country, rock, and gospel, carrying the audience through soaring, spiritual highs and deep, passionate lows as she chronicled her troubled past. But Shocked's unforgettable performance was more an emotional roller coaster than the slam on tyrannical radio giants that was expected.

Shocked bills the national tour as a forum for boosting independent radio. The longtime activist with East Texas roots has always decried corporate control, so this latest venture is no surprise. But despite Shocked's strong sentiments about greedy record companies and radio superpowers -- she sued her former label, Mercury, claiming "indentured servitude," and has since formed her own label, Mighty Sound -- the show was completely void of this message. Other than a few obscure references to radio elites such as Clear Channel, Shocked's intended theme for the show simply didn't materialize.

It featured instead a poorly contrived postwar antiwar protest, with kitschy comedy bits by Firesign Theatre cofounder Peter Bergman and writer-actor Maryedith Burrell of Second City. Their satirical renditions of USO show entertainers Bob Hope and Martha Raye throughout the night bruised Shocked's powerful performance and, though clever at times, were condescending.

Despite these awkward transitions, Shocked and her three-piece band, which she dubbed the 101st Screaming Symbols Rhythm Brigade for the evening, still delivered. From the blues- and funk-infused "Fogtown" to the intimate acoustics on "5 a.m. in Amsterdam," Shocked glowed with the energy, wisdom, and determination of a seasoned performer.

And while it seems at times that Shocked has a hard time letting go of her past -- she narrates painful memories of being raped, institutionalized, and growing up with a Mormon fundamentalist mother -- she laments so lyrically that we are forced to focus on her voice, which darts effortlessly from a light staccato to a rich, resonant vibrato.

In fact, it was her highly personal gospel-inspired songs and sweet, simple ballads that truly shone Saturday night. Whether she was leading the audience in a tearful singalong of "Amazing Grace" or ending the evening with a haunting a capella version of Steve Goodman's Vietnam War protest song "The Ballad of Penny Evans," Shocked revealed that she can stand on her own but isn't immune to vulnerability.

She even shared a few secrets with the audience, hinting at a new love following the separation from her husband and manager, Bart Bull, five months ago. As if the audience deserved clarification about the split and a word of comfort during the night's ongoing catharsis, Shocked leisurely strummed her guitar and explained, "Love is so big, it'll take you how you are, but it sure won't let you stay that way."