David Gray co-headlined with Amos Lee at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington on July 13th. Most of the crowd was on their feet and dancing in front of the stage only 20 minutes into his 90-minute set. I’ve seen David a number of times before – coincidently for the first time at the same venue – and he sounded great. And he still has his characteristic head bobble. With 12 albums to his credit, David had a lot of material to draw from, including songs from his latest album, Mutineers.
Joseph – Portland sisters Allison, Meegan and Natalie Closner – opened and also came on stage during David’s set to add their beautiful harmonies to “Gulls.”
The final songs before the encore included excellent renditions of “Please Forgive Me” and “Babylon,” with the audience singing on the latter. The show ended all too soon due to the city-imposed 10pm curfew.
Magical English singer Sam Lee makes his first visit to Seattle tomorrow, Tuesday July 21st for a headlining show at the Fremont Abbey. Lee, formerly a dancer – a burlesque dancer at that! – got into the traditional music of Travellers (also called Gypsies: among the Irish, Scottish and Roma peoples) in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and has made great albums. His first album, Ground of Its Own, was nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize in 2012. He has become an expert in the genre, working with singers such as Freda Black; his second album, The Fade in Time, is also exquisite. Lee has a delicious voice, and brings a band with him for this tour. So get ready for some lovely songs, and perhaps something I read he enjoys: wild swimming.
Sam Lee
Is the Traveller community more trusting of you now?
Sam Lee: Absolutely. Every family that I meet, I build up that relationship and trust, and they introduce me to other people. I have a good phone book of friends and adopted grandparents.
Are there folk songs you look for, as in heard of but not found, or are they usually presented to you?
SL: Very rarely will I find a song that has never been heard of. Occasionally I find a song that I don’t know, but I will be able to find out about it quite easily with a bit of research. Sometimes some are harder than others, and some are rarer. I’ve done so many songs now that I have a good idea of the oeuvre of the repertoire.
Is there an urgency of finding the songs and the singers?
SL: The singers are dying off very fast, and we’re trying to record them.
Do you think folk music’s popularity is due to its frequent use of male and female viewpoints?
SL: I definitely think that is one of the factors, and the ability for people to sing about the emotions and situations of men and women, old and young, in all sorts of predicaments. I love that, being able to inhabit the voices (with) a completely different perspective. It’s like being an actor in that sense, you get to play characters, and emotions.
You started out as a dancer?
SL: I love it more than anything else in the world. I’m never happier.
What about your background in music? Was your family musical?
SL: Yeah. I always loved music, and singing with friends. There was never any aspiration for performance. I never thought of it as a career.
My father – who I take after – was a visual artist. He started off as a musician, and gave that professionally up to do art, which he made his career. I did it the other way round. My mother was very musical. I was very lucky to be brought up on such a rich diet of music and craft.
Will this be your first visit to Seattle?
SL: It is. I’m ashamed to say it. I’ve been to San Francisco but I’ve never made it up to Seattle. Seattle’s always been this hallowed city that I’ve always wanted to know about. I’ve got lots of friends there. A friend of mine’s got a kombucha factory, so I’m really excited to see the kombucha brewing factory.
The area you are playing in, Fremont, is gorgeous. You will like it.
SL: The whole band – we all love wild swimming.
I was going to ask you about that!
SL: When we’re on the road, we’ll just pull over by a river and jump in, and refresh ourselves.
Who were those people holding you down in the video for “Blackbird?”
SL: They were friends of mine, from being a dancer, from my dancing days. Where I live in London, there are a lot of people in the dance world. I love dancers. I love their joy and expressiveness.
You’re also a wildlife expert. Are you self-taught?
I’ve learned a lot myself. I’ve learned to be with some wonderful teachers. Sometimes it’s not about learning, it’s just about being present and being outdoors, and understanding how every place you go to has got a different rhythm, and the animals and plants grow in a different relationship to each other.
Are you a big reader?
SL: I love reading books about man and nature. . . landscapes. I don’t read as many novels as I should, but I read a lot literature on the natural world, natural history. Try out Robert Macfarlane, he’s big in the UK at the moment – he’s reviving that kind of writing. A really wonderful writer – a total genius.
Detroit-based Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas played at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard on July 1st. The high-energy songstress’ voice was the star of the show, backed by the 5-member Deltas. The stop was in the middle of their 15-week North American tour in support of their debut album Secret Evil. This was their second show at the Tractor in just seven months. Hurry back!
In the spring of April 2015, the great Minneapolis, Minnesota band the Replacements made two stops in the Northwest with dates in Seattle and Portland. With original bassist and band founder, Tommy Stinson, and singer Paul Westerberg, the group has fed strong rumors of a new Replacements album. Yes! For the tour they had Seattle’s the Young Fresh Fellows as openers. We were extremely lucky to send photographer Monica Martinez to both dates:
British-Irish quartet One Direction captured a huge section of Seattle last night when they played CenturyLink Field. I will have so many more photos and a review of the show soon, but I wanted to share a few photos Right Now. Thanks for the wicked show, One Direction!
