FOLK-ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS

Tony Peyser
Mirror contributing writer

   There is something improbable and comical about a fistfight breaking out at a folk-rock concert. It seems as unlikely as a drive-by at a badminton match. But this was no ordinary folk-rock gig: this was the genre’s Ground Zero. In 1965, Alan Lomax Jr. (who died two weeks ago) duked it out with Albert Grossman, Bob Dylan’s manager, at The Newport Folk Festival. Lomax, a purist musicologist, was horrified to see the king of folk go electric. To honor Lomax’s passing, this week I’m only going to review blues and folk.
   Corey Harris’ Downhome Sophisticate is a stunner. Like Alvin “Youngblood” Hart and Guy Davis, Harris is taking a rollicking ride from Mississippi to Africa and cooking up a musical mix that puts new meat on old bones. This isn’t blues that rocks; it roars. The opening track is a recording of some old Southern politician (no doubt in Strom Thurmond’s Rolodex) ranting unpleasantly. When the second track —- “Frankie Doris” —- kicks in, there’s a “Sha na na na na” chorus but it’s more like “Nah nah nah nah” to this ancient bigot. With an undercurrent of funk, this is edgy blues that packs a wallop.
   An old friend recently said I should find this Richard Shindell song called “Are You Happy Now?” which involves a nasty break-up on a holiday. I only knew Shindell from Cry Cry Cry, a kind of folk supergroup which featured two other singers I’ve written about and like: Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky. His new CD, Courier, is a spirited live collection and I’m happy now because “Are You Happy Now?” is on it. Shindell has a compelling voice and this song (which he wrote) seems like it has music by R.E.M and lyrics by Barenaked Ladies. After the couple has this huge fight in front of Halloween trick-or-treaters, these lines killed me: “I was amazed to think that you/Could take the candy with you, too.” That could be the worst end of a relationship story ever. Shindell also shows his gift at covers with a terrific version of Lowell George’s classic “Willin’” and an impassioned take on Bruce Springsteen’s “4th of July, Asbury Park.”
   Even though he’s white and only 22, Atlanta-based Sean Costello is a bona fide bluesman. His second CD, Cuttin’ In, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Blues Award in 2000. On his new album, Moanin’ For Molasses, Costello proves he can really play but also has the savvy to pick songs by blues legends like Willie Dixon, Steve Cropper and Buddy Guy. The instrumental title track is reminiscent of Mike Bloomfield, one of the best white blues guitarists of the 1960s. Costello’s roughed-up singing helps him put over a scorching cover of “You’re Killing My Love,” which was written by Nick Gravenities and (small world) Mike Bloomfield. It’s also worth mentioning that Bloomfield was backing Dylan at that Newport Folk Festival when those Alan Lomax Jr.-Albert Grossman fisticuffs broke out. People, if you look hard enough, there are connections everywhere.
   Amazon has Downhome Sophisticate for $13.99 and Moanin’ For Molasses $14.99. Miles Of Music (www.milesofmusic.com) has Courier for $16.50.
   *On August 2, Sean Costello will be at Blue Café in Long Beach and on August 3, you can catch him at Cafe Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach.
   * The Goofy Band Name Of The Week is … Falling Wallendas.