Annenberg Space – #DKLPHOTOS

Shelby Lynne | KCRW’s “Country In The City” | 7/26/14 [PHOTOS & REVIEW]

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

Headlining the second concert of the County In The City concert series, inspired by The Annenberg Space for Photography’s newest exhibit, “Country: Portraits of an American Sound,” was Grammy Award winning, country recording artist Shelby Lynne.

I found out about her and her music when she gave her now legendary Grammy Award acceptance speech in 1999 for Best New Artist. “13 years, and 6 albums to get here,” she said. It still gets me everytime.

A prolific recording artist, she has recorded 13 studio albums, and a handful of EPs, her latest effort being a 5 track EP released on December 10, 2013 through her own independent record label Everso Records. With so much music under her belt, her set consisted of music covering her entire career.

Opening her set with the heart-wringer “Your Lies”, then performing the first song she ever wrote, “Leaving”, covering a tune by Dusty Springfield, to performing “Life Is Bad” and “Where I’m From” (off her seminal album “I Am Shelby Lynne”), it was a concert filled with her “greatest hits”, and the crowd ate it up.

Perhaps the most poignant moments of her performance was when she sang songs for the heartbroken. The emotion espoused through her impassioned lyrics, sung with her seemingly delicate contralto voice, left the audience moved. It may have been the lighting, but I could swear I could even see her eyes well up during several of the songs.

As an added treat, Shelby was able to get Jonathan and Zach of Jamestown Revival to come onstage to join her for the last song of her set (a cover of Neil Young’s “Are You Ready for the Country”). Reading lyrics from an iPhone, it was a light and carefree performance that brought the stellar acts of the evening onto the stage to bid the crowd goodnight.

Set List

Your Lies
Leaving
Life is bad
Easier
I Only Want to Be With You
Gotta Get Back
Why Can’t You
Look’n Up
She Knows
Should’ve Been
Dreamsome
Black Light Blue
Wind
Where I’m From
Call me up
This Road
Walking
Are You Ready for the Country — Neil Young cover with Jamestown Revival

It was a joy being in the pit shooting Shelby. I hope you like the the pics that I snapped. I sure like ’em.

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

July 28, 2014August 6, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Americana, Annenberg Space, Ben Peeler, Brendan Buckley, Century City, Century Park, Chris Joyner, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, Country, country music, Country: Portraits of an American Sound, Ed Maxwell, Everso, Everso Records, folk, folk music, FREE all-ages outdoor concerts, kcrw, kcrw concert, Lisa Donelly, Midnight Rider, Outlaw Country, Sally Dworsky, set list, setlist, Shelby Lynne, singer, singer songwriter, The Annenberg Space for Photography Leave a comment

Jamestown Revival | KCRW’s “Country In The City” | 7/26/14 [PHOTOS & REVIEW]

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

Opening for Shelby Lynne at the second concert of the County In The City concert series, inspired by The Annenberg Space for Photography’s newest exhibit,“Country: Portraits of an American Sound,” was Jamestown Revival.

Founded by Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance (best friends since the age of 15), Jamestown Revival is a band whose music blends tight harmonies with west coast melodies and a southern twang.

Their most recent album, “Utah” (which was, in fact, recorded in Utah!) is a solid debut album, with tracks that are skillfully written and reveal their heady grasp of a vast array of musical genres. Country. Folk. Rock… the 11 tracks on their album suggest that they have what it takes to break into the mainstream. Their live show proved it.

Backed with full band, Jonathan and Zach dazzled the audience with their upbeat music, and their grateful personalities. In between songs, reaching for the beers at their feet, they seemed to revel in being able to perform in front of a large audience, and for being given a chance to be a part of the KCRW family.

“I remember when our manager called and told us we’d be on morning become eclectic,” Jonathan said shaking his head side-to-side as if he was still in disbelief, “Zach and I have dreamed about doing this since we were 15.” The crowd’s cheers brought him back to reality.

Before the last song of their set, Jonathan told the audience that though he and Zach are from Texas, California had become a second home to them. In a fitting end, as the sun set in the west, they started into their song inspired by their life in the Golden State with “California (Cast Iron Soul)”. It really couldn’t have been more perfect. Hopefully, they don’t go home too soon, though (<-you should pay attention to lyrics!) I want to see them play more shows in Los Angeles.

Set List:

Fur Coat Blues
Revival
Medicine
Golden Age
Wandering Man
Heavy Heart
Trouble Is
Born on the Bayou (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
California (Cast Iron Soul)

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Annenberg Space, Born On The Bayou, Brad Lindsey, California, California (Cast Iron Soul), Century City, Century Park, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photographer, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert pic, concert pics, concert review, country music, Country: Portraits of an American Sound, Ed Benrock, folk music, FREE all-ages outdoor concerts, Fur Coat Blues, Golden Age, Heavy Heart, Jamestown, Jamestown Revival, Jonathan Clay, kcrw, medicine, Nick Bearden, Revival, set list, setlist, The Annenberg Space for Photography, Trouble Is, Utah, Wandering Man, Zach Chance Leave a comment

Gregg Allman | KCRW’s “Country In The City” Concert Series | 7/19/14 [REVIEW]

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Annenberg Foundation

Headlining the inaugural concert of the County In The City concert series, inspired by The Annenberg Space for Photography’s newest exhibit,“Country: Portraits of an American Sound,” was Gregory LeNoir “Gregg” Allman, an American rock and blues singer-songwriter who was the founding member of the The Allman Brothers Band. Inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and named one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine, Gregg Allman brought his vast catalog of music to the adoring Century City crowd

Dressed in a jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket, Gregg stepped onto the stage with his eight piece band and sat behind his now-trademark Hammond organ, his waist-long pony tail swaying from side to side.

Gregg has had a tough go at it this year. He’s been hospitalized on several occasions due to a variety of ailments (bronchitis, a wrist injury, and other undisclosed health issues) and he did look a bit gaunt to me has he perched himself atop his organ bench. I noticed in between songs that he’d quickly reach for tissues from a box perched on his organ. He even took a break midway through his set, I’m assuming to catch his breath and recharge.

He may have been under the weather, but his performance was not noticeably effected by it. With his right foot steady on the organ’s pedal, his left foot vigorously tapped to the beat of each song throughout the set. His voice still had that soulful blues tenor rasp that got me interested in The Allman Brothers Band in the first place. Was he ill? I doubt anybody really noticed.

Being a fan of his repertoire, I was just thrilled to be able to see him performing live. “Black Hearted Woman/Hot Lanta”. “Melissa”. “Midnight Rider”. Those songs, especially “Melissa”, made my night.

The only letdown for me was when he performed “Whipping Post”. Maybe it was because he wanted to use the full sound of the band, but the arrangement of it was a little to nouveau for my tasted. In my opinion, “Whipping Post” is supposed to be raw and gritty. This version was more sass and flash. The chorus (“Sometimes I feel / Sometimes I feel / Like I’ve been tied / To the whipping post / Tied to the whipping post /Tied to the whipping post /Good lord I feel like I’m dyin’) is supposed to wail. The arrangement that was performed that night was a bit anticlimactic.

That’s not to say that I did not love his performance. “Whipping Post” aside, I have no other complaints. Any chance to see a rock legend perform is a privilege. Any chance to hear one of the greatest voices in rock and roll live is privilege. I was privileged just being there.

Set List (actual order might have been slightly different)

STATESBORO
ANGEL
DON’T KEEP ME WONDERING
STORMY MONDAY
AINT WASTING TIME
BULLETS
I FOUND A LOVE
SWEET FEELING
James Brown medley (GA BREAK)
-BAND INTROS-
BLACK HEARTED WOMAN/HOT LANTA
(MEDLEY)
MELISSA
MIDNIGHT RIDER
LOVE LIKE KEROSINE
WHIPPING POST
Encore: ONE WAY OUT

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

July 23, 2014July 23, 2014 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, Annenberg Space, Century City, Century Park, concert, Concert Photo, Concert Photography, concert photos, concert review, country music, Country: Portraits of an American Sound, FREE all-ages outdoor concerts, Gregg Allman, Gregory LeNoir Allman, kcrw, Melissa, Midnight Rider, Outlaw Country, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, rolling stone, set list, setlist, The Allman Brothers, The Allman Brothers Band, The Annenberg Space for Photography, Whipping Post Leave a comment

Sturgill Simpson | KCRW’s “Country In The City” Concert Series | 7/19/14 [REVIEW]

CLICK HERE To Check Out The Blog Entries Of The Other Acts Performing At KCRW’s “Country In the City” Concert Series

Photo by Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Annenberg Foundation

KCRW has once again curated a summer concert series with talent overflowing. Inspired by The Annenberg Space for Photography’s newest exhibit,“Country: Portraits of an American Sound,” which will be on display through September 28th, 2014, KCRW’s “Country In The City” Concert Series brings to Los Angeles a country music line-up that any Nashville resident would be proud off.

Kicking off the concert series with Sturgill Simpson, KCRW brought a brand of outlaw country music that has had critics raving since his debut 2013 album, “High Top Mountain”. Since then Sturgill has been going at it hard, touring relentlessly, recording his follow-up album in four days, and releasing “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music” in May of 2014, gaining more and more fans along the way.

Perhaps it’s his gruff voice. Perhaps it’s his passionately effective lyrics. Perhaps it’s his unassuming and down-to-earth honestly. Whatever “it” is, it seems to be working.

Sturgill took the stage with his band (Miles Miller on drums, Kevin Black on bass and Laur Joamets on Guitar) and immediately announced to the audience that he was honored to be opening for Gregg Allman. After powering through the first song, he earnestly apologized to the audience for being less than 100%, promising the audience that he was still going to, “hit it hard, and try to get to 90%”.

His “country” humor came out when he introduced “Long White Line,” stating, “This ones for the ladies …. That’s bullshit. It’s all for the ladies”, and afterwards he introduced his band members, noting that his guitar player, who was effortlessly strumming country licks, Laur Joamets, was from Estonia.

“Just keeping it real,” Sturgill smirked with a sly look to his players.

He mixed in a little bluegrass, and some covers. Before playing his cover of Lefty Frizzell’s “I Never Go Around Mirrors” noted that this time last year when he played “the Hotel Cafe, there was 20 people there.” A look of appreciation beamed from his grizzled face as looked into the audience.

He even gave the audience a little history behind several of the tunes. For example, before closing the night with “Railroad of Sin”, he explained that when he was starting his path as a songwriter, his wife said that he had to have a song with a train in it cause every country artist had one. When it was all said and done, and before closing the set with “Railroad of Sin,” he told the audience how lucky they were to have Gregg Allman coming up proclaiming that, “That ain’t no bullshit.”

Happy he was going to have the rest of the evening off, he joked that he and the band usually stayed sober after gigs in order to travel to the next venue … but not tonight.

I certainly hope you had a chance to unwind Sturgill. You deserved it.

(Approximate) Setlist: