An observant observer observed the subtle ways that Julie Christensen's body language reinforced her quiet warble. She raised her hands now and then, sure, or dropped her chin. But . . . dunno if she was even conscious of the way her whole neck and shoulder area twitched a little when she got behind a lyric, letting us know there was something beyond a performance going on. Christensen had a kitchen-table way of delivering a thought, backed by unerring pitch, decades of stage knowledge, and the ability to reach back and belt when whe wanted to. She was literally feeling it.
Christensen has hit a sweet spot with her current "11 From Kevin: Songs of Kevin Gordon," tapping a Louisiana songwriter whose rustic-resurrection aesthetic runs deep in her Iowan blood. She devoted the first hunk of her set to selections from that recording such as the stompin' "Gloryland" and the impressionistic country hangover "Jimmy Reed Is the King of Rock 'n' Roll," showcasing the talents of a most impressive band.
Looking like a pair of bespectacled dentists, drummer Steve Mugalian and bassist Greg Boaz (both from Mavis Staples' outfit) laid down a light yet cushy groove you couldn't fall off if you drank a gallon of moonshine. All-purpose accentuator Dr. Stephen Patt (wearing a veterinarian T-shirt, but he's an MD) chose the perfect notes on guitars, accordion, lap steel and a bunch more instruments, just invaluable. And Rick Shea nailed his rhythms and obbligatos on electric and acoustic guitars. These joes smoked like Southern barbecue, slow and rich.
Through dirge of remembered youth ("The Cardinal") and bleak prospects of a pregnant dancer's future (Dan Montgomery's "Outside"), Christensen located truth from the vantage of experience, her personality the magnet that drew eyes and made the sound swirl around her. That's music.
Rick Shea and Stephen Pratt opened with Shea's countrified songs about drifters and floods and San Bernardino. Good singin', good playin', good cowboy hat.
And good evening.
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PHOTO BY FUZZY BURGER.