Saw John Sebastian last night

Hey everyone I got to see John Sebastian perform last night here at a small club in Cincinnati. It was an intimate setting, maybe 250-300 people. I really wasn't expecting much because I'd heard that his voice had deteriorated a lot (he is 75 after all) but it turned out to be a really enjoyable experience. He told lots of great stories about the NY folk scene in the 60's and the Spoonful and meeting Mississippi John Hurt, etc. and of course the stories behind all the songs he's written. He's certainly maintained that ability to engage an audience. Most of us there could be classified as "Woodstock generation" age-wise so we all could relate to the stories. His guitar playing was flawless (almost exclusively playing that finger-picking, ragtime kind of style) and his singing sounded a lot better in person than you hear on those YouTube videos taken with iPhones. In a weird way, the maturity of his voice seemed to fit the guitar accompaniment really well. No Guilds on the stage unfortunately. If any of you get a chance to see him, I'd highly recommend going.

Man, you lucky guy. I've never had a chance to see him either solo or with his band. That "Spoonful" material was some of my favorite tunes from back in the day. It's really neat I think to see some of these older performers like him and John Prine etc. still out there sharing their talent and experiences.

Wow, I would love to see him in a small setting like that.

Sounds like fun; he's one of my favorites from the '60's. "A pie in the face for being a sleepy bull toad," what a great line.

I still have his album "Cheapo Cheapo Productions."

dreadnut said:

Sounds like fun; he's one of my favorites from the '60's. "A pie in the face for being a sleepy bull toad," what a great line.

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One of the first charts I tackled with my first steel string.
Can still do it from memory.

I also love "You And Me And Rain On The Roof." And what's not to like about "Nashville Cats?"

I used to play his first album a lot, that little opening riff of "Red-Eye Express" was great!

walrus

Sounds like an enjoyable evening of music and stories. I remember well the songs of the Lovin' Spoonful! Thanks for an entertaining review of the concert. :encouragement:

dreadnut said:

I also love "You And Me And Rain On The Roof." And what's not to like about "Nashville Cats?"

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At the time I preferred the slightly rockier stuff especially "Summer in the City" (it's actually been said the progression was the inspiration for Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulyssses" !) but "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind" , "Darling Be Home Soon", "Younger Girl" and "6 O'clock" ranked up there for me, too.
And just remembered the immortal "Younger Generation" and "She Is Still A Mystery".
Dang I just pushed my own nostalgia button.
Anybody got a Kleenex?
PS this one's new since last time we discussed 'em here, interview with Steve Boone:
https://pleasekillme.com/lovin-spoonful-steve-boone-interview/
Teaser quote:
'But the only thing that we couldn’t get right was, the record labels all wanted us to have an English accent. Everybody loved the song. Joe Smith [at Warner Brothers] – “It’s gonna be a smash hit, but your boys don’t talk with an English accent!”'
:glee:
Remember those days?

Cheapo cheapo Productions was one of the first albums I really got into when I was first learning guitar. I’ll always be a a JS fan.
glad it was a great show! Sounds like good clean fun.

Very Cool! Would love to see John live. You are very Lucky.

In the 70's John Sebastian was doing the college circuit as a solo act so he played on campus at least four times while I was in college and I saw them all because that was what you did. Not my first choice but I recall enjoying the concerts in spite of my lack of interest and familiarity. Now, several decades later there are all sorts of details I wish I remembered.

In the interview with Steve Boone linked to above there is a video which has two Guild sightings. My recollection is that Steve Boone had one of the first Starfire II basses and it is in the 1965 video below (but we also note that is my recollection is quite possibly wrong)

Wow, can't believe he is still performing. Saw him back in the '90's - his voice was pretty rough back then, but his guitar playing was great, and he was very entertaining. Most of the stuff he put out is priceless.

Sounds like a fun time!

I've seen John live solo twice and twice with the Lovin' Spoonful in '65. John's voice was in terrible shape the last time I saw him, in a small club in Sparta, NJ. Every time he couldn't hit a note, he turned away from the mic. I've also met John and chatted with him. He had no explanation why his voice had gone to hell, but I remember hearing him sing with the Spoonful at their RNRHOF induction and thought he sounded terrible. His playing though, was always good. Another time, I saw John playing sideman backing the great Johnny Johnson in a club in NYC. John just played rhythm guitar all night. He's always been a favorite of mine in terms of his songwriting skills.

DrumBob said:

John just played rhythm guitar all night.

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As he did on Timothy Leary's long-forgotten 1970 release in support of his bid for Governor of California You Can Be Anyone This Time Around also featuring Steven Stills, Buddy Miles, and Jimi Hendrix on bass.

DrumBob said:

He's always been a favorite of mine in terms of his songwriting skills.

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It only just occurred to me over the weekend that in fact he was a big influence on me, too, and was never consciously aware of it.
But I realized I could trace the "style" for my own "Wrong Time of Day" directly back to "Daydream" for the laid-back folksy vibe I had in mind when I wrote it.
"Huh"...:smile:

Bought all the Spoonful albums as they were released back in the day & was quite a fan of their stuff. Today, I just have one "greatest hits" cd, but it covers many of the best bases.

As I look at the songs, so many of them bring back good memories. I'd rank Darlin' Companion, Coconut Grove, You Didn't Have To Be So Nice, and Full Measure as some of my favorites.

As for not being British, at least Zal was from Canada!

I'd like to just sit and talk and have a beer with John. Well, and maybe play a couple songs.