In what was a highly civilised, sit down affair, a rarity at The Corner, the assembled crowd were treated to a delightful and utterly charming night of country pop by some great artists, both local and overseas.
Local Brent Parlane was the first act of the evening. One man with an acoustic guitar and a range of harmonicas, Parlane impressed with his straight up and unpretentious style. The set featured some wonderful tracks like “It’s Alright Now” (no, not the Free classic) and the haunting “Louise”. Parlane also displayed a wickedly dry sense of humour, not unlike that of the great Roger Miller, most famous for the all-time classic track “King Of The Road”. Parlane was a strong way to start the night.
Guitarist/mandolin player Chris Hillman and guitarist Herb Pederson were part of the classic sixties band The Byrds, most famous for their definitive version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr Tambourine Man”. The two have made music together for over forty years, subsequently with The Flying Burrito Brothers, featuring the late, great, Gram Parsons right through to the Desert Rose Band from the late eighties who, at one point, were John Hiatt’s backing band. Tonight was a rare, intimate evening with two true originators of the country rock sound you hear today in such great bands like Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Okkervill River.
Over the course of an hour or so, the audience was taken into the wonderful and encapsulating world that Hillman and Pederson have helped create over the years. With a strong emphasis on the country rock side of music rather than the psychedelic freak-outs of The Byrds, tonight was a true delight for the older crowd at The Corner. It was so refreshing to see and hear people at a gig purely for the music, rather than chatting incessantly while the artist is performing.
The other striking aspect of tonight was the fully acoustic aspect of the music. It was simply two men with their instruments and voices in front of microphones before a crowd. This scribe can’t remember the last time he saw something so musically naked and stripped back.
There were many musical high points during the set. The John Hiatt track “She Don’t Love Nobody” sounded fantastic in its stripped back form, free of the over-produced sound that was prevalent with music in general in the late eighties. “Close The Door Lightly” and “Love Revisited” were two absolute standouts.
The banter between the audience and the artists was warm and unforced. It was particularly illuminating to listen to Hillman and Pederson talk about songs they had written, particularly both the origins of the songs and how they personally felt about them. The way they apologised for the misogyny of “Devil In Disguise”, and then followed that up with the very sweet and sincere “Have You Seen Her Face?” was a great example of the many shades and degrees of musicianship and song craft that the two have worked on perfecting over the years.
The classic Byrds track “Turn! Turn! Turn!” was an absolute treat. Always a warm and moving track, it took on a higher plane during the set, especially when Hillman explained that the lyrics originally came from The Bible. As timely now as it was back in the sixties, this was, like many of the tracks performed, timely and timeless. That is a really strong mark of great song writing. It was also an utter joy to hear the vocal harmonies of the two together, especially on this track.
Tonight was an absolute treat for lovers of music. It was also proof positive that you don’t need flashing lights, excessive amounts of gimmicks or effects, or dresses made out of meat to make an impact as far as music is concerned, although all of the above can be fun sometimes. Music always comes back to the quality of the material. Tonight, Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson illustrated beautifully that they had that in absolute abundance. This was a true example of great music passing the test of time.
– Neil Evans
