LIVE MUSIC REVIEW: Chi McClean @ Cafe du Nord

About Chi McClean. Let me state my prejudices up front. I love his style, his sound, his energy, his songs, his unbelievably insane guitar skills. Very simply, I love Chi McClean. So, when we attended his Farewell show at the charmingly understated and authentic, Cafe du Nord, in San Francisco this past Thursday; the surprise was not that it was an at capacity, sold out show, the surprise was Chi's work being presented in a way I had not experienced before; within a full band aesthetic.

Take a couple of paces back to 2009, with his debut release, Something Out There, an effort that clearly establishes him as a Singer/Songwriter of grit, to be reckoned with. It is strong all the way through, with layers of vintage electric pianos, Hammond B-3 organ, Herculean guitar riffs intricately woven into a labyrinth of drum beats and vibrant bass lines. The album spawned a number of well-deserved awards and critical acclaim. It is an artfully solid full band album.

His current release, A Thing Or Three, is the exact opposite. Here we have an acoustic solo album, which beckons to an era of seventies style southern rock. His intense songwriting skills, plaintive vocals and gentle guitar mesh well and holds one's interest, even on the lengthier 6+ minute title track, A Thing Or Three or the slightly shorter The View. It is pure and raw, a solitary figure telling his stories and selling his songs.

A good story is still dependent on many factors; ability to relate a tale, venue, connection to the work, etc... ie: Romeo & Juliet at The Shakespearean Festival is a very different experience than at a local high school drama club; Hugo on an iPad versus IMax or The Rach III being performed by a master like David Helfgott, versus just about anyone else. And it is here that Chi McClean truly shines. He is able to easily traverse these boundaries between solo acoustic act to full band ensemble, without losing anything in translation. The band brought an amazing jazz-like quality to the evening, perfectly capturing the emotion of the music. Throughout the entire set, one almost expected to see fringe laden flappers, donning boas and excessive makeup parading by.

Chi's vocals are soulful and emotive, and could fill a room twice the size or half the size; coupled with the stellar musicianship of the band, they created a complete, resonant sound and had no trouble keeping the standing room only crowd on their feet, tapping, singing and dancing the night through.

He is one of those rare artists, who solidly delivers across the spectrum; a gifted and unflinching Singer/Songwriter, who is not confounded by boundaries or environment. For me, Chi's work boils down to a guy with his guitar. In that formula, the guitar is acoustic and the guy is singing his own poetry, more concerned with meaning than appearances. I think it is a formula that works. Ultimately, one would be hard pressed to criticize anything about Chi's work, in either context, and thus we, the fans, are left ferreting out our own personal preferences.

Onto the show. It's easy to see that Chi McClean was in his element on the Cafe du Nord stage,and why wouldn't he be? It is a perfect venue for friends and great music, of which Chi had a shortage of neither. The 1907 subterranean, former speakeasy with wooden floors, dark walls and low ceilings, immediately transports you to the Prohibition era; drinking illegal whiskey from the (still intact) forty foot hand carved mahogany bar.

Chi possesses a shy, unassuming manner onstage, as though he still can't believe that people find his music so thought provoking and alluring. The audience was so entirely engaged during the hour long set, that the magical cohesion of instruments, melodies and foot stomping rollicking good fun, defies a song by song analysis. What can be said, is that even within the full band medium, Chi's music comes straight from his heart, unfiltered and unencumbered by pretension or self-importance. He wears his emotions proudly and communicates directly, telling us what he feels with an openness that few songwriters are ever able to achieve.

About Chi McClean. Let me state my prejudices up front. I love his style, his sound, his energy, his songs, his unbelievably insane guitar skills. Very simply, I love Chi McClean. So, when we attended his Farewell show at the charmingly understated and authentic, Cafe du Nord, in San Francisco this past Thursday; the surprise was not that it was an at capacity, sold out show, the surprise was Chi's work being presented in a way I had not experienced before; within a full band aesthetic.

Take a couple of paces back to 2009, with his debut release, Something Out There, an effort that clearly establishes him as a Singer/Songwriter of grit, to be reckoned with. It is strong all the way through, with layers of vintage electric pianos, Hammond B-3 organ, Herculean guitar riffs intricately woven into a labyrinth of drum beats and vibrant bass lines. The album spawned a number of well-deserved awards and critical acclaim. It is an artfully solid full band album.

His current release, A Thing Or Three, is the exact opposite. Here we have an acoustic solo album, which beckons to an era of seventies style southern rock. His intense songwriting skills, plaintive vocals and gentle guitar mesh well and holds one's interest, even on the lengthier 6+ minute title track, A Thing Or Three or the slightly shorter The View. It is pure and raw, a solitary figure telling his stories and selling his songs.

A good story is still dependent on many factors; ability to relate a tale, venue, connection to the work, etc... ie: Romeo & Juliet at The Shakespearean Festival is a very different experience than at a local high school drama club; Hugo on an iPad versus IMax or The Rach III being performed by a master like David Helfgott, versus just about anyone else. And it is here that Chi McClean truly shines. He is able to easily traverse these boundaries between solo acoustic act to full band ensemble, without losing anything in translation. The band brought an amazing jazz-like quality to the evening, perfectly capturing the emotion of the music. Throughout the entire set, one almost expected to see fringe laden flappers, donning boas and excessive makeup parading by.

Chi's vocals are soulful and emotive, and could fill a room twice the size or half the size; coupled with the stellar musicianship of the band, they created a complete, resonant sound and had no trouble keeping the standing room only crowd on their feet, tapping, singing and dancing the night through.

He is one of those rare artists, who solidly delivers across the spectrum; a gifted and unflinching Singer/Songwriter, who is not confounded by boundaries or environment. For me, Chi's work boils down to a guy with his guitar. In that formula, the guitar is acoustic and the guy is singing his own poetry, more concerned with meaning than appearances. I think it is a formula that works. Ultimately, one would be hard pressed to criticize anything about Chi's work, in either context, and thus we, the fans, are left ferreting out our own personal preferences.

Onto the show. It's easy to see that Chi McClean was in his element on the Cafe du Nord stage,and why wouldn't he be? It is a perfect venue for friends and great music, of which Chi had a shortage of neither. The 1907 subterranean, former speakeasy with wooden floors, dark walls and low ceilings, immediately transports you to the Prohibition era; drinking illegal whiskey from the (still intact) forty foot hand carved mahogany bar.

Chi possesses a shy, unassuming manner onstage, as though he still can't believe that people find his music so thought provoking and alluring. The audience was so entirely engaged during the hour long set, that the magical cohesion of instruments, melodies and foot stomping rollicking good fun, defies a song by song analysis. What can be said, is that even within the full band medium, Chi's music comes straight from his heart, unfiltered and unencumbered by pretension or self-importance. He wears his emotions proudly and communicates directly, telling us what he feels with an openness that few songwriters are ever able to achieve.

#Turntable