Michelle Willson and the Evil Gal Orchestra

Rick Brown
August 16, 2002
The Thirsty Ear Tavern
Columbus, Ohio

Michelle Willson is far from evil…even if she does go by the moniker "Evil Gal". The nickname comes from the tune "Evil Gal Blues" which is just one example of her extraordinary vocal prowess. And from the set I witnessed this evening EVERY song was a testament to her talent.

Sitting with my two primary proof -readers…and good friends, Yvonne and Becky, the Evil Gal Orchestra began warming the crowd up while the Evil Gal danced at the back of the room. Soon enough she bounded up on stage wearing a devilishly formal black outfit and white cowboy hat. Ms. Willson tore into "I Would Rather Do Without It" from her 1999 release "Tryin' To Make a Little Love". It quickly became obvious that we were seeing something very special…so special that I began thinking of our table as the "Axis of Evil Gal Fans". After the opening number the small but enthusiastic crowd went wild…albeit in a kind of strange way. There was a subtle strangeness to the revelers that I still can't put my finger on.

Be that as it may, Michelle and her superb band mates moved smoothly from one tune to another and it was apparent they also made having fun a top priority. The Evil Gal Orchestra (for this evening) consisted of Scott Sheller (tenor sax, bass clarinet, mandolin and backing vocals), Zac Casher (drums, backing vocals), Shinichi Otsu (keyboards), Julien Kasper (guitar), and Ed Spargo (bass). Her band's line up changes regularly but she enjoys the freshness it brings out in her music. And the diversity of the instrumentation brings a wide range of textures to their sound…a soulful stew if you will. An impressive rendition of the title track from her latest release "Wake Up Call" was followed by a sing a long version of her original "My Girlfriend Says" that got people on their feet and dancing. During the instrumental break Mr. Sheller segued into a mandolin solo of the old Dixie Cups' "Iko, Iko" that brought a nice New Orleans flavor to the tune.

This is really where I began noticing the "subtle strangeness" of the audience. Mostly white, middle-aged folks who danced…well…like white middle-aged people do at wedding receptions. Directly to the left of the stage a younger woman politely danced with recently fired Cleveland Indians manager Charlie Manuel! Actually, Charlie was merely bending his knees sporadically while whipping his arms around, more enjoying the fact he was dancing with a young woman than dancing. She seemed relieved when the food she ordered arrived…as relieved as Charlie appeared disappointed. Maybe I was reading the crowd wrong. And I suppose there's a chance this guy wasn't Charlie Manuel at all. But he DID dance like he was sending signals to the third base coach.

Evil Fans

And speaking of dancing…that's exactly what Michelle Willson did while belting out "Water, Water", "Strange Things Happen Every Day" (e.g. Dancing with Charlie Manuel), and the gospel tinged "Leap of Faith". This woman can sing anything. "Life Rolls On"…a slower, tear at your heart blues song, was surely the standout of the set. At times she reminded me of Ella Fitzgerald…other times Etta James…still yet Patti LaBelle or Ruth Brown. Ms. Willson not only covers a wide variety of styles from jazz to blues to rock, but she does it extraordinarily well. Although I put her in the big leagues by comparison to the aforementioned greats, she makes everything she sings her own. And she does so with an exuberance that makes her show a sheer joy to experience. The three of us chatted with her at the end of her set. Michelle Willson is so sweet and charming that the "Evil Gal" reference goes way beyond tongue in cheek…to say…delightfully goofy. Ms. Willson knows the value of being truly soulful while realizing the importance of having fun while performing.

Last spring I wrote a review for Crapshoot! of Koko Taylor and in it I bemoaned the demise of the blues…that all the great were getting old and dying with no one coming up to preserve the art form. After witnessing Michelle Willson and her incredible band I must recant my observation. It's still a little early to dub her, "Queen of the Blues" but Ms. Willson may certainly be a worthy heir to the throne. Perhaps she can teach us all a thing or two about music along the way. And if we're lucky…maybe she can inspire all of us middle-aged white folks to finally learn how to dance. (Are you listening Charlie?)

Lone Star
Willie Nelson and Family

Rick Brown
Celeste Center
The Ohio State Fair
August 18,2002

I've never been a big fan of the Ohio State Fair. But I'd never seen Willie Nelson and figured it was now or never. A friend of mine had brought his girlfriend to visit Ohio last summer so this was my second consecutive visit to the "deep fried everything" extravaganza. The charm of such an experience…if "charm" is the appropriate description…is this. No matter whom you are…what color you are…where you grew up…as soon as anybody crosses the threshold into the fairgrounds…every one of us becomes a resident of the Big Ass Buckeye Trailer Park. It matters not what you wear…how you comb your hair…what your politics or religion may be. Magically everyone becomes a piece in the kitschy mosaic known as the Ohio State Fair. No one escapes this. The fair is the great lowbrow equalizer of American culture.

Once inside the gate you are enveloped by the noise. Sounds of the rides. Sounds of loud music of all genres. Sounds of game barkers. The din is matched only by the visual assault to your eyes. There are the Britney wannabes. The J-Lo wannabes. Destiny's Child wannabes. All cavorting around in what on the surface appeared to be groups of munchkin hookers. There are the fat people walking hand in hand with "I'm With Stupid" tee shirts on. Strutting housewives who at one time or another may have been Madonna wannabes…or Dolly wannabes…maybe even Cher…alumni of the munchkin hookers association It becomes difficult to know if there are more people wearing clothing too small for their bodies or dapper rapper clones with pants the size of Vermont hanging precariously from almost hips. Even those dressed in yuppie uniform take on a garish hue.

And the smells invade your nostrils with the same imposing fury as the fashion faux pas and the constant music gumbo. Deep fried this. Deep fried that. (Hell…I even thought I actually walked by Tom and Jerry's Bum Dog Shack) Corn on a stick. Meatballs on a stick. Corn DOGS on a stick. Deep fried stick…on a stick. Elephant ears. French fries made from every known potato grown on the planet…deep fried of course. The sounds, sights and smells of the fair whisk you off to that surreal three-dimensional tapestry of Americana known as the Big Ass Buckeye Trailer Park. After a couple hours of this scene I was ready to see Willie. It seemed the perfect context.

The Celeste Center looks more suited to be an airplane hangar than an entertainment venue. And somehow that makes sense. This being the last day of the fair the show was to begin at 4 in the afternoon. Since beer is not allowed I suppose this also makes sense. Willie walked out on stage with his band…unannounced…at promptly 4 pm. and revved into "Whiskey River". (Nelson owns a distillery that makes bourbon by the same name. This was the only remotely commercial aspect of the entire show.) The music…at least until the sound guy got it right 20 minutes later…sounded as if it was being performed in an airplane hangar.

For over two solid hours Willie Nelson and his superb band stood in front of a giant flag of Texas and served up a big, delicious slice of American music. "Time Slips away", "Me and Bobbie McGee", "Crazy", "I've Got the Money Honey (If You've Got the Time)" musical gems…many of which Willie wrote himself…from the genre initially called "country and western". There came a point about ninety minutes into the concert…when I incorrectly assumed Nelson was wrapping up things…that I thought he might play every country song ever written. After two hours I wondered if Willie might play every SONG ever written. Other than introducing the band members Willie never took more then 30 seconds between numbers. His delivery, as well as his guitar playing, was so second nature that it seemed as though he was tossing tiny vignettes of love, broken hearts, ramblin', pain and hope out into the crowd as if they were pretty little gift wrapped packages. And every so often he would pull a hat off his head and pitch it into the audience. He threw headbands. For the longest time I thought he was trying to get the attention of the sound guy. Then I realized Willie was WAVING at folks in the crowd! He did so with a wide smile on his weathered face.

And so it was with his guitar playing. "Georgia", "Nothing But Blue Skies", "All the Girls I've Loved Before"…just about every tune he played had an incredibly tasteful guitar break. I had never noticed just how fine a player Mr. Nelson is. Like his body of work Willie can infuse jazz, blues or rock elements into his guitar solos and make them sound…well…country and western. And once again…he is so casual about the whole instrumentation yet at the same time so unbelievably professional. The sounds he coaxes from that old, beat to shit, classical guitar with the huge hole in the front are as wonderful as any guitar player could hope to play. I mean ANY guitar player.

During "The City of New Orleans" a giant American flag was unfurled, covering the Texas flag. Subtle but none the less significant in it's message. We all don't live in Texas. We all live in America. He made no comment and in this age of over the top patriotic ranting it was both proud and all-inclusive. Tributes to Merle Haggard and Hank Williams followed. And somewhere in there he snuck in a couple new numbers, "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and a calypso tinged version of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition's 60's psychedelic anthem "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)". Truly amazing. Willie Nelson can…and does…play just about everything and anything. And he could probably do a kitchen sink solo in the middle of it all. The man transcends his American icon status to become…one of us.
Like the hodge-podge amalgamation of kitsch that made us all neighbors outside the Celeste Center in the Big Ass Buckeye Trailer Park, Willie Nelson takes remnants of musical cloth he may have found at the local Volunteers of America and weaves them into the fabric of musical America. He has the ability to take what appears ordinary to most…perhaps even ugly to some…and somehow make it all peaceful and very beautiful…for everyone. Willie Nelson is a Lone Star. And Willie Nelson is every one of us.