A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
John Wollum of Maple Grove:
1 John Mayall, Solana Beach, Calif. The bluesman can still bring it at 88 years young, putting on a wonderful show for nearly two hours while leading on harmonica and keyboard at the Belly Up Tavern. His backup players were special, too, especially ace guitarist Carolyn Wonderland.
2 The English Beat, Solana Beach, Calif. Another long-performing band (and a Twin Cities favorite), these guys delivered an up-tempo blend. Led by lead vocalist Dave Wakeling, they put on a very entertaining show.
3 Third Project, Solana Beach, Calif. The opening act for the English Beat, these Southern Californians shocked and delighted me with their high energy. A cover band, they unearthed many obscure and forgotten songs, including "One Step Beyond." They had so much energy that the lead singer had to change shirts three times in one hour.
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, State Theatre. That was one hellacious display of guitar heroics, impassioned vocals and natural showmanship for two hours by the 23-year-old blues phenom. Whether he was shredding or soothing, there were echoes of Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince and Chuck Berry in his thrilling guitar work. He honored one of his influences by wearing a ball cap and pendant with Prince's glyph, duetting on "Cream" with creme de la creme vocalist Maggie Rose (his opening act) and delivering an instrumental treatment of "Purple Rain," the classiest of nods.
2 Marisa Monte, State Theatre. This was a major Brazilian cultural event. What regal presence, what a treat musically (subtle at first, danceable later), what a treat visually (creative backdrops, costume changes onstage). Brava!
