If you were at Hal Willner’s Doc Pomus Project at Celebrate Brooklyn featuring Lou Reed / Ben E. King / Howard Tate / Teddy Thompson / Shannon McNally / Steven Bernstein / Robin Holcomb / Joel Dorn / Mocean Worker / Pete Guralnick and Laurie Anderson on Saturday night do tell.
His multi-artist concept shows (and albums) are simply the greatest. At Celebrate Brooklyn, he’s done: Leonard Cohen (2003) and Neil Young (2004). Send pix if you have them.
Did anyone see Odetta on Friday night at CB? She was subbing for the Bobbie Blue Band which cancelled due to illness.
On Saturday night it was all about Doc Pomus, the great Williamsburg born songwriter and author of classics like “Lonely Avenue” and “Youngblood.”
If you were at the Siren Festival in Coney Island. Do tell. Or send pix. I know a bunch of Teen Spirit’s friends were there and I am hoping one of the photographers he knows got some pix.
And let’s not forget the great Dan Zanes performed his Ezra Jack Keats songs at Celebrate Brooklyn at 5 p.m. on Sunday. It looked like a BIG crowd of little ones and their parents, all who love the GREAT DAN.
There are some great photos at Gowanus Lounge. There is a post with still photos:
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/07/lou-reed-co-perform-doc-pomus-at.html
And one with a slideshow from a flickr set:
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/07/doc-pomus-project-celebrate-brooklyn.html
About 60 photos in all.
I was at both the Doc Pomus and Catherine Russell/Odetta shows. There is a wonderful review of the show over at Harp Magazine here:
http://www.harpmagazine.com/reviews/concert_reviews/detail.cfm?article=10433
One of the most interesting moments though, occurred off stage during the first half. Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, a long standing couple, ended up off stage along with their dog, watching the show from two chairs they set up close to the rail at the Celebrate Brooklyn Friends tent. They took the show in, friends came by and everyone else just let them be.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with Odetta. She’s thin and frail, and had to be led onstage. Her voice is a bit less powerful than it once was. But I had a wonderful time. Her set was predominately blues, and her pianist, Seth Farber, is wonderful, particularly when he plays the blues. So Odetta was able to hold the audience’s rapt attention.
Catherine Russell opened that show and she was marvelous. Catherine is a skilled jazz vocalist but is also fluent in many other musical styles as well (for the last few years she was the back up singer for Rosanne Cash). Her set even included a version of the Grateful Dead’s New Speedway Boogie. Keep your eye on Catherine.