Crazy Legs and Eclectic Tunes
Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys
Concert Review by Al Thorleifson
Southern Manitoba Concerts began their 46th Season with a celebration of lively fiddle music on Sunday, October 29 at the Morden Access Centre. Although the term ‘Crazy Legs’ was bandied about in the promotional material, the idea of a fiddler in full step dance mode, and at such a speed, isn’t real until you actually see it. MacKeeman left no one in doubt as he stepped through King Ganam, the first piece in their performance. Not to be left behind, the fast-paced duets among the fiddle, bass, and guitar indicated the level of skill on the stage.
The group includes Gordie MacKeeman (fiddle, acoustic guitar, feet percussion, vocals), Peter Cann(guitars, banjo, vocals), Thomas Webb (guitars, bass, banjo, steel guitar, vocals), and Jason Burbine (bass, percussion, guitar, vocals). The band members defy limits by trading instruments frequently – the drummer becomes the bassist, who later plays guitar. The band’s bio notes that “the hard-working combo has regularly delighted audiences at such major international festivals as Glastonbury, WOMAD, Celtic Connections, and the Orkney, Shrewsbury and Woodford Folk Festivals. In 2012, they won the Galaxie Super Nova Award at the Ottawa Folk Festival for their electrifying performance, while their 2015 and 2016 Music PEI Awards for Entertainer of the Year are also attributable to their performance prowess.”Their eclectic styles were obvious from the start, with the fast-paced opening number being followed by a plaintive bluegrass tune entitled Song to a Young Seagull led by Thomas Webb.
With a note of thanks to the community for hosting them and a nod to the Kopper Kettle, Peter Cann led off Honey, an old-time song with a country guitar lilt to it. Bluegrass lovers in the crowd mayhave noted the similarity between this song and those featured in the Coen Brothers film ‘Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou’.
MacKeeman introduced the Pickle King – a celebration of a friend’s success in making a variety of pickles – with the plucked strings of the fiddle and guitar giving the song a quirky sense of rhythm and a smile.
The band interspersed ballads with instrumental music with a precision only possible when the band has a long history behind them, in this case, six years for the full band, and even longer for some members.
Wrong Road saw MacKeeman taking over the drums and Jason Burbine singing a true hurting song. Jason’s clear enunciation and David Destoop’s excellent work at the sound board gave the audience a full story – each word crisp and clear. The song ended with steel guitar style riffs which complemented the emotion of the story.
The hard, close harmonies of Goodbye City Lights were followed by finger work by all three strings, which held echoes of the virtuosity needed to play such tunes as Orange Blossom Special – which was featured later in the concert.
The band paid tribute to both Gord Downie and Tom Petty, noting their passing and our loss. They then paid tribute to Petty by playing a bluegrass version of one of his songs,King’s Highway. The lyric “You can’t hide down in a six-gun town” conveyed the tone of the piece exactly!
MacKeeman referred to the problems of living on the road, then thumbed his nose at the inconveniences of doing so in a high stepping tune entitled Bring My Clothes Back Home.
The lively instrumentals were followed by a rich Maritime Lullaby, a tribute by MacKeeman to the loved ones whom he missed while on tours. The balance of two and four bar phrases in the music gave the waltz a more thoughtful cast, evoking scenes of late night calls and heartfelt goodbyes.
The final songs in the first set – Cripple Creek/Northwest and Black Mountain - ended with the horse hair of MacKeeman’s bow flying free, after a wild, high stepping performance.
The second set began with Tom Webb leading Rocky Road, a laidback jazz blues number echoing the styles of Stephan Grappelli. Following in utter contrast was a quirky version of Turkey in the Straw with MacMeeman and Peter Cann trading plucked riffs with amazing speed.
A sad, country tune followed - Strength in Numbers, then Down Yonder with, again, the performer trading riffs, in this case modifying their echoes to highlight the complexity of the phrasing - very impressive.
Caven Road, by Peter Cann, celebrated his marriage and saw Gordie MacKeeman playing both fiddle and drums at the same time – those feet of his certainly are versatile. Following this, an instrumental with a Caribbean flair, Tear it Down, with its jazz/blues feel and call and response structure, kept the audience tapping their feet.
Jason Burbine’s clear vocals in I Said Too Much, about “another lonesome fool left to die”, were complemented by some great picking on the guitar. Then, with a nod to Ned Landry, a favourite fiddler remembered by many in the older crowd, Gordie MacKeeman led the audience through Mockingbird with ‘pyrotechnic’ bird calls and acrobatics – playing the fiddle behind his back while step dancing. Taking the finale one step farther, Orange Blossom Specialincluded a segment where MacKeeman played the violin while standing on the bass, which Burbine was playing below him.
Gordie MacKeeman and the Rhythm Boyswere called back for a well-deserved encore where they performed Back 40 Ripoff – a short tune made even shorter by the speed of their performance. This eclectic concert left smiles on many faces, and the band’s willingness to come out to the foyer to greet the audience after the concert showed their affable personalities. There was good home-town feel to the whole event.