The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, February 7, 1978-Page 7
NelsonholdsHill hoedown
By MIKE TAYLOR
T HE ROWDY CROWD seemed a sea
of cowboy hats. No wonder - Sun-
day night was "country night" at Hill
Auditorium. Two unknowns, Don Bow-
man and Katy Moffatt, had been paired
with two veteran performers, "Mr.
Bojangles" himself, Jerry Jeff Walker,
and country's leading "outlaw," Willie
Nelson. Folks were up for some action.
Don Bowman was a rather pathetic
creature. Though he apparently con-
sidered himself "Mr. Funny," the joke
was on him. Fortunately, after 15 min-
utes of lame tunes and lamer jokes (in-
cluding a few annoying anti-gay slurs),
he willfully left the stage.
The back-up band, a pleasant Nash-
ville-based; outfit named, Tennessee
Pulleybone, stayed on to do "I Love
You Baby. But I Just Can't StandTo Do
That 69." It was a swinging tune,
almost a cross between country and
jazz, with particularly appealing pedal
steel, piano, and guitar.
THEN KATY MOFFATT bounced on
stage. Now that Tennessee Pulleybone
had gotten going, it wasn't hard for
them to make Moffatt's country and
pop tunes come alive. Her earthy voice
isn't as exciting as Ronee Blakeley's,
Bonnie Raitt's 'or Linda Ronstadt's,
three obvious comparisons, but its se-
ductive strength is attractive.
Whether evidenced by country songs
like "Another, Magic Moment in
Showbiz," or pop tunes like her own
"Kissin' in the California Sun," Mof-
fatt's performance showed a warm con-
fidence. Best were an emotional rendi-
tion of a Hank Williams, Jr. number
and an enthusiastic gospel tune.
Originally from Fort Worth, Texas,
Moffatt found herself singing country
songs 'by other writers on her first
Columbia album, Katy, a couple of
years back. So she found a new produ-
cer, and made a record of slick pop
tunes, half of them her own, called
Kissin' in the California Sun. Right
now, Moffatt's biggest problem is mate-
rial. To make it, she'll either have to
grow as a songwriter, or find some bet-
ter songs by other writers. The promise
is there.
NEXT UP WAS Jerry Jeff Walker. A
tall, gaunt visual cross between Boz
Scaggs, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and
Leonard Cohen' Walker looked beat.
Rather than hold it for the end, Walker
opened with the song he's most known
for, "Mr. Bojangles." It was a surpris-
ingly laid-back, almost sloppy version
- he did not seem to be really thinking
about it. But in the end it was quite
relaxing.
By the third song, the rollicking "Up
Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," it
was clear this was not going to be a
lackadaisical set. Walker's back-up,
the Lost Gonzo Band, consisting of a
keyboard player, a saxophonist, a
drummer, a bassist, a pedal steel play-
er, and two guitarists, play the kind of
big band rock'n'roll that only a large
group can muster up.
Each song was carefully developed,
leaving ample room for solos and
dynamic improvisation. When every-
thing clicked, as it first did on "Up
Against the Wall, Redneck Mother,"
the crowd understandably went wild.
Willie Nelson's "Pick Up the Tempo"
had far more rock'n'roll punch than
Walker's first recording of it, and pales
Nelson's new recording of it on RCA's
Waylon and Willie LP. "LA Freeway"
was another medium tempo highlight.
THE SET CLOSED with a superb
tune clearly influenced by Bruce
Springsteen's live shows. Starting with
electric piano, and then mournful sax,
it grew into a wonderful rock'n'roll
song. Walker's encore had more coun-
try flavor than most of the tunes he per-
formed. Called "Pissin' in the Wind," it
drew an enthusiastic crowd reaction.
And then, after only an hour, Walker
was gone.
While we waited for Willie Nelson to
appear, we continually urged by the
PA to buy Willie Nelson 'and Jerry
Jeff Walker tee-shirts and solid brass
belt buckles in the lobby of the audi-
torium.
Any performer would have had a
hard time following Walker's act. Willie
Nelson's performance was particularly
ineffective. His material was
sometimes interesting, but it suffered
from a dreadful lack of variety. Nel-
son's voice sounds "real purty" on soft
tunes like "Blue Eyes Crying in the
Rain," but becomes a shrill whine on
the fast-paced country songs he favors.
An inept back-up band aggravated
these problems. Nelson's sister played
irritatingly bad piano - her all too fre-
quent solos were particularly unfortu-
nate. The guitarist and bassist played
stiffly, and there was no reason at all
for there being two drummers (except
perhaps for an abysmal drum solo dur-
ing the encores). One man played the
same harmonica riffs over and over all
night long; it would have been nice on a
couple of songs, but for two hours?
"WHISKEY RIVER" was an enjoy-
able opener, but hardly seemed
anything to get excited about. A medley
including "Ain't it Funny How Time
Slips Away" and "Crazy" was some-
what moving, but "Honky Tonkin' "
added nothing to the many versions
recorded by other performers.
Often Nelson did not seem to know
when to end a song. "Till I Gain Control
Again" was one of the few songs really
worth listening to, but it went on far too
long. The same was true with the highly
spirited "Good-Hearted Woman in Love
with a Good-Lovin' Man," a tune
Nelson wrote with Waylon Jennings a
few years back.
After a while, the repetition and loud-
ness became almost unbearable. I was
glad to see Nelson leave the stage, even
though I knew he'd be back for the obli-
gatory encore. Little did I know he'd
stay for another half hour.
Fortunately, the encores were the
highlight of Nelson's performance. His
rendition of Leon Russell's "A Song for
You" was fairly sensitive, and
peaceful were "Georgia on My Mind"
and "Irene Goodnight." "Rolling in My
Sweet Baby's Arms" aryl "Lucken-
bach, Texas" showed the band could
play well if they put their mind to it.
And then, to finish everything off, it was
back to "Whiskey Woman."
Although the crowd seemed to love
Nelson, perhaps that was just because
the Jerry Jeff Walker fans had already
left, and others had fallen asleep. In the
case of Sunday evening's country ex-
travaganza, the "different strokes for
different folks" rule clearly applies.
There was some very good music, and
there was some very bad music, with
lots in between. But there was some-
thing for everybody and I doubt if
anyone went home disappointed.
Daily Photo by PETER SERING
Willie Nelson
A PERIODICAL RETREAT
' Foreign Magazines '1
I Quality Craft Periodicals
Fine Woodworking * Glass Mag.
Craft Horizons * Print Mag.
eanmmmm Literary Quarterlies mi
* 316 S. State 663-0215
..f. .. .. .. ..i. . .
Motherwell exhibition
a liberating sensation
By KAREN BORNSTEIN
T HERE'S THE liberated woman
and the liberated man, but
Robert Motherwell is the liberated
artist. No ties to tradition or conven-
tion inhibit his most recent prints and
etchings. Instead, they are the spon-
tanetus assertions of his personality
as an artist. These wonderfully inti-
mate works can be experienced
through February 15 at the Alice
Simsar Gallery, 301 North Main
Street.
Born in Aberdeen, Washington in
1915, Robert Motherwell received his
undergraduate degree from Stanford
University. He has been the subject
of many one-man exhibits all over
the world, including the Palais des
Beaux-Arts, Brussels and the Am-'
sterdam. Inaddition, he has contrib-
uted to numerous publications, is an
advisor to the Guggenheim Founda-
tion, and is the subject of numerous
interviews.
MOTHERWELL IS THE youngest
of the artists originally associated
with the American Abstract Nxpres-
sionist movement, and masterfully
handles lines, forms, and color with
confidence and maturity. His works
initially appear unrelated, yet, upon
closer inspection one notices how
they are bound together by pure
revelation of genuine emotion, mani-
fested through common motifs.
The etchings and lithographs,
varying immensely in size, shape,
and color, seem to flow chronologic-
ally around .the Simsar Gallery. Said
assistant gallery director Kathleen
Nugent, "We tried hanging the pieces
in so many different ways. Hanging
them chronologically, despite great
variances in size and color, really
had the greatest effect. They all roll
together." And roll, they do. The eye
moves smoothly from one diverse
work to the next, without breaks or
harshness, each work beautifully
enhancing the next.
Motherwell's works include deep,
dramatically black linear shapes
(one closely resembling a backward
4) placed against a stark white back-
ground. These are reminiscent of his
most famous painting series entitled
Elegy to the Spanish Revolution,
dated around 1950.
IN OTHER WORKS, he successful-
ly employs the collage motif. Ger-
man cigarette package labels are
added to etchings, at areas which
seem to be chosen at random. Rather
than appearing tacky or out of place,
they become integral components of
the work's overall continuity and
balance. The roundness of the label's
torn edges draw attention to the cur-
vaceous and amorphous printed
black shape it overlaps. The dusty
rose color of the label melts into the
crisp black-and-white background,
while at the same time helping to in-
tensify it.
Lacking in this aura of brilliance
and harmony is a plain etching of a
"Roth Handle" cigarette label. This
work could be considered the only
disappointment of the exhibit. It is
successful in revealing Motherwell's
precision atthis latest printing tech-
nique. However, it is extremely
literal and passive, and devoid of the
personal excitement that so sensi-
tively, emanates from all his other
pieces.
Thriving with. such sheer emotion-
alism are Motherwell's four "Ges-
ture" sugarlift aquatints. The term
"sugarlift" refers to the sugar he
adds to the paint, thereby giving the
printed black designs a- subtly tex-
tured and grainy quality.
THESE TREASURES of pure feel-
ing are the most popular works of the
exhibit. They speak directly to the
viewer with great strength, revealing
a very automatic experience on
behalf of the artist. One can't help
but be immediately drawn into their
whirlpools of vibrant red, painterly
blue, and deep, rich brown.
Motherwell is usually associated
with huge, massive canvases filled
with-a frenzied application of black
or white oils. However, his latest 1977
etchings show he has moved away
from the large mural and into the
smallest of the small and intimate.
These 4x5 etchings shine like tiny
jewels despite their size. They are
powerful enough to make definite
statements by relating to specific
experiences or emotions.
Abstract Expressionism is reveal-
ing the energized spontaneity of one's
innermost f e e I i n g s. Liberation
needn't be restricted to the house-
wife. ,
In} 1909, the average American
cot, umed 4.5 pounds of sugar in
cereal and bakery products, com-
pared with 1971 when consumption
estimates for these same foods were
placed at 17.6 pounds, says the Healh
Insurance Institute.
ANN ARBOR MUSIC MARTS
AFTER-BLIZZARD SALE
The Blizzard Stopped Our Business Cold I I We Must Move MerchandiseI
THRU FEB. 11-10% HOLDS ALL PRICES
R -
4
y
e
s
0
I ]
THE FISHER
MC2000 SYSTEM
FEATURING
MC2000 10 watts/channel Receiver
225XA Automatic Changer with
Magnetic Cartridge, Bose, and
Dust Cover
MS1 iS 2-way Passive Radiator
Speakers
ODDMENTS SALE
Some Displays, Some In Boxes '
SONY STR3800
SYSTEM
FEA TURING
STRk3800 RECEIVER, 25 watts/channel
SSU1 250 2-way Passive Radiator Speakers
FISHER 6210 SemiAutomatic
Belt Drive Turntable
with Audia-Technico Cartridge
'Base,Dustcover
TECHNICS
RS671 Cassette Deck .:.. .
$229
.
MARANTZ
140 amp 75 watts/channel . $239
ESS TEMPEST 3 Speakers $129 pr
SANYO
TP82SD Direct Drive Turntable $115
$479
*_
pk
- I I
SONY AM-FM
SHORTWAVE
.e
.. .M1y y
Receives all 40 CB channels
Professional precision tuning with accuracy
as high as within 5 kHz on SW bands
Dual conversion superheterodyne circuitry
for higher sensitivity and selectivity on
SW bands,
BFO switch and balanced detector circuitry
for SSB and CW transmissions
$12888.
SANYO
MINI-CASSETTE
COMPLETE WITH VINYL CASE,
AC ADAPTOR
AT JUST
Rechargeable Battery Pack 151
IN STOCK
MXR SIGNAL
PROCESSORS
e 10 Band Stereo Graphic Equalizer
* Dynamic Processor-Enhances
Range, Reduces Record &
FM Noise
e Special on the COMPANDER:
Tape Noise Reduction Unit
t
~1
S
I
e
$1 j900
RISING STAR
The New University
Poetry & Translation
Magazine
Submissions now
U U
Harmon-Kardon /
Braun
HARMON-KARDON
230e
15 watts/channel
Tuesday £Wednesdy
Oi4r
3 MAXELL UDC90
with Plastic carrying case at just
$795
(limit: 1 per customer)
FISHER RS-1022'
SYSTEM
Fisher's RS1022 22 watts/channelr.
AM/FM STEREO RECEIVER
FISHER XPS70 2-way Speakers
FISHER MT6210 Semi-Automatic
Belt Drive, Base, Dust Cover,
Audia Technica Cartridge
BRAU
OUTPUT C-
less is more
Thursday thru sturday
SOUND GUARD
RECORD PRESERVATIVE
reg. $7.99 SALE $4.99
SUPERSCOPE CASSETTES
Q Om tee
45t
I fSEN I-Itil
A new ttw~ of "0 Harman Kordon
f&AWv of uikawidebmd AM/FIA af.- i
I
s . ; .
I