Chris Appelbaum presents Slack, Steel & Song featuring Stephen Inglis, Barry Sless, and special guest, Rob Barraco
China Camp Bowl
San Rafael, CA USA
6:30 PM, Friday, June 7, 2024

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promo poster

Set One video from the11

[6:40 PM] {performers out and noodling}

1. [6:45 PM] Brown Eyed Women (SI)
2. [6:55 PM] ? (unidentified Hawaiian song) (SI)
   [7:00 PM] {SI tells Jimi Hendrix tuning story}
3. [7:02 PM] Shooting Star (RB)
4. [7:06 PM] Ramble on Rose (SI)
   [7:13 PM] {SI: here's a tune by Richard Thompson}
5. [7:14 PM] Dimming of the Day (SI)
   [7:19 PM] {SI story to introduce the next song, a Hawaiian traditional about two lovers}
6. [7:19 PM] ? (unidentified Hawaiian song) (SI)
   [7:24 PM] {SI and BS swap to electric guitars; RB says he wrote this next one with Robert Hunter}
7. [7:28 PM] When You Say When (RB)
   [7:34 PM] {SI identifies the next one as one of his originals}
8. [7:35 PM] Nothing Left to Prove (SI)
   [7:42 PM] {pause to parley a moment}
9. [7:44 PM] Bird Song (SI) » [7:50 PM] the Other One teases » [7:53 PM] the Eleven teases » formlessness » [7:56 PM] Bird Song
10. [7:59 PM] the Promised Land (RB)
    [8:04 PM] {set ends}

Set Two video from the11

[8:45 PM] {performers out}

1. [8:50 PM] Help on the Way (RB) » [8:58 PM] Slipknot! » Blue Rondo a la Turk teases » Franklin's Tower tease/finale »
2. [9:00 PM] Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodle-oo (SI)
3. [9:09 PM] Music Is a River (SI)
   [9:19 PM] {SI tells us the back story on the previous song, an original written after bar crawling in Deep Elem; band introduction; BS swaps back to pedal steel; RB introduces the next one as another Robert Hunter co-write}
4. [9:21 PM] Old Coast Highway (RB)
   [9:27 PM] {SI: we're the slack off band; SI swaps back to acoustic; this is an Akaka Falls song}
5. [9:29 PM] Akaka Falls (SI)
6. [9:36 PM] “Molokai to Merl” Medley: Moloka'i Nui a Hina (SI) » [9:39 PM] Mama Tried (SI) » [9:42 PM] Moloka'i Nui a Hina » [9:43 PM] Mama Tried finale
   [9:44 PM] {RB tells a Crosby story about Garcia playing on Teach Your Children; more Garcia stories from RB; BS playing matching licks to accompany Rob}
7. [9:46 PM] So Many Roads (SI)
   [9:56 PM] {BS & SI swap back to electrics; Rob and Barry tease Blue Rondo again while SI tunes up again}
8. [9:58 PM] Higher Ground (RB) » chaotic tone cluster jam » [10:07 PM] Other One teases » Higher Ground
   [10:10 PM] {BS swaps back to pedal steel guitar; SI back on acoustic; RB teasing barrel house piano, then Rob and Barry trading Xmas licks (because it's so friggin' cold tonight)}
   
   Finale
9. [10:12 PM] Brokedown Palace (SI)
   [10:17 PM] {show ends}

• Rob Barraco: keyboards, vox;
• Stephen Inglis: acoustic guitar, vox;
• Barry Sless: guitar, pedal steel guitar, harmony vox.

I believe tonight was the inaugural gig for China Camp Bowl … perhaps to be renamed China Cat Bowl. Set on a west-facing hillside and shaded by mature trees, it was chillier than normal for this time of year: No better than 60 F at sunset, and probably ten degrees cooler by show end. At least the surrounding trees mitigated the wind-chill of the intermittent breeze a little. Karl must have been prowling about in the bay nearby!

It was a nice treat to hear Bob Dylan's Shooting Star – I don't remember hearing that one covered by anyone else ever. Another treat was the Hawaiian-tinged rendition of Richard Thompson's Dimming of the Day: I like it when songs get stretched out in new and surprising directions! Another surprise was hearing Barry sing harmony vox: not bad! It's a wonder that I don't remember hearing him do so ever before….

Best song of the night (most surprising to me) was what I thought was Mama Tried sung in both Hawaiian and English (alternating verses). Turns out instead that was a medley. Yay Internet! Best jam was the trio's wonderfully chaotic tone-clustery extrapolation on Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground. 2nd best jam surprise was Rob's insertion of Blue Rondo a la Turk into Slipknot, reprised later in the set while the guys waited for Stephen to retune his guitar.

We had a great time. If you see that the trio is playing in your area, I recommend going! And I look forward to returning to China Camp for future house parties on a warmer nights later this year.

Major props to the11 for sharing video of the whole event on Youtube!

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

And our host Chris shared his own photo gallery too!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2024 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2024 event list! ☸ On to the next event!