The angels wanna wear his orange shoes: Rodney Crowell showed up to Knuckleheads wearing Crocs, which, apparently, were made for rocking. Photo by Bill Brownlee/Special to The Star
Never has a man wearing orange Crocs rocked so hard.
The unexpected footwear was just one of the surprises Rodney Crowell laid on a wildly diverse audience of 250 at Knuckleheads Wednesday night.
Bikers, hippies, farmers and hipsters found the celebrated songwriter in full-tilt garage rock mode. Only a few of the 18 songs Crowell performed in his scorching 100-minute performance contained the faintest traces of country music. His take-no-prisoners sound most resembled Elvis Costello and the Attractions' furious "This Year's
Model."
The aggressive style suited Crowell's adenoidal twang. Drummer Keio Stroud -- introduced by Crowell as "the only black man in the house" -- and bassist Denny Bixby played as if they were auditioning for the house rhythm section at CBGBs circa 1977. The tough sensibility was best encapsulated by raunchy takes of proto-punk classics "Tobacco Road" and "Hi Heal Sneakers."
Guitarist Will Kimbrough, who opened the show with 40 entertaining minutes of adrenaline-fueled acoustic work, was a terrific foil for Crowell. His one extended guitar solo of the night, during Crowell's harrowing "Wandering Boy," was a highlight.
"That's my favorite piece we do," Crowell said as he acknowledged a standing ovation.
Crowell's song selection left a handful of fans frustrated. He ignored shouted requests for many of his signature songs, including "'Til I Gain Control Again," "After All This Time," "Lovin' All Night" and "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried." Those hits preceded country radio's shift to slicker material. Freed from commercial constraints, Crowell's recent work is startlingly raw and adventurous. It was this
material -- angry songs like "Topsy Turvy" and "Fate's Right Hand" -- that most interests Crowell today.
The 57-year-old Texan seemed dismissive of his past as he introduced "Making Memories of Us," a recent a hit for Keith Urban.
"Once upon a time I wanted to get into my wife's pants," he confessed about the motivation for writing the pledge of eternal love. "I'm a professional liar."
Crowell managed to slow down the tempo a handful of times, most notably on a sensitive reading of Willie Nelson's "I Still Can't Believe You're Gone."
He also auditioned a poignant new ballad: "I just wrote this song last week and I've never performed it," Crowell said. "It's important that I test myself in these
situations."
With its chorus of "What a Beautiful World," the song came across like a roadhouse version of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March."
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
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