Artist:Kathy Mattea
Venue:The Sage
Town:Gateshead
Date:22/01/09
Website:www.myspace.com/kathymattea
As Ike Sheldon, the Missouri-born lead singer and guitarist of the country four-piece The Wilders, likes to say, ‘you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.’ Together with his fellow band members, Betse Ellis, Phil Wade and Nate Gawron, Ike creates a real hillbilly country bluegrass sound, encompassing banjo, fiddle, guitar and dobro. What is immediately evident from the smiles and toe tapping is that this band love making music.
Their set comprised a mixture of standards and their own original material the band clearly have a penchant for the darker side of country, as evidenced by the additions from their latest CD, Someone's Got to Pay, somewhat unusually inspired by time spent on jury service on a murder trial.
Standout songs for me were Hey Little Darlin' and delivering a lesson about being prepared perhaps, Keep Your Skillet Good and Greasy all the Time. I will be very surprised if we don't see this band appearing at various summer music festivals, where I think their music would go down a storm.
Then came the main act and it has to be asked – “Kathy Mattea – it's been 12 years – Where've You Been?......”
The applause emanating around Hall 2 when Kathy took to the stage, made it very clear she was welcome back after such a long absence, by longtime and more recent fans alike. Kathy immediately won over the audience with the observation “Who knew? Really, who knew you were still here in Newcastle waiting all this time?” and remniscing that last time she played in Newcastle “....this beautiful hall didn't exist...we played some room with disco ball lights.” (The Mayfair Rooms – now The Gate) It was obvious that those who were in attendance that night were impressed, even touched that she remembered, as did they. Speaking of her new album, she quipped, “I've waited a long time and am delighted to bring Coal to Newcastle.' Greeted by groans at this double meaning, she shot back, 'I guess I won't give up my day job anytime soon then...”
Kathy launched into one of her old hits, Goin' Gone, followed by Untold Stories, backed by some awesome bass playing. As she moved into the first offering from the new CD, Coal – a tribute to and exploration of, coal miners- produced by Marty Stuart- the images strung around her on stage were lit up to reveal powerful rememberances of mining....coal miners, coal and power stations. The LNR don't Stop here Anymore, written by Jean Richey, is a stirring evocation of how people's lives were changed, almost cut off, after the demise of the mine service of the Louisville-Nashville Railroad. Explaining to us how Coal came to be and how it changed her life, it was immediately obvious what this collection of songs means to her and that she was eager to share them with us – perhaps especially realising we have a history of coal mining right here in North East. She went on to tell us that the image immediately behind her, was of the generating plant taken from her cousin's land in West Virginia, where she grew up. In fact both her Grandfathers were coal miners. She views this CD as a reclamation of her history and a way for her to connect the dots of her family history. She reflected that she never even knew she lived in Appalachia and that for the nineteen years she lived there, she never once considered what this building did, and going back and learning this history allowed her to fall in love with her homeland all over again. Reminiscing on the Sago Mine Disaster in 2006 when all but one miner perished, as the worst disaster in West Virginia since a 1968 incident that killed 78 people. Although Kathy would have only been nine when this incident took place, it doubtless played a part in the making of this album.
Breaking from the theme of Coal, Kathy took us back in time to Love at the Five and Dime.' Whilst I am sure the irony of the song being set in Woolworths wasn't entirely overlooked, it was a wonderful rendition, and encouraging everyone to join in with the final chorus she was clearly in her element, so much so she asked us if we could do it again. At the end she commented 'There's a philharmonic orchestra in the next hall, and I bet they aren't making this kind of magic.” Then she shared with us the theory of her friend, that music was never intended to be pressed onto plastic discs, but to be shared, between people, in a room, and that nights like this remind her of that. Come from the Heart seems to have retained a real and valid message and moving onto Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses it was clear that whilst it may be years since this was a hit, this song still has a place in people's hearts. Kathy asked us to sing along again towards the end and then asked us to sing louder. “let me tell you about the joyful noise.....our theory is that if you can hear the person next to you singing you aren't singing loudly enough....if we all step up and commit we will receive a gift....the sheer joy of feeling sound bounce around your body....so let's give it a big Kum-ba-yah.” Clearly this eloquent delivery won everyone over and the Joyful Noise was experienced by us all, sharing music in that room.
A surprise came next in the form of Gimme Shelter, a song which we were told came about during a jam session on the bus. The band worked it up and it ended up in the live set as everyone was struck by how despite being recorded in the sixties it is still relevant today. It was a wonderful take of a well known Rolling Stones number and I hope one day it finds its way onto a CD.
Darrell Scott's contribution to Coal, You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive, has been covered by many artists from Brad Paisley to Patty Loveless. Kathy delivers a very different, personal interpretation of what is ultimately a gut wrenching song. Following this, Kathy asked us if we have Mountain Top Removal in the UK (open cast mining) and told us of seeing the Removal and Reclamation sites as part of her research for Coal. It clearly had a profound impact upon her.
Introducing Where've You Been? written by husband, songwriter Jon Vezner, Kathy told us this song had changed her life and often the songs which go on to have the greatest impact do so when she is almost oblivious to what she is doing. The song was written about Jon's grandparents, but Kathy put a humorous slant on it when she shared with us that years later he had told her it didn't quite unfold as the song would have you believe.
One of the evening’s most sombre moments came in the form of Billy Ed Wheeler's beautiful “Red Winged Blackbird,” in which the blackbird becomes a poignant metaphor for the bright young men who died slow deaths from coal dust inhalation. (Following this song Kathy quipped that they considered placing a suicide hotline sticker on the album cover!) Conversely in Coal Tattoo he also provides the more upbeat story of a miner on the run from life, looking not only for work, but a reason to believe in what he’s doing. This allowed Kathy and band – long time guitarist Bill Cooley, David Spiker and Amon O'Rourke, to expose their inner hillbillies and really showed what the band could do.
At this, Kathy and the band took their bows and exited the stage to huge applause, Kathy returning alone to an a capella version of the song Hazel Dickens wrote about her miner brother's death in 1973. Black Lung could make even the hardest heart turn cold as this young man's story reminds of the true cost to many in the mines. I read that it took Kathy six months to work out if she could even sing this song; it is clear to hear it live that she does both the song and the young man in question, justice. The band returned and Kathy took up the tin whistle to play a Celtic tune. Whilst it had toes tapping, I would have to argue with her observation – for me the cherry on the cake would have been a well known hit.
Was this performance worth waiting 12 years for? Most definitely. It was a joy to hear the older songs again after so long and I was surprised at how much I warmed to the songs of Coal - performed live they take on a new, deeper meaning, than just being often gut wrenching songs about mining. I now see that they are about the spirit of the people who live and work in the coal industry, those who have done so, and those who died in the line of their work. It is impossible not to share the empathy and respect in Kathy's voice as she puts her mark on these songs from a variety of sources, which have been revived from a long and hard past of mining and loss. In many ways it is an honour to have something so personal to an artist be shared as these songs and stories have been. I have enjoyed the CD much more since and have even been inspired to read up on the history of the closed coal mine near to where I live. Like Kathy, I realised that I don't remember much about it – I wonder how many of us actually relate to that.
Taking the time to chat to fans after the show it was clear that she is as down to earth in person as she appears on stage and she was as happy to meet new fans as those who told her their stories of past meetings. She seemed genuinely touched that many people had waited all this time, hoping she would tour here again. We were rewarded not only with a great night, but a big hug and who could ask for more?
Next time I hope we get to hear more of the songs from Kathy's musical past, but Kathy, how about it? More Coals to Newcastle very soon?
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