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Summer tour with Cracker - tour dates now listed!
McCabe and Mrs. Miller is a collaboration between Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker, Monks of Doom) and Alison Faith Levy (Loud Family, The Sippy Cups, Mushroom). Digging at the roots of their rootlessness, these songs sweep out the dark corners of longing, regret, and desire with the intimate wit and wisdom of old friends.
Here's a review of our most recent show, The Fencepost Sessions:
SFist Reviews: McCabe & Mrs. Miller
by Quinn Miller
Unfortunately, we arrived late for "The Fencepost Sessions" at Hotel Utah on Saturday, and didn’t get to see the first act, Mirandaband. Judging from their tracks on MySpace, we missed out.
Tom Heyman’s band wove tight, snaky rhythms around his worldly drawl as he offered tales of life lived on the ledge, punctuated by the bends and vibrato of his Telecaster. Like any good outfit, they left us wanting to hear more.
Next up, Virgina Dare battled atonal lead guitar armed only with an autoharp and her voice which seemed to oscillate with emotion. Charmed by her deeply personal slice of post-modern Appalachia, members of the audience demanded an encore.
By the time McCabe and Mrs. Miller took the stage, the audience was buzzing with drink and anticipation. Their set began and ended with Heyman sitting in on lead guitar. The rhythm section of John Haynes and Paul Olguin played taut simmering grooves that bubbled over with the intensity of the classic Stax and Atlantic soul cuts. Jonathan Segel worked his usual magic with violin, an old Gibson A-style mandolin and a hollowbody guitar, prompting the question, “Is there anything you don’t play” to which he replied "oboe" without missing a beat. Every time we see him perform, we walk away with a new appreciation of Segel’s many talents.
Dressed in a suit and tie and pausing between numbers for a sip of bourbon, Victor Krummenacher was magnetic in the lead role of singer-songwriter/guitarist. Those only familiar with his work as the supremely funky bassist of Camper Van Beethoven may be surprised to see how easily he transcends that part when he steps to the front. His vocals sounded strong throughout, but particularly when he and partner Alison Faith Levy blended in duets that recall many beloved duos of American roots music. Faith Levy was also effective when she took the lead with her sultry alto and added piano, melodica and tambourine and her energy seemed to inspire the men on the stage to kick it up another notch. Their songs, many of which were written in Krummenacher’s living room, vary from ballads of lost love to rave-ups that build to exciting crescendos and collectively conjure a painting by Thomas Hart Benton come to life.
“I took the long way around,” Victor sang near the end of their set, proving that in art, as in life, sometimes the long route is the best. Fans of artists such as Lucinda Williams, Wilco , The Jayhawks, and Gram and Emmylou are strongly encouraged to catch them in their next performance Thursday, March 5th at The Eagle.
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