Kinky Friedman and Van DykeParks @ Artbar, Perth(30/06/11)

Wed 6th Jul, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The Artbar is a striking venue, especially when filled with a grand piano, images from classic films projected onto the second floor and a crowd of a few hundred looking forward to Kinky Friedman and Van Dyke Parks.

Lucky Oceans opened proceedings with Two Trains showcasing his skill on slide guitar. The mellow blues style of Oceans and his band, which also made use of french horn and double bass, impressed the crowd. Finishing with an accomplished rendition of Lonely Part of Town Oceans is sure to have won a few new fans through his performance.

Van Dyke Parks has worked with a list of international acts as long as your arm, most notably U2, Ringo Starr and The Beach Boys on their unreleased album Smile. So there was a strong sense of anticipation before Parks took the stage, joined by talented Perth local Phil Waldron on cello. Parks had the audience enthralled with his conversational song writing style and command of the piano.His Beach Boys composition Orange Crate Art was introduced with the words; “if there’s anyone who should pronounce the word orange it’s Brian Wilson” and had the audience eating out of his hands from that point on. The set had a slightly psychedelic feel and his seemingly effortless piano playing and easy banter between songs was captivating. Parks’ closing number Sail Away was a great example of his witty and unique lyrics.

Kinky Friedman first made a name for himself playing with the Texas Jew Boys in the seventies and has moved on to mystery novels, politics and cigar manufacture. These new interests haven’t affected Friedman’s knack for performing, he opened with Before All Hell Breaks Loose. The political satire of the song seems as relevant now as when it was written in 1974. Friedman’s lack of concern for political correctness is refreshing and had the crowd roaring with laughter throughout most of his set. While Friedman’s voice is far from perfect he more than makes up for it with ribald jokes between songs and such classic numbers as Old Ben Lucas had a Lot of Mucus (written at age 11) and They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore.

A cover of the song The Ballad of Ira Hayes told the story of a Native American soldier who succumbed to alcoholism, and was a rare sad moment in the set. Friedman had no trouble bringing the mood back up though, with anecdotes like a friend who said that “all Canadians are either hookers or hockey players,” when a man yelled “my wife’s Canadian!” he asked “what team does she play for?” He was later joined by Parks for a duet on Asshole from El Paso which started a sing along. Parks and Friedman may seem like an odd pairing but their obvious rapport and wealth of experience made this a fantastic show.