Loudon Wainwright III is one of those performers that you can always count on for three things: a sharp and acerbic sense of humor, flashes of thoughtful introspection, but most importantly, the unwavering knack to write fantastic folk songs. His stage presence is nothing short of magnetic, and regardless of the occasional off-color comment, he commands the space with wit and charm. Joined by daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche (an up-and-coming folk singer in her own right), Wainwright’s show at Freight & Salvage reminded audience young and old why he continues to be such a great entertainer and social commentator.
Lucy Wainwright Roche opened the show by announcing that there’d been great confusion as to whether or not she was actually on the bill for the evening. She immediately set the crowd at ease with her healthy level of self-deprecation, but it was when she started singing that she really turned heads. It was evident, however, that she was a bit out of practice, as her voice shook from nerves and sounded a bit thin at the beginning. Still, after a rough first song, she strengthened and totally enchanted the crowd with “Snare Drum”– an excellent example of contemporary folk music that sends a clear message to any naysayers that her talent is formidable and deep.
What Roche lacks in stage presence she makes up for in spades with her songwriting. Songs like “The Worst Part” and “Open Season” showcase her adroit sense of melody, and by using a confessional writing style, Roche invites the audience to participate in her journey that in turn engenders a sense of intimacy between her and the listener. It’s evident that she’s been impacted by folk legends such as Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, Richard Shindell and in many ways her father. This is in no way a criticism; rather, Roche’s capacity to evoke these influences is testament to the quality of her musicianship. After her forty-minute set, Roche had clearly enraptured the audience and brought many new fans into the fold.
After a brief intermission, Loudon Wainwright III took the stage with a wicked laugh and his usual high level of energy. After his first song, though, he played “Dead Man,” a haunting piece that chronicles the death of Wainwright’s father, and the subsequent sorting through of his belongings. He sings, “Got a dead man’s rock, and a dead man’s reel / got a dead man’s tuxedo, with a lived in feel… I ain’t dead yet, but I’m getting there.” Wainwright’s lyrics suggest a certain uneasiness about death and the process of aging, but at the same time, the unadorned soberness of the words alternately indicate his embrace of getting older. Moments such as these reveal very much the soul behind so much of Wainwright’s persona and remind the listener that while he has leaned heavily on humor throughout his career, his true strength is as a documenter of the human experience.
Wainwright continued with the wildly entertaining and hilarious “A Guilty Conscience and a Broken Heart,” which follows an imaginary protagonist as he identifies the body of his scorned ex-lover. The audience exploded in laughter throughout the song, as Wainwright gleefully sang, “You should have thought about sacred marriage / the vows we made, the promise ne’er to part / the tag they tied to your big toe, it tells the awful story: a guilty conscience and a broken heart!” After a brief detour into the morbidity of death (a theme, however, that would recur throughout the set), Wainwright played “Half Fist,” which is about his grandfather (“The First Loudon”)– a man he never met. In order to try and understand the man responsible for his extended family, Wainwright looks deeply at a collection of family photographs, and the resulting lyrics range from the comical to the mournful, but all the while poignant.
A highlight of the evening was a new song called “My Meds,” which, like the title denotes, is a satirical take on the overmedication of popular culture. It is in no way retributive; rather, Wainwright frankly celebrates the many advantages of being pumped full of a vast and delicious cocktail of drugs. Lines like “Girl, I swore off Cialis, I’m no longer in the mood / four hours at attention, man, that could kill a dude! / They say Ambien’s ok, as long as you don’t drive in your sleep / and if you operate machinery, pray the Lord your soul to keep” had the audience doubled over, howling with each subsequent mention of well-known prescription drugs. And, as Wainwright is so adept at doing, he summed up the whole hilarious account in one lyric: “If these side effects don’t kill me, they just might save my life.”
Lucy joined her father onstage for a three song set that showcased Loudon’s skill at writing a superbly beautiful melody. Surprisingly, the real star of this segment was Lucy, whose harmony was polished, elegant and downright stunning. Her voice wove in perfectly with her father’s, and the two stood together with poise and confidence. The combination of voices kept the audience on the edge of their seats, and it was clear everyone was sad to see Roche leave the stage.
Wainwright closed the set by first delving into the “High, Wide & Handsome” project he did a few years ago about the life and work of Charlie Poole. But it was “White Winos,” a song about his late mother, that was the high point of the set’s closing. The melody is pure and clear, and Wainwright is both witty and tender, showing deep affection for her. The line “each empty bottle a dead soldier: the marriage was the war” revealed certain tension in his parents’ union, but the esteem he pays his mother combined with the amusing affinity for white wine unveils the relentlessly human side of Wainwright that continues to be so affecting.
Thirty-plus years into his career, Loudon Wainwright III still knows how to put on a great show, and it’s heartening to see him support his daughter’s growing career. He continues to be an illustrious leader in the folk community, and rightfully so. With his guitar strapped on and a smile at the ready, he’s just the type of guy you’d hope would still be making songs to which we can all relate. And thankfully, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the least.
Loudon Wainwright III’s Setlist:
No Tomorrow
Dead Man
A Guilty Conscience and a Broken Heart
Half Fist
Harlan County
Times is Hard
House
My Meds
The Red Guitar
Another Song in C
Daughter (Peter Blegvad cover)
You Can’t Fail Me Now (w/ Lucy Wainwright Roche)
All in the Family (w/ Lucy Wainwright Roche)
Needless to Say (w/ Lucy Wainwright Roche)
You Don’t Wanna Know
High, Wide & Handsome
That Cross
White Winos
Unfriendly Skies
Encore:
Grey in LA
At the End of a Long, Lonely Day (Marty Robbins cover) (w/ Lucy Wainwright Roche)
Photos by Victor Friedman and Paula Court
