You’d think this would be harder for Chuck Prophet. He recently overcame a cancer event which caused him to only be able to play a handful of shows in 2022 and he was performing with half of his band missing, the Mission Express. And, to top it off, it was the first stop of a 30-date US tour preceding a 28-date European tour. You’d understand if he was a little off his game. However, that was clearly not the case as he, Stephanie Finch on keys/vocals, and Vincente Rodriguez on a stripped-down drum kit climbed onto the stage at a sold-out City Winery Loft on January 5th in New York City. Prophet and the band ripped through 20 old and new songs, and it felt normal, and it felt exceptionally good. He displayed all three of the tools of a headline performer – a strong singing voice that compels emotion, superb guitar chops, and exceptional stage banter.
His voice sounded as good as it always does in a way that is both musical but also allows you to focus on the story in the songs. Finch’s keys and harmonies took on a much bigger role, filling in the spaces left by the two missing bandmates. For those unfamiliar, his songs are full of characters, mostly from the Bay area, who frequent songs like “The Left Hand and the Right Hand,” “Willie Mays Is Up at Bat,” and “Willie and Nilli.” He even threw in a nod to NY punk icons, The New York Dolls with his song “High as Johnny Thunders.”
So, who does Chuck Prophet sound like? It is hard to put him in a box. He shares some vocal qualities with Tom Petty, but that isn’t exactly spot-on. You can definitely hear some punk sensibilities, but they are deeply shrouded in an indie rock wrapper. He somehow comes off as a nerdy goofball who might be the coolest guy you know with a voice that is both laid back and reassuring. You’ll just have to dig into the catalog to fully understand.
For more than half of the show he stuck to an acoustic guitar, which may have been due to the smaller band and intimate setting, but it was when he switched to his trusty Fender Telecaster that his guitar prowess really lit up. Before hanging up his own band shingle, Prophet spent seven years as the guitar slinger in the band Green on Red. That experience must have helped him a great deal as he approaches his solos with a relaxed urgency that seems to include just the right number of notes to get the feeling across. You can hear examples of this in most of his songs, but they are particularly noticeable with the solo in the version of “Nixonland” from his 2020 release, The Land that Time Forgot, and the subtle fills in “Bad Year for Rock and Roll” from 2017’s Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins.
But as good as the lyrics, vocals, and musicianship is, one of the real treats of a Chuck Prophet concert is his witty and off-the-cuff stage banter. At one point he noticed an audience member taking a video on a cell phone and said, in a scolding voice, something to the effect of “we are about to play a new song, and I noticed you have been taking a lot of video at this show, so I would appreciate it if you would” and after a pregnant pause, continued, “record this whole song and share it – it is really hard to get new music out there these days.”
Another time, as he was introducing the song “Nixonland,” he went into a rambling explanation of the song detailing a fourth-grade field trip. When he finished the story, unsatisfied with his rambling he apologized to the audience for the long introduction, winked at Finch, and said, “just think how polished that story will be by the end of the tour.” Surely Chuck Prophet provides an entertaining dose of tunes and banter – a true throwback rocker in the most welcoming way possible.
