iradiophilly | Culture - Concert Review/Setlist: The Mastersons and Justin Currie at the Tin Angel 9/22/14

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Concert Review/Setlist: The Mastersons and Justin Currie at the Tin Angel 9/22/14

by: JoeS - Springfield, PA
started: 09/26/14 7:04 pm | updated: 09/26/14 7:04 pm

The Mastersons and Justin Currie appeared at the Tin Angel on Monday Sept. 22 to a sold out crowd. I was there to see and hear The Mastersons, but really enjoyed both acts. It was an enthusiastic crowd. The Tin Angel is acoustically superb with the perfect set up for acts of no more than 3 or 4 performers. I had dinner so I also had a reserved seat 6 feet or so from the stage. The intimate setting, perfect sound system, friendly audience and excellent performances were the ingredients for a exceptional night of music.

The Mastersons, who are Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, are on tour in support of their second album Good Luck Charm. On this tour, it is Chris and Eleanor with their magnificent voices accompanied by their awesome guitar and fiddle work. They have an easy almost innocent stage presence, no pretense. They appear to be real folks. I've met them twice and was impressed by how appreciative they are of their fans. Though many were there to see Justin, we Masterson fans were there and vocal.

The only disappointment was that Chris and Eleanor could only do 8 songs. All but one of the songs were off Good Luck Charm with the exception being â€œThe Other Shoe,â€ a high intensity fiddle driven song off of Birds Fly South. This small acoustic setting allows all of the highly develop talents of this husband and wife team to shine. You could see as well as hear Chris's guitar prowess. You can see how Eleanor's fingers caress the fiddle and how they look and interact with each other as they sing.

â€œIf I Wanted Toâ€ is a love song with toe tapping pace and a platform for this duo to demonstrate that breath-taking harmony. The two songs that the crowd really got into were â€œUniformâ€ and â€œGood Luck Charm.â€ Clapping along with the song gave the songs some percussion and the audience a fun role in the performance. From previous interviews I have read and their conversation on the stage, it is evident these guys care about their community, care about people in general and care about the need for citizens to get engaged to make things better.

The folks at the tables around me were there to see Justin. When talking I told them I was part of The Mastersons contingent. They asked me who The Mastersons are and how I became a fan. I told them and at the break they were all really impressed with the musicianship, the singing and the quality of the songs.

I was lucky enough and The Mastersons were gracious enough to give me an interview. I tried to ask questions that I wanted to know and were not covered in other interviews. I asked about album art. I love album art and The Mastersons' two album covers are very cool. I asked about their involvement. Chris said, â€œI love having someone's music on vinyl and beng able to peruse the lyrics and liner notes while listeningâ€ They are sort of throw backs in that they get involved and love this disappearing art form. I also asked if they had plans to hook up again with Steve Earl. Chris said, â€œWe're making another record with Steve Earl next month and touring with him next year.â€

SET LIST:

"If I Wanted to"
"Uniform"
"It's Not Like Me"
"Closer To You"
"I Found You"
"Cautionary Tale"
"The Other Shoe"
"Good Luck Charm"

This was my maiden voyage into the music of Justin Currie. He is a true romantic with an edge. His career started as one of the founding members of Del Amitri. He has 3 solo albums and 6 as part of the group. He has committed fan base that reacted with intense applause to most of his songs. The audience called out songs to sing and he had fun with them saying yes, no, maybe and I'm not allowed. He performed about 20 pieces starting with â€œEvery Song's The Same.â€ Most of his themes are love sought, gained and lost. A few times he forgot a word or a chord, laughed and had the audience in stitches.

He performed 6 or 7 songs from his time with Del Amitri. Those received the most response. Folks sang along to many of the songs and knew the words. He finished his set with â€œFalsettoâ€ which is a song about deceit which he sang in falsetto, sort of cool. He left and came back to a 4 song encore. He plays guitar and keys and spent most of the encore at the keys. The last two songs, though not from Del Amitri, were greeted with joyous applause. â€œLittle Starsâ€ and especially â€œNo Surrenderâ€ ended up being my favorites. What struck me most about Justin and these two songs where the passion he puts into his performance and his very fine voice and style.

I guess it is evident I am a big fan of The Mastersons. I am.