Anne McCue in the House 12/11

@vmorris wrote:

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a ‘house concert’ with Anne McCue in Durham, NC (not at my house). Anne calls house concerts “the underground railroad for indie musicians.” Who knew?

This is for those members of the FF who have followed Anne since she opened for Lucinda on the Essence tour (I’m looking at you, stoger!). She has a new album coming out this Feb, called “Even Cowgirls Play The Blues.” Anne just got her U.S. residency and plans to be a citizen in two years 🙂

– I Want You Back
– Headlight on my Window
– Long Tall Story [not sure if this is the actual title] (“my first menage a trois song”)
– Dig Two Graves (great song off new album)
– Things You Left Out in the Rain (new single from new album)
– Spring Cleaning in the Wintertime
[Anne shares that her mother had eight children in 9-½ years, and Anne was the 8th child. Ouch. Anne jokes that she thanks the pope every day… so do we, Anne, so do we!]
– Milkman’s Daughter
[The performance of this song is one reason why I go to live shows of artists who actually write and perform their own songs. I’ve loved this song for awhile, but have never quite understood the lyrics. Anne gave its extended background, so I now know that Anne is the ‘Milkman’s Daughter’ and the lyrics are about her dad. This knowledge makes the song even more beautiful and meaningful. I understand the lyrics now.]
– Bessie Smith cover
– Lonesome Child
[Intermission! Fancy! Lots of activity at the makeshift merch table in the foyer, overseen by Anne.]
– Stupid (appears on the box set “Four Decades of Folk/Rock”, the first song of which is a Bob Dylan tune, and the last is this song by Anne)
– Ballad of an Outlaw Woman (requested by yours truly… she calls this one a ‘Freudian Western’)
[As she tunes her guitar and chats with the crowd, the host says “nice multitasking!” and Anne, without missing a beat, deadpans “it takes a woman.” Best comeback by a musician I’ve heard in a while 🙂 Anne proves herself very FUNEEEE during the show!]
– Roxanne
– Voodoo Child (she slays this as always)
– A Little White Cat Crossed My Path Today (“my first audience participation song”)
– Hangman
=====
– Say Bye Bye

Go buy the new album when it comes out, y’all, and definitely catch her on the tour in support of it. Sounds like she will have a tour bus and evr’thin! Viv

Great work, vm; we’re glad you are crashing others’ houses again. I haven’t heard “Stupid” in ages; did she trot out the sparkly blue guitar for that one? The Bessie cover was “Empty Bed Blues,” perhaps? Truth is, I wish I had caught on to Anne during the Essence era, but it was 2-3 years later. Thanks for reporting on our soon to be fellow citizen (will she vote blue when she is able?).

@vmorris wrote:

I had the pleasure of seeing Anne play twice in the last two days, and I want to give a report as well as a plug for her house concert shows.

She played at a Mardi Gras party I hosted on Tuesday and, although it was sparsely attended, it being a Tuesday night, the guests loved her. (It didn’t even occur to me to have a Mardi Gras party on a day other than actual Mardi Gras! What is WRONG with people?) Anyway, she played the party at the Cat’s Cradle Back Room and then a gig at The Blue Note in Durham, NC the next night. It was great having a private show with Anne and, when split among several friends hosting the party, it was affordable. I would encourage anyone who lives within driving distance of Nashville (where she lives) to do this if they are a fan and looking for a guitar virtuoso for a special event. Oh, and she played La Grange for the first time ever! Also, she played both nights with a local drummer and bassist. It was the first time I’ve heard her with a backing band and it was fabulous. It does her music justice and really fills out the sound. Great to hear her play LOUD.

The Blue Note set list:

– Drivin Down Alvarado
– I Want You Back
– Uncanny Dream
– Dig Two Graves
– Things You Left Out in the Rain
– Spring Cleaning in the Wintertime
– Devil in the Middle
– Blues tune ==> Took My Baby Walking? PHENOMENAL
– Little White Cat
– Ballad of an Outlaw Woman
– Hellfire Raiser (shout out to Lucinda, who sang on the song)
– Shivers (shout out to Jim Lauderdale, who sang on the song; refers to him as “Mr. Americana”; great lyric => “the feeling I’ve been bought and sold”)
– Red Hot Daddy (?)
– Machine Gun/Voodoo Chile (SWOON)
– Crow Flies
– Hangman

Just when I think I sometimes go overboard in pursuit of music, I meet a guy last night who built a stage in his backyard to host musicians for “PopUp House Concerts.” Yes! Anyway, in closing, Anne was lovely, incomparable and badass, as always. Viv

Is La Grange a song title or a place? anyway, great report. I’ve seen her with many many band combos, more than I’ve seen her solo, but either way is fine. Do I understand she did two Hendrix back to back!!?!?!? I don’t recognize “Uncanny Dream” or “Devil in the Middle”: maybe new songs? “Red Hot Daddy” may not be the title of that one, or else it may be another new one.

Yeah, shoot for Ash Wednesday next time.

Oh, you are the raddest of the rad, Viv. And, I’m fairly certain Anne was motivated to play “La Grange” after seeing Billy Gibbons a few weeks ago… 😉