When Gillian Welch & David Rawlings took the stage at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Gill began her first song “I am an orphan on God’s highway,” I had a vision. I thought of A.P. Carter and his hopes for country music. How if he walked in at that very moment, the music would strike him. The expert picking and plaintive lyrics. Down to her dress, cowboy boots and even her hair. It’s a singular picture of authentic music. I could easily see A.P. standing in the doorway looking on approvingly. No one embodies his vision of country music the way a Dave & Gill show in a small music hall does.
The intimacy and emotional power of a Gillian Welch show on this run is certainly hard to put into words. The lonesome feel of Hard Times. Gill began her second set with “I’d hear him singing to his muley-cow / Calling, “Come on my sweet old girl, and I’d bet the whole damn world / That we’re gonna make it yet to the end of the row.'” I can’t recall too many more affecting images than an old farmer singing to his cow.
And while the new album has lots of great tunes, the duo sang their share of old classics of the Americana genre as well. The acoustic guitar work on “I Want to Sing That Rock & Roll” is always simply stunning. I’d never seen David Rawlings do it live and it was all the more stunning. He has some of the punchiest acoustic guitar picking I’ve ever heard and I’m sure it’s a combination of amazing skill and a unique instrument.
Another rollicking solo appeared in another authentic sounding classic “Red Clay Halo.” Dave pulled out his capo without hesitation halfway through the solo to give it a new sound and then took it right back off.
But even with such amazing musicianship, Gillian Welch’s songs are simply authentic in a way that no other songwriter can match. In a live setting, they feel even more genuine. While I enjoyed the David Rawlings Machine album, Gillian Welch’s song and David Rawlings guitarwork produce some of the most pristine musical collaboration in western music. Their harmonies, guitarwork, lyrics and lonesome power simply have tapped into a music buried in the hill of appalachia some time ago.
Long ago, A.P. Carter himself used to go door to door searching for the best tunes. I can just see him finding Gillian Welch & David Rawlings and hearing “Hard Times” or “Orphan” and being so stunned. It’s as though the duo was dreamed up in A.P.’s imagination. I don’t think he could have imagined how far the duo could take his vision. I’m sure he’d be pleased with a show like that.
Photos by Suzanne Davis McMahon
About the author: Jeff is a teacher in the Boston area. When not buried correcting papers, Jeff can be found plucking various stringed instruments and listening to all types of americana music.