On the 23rd of January I had the pleasure of seeing Vic Ruggiero play a solo show for the second time. Vic Ruggiero is the keyboard player and primary vocalist for the NY ska band the Slackers. This guy is classic New York Italian and very charming. He created an intimacy with his audience immediately by telling stories and joking around and often asking for song requests.
He was a one-man band with a foot tambourine, an acoustic guitar and kick drum and sometimes a harmonica, which he could play simultaneously. One of the highlights was his incredible version of the Clash’s Rudy Can’t Fail, which was freaking incredible and rivaled the original. After he claimed he’d been talking to some young people who didn’t even know who the Clash were, he followed Rudy with a ska version of Like A Virgin, but all I could think of was Weird Al’s version, Like A Surgeon while snippets of the video for that version ran through my head.
Another cover was the old Procol Harem tune Whiter Shade of Pale. At my request he played the Slackers’ song International War Criminal, a song he lamented was as topical today as it was when he wrote it in 2004. This song, which he wrote after Bush the second was re-elected, has the most powerful anti-war lyrics that I’ve heard since the tumultuous 1960s era.
International rules of war, they get spoken
When it suits someone to have them broken
Its funny how they’ll go on and define terror
As killing and exploding things to force your own agenda
After, he lamented that this song was still so topical today and how he was devastated to wake up in 2004 to learn Bush had been re-elected, but our current situation is bad, really bad. He then went on to tell the audience that we are the ones to make the change. We have to get involved. We have to make sacrifices. I couldn’t help wondering if his words made an impact. I wondered if any in attendance attended the women’s march, or had attended any political rally. How many wrote their lawmakers on a regular basis?
He ended his set with a song called Animals about a house that was abandoned and taken over by animals. He included all the animal sounds and quite realistically from a chicken to a sheep to a cat and a frog, to name a few. He even got the audience to join in on replicating the animal sounds.
I think I enjoyed his solo show this time more than last, which is saying a lot. Vic Ruggiero is a very engaging performer, a talented songwriter and stellar musician.
Performing just prior to Vic was Curtis Irie, a singer/songwriter from Portland, OR. Curtis played with just an acoustic guitar but also exuded charm and congeniality. He weaved stories in and out of his songs and played everything from folky tunes to more blues oriented to rock steady. He is truly a treat to behold.
I arrived to see the last couple songs by a young duo calling themselves SMS Mobile and included Kevin Silveira (Simple Minded Symphony) on acoustic guitar and an accompanying flutist. Despite their youth, both were highly accomplished and I guarantee you, both know who the Clash are.
This was a very enjoyable, intimate concert. The Funhouse is so small that attending a concert there is like having a concert in your living room. It was a most enjoyable evening.
