I’ve already watched various cuts of this a half dozen times and it keeps getting better and I keep discovering some previously unnoticed stage play. This is a low budget (compared to say, The Last Waltz) high quality film of an event that meant so much to so many of the close to 500 people at Club Soda in late November 2021 but especially to the musicians, most of whom hadn’t been able to perform in front of a size-able crowd in nearly two years.
Our house band – The Moonshiners – was led by guitarist Rob MacDonald. Rob’s beautifully tasteful solos and musical savvy meshed perfectly with the setlist that covered virtually every musical genre from the Dylan songbook. They all did their homework and provided the highest notes of professionalism. These top notch Montreal session players are as good as it gets.
Bravo!
We also had a secret weapon.
When I mapped out the night I knew I wanted a mini set focusing on the Rolling Thunder Review era of 1975-76. It took some convincing, but Jesse Stone Creatchman finally dove into ‘Isis’ headfirst, surprising and wowing the crowd at the same time. Annakin Slayd and his crew brought the brilliant ‘Hurricane’ storming back to life while Bobby Dove’s ‘One More Cup of Coffee’ was just exquisite. But to complete the spirit and sound of that era we needed a violinist.
So we got the best.
Joel Zifkin and his unique electric violin has been gracing stages all over the world for nearly half a century while supporting the legendary McGarrigle Sisters and the gifted Richard Thompson. He’s also recorded with Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris, Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Guy, Lou Reed, The Chieftains and Robert Charlebois among several others. We were so fortunate to have Joel as part of our troupe. It added a real touch of class and an incredibly beautiful and haunting sound. And without Joel we don’t get Chaim Tannenbaum (whom Dylan himself digs) to return home from the Bronx. Chaim and Joel were mainstays together with the McGarrigles and Chaim’s take on an early Dylan classic added yet another layer of authenticity.
I don’t want to give anything else away but I do want to specifically point out that the show closer was only rehearsed backstage about 30 minutes prior to the show. Special props to Bilal Butt for taking on a Dylan Grammy winning song at almost the last minute after a cancellation and holy shit did he ever nail it while his CHOM teammate Jason Rockman did me – and the crowd – a favor by channeling some of his inner rage instead of the warm alt-country song that he had originally planned as a loving nod to his late father. And the Sunset Drip were a very late addition, pulling off a mid-60s gem with very little notice.
The performances you are about to see are top notch. But the manner in which the film develops is all James Correa. Special thanks to James who was able to catch so many incredible moments via stage shots you rarely get to see. (I think my favorite is watching James scamper across the stage behind Bobby Dove in time to get close ups of Joel and Rob soloing even though he didn’t know they would be.)
James lugged his camera around for over 4 hours. He had an assistant. That’s it. Much love to James for this joyful and moving film (and for his perfect duet with Jasmine Bleile).
Thanks again for supporting local music. We’re offering this up with a couple of requests. Please make it a point to check out these artists when you can, and please share it with your music loving friends.
Enjoy (and stay tuned for some of the outtakes).
