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John McCutcheon will perform tracks from his 33rd album at the Reno High School Theater on January 16. Photo courtesy of John McCutcheon |
CommentsJohn McCutcheon
Saturday Jan. 16, 8 p.m.
Published: January 15, 2010
At first glance, it might not appear that the balloon boy, Michael Vick, President Obama, and Leona Helmsley have a great deal in common. But one common thread unites them all — each has been a source of inspiration to John McCutcheon.
The folk singer and storyteller will be performing at the Reno High School Theater on January 16, and it’s possible all of these characters could be part of his act. Or not. McCutcheon won’t know until the day of the show.
“I never really know exactly what I’m going to be doing until I get to a place and hang around town a bit,” McCutcheon says. “I’ll have my spies out taking the pulse of Reno-ites. [It depends on] what’s happened to the world on a given day, or happened to me, or if I’ve written something new I want to try out. And there’s a handful of hits that people want to hear.”
This anything-goes approach to performance material has been a constant in McCutcheon’s career, which spans several decades and includes six Grammy nominations.
“We need songs in this world that let us take strangers in our arms and dance around the floor, let us laugh and cry, and put our kids to sleep,” McCutcheon says.
McCutcheon’s latest album, “Untold,” is a double-disc effort to answer these needs. Untold consists of “Word,” which has stories recorded live at the 2008 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, and “Song,” a collection of new and old tracks.
Word includes personal anecdotes against the background of lively string instruments, and demonstrates the spectrum of emotion McCutcheon draws from his live audiences. “Survivor/Well May The World Go” starts with a hilarious recounting of watching reality TV with a father and son, and finishes with an important lesson about how humanity needs to work together to survive instead of voting people off the island. McCutcheon has the audience laughing and singing along the whole time.
In the songs of Untold McCutcheon uses the musical traditions of early influences — including Woody Guthrie and Roscoe Holcomb — to help a father explain to his daughter why adults are allowed to lie (“Different”) and the lonely but beautiful life of fishermen (“Dreams and Bones”). These tracks feature a conversational singing style with instrumentation on guitar, banjo, and hammer dulcimer that can move listeners to tears and laughter.
“You might as well have fun,” McCutcheon says. “Just because you’re trying to save the world doesn’t mean you can’t have a really good time.”
John McCutcheon will be performing at the Reno High School Theater, 395 Booth St, Reno, Jan. 16, 8pm. Tickets are $20/Adv, $23/Door. Purchase by calling (800) 838-3006 or online at stringsconcerts.com. Visit McCutcheon’s website at folkmusic.com.
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