Art & Al

Over Labour Day weekend the town of Sausalito on the north of the bay holds an art festival, now over 50 years old.

Now I wouldn’t make myself out to be an art buff, more of someone who knows what he likes. However S, who I shared a house with for over a year, is an art genius and has brought me someway up to speed, or at least knowledgeable enough about the Situationists so as not to sound a total ignoramus.

But it wasn’t art which drove me to get the extortionate ferry ticket to toe town, nor pay for the $30 weekend pass. Instead it was music. Four bands a day play at the festival and by lucky chance two of them are old favourites of mine; Al Stewart and Richard Thompson.

Today it was Al’s turn and he didn’t disappoint too much. I first came across him on my first holiday alone at the tended age of 13. We were in the coach on the way to Verbier for a week’s skiing and the driver put ‘Broadway Hotel’ on the stereo. I liked it so much I bought the album, and then most of the rest of them as well – even the one described by Melody Maker as “Boring old hippy bangs on about his obsession with history.”

He hasn’t had a hit since the 70s and is now well over 60 himself (and was wearing a HUGE pair of trousers - why is it the older men get the higher their waistbands?) but still put on a good show. He can’t hit the long notes any more and most of the more intricate guitar work is done by an on stage collaborator, in this case Dave Nachmanoff. But the banter between songs is nearly as good as the music.

As for the music, well he made some good picks. Some of the stuff he's put out in the last 40 years has been frankly rubbish. Dirges about ex-girlfriends in the 60s, quite a lot of good stuff in the 70s and then the move to historical folk music in the 80s and beyond. As he said himself today historical folk music is one of the most unlucrative musical genres but he's still hoping Mariah Carey will try it for a concept album.

Anyway, lots of people liked the show, including a few who obviously had no idea who he was. There was also some quite embarrassing dancing at the front, the sort of 60s snake hands intertwining in the air stuff that you can pull off as a lithesome young thing but starts to look bad in your 50s and 60s. An astonishing amount of tie die showed up as well, and not being worn ironically :)

After the gig I took some pictures and wandered around the show munching on an enormous smoked turkey leg and checking out the stalls. Had a chat with some of the artists (once I’d washed my hands) and then went into town for a drink with a fellow Brit friend from Yelp.

We sank a few pints, and then a few more, before having one for the road. He invited me to a barbeque he and his wife are holding tomorrow so after Richard Thompson plays his set I’ll wander on up.