Concert Review
By Stacy Sardelli
Editor in Chief

Bands: Pieta Brown w/ Bo Ramsey
& Taj Mahal Trio
Location: Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date: 09/14/06

Our friends Pao & Sang gave us a set of tickets for this show. They wanted us to have the experience of seeing Taj Mahal live. My husband, Dave, and I knew of them but had never heard their music. Thank you guys!!!

Normally I wouldn’t be doing a concert review for a Blues and Folk/Country show. However, despite being way out of my comfort zone and having zero knowledge in these particular areas of music, I was extremely entertained and moved by the performances by Pieta Brown & Taj Mahal.

We arrived just after Pieta Brown started her first song. We had fantastic seats! No one was sitting in front of us and we had an excellent view. I have been to theaters in Chicago, New York, and London and I honestly think The Pabst is the most beautiful theater I have seen yet. The acoustics are awesome there too!

She welcomed the crowd after her first song and mentioned that she use to play Taj Mahal records when she was growing up. “I am very honored to play with them tonight,” she said.

The first thing I noticed about Pieta was her gorgeous voice. It’s soothing, lush and pure. Her vocals reminded me of an equal mix of Shawn Colvin’s and Edie Brickell’s. The guitar work was amazing as well! Pieta played along with Bo Ramsey, a man who had long played with Pieta’s musician father, Greg Brown. At times the guitar work sounded like gentle rain, at other times it sounded like a gurgling brook. Some of their songs were upbeat and rockin’ while others were like adult lullabies.

The lyrics are relatable, heartfelt, and nostalgic. During their performance I had vivid images of old farms, a lemonade stand, porch rocking chairs, pie making in a kitchen, tractors in fields, kids and dogs playing in yards, and laundry hanging on the line running through my mind. I don’t normally have this kind of experience at live shows.

Pieta introduced an old church song that she’s known for a long time and explained that most of her grandfathers had been preachers.

Pieta announced that she is pregnant and will be taking her official “maternity leave” after the show. She mentioned a slew of artists she has played with. There were many, including Lucinda Williams and The Pines.

The crowd loved Pieta & Bo! They got a lot of applause throughout their set and a handful of standing ovations at the end of it. I have since ordered a cd online.

After a 20 minute break or so people returned to their seats in anticipation of Grammy award-winning Taj Mahal hitting the stage. The crowd was extremely diverse! There were many hippies, a guy with a Mohawk, a skinhead, elderly folk, gold coast folk, goths, …. It’s always cool to see a crowd like that.

From the moment the Taj Mahal Trio walked out on stage I knew I was going to love them. The crowd was going absolutely nuts and Taj looked like he was quite the character! Taj is a thick, hip-shakin’, and handsome man who is known for his fantastic hats.

He talked to the audience about Milwaukee. I thought he mentioned The Bears (Chicago) as a joke but maybe he said “beers”. He referred to Wisconsin as “weeees-con-sen” and got many laughs. He talked about farm life and Holsteins. “You don’t get a vacation from no cow,” he said.

Taj’s lips often mimic the strings he’s pulling on his guitar, his eyes pop open real wide from time to time, he spanks his guitar, his vocals will suddenly drop deep (when he does that you’d swear someone else was singing if you didn’t see it for yourself), and he’s a mad dancer as well.

In between songs he tells stories. They were all amusing. He loves the ladies. Most, if not all, of the songs we heard were about the ladies. He was saying that all the women who complain they can’t find a man need to learn how to cook. He suggests cracking the kitchen window and putting a fan in it to blow the smells out of the kitchen and into the street… that the men will start lining up. He sat over at the keyboard and started to play. He said, “Now, picture yourself cookin... I’ll be your kitchen man.”

I’ve never seen someone play the keyboard like him. One hand playing and the other in the air waving as he shakes his hips and grinds his feet into the floor.

Lyrics & song titles are absolutely hysterical. One song he played was called ‘Mississippi Big Butt Blues’. Some lyrics were something like (not exact!): “Don’t give your daddy no rest” (meaning sexually), “Got some WD40 for the springs on the bed, so you and me can get down,” “You knows I love your sister, your cousin, and your big-legged grandma - that’s the first generation of grandmas that wore a pleated skirt,” “You gotta hand full of gimme and a big mouth,” …..

He dedicated a few songs this way: “This one’s dedicated to ladies who have critical mass in their backfield.” One song was dedicated to an “Annie Mae.”

There were men and women dancing in their seats and in the isles throughout the whole Taj Mahal Trio show. He said, “You know daddy like seeing you moving around.” Eventually, the security went nuts trying to force people back into their seats. They'd sit and then get back up again. There was a lot of audience participation with clapping and chanting. He’d tell the ladies to scream. He’d say, “If you love me pretty baby, go ahead and raise your right hand.” 90% of the women raised their hand every time.

Taj was in step with the bassist, Bill Rich, at one time. Very slick movements and the crowd loved it. Bill was so smooth with that bass that it didn’t even look like he was really playing it. Kester Smith was on drums and was fantastic!

The set, which included an encore, was huge. Some of the songs played were ‘My Creole Belle,’ ‘Stagger Lee,’ ‘Corrina,’ ‘Queen Bee,’ ‘Zanzibar,’ ‘Fishin’ Blues,’ and ‘Mississippi Big Butt Blues’.

The energy in the room was unreal. Everyone was having a great time. And that time just flew by (despite being a long show). I can't wait for Taj to return to our neck of the woods... This coming from a girl who mainly enjoys goth, industrial, and new wave music!!!
Official Pieta Brown
Official Bo Ramsey