Little Feat rocks the Outpost.
As this entirely acoustic guitar- and vocal-driven show was on a Thursday night, the sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair may not have been as packed as it normally would be, but the bouncy jams of Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett and the down-home vocals and themes of Patrick Dyer Wolf definitely drew in quite a handful of people.
Patrick Dyer Wolf, a North Carolina native who grew up in New Jersey and is now residing in New York City, entered the stage, saying, “How are you?”and opened up his set with “Submarines.” Some other country-folk numbers he performed in his substantial opener’s set were “Little Neighborhoods,” “Bank Robber” and “Shock Cocoon.”
Wolf has also played with the band Goodnight, Texas and performed “A Fair Young Lady” by the same band. Throughout his set, Wolf maintained all of his energy, intimacy with the crowd and a sense of charm, especially when he asked “Does plaid-on-plaid look good?” while wearing a purple plaid blouse underneath a slate grey plaid waistcoat.
Balancing out Wolf’s heartfelt but engaging sound were the jams and guitars of Barrere and Tackett, guitarists of Little Feat. Little Feat formed in 1969 and are still active to this day, but Barrere and Tackett are now focusing more as a duo.
These acoustic guitar virtuosos opened their set by serving up their “Rad Gumbo,” already getting some seasoned and new fans alike to just get up and dance. If that was not enough to fill up the hungry audience, the next number on the set came the “Candyman Blues.”
Although more than half of Little Feat’s set consisted of cover tunes, they managed to perform these following covers well: “Amie” by Pure Prairie League, “The Weight” by The Band and “Gold Tooth Blues” by playwright Tennessee Williams of A Streetcar Named Desire fame. Speaking of the band, it has recently been a trend for folk musicians to pay their own tributes to Levon Helm, who passed away last year. Barrere and Tackett’s innovative use of their guitars, which at times seemed to double as drums and ukeleles, served as great backdrops to the vocals, fully proving that they are not just latching onto the Levon Helm tribute bandwagon.
Some other numbers that graced the stage and audience were “Sailin’ Shoes,” “Hate to Lose Your Lovin’,” “Dixie Chicken” and “Framed.”
Both acts fit in 100 percent with the environs and warmth of everyone at Outpost in the Burbs, and another future Outpost appearance from them is an absolute hopeful.
The next Outpost show will be the No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow, featuring Carolann Solebello, Karyn Oliver and the YaYas on Friday, April 25. It is part of the Outpost Cafe series, thus the venue will be in Fletcher Hall of the Unitarian church. Attendees will have the BYOB option, and they will also be welcome to bring their own foods. Tickets are on sale now for $20 at ticketleap.com, or in person at Studio042 or Keil’s Pharmacy.
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