Peter Case
has joked that his greatest career ambition was to become an itinerant bluesman, and while that's a funny line, there's clearly a grain of truth in it. After the breakup of
the Plimsouls
and the dawn of his solo career,
Case
has been a guy who travels with an acoustic guitar, willing to set up and play wherever an audience has gathered, and while he sometimes lets his friends tag along to fill out the sound, he doesn't mind going it alone. If that doesn't quite make him
Skip James
, at least the similarities are visible, and
On the Way Downtown: Recorded Live on FolkScene
is a thoroughly enjoyable document of two days in the life of a musician on the road.
was a longtime fan of FolkScene, a radio show broadcast on KPFK-FM in Los Angeles and hosted by
Howard
and
Roz Larman
.
had the honor of appearing on the show twice, in March 1998 and July 2000, and
On the Way Downtown
gives these sessions an official release for the first time. Both sets were recorded while
was on tour, and in 1998 he was working with an exceptionally good acoustic band, including guitarists
Andrew Williams
Greg Leisz
, bassist
Tony Marsico
, and percussionist
Don Heffington
. The first nine tracks here feature this ensemble, and they give these songs an easygoing swing that meshes beautifully with
's thoughtful, compassionate, and unpretentious character studies. Tracks ten through 19 come from the 2000 broadcast, with
accompanied only by fiddler
David Perales
, but even as a duo, these takes sound strong and full-bodied.
's vocals are passionate and honest throughout, and
Perales
proves to be a great instrumental foil. The contemporary folk community is full of gifted songwriters and remarkable performers, but few have as strong a command of both disciplines as
finds him casually confirming just how true that is, and if this isn't necessarily superior to the fine studio albums
released during this period (
Full Service, No Waiting
, and
Flying Saucer Blues
), it makes a great companion piece, and finally gives folks who've never seen him live an idea of just how good he can be. And kudos to engineer
Peter Cutler
, who recorded this music on the fly while giving the audio a rich and pleasing amount of detail. ~ Mark Deming