Andy Fairweather Low and the Low Riders!
This was the first U.S. tour for Andy Fairweather Low under his own name. The tour had four dates in the U.S., starting with the BB King Blues Club in New York City, Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY, the Vinegar Hill Music Theatre in Arundel, ME and ending with Havana in New Hope, PA.
I couldn’t have been more excited when I looked at my cell phone in May and saw on the Bands in Town app that Andy had announced a U.S. tour. I was amazed when I saw that he was playing in Maine, less than an hour from where I live. The last time I saw Andy play was at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The day after the Maine show was announced, I bought 2 front row tickets. I had no idea how great the night would be.
Andy’s band, the Low Riders, are phenomenal. Here’s the lineup:
Dave Bronze – Basses and Vocals
Paul Beavis – Drums
Nick Pentelow – Saxes and Clarinet
Take a look at his Martin – patched up with duct tape… It’s perfect.
The music was top notch and they sounded great. They played (among others): Life Ain’t No Competition, Baby What You Want Me To Do, When Things Go Wrong (one of my favorites), Lightnin’s Boogie, Wide Eyed & Legless, Petite Fleur, Route 66 (with the exact solo that Keith Richards played), Gin House Blues, Tequilla, Hymn 4 My Soul (my personal favorite), a fantastic version of Rocky Raccoon (the first time he had an audience clap along to it) and finally ending with (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice.
Have you ever seen a Strat with just one pickup? Andy made it himself…
The Green Room
My good friend, Bruce Addison and I were very fortunate to be able to meet with Andy and the band after the show. Andy was very generous with his time and we started off talking about what makes a great gig – a lot of it has to do with the crowd. Sometimes the smaller gigs are better than the bigger ones, and on that night, the crowd was fantastic. He’s looking forward to coming back next year.
We spoke very briefly about the show he played in London at the Royal Albert Hall the day that BB King died. He said, “It was a sad old day, but, the good thing is, certainly about music, is, it lives on. I’m a big fan of George Harrison and he’s as much with me now as if I saw him yesterday.” Pretty inspirational words. He was very thankful that Eric asked him to open up for the shows in NY and at the Royal Albert Hall for his Birthday Celebration. He also talked about playing on Eric’s new album “I Still Do” and touring with him in Japan. His work with Eric has allowed him to play with some of the best musicians in the world, one of which is Steve Gadd (Eric’s drummer). They’re in a band together called The Gaddabouts.
I asked him about his song “Hymn 4 my Soul”, which he told me took years to write. He liked the song, but didn’t know if anyone else would. As it turns out, not only did Joe Cocker sing it, he named his album and tour after it. He mentioned that at this time in his career, he doesn’t have to write new music, but he wants to, which is how he likes it. He said he was really proud of the work he’s doing right now and hopes to have enough for a new album soon.
Sitting with him and talking about music was an amazing experience for me. He’s a class act.
The moment he told me what Spider Jiving meant….
The Vinegar Hill Music Theatre in Arundel, ME is a beautiful place to hear music. I highly recommend taking a look at their schedule and going to an event. You will not be dissapointed.
Below is a photo of the band at the event that I found on the AFL Facebook page.
A special thanks goes out to George Dvorsky (third from the left below) who took the time to make me feel welcome and introduced me to Andy and the band. I can’t wait to go back.
I had the pleasure of seeing AFL open for Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 5/15/15.
Here are the CD’s that were for sale at the show. I recommend all of them. If you can, pick up a copy of “Live From The New Theatre, Cardiff” as it’a Limited Edition CD & DVD Disc Set.
Matt Becker
Live from Matt’s House
