REVIEW OF STAGG RANCH #3
Materick Performance One Of A Kind
By Robert Reid - The Record of Waterloo Region
I have been covering acoustic concerts for more than 25 years and I've never had the privilege of reviewing a better one.
There are essentially two kinds of concerts of original music.
In the first, artists go through the motions of performing what they have written to the best of their ability. This isn't in any way bad; in fact, it's the norm. It's the game most artists play.
In the second, artists bare all, leave a big part of themselves behind and take a little part of the audience with them. These are rarer concerts that pierce the heart and lodge in the memory. The stakes are higher and the risk is greater.
The second is the kind of concert was given Saturday night at The Boathouse in Victoria Park.
Even Lucas Stagg, who invited the Hamilton singer/songwriter to perform as part of his monthly Stagg Ranch, admitted he's not likely to a host a better concert --
The evening began with Stagg performing 10 songs, mostly from his two recent roots albums, Play for Keeps and Love, or Lack Thereof, and a new Kris Kristofferson song.
He was joined by some musical friends, including Paris, Ont. songwriter/musician John Mars, on a Materick song from the 70s, Holiday Bar and Grill Cafe,
Then it was Shelley Gravelle, who served a short set of four acoustic blues songs on bottleneck guitar. Singing with a corn whisky voice, she evoked the humid heat and the dry dust of a Delta crossroads in high summer.
But the evening belonged to Materick who, although born in Brantford, lived for a while in Waterloo Region in the 1960s and 70s.
Amazingly, Materick propelled his way through 30 songs over two hours, including a five-song encore.
He didn't engage in much between-song banter. He let his music do the talking -- and talk it did, compulsively, intensely and passionately.
There wasn't a weak link in the chain of song from start to finish.
Whether fingerpicking or power strumming, standing or sitting, singing in a gravelly whisper or taking aim at the vocal rafters, Materick didn't flinch. When he broke a string, he continued undeterred with Stagg's guitar.
He was an artist on a mission and nothing would steer him off course.
He honoured a few songs from the 70s when he was a rising pop star on Asylum Records, including Lonely Hearts Hotel, Goodbye Again and Linda Put the Coffee On, a hit single he wanted to dispose of as efficiently as possible.
Most of the songs were drawn from the past six years, a period in which Materick grew as a person and matured as an artist who began crafting songs rather than simply writing them.
Like poets through the ages and the very best songwriters of today, Materick crafts songs about the universal things that strike close to the bone. The themes of love and loss, sorrow and joy, sin and redemption were not lost on Saturday's appreciative audience.
Taking a cue from his father, a big band musician-turned-preacher, Materick had a message he was determined to deliver through song.
And it was impossible to sit through the concert without feeling blessed.
"; Press[1] = "REVIEW: WHAT'S BIN DONE & WHAT'S BIN FUN
By Michael McDowell - Blitz Magazine Kitchener, Ontario's Lucas Stagg seems to approach his artistic vision with the cavalier demeanor of former Dream Syndicate front man Steve Wynn, tempered with the cohesive sense of adventure of Point co-founder Tom Alford. The result is a semi-irreverent mixture of such seemingly more serious cover material as Donovan Leitch's Colors, Hank Snow's Miller's Cave and Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' with such deceptively introspective originals as Sour, Spaghetti Western Satellite and I Won't Go Country. The latter piece is especially given to an autobiographical perspective, in light of past attempts by observers to align Stagg with a neo-country revolution of sorts. And whereas such a revolution would be more than welcome in the wake of the inexplicable collapse of the traditional country revolt of the late nineteen eighties, Stagg's affinities, if there are any, appear to beore inclined towards a loose sense of provincialism. For the moment, Stagg seems to be content to excel as a key component of an area hierarchy (which also includes such fellow Ontario independents as Jack DeKeyser and project producer John Mars) that collectively espouses the aforementioned Wynn/Alford perspective with considerable verve and conviction. And from this loosely knit fraternity occasionally surfaces a recording with enough of the right elements in place to make a lasting impact. What's Bin Done And What's Bin Fun is one such offering. Therein, Stagg demonstrates a healthy enough respect for his inspirations, without becoming their indentured servant. Will Stagg carry his passion for his vision well into middle age, as have Wynn and Alford? Time will tell. But for the moment, What's Bin Done And What's Bin Fun is a riveting encapsulation of a transitional movement, with the potential to gel into a call to arms that is greater than the sum of its parts. Published: April 1, 2006
STAGG RANCH
By Patrick Finch - Echo Weekly
The Boathouse in Kitchener will be playing host to Stagg Ranch every last Saturday of the month, beginning on February 25th. The Ranch is owned and operated by our very own K–W cowboy, Lucas Stagg. Each night will feature the head ranch–hand and a revolving cast of the best roots artists this town has to offer. Check it out on Saturday when the ranch will feature Jesse Altman, Marcia, Lynn Jackson, and Dan Walsh. Between sets Gareth Carr will be spinning records.
Published: February 23 — March 1, 2006
"; Press[3] = "
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: LUCAS STAGG
By Jason Schneider - The Record of Waterloo Region
What can be said about the local music scene this year? Well, the predominant trend seemed to be that the new generation of artists was getting back to basics. More than ever, bands and individuals were taking it upon themselves to get their music out there.
A tireless promotor, Lucas Stagg's monthly singer/songwriter parties at his Waterloo abode did wonders to strengthen the community, and his own album, Play For Keeps, was pretty good, too. Look for this young troubadoour with an old folkie's heart to be doing more exciting things in the coming year.
Published: Thursday . Decemebr 29 . 2005
"; Press[4] = "LUCAS STAGG STEALS A PAGE FROM THE DYLAN SONGBOOK
By Patrick Finch - Echo Weekly
Waterloo singer-songwriter Lucas Stagg has done something that most musicians can only dream of doing: he’s built his own scene. It’s a community of singers and writers who, at his call, gather at Lucas’ loft to play music for him and his friends. By hosting his Bridgeport Mingles, Lucas has created an audience for himself, and for dozens of other aspiring, and established, local musicians. Inspired by legendary tales of Bob Dylan’s stints at the Gaslight in the 60’s, and the writer’s community centered around the Brill Building and Tin Pan Alley, Lucas opened the doors of his loft to whomever wanted to play, asking only that they mingle, and bring their own booze.“In 1960 in New York City, The Gaslight was a dry bar, but you could bring a bottle in a paper bag. It was shut down in the day and opened early in the evening with about six performers that rotated throughout the night. There were no auditions,” explains Lucas. “For me, the Mingles have become a platform to see how some new song I wrote goesover––or under––with an attentive audience. It also gives me a chance to see what others are doing, who their influences are, steal as many ideas from them as possible, and then put them into my own act.”
This Saturday marks the one year anniversary of the Bridgeport Mingles. Saturdays at Lucas’ loft have been radical cross-sections of the local songwriting community. On any given night you could see Rob Szabo playing right before some kid who’s just written his first song or just learned the chords to “The Weight.” And after a couple of beers, you find yourself buried in conversation with new friends and songwriters who you might never have seen otherwise. It really is a marvelous thing when you can be in this town for your entire life and still be discovering new geniuses, right on your doorstep. Or at least right on Lucas’doorstep. “At the end of the day,” says Lucas, “there is an abundance of people playing in bars, in bedrooms, everywhere, writing incredible, or maybe not so incredible tunes. However, each one of them has an amazing personality in their own right. I’ve had the utmost pleasure––outside of the pressures of the standard Canadian bar gig––hearing what these people have to say in their music, whether it be good, bad, or ugly.”
To celebrate the first anniversary, Lucas is opening his doors once again and inviting anyone who has played over the past year to come down and play one or two more tunes. That leaves the possibilities for the evening pretty open. Will Ian Smith play? Scott Wicken? The Hawk Dawsons? Todd Donald? Who knows?
Be there to check it out. It’s free and starts around 9pm at the Bridgeport Lofts at Bridgeport and Regina. Follow the tunes and the people, (and don’t tell Lucas’ landlord).
“Expect to be blown away,” smiles Lucas.
http://lucasstagg.com
Published: October 27 — November 2, 2005
"; Press[5] = "THIS ONE’S FOR DYLAN, CASH, AND WATERLOO!
By Kevin O'brien - Echo Weekly
Lucas Stagg has toured 22 countries across Europe,written over two hundred songs (including tributes for Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan), and, (if that’s not enough), just released his new record, Play For Keeps. It’s an acoustic walk through the places he’s been, including good ol’ Waterloo, the city he currently calls home. Lucas is making the trek up to Cambridge on Saturday, April 23 to play a CD release show for y’all at Emily’s Attic (Fiddler’s Green),and, on June 4th at The Boathouse in Kitchener. Be there to support the local boy made good.
Published: April 21 — 27, 2005
"; Press[6] = "HE PLAYED THE ROOM, NOW HE'S STAGG
By Jason Schneider - The Record of Waterloo Region
Although the actual year of his birth is 1979, Lucas Stagg lists two additional years of birth to his bio: 1999, the year his first band, Room 101 made its first record, and 2003, the year he embarked on a soul searching trip through Europe. Although there has been a huge stylistic gap between the intense hard rock that Room 101 offered, and the itrospective folk rock to be found on the Waterloo Region native's solo debut, Play For Keeps, Stagg says that the past few years have been a natural, albeit rocky progression toward self-discovery.
We (Room 101) were doing a all right and getting a lot of good gigs opening for some big bands, he says. It was fun and we were making some decent money, but I started to feel like we were getting trapped in this bar scene that wasn't really the best environment if you want to be taken seriously as a songwriter.
Following the bands breakup, Stagg and guitarist Jamie Robertson began working as an electronica duo, enjoying a brief stint in Toronto's underground goth scene. But working on his own remained tagg's ultimate goal, and it was during his fourth month stay in Europe that he determined to make it a reality.
Stagg found himself following the route of Bob Dylan's tour, eventually getting a front row seat in Budapest, Hungary. He also crossed paths with Canadian blues guitar legend Jack de Keyzer.
After we got talking, Jamie and I decided to make a rock and roll record with him, which turned out really great. Unfortunately, Jamie and I had a falling out, so I've got this finished album that will probably stay in a trunk in my room.
Stagg says it was this experience that finally pushed him to go it alone, and withn two weeks he had the songs amassed for Play For Keeps.
I think I knew all along that I'd end up playing by myself with an acoustic guitar. I think I just needed it to be put into perspective, and reading Dylan's Chronicles really did that. I don't see any other way of doing it now, and I'm ready to get started on my next record next month.
Lucas Stagg launches Play For Keeps on Saturday at Emily's Attic (upstairs of Fiddler's Green) in Cambridge, with special guests Mary 5e and Lynn Jackson.
Published: Thursday . April 21 . 2005
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