Chris Isaak and Brian Setzer & the
Nashvillains Perform at Ironstone Vineyards
By Elaine Hunt
I visited the Ironstone Vineyards Amphitheater for the first time
over Labor Day weekend to watch Brian Setzer & the Nashvillains,
and Chris Isaak. First, a little something about the venue.
Ironstone
Vineyards is located in Murphys, which is due east of Stockton.
This charming area laid its claim to fame in the historic gold rush
days. It’s well off the beaten path, and represented a 100 mile
trek for this reporter.
We got alarmingly close to Yosemite before we finally
stopped. And these aren’t freeway miles, where you can zip along at
65 mph. No, these are 100 miles of winding along Hwy 49. Who knew
Hwy 49 even went that far? I must confess, after two and a half
hours of driving, I had a mild chip on my shoulder and grudgingly
thought, “This show better rock.”
Upon arriving, my chip immediately began softening. The place is
gorgeous. It was daylight when the show began. First, twilight
descended,
then the full blanket of night.
There’s something magical about seeing a concert under the stars,
with the moon rising behind the stage like some well planned stage
prop. We were also pleasantly surprised to see the concession
prices were reasonable. $5 gets you a beer or glass of wine, or $15
for a carafe. Carafes seemed to be the bigger sellers. We were at a
vineyard, after all. First, Brian Setzer took the stage. For those
not familiar with the performer, here’s a brief history. Brian
Setzer began as lead singer for the rockabilly band, Stray Cats, in
1980, when Setzer was only 20. The band’s first album, Built for
Speed (1982) contained two Top Ten hits, "Rock This Town" (#9) and
"Stray Cat Strut" (#3). When the band broke up in 1984, Setzer
released a couple of solo albums, then formed the Brian Setzer
Orchestra (BSO) in 1990. With their big band sound, BSO’s most
famous release was their cover of Louis Prima's “Jump Jive an’
Wail.” Brian Setzer Orchestra’s new album, Songs from Lonely
Avenue, releases next month.
Photo: Ironstone Vineyards Amphitheater,
courtesy Tim Dunn
Setzer alternates between the big band
sound of BSO, and his rockabilly roots. In this concert he
performed with the Nashvillains, he returned to his rockabilly
sound. The band consisted of four instruments: Setzer on lead
guitar, a pianist, drummer, and bass player. By bass, I mean the
actual bass string instrument, not a bass guitar. These four
musicians made a great big sound. I was a little disappointed that
we didn’t get to hear some of the big band sound, but I love the
rockabilly. The dance music had our toes tapping to the whole set.
An accomplished, outstanding guitar player, Setzer has previously
toured as lead guitar with Robert Plant, of Led Zeppelin fame. His
instrumental solos blew us away. He played everything a Setzer fan
wants to hear. “Peroxide Blonde,” “Red Hot,” “Rock this Town,” and
of course, “Stray Cat Strut” were included in the set. Brian Setzer
returns to California in December. Check his website,
www.briansetzer.com for
dates and locations.
Brian Setzer, courtesy Photo
After Brian Setzer & the Nashvillains finished their wholly
satisfying 100-minute set, we had a
15-minute intermission while the stage was set for Chris Isaak.
Intermission would be a good time to run down a quick Chris Isaak
bio. His first album, Silvertone, released in 1985, didn’t gain
much traction until one of the songs, “Gone Ridin’”was featured in
David Lynch’s 1986 film Blue Velvet. It seems Isaak must credit
David Lynch for helping boost his career a couple of times. Lynch
included, “Wicked Game” in the Wild at Heart (1990) soundtrack,
helping it become a runaway hit. Isaak has also acted, and has had
a couple of television shows. After a seven year hiatus, Isaak
released his latest album, Mr. Lucky, this past February. Let me
confess that I thought I had a little crush on Isaak. But he came
out on stage, and I corrected myself. Nah, I thought he was cuter
than that. But I still like his music, so I’ll enjoy the show.
Courtesy Photo: Chris Isaak
After two songs, Isaak left the stage and walked
through the audience, chatting, and joking with ease. The women in
the audience capitalized on the opportunity to take their picture
with him. He stood next to one lovely lady and began singing Elvis
Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” I’m pretty confident I wasn’t the only
woman in the audience feeling tender. One memorable highlight came
not from Chris, but an audience member. Isaak had invited a lady up
on stage to dance with the band while they performed, “Baby Did a
Bad Bad Thing.” As she danced, this lady sidled right up to an
empty microphone and started singing back-up! Amazingly, she wasn’t
bad. The stage hands, quick on their feet, turned off her mike
before she surprised us any further.
Chris Isaak, courtesy photo
A seasoned performer, Isaak knew how to treat an audience. He
shared that he was born and raised in Stockton, and his mom was in
the audience. The crowd loved hearing that Chris was a local boy.
And when he sang, he sounded just as good live as he did on his
CDs. That smooth voice; the engaging humor; Oh my. The crush is
back. Isaak is heading to Australia now, but according to his
website, he’ll have one last performance this year in Fresno, CA in
October. I may have to go. Look up
www.chrisisaak.com
for more information.
Riding high on the music, we had to drive the two and a half hours
back home. Was it worth all that driving? Without a doubt. But next
time, we’ll be smart and stay at a local hotel. Because I’m pretty
sure my husband won’t let me stay at Chris’s place in Stockton.
Photo main page: Chris Isaak, courtesy photo
Ironstone Vineyards Summer Concert
Series continues with LYNYRD SKYNYRD/LOS LONELY BOYS - SEPT 18, FRI
- 7pm; and CROSBY, STILLS, NASH - GARY, SEPT 19, SAT - 7pm. 1894 Six Mile Rd., Murphys 95247.
www.ironstonevineyards.com.
Travel on the new Highway 4 that
goes through Murphys, CA, a wonderful place to have drinks and
snacks after the show, or stay overnight at the Murphys Hotel. Tickets can be purchased on line at
www.ticketmaster.com.
To charge tickets by phone, please call (800) 745-3000. Tickets
are also available at all Ticketmaster Outlets including:
Wherehouse Music, Ritmo Latino, FYE, and select Save Mart
Supermarkets. Reserved and lawn tickets are available at Black Oak
Casino. On the day of the show, tickets to that show will be
available on site at the Ironstone box office. The presenting
sponsor for this year's Ironstone Summer Concert Series is Black
Oak Casino. Their other sponsors are Guaranty Bank, Ticketmaster,
Bear Valley Resort, Anheuser Bush, Pepsi and Sacramento News &
Review.
For more information, call (209) 728-1251 or
visit
www.ironstonevineyards.com
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