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| Poster from that night |
The Ultimate Johnny Cash Tribute
By Rich Rickaby
Gramercy Theater July 12, 2019
Gramercy Theater July 12, 2019
Disclaimer: I love Johnny Cash. When asked what kind of music I like, I say, “Well, Johnny Cash sits next to The Clash in my collection. So there’s a range." I’ve been listening to the Man in Black long before Rick Rubin came along and reminded everyone what one great voice and a guitar can sound like, though I’m very grateful he did.
1994's 'American Recordings'
Not seeing Johnny Cash at Carnegie Hall is one of my only concert disappointments. I was at the ticket booth, they had two seats for $40 a piece with an obstructed view. I wasn’t very flush at the time and I didn’t know that an obstructed view was a thin column at Carnegie so I went home and Johnny went on stage. I never saw him live.
Henderson Memorial Gardens, Henderson TN.
I go to a lot of shows, I suggest you do the same. Because of this Live Nation offered me comp tickets if I RSVP’d for Cash Unchained (CU). I was excited by the prospect but also suspect. Would this be tacky? We’re basically talking hallowed ground here so one must tread lightly. I didn’t know if this was to be a night of Johnny Cash songs by different people stepping up to the mic or an impersonator a la Elvis or…regardless, I didn’t have plans for the evening and the Gramercy is only a walk away, so I grabbed the tickets.
I wondered what kind of crowd CU would draw. Would everyone be wearing black trying to out-Cash fan everyone else? Did everyone else get in with comp tickets, not even knowing a song beyond Ring of Fire and Folsom Prison Blues? There was a line for the 7 p.m. door and by the time CU took the stage, the Gramercy had a healthy audience. If the show doesn’t sell, offer comp tickets and get the cash from bar sales. $8/16oz. PBR ain’t a bad price in this town.
Tribute acts can draw the people
As is a New York custom, performances start at a quarter past the hour, so at 8:15, a partial recording of 'Ain’t No Grave' prepared the audience and then Cash Unchained took the stage. The band came out and started up that plunkety plunk sound of the E string that one associates with Johnny. Then, James Tamelcoff III, dressed in black of course, came out and they launched into 'Folsom Prison Blues' followed by 'I Walk the Line'. I think I got that right, two big Johnny hits right out of the gate. I wondered if that was to clear the house of the posers and get on with the deeper cuts for the deeper fans, which didn’t make sense to me but I wondered. Everyone stayed.
James Tamelcoff III
James Tamelcoff III, after their first or second song basically said that, “We’re here to keep the music alive. We’re not trying to imitate Johnny Cash, the Man in Black,” and that was fine by us. James has the deep baritone chops necessary to pay tribute to Johnny and his guitar playing is Country Folk Rock stellar. With ease, he’d run all over the guitar as is required for some Cash licks, but he expanded as well, bringing in some revved up solos that never veered too far off the ranch from what one would expect, given the context.
The surprise bit was during an extended solo, forgetting which song, but suddenly, I’m like, “That’s the solo from Another Brick in the Wall II.” I know because I can play that one. Then it slid into a bit from Speak to Me/Breathe before returning to the song at hand. Some knew, some didn’t but everyone cheered. I found that in 2016 James was 19, so I guess he was telling the truth when he said he was 21, I thought he was joking. He’s accomplished beyond his years.
“All right, thank you.” James said, always cheerful, “It’s great to be here in New York City. Has anyone here ever seen us before?” Nope, but all were happy to be there now.
The rhythm guitarist (I’m not finding any names online) seemed to grin with surprise throughout the night. For a crowd that had never heard them before, the enthusiasm was great, so that’s understood. But there was also a wild man flailing away in the front with every song in an expressionistic way. More interpretive performance than dancing, people gave him space because nobody knew what to make of the guy.
He was joyous, elated and emotive but who knows what’s going on with anyone sometimes. Regardless, once the show was winding down, another guy joined him in a similar manner. At first it seemed like he was making fun of the guy, but he befriended him and they sort of played off of each other. It got weird but all in fun.
The upright bass supplied all the bottom necessary for the Cash catalog and James wound up on top of it as the guy plucked away at one point.The drummer didn’t show any apparent joy at what was going on but his talent was evident. I wondered if he was a hired hand for the New York show or part of the troupe.
A female vocalist joined them for a few songs, Jackson, “We got married in a fever…” and she had the June Carter growl but her mic needed turning up for the other parts. At least where we were standing we couldn’t hear her other than the “Grrr’s” leading into a vocal line.
Then it was time for the Highwaymen-Alike (my phrase, not theirs) to take the stage. It started with the rhythm guitarist taking on the role of Kris Kristofferson when they sang 'Sunday Morning Coming Down' and expanded to Waylon and Willie all on stage by the end of the segment. Waylon was a guy from the Crickets, if I understood correctly, and Willie had the hat and braids. Each got a chance at leading the vocals for their songs. And Willie closed the show, before the two song encore, with 'On the Road Again'.
Cash Unchained were a great way to remember Johnny Cash and hear those wonderful songs in a live environment. Maybe the Man in Black has moved on but as far as his music goes, ain’t no grave gonna hold ‘em down.
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