Graham Parker (with Brinsley Schwarz) Returns to Landmark

It was another great night of music at Landmark on Main Street on Saturday, April 9th with performances by the Graham Parker Duo and My Darling Clementine as part of Landmark’s Roots Rock series.

The show opened with My Darling Clementine, a delightful married British country pop duo consisting of Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish. They were a surprising and unexpected treat. Lou, who walked onstage with a bouquet of flowers, a bright red pocketbook, and a small heart drawn on her face, has a truly lovely voice, as does her husband, Michael. Accompanied by just Michael’s Guild acoustic guitar, they somehow created a rich, full, and dramatic sound. While it was a little surreal to hear someone singing about Memphis with a British accent, their superb harmonies quickly became the focus. Their style ranged from country pop (“Going Back to Memphis”) to country soul (“Our Race is Run”), but mainly it was reminiscent of classic country duos such as Tammy Wynette and George Jones.

Both performers are talented enough to go solo, but with the fabulous harmony they create, why would they? Occasionally they took turns with the lead vocals, such as in “No Matter What Tammy Said (I Won’t Stand by Him)” which tackled the topic of domestic abuse. Particularly good was the very sad song of loss, “Ashes, Flowers & Dust.” Another excellent song was their opening number, “King of the Carnival.” I was sorry when their set ended – it seemed too short!

After a short intermission, Graham Parker and Brinsley Schwarz took the stage. It was a return visit to Landmark for Parker, who appeared there in 2012 with Garland Jeffries. Parker has been putting out albums for 40 years, as a solo act and with various backing bands, most notably The Rumour. Schwarz, an original member of The Rumor, is now touring as the other half of Graham Parker’s duo.

Parker is always entertaining to see in concert – possibly even more so for his witty British banter than his music, although Parker is also the master of the well-crafted pop song. He’s got a distinctive voice in the way of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. Parker played guitar, but Schwarz handled the (excellent) solos.

Parker covered songs from his entire catalogue, from the 1970’s to his 2015 CD, Mystery Glue. Standouts from the duo’s performance included two that I consider to be perfect nuggets of pop goodness – “Lunatic Fringe” from 1985’s Steady Nerves CD, and “Turned Up Too Late” from the Heat Treatment CD. Schwarz did some extremely impressive guitar solos, particularly in “You’re Not Where You Think You Are” which included some excellent wah-wah pedal work.

The audience particularly seemed to enjoy “Under the Mask of Happiness” from the 1988 CD, The Mona Lisa’s Sister. He closed with “Don’t Ask Me Questions,” but returned to the stage first for a solo encore (“You Can’t Be Too Strong”) and was then joined by Schwarz for the final two songs – “My Life in Movieland” from the latest CD, and Parker’s signature Trammps’ cover, “Hold Back the Night.” Kudo’s to Parker for his pretty impressive kazoo solo (yes, kazoo) in “My Life in Movieland.”

The next show in Landmark’s Roots Rock series will be the live, multi-media experience, “Rock n Roll Never Forgets” with Dennis Elsas. For more information, visit www.landmarkonmainstreet.org