Ron Block & Tony Furtado - 7/5/2019

Another interesting gig opportunity presented itself when I spotted that Ron Block (of Union Station fame) was playing in a Unitarian Chapel in Kendal on the same day we were staying 10 miles away in Sedbergh. I managed to obtain a few of the very last tickets for this sold out gig organised by American Roots in Cumbria. It was amazing. Ron Block is of course an outstanding guitar and banjo player and it turns out that Tony Furtado is ditto. Having the two of them duetting for most of the time was incredible. It reminded me of listening to Jerry Garcia and David Grisman where you have two superb musicians relaxed and acoustic and playing the music they love. Certainly Ron looked the picture of relaxation whereas when playing with Union Station he seems much more uptight. The opening song 'Raleigh and Spencer' saw them both on guitar and was a beautiful country blues style song with slide guitar from Tony and intricate playing from both. The general pattern was for one of them to play banjo whilst the other played guitar. There were also a number of solo songs. Each of them played intricate chords and solos and it was just a joy to listen to such consumate musicians playing together. Tracks I noted included the old americana classic 'Peggy o', a banjo version of the Beatles' song 'I Will', a brilliant version of the Woody Guthrie song 'It takes a worried man'. Many of the songs were written by the guys themselves including '65 Mustang Blues,, 'Mollie Catherine Carter', 'Hogan's House of Boogie'(Ron Block) and 'Can't Lie Down', 'Star' and 'Broken Bell' (Tony Furtado) and they basically took the vocals on their own songs. Ron also wrote a beautiful hymn-like song which could almost make you get religion. They encored unplugged and unmiked and did a beautiful Woody Guthrie song 'I ain't got no home'. What a great and surprising gig.