Ruthie Foster
Up first at 2:30 was Dayton, a Beaumont, Texas native whose other job descriptions include music producer, actor and film director (he’s worked with musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie on a couple of projects). While Dayton’s musical career has drawn on a variety of influences, from punk to hard-core country, his set (the first of two he was slated to play on iFest’s opening day) was dominated by stripped-down rockabilly. “We’re not usually up this early,” he told the audience, but you wouldn’t know it from the high-energy set that followed.
Accompanied on the festival’s Americas Stage by bassist Rick Watson and drummer Eric Tucker, Dayton spent the next hour or so ripping through several of his own songs (“I’m at Home Getting Hammered While She’s Out Getting Nailed,” “Molasses Girl” and “Harris County Blues,” among others) and some well-done covers. Early on, a nice take on Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” evolved into Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freightliner Blues” and then Terry Allen’s “Amarillo Highway.” The trio closed with Dayton’s she-left-me lament “Kissing Abilene Goodbye,” with a nifty little snippet of “It’s All Over Now” thrown in at the end.
Texas bluesman and guitar ace Hadden Sayers was next. A few years back, Sayers saw a once-promising career derailed, but he’s made a nice comeback – his song “Back to the Blues” is nominated for Song of the Year at next month’s Blues Music Awards, and he’s currently touring as lead guitarist for soul and blues sensation Ruthie Foster (more on her later).
Sayers’ set featured most of his latest CD, Hard Dollar, as well as some older material, and he and his band (drummer Tony McClung and organist Dave DeWitt, doubling on keyboard bass), played with style and enthusiasm. Most of Sayers’ music is rooted in the blues, but other influences are evident as well. “Inside Out Boogie” and “Take Me Back to Texas” featured a roadhouse boogie sound, while a little jazz sneaked into “Trippin’ Down to Mexico.” Sayers is a fast and fluid guitarist and a pretty good singer too, as he proved on one song when he left the microphone and sang from the edge of the stage with only his cupped hands for amplification. Hey, when you’re having that kind of fun onstage, the audience is pretty much guaranteed to follow.
The final slot on the Americas Stage belonged to Austin’s Foster, and she and her band spent about 90 minutes proving they deserved it. Her powerful performance drew a big crowd despite being scheduled at the same time as shows by Jesse Dayton, Los Lonely Boys and others on the festival’s other eight stages. In addition to Sayers on lead guitar, Foster’s band included Tanya Richardson on bass (a terrific funky five-string), Stephanie Blue on keyboards, and Samantha Banks on drums.
Together they tore through an eclectic setlist that ranged from pop through blues, soul and gospel – most often a happy combination of some or all those genres, and all featuring Foster’s magnificent voice. What you’ve heard or read about that voice may sound like hype, but believe that she’s earned the praise she’s gotten.
The show included several covers, among them a poppy take on Los Lobos’ “This Time,” a soulful rendition of William Bell’s “You Don’t Miss Your Water Till Your Well Runs Dry,” a nice duet with Sayers on “Back to the Blues,” and, and in a nod to history, the old folk song “The Titanic,” performed a capella.
“I like to take things apart and put them back together,” Foster said by way of introducing Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” beautifully reimagined as a slow, soulful ballad. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I have a good time doing it.” In this case, it worked really well.
Foster also performed several of her own songs, including “(You Keep Me) Hangin’ On,” “Truth” and “Aim for the Heart.” The show closed with an extended version of the traditional “Death Came a Knockin’ (Travelin’ Shoes),” featuring solos by each band member. It’s hard to imagine a better end to a beautiful evening.
The 2012 Houston International Festival wraps up April 28-29 with scheduled performances by War, Del Castillo, the Texas Tornados, Steel Pulse, Joe Louis Walker and many others.