{"id":3946,"date":"2019-05-27T17:41:54","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T17:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davidbelbin.com\/?p=3946"},"modified":"2019-05-30T10:26:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T10:26:00","slug":"carson-mchone-last-night-at-the-maze-26-5-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidbelbin.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/carson-mchone-last-night-at-the-maze-26-5-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Carson McHone – Last Night at The Maze 26.5.19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photos: Sue Dymoke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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James and Glenn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Across the country, venues keep closing. Less than a year after The Maze hosted their 20th<\/sup> anniversary celebrations, this is Cosmic American Music\u2019s final show here. The much-loved big room with the intimate stage and terrible ladies\u2019 loos closes its doors in June, unable to turn a profit. There are other places, sure, but none can replace its atmosphere, much loved by visiting US acts. The corner stage offers great sightlines and sweet, sweet sound throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening act Rick Shea plays to a packed crowd (over thirty \u2018walk ins\u2019, unheard of, especially on a bank holiday weekend) in classic songwriter, story-telling mode. A rugged veteran with a rich voice (and occasional yodel) he\u2019s a quintessential Cosmic American act. The highlight of the former Dave Alvin sideman\u2019s set is The Mariachi Hotel. As often here, the introduction\u2019s as good as the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight\u2019s visitor from Austin, Texas, is a promising singer-songwriter two albums into her career. Carson McHone sings alt.country without too much alt in the first half. She channels Wanda Jackson and, later, Lucinda Williams, with a fine version of \u2018I think I Lost It\u2019. She and her three piece band can tear it up, but go deeper when the sometimes rowdy crowd calm down, with songs like Dram Shop Girl, Fingernail Moon and You Don\u2019t Answer When I Call. There\u2019s a fine take on Teddy Thompson\u2019s Down Low. Her own Drugs is outstanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before her set, promoters James Windsor and Glenn Sayward go on stage to thank the packed crowd for their support. \u2018We\u2019ll be down the road in another beer joint somewhere,\u2019 says James. Their new venues include the Old Cold Store at the VAT and Fiddle and The Metronome, with its superb acoustics, where Maze favourite Willy Vlautin will return with his new band The Delines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lovely solo encore\u00a0 brings to an end McHone\u2019s \u2018favourite show on the whole tour\u2019. Tonight, The Maze saw a typically classy, warmly appreciated Cosmic American Show. It was the end of something special. The applause at the close was loud and long, and it wasn\u2019t all for the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This review is from the Nottingham Post <\/em>. Here’s one of the songs mentioned above, <\/em>Drugs, from the album <\/em>Carousel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n