Peter Case has joked that his greatest career ambition was to become an itinerant bluesman, and while that's a funny line, there's clearly a grain of truth in it. After the breakup of the Plimsouls and the dawn of his solo career, Case has been a guy who travels with an acoustic guitar, willing to set up and play wherever an audience has gathered, and while he sometimes lets his friends tag along to fill out the sound, he doesn't mind going it alone. If that doesn't quite make him Skip James, at least the similarities are ...
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Peter Case has joked that his greatest career ambition was to become an itinerant bluesman, and while that's a funny line, there's clearly a grain of truth in it. After the breakup of the Plimsouls and the dawn of his solo career, Case has been a guy who travels with an acoustic guitar, willing to set up and play wherever an audience has gathered, and while he sometimes lets his friends tag along to fill out the sound, he doesn't mind going it alone. If that doesn't quite make him Skip James, at least the similarities are visible, and On the Way Downtown: Recorded Live on FolkScene is a thoroughly enjoyable document of two days in the life of a musician on the road. Case was a longtime fan of FolkScene , a radio show broadcast on KPFK-FM in Los Angeles and hosted by Howard and Roz Larman. Case had the honor of appearing on the show twice, in March 1998 and July 2000, and On the Way Downtown gives these sessions an official release for the first time. Both sets were recorded while Case was on tour, and in 1998 he was working with an exceptionally good acoustic band, including guitarists Andrew Williams and Greg Leisz, bassist Tony Marsico, and percussionist Don Heffington. The first nine tracks here feature this ensemble, and they give these songs an easygoing swing that meshes beautifully with Case's thoughtful, compassionate, and unpretentious character studies. Tracks ten through 19 come from the 2000 broadcast, with Case accompanied only by fiddler David Perales, but even as a duo, these takes sound strong and full-bodied. Case's vocals are passionate and honest throughout, and Perales proves to be a great instrumental foil. The contemporary folk community is full of gifted songwriters and remarkable performers, but few have as strong a command of both disciplines as Peter Case. On the Way Downtown finds him casually confirming just how true that is, and if this isn't necessarily superior to the fine studio albums Case released during this period (Full Service, No Waiting, and Flying Saucer Blues), it makes a great companion piece, and finally gives folks who've never seen him live an idea of just how good he can be. And kudos to engineer Peter Cutler, who recorded this music on the fly while giving the audio a rich and pleasing amount of detail. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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