At a sold-out City Winery, Richard Barone and Tammy Faye Starlite hosted a warm “Jillith Fair” celebration of the first birthday memorial of their friend, the late singer-songwriter Jill Sobule (who tragically passed away last May) and her multitudinous talents with impressive contributions from a community of musical friends she attracted throughout her 35+ year career.
Beyond heartfelt versions of Sobule’s 1995 hits “I Kissed a Girl” (with lead vocals from Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, Amy Rigby, and Jenni Muldaur) and “Supermodel” (written by a team for the Clueless soundtrack, she added the eating disorder lyrics in the bridge to make it her own) by her frequent Pittsburgh backing band Jill’s Jagoffs (who also served as the house band, enhanced by Joe McGinty on keyboards & David Mansfield on violin), dozens of accomplished musicians & songwriters shared personal stories about Sobule’s prodigious energy and Jewish humor, and summoned her spirit over a 21-song set that served as a testament to her unique knack for composing theatrical & hummable melodic hooks lined with funny, frank lyrics that are clever & clasping (perhaps literally on the whimsically serious “Mexican Wrestler”, which Betty presented with sharp comic timing), simultaneously capturing the wondrous spectacle of life with endless curiosity while serving up trademark skewering satire for ardent hypocrisy (on fiery 2018 political propaganda takedown “America Back”, which Starlite delivered with fresh righteous anger) and pedestrian annoyances.
Barone, who frequently collaborated with Sobule, described how she “could write a song about anything”, including when he told her a story about a lesbian woman he’d met named Helen who had to secret away to clandestine “woman’s” bars in the early ‘60s, which Sobule quickly transformed into thoughtful lyrics on their co-write “Odd Girl Out”, which Barone performed in a stirring bluegrass arrangement. Peterson & John Cowsill on drums (the bracingly mature “Bitter”) and Wesley Stace (“Rock Me to Sleep”) played other Barone-Sobule gems as if they were their own. Lucy Wainwright Roche sang a lovely solo version of “Sold My Soul” (about the misgivings of being known for a “novelty” hit) and was followed by her dad, legendary acerbic singer-songwriter & musical paterfamilias Loudon Wainwright III, who brought his sardonic touch to “Joey” (about ‘60s sex symbol actress & singer Joey Heatherton) with glistening mandolin by Mansfield. Marshall Crenshaw (“Jetpack”) and The Chapin Sisters (“Now That I Don’t Have You”) pointed to Sobule’s fresh perspective on love & heartbreak.
Welsh singer-songwriter & raconteuse/chanteuse Judith Owen spoke about how she got to know Sobule at her Christmas extravaganza show, which she puts on with her husband Harry Shearer of Spinal Tap (Sobule regularly played her holiday history lesson “Jesus Was a Dreidel Spinner” to great acclaim), before shifting into a mesmerizing confessional piano version of “Houdini’s Box”. Vance Gilbert got big laughs about his memories of a short tour with Sobule and their backstage idea to write an LP of “the very saddest songs” before playing a spellbinding solo acoustic guitar cover of “Super 8” (about the confounding nostalgia inherent in recordings of the past) that had unintended ice percussion from a bartender who found out just how pristine the City Winery acoustics are.
Sobule also brought a love of the history of popular music to her songwriting that makes it fun to suss out skillful interpolations of recorded magic: the keyboard hook from Chicago’s “Saturday in the Park” adorning Muldaur’s soulful acid trip through the Laura Nyro-like “Cinnamon Park”; the Summer of Love-era lyrics from Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco” (written by Papa John Phillips)” recast in her own song of the same name with powerful vocals by her ‘90s alt-music contemporary Tracy Bonham w/ Tony Trischka on banjo (Bonham also offered great versions of “Where Do I Begin” & “Island of Lost Things”); and reframing the structure of Bobbie Gentry’s haunting country blues classic “Ode to Billie Joe” into “Where is Bobbie Gentry?” and the mystery of the famously reclusive star, sung with gritty twang by Rigby.
Throughout, a slideshow screen shared testimonial quotes from noted Sobule fans (Tracy Chapman, Tom Morello, Cyndi Lauper) and photos of her pop culture pop-ups (a Simpsons memorial shout-out caricature, a music video shoot with Fabio) reminded the audience of her cultural impact. By the rousing “cast” chorus finale led by Antigone Rising of Sobule’s gratitude in the face of eco/political calamity ballad “A Good Life”, I regretted never having gotten to see Sobule perform, but I felt grateful for the existence of her sophisticated oeuvre and the communal magic she continues to build through her music. The 1st Jillith Fair is the linchpin of regular annual Sobule tribute shows (many of the same friends will be playing one in Philadelphia on January 24), and there is a documentary, She’s Gonna Sing! You’re Gonna Listen!, currently in production.
Setlist:
Underdog Victorious (Antigone Rising)
Where Is Bobbie Gentry? (Amy Rigby)
Jet Pack (Marshall Crenshaw)
What Do I Do With My Tongue (Jill’s Jagoffs)
Bitter (Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill)
Rock Me to Sleep (Wesley Stace)
Now That I Don’t Have You (The Chapin Sisters)
Cinnamon Park (Jenni Muldaur)
Super 8 (Vance Gilbert)
America Back (Tammy Faye Starlite) (with a verse of Leonard Bernstein / Stephen Sondheim song “America”)
Sold My Soul (Lucy Wainwright Roche)
Joey (Loudon Wainwright III)
San Francisco (Tony Trischka and Tracy Bonham)
Odd Girl Out (Richard Barone and Tony Trischka)
Houdini’s Box (Judith Owen)
Mexican Wrestler (Betty)
Where Do I Begin (Tracy Bonham)
Island of Lost Things (Tracy Bonham)
Supermodel (Jill’s Jagoffs)
I Kissed a Girl (Amy Rigby + Vicki Peterson + Jenni Muldaur)
A Good Life
