Little Brother Montgomery’s “Bass Key Boogie” and “Tremblin’ Blues” were offered alongside Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” and a version of AC/DC’s “Riff Raff” that you never knew you needed, but most certainly do. Blues great Junior Wells brought a young Iguana from NYC to Chicago 31 years ago for a lengthy run as sideman. Iguana honored his old boss with a colorful take on “Messin’ with the Kid” and paid tribute to another Delmark favorite with Magic Sam’s “You Belong to Me.”
Original song “Tripping in a French Ambulance” was meditative and surreal with hallucinogenic shifts in tone and perspective. “Welcome Distractions” alternated between a menacing monster mash and gently cascading flutters. Caskey sparred with Iguana during “For Dancers Only,” a tuneful mash-up of styles that suggested a couple gamefully boogieing at a house party as the host changed radio stations. Iguana introduced the song with a quote from Tatiana, the duo’s theatrical foil in an early incarnation of the Claudettes. “If you’re not gonna dance, please don’t listen,” he said wryly.
Nods to other forerunners included Roosevelt Sykes’ “The Honeydripper” and original song “Pick Up the Slack, Freddie.” For the latter, Iguana copped to stealing the bass line from middle-20th century boogie-woogie pianist Freddie Slack. Iguana said that his version of “California Here I Come” with Caskey was meant to borrow from “Big Maceo” Merriweather but sounded more like a Godzilla rampage. The song bristled with carnivalesque and cartoon-style Raymond Scott lunacy.
“My wife told me that a great way to earn followers and listeners is to end with three uptempo songs in a row,” Iguana announced as the 90-minute set raced to its conclusion. He and Caskey dove into a spirited romp through Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell,” Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On, Reggae Woman,” and Jay McShann’s “Roll ‘Em.” The Berry and McShann tracks were drawn from the At Delmark running order.
Iguana and Caskey were joined by bandmates Rachel Williams and Zach Verdoorn for a Friday night headlining slot at venerable roots-music haven FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL. The two-hour concert drew from the nigh-unclassifiable quartet’s five genre-hopping albums and various EPs and singles, with a generous addition of new selections to the set list.
Arriving after an opening salvo from the instrumentalists, Williams appeared in a sparkling gray cocktail dress to sing Nina Simone’s “Buck” in a breathy croon. The arrangement quoted ZZ Top in a sly way that made “Sharp Dressed Man” seem sultry and lounge-appropriate. Before long, Williams was belting songs like tango “Bad Babe Losing Touch” and rollicking pop kiss-off “24/5” with power and command.
In the meantime, the Claudettes displayed their range with songs incorporating blues, rock, jazz, progressive, Broadway, punk, cabaret, and even novelty pop – Verdoorn led the fray during a delirious rave of The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird.” In addition to nimble 6-string bass melodies on songs like the strolling “Billy’s Blues,” Verdoorn joined Williams for sweet harmony on songs including the heart-tugging “(You Are My) Whole World.” According to Iguana, the song drew inspiration from Sam Cooke’s One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963. “Is everybody in favor of getting romantic?,” quoted Iguana. Verdoorn’s sturdy bass and warm background vocal elevated the tale of post-traumatic experience in “The Aftermath.” “Are they still looking for me?” sang Williams and Verdoorn in sweet, paranoid harmony.
Williams, Verdoorn, and Iguana traded verses during the comic cautionary tale of unforeseen consequences “Naked on the Internet.” Caskey’s careening percussion included a quote of the thundering drum fill from Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” The jilted and bruised “No Matter How Much” was replete with dramatic flair and turbulent rhythm. Iguana played a sparkling piano solo while the rhythm section of Verdoorn and Caskey lurched, swung, and crashed.
The band’s post-punk flavors, theatricality, social consciousness, snark, and compassion were equally evident during “Grandkids Wave Bye-Bye” and inclusive anthem “Irregulars.” “Winter Came While You Were Gone” was classic Bacharachian pop. Covers included Wanda Jackson’s mesmerizing “Whirlpool,” Hugh Masekela’s blissful instrumental “Grazing in the Grass” and a soulful run through Sugar Pie DeSanto’s “Git Back.”
The Claudettes brought the house down with a closing one-two punch launched by Betty Harris’ funky “There’s a Break in the Road,” for which Iguana made a rare switch from acoustic piano to Hammond organ – possibly reminding old-timers in the appreciative crowd of his days with Chicago’s leading post-punk lights oh my god. Williams was a hurricane force while finishing with Aretha Franklin’s “See Saw” as the band dug into a wicked R&B groove behind her.
Story and photos by Jeff Elbel.
