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Mark Karan and his band played a matinee concert at Hopmonk Novato, with Mark joined by Scott Guberman on keys, bassist Kevin White of Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express, and Anna Elva on drums.
They opened with Karan's lively and upbeat Bait the Hook from his 2009 album Walk Through the Fire, followed by a cover of Stephen Bruton's It Is What It Is. Mark's guitar sounded rich and flavorful, Gubs brought great energy to the keys, Anna played with a broad, swinging groove, and Kevin was rock-solid. Their dynamic, improvisation-filled rendition of the New Orleans classic Fire on the Bayou stood out, building into an electrifying rhythm.
The first set ran about 80 minutes and was full of great moments, closing on a high with the Grateful Dead's West L.A. Fadeaway — a fantastic finish!
The second set kicked off with Mark Addison's Mercy Bound, a song familiar from Joan Baez's rendition, followed by Karan's catchy original Annie Don't Lie. The Grateful Dead's New Speedway Boogie flowed into an instrumental version of The Other One, but never returned — Mark joked they'd have to finish the last verse at the next show.
The finale was an epic and rousing medley, starting with Willie Dixon's I Just Want to Make Love to You, followed by a jam-heavy performance of 2:19, and returning to the blues classic to close it out. Wrapping up, Karan quipped that after playing such a guitar solo, nothing else could follow — and with that, the show was over.
The crowd was small — around 50-60 people — but the concert was well worth it! It would have been great to hear Gubs singing a couple of songs, though Mark's vocals were very strong.
Set 1 (2:03 PM — 3:22 PM): Bait the Hook, It Is What It Is, Memphis Radio, Fire on the Bayou, Breathing Room, You're Unbelievable, Good Day for the Blues, On Your Way Down, Rock Your Papa, West L.A. Fadeaway
Set 2 (3:41 PM — 4:40 PM): Mercy Bound, Annie Don't Lie, New Speedway Boogie > The Other One (instrumental), Without Love, Walk Through the Fire, Time Will Tell, I Just Want to Make Love to You > 2:19 > I Just Want to Make Love to You (reprise)
( Few more pix... )
