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It's a distant memory now, but Peter Case is considered one of the grandpappies of the Power Pop movement, thanks to his role in influential bands like the short-lived Nerves and the not-much-longer-lived Plimsouls in the early '80s. Case has made an amazing, convincing transformation into one of the best Americana/Folk singer/songwriters of the current crop, releasing several albums of his narrative, visceral songs since 1986 and traveling the country Folk Troubadour-style. As he shows on his new album, Beeline (Vanguard), Case has retained the instinctual knack for good melodies, but he tempers it with a raw rootsiness that's infectious. In the past few years, Case has perfectly shown his musical stripes by tributing two legendary music entities — he was featured in a 1999 Beatles tribute show hosted by Sir George Martin at the Hollywood Bowl and, just last year, he compiled the critically acclaimed album, Avalon Blues, which featured various contemporary artists covering the works of Case's hero Mississippi John Hurt.
At the Southgate House with Buddy and Julie Miller (with full band) on Thursday.
— M. B.
