DAVID BIANCULLI

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GREAT PERFORMANCES: “STEVE MARTIN AND THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS FEATURING EDIE BRICKELL"
March 4, 2014  | By David Bianculli

WNET-Ch. 13 NY, 9:30 p.m. ET

 

Recorded last year at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, CA, this is the first televised concert featuring Steve Martin playing it straight – except for some funny between-songs patter – as he plays the banjo and works through his old and new collaborations with singer-songwriter Edie Brickell and their backing band, the Steep Canyon Rangers. The working relationship between Brickell and Martin was like a reverse Bernie Taupin-Elton John arrangement: Martin would write the music first, then send it to Brickell, who would come up with the lyrics. The results often surprised them both, and can surprise audiences, too. “Yes, She Did” sets a suicidal story to happy music, “Sarah Jane and the Iron Mountain Baby” is a new song that sounds proudly traditional, and “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs” – well, that sounds like pure Steve Martin, all the way. A fun concert, worth seeking out during PBS pledge month – which is why you have to work extra hard to find it. New York’s WNET-Ch. 13 shows it tonight, but… Check local listings.

 
 
 
 
 
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