Eugene Chadbourne at Marsh Woodwinds Saturday

Eugene Chadbourne: A fan appreciation by Todd Morman

If the average music fan knows anything about Greensboro-based guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, it’s that for years he made the electric rake a signature part of his live shows. You’ll probably see something like it when he plays at Marsh Woodwinds tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 3rd at 8pm (simulcast on local internet thingamajob taintradio.org). But Chadbourne, who’s coming home to NC between the Leipzig and Istanbul stops of his fall European tour, is about more than noisy electrified garden tools. Let me tell you how much more…

Chadbourne has been active in jazz/punk/noise/country circles for over 30 years. He worked with John Zorn in the mid-70s NYC improv scene, formed the punk group Shockabilly soon after, then collaborated with the Violent Femmes, Camper Van Beethoven, Tony Trischka, Fred Frith, Billy Bragg, the Red Clay Ramblers and lots of others throughout the 80s and 90s, while releasing an astonishing series of genre-busting recordings from his home in Greensboro and beyond. Punk, noise, bluegrass, free jazz and political commentary bump and grind into each other on albums like LSD C&W and Jesse Helms Busted With Pornography, continuing through the years with a series of excellent releases on the British jazz label Leo Records and collaborations like a wonderful 2003 session with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn. He’s got a great grasp of music history and can jump from a Captain Beefheart medley to Duke Ellington in a heartbeat.

So, what can you expect at his Marsh Woodwinds solo gig Saturday? Who knows? A mix of styles is a good bet. Some noise, definitely. Fractured honky-tonk classic country with free jazz elements, almost certainly. Some of the most captivating and bizarre guitar playing you’ll hear this year, for sure. A goofy good time and some seriously interesting music, both at once. (I’m also hoping for some of his transcriptions of Bach for banjo.) Plus, Marsh is BYOB and provides a nice little spread of food.

Full disclosure: I should mention that I emailed Eugene this summer to start the ball rolling on this show, then helped as the Marsh Woodwinds and taintradio folks ran set things up, but don’t have any financial interest at all, honest. I just hadn’t seen Chadbourne since his “Insect and Western” improv jazz performance at the Bickett Gallery five years ago, where he signaled changes in the flow of the music to the other musicians by pulling plastic toys out of a bucket, and was itching to get another hit..