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Someday, someway, Marshall Crenshaw is coming to the Casbah

By David Moye

February 27, 2006

San Diego--Marshall Crenshaw has often been called the 1980s version of Buddy Holly and in some ways the comparison makes sense. Both songwriters write catchy tunes that seem simple on the surface but become deeper and more eloquent as the listener’s musical sophistication increases.

Also, Crenshaw has been known to mine the rockabilly country sound of Holly for his own song classics like “Someday, Someway” or “There She Goes Again” from his 1981 eponymous debut album.

But while it’s flattering for Crenshaw to be compared to Holly, he has one thing that the man from Lubbock, Texas, never had—he chance to grow older and explore his musical direction.

“I really like playing solo because I don’t have to worry about whether the back-up band is digging it.”

Although Crenshaw was lumped in with the brief rockabilly revival of the early 1980s that introduced the world to the Stray Cats, the Pole Cats and Roman Holiday, he doesn’t expect a lot of jitter bugging swingers at the Casbah show.

“There’s not a lot of singing along at my solo shows. For the most part, the audience is really attentive. Maybe, they’re singing quietly to themselves.”

He credits the attentiveness to the places he plays. “I call it ‘playing the NPR circuit.’ They’re usually nice clubs with seating that are vacuumed daily and with nice restrooms. In fact, playing the Casbah is unusual because it’s a rock club.”

Naturally, Crenshaw will be playing songs from his 25-year career but plans to focus on songs from his last two albums, especially What’s In The Bag (2003), which he feels is his most definitive recording thus far.

He also may throw in some new songs—very new songs. Before Crenshaw arrives in San Diego, he plans to visit the Congress Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, one of his favorite places to stay. He says, “It’s exactly as it was in the 1930s. Exactly. They have ceiling fans, old-fashioned radios in every room and the original basins for the sinks.”

“John Dillinger was holed out there for a while so I’m sure I’ll be writing some songs there.”

But while Crenshaw is looking forward to Tucson, he also has good memories of San Diego, mostly from his experience playing John Lennon in the touring show of Beatlemania.

“We stayed there for a month at the Catamaran Hotel and I got to see Hugh Masekela and Cal Tjader perform there.”

Crenshaw may be performing solo at the Casbah but he will be accompanied by a close friend: an electric hollow-body Gibson that he admits is one of his favorite guitars.

“I should probably leave it at home, but it’s insured. Oh, I shouldn’t have said that. Now it’s probably jinxed.”

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