Reunion Concert To Celebrate Roots Musician Chris Gaffney

By John Roos

Chris Gaffney sadly lost his fight against liver cancer in 2008 at the young age of 57. But to the fans and fellow musicians he touched so deeply, the singer-songwriter-accordion player will forever be remembered truly as a one-of-a-kind winner.

After unjustly toiling for years in relative obscurity playing Orange County bars like Linda’s Doll Hut and the Swallow’s Inn, the Costa Mesa-based Gaffney toured extensively as a member of Dave Alvin’s backing band, the Guilty Men, and as lead singer of the Hacienda Brothers, a unique classic country-and-western-meets-soul band featuring singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Gonzalez, steel guitarist Dave Barzansky, bassist Hank Maninger, and drummer Dale Daniel.

Gaffney and Gonzalez clicked from the start as their prolific singing and writing partnership produced four terrific albums from 2005-2008—“Hacienda Brothers,” “What’s Wrong with Right,” the live “Music for Ranch and Town,” and the posthumously-released “Arizona Motel.” Few could rival Gaffney as an insightful songwriter and storyteller sharing both the small joys and frequent heartache found in everyday living. He sang passionately, summoning the soulful voices of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding one moment, then seamlessly awakening the legendary Bakersfield country sound of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard the next. (For a look and listen, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyCdZXLoNAw)

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Gaffney’s passing, concert promoters Stellar Shows and Tucson-based Jeb Schoonover have organized a benefit concert this Saturday night in Long Beach showcasing many of the roots-based musicians and bands aligned with Gaffney, including Dave Alvin with the Cold Hard Facts (Gaffney's longtime backing band,) the surviving members of the Hacienda Brothers, Los Fabulocos, Kid Ramos, Jann Browne & Matt Barnes, James Intveld & the Honky Tonk Palominos, and perhaps others. In addition, a new Hacienda Brothers compilation titled “Western Soul” (LUX Records) is now available debuting previously unreleased demos, alternate takes, and rough mixes. The 16-track album closes with a bittersweet, acoustic reprise of “Leavin’ Town,” which leaves us feeling like Gaffney is indeed bidding us all farewell.

“After all these years, it was difficult to go back and listen to these songs we did together,” reflected Gonzalez recently by phone from his Austin, Texas home. “The (studio) mastering guy, Jerry Tubb, had never heard this stuff so it was good to have someone with fresh ears giving us feedback. But it was almost like I could feel Chris in the room telling us to get going . . . and we realized that we do have something special left that we want to share. Kind of the final round-up for the Haciendas.”

The seeds to the Hacienda Brothers were sewn when legendary Memphis soul producer Dan Penn fell in love with their first demo, “I’m So Proud.” That spare, mostly-acoustic version—as well their second demo, the Tex-Mex flavored “Tucson”-are included on “Western Soul” and still sound as fresh as the morning dew.

“Dan is a country boy to the core and he loved what we were going for,” warmly remembers Gonzalez, who also fronts the rockabilly trio the Paladins. “We wanted to do something different and were just drawn to R&B greats like Joe Tex, Otis Redding and Ray Charles on the one hand--but also to Waylon (Jennings) and Willie (Nelson), George Jones and Johnny Bush on the other. We loved mixing it up at a time when country music was really moving away from traditional honky-tonk to a more formulaic pop- and rock-driven sound.”

Gaffney, the son of a telephone company executive who worked for years scraping hulls in a Newport Beach boatyard to make ends meet, sailed under the commercial mainstream radar. (For an overview of his early years, I recommend seeking out “Live and Then Some,” a splendid, 2-CD recording from 1999 released on the indie Tres Pescaderos label.) But Gaffney’s influence on his musical peers spread far and wide, typified by the 2009 release of the Dave Alvin-produced “The Man of Somebody’s Dreams – A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney” (Yep Roc), a wonderful 18-song collection of Gaffney songs covered by kindred spirits such as Alvin, Dave Gonzalez, Dan Penn, Joe Ely, Los Lobos, Peter Case, Tom Russell, Freddie Fender, Boz Scaggs, Alejandro Escovedo, and John Doe, among others.

“Chris was so loved all across the U.S., Australia and Europe,” said Gonzalez, who’s been kept busy with the Paladins’ first release in 14 years, “New World,” as well as recording an album of duets with his wife, Susanna Van Tassle, titled “Think We’re Gonna Be Allright.” “I learned so much from Chris. He was a cool cat and so unique . . . Gaff was a real deep thinker and a singer who sung his heart out. He was a no-frills kind of guy who fine-tuned our songs and added his magic to them. Yet, he also expected you to play your best. We had to be on our toes because if you messed something up, he knew it and you didn’t want that. He was a real pro.”

Amen, brother.

*The Chris Gaffney Reunion Party takes place Saturday at the Scottish Rite Event Center, 855 Elm St., Long Beach. 6 p.m. Sold-out. Partial proceeds to benefit the Gaffney Family. Performers include Dave Alvin with the Cold Hard Facts, Hacienda Brothers, Jann Browne & Matt Barnes, James Inveld and the Honky Tonk Palominos, Kid Ramos, and Los Fabulocos. www.stellarshows.net.