Recap Charlie Parr at Café Montmartre

Lately, it seems that modern blues-rockers like Jonny Lang have been handing off the shit-baton in a relay of pop bombast and grandiosity. Thankfully, Americana artists like Charlie Parr avoid this fedora-clad narcissism by embracing the raw essence of Mississippi Delta blues and refusing to wear a medallion necklace. On Tuesday night, the low-lit Café Montmarte played host to the melancholy, flannel-clad singer and guitarist, who stirred up an oafish hoedown among the half of the audience that actually listened to him.

Foot-stomping opener “Union Tramp” set the tone for the evening as Parr displayed his virtuous acoustic finger-picking, often letting one or two bass notes drone under his chords. Harmonica player Dave Hundrieser fattened up Parr’s gritty wailing with soaring harmonies and danced around Parr’s slashing slide guitar with conversational melodies. Also accompanying Parr was percussionist Lane Prekker, who used his hands, brushes, a washboard, spoons, and a even a hammer to stir up rickety, tempo-perfect rhythms..

During “Don’t Send Your Kids To War,” a chilling folk blast from his latest album, Roustabout, Parr channeled blues legend Son House as he howled, “I’m goin’ leave here / I’m goin’ away.” Throughout Parr’s two-hour set, the trio dipped into Parr’s extensive seven-album discography, while also ripping out an energized rendition of the shout-along traditional spiritual “Jesus Was On The Mainline.”

At times Parr’s vocals were hard to make out, largely because his massive beard muffled the delivery as he hunched over the mic. Also not helping matters was the chatter spread about the place: Throughout the show, a middle-aged woman seated behind Decider let loose hideous cackles that could only be matched by the sound of a live goose being thrown into a deep fryer. Fortunately, by the time the set finished with “John Henry,” Parr’s confidence reached its peak, and he opened his eyes to an enthusiastic audience, who stomped, clapped, and sang with him word for impassioned word.