Levitation Live Shot: Willie Thrasher & Linda Saddleback

No spring chicken, Willie Thrasher has made music since the mid-Sixties, when he drummed for the Cordells, Northern Canada’s first Native American rock band. Today, the 67-year-old Inuk has a voice that cuts through the din, its insistent rasp like an axe against a wall of chatter. Not that Thrasher needs a weapon, if his Levitation set was any indication.

As Thrasher repeatedly made clear how excited he was to be playing not only Austin, but the United States for the first time, that voice stood tall above the fray – rather than bashing its way through it. Frankly, his songs need the character.

Whether it was opener “The Eagle is Calling You” or the title track to his classic 1981 LP Spirit Child, Thrasher followed a similar pattern: minor chords on the verses, usually led by A; major ones in the choruses, usually ending on G. All were vigorously strummed like Richie Havens at his most percussive. Thrasher also played a kick drum and harmonica.

Accompanied by his partner Linda Saddleback – the Linda McCartney to his Paul – Thrasher established a connection with the audience that made us root for him no matter how familiar the game became from turn to turn. Engaging the crowd in the Inuit chant that drives “Odiac,” and even starting a call-and-response Austin cheer, Thrasher had us in the palm of his hand from the beginning.

“My heart will be with each and every one of you after I leave Austin,” he said early on.

Our belief in the sincerity of that statement covered a multitude of musical sins.

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