Free At Noon Flashback: Chuck Prophet keeps the rock & roll tradition alive with crowd-pleasing acoustic set

Chuck Prophet | photo by Cameron Pollack for WXPN | cameronpollackphotography.com

Singer/songwriter Chuck Prophet’s music is steeped in history. Whether it be the San Francisco-centric Temple Beautiful or the personal tales on 2014’s Night Surfer, there’s a palpable reverence for the past that can’t be ignored. The rock & roll tradition is constantly being reimagined and reinterpreted, and Chuck is just one of many reshaping it in his image. His latest, Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins, is sure to continue on that trajectory. On record, he’s usually joined by a full band, but one man and his guitar were more than enough to satisfy the Free At Noon audience this Friday afternoon.

Prophet kicked off the set with Night Surfer’s “Wish Me Luck”, which details such choice encounters as the time he “slept behind a Catholic priest one time in Henry Rollins’ van”. Then, he launched into his signature crowd-pleaser, “Summertime Thing”, a mainline of nostalgia from his breakthrough solo record, No Other Love. This guy’s a consummate pro, and it really shows in his effortless charm onstage. New tracks like “Bad Year For Rock and Roll” and Bobby Fuller’s title track fit in well alongside old favorites like “You Did” and “Willie Mays is Up at Bat”, but Prophet’s personality was what really sold the performance. The man has led quite the life, and it shows.

Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins is out February 10th via Yep Roc Records. If you didn’t get a chance to catch Chuck Prophet live this afternoon, you’re in luck, because he’ll be back at World Cafe Live this Saturday for the Light of Day Songwriter’s showcase. For tickets and more information, head over to XPN’s Concert Calendar.