Spring Acoustic Cafe Series ends with Amy Speace, Brooks Williams

Brooks Williams and Amy Speace closed the spring portion of the long-running Indy Acoustic Cafe Series on Saturday, perfoming in the cozy theater of the Wheeler Arts Community Center in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis.

Nashville, Tenn.-based Speace, promoting her 2011 CD "Land Like a Bird," opened the show, entertaining the nearly full house with ballads that touched the heart and soul ... and with anecdotes -- even if they had nothing to do with a song -- that made lovely vocal interpretations even more enjoyable. One narrative that had no song associated with it was the story of how Speace's grandparents met and took a liking to each other almost immediately, but delayed plans of marriage for many years because her grandmother had family to look after.

In another, she divulgied having "sort of a crush" on Verizon Wireless' commerical "face," Paul "Can you hear me now?" Marcarelli, whom she said was recently fired by the communications company. She used that story to transition into "Change for Me" off the new album, making a point to repeat the lyric "Can you hear me now?" and coaxing the audience to sing along.

In a third tale, she related how folk icon Judy Collins had planned to sing "The Weight of the World," a Speace composition, at the 50th anniversary Newport Folk Festival in 2009 and announce to the audience that Speace was its composer. Just as Collins was about to say Amy's name, Speace said, Peter Seeger -- who was off to the side -- distracted Collins, who then traded good-natured barbs with the dean of America's folk singers. When Collins returned to the microphone, she launched into the song, apparently forgetting to tidy up her song introduction by mentioning Speace's name. Well, it's out there now -- even if only here. True, it's not the Newport Folk Festival, but at least I didn't skip the most important part (Amy did say she's "good" with Collins, who later recorded the song on her 2010 "Paradise" CD; in fact, Speace was the first artist Collins signed to her Wildflower record label. Speace did joke that it's just Seeger she needs to settle with).

Williams, a Statesboro, Ga., native who now lives in Cambridge, England, followed Speace to the stage. He's a wonderful singer and songwriter, but his guitar-playing is what captivates -- and validates his inclusion as one the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists of all time as listed by DigitalDreamDoor. Williams' "Guitar Player" album also is on the site's list of Top 100 Acoustic Guitar Albums of all time.

It was a delight to see him let loose and flow as the guitar licks and riffs rolled off his fingers with the savvy of a maestro. His immersion into the music, hopefully, will be evidenced by the selection of images I took from Saturday's show and posted here.

Like Speace, he has a deft on-stage manner with the audience, and delighted everyone not only with several blistering blues solos (I can only say "wow"), but a medley of short instrumental riffs from famous rock songs, from Hendrix's classic "Purple Haze" opening to the Who's signature "Overture" from the rock opera "Tommy." He joked that if he integrates a few more of those into the medley, it might be worth a full show.

Williams' website says he has a new "Live Blues EP" (this should be very interesting) just out and that it should be available at concert sites this month. I didn't see it at Saturday's show, but maybe it hasn't quite made it out yet. Williams' career spans several decades -- and 17 CDs.

Mark Butterfield, the Indy Acoustic Cafe Series operator, is hoping to return a fall season to the Series, starting in early October. Acts he's said he's planning to schedule include John Gorka, Nils Lofrgren and Sophie B. Hawkins.

To see complete galleries from the show, follow these links: Brooks Williams -- Amy Speace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicholas Barron, Freedy Johnston play at Indy Acoustic Cafe Series

Last Saturday's Indy Acoustic Cafe Series concert brought singer-songwriters Nicholas Barron and Freedy Johnston to the stage at the Wheeler Arts Community Center in the Fountain Square cultural district of Indianapolis. Both delivered solid performances and delighted the turnout with their song composition anecdotes.

Before playing a note, Barron (above), of Chicago, warned anybody who would be seeing him for the first time that he's known for his constant movement and gyrations during his shows. He most certainly was all of that, injecting powerful emotion into his husky-voiced delivery and when hitting those high notes. In addition to performing mostly original compositions, Barron did a rhythmic rendition of Leonard Cohen's much-covered "Halleluja," as well as a classic blues tune, which he performed when I was low and camped out at stage right, a favorite vantage point of mine at the Wheeler's spartan, but cozy theater. That corner allows me to enjoy a blackened background, as stage lighting does some delicate highlighting of facial and instrumental features -- a most dynamic treatment. Barron also injected periodic oral percussives -- essentially, they're "cluck" sounds with the tongue and an open mouth (one instance pictured below) -- into his tunes.

After intermission, Freedy Johnston took the stage. I most remember Johnston for his 1990s hits "Bad Reputation" (covered by Death Cab for Cutie and Seven Mary Three) and "On the Way Out" (and actually have the latter on a 1990s CD song mix I burned several years ago). During lulls between songs, Freedy would set up the next number and simultaneously fine-tune the strings on the instruments he played  -- acoustic and electric guitars and a ukulele. His composition anecdotes were memorable; for example, a 4-year-old girl's quarter-note-off tuning of a string on a guitar that Johnston had handed to her evolved into his "Rain on the City," title track of his current CD, which Johnston played Saturday. Another song, composed in conjunction with the Hobart Brothers and Lil' Sis Hobart -- a side project he is exploring with John Dee Graham and Susan Cowsill (yes, of the 1960s pop group the Cowsills) -- originated from a casual sitdown and give-and-take out West one evening.

The Hobarts have recorded material for an album, he said, but they need financial help -- the industry isn't what it used to be, he explained -- and asked members of the audience, quite seriously, to consider contributing to the cost of what it will take for the Hobarts to master, produce, promote, publicize and pay for artwork for the album by making a donation at the website kickstarter.com, a site for, well, artists trying to kick-start a project and don't have the financial means. A check at the website shows that the Hobarts will proceed with the project only if they can raise $10,000 by April 8; as of Saturday morning, April 2, they had received 107 pledges totaling $8,274. Johnston didn't play "On the Way Out" at Saturday's show, but he did end his set with a very nice rendition of the 1982 Marshall Crenshaw hit "Someday, Someway."

The final show on the Indy Acoustic Cafe's spring series is April 16, when Brooks Williams and Amy Speace are scheduled to perform. The Series will resume in October, and Series director Mark Butterfield says fall dates include John Gorka, Nils Lofgren (longtime member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and former member of Neil Young's Crazy Horse) and Sophie B. Hawkins, among others.

To see full galleries from their shows, follow these links: Nicholas Barron -- Freedy Johnston.

Above: Barron in mid- "cluck," executing one of his oral percussives.

 

Above and below: I amused myself between acts by attempting still lifes of some drinks a few people in the audience parked on the stage while they left their seats to stretch. The stage seemed the safest place for the cups; it was either that or the floor, as the seats at the Wheeler have no cup holders.

Above and the rest below: Freedy Johnston's turn on the stage.

Above: On electric guitar.

 

Above: On acoustic guitar.

Above: On ukulele.