| April 7th found yours truly at
the Muse Café for what was the first, but hopefully not the last, "Crosstown Voices
Songwriter Showcase" - hosted by Mike O'Cull. The Muse Café’ is a coffeehouse
and whenever I think coffeehouse and music, I think folk or jazz. But this bill ran far
closer to "MTV Unplugged" or VH1’s "Storytellers." The Folk
exception would be Bucky Halker, and I will talk more about him in due course.
First up was Mike O’Cull, who was joined on
stage by Dan Baron. Dan played both guitar and mandolin on this night. The first time that
I had seen Mike O’Cull was when he was in a band called The Convulsions. The
Convulsions are a British R&B band with a whole lot of energy, so I wondered how Mike
would be in a two man acoustic line up. Well any apprehensions that I may have had were
quickly put to rest as soon as he started his set. Mike's blend of roots rock, with just a
touch of rockabilly, lends itself perfectly to this setting. His voice has a soul feel to
it that comes through loud and clear, and although he’s not Wille Deville, Mike has a
realism about him that is undeniable. I just wish that Mike would do it up right and get a
stand-up bass player, piano player and drummer. Throw in a peddle steel player and, with
Mike's voice and guitar playing, you would have a band that would kick ass. There is no
question that Mike O’Cull is the real deal.
Next up was Carlos Quezeda. The first thing that struck me about him, was that at times he
sounded like Jeff Buckley. I use this name in the highest praise, because Jeff Buckley was
one of the greats. But the comparison did not hold up as far as songwriting. Carlos'
songs, although very good, seemed to run together. So as much as I enjoyed listening to
him, I never found myself drawn into what it was that he was singing. This can be a very
frustrating thing, because I was watching someone who had the potential for great things,
but his material was holding him back. But I have to say this: I would like to see him
again, maybe with a band or after I had listened to his CD, if he has one. There is
something special about Carlos, but on this night, what could have been great, was just
ok. But let's remember this was just one night!
Following Carlos Quezeda was Bucky Halker. This was my first time seeing Bucky, but I know
it won’t be my last. Bucky's everything that comes to mind when I think
"coffeehouse", and "folk music." His writing style is in the vein of
John Prine, Steve Goodman, and Woody Guthrie. For the past several years Bucky Halker has
been doing concerts and lectures on labor protest music. His latest CD with the Compete
Unknowns is titled "Protest Songs From 1886-1950". Anyone who has put so much of
his time into making sure that a musical art form isn’t lost, is someone who should
be praised. Because once we lose an art form, and especially this one, we lose a piece of
Americana, which means that we lose a piece of who we are. I have to be honest with you,
the one thing kept from getting into folk was the singing voice of most of the people that
I was told to listen to. It’s the same old story, my friends would tell me
"don’t listen the voice man, listen to the words. This is some heavy shit."
Ya well, I can’t get past the voice to hear the heavy shit man, and Alison's
Restaurant is too long of a song for me. But Bucky's voice, on the other hand, is great.
It’s big but it's also warm, and he uses his voice to bring you into the song, not
overpower you. Bucky also has a stage presence. He holds court when he’s on stage,
and you know that you are seeing something special. Whether he’s telling you a story,
or playing, you know that he has lived the life. You don’t get that kind of presence
by watching, but rather by doing, and if you read his bio you know that he has been doing,
and doing a lot. And if all that wasn’t enough, he has found time to get an MA and
PHD, and teach college courses. On this night Bucky made me wonder if maybe I've been
missing out by not giving this style of music another chance. Go see him, I think that you
will be glad that you did.
Next up was Tristen. I have seen Tristen a few
times before and I have always thought that she was great, and tonight was no exception.
Tristen’s over all style is that of a singer/songwriter with strong pop
sensibilities, and at times, a bit of a country flavor. The thing about Tristen is her
voice, which possesses a timeless quality and what seems to be endless possibility. For
the life of me I can’t understand how something so small can sound so big. At 18 this
Lansing native brings a maturity to the stage far beyond her years, which makes one wonder
what lies ahead. Although her songs are mostly about love, (love won, love lost), they're
not the crap that one hears on MTV. That’s because Tristen is writing about her life,
she’s not writing a single. Tristen was joined on stage by Curt Miller on guitar and
Annalisa Grahl on flute. This was the first time that Annalisa Grahl had played live with
Tristen, and she did a great job. Like I said, I have seen Tristen before, and with each
time I see her growing as a writer. On this night she did a new song that I think is going
to be my fav by her, it’s a song call "Silly Song". It's, of all things, a
song about songs. Now if she would only do a cover of Sister Seven's "Under The
Radar", I would be in bliss. If you want to hear Tristen, then check out her web page
at, www.Tristen.com. Who knows
you might just become a fan.
The last band was Patrick John Eddy. They did
something that was perfect for the evenings' setting; they gave out a lyric sheet for the
songs that they were performing. Lyrically they are a very clever band, and it was fun to
follow the lyrics as they sang the songs. As much as I liked the band, I never really got
into what they were doing, and I sat right up front. I had the feeling that they are
probably a great rock band, but for an acoustic setting I wasn’t feeling it. But much
like Carlos Quezeda this was one night, the crowd seemed to be enjoying the show, and they
were having fun, but for me it was ok, not bad mind you, just ok. I would like to see them
again electric, I have a feeling that I would enjoy them a lot more.
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