November 2024 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

The November 2024 showcase featured two of VOCAL’s most talented writers, Matt Manion and Carol “Torch” Torricelli. An intimate and attentive audience added to the magic of the evening.

Matt kicked off the evening with God’s Rhythm, a plea to God to help him find his rhythm, move his wooden feet and shape his clumsy body. The Royal Roach Hotel was born while spending a working summer in southern Louisiana and residing in the “lavish” Royal Hotel. The roaches and other critters were included in the cheap rate so I guess you get what you pay for! If That’s What it Takes is an interesting and current them where we wonder if it would take an alien invasion for us earthlings to finally unite in a common purpose (don’t hold your breath…). Necessary Trouble is an older tune of Matt’s touting the need to occasionally rock the boat in order to effect positive change. The song was born after hearing a speech by the late Congressman John Lewis. He then treated us to the heavenly Blue Springs Hideaway. This is a signature tune of his recounting the peaceful and beautiful experience of a mountain getaway in southwest Virginia. Job Hunting Blues is a sign-of-the-times number where you have to “show what you’re made of” prior to getting hired. So grab that cup, head to the restroom and there better not be a trace of anything we don’t want! He then delivered Jump Start My Heart, a “witticism” of Torch, asking his lover to get that muscle pumping, jolt me with desire. You got the spark so jump start my heart! Matt ended with another signature tune Life Can Be Funky on the Pamunkey, featuring Torch on guitar and harmony vocals. It’s a lazy, dreamy ride down the river taking in all the sights and sounds Mother Nature has to offer! Way to go, Matt!

Torch then took the stage with Matt accompanying her on her first tune We Are Virginia. This is a very beautiful and descriptive song about all the wonderful places in Virginia, from the Carter Fold birthplace to the Chesapeake Bay. She continued with a similar state theme with Come to Virginia, a song she wrote and performed for a trade show years ago. It depicts all the great reasons to come to our great commonwealth! Roads In-Between Us recounts the time when she was living in New York but all her friends were moving away so she was constantly thinking of the roads and miles between them. Speaking of close friends moving away, her next song was inspired by her New York boyfriend moving to Florida and having a passion for horse racing. He also happened to have a passion for cooking, so she wrote I Wish I Had a Horse Name Fresh Garlic, with all the images of following him in the horse-racing circuit and meeting in the winner’s circle! Paha Sapa is a Lakota Indian name that translates to “come tour with me”. This is a magical song depicting all the beautiful sights and wonders of Mother Nature around Rapid City, South Dakota. Swinging and Swaying is a signature tune of Torch’s with a dreamy, jazzy feel as she sits on the back porch, a full moon and fireflies accompanying her as she misses her “new squeeze” lover. I Know That You Know describes the communication (or lack thereof) between two lovers when they know they’re in love but are afraid/reluctant to actually say it. Tossing Like a Salad is another “missing my lover” theme where she just happens to be in the kitchen making a salad but is wondering why she hasn’t heard from her man. Highway To Your Heart is a really cool tune co-written with Glen King. He’s a trucker out on the road on his way home so all he can think about is heading for your loving on a highway to your heart! She then delivered another Glen King co-write called Give Me the Simple Life, a story of peaceful enjoyment of a vacation spot with a travel trailer in front of a lake. Descriptive lines like “only one station on this TV set” and “a hundred miles on my rocking chair” depict the scene. People Need Each Other was written during the Plague (Covid) and she dedicated it to Matthew Costello for all his efforts in keeping us together during that trying time. Truer words couldn’t be spoken! Ode to Thanksgiving is a fitting tune in honor of this important holiday that is squeezed between Halloween and Christmas and therefore is often overlooked. Way too much hustle and bustle during that time of year in my opinion. Torch ended her set with a very beautiful rendition of the Irish Blessing, for which she wrote the music. This is in the Public Domain and Torch did a wonderful job of making it “hers”. Great set, Torch!