January 2025 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase
Kudos to those hearty folks who came out on this chilly winter night to listen to some original music. The first VOCAL showcase of 2025 featured three performers: new member George Harris, Steve Nuckolls, and Glenda Creamer, all with original songs and styles.
Coming up to Richmond, from the Lynchburg area was songwriter George Harris making his first VOCAL showcase appearance. " You Feel the Thrill Inside" described how love resonates in different body parts regardless of the awareness of it. This was followed by "Give, Give, Give" and then "He's Got The Devil In His Genes" a song about seduction with the line "took her to his room, tried to make her bloom". "When Hearts Go To Heal" talks about using love as a healing agent finding the tender side. Next song "Tomorrow's Memory" gives wisdom to "things change as we age". Lastly: in "It Comes in Blues" George described how no matter how you sing it, country, pop or rock, the song comes out with a blues feeling.
Steve Nuckolls is a long time VOCAL member and showcase performer. Tonight's program featured many of his pop and country songs, some old and some new. Starting off with "There's a Future For Us" sung to his beloved to "never stop believing" that love would prevail. "If You Wanna Know My Love" says to the listener all it takes is to get know me, and the door to love will open for both of us. In a humorous vein, "She Remembered My Beer" tells the tale of a frequent traveler who stops at the same diner to get food and drink during his trips, and even though the waitress didn't know his name, she remembered what brew he favored. Next on his list was "Something About Your Love" a song full of heartfelt lines like " your love keeps me on the ground and always lifts me up". "QR Code For Cuervo" brought us in a new slant for the use of technology. A regular song in Steve's repertoire is "Praying For a Rocky Top" which describes the folksy atmosphere of a small country town and he says" Everywhere I travel, I hope to find another place as wonderful as the place I've left". In "Six Feet Away" the singer wishes to protect the people in his hometown from contagion by suggesting it is better to stay six feet away than be six feet underground. "The Gossan Mines" is an ominous tale of shady goings on in an old mine where criminals and crooks hang out. The singer advises his children "don't go near the saw mill, don't play in the mines". In his last tune tonight "Saturday Morning, Singing with Emmy Lou (Harris)" Steve sings about how gets prepared to sing along with his idol by restringing his guitar and writing down notes on a fresh pad of paper.
The last performer of the night was Glenda Creamer, another long time VOCAL member. Her music always has a quirky side to it with subjects one would not consider writable. Tonight was no exception. "In After Christmas", No need to stop celebrating. Joy can be found even after taking the tree down, and stop singing carols. It is the spirit of the holiday that continues on, not the accoutrements. "Wherever You Go" has a religious undertone that says the singer will follow whom she is singing to. "Easy Way Out" is an escape from facing your weaknesses: " No one will hear you when you weep and wail" say the song. One of Glenda's standard tunes is "I'm A Witch Today" in which she warns folks to be aware her mood in one to be trifled with. "You'll need patience" to deal with me. This was followed by "Lover of Origami". "Frogs" delights us with a tale of the amphibian that pops up everywhere you might not expect like in the toilet bowl and makes the singer "jumpy". This was followed by "Mrs. Grizzard's Wringer Machine" another quirky tale from Glenda's mind tells us about an old-fashioned washing machine that has mind of it's own: a demon possessed thing that moves all by itself across the laundry floor. Finally, "Dumplin’". gives us a picture of a hefty lady who likes her sweet stuff and isn't ashamed about her large frame. "I like it when you say I'm voluptuous" she intones among other self-descriptive nouns. Funny stuff.
A good night was had by all.
Showcase Photos
Click a photo for larger view
Photo Credits: Matthew Costello
