June 2023 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

There was a nice, boisterous crowd gathered at O'Tooles Monday night, June 19th for our monthly Songwriters Showcase, and like the month before, we experienced a few growing pains. Specifically, we were scheduled for three performers, but due to "technical difficulties", we ended up with two. We hope to have this particular glitch figured out moving forward, but as the saying goes, "the show must go on". So we did!

Our first performer was Dave Drouillard, a singer/songwriter with a folk troubadour style that was melodic at times, tender at others, and always a joy to listen to. His set started out with a medley of three songs woven one into the other -  "Untitled", evoking personal images of home; "Get Down Sister", a love story that wafted through the venue with a Travis-picking beat; and "Robinsong", with a tender intro that morphed into a straight ahead country feel, with nice tempo variations and an affinity for "screw-top wine". After a breath, Dave continued with a self-described "Deuteronomy set to music" offering entitled "St Raphael". Dave ended his set with "Voyager", with a haunting melody, minor chord progressions, and visions of raven hair. Dave handled a less than attentive crowd well, and we look forward to hearing more from Dave in the future.

Our next performer, Doug Patrick, suddenly found himself in the featured songwriter slot, and handled it with all the grace and ease we've come to expect. Out of the six song set list Doug handed me before his set, he played nine, including two or three he kept in his back pocket, just in case. If you give him a nice chair, a front porch, and a tuned-up guitar, it's this writer's opinion there's not much that would phase Doug!

Doug's set contained some familiar favorites as well as a few surprises…

• "Special Place In Heaven" - a love song for the one who's been most patient with the performer
• "Molly" - an ode to the struggles and loves of the Civil War
• "One Lone Georgia Pine" - a tribute to a Civil War ere relative
• "Til The Boys Come Home Again" - a haunting Civil War era melody with guest vocalist/collaborator Kelly Kennedy joining Doug on stage.
• "Full-Time Love" - a quirky love song lamenting a 2nd fiddle status
• Granddaddy's Knee - a tribute to the beloved patriarch of the family and the life lessons he imparted
• "Getaway" - a Doug Patrick classic, re-envisioned, with Kelly Kennedy once again singing harmony
• "I'll Hold You As Long As I Can" - grandchildren and family roots run deep in this song
• "Leave It Like We Found It" - a timely plea for Mother Earth

Congratulations to Doug Patrick and Dave Drouillard for a wonderful night of music at O'Tooles on Forest Hill Avenue, and for helping VOCAL as we slowly but surely find our way back to normal. Until next month…!

Showcase Photos

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