Sept. 2010 Showcase
Sept. 20th. 2010 VOCAL Showcase
A smaller than anticipated. but enthusiastic crowd, were in attendance at O’Toole’s tonight for the 230 th VOCAL showcase. Drew Routh, scheduled to appear, had to cancel, and Gerry Laverty kindly agreed to extend his set to fill in the time. Gerry gave the assemblage a great show with his crisp picking and wide range of musical styles. Fans of social commentary and contemporary references appreciate the images in Gerry’s lyrics. Among some stand out songs were “84th Floor” a look back at 9/11 from a 9/10 perspective with a total innocence of events about to occur and how everybody was going about business as usual. “Lonesome Blue Eyes” a crowd favorite, drew us in to a sad eulogy. A country waltz, “Watching the Walls’ gave way to a singalong of “Home on the Range” which seemed to fit right in with tempo of his song and engage the audience. Closing out his set, Gerry ended with “Zion Crossroads” one of his most recognized songs. Gerry never fails to entertain and educate his strong following.
After a short break, the featured act of the night, The Taters, set up and began their show. As fans of this group know, their music is influenced by classic rock styles from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Echoes of the Beatles, Donovan and others can be heard in some of their tunes. Craig Evans (bass and vocals) kicked it off with “Without Your Love” accompanied by T. Bradley Tucker (acoustic/rhythm guitar), Greg Mars (electric lead guitar) and Buzz King (drums). Throughout the performance there was lots of friendly, humorous banter to entertain the audience. The group showed off their chops on various tunes, featuring songs from new and old CD’s. “By Myself” had the feels of a 60’s era folk song, “Raphael” (co-written by VOCAL member Steve Fisher) took us to the tropics with it’s island aura, and great atmospheric picking by Greg. In between the slower numbers, they infused uptempo pop and rockish tunes including a cover of “We Can Work It Out” giving it a fresh approach. “The Wolfman Told Me, Tonight” celebrated Halloween with its eerie lyrics. Closing their set was “Such a Good Day” which seemed apropos to the whole evening of musical entertainment. Between the two acts, no one in the audience could have been left unsatisfied, such was the selection of music presented.
