Ok, perhaps this is not really a “review” so much as it is a digestion of emotions and thoughts. I started this media outlet a year and a half ago because I felt the need to create a conduit through which I could let other people know about the wonderful musicians and artists that I know. I never wanted anything out of this, or even for folks to know who the person behind the content was. Leaving the pot on the stove and reducing down the stock, last night was why I started doing this. Because for me, to witness people I care about deeply and have so much respect for, especially creatively, succeed and thrive and shine on a stage is one of the best feelings that I possibly could have. Last night I got not one, but two sets of that.
Hayley Sabella kicked off Mark’s CD release show at Passim and was joined on stage by another one of my favorite people and musicians, Eva Walsh (and later by another person meeting those same two criteria). Hayley has this subtle ability to really draw you in without you realizing it. She is very calm on stage, she is at home, she is just herself and her personality is extremely charming, charismatic and comforting. Then she begins to sing and play. In a world where you always see dudes as the guitar player accompanying a gal singer on stage it becomes the norm that folks think guys might be the more prevalent force on the instrument. Hayley squashes that assumption and then crushes it deep into the dirt. She is a very smart player. She doesn’t just play chords, or just finger pick. Each note is very much thoughtful and purposeful. The style of guitar playing she has developed complements the songs and her voice perfectly. She riffs melodically underneath her floating words, picking out notes, rapping on the body of her guitar for percussive inflections, and always calculating what is best suited for the song. When she called Jake Hill up on the stage I was floored. The way that these two enrich each others voices and songs, its purely unparalleled by any other local duo I have seen. Hill’s gruff and deep blues tone with Hayley’s beautiful harmonies beneath. It shouldn’t work, it shouldn’t make sense, but its absolutely beautiful. The debut of a new tune from the two was a welcome one. Hayley played a few songs from hew new release, ‘King Solomon’, old favorite ‘Farm Fingers’ and a few others. It was a wonderful set and a great way to start a remarkable evening.
The man of the hour was up next with his quartet. Bluegrass in instrumentation, but far more than that. Mark Whitaker and Friends, as they moniker themselves, is made up of Mark on banjo and vocals, Eva Walsh on fiddle and harmonies, Jordan Santiago on mandolin (and the occasional back up vocal) and Gian Pangaro on the upright bass playing his last show with the group. The way that the 4 of them interact on stage is how musicians should be with one another. Playful jabs, everyone jumping in on some of the banter. Even if I didn’t know them, I would realize that these are people who love each other and love to create music with one another. That makes the experience of live music so much more meaningful and enjoyable for an audience.
The set was flanked by originals with some traditional stuff mixed in the middle. The band’s rendition of of the bluegrass standard ‘Big Sciota’ was unbelievable. Whitaker jokingly said that Santiago always kicks off these instrumentals faster than anyone else can play. He did kick it off pretty fast, but the band kept up just fine swapping the lead melody with their own flourishes, highlighting everyone’s expertise on their instruments. David Gallagher also joined the band for two songs, including the only song on the record with guitar, ‘Nightlight’ and he was certainly a welcome addition to the stage, fitting into the groove like a glove.
The harmonies on songs like “Nowhere to Land” and “A Day with You” are as tight as harmonies can be. I swear that Eva and Mark’s voices were born to make wonderful sounds together, lucky for us all they both moved to Boston from other places in this country. My favorite track off of the album, “When the Weather Breaks” stands up just as well in a live setting as a recorded one (if not better). There is a groove and a soul that this song just dials in that completely unreal. If you aren’t moving in some way while listening to this song, then you need to check your pulse.
The night ended in the demand for an encore and a standing ovation. I have already proclaimed that this record will be my favorite album released in 2014 and I still strongly stand by that statement…barring Mark going into the studio and releasing another record in the next 4 months of course.
(no photos from this show. When I asked Mark if he wanted me to shoot the evening, he told me that he just wanted me to come and enjoy the music. What a guy! I gladly obliged and didn’t even take an iPhone photo…and obviously enjoyed the night wholeheartedly)