Tender Small Beast, Great Sounds and Songs

Last Monday at the Delancey showcased a beautifully tame beast, let's call it a pet beast. E. Ryan Goodman opened the evning with delicate sounds from his acoustic guitar, a modern version of the old blues, haunting and wonderful at the same time. He had the audience completely on his side, when he announced a next song as "very quiet": The listeners already didn't make a sound, you could have heard a pin drop. All the mightier was the applause Goodman garnered.


Next up were Jessica and Ben, or Pinky Swearz with their contemporary folk tunes about the hood in Williamsburg and life in Brooklyn. Ben and Jess manage to conjure a unique atmosphere with only one guitar and two voices - plus a lot of honest passion and love for the music.


Dina Rudeen and her trusty axemen Tim Bright and Christian Bongers were the highlight of the night, the guitars gelling, supporting the strong, yet warm voice of Dina, who in songs and lyrics comes close to a female, black Bob Dylan. A five star job, lady Dina!


Mike Lawson's music takes you to other places... wild flights through echoey valleys and steep abysses of sounds, sometimes he himself gets Lost in Sound and transported to dark places - as a grim Michael pounded his guitar, the soundscape grew and grew...


Room played their debut without Burnt Finger and Quentin Jennings, and especially Jean-Cosme on bass did an admirable job. A memorable gig for the ever changing landscape in the growing conglomerate of musicians in the Room. Since I was on stage, I couldn't take a photo and instead attach one from the show we played at the Delancey this Saturday, for the first time with new roomie Jesko Stahl on bass and the amazing Kristin Mueller sitting in on drums without even knowing some of the songs. Dave Spinley on genius sax, as always. Before us, Kristin also played a solo set on guitar, then really rocked with the newly improved Anton Sword, with Gina on bass and Julian on a beautifully T-Rex-sounding 70s guitar. Always a pleasure to see and hear our favorite New York Elvis, Nathan Halpern and the Lusty Men.