Were You There?

SAIT, The Gateway Lounge, October 16th. . .

A triple bill show that built through the evening to a fully energized experience of shared music.

Jon Amor opened facing a daunting task - solo, and armed only with his guitar he let his songs of personal experience capture the room. It always surprises me how far the blues have traveled from the U.S. south, and this guy just proved again that reflecting on life and love is hard, but with music in it there is no dragging us down for good.

Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few then dazzled again. I was surprised, but should not have been, by how many of the precise images in his lyrics were still fresh in my mind from last summer's hearing. Is this artist his own muse? He explores how the big world stories reflect on the front porch, storefront, street and highway. The cabaret style pulls you in so you can hear the poetry better. Totally engaging and satisfying.

Lee Harvey Osmond - Tom Wilson and friends - then proceeded to pump up the energy in the room to yet another level. Rediscovered that acid folk is one of those exciting genre mutations that opens the mind, heart and soul to fresh perspectives on what it means to be human. Truly this was our collective brains on music and we jumped with excitement for a bravura performance.

Once again, the SAIT Gateway sound technician had the room perfectly tuned. Thank you!

And thank you, Calgary Folk Festival for sponsoring this show. I was still talking to people about it at the train station when I ran into the lady who had been at the SAIT President's Ball just across the campus. It seems they got Kalan Porter - and I thought, wow, my ticket only cost $25 (plus the CDs - but hey - support live music) for a much better evening!