FOLKFAN
Sunday, June 15, 2003
6-14-03 - On entering, I see the hostess, Brenda, sprinkling white powered sugar on a flat cookie shaped like a guitar. The cookie is labeled "pumpkin chocolate chip,'
This 'house concert" in Woodsboro Md north of Frederick, is in the Paper and Ink Art store (a mailorder store actually). Usually in a wonderful concert area upstairs which is now about 110 F., hours before the show the hosts mercifully set chairs up downstairs in the store stockroom working area where there is air conditioning. This relatively new concert series has a record crowd of 35+. We all sit in rows of chairs flanked by shelves of shining multicolored papers, interesting stacks of books, calligraphy pens with 20 shades of purple, many reds, all hues. As the lights are dimmed for the concert I notice that the room is edged by blue, and white, and many colored strands of Christmas tree lights. This place has atmosphere!
I talk before the show to a woman who fondly remembers seeing Artisan and many other great performers at Frank Allen's now defunct House concert in Bethesda. I give her the contact information for the Panzer, Moore and Dawson house concerts and assure her that the same kind of wonderful performers appear there. My husband is telling people we go to over 100 concerts a year.
Like most house concerts some people know each other and greet with hugs, and others come in as strangers but converse easily with us in the kitchen over a table full of the bounty of snacks (and a pizza) that people have brought. A man says in a very genial and friendly tone to someone he obviously knows well but hadn't seen in a while, 'When are you going to do something good with your life...oh I just wanted to see how you'd react" (to this statement). They hug.
There is a man in a red baseball hat, and one with suspenders on, several women in elegant long summery sleeveless dresses, women in dressy pants suits, and others in sweat pants and teeshirts.
Every concert is unique. We've seen Baron and Barron before, but with a sound system. Before the show Laura Baron is talking to her partner, remarking that there is no sound system here and they will need to "project". Sans mikes is a different experience for the performers and takes some getting used to. But when they come on they sound great. And in this house concert there are no coffeeshop noises in the background.
The Baron and Barron set list includes:
Coming Home At Last
She Feels Just Like a Star
One More Moondance with You
Still you
You're the first thought in the morning
Fat Free and Lovin It
My Love Goes on and on (and the audience is rocking!)
I am the Black Madonna (yes! - each time I hear these lyrics I hear something new.)
I love watching the pleased faces on the crowd watching the Laura and Pat, performers I think most are seeing for the first time. We like them and so love it that others enjoy them too. They sound especially good in this lovely setting.
Richard Broadbent did the second half of the first set, and traded songs on the second set. These are some of the songs Richard sang for us:
They call me Dialtone (I haven't heard him before. I am so into his songs after hearing this)
School
Not too sure about this modern life
The Christiana Riot (this song is a history lesson every school child should hear. This was the public debut of this song about 9-11 in 1851 - Quite impressive)
You keep them in your heart
The little girl sitting in front of me is so attentive through the first set. At the break she tells us she is 7 1/2. Well, she is a performer too! In the second half when introduced she tells us she is "almost 8" and sings "Down in the valley"
There were other songs, and I may not have all the titles correct. We ended with a group sing of what Arlo Guthrie is reported to have said was Woodies's favorite song: Hobo Lullaby.
Charming place, great people. Thank you Baron and Barron and Richard!
