This past Sunday saw an Open Mic concert at the Playhouse, with multiple musicians playing, mostly on guitar, though there was one notable exception, which I will mention in due time.
The first musician to perform was Tom Gardner. He started off with Dallas Green’s funeral-themed “Body in a Box”, and continued with Leonard Cohen’s “Birds on a Wire”. He then performed two songs by Donovan (whom Gardner described as the Scottish Bob Dylan), “Season of the Witch” and “Catch the Wind”. Following that, he performed Ben E. King’s immortal “Stand by Me” and Ray Peterson’s “Tell Laura I Love Her”. His last song was the Pine Ridge Boys’ “You Are My Sunshine”. All in all, his choices of songs gave off a very folksy vibe.
Next up was Gardner’s grandson Devon, who performed an untitled song written by himself, as well as Greg Kingdom’s “Sun Like Lit Moon”. His had more of a contemporary, indie sound. After that, we got something very unique with Gene Christie who played the accordion. The songs he played were “Almost Famous” and “Ghost of the Monogahala”. He provided a very different sound compared to everyone else, but was still entertaining.
The next one up to bat was Norm Schaefer. He performed Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and the Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road”. Then there was Ken MacAlbine, who performed “As Long as You are with Me”, “I’ll Be Fine” and “Your Own Happy Ending”. And then CIP’s own True Rafferty performed Billy Joel’s iconic “The Longest Time”.
Then, Ethan Mendick performed Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends”. Finally, Robin O’Hern, who hosted the event, sat down to play. She performed the classic “Chopsticks”, “The Miner’s Lament”, and “Coming Home”.
Overall I can say that I highly enjoyed all the performers and their songs. And I thank CIP and Spectrum Playhouse team for putting on this awesome show, reminding me about some wonderful songs that I may not have currently thought of otherwise.
– John Pannozzi
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The next music even at the Spectrum is Trio Candela performing spicy Latin music on May 3rd at 7pm. Performance is free for local residents, otherwise $5-10 donations accepted at the door (proceeds will support the Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, a non-profit cultural and conservation organization). The event is co-sponsored by Lee Cultural Council.
Please come and warm up with the authentic Latin beat.
