Perfect weather for an outdoor spring show is often sought, but not always attained. Mike and Molly’s glorious outdoor venue has fallen victim to many a spring fling with weather perfection, only to be stood up by the intrusion of April-May showers. This past Friday came as close to this ideal scenario as I can remember, with one exception: massive gales of wind wafting through the alleyways.
Not that I minded the slight drop in temperature ushered in by these swirling westerlies. Quite the opposite actually, I enjoyed the spectacle of Heather Dillon and Ryan Groff’s long locks lured into a frenzy of hair-band-fan-fluttering fury. As amusing as it was for me to watch, it made me glad I cut mine long ago.
Mike and Molly’s second official outdoor show of the year had two lovely local book ends: troubadour extraordinaire Ryan Groff and (countdown to band name change, T-minus….) chamber-folk favorites Casados. The still-dormant ivy filled walls of the garden effortlessly amplified the powerful introspective harmonies of Nic and Heather Dillon to an appreciative crowd of twenty-five or so. Thus began the latest installment of the always-pleasant surprise of the Shadowboxer Collective. This go-’round featured New England-based one-woman wrecking ball, Audrey Ryan.
Audrey brings forth many weapons in her road-proven arsenal. I hate to always compare and contrast every loop pedal-utilizing performer to Andrew Bird, but hey, he is the effing best. That being said, Audrey actually did not make me cringe with discomfort with hasty attempts at filling the void that is tough to occupy all by your lonesome.
In fact, she employed looping the way it was meant to be employed, over-easy, not over-done. Her loops mainly add simple textures to the subtle grit of her hollowbody guitar finger picking. Everything else that draws you into her mini orchestration is done with hands and feet. Kick drum, shaker, and floor tom rest easily around her, ready to be employed on cue, to drive the rhythm and clear ringing vocals of her songs.
Her pipes remind me in all the most pleasant ways of Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries, with hints of Native American-yodel fusion that were intertwined in an accordion mini-set (How many shows do you attend that feature multiple members of the squeezebox family: harmonium and accordion on the same night!). The set was anchored nicely with an impromptu harmony guest appearance from Ryan Groff. It even caught Audrey a little off guard to behold his vocal mastery. She exclaimed afterward that she knew it would be good, but not that good! Surprise!
As her performance went on, the empty chairs in the beer garden were slowly filled. By the time Groff took the stage, a crowd of 75 or so had gathered.
All and all, another Shadowboxer show attended, another enjoyed. The collective continues to bring interesting bands to audiences aiming for a more intimate experience in their show going agendas. It is a vessel that needed filling in this town, and the Shadow abides. So be on the lookout and take the chance on future shows featuring broken down, lo-fi fun. You might just find something you like.
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Video by Doug Hoepker. Still photo by Joel Gillespie