Catie Curtis started off our musical evening, with Jimmy Ryan on
mandolin. She did a great set, a mix of old and new including Hole
in the Bucket, Dad's Yard, Radical, and Soulfully, as well as a song
I think she called "What's the Matter" and another song I can't
identify, which had a great refrain: "not gonna' let you burn your
own house down." The crowd -- 500 maybe? -- loved her, and you
could tell by the response that there were lots of fans in the house.
Next up was Ellis Paul, and he was lovely. We were treated to a
wonderful set which included the spoken poem, "Love's too familiar a
word," a gorgeous a capella number (I would love to know the name of
this one, I jotted down a line: "ain't it the strangest ..."), 3000
Miles, Weightless, Here She Is, Translucent Soul (?), and more. We
all enjoyed a couple of "bodacious" singalongs: Paris in a Day and a
song about Galileo. Ellis is, well, multifaceted. He's *fun* to sing
with, and a witty entertainer -- his Peter Yarrow story is great --
but he also brought tears to my eyes a couple of times. His first
encore was another treat, featuring Ellis, Catie, and Jimmy together
on a Dylan tune. Once again the audience had a chance to sing:
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
This was my first time seeing both artists, and I'm delighted to have
had the chance. Hope they'll be back in my area again soon;
meanwhile, catch them if they come to yours!
Robin
rbhoff@ix.netcom.com
NJ, USA