An Evening with Josh Groban

Last evening, Chris and I headed off to downtown Washington, DC to listen to one of her favorite singers give a concert at the Verizon Center.

Josh Groban, with the help of his warm-up act, provided us with a pleasant evening of music and entertainment. I admit, right up front, that I am not a fan of this big voiced tenor who also demonstrated a musical talent on both the piano and drum set. But, he is talented and gave an entertaining performance which kept the evening moving.

There were many more women than men in the audience. I had noted this as we entered the arena--but Josh also made a comment about the men in the crowd being good for the next two hours and possibly being rewarded for their acquiescence. I did find that humorous. He also made a reference to the high ticket prices we paid for the concert and promised to sing "his ass off" for us--or most of it, and he did.

Josh sings in multiple languages--last evening, in addition to english, songs were sung in spanish, portuguese, and italian--and possibly others but who really knows?

He did cover some other writers songs--most notable being Neil Diamond when he covered "Play Me." Of course, he also covered "You Raise Me Up" which is aptly arranged to suite his uniquely big voice and broad vocal range.

The stage and set was interesting and dynamic. He used two stages during the performance--one in the middle of the audience, the other being the main stage. This afforded him better access to the attendees and showcased his style. His supporting orchestra was also fabulous.

As the concert ended, promptly after the promised two hours, I was left wising for a few more songs.

All-in-all, it was an enjoyable evening with good music in a first class concert setting.




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Dynamic Duo Create Memorable House Concert Evening

Jill Sobule at Cellar Music

Friday evening, Cellar Music presented a formidable one-two punch of singer-song writers Ellen Cherry and Jill Sobule in what proved to be an enjoyable evening of music, wine and camaraderie. The venue continues to be an excellent and intimate place to enjoy music.

The crowd on Friday night was really into the music and allowed the performers to really highlight their abilities and their work. Both of the song writer-performers interacted well with the crowd and the closeness of the setting highlighted the well developed talents of both performers.

The wine, other drinks and the munchies that everyone brought also make this venue as spectacular place to interact with singer-songwriters. It is clear why the home concert venue is a superior place to support the arts--it is an enjoyable experience, not at all like being crammed into a stadium designed for sports activities and then trying to enjoy a performance at binocular range. Being able to interact with the performers on a personal level is what makes it all work.

ellen cherry

Ellen Cherry was a true surprise and a joy. She was the opening act of the evening and performed a single set of her own music. She has a clear, strong voice and her guitar work compliments her song style. Her music is very deep, and she touts the historical themes in her music which make her songs very meaningful and at times poignant.

Her guitar work was easy and smooth. The stories she told about each of her songs provided a great introduction to the songs--and her vocal work did not disappoint. I enjoyed her clear, strong voice coupled with her direct interaction with the crowd. She was a pleasure to meet and her music and personality fit very well into the house concert format.


Jill Sobule, the main act of the evening, performed two sets and demonstrated an innate ability to interact with the people at the concert. She has an easy personality which comes through in her music. Probably the highlights of the evening were the times when she got the crowd to sing along--even on songs that until she performed them, were unfamiliar to everyone.

Jill Sobule

Jill has a great sense of humor and her music reflects her unique perspective on the world. Her style is real--strong and self-assured. She interacted well with the people assembled to hear her music. She covered one song that she used to get the crowd singing along with her--and it worked very well as nearly everyone sang along with her. I think she truly enjoyed the response her music received from the crowd and she continued to make the evening an interactive experience through nearly every one of her songs.

Her songs speak to the pain and trouble she has experienced in her life. Her broken heart and the scars that she carries. She expresses her feelings in a sarcasm that while designed to make people smile or even laugh, but is is a thin veil for deeper hurt hidden in the song lyrics.

A great evening and a big thanks go to the hosts--Cellar Music--keep them coming, this was by far the best one yet.

Eric Scott House Concert Review

Cellar Music Concert- ilyAIMY 2009

I attended a house concert Saturday, November 6th night featuring Eric Scott. The concert was sponsored by Cellar Music and in short it was fabulous.

The venue, in a wine cellar in a private home, is intimate and has excellent acoustics. The performer sits with the patrons and it makes for a highly interactive concert and great access to the performer. Cellar Music has an informative website describing the concerts--which are for singer song writers and not cover bands. If you have never been to a house concert, I highly recommend you check one out. And there is probably none better than Cellar Music.

But let me tell you about the performer--Eric Scott. Eric sang all of his own songs with the exception of one encore song which he covered an old Cat Stevens song. Check out his website for additional information.

Eric Scott

I found Eric to be extremely personable and interactive with the audience. He sings his music and plays the bass guitar and brings Mike Stacey along to play lead guitar. It works. The two work really well together and have a comfort level which showcases the music and the talent of both performers.

Eric has a strong and sweet mid-tenor voice. His lyrics are deep and meaningful but the melodies are easy to sing along with. The concert attendees actually began singing some of the songs while Eric was performing--the tunes are just that compelling. And they are singable. Eric was on pitch for every note of every song--and even when he agreed to play song that he had not played in a long time--after a short pause to checkout the words--it was flawless. There are Christian overtones to much of his music--which add to the authentic nature of the performer and the performance. The music is from life and the heart. Some of the lyrics are really hard--hard in that they touch the raw nerve of hurt and pain, but it is also therapeutic.

The performance showcased the familiarity between Eric and Mike. There were long guitar riffs and solos that not only added to the intimacy of the music, but also showed the mutual respect between Eric and Mike as music professionals.

Listening to songwriters sing their own music is really satisfying. You hear the stories behind the songs and what led the writer to write the song. Eric provided a lot of background on his songs--which makes the entire evening just that much more enjoyable.You feel like you are getting to really know someone and even making a new friend.

Well, it was a great evening. Great music, good friends and concert goers and you know what? No post concert traffic jam! That is another great advantage of the whole house concert idea--access to the performer and no post concert traffic. The best it can be. When was the last time you went to a concert and got the performer to sign the CDs? Or even talked to the performer about their music.

Thanks Pam and Gary of Cellar Music for hosting the concert and especially thanks to Eric and Mike for their music. It was a great concert and was the best house concert that I have attended.

Art Garfunkel

Friday night Chris and I went to see Art Garfunkel in concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Getting to the concert proved to be a challenge as the traffic was absolutely the worst I have ever seen and although we left with plenty of time to spare, because the main parking garage was closed we actually missed the first song that Art sang.

But we had great seats three rows from the stage in the apparently sold out Meyerhof Symphony Hall. And while the voice is not as clear as it was (let's see--40 years ago?), it was an awesome concert. He sang old and new stuff and the orchestration for many of the pieces was spectacular. His band was incredible as well. We especially enjoyed, as you might suspect, some of the old stuff like Bridge Over Troubled Water and Cecilia, but he sang some very compelling new songs as well. One we especially liked was a lullaby for his two-year (yes 2) old son. It was beautiful.

The walk down memory lane was a nice diversion from the challenges of the day and whenever we get to spend an evening out together--it works out very nicely. Although, getting home after bedtime is a bummer--but we slept in on Saturday.

Rating: if you grew up or were even alive during the 60's--this concert is a must attend.