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Rusty Bell was delightful, beautiful harmonies. Chris Smither was his usual entertaining and casual self. Great show!!!! I bought the tickets for my husbands Birthday the same day.....he couldn't stop thanking me.
Although he tries to play it down, this tour is in support of a 50 year retrospective of his music. He rarely performs with a band, so this was an extra special event and the audience was not disappointed. And The Sinclair was the perfect venue.
The Birchmere has such a good vibe. Friendly people, good food, great place to see and hear artists. Small place with a bg heart.
Have always enjoyed Chris Smither and he's never disappointed. His guitar playing is simply amazing and his anecdotes add humor and pathos to his one man show. Gotta love him!
I didn't especially enjoy Andy Friedman. His song lyrics seemed full of non-sequiturs that weren't very clever or amusing. His guitar work was especially uninspiring: all straight strumming of garden-variety chords, no continuo or obligato, no interesting instrumental bridge. Vocal performance not especially nuanced in dynamics, phrasing, or tone quality. I think Andy needs a lot of work on guitar, He could use quite a bit of polish on vocal performance, and a sight more practice making himself comfortable in front of an audience. Chris, on the other hand, is the complete package: lyrics you actually want to listen to, phrasing that works, interesting tone quality and varied dynamics; masterful guitar playing -- he could do an entirely instrumental show if he wanted to -- and a genuine manner with the audience. He is quite at home sharing his material, and seems to enjoy the autdience.
I really intimate evening with a stellar song-writer.
The tickets were a gift so I had little knowlegde of his musical style. The stories of the songs matched perfectly with his music Very fine southern guitar player--that bluesy almost rock sound was excellent! Great evening of listening and friendship.
Truly amazing, but undervalued artist. Love this man and his music.
Everything was great but, it was to cold in the auditorium.
My wife and I got tickets for my son for his 22nd birthday the month before—he's been listening to our Chris Smither CDs since hight school—and used the opportunity to have a night out ourselves. What a lovely night. I'd not seen Chris Smither perform since he opened for Bonnie Raitt at the old Wax Museum in DC, waaay back in the early 80s, when I became a fan. Hadn't heard him live (aside from the occasional NPR piece) since a late-night broadcast of Fresh Air on a ride through West Virginia in the late 90s. This is my (stupid) mistake, and one I will not make again. Like I used to do with Steve Goodman any time he'd come to town, I'll be taking in Chris Smither when he's in driving distance. The songs skewed to material from his current release, Time Stands Still, with some levening from his extensive portfolio—most notably the title track of his last release "Leave the Light On" and the wry observational "Origin of Species". The new material is just as well-crafted and revelatory as his best work, with the added bonus of The Motivators, the drummer and guitarist with whom he recorded the latest album. His playlist pacing and the interstitial stories show a very sure touch, a telling sign of his years of experience and his involvement with the audience. In his ability to carry the room from laughs to tears, Chris Smither reminds me much of Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. As a guitarist who can make even the hardest finger-picking seem effortless, he reminds me of Tony Rice; in his toe-tapping percussion, he evokes John Hartford; in his inspiration in the face of life's rough and deadly absurdities, of David Wilcox; in his finely-crafted lyric poetry, of Randy Newman. Even with those evocations of and comparisons to other artists, Chris Smither is authentically the man his life has lead him to be. Unique. Go and see this man perform.
Chris is like a good friend; you don't have to talk everyday to be able to pick up where you left off. Like wine, I know what I like and what I don't like when I taste it. Same with music. I'm not able to say , "oh, man, the coldplay was unforgettable!!!" But ... I know what I like when I hear it; and I like Chris Smither.
Chris is absolutely worth seeing. His group the Motivators is really good too. His lyrics are superb and the guitar playing is insanely beautiful. I enjoyed the opening act Paul Cebar too.
A guy that just has to be one of the hardest working people in the business put on another top notch show at premier venue The Ark in Ann Arbor MichiganThursday night. The talented Mr. Smither, with a new CD just released, covered the spectrum with old ones ,new ones, funny ones, sad ones, and a humble yet personable stage presence that made it all that much easier to go along for the ride. If you're a fan at all don;t miss him, if you;ve never seen Chris Smither don;t miss him (its that simple) Bring some cash for the new CD, Chris will probably sign it for you. Shake his hand man, this guy deserves it.
It was wonderful as always. We drive from Detroit to Ann Arbor every time Chris comes to town (for the last 6 years anyway). After the show he even signed a CD for my mentally handicapped son, greeted him and shook his hand. He's a kind man as well as maybe the most gifted and hard working talent I know of. His recordings and clips are great, but his actual shows are an experience you shouldn't miss if your inclined. Caroline has some great covers and tunes of her own. She played about 45min and it was fine in spite of the wait for Chris- since she was so good too. Thank you both for a wonderful night. David Marybeth and Bobby. Oh and we treated 2 friends too this time. They loved it. Oh, Chris. Your jokes are a gas.
