Last night at The Irving Theater, I attended my first Songwriter’s Circle. The four talented songwriters gathered up by Robin Coleman made it a priority on my future calendar. Jessi Curtis, Cari Ray, Tim Wilsbach, and Nick Ivanovich brought their A game. There was a nice easy flow of song set ups, fellow artist admiration, and humor mixed in with songs you wanted to hear again and again.
Jessi Curtis started the night with her warm bluesy voice. Setting up her songs weren’t her strong point but once she started singing them it really didn’t matter. Reminding me of Bonnie Raitt at times, her voice and her songs beg for a bottle, low lights, and giving in to the life’s troubles. She will share her joys and sorrows deftly in your ear and when the sun breaks up the party you will be stronger for the company. “Knock Knock Song” and “The Pony Song” were my favorite. Jessi’s internet presence is almost non-existent; I guess she owes us some local shows so we can hear some more of her.
Cari Ray is as much as a storyteller as she is a songwriter. There is always a smile in her voice and you feel as if you have known her for a while. She had her own fan section and explained to us is the reason why she had to sing “Lighting”. It is easy to see why this song is a much requested one. Her music has shades of Americana/folk but has an accessibility to a mainstream audience. Each song is a slice of life wrapped in a perfect pitched package. Her last song of the night was “Backseat Driver”. Cari explained we all have one in our life, if we thought we didn’t then we were probably the backseat driver in someone’s life. Find her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/carilynnray?sk=info/.
Tim Wilsbach is another great teller of stories as he set his pop rock songs up. He also shares my love for words or phrases that lodge inside your brain as you turn them over and over again. A few of his songs were born from this quirk of his. “Carousal Junkie” which he wrote for his wife plays with words as playful music carries you through the song. It was “Alibi” that emotionally gut kicked me though, which he wrote for his brother who was brave enough to head out to LA after high school to pursue his own dreams. You can follow Tim on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/twilsbach/.
Nick Ivanovich is a storyteller and not just in his music. As he set his songs up, I could imagine sitting in a coffee shop and being entertained for hours even without his guitar. I was reminded of the story tellers of my childhood, Tom T Hall or Marty Robbins. Everything in his life is up for grabs as he weaves his stories through his guitar stories. You can find out the next opportunity to see him on his website http://www.nickivanovich.com/.