Back to the Grind

As I entered the coffee shop I could hear the sound of singing emanating from downstairs. As Jon and I got our respective beverages, his a watermelon pineapple smoothie and mine a hot cup of English Breakfast, I realized that what I was listening to was the works of Shaggy being done by just a fella and his guitar. The sounds of laughter rose from the ground and I could tell we needed to get downstairs fast! Drinks in tow we catch the end of a song and since the crowd enjoyed him so much he was told he could do one more song. Another Shaggy song, and the 90's high school-er in me was overjoyed. We didn't catch this man's name, but I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.

Inner Prisms ~

Two guys, an acoustic bass player and acoustic guitar player, timidly take the stage. One quietly asks the other if they're ready, a small "yes" barely slips past the bass players lips, and the first guitar chords begin. My initial comparison was to Jack Johnson, but then the voice of the guitar player rang through and I felt like a happy child again, in my room, listening to my Mom's Boz Scaggs albums on my old record player. His voice was unique and very pleasant. What I found most amazing is that as I sat there I could close my eyes and what I was hearing could have been coming out of a radio. These guys are good! These guys rehearse, and it shows. Not to mention the acoustics in that room are really quite good. I was very impressed.
The bass player would come in with well chosen subtle harmonies at just the right times.

The guys expressed in between songs that their music is all about Love and Compassion, and that really does shine through in their lyrics. In their first song I particularly enjoyed the lyric "Forget your Memories and your plans... Leave your worries at the door and just dance." There was also a small bass feature in the middle of the song which I thought was clever. Their second song was a very sultry sounding song of life and living for the moment because the moment can end at any time. The imagery in this song was beautiful. "You don't know when you're done so I sing and dance with the sun, because everything is one." Very well done and they completely avoided the amateur trap of similar sounding songs. The songs were unique while staying within the particular style the guys have chosen. Overall a very good performance. The only advise I would give is to look into adding some percussion to your group. It will only improve the sound by making it fuller and more rounded. These guys will be having a CD release party at Back to the Grind on Saturday May 22nd from 8PM to 11PM. They'll be giving out free CD's and posters that they designed. Do come see Inner Prisms, truly an enjoyable new audio experience.

Tiffany Autry ~

Another shy performer. Tiffany quietly takes the stage and pulls her classical guitar from her gig bag. She is asked if this is her first time singing for the Back to the Grind crowed, and she replies with a soft yes and a nod. Then, without any self introduction, she tells us that the song she is about to play is an original titled "Your Eyes". Though her guitar playing was modest, her voice was angelic! Sweet, wispy, delicate, and incredibly pleasant and relaxing to listen to. Strong when it needs to be, soft the rest of the time, like Sarah McLachlan, I was convinced that this girl could make the oscar mayer bologna song sound pretty. Her stage presence was like that of a shadow. I think if she keeps performing her confidence will grow, but I would like to see her come out of her shell more in the following weeks. The song she wrote was honest and pretty. It could be further developed, but all in all a good song, a good performance, and a fantastic voice.

Sal & Isela with David Robinson ~

I cannot write enough great things about this group. Even their "tuning song" was enjoyed by the audience. Tonight they played a newer song called "Begging ain't something I'm gonna do" and it was of course, very good. It's always so great the first time you hear Isela's vocals come in. Such a wonderful accompaniment to Sal's classic sounding voice. The second song they chose to do was the one Jon and I are labeling our favorite for the time being, is "When I fall In Love". The sound of Isela's shaker, the gentle plucking of the guitar strings, and the lyrics "I never dream of sunshine when only rain will do. What good is all the sunshine when my heart is broken in two?", I felt like I was sitting on a porch listening to the rain fall above me and watching the sun peek out from behind the clouds. I love when a song has that rare ability to take you somewhere else. This song does that. Sal, Isela, and David always deliver the goods to our neighborhood, and I can't wait to see them again.

Ryan ~

This clean cut young man was also a first timer to the Back to the Grind stage.The song was an original, seemingly about the breaking up of a family. Ryan has the blueprints he needs, now he needs to build. The song has good subject matter and rhyme schemes, it                                                                                    just needs to be cleaned up and tightened structurally. Vocally Ryan just needs to keep performing to gain confidence and stage presence. Singing with conviction and really pushing out those notes should help with the minor pitch issues. Something else I like to recommend new writers and performers is to record, record, record! A good job for a first timer, I hope Ryan continues to work on his art and perform it for us.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Ashley ~

Ashley described her song as being an honest tell all of her feelings for a special person. She even said she was nervous to do it. I applaud your bravery Ashley, I'm glad you followed through. The song was a throwback to simpler times, some of my favorite times musically, the nineties. Where women wrote simple songs that we could all relate to and rocked. This is the song Ashley wrote. Her performance also reminded me of the white stripes song "We're going to be friends". It was essentially a love letter to chords. I would recommend for Ashley annunciation and projection work, and for this particular song perhaps a capo on the third fret or so. The song seems a little low in her vocal register and we would probably get to enjoy more of her voice if it was just a bit higher. A great job by Ashley, I'm glad she was brave enough to do the song that made her so nervous.

So a very good night for our first official night out. I am looking forward to hitting up two locations tomorrow. Congratulations to the two newcomers tonight, and Bravo to all of the nights performers. It was a fabulous time.
Cheers to Back to the Grind for hosting and serving up great drinks.

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