Camp Massasoit Summer Music Series (Tom Smith, Barbara Phaneuf, Jason Valcourt, Grace Morrison) ~ 2018 July 26 ~ Mattapoisett (MA) YMCA
Performers: Tom Smith (vocals and guitar), Barbara Phaneuf (vocals and guitar), Jason Valcourt (vocals and guitar), Grace Morrison (vocals and guitar) accompanied by Sam Babineau (violin and vocals)
Scroll to under the video for review of the show.
Video
Lick My Face (Tom Smith)
Review
It would be hard to pick a favorite performer from this evening's extravaganza featuring four stars of the local folk universe. The promoter of this concert series put together a great combination of four very talented, hard working, and very different musicians.
Opening the concert was Tom Smith, veteran folksinger with a batch of originals ranging from the funny (see the video) to the very serious. He's a flannel shirt, off to the woods, old-style folk kind of guy, and while some of his songs contain content relating to the tribulations of the present day world, all his material is presented with gentleness and good humor. His wife Margo was sitting next to us at our table and provided some nice backing harmonies from the audience.
The second performer was Barbara Phaneuf, also with a guitar, a good sense of humor, and a range of songs. Hers tended more to the jazz end of the spectrum. In fact, at one point she made a little mistake on the guitar and commented: "good thing it's jazz." Among her fans were a set of three triplets who accompanied her on one song on percussion (popping potato chip bags!), and also brought her a vase of flowers. (Barbara, are these your grandsons?)
Third was the only performer of the evening whom I had never previously seen perform, Jason Valcourt, an earnest young man with a guitar, a powerful voice, and a tendency toward the blues. He was the most physically active performer of the night, sometimes moving back from the microphone, realizing he didn't really need amplification. He was also pretty funny, saying that when he heard that the format was going to be a 30 minute set, he considered treating the audience to 30-second versions of all of his sixty songs.
The final performer (not really the headliner, all four performers had equal billing) was Grace Morrison. This is the third time I've seen Grace in about three weeks, and each show has been different, since I've seen her with her trio (guitar and violin); herself solo; and tonight, with Sam Babineau on violin, but without the guitar. Grace and Sam have a made-for-each-other vocal blend. She performed a hugely entertaining set of about a half dozen songs. She is an up and coming singer/songwriter with a wonderful voice and a talent for writing poignant and personal songs that everyone can relate to.
This was my first visit to this summer concert series. It was held in a large room at the back of a big house that apparently also houses the YMCA. The monthly concerts are a fund raiser for the Y's summer camp. The location is breathtaking, right on Mattapoisett Harbor. Pizza and drinks were for sale (but no brownies; how can you have a folk concert without brownies?). There were round tables with chairs and plenty of room for a fairly good-sized crowd. Partially open plastic drapes covered the windows, allowing for a good breeze from outside. The rain and thunder that had been forecast never showed up, so it was never necessary to close the plastic entirely. It was an extremely pleasant place to hear a concert.
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