Reggie Harris ~ 2018 September 17 ~ Singing Oak House Concert ~ Harwich, MA
Reggie Harris, vocals, guitar, percussion; David Roth, backing vocals on three songs
Set List
Let Us Love {Bill Withers} - Better Angels - Sheep Sheep {traditional} - Rock Of Ages - This Land Is Your Land {Woody Guthrie} - Roll On Woody - Wade in the Water {traditional} - Love Guides the Wounded Heart - Ready To Go ... intermission ... Do What I Have To Do {Phil Ochs} - Resurrection Day - My Rainbow Race {Pete Seeger} - Hunt the Whale [with David Roth] - Searching for Common Ground [with David Roth] - Passive Restraint - High Over the Hudson ... encore ... In the Shelter [with David Roth]
Setlist also posted to setlist.fm. Song title corrections welcome.
Videos
Better Angels
Ready To Go
Review
Reggie Harris has had a long career singing songs of social justice, personal experience, and real life observations to all kinds of audiences. I've seen him at the Javawocky Coffeehouse in Brockton a few times, both with his former partner Kim Harris and in the solo format. Although he and Kim were terrific together, he's just as good on his own. The audience here at the Singing Oak was larger than the crowds he has played to at Javawocky. With folk audiences, a bigger crowd usually means greater enthusiasm, and there were several songs where the audience participation was so vigorous that I wondered if we were entertaining the entire West Harwich neighborhood through the open windows on this pleasant summer evening.
Reggie's singing, playing, and story telling are all extremely entertaining, and perhaps more importantly, very educational. The songs run the gamut from tender ballads to traditional spirituals to toe-tapping folk-rockers. Although Reggie is a master at covering the songs of folksingers whose work he admires (Bill Withers, Phil Ochs, Guthrie, Seeger), as well as covering a few traditional African-American numbers ("Wade in the Water," "Sheep Sheep"), it is with his own material that he most excels. Songs included a deeply touching personal experience ("Resurrection Day"), a joyfully optimistic declaration of doing what can be done in the current social climate ("Ready to Go"), a lusty singalong sea shanty based on historic events ("Hunt the Whale"), a doowop number encouraging the use of seatbelts ("Passive Restraint"), songs of tribute to two of his folk music mentors, Woody Guthrie ("Roll On Woody") and Pete Seeger ("High Over the Hudson"). He played several songs from his new album, Ready to Go.
Cape Cod folkie David Roth joined Reggie on backing vocals on three songs, and their harmonies were beautiful, especially on "Searching for Common Ground" and "In the Shelter."
If you're interested in this house concert series, you can search for the name Singing Oak House Concert. Concert goers bring finger food for a potluck before the show, and I can vouch for the fact that you don't go hungry. Admission is by a suggested donation of $20, and the room seats about fifty people comfortably. Reservations are taken in advance in order to assure everyone gets a seat. There is even free parking right across the street. Having just seen a member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in a big concert hall the other night, it was a nice contrast to hear a show in a venue that is the complete opposite (although both venues have the word Oak in their name!).
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