Zoë Lewis ~ 2019 October 5 ~ Braintree Folk at All Souls Coffeehouse ~ Braintree, MA
Zoë Lewis, vocals, piano, guitar, washboard, percussion, harmonica, ukulele; Barbara Phaneuf, vocals and guitar, opening set and a couple of songs with Zoë
Set List (Zoë)
Zoë played keyboards except where noted.
78 - Welcome To The Circus - Always a Sixpence - Bicycle [washboard, harmonica, bicycle bell] - The Whale Is Right - Chili ... intermission ... Breakfast Blues - Small Is Tremendous [guitar] - The Stars Came Out Today [guitar] - Never Too Old [ukulele] - Hiroshima - Plastic Soup [with backing chorus consisting of Barbara Phaneuf and two audience members] - Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue [with Barbara] ... encore ... These Shoes [guitar]
Setlist also available at setlist.fm.
Videos
Always a Sixpence
Never Too Old
Plastic Soup
Review
I had just seen Zoë Lewis a few weeks earlier at an open air concert on Cape Cod with her band, in the next town over from her home base in Provincetown. So I wasn't sure if a folk venue in Braintree (a two hour drive for Zoë, about an hour for me and Concert Going Partner) would draw a crowd of the same size and enthusiasm. Well, no worries on that account. The modest sized venue was sold out and the crowd was loud and appreciative. I was really happy to see that Zoë's popularity extends up to this suburb of the big city (Boston), where there are so many musical options all the time.
Tonight's show was opened by a wonderful half hour by another local folkie, Barbara Phaneuf. I'd seen Barbara open for Zoë once before, and I've seen her as one of a four-performer showcase, and I've liked her performances and found her personal style very appealing, but tonight she was really cooking. My reaction to her before was that she a touch jazzy for my taste, but she left the jazz at home for this show and sang a solid half dozen songs with a lot of humor, emotion, and personal story telling. I went home with one of her CDs and was very impressed with her as a recording artist, too. (Excellent songwriting, superb diction, and simple, effective instrumentation.)
After Barbara's half hour set Zoë came on immediately, played a short opening set and then took an intermission. To our delight (and Zoë's!), her new CD (Always a Sixpence) had arrived from the manufacturer and there were copies for sale, which of course we promptly scooped up. This being a folk venue, there were also (of course) goodies for sale, and we enjoyed a couple of scrumptious sweets during the break.
Zoë played several songs from the new album as well as some of her older favorites. The highlight of the show had to be "Plastic Soup," Zoë's song about how microplastics in the ocean are poisoning the food we eat. Good grief, that makes it sound serious! It's a fun, lighthearted audience singalong. Not only does the audience sing along, but Zoë has audience members come up and participate with signs saying "NO" -- do you want plastic soup? NO! Tonight she had Barbara come up along with a child and an adult from the crowd, and those three had a tremendously fun time -- watch the video of this above -- you won't be sorry you did! This video gives an idea of the pure joy one experiences at a Zoë Lewis concert!
After "Soup," Zoë had Barbara stay on stage for a duet of the classic "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue," which was a huge amount of fun. Zoë sometimes does Vaudeville shows in her home town of Provincetown, and seeing her perform this classic from the Great American Songbook made me want to get to one of those one of these days. Zoë responded to the loud cheering of the crowd by treating us to an encore of one of her new songs, "These Shoes." All in all it was a really fun show by Cape Cod's finest singer/songwriter, with an able assist from another of the region's under the radar musical treasures.
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