Tom Smith with Seth Connelly ~ 2022 June 25 ~ Javawocky Coffeehouse, Brockton, MA
Tom Smith, guitar and vocals; Seth Connelly, guitar and mandolin.
Set List
Phil's Guitar - Do It Yourself - Love Is - Edge of the Light - The Mahwah WaWa - Annie On the Stairs - Sugar Maple - A Folksinger's GPS (Recalculating) - The Money Flows Up - I'm Gonna Use My Hands ... intermission ... Planting In a Drought - Lick My Face - A Quiet State of Grace - New Hampshire Wind - Eensie-Weensie Spider (Parody) - I'm No' Awa' Tae Bide Awa' (Scottish Goodbye)
Scroll to below videos for a review of the show.
Video ... if a problem with viewing, go to Youtube and search by performer and date; the Youtube account is in the name "nicepace"
The Mahwah WaWa
The Money Flows Up
Review
Tom Smith is a folkie through and through. Most of the performers whose music I enjoy who are in the "folk" realm have at least a touch of rock, or blues, or pop, but not this guy. And I think this is a strength of his -- he's an authentic follower of Pete Seeger and the folkies of the past. He also features a good amount variety in his music. Yes, as a true blue folkie, he writes songs of social consciousness and about the current world situation. But he also writes funny, and sometimes genuinely silly, songs.
Tom was accompanied by Seth Connelly on guitar and mandolin. Seth's beautiful light touch on the instruments added a pleasing texture to Tom's songs. Tom has a quiet, pleasing vocal delivery, and on occasion his wife Margo, seated in the audience, added a bit of backing vocal.
A highlight of the show was the song "I'm Gonna Use My Hands," supposedly a song for children about using their abilities (their hands, their voice, their heart) to make the world a better place. Tom told the story that at a recent concert, an audience member came up to him and handed him a paper with a suggested additional verse: "I'm gonna use my vote." Tom added this powerful new stanza at the end of the song.
A couple of songs I hadn't heard before were standouts as well: the cheerful "Mahwah WaWa" and the heart-felt "Sugar Maple," inspired by a sapling that Tom and Margo planted in their yard decades ago and is now grown up. A Scottish ballad ended the show. Probably my favorite song of Tom's is "The Folksinger's GPS," a song all about "recalculating" one's direction in life when faced with unexpected events.
Readers of this website know I think of western Massachusetts singer/songwriter Ray Mason as a hidden musical treasure, with his stellar songwriting and entertaining live presentation. Well, I've decided that Tom Smith is the Ray Mason of folk. Not well known except for a smallish circle of fans, but richly deserving of more acclaim due to his superb songwriting and affable, entertaining stage personality. I also hear that Tom is planning to record a new album, which is good news. He's put out two excellent studio albums in the past decade or so, and it's time for another.
The show was held at the chapel in the Unitarian Church since the main hall was booked for another program. The chapel was an intimate, cozy space, just right for a folk concert.