Band Personnel: Zoë Lewis (vocals, piano, guitar, ukulele, harmonica); Mark Chenevert (clarinet, saxophone); Ron Siegel (bass); Liam Hogg (drums); don't-know-his-name (saw)

I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Blink [new song] - Wild and Precious - Chili - One Foot After the Other [new song] - 78 - Pies for the Public - Always a Sixpence - Breakfast in Bangkok - Sweet Georgia Brown - Bye Bye Blackbird

Wild and Precious

Breakfast in Bangkok

This is our second time seeing Zoë Lewis and her band at the Truro Public Library as part of their terrific concerts on the lawn summer series. It's clear that this Cape Cod songstress doesn't always play the same show, since comparing this set list with the other time I saw her at the library shows that the setlists overlapped by only about three songs. She also has a few new ones, including the amazing "Blink," which describes the "Concerts Through the Window" that Zoë was doing to keep going during the worst of the pandemic. For those shows, broadcast live on Youtube, she sat at her keyboard inside her house and had her accompanying musicians outside in her yard "through the window."

Many of Zoë's songs are serious and profound ("Always a Sixpence," "Wild and Precious"), but what sets her apart from so many other local songwriters is her tendency to go in the other direction and get a little bit nutty (and to involve the audience while doing it). Her song "Pies for the Public" tells a real life story while evoking audience participation by use of a lyrics board, and youngsters are invited up on stage to lead the way.

Zoë mostly played piano but switched over to guitar, harmonica, and ukelele on a couple of songs. Her clarinet player, Mark Chenevert, also mixed in the saxophone on one or two songs, and another musician (whose name I don't know) sat in on saw (!) for the last two songs. The show also featured a bit of acrobatics, as bass player Ron Siegel laid his upright bass on its side and climbed up on it, continuing to pluck the strings while elevated off the ground.

A Zoë Lewis concert is always a feel-good experience, as this talented musician simply radiates love for her public with every song. She is in the process of recording some new songs and will be releasing them in the fairly near future. She also has quite a few shows lined up in Provincetown (where she resides), some of which are in the cabaret style. It's a real joy to be able to attend a performance by her in person again.

Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to Zoë Lewis.