Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 21:51:55 -0400 From: Ron Mura To: folk_music @ nysernet.org Subject: Review: Jack Hardy and Wendy Beckerman, Sept. 23 I had the pleasure of seeing Jack Hardy and Wendy Beckerman on Saturday night at A New Song Coffeehouse in Bedford, Mass. The coffeehouse takes place at the First Church of Christ, Congregational every other Saturday. The people who run it are some of the nicest people I've met at a coffeehouse. My wife and I arrived early, since we didn't have tickets and hadn't been there before, and they welcomed us, telling us about the coffeehouse and the church. Jerry Christen, who runs the coffeehouse, gave us a tour around the whole complex. It's a beautiful facility and a nice place to catch a show. A fun moment came after the soundcheck, when Jack was inspired by the activity in the kitchen to grab his mandolin and walk around playing "Blackberry Pie." Wendy Beckerman opened solo and did a nice set. She did 3 or 4 new songs that I thought were especially strong. Her songs are succinct--often they seem to last about 2 and a half minutes--but her words are precise and the song feels complete when she ends it. Jack was joined by Rob Wolf (sp?) on electric guitar and Scott Nelson on a large acoustic (not stand-up) bass. The list of songs he played: 1. Happy Birthday (for Jerry Christen) 2. Through 3. Blackberry Pie 4. Only One Sky 5. I Have Eyes 6. The Inner Man 7. The Creation 8. The 111th Pennsylvane 9. May Day 10. The Silent Bear (intermission) 11. The Zephyr (Take It Slow) 12. Forget-Me-Not 13. Das Kapital 14. The Coyote 15. Texas (encore:) 16. Dachau A few notes about the song: - "Only One Sky" is a fairly new love song. Jack also played it Thursday evening during their interview on WUMB. - "The Creation" is a humorous take on the Biblical story that Jack has done in concerts for several years. It's also on _Fast Folk_ 702. - "The 111th Pennsylvane" is probably one of Jack's better-known songs now. I've heard it performed 10 or 12 times, but this was the most stunning performance. It was slowed down slightly and sung with quiet intensity. In a different twist, the chorus after the next-to last verse was omitted; that verse flowed immediately into the last one. - "The Silent Bear" was new to me. It was from the point of view of a native American who suffered at the hand of General Douglas in what is now New York State. Jack wrote it for one of his plays, but the play was rejected because it was "too controversial." - "Texas" was written about Jack's time at Kerrville this year. He said it had become a tradition for every songwriter to write a song about the festival and that they all were bad. Jack's is no exception, but his song is so bad that it's good. The chorus goes: Everything's bigger in Texas, It's known the whole world over; Everything's bigger in Texas, Including this dang hangover. - "Dachau" is a moving song about a visit to the site of the first concentration camp. The camp was "only a stone's throw" from a town full of people who must have known what was happening there, as early as 1933. This song is on _Fast Folk_ 802. Ron - Ron Mura, Boston, Massachusetts