By Ken Christopher
Open Stage night is bringing life to the historic Lyric Theatre. New renovations; a new tiled floor, furnace in the basement, a railing that echoes the vintage past giving the venue a club-like, art nouveau, fifties feel; are comfortable additions. The place, jammed, with a party atmosphere rocked until well after I went home (my dog needed to go for a walk).
The new host, Al Hudec, aptly opened the evening with three Christmas carols, his rich vocals accompanied by his jazzy guitar playing. Kennedy Thompson, a student of Hudec then followed. Thomson has a confident stage presence and a good voice but needs to work on the high notes.
Clete Rekve, with an intense but not aggressive voice set a groove that actually penetrated the tumult of the enthusiastic crowd. The guitar and voice matched, a unified expression complimenting each other. Holly Andreas and Jessie Ferrell continued the groove, laying down a steam of healing sound that was soundly appreciated by the younger audience. Eliza Doyle put some blues guitar behind a young drummer, Jordan Robins. Robins is a beginner with a natural, solid beat; he will be somebody to look for in a couple of years.
An excellent flat picker, Jody Weger then joined Doyle as she picked up the five-string banjo and laid down a couple of blistering bluegrass tunes with superb harmonies. Barb Parchman, in her warm, strong, resonant voice, did a couple of her own impressive compositions, a rocking “Jewel Box Dancer,” and a heart- felt country ballad, “It Wasn’t In The Cards.” She followed this with “Blue Christmas.” Then rapper, MC Wino, with the energy and confidence of the new generation, laid the ripple of the times down with more than adequate assurance. He was accompanied by Robins on drums, who for his first time at improvisation, showed potential to listen and respond.
Cole Noonan had original tunes, the second, with more melody, blended with the rhythm of the boisterous crowd. The last song had some interesting vocal gymnastics, harmonic rises and drops that followed quick chord changes on the guitar. Glenna Switzer backed up Will McNabb, who did an adequate job on Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds,” in a rich, soft voice. Jessica Cornet did a strong version of “Killing Me Softly,” and Becky Neustaeter gave an attractive laid back performance. Paige McInnis started slow but hit her stride.
David and Issac, two guitarists who have obviously done a lot of practicing, gave an admirable performance, the vocals very strong, clear and penetrating. They ended with an Eagles song, which was not their strongest achievement.
The Christmas version of the Open Stage played to a packed house and finished with an impromptu and melodious Silent Night, performed by Myshel Paajuar and Jackie Hudec-Clifton. The next Open Stage is January 21, 2010. Volunteers write our Open Stage reviews. If you are interested in writing one or volunteering at an event, contact Barb @ 627-3354.
