Jen Sygit at The Cappuccino Café in East Lansing – 8/30/08 (plus shows at The Creole Gallery and The Ark)

Most who know of my passion for music know I'm a Jen Sygit fan, and I've been fortunate enough to have seen her multiple times over the last couple of months.  Since I didn't have a chance to write about each show individually before the next one took place, I'll talk about all three here and work backwards from the most recent one.

The Cappuccino Café in East Lansing on Saturday, 8/30/08:  I had missed Jen's last couple appearances at The Cappuccino Cafe due to being out of town when they occurred, so I was really looking forward to attending this show.  I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I love fruit smoothies, so I was delighted upon arrival to find The Cappuccino Cafe now carries these.  I'm not sure if they always have and I just didn't realize it or if this is a newer development or something that only happens during the summer months, etc., but I was very happy to have a delicious strawberry banana smoothie to enjoy during the show.  Jen was accompanied by Tahmineh Gueramy on fiddle, and they played three sets of Jen's original tunes mixed with covers.  The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, and both performers and listeners seemed to enjoy themselves. 
 

This is one of the reasons I really enjoy Cappuccino Cafe shows.  While I enjoy the more formal and structured shows following a predetermined set list, etc., it's also fun to just listen to the artists play whatever inspires them and have plenty of conversation and laughs shared throughout the evening as audience members come and go.  I tend to sit near where the performers set up for these shows, and this puts me as far away from the natural noise of the counter as possible and as much out of the line of traffic as people come and go as possible, both of which help with trying to listen to music in an environment where the music is not necessarily everyone's main focus.  That said, many folks do seem to be interested in the music when I'm there to listen and keep their activity and conversations low, which makes this a great local venue for catching some of the amazing talent in this area.  I had a fabulous evening and went home in a great mood.

The Creole Gallery in Lansing’s Old Town on Wednesday, 8/6/08:  The show at The Creole Gallery was part of the Grand River Radio Concert Series sponsored by Lansing area radio station WLNZ.  They have a show at The Creole Gallery on the first Wednesday of every month.  This is another excellent space for music enjoyment in the Lansing area, and I'm very glad to see the doors opened for performances again following the unexpected passing of former owner Robert Busby in February of 2007.  Jen had her full band with her for this one, including Tahmineh Gueramy on fiddle, Drew Howard on dobro or telecaster (depending on the song), and Katie Grace on upright bass.  I hadn't seen a full band show since the East Lansing Art Festival back in May, so it was a treat to listen to Jen Sygit and Spare Change all on stage together again. 

This show seemed to feature a few more original songs than covers, particularly during the first set, which is typically about an hour long and broadcast on WLNZ radio.  Jen is working on a new CD she hopes to be ready to release when she performs at the Ten Pound Fiddle in East Lansing on Friday, January 30, 2009 (mark your calendars!), and the new tunes she is performing live sound fantastic!  Some, like Sugar High, Rockin' Chair Blues, and Mockingbird, involve the full band.  Others, like Conductor Man and Poker Face, feature just Jen and her guitar.  I was glad they chose to perform several of these songs on this night mixed in with some Marshall Street songs and a handful of covers.  Jen chooses to cover songs by some fabulous songwriters and musicians, and I've learned of new artists with whom I was previously unfamiliar by listening to her cover tunes.  The two that stand out most from this group, both of which were performed on this night, are
 When I Die by The Waifs and Rivertown by Hayes Carll.  Rivertown sounds particularly good with the full band instrumentation and harmonies, and I hope Jen continues to include this cover in shows.

There was a good crowd on this night, too, and they were enthusiastic and responsive to the music, prompting Jen and the band to do an encore at the end of the evening, which was neat to see.  I love being part of crowds that seem to be enjoying the music as much as I am. 

Ann Arbor’s The Ark on Tuesday, 7/22/08:  The show at The Ark was on a Take A Chance Tuesday, and Jen was joined by fellow Earthworks artists Luke Winslow-King and Breathe Owl Breathe.  Take A Chance Tuesday shows are free, and monetary and/or non-perishable food donations are accepted at the door of the listening room for Food Gatherers food bank.  This was my first time attending a Take A Chance Tuesday at The Ark, and it was a good crowd and a fun atmosphere.  Jen was the first performer of the evening, and she was again accompanied by Tahmineh Gueramy on fiddle.  As much as I love seeing Jen perform with her full band, I also really enjoy the rare opportunities I get to see these two perform as a duo.  Tahmineh is an incredible fiddle player and looks like she's having a blast when she plays, and the two of them harmonize really well together.  You can tell they enjoy playing together, too.  It was a short set with two acts still to follow, but a
 good mix of new tunes and Marshall Street tunes with a cover or two thrown in for good measure.  I love any opportunity I get to see Jen on The Ark's stage, and I hope the powers that be will continue to invite her to perform there. 

I enjoyed Luke Winslow-King and Breathe Owl Breathe, too, and had seen both perform at least once in the past.  Luke plays a gorgeous piano and wrote a song called Leaving Song that I really enjoy.  Breathe Owl Breathe is Micah Middaugh (primarily on guitar), Andréa Moreño-Beals (primarily on cello), and Trevor Hobbs (primarily on drums/percussion).  They clearly have a ton of fun performing together and convey that fun to the audience well.  There was lots of laughter and applause during their set. 

What I loved most about this evening, though, is the thing I love most about seeing multiple Earthwork artists performing in the same concert -- how everyone seems to know everyone else's songs and they often accompany one another on them.  Luke came out and played a song with Jen and Tahmineh and another one with Breathe Owl Breathe, and all six performers played together for the final song of the evening.  Even with knowing how talented these folks are, it amazes me how well they can perform each other's songs in a live environment with seemingly little rehearsal time.  They make it look easy, and seeing them all on the stage enjoying themselves at the same time makes the audience have fun, too.

I should be seeing Jen again at the Trinity House in October if all goes well, so stay tuned...