Jen Sygit and Josh Davis -- Mid-MEAC Benefit – Friday, 11/7/08:

On Friday night 11/7, Jen Sygit and Josh Davis played a benefit concert at Central United Methodist Church in downtown Lansing for Mid-MEAC, the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council.  Never one to miss a local Jen Sygit show if I can help it, I grabbed a bite of dinner after work and then drove downtown for the show.  As I found the church, parked, and went inside, I regretted not having brought my camera, as the Capitol Building and the downtown area looked beautiful all lit up at night, and the church was also quite lovely.  Thought it was my first time attending an event there, I could see why it is a popular place to hold Ten Pound Fiddle contra dances and other community events. 

Despite the rather gymnasium feel of the room where the concert was held (high ceilings, hardwood floors, and a narrow balcony running perpendicular to the stage on the long sides of the rectangular shaped room), the sound was excellent and the chairs were comfortable.  There was also a stunning mural painted on the back wall of the stage behind the performers, and I often found myself staring at it and feeling like I could just walk up onto the stage and become part of it.  This was another thing I would have taken a picture of if I’d had my camera.

Josh Davis performed first.  It was my first time seeing him perform outside of Steppin' In It or Shout Sister Shout, and I wasn't sure if he would be performing solo or with a band of his own.  It turned out to be the Josh Davis Trio on this night, with Josh on guitars (one acoustic and one electric, I believe), Mike Shimmin (of the band Millish) on cajon and tambourine, and Andy Wilson (also of Steppin' In It) on trumpet and a wide variety of harmonicas.  The three of them put on a high energy, fun show that I really enjoyed.  Cajon is one of the few forms of percussion I really like, so I enjoyed hearing that included.  My favorite songs were Fool Rooster (the title track of Josh's solo album) and The Break Of Day (from the newest Steppin' In It release called Simple Tunes For Troubled Times).  I would definitely go hear Josh do a show like this again.

One nice thing about local area folk music shows is that even when I attend by myself like I did on this night, I always run into folks I know and have people with whom to visit.  I enjoyed catching up with a couple of folks during the intermission, and was glad to see a strong turnout for this show, both because the cause was worth supporting and because there are always competing things to do on a Friday night in this area.

Jen Sygit and two members of Spare Change took the stage following the intermission.  Missing was Spare Change fiddler Tahmineh Gueramy, who had recently suffered a broken wrist and wasn’t up to performing even to sing some harmony.  Things didn't sound quite the same minus Tahmineh's fiery fiddle and gorgeous harmonies, but Jen, Captain Midnite (aka Drew Howard, on dobro and telecaster), and Katie Grace (on upright bass and the occasional vocal) put on a fabulous show as a three piece.  Jen mixed it up a little and only did a couple of songs from the new CD she hopes to release in January, Sugar High and the cover Enjoy Yourself, their closing song.  She also did three songs from Leaving Marshall St. -- The Rub, Pay For What You Get, and Back To The Roots.  The rest of the set included two of her more common covers, When I Die and The Whole Truth, as well as a Tom Waits song she did solo called the House Where Nobody Lives, and a sweet version of Blue Moon where she and the crowd snapped fingers while she sang and the Captain played telecaster behind her. I’ve rarely heard her do Blue Moon, so that was a special treat.  It was a terrific set, and as usual after a Jen show, I was glad I'd come.

By the time I left the church, the temperature outside had dropped considerably and the wind had kicked up, so I was grateful for the heat in my car.  I left feeling like the colder temperatures had definitely come to stay for the season.

As always, thanks for reading!