In the summer
of 2016, I spent a lot of time checking out free concerts around town.
One of the better venues was in the courtyard at the Copley branch of the Boston Public
Library. The most memorable moment came from Dear June, a Boston-based
Americana band.
Now, what did I expect going into this show? All I
knew about the band was the genre...Americana. Americana! A merry what?
I finally looked up
what this meant and found out that Americana is basically folk music
influenced by other American genres such as country, R&B, and rock.
So in other words, it's folk music, sort of. Here's an analogy that no
one asked for: folk music is to Americana what sushi is to the
California roll.
Anyway...
I don't usually listen to folk - or Americana -
music. But I did know one band who played such music - The Head and The
Heart. I liked them a lot at one point and they became the first band I
ever saw in concert. I figured this fact plus the likable venue meant I had enough reason to check
out the show and so I went.
I got there nice and early for the 6pm show - around 5:58pm - and found myself a seat - which in this venue means somewhere on the cement walkway where no one else is already sitting. My resolve was greater than some of the band
members, however. By my recollection, only three of the quintet showed up.
The band apologetically announced that they were playing a 'stripped down' set. Three-fifths of Dear June then proceeded to play a
somewhat forgettable show. The performance prompted me to establish a new calculus for my music genre dictionary: folk music = Americana music minus two band members.
When the clock hit 6:55, I was a little relieved. I knew the last song was about to start because the concerts always ended promptly at seven and, in this venue, there were never any encore performances.
However, instead of starting right away, the lead singer chose to address the crowd. Was this going to be a Bruce Springsteen style speech? My mind immediately drifted and I
got lost in my mind as I considered what I might do after the show...and started to wonder silly things like whether the bands would be charged an overdue fine if their concert ran past seven...and noticed my butt hurt a little bit, probably from sitting on the concrete for an hour...
Meanwhile, I vaguely heard in the speech something about how the next song was from a band she liked. Super! Maybe the Jackson 3? Then they asked for audience
volunteers to join the band and play some basic instruments. A few people came up and they were handed various one-sound instruments like the tambourine, the triangle, and that thing which is filled with little pebbles that you can shake.
When the group was ready, they started to play. As the audience-turned-band members gradually found their rhythm, the scattered sounds came together to become something recognizable. Slowly, gradually, I start to think, do I know this song...no...well...wait...
It was 'Lost In My Mind', one
of The Head and The Heart's biggest hits and my personal highlight from their concert! Whoops...it would have been
fun to go up there, I suppose, and play the triangle out of tune...
At the very least, the experience would have given me an excuse to write a blog post.
