On Wednesday night I cruised in to Lola’s Room at the Crystal Ballroom. “An acoustic evening with Mary Gauthier and Mark Olson” read the marquee. I had only heard one song by Mary Gauthier (Mercy Now) and knew Mark Olson from his days with The Jayhawks, one of the premier alt-country bands of the late nineties. Here was my chance to get to know them better, get my folk singer groove on, as it were.
On their respective web sites, both acts billed the evening as co-headliners. Perhaps they trade off opening for each other. In any case, Mary Gauthier went first . Gauthier is a slight woman with short cropped hair and rose colored granny glasses. She has a hauntingly beautiful voice, throaty and gruff at times, soft and whispered at others.
She started out doing three songs in a row, stopping only long enough to reposition her capo or latch a harmonica in place. After the third song, she paused for a bit and acknowledged us in the audience. From that point, she had the room in the palm of her hand.
Her story songs drew me in like a good novel, full of rich characters and sad tales. She prefaced each song with some back story about when she wrote it, what brought the story to her mind etc. “The Last King Of The Hobos” is a good example. “I wrote this song after reading an obituary”, she began. It deals with one “Steam Train Morrey” the last King of the hobos, who “caught the westbound” (passed away) unexpectedly, without an heir. (Is there really an order of succession for hobo kings like we have for the president?) In any case, she set up the song with the story of reading the obituary and looking into the hobo phenomenon, all the while strumming her guitar. The meter of her story telling followed the light tune she played, making the tale as much a part of the song as the actual lyrics.
She also displayed a wry sense of humor, lamenting that she has never written any “Happy, upbeat songs”. One of her songs was used on a Jimmy Buffett album. She said she bought a Lexus with her share of the royalties. Her voice, both vocally and spiritually, conjured memories of Melissa Etheridge, Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp, with story-songs full of life, albeit a sad and lonely life.
Mary closed her set with the powerful “Mercy Now”, written a couple of Aprils ago when her father was losing his grip on life. “Mercy Now” is one of those songs destined to take a place in wakes, funerals and memorials, much as inspirational songs fit in graduation ceremonies. She sang and played this song with fiery passion. Many of us in the audience welled up as the heartfelt lyrics brought up memories of loved ones passed. Interestingly, this song has taken on a life of its own.
Check out the different language versions on Myspace.com. This song is so powerful that it transcends language (Personal favorite, Hebrew version).
After the shortest intermission I have ever sat through (five minutes, tops!), Mark Olson took the stage. Flanked by a percussionist/pianist and violin player, Olson played a too short set (45 minutes) that showcased his talent as a songwriter and arranger. He concentrated on his current album, “Salvation Blues”. Mark’s stage presence as a musician was great and I give him credit for an inspired set.
I felt sort of bad for him and his band as it seemed that two thirds of the crowd disappeared before he started singing. The couple behind me told me they had never heard of him and assumed he would be the opener. The remaining audience acted as if he WAS the opening act, talking, spilling drinks and generally not paying attention. The applause was half hearted, at best.
Only when Mark hit the beginning chords of the Jayhawks classic “Blue” did they stop and take notice. The sparse arrangement on this song, coupled with the beautiful harmonies created between himself and his pianist, made this a tune to remember. Unfortunately, when the next song began, the audience’s short attention span took over, again filling the half filled hall with the din of conversation. And that was too bad.
Mark Olson had the voice and talent, but didn’t have the audience in his corner on this night. Perhaps the lack of a strong “Folk Music” presence in modern music was to blame. There are no more Pete Seegers, Harry Chapins or Roger Millers in the world. Well, there are, but they are cleverly disguised as Mike Doughty, Jackie Greene and Steve Earle. And they are electrified, plugged in to the web as well as the amps. Apparently, getting one’s “Folk Singer Groove” on is a leap of faith in 2008. After this show, I am glad to have taken that leap, with both size eleven boots landing solidly in the third row.
Rock on through the Folk Fog, Folks,
A.J. Crandall
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