Technically it wasn't a house concert in that it was held in a Unitarian
Church, but the Hostess was also the church's preacher (I'm not sure if
that's the technically correct term as I'm not familiar with the Unitarian
denomination).
Acoustically it was a warm room, and the sound system was adequate, although I
think in the future they may get a better sound out of it.
Michael was very personable and relaxed for what was a last-minute gig in a
space that could have held 3 times the crowd of around 30 that showed up on
short notice. He brought with him a sampling of another of his major
talents, photos of his Etch-A-Sketch Art. He's very accomplished at drawing
with the Ohio Art Toy, and they have even made him an offer for his services
to be used in their commercials. Look for that soon, his work is amazing.
Needless to say he has recorded a soon to be released song explaining his
artistic philosophy "Life is like an etch-a-sketch, It's better than a TV
set".
Getting back to the concert, he has a high, clear, sweet voice reminiscent of
Ellis Paul, Dan Fogelberg and others. I'm not an expert, but his
fingerpicking impressed me. He was fast, and melodious. Most importantly his
songwriting is wonderful. It's packed with concrete imagery that taps into
the common denominators in so many of us. He writes about childhood, small-
town life and relationships, little league baseball (has anyone ever heard a
bad baseball song?). But it's the insights that he brings to the songs that
make his work special.
Second Hand Story is about a letter he found in a back-pack that he was
looking at in a second hand thrift store, and in the last chorus says
It's a second hand story,
Of a second hand life,
And I won't know the ending,
Like I'll never know mine.
His 2 sets contained about 14 songs ranging in subject matter from outrunning
a train on a railroad trestle, to reminiscence of the neighborhood curmudgeon
from a 4 year old.
If he comes to your area, treat yourself and go see him. If he performs half
as well as the night I saw him you'll go home with a smile and his CD.
Rich Brown