Tom Brosseau, the Lost Church, October 4, 2018
I'm a little embarrassed because I'm going to report right away that I can't name a single song that Tom played at the show. This is what I get for not taking notes and not writing my reviews immediately! So if you don't mind that little confession, I'll proceed with my post as normal.This gig has been a long time coming for me. I've been able to see Tom Brosseau many times at Largo, including when he opened for Jon Brion. He's also a frequent guest of the Watkins Family. In fact, if you get the chance to watch the Largo movie, you'll be treated to see at least one song from him. I feel that I've seen him many more times, even if I can't point to the posts that prove this.
In any case, I love his voice, but I've failed to see his shows in the Bay Area. As I recall, he often plays at house gigs or not quite in San Francisco -- or maybe I simply haven't been on top of proceedings. Bottom line: I finally got to go.
The Lost Church is a tiny space a couple of blocks from the BART station at 16th and Mission. A hostess welcomed me at the door and informed me (and other attendees) that I was blessed. Inside, it's warm and cozy, seating no more than 50 or 60 people in a semicircle around a slightly elevated stage. You couldn't have asked for a better environment.
Tom hit the stage with only an acoustic guitar and a few pages of notes. As you can imagine, he stuck with the troubador formula. A good chunk of his performance featured stories about Lou Curtiss, a folk music aficionado in San Diego who recently passed away. Tom told of the many songs that Lou had taught him, and he even played a few of them, including one from the Carter Family. My favorite aside was Tom's comment that all Carter Family tracks started the same.
Tom ended up reading from the notes he carried onstage. He didn't say what they were. They might've been lyrics to a new song, though they also sounded substantial enough to be a short story of some sort. I guess we'll have to tune in to see how they turn out.
And of course, along the way, he told a few stories about growing up in North Dakota, and he talked a little bit about what he felt were his duties as an artist (i.e., not necessarily being political, yet trying to reflect the times). I don't know the audience's familiarity with Tom, but when he mentioned Largo, a handful of people clapped, and when he asked for requests from his catalog, one person offered a suggestion. Overall, we were attentive and respectful, and I hope he appreciated our high regard for his performance.
A local artist named Meredith Axelrod opened the show. She sang a number of standards, joking that every song was from 1902 or about the 1930s. I don't know if it was a matter of training or her innate abilities, but her voice was a perfect throwback to that time, one you could imagine coming from a Victrola. She and Tom sang a song about a horse together (sorry again for the lack of titles). They were a lovely match and hinted at the possibility of touring together in the future.
Now that I've finally seen Tom play in the Bay Area, I can happily report that I'll be back whenever he is.
See also:
» i was dreamin' when i wrote this
» blue christmas
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