RATS! RATS! RATS! Of all the days in the world when we wish we were in Atlanta, tonight is that day! Westrin & Mowry (as in Pete Mowry, my nephew) are again at Eddie's Attic, this time opening for Shawn Mullins. THE Shawn Mullins. He, actually, got his start at Eddie's Attic, as did John Mayer and the Indigo Girls. So, Man! This is Big Time! Amy and Mark will be there, of course, representing the Hart/Mowry side of the clan. Representing us who are here in Germany whooping it up for them!This is getting to be quite the "tradition," having the band come down to Atlanta from Michigan almost every other month. I guess this is where it's at for them as they grow into the business. In fact, if plans develop as they're thinking, they'll be moving down at the beginning of 2006, soon after Pete graduates from MSU. Brian has already graduated and passed his MI bar exam in Music Law. Now he'll need to pass it in GA. For him, a cinch!
These guys are no dummies! It appears they're doing something right, so LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS!
And Amy, I expect a full report from you come morning!
[Click on the image above if you'd like to hear some of their songs on their One Week Epiphany CD.]
Here is a recap of the performance from Amy:
ReplyDeleteI had the pleasure of seeing Westrin & Mowry open for Shawn Mullins last night at Eddie's Attic in Atlanta, and I have to say it was one of their best acoustic performances yet! Accompanied by Mark and two of my girlfriends (Mom and Donica are in Germany), we sat at a table right up against the stage and the music room was completely packed, which included "standing room only" ticket-buyers. With the exception of our table and quite a few of Brian's friends from Louisiana, everyone was there, of course, for Shawn Mullins. He was the draw. Shawn got his start at Eddie's Attic almost 20 years ago, before reaching the Top 40 billboards with worldwide album sales, and playing at Eddie's is almost a novelty for his Atlanta fans.
It couldn't have been a better audience for the sound of W&M -- or a better opportunity for great exposure. While musically their sound is very different, both have a very strong singer/songwriter presence, accompanied by masterful use of guitar work. Brian and Peter were introduced to the crowd by the owner of Eddie's, and although he pronounced Brian's last name wrong, the audience was very welcoming of the Michiganders, and everyone listened intently, growing more appreciative with each song. Brian and Peter played a mix of songs from their current CD and a couple from the new CD, soon to be released. They opened with their title track, "One Week Epiphany", followed by "You've Got It All". They then jumped into a couple new songs, "White Lie" and "Cold Snap", and finished their set with "Saturday" and "Stronger Too".
Somewhere in the middle they decided to shake things up a bit and played a cover of Ray Charles' "Hard Times", a song I was not familiar with, but one that was certainly familiar to others in the audience. Brian let Peter do all the guitar work and simply sang into the microphone, while ghosting the chords on his own guitar out of habit. Talk about impressive. I'm not a big Ray Charles fan, but I got the sense that portraying the essence of Ray Charles was equally as important to Brian as getting the words right. He even "skatted" (right word?), very precisely, just as Ray might have done if he were singing instead. The response was huge.
In the end, the audience was impressed and a whole new group of W&M fans were born. At the end of their set the clapping continued and I got the feeling that if another act wasn't getting ready to come on stage, they would have continued to encourage an encore! When I went to find Brian and Peter after their set, they were surrounded by purchasers of their CD, waiting in line for autographs, and others simply stopping by to share their appreciation of what they had just heard. The best part for me was standing in line in the ladies room and hearing the buzz, which, by the way, had less to do with how attractive these guys are, but very specifically on how GOOD they are!
As for my own personal review, the best way I can describe their performance was very tight and very solid. It was evident that they were very comfortable in front of a large crowd, very comfortable with each other, very comfortable with the music and very confident in what they have created. I think that Brian sounded the best I've heard him, with his voice unwaivering and incredibly melodic, and again, strong. I never feel like we see enough of what Peter can do in these events, but the way he handles the guitar and plucks/strums out tunes continues to amaze me. So many in the audience were cocking their heads and straining their necks to see Peter's fingers on the strings. If it wasn't for the way that Peter pulls together the tune with his personal spin on a guitar riff, the songs would be so much less meaningful. They are, in short, a perfect complement to eath other. And I am one huge fan!
Wish you all could have been there with us!
Amy