The scene - a dingy, dirty, third floor room with a noisy bar at the back end. Drunk hard-core Forbert fans shouting at the drunk college kids to shut up and listen. Forbert on stage, alone, guitar in hand and harmonica around neck. In other words, the perfect night to hear the man critics once hailed as "the new Bob Dylan" do his thing.
Steve Forbert's 30-year career has been nothing if not consistent. From 1980's #11 "Romeo's Tune" right up to his latest work, Forbert has stayed true to his musical style. What style might that be, you ask? Well, therein lies the rub. His style has been described as folk, rock, blues, pop, even a tinge of country thrown in the mix. Bottom line, the cat can't be categorized. One thing is certain though, the guy can write with the best of them. Intelligent, witty, insightful, or sad, Forbert is a poet and an incredible song craftsman. As my friend Canon put it last night, Steve Forbert can put more soul into one verse than most modern songwriters can put into an entire album.
Last night's show was in beautiful downtown Granville, Ohio, on the aforementioned 3rd floor of Brew's Cafe, Restaurant & Bar (By the way, my pre-show Cuban Hoagie was fabulous), a small, classy, clean, intimate place that got less classy, less clean, and less intimate the higher you climbed the stairs. Anyway, Forbert played on a stage in the back, just him and his guitar and harmonica, and just the way I like it. He covered a ton of his stuff, from the mellow love songs to the bluesy rockers in a style that really has to be seen to understood. Seriously, ask any of the six of us that went and I'll wager they can't really describe what they were seeing. Forbert is that way, unique enough not to be pigeonholed or to be compared to anybody else. Among the songs he crammed into his set were "What Kinda Guy?", "It Isn't Gonna Be That Way", "If You're Waiting On Me (You're Backin' Up, Boy)", "So Good to Feel Good Again", "The American in Me", "It Is What It Is and That's All", and of course he closed with "Romeo's Tune."
It was just a great night in a perfect setting to see one of music's great, underappreciated, underrated singer-songwriters. Steve Forbert's music has meant a lot to me over the past 30-years, and at the end of the night I got the chance to shake his hand, look him in the eye, and tell him just that. He responded by saying, "Well, all you guys mean a lot to me too." Memorable evening.
If you're a true fan of music, do yourself a favor and delve into Steve Forbert's songbook. You won't regret it.
Steve Forbert's 30-year career has been nothing if not consistent. From 1980's #11 "Romeo's Tune" right up to his latest work, Forbert has stayed true to his musical style. What style might that be, you ask? Well, therein lies the rub. His style has been described as folk, rock, blues, pop, even a tinge of country thrown in the mix. Bottom line, the cat can't be categorized. One thing is certain though, the guy can write with the best of them. Intelligent, witty, insightful, or sad, Forbert is a poet and an incredible song craftsman. As my friend Canon put it last night, Steve Forbert can put more soul into one verse than most modern songwriters can put into an entire album.
Last night's show was in beautiful downtown Granville, Ohio, on the aforementioned 3rd floor of Brew's Cafe, Restaurant & Bar (By the way, my pre-show Cuban Hoagie was fabulous), a small, classy, clean, intimate place that got less classy, less clean, and less intimate the higher you climbed the stairs. Anyway, Forbert played on a stage in the back, just him and his guitar and harmonica, and just the way I like it. He covered a ton of his stuff, from the mellow love songs to the bluesy rockers in a style that really has to be seen to understood. Seriously, ask any of the six of us that went and I'll wager they can't really describe what they were seeing. Forbert is that way, unique enough not to be pigeonholed or to be compared to anybody else. Among the songs he crammed into his set were "What Kinda Guy?", "It Isn't Gonna Be That Way", "If You're Waiting On Me (You're Backin' Up, Boy)", "So Good to Feel Good Again", "The American in Me", "It Is What It Is and That's All", and of course he closed with "Romeo's Tune."
It was just a great night in a perfect setting to see one of music's great, underappreciated, underrated singer-songwriters. Steve Forbert's music has meant a lot to me over the past 30-years, and at the end of the night I got the chance to shake his hand, look him in the eye, and tell him just that. He responded by saying, "Well, all you guys mean a lot to me too." Memorable evening.
If you're a true fan of music, do yourself a favor and delve into Steve Forbert's songbook. You won't regret it.
No love for Steve. Well, to hell with you guys.
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