CONCERT REVIEW
Deb Pasternak unleashes her dynamic artillery at Milltown
by Seth Rogovoy(NORTH ADAMS, Mass., Feb. 3, 1997) -- A half dozen singer-songwriters brought a taste of the thriving Boston folk scene to the city's downtown on Sunday evening, when the Music on Main Street series presented "One Night in Cambridge" in the Chaise Lounge Gallery at Milltown Studios.
The highlight of the evening was a too-brief, solo set of six songs by Deb Pasternak. The winner of last year's Boston Music Award for Outstanding New Contemporary Folk Act, Pasternak came on like a fully-armed battalion, dazzling the audience with her abundant arsenal of vocal, instrumental and compositional talents, as well as her dynamite stage presence.
Pasternak is a mostly self-taught musician whose integration of jazz and blues into her original folk-pop compositions and performance style elevates them to a level of sophistication rarely encountered on the folk scene. And as a seasoned performer who is just about to break out -- her excellent solo debut CD, "More," is due out next month on Northampton's Signature Sounds label -- she is at the top of her game.
Pasternak has enough experience under her belt to put on a totally professional show, yet she is still hungry for the recognition that has so far eluded her. As a result, she is an intense performer who works the audience and her material for every ounce of tension and release she can find. She builds it into her well-crafted songs, including "Sweet Addiction," "Eclipse" and the title track to her upcoming CD, all of which she played on Sunday. And she tops it off with her dynamic vocals, which under her masterful control can seemingly do anything from a whisper to a scream, and always with a knowing edge.
Besides which, she's got a smile that melts icebergs. And even that is a weapon she wields with nimble, consummate grace.
The Toots Rambles String Band, a ragtag assemblage of four singer- songwriters posing as a back-porch jam session, capped the evening with a round-robin set of original tunes by its members. Jim Bouchard, Ry Cavanaugh, Sean Staples and Kris Delmhorst swapped instruments and lead vocals and backed each other up on ragged, semi-improvised versions of their songs.
While perhaps the least experienced performer, Kris Delmhorst -- a multiple threat on fiddle, mandolin and guitar (she left her cello at home) -- showed the most potential of the foursome on her two original offerings. "Sleeping Dogs" was a hypnotic folk-rocker -- sort of the Story meets Traffic -- that featured her rich, sultry vocals and swinging rhythms. "The Same Song" was a kind of Shawn Colvinesque country ballad, with some evocative harmonica courtesy of Cavanaugh. When Delmhorst learns to grab total control of her voice and aim it where she wants it to go, there's no telling where it may take her.
Delmhorst was also a fine accompanist on fiddle and backup vocals for Cavanaugh, Bouchard and Staples. Cavanaugh's "Purple Dust" was a pretty ballad that recalled The Band, and the singer-songwriter boasted a rich voice with lots of character. Bouchard's rootsy "Curve" and "From the Get Go" were both metaphysical inquiries built on a country-folk foundation. Staples' smooth tenor powered his sweet, hippie-ish ballads, which Bouchard accompanied on banjo while Cavanaugh played mandolin.
Bruce Wheat of Pownal, Vt., warmed up the evening with a set of his own tunes, including "This Morning," a gorgeous piece which coupled an insinuating melody and guitar riff with Wheat's plain-spoken vocals.
Milltown Studios has renovated its gallery/performance space, knocking out a wall which has doubled the space as well as giving it more of a coffeehouse ambiance. Indeed, plans call for further improvements, including a coffee bar. The space is now not much smaller than the original, 80-seat Iron Horse. And on Sunday night, the music was just as good as what is heard at that legendary Northampton venue on many a night.
[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Feb. 4, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
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