Berkshire Musicians Showcase, National Music Center, 5/3/98

by Seth Rogovoy

(LENOX, Mass., May 4, 1998) -- There may not be any tangible Berkshire music scene, but it's not for lack of talent, based on a hefty sampling of the offerings at the second annual Berkshire Musicians Showcase, which brought the curtain down on this year's Berkshire Music Festival at the National Music Foundation's Berkshire Performing Arts Theatre on Sunday.

The showcase featured an eclectic group of performers, over 40 selected from over 70 applicants. Genres represented included bluegrass, folk, hardcore rock, world-beat and barbershop. As with last year's showcase, the event came off with nary a hitch, pretty much sticking to schedule, which allowed performers the proverbial 15 minutes of fame -- about three songs in most cases.

Judging from one six-hour stretch, the Berkshires continue to boast more than their share of musicians of professional caliber. Indeed, this year's showcase included several performers who have already garnered some degree of regional or national recognition.

Among the standouts that this reviewer caught were Robby Baier. A native of Becket, Baier performed three songs from his brand-new, self-produced CD, "Soul Tube." (Baier's CD release concert takes place this Friday at the Housatonic Railway Station.) Accompanying himself alternately on bass, guitar and piano, Baier was a compelling vocalist and musician on soulful, funky rock ballads reminiscent of Mick Jagger at his best.

Pittsfield native Adam Rothberg appropriately concluded his set with a song about moving to Tennessee, for that is where the instrumentalist, songwriter and producer of some renown in the contemporary folk world is bound next month. On the basis of his three-song set -- including a bluesy, Paul Simon-style novelty, an edgy bit of angst-folk and the country-flavored Tennessee song -- Rothberg may well take Nashville by storm.

Kristin Gray, a Lenox native who grew up just a few doors down from where the foundation now stands, brought more than a bit of big-city sophistication to the showcase, beginning with her costume -- or lack of such -- and ending with her provocatively suggestive funk-rock. Backed by her New York City-based ensemble, Groovalicious, Gray's dynamic, piercing vocals vied with her sexy choreography for top billing.

Rock quartet Flipper Dave, boasting the Berkshires' answer to Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, played a rollicking set of old-time rock 'n' roll and Grateful Dead-style boogie-rock which merited the evening's first standing ovation. Evan Rude and the Motors balanced some catchy, upbeat power-pop with some darker, alternative-style ballads. Class D, the self-styled Italian rap phenom, introduced some old-school style rap boasts into the mix.

The quartet N.U.D.E. played an intriguing style of glam-folk, with snake-like guitar lines doing curlicues around the lead singer's David Bowie-like vocals. Hardcore band In Spite Of lived up to its self- penned description, "learned progression through instinctive aggression," when it refused to surrender the stage and received the high-tech version of the old-fashioned hook -- in this case, simply having the sound shut off.

Other performances of note included Michael Haynes' heartland-style folk-rock, Tamboura's world-beat/R&B blend featuring the amazing double-horn playing of the amazing Charlie Tokarz, and South County Klezmer ensemble Two Cents Plain, which played a very loose, swinging brand of old-time Yiddish dance music.

The showcase was marred only by some truly inane banter by the emcees, one of whom even referred to a band having performed at several previous festivals at the foundation, even though there had only been one before last weekend's. Emcees also frequently flubbed performers' names, missed their own entrances and embarrassed themselves with vapid comments about the performers. Fortunately, the musicians consistently rose above the amateurishness of the emcees. Too bad Dick Clark couldn't have stuck around long enough to teach them a few tricks of his trade.

[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on May 5, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]