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| Photo Courtesy of http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/press.html |
Outlaw folk musician Jeffrey Foucault had Club Passim
bursting at the seams on Saturday night.
Just a few steps down from street level, fans crowded into the landmark venue
nabbing any available nook that they could find. Armed with his guitar, Foucault literally had
to squeeze his way through the friendly shuffle to get on stage. He flashed a smile, joked a bit about his day,
and plugged in.
What happened next was amazing, and I’m not just saying that
as a goofy fan-geek. He maneuvered
through sixteen songs, captivating the audience’s complete concentration. He did this by simply feeling every note and
meaning every word he sang. He was
believable. He had me at first strum.
He connected both musically and lyrically with the crowd. He
called up his friend and opener Hayward Williams to play along with him for several
songs. They were free and unincorporated,
treating the audience to a solid set of rootsy-Americana. Harkening the days of old, Foucault’s music visualized
simplicity with surprisingly fresh verses.
Highlights from the show included the songs:
“Starlight &
Static” – heartbreaking and beautifully phrased.
“Careless Flame” – a gently swaying folk lullaby that was sad
and sweet – my favorite song of the night.
“Passerines” - is
a perfect example of his poetic genius melodically set in motion. My favorite line from this song is “the
ghosts of wolves and passerines crying down the valley.”
The Encore Song “Tulsa
Time” – this classic Don Williams cover was the perfect ending to a great
show.
There is something about Foucault that is almost hard to
explain. Something we don’t see much of
these days. His phrasing reveals simple
truths. His musicality bleeds original
form. His songs unpretentiously examine
the shadowy corners of our retrospective selves. He
played and sang in a way that only the soul can understand.
Interview with Jeffrey Foucault:
Kelly: You’ve been on the road a lot lately, how
is the tour going for you?
Jeffrey
Foucault: It’s going fine, thanks. I’m on the road about 100 nights a year now,
nothing like what I used to be, and the balance with the rest of life feels
pretty reasonable most times. I like to
play and the travel keeps my mind from getting too restless.
Kelly: You have an
expansive body of work. Do you ever
listen to your own music, or is that weird/hard for you as an artist?
Jeffrey
Foucault: You listen hard enough in the
mixing and mastering of a record that every note is memorized. There isn’t much desire to listen to them for
pleasure after that, it’s pretty clinical.
I heard my last record in a Starbucks and it took me about 30 seconds to
figure out what record it was.
Kelly: Songs seem to
flow right out of you, do you feel that you come by songwriting naturally?
Jeffrey
Foucault: No, I don’t guess so. Or rather, it depends on what you mean. I wouldn’t do it on a desert island, though
I’d probably sing. Writing is communicative. The progression was natural enough from
listener to guitar player, writer, and then performer. But I might have done any number of things to
satisfy the same impulse toward getting to the heart of things.
Kelly: Do current
events ever influence your music, directly or indirectly?
Jeffrey
Foucault: Yes.
Kelly: What was the
first record that you purchased as a kid with your own money?
Jeffrey
Foucault: Little Richard’s Greatest
Hits, and I will stand by that choice.
Kelly: … Just when I
thought you were perfect … ;) Thank you so much for taking the time to do
this interview. I really enjoyed the
show, and look forward to seeing you again!
Check out his official website here
Setlist:
Train to Jackson; Call Jesus; Starlight & Static; Last
Night I Dreamed of Television; Careless Flame; Idaho; Pretty Girl In A Small Town; Heart to the
Husk; Mesa Arizona; Northbound 35; Everybody’s Famous; Passerines; Ghost
Repeaters; Tulsa Time
Ratings (1-5 Stars - 1 being the lowest & 5 being the highest for a total score of 25 points):
Performance: One of the best live performances I have ever seen *****
Sound Quality: Awesome *****
Ticket Price: Reasonable $20.00 *****
Venue: Intimate *****
Travel/Parking: I avoid driving in the Cambridge/Boston area so the easiest way for me to travel is to take the Amtrack from Dover, NH to Boston North Station, and then hop on the subway *****
Total Score:25 points!
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