Colleague and music lover/musician Dom reviewed the show at Chaplin's the Music Cafe w/ the Cabin Dogs in his myspace blog. It's a great review and even more, a great piece of writing.
Though he didn't mention too much about my musical compatriots that evening (probably because I failed to mention enough about them), I wanted to say that Adam Davis (pedal steel, electric guitar) and Owen Biddle (bass) are each musical forces to be reckoned with. Aside from being highly sought after and involved in many musical projects (local and national), they are genuine and imaginative people with great senses of humor and immense love for what they do. Their musical integrity inspires me and every time I play with them I learn something new.
With that being said, here's what Dom wrote: (Thank you Dom!)
April 14, 2007 -- Adrien Reju and Cabin Dogs at Chaplin's in Spring City, Pa.
I sat in the balcony of a beautifully restored theater to hear two acts who made me feel like I was on the porch of an old farmhouse (that's a compliment, by the way).
Adrien Reju has become more well-known in recent years for her work in the band The Lowlands. There, her voice is one of three that create full harmonies woven into mostly upbeat instrumentation of a bluegrass band. To see her as the solitary singer in a deliberately serene-sounding trio is like leaving the rolling mountains to head for the peaceful plains. Accompanied by only a pedal steel and a bass, in addition to her own lightly-strummed acoustic guitar, Adrien's vocals were clearly pushed to the forefront. The mix coming from the stage and reverberating through the high-ceilinged rectangular room was excellent, and Adrien's voice sounded better and fuller than on her simple, solo demos.
She mentions a lot of folk influences during her show, but the most striking comparison I can make is to Patsy Cline: crystal clear annunciation, flawless command of melody, understated delivery that allows her to build up to key moments in the song and the slight crying tone she can effect at the perfect spots, all with the barest hint of a Southern belle's drawl. Indeed, the sound mixing of this live performance was reminiscent of the classic country music productions that put the burden of the show almost entirely on the shoulders of the singer. This isn't to say that Adrien's backing band was somehow deficient -- very much the opposite, actually, because to perform expertly in a quiet arrangement often takes more skill than to play full-force in a loud band -- but her singing was the undisputed star of the show. The folksy descriptions of Adrien's songwriting peaked simultaneously with her most dynamic vocal performance in her song, "North 3rd Blues," which got the loudest and longest ovation of the set. She said the song was inspired by a city location, but I have a hard time picturing anything but the country when I hear Adrien sing it.
The Cabin Dogs pushed the limits of what a musical act could get away with in what is supposed to be an intimate setting, but they went about it the right way. The band acknowledged Adrien's style and said they were inspired to bring out some of their more country-ish tunes for the night, including some newer material than what's on their radio-feted album, Electric Cabin. They eased into their set with some acoustic-guitar-driven songs, but by the third number, they were into the double electric-guitar arrangement of their recordings. Their manner of easing into the full-blast mode gave the audience's ears a chance to adjust and enjoy the rock band that had taken over the acoustic cafe. It was also a wonderful gesture to their fellow performers who had preceded them on stage.
The Cabin Dogs live are a highly skilled group of musicians who can pretty much emulate the detailed arrangement of their very professional-sounding album. Whether usual frontman Rich Kwait or brother Rob takes the lead vocals, the lead singing is a more polished version of Randy Newman. Whichever brother is not on lead duties will combine with Jeanine Reed for double backing parts. These triple vocals provide the glue for the melding of two typically unfamiliar styles of music: Funk and Folk. Two electric guitars loaded with effects pedals facilitate all the detail work that gives the group the Funk part (stabs, high-end accents and lots of mute strumming). The Folk part is the lyrics, which are usually about the country and a longing for home and familiarity. Their album hit, "Golden Blue," was the first recognizeable tune of the set and got the crowd really into the full-blown electric arrangement. "Inspiration," also from the album, was the biggest crowd pleaser and occurred mid set, along with my favorite of the new songs the band unveiled for the show, "Bring Me to the Country." The band broke into a few long instrumental jams, but they were well-placed in songs and not overdone; the audience seemed to appreciate the indulgence along with everything else.