Here's a nice overdue blog... I'm still going to do these things occasionally, when I have time or when there's something special about a show... I'm just not planning to do them all the time anymore.
So, last week was Sue Steen's long-awaited CD release party! The show started off with a solo act who I was not familiar with, and whose name I can't remember at this point... He was by himself on stage playing an acoustic guitar, and I just caught the last few songs of his set. He sounded alright, but nothing really stood out about his set, so I guess I don't have much to say about him... It was a nice start to the show though.
Next up was Tim Butler, playing with his full band. Most of the set consisted of songs from his last CD, That's the Way You Want Me To Be, including the title track that he said was written for his baby son, and Purest Thing, which he described as being a very sappy song for his wife, Clare. They also included one old song that Tim said was never recorded, but the band wanted to play it so he added it to the show for them. I don't remember the name of it, but I don't think it was anything I had heard Tim play before. It was okay, but I have to admit that I didn't think it was quite on par with most of Tim's song, which I normally really enjoy.
Another older song included in Tim's set was Softly, which I've heard him play before. It has the very humorous premise of being about dating someone who doesn't realize you're dating them, which is based on a true situation for Tim. He also included two covers that I've heard Tim and his band play a bunch of times before: Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over and the Stereophonics' Just Looking. I'm not a huge fan of the first one, but I do really like hearing the latter. I think those might be the only two covers I've ever heard Tim's band play...
Finally, Tim mixed in a few new songs into his set as well. They all sounded nice, but the two that stood out the most were two that they played toward the end of their set. They were some strong rock songs, very unlike most of Tim's catalog. While they were very different, they also sounded pretty good, so I'm looking forward to finding out what else he comes up with.
Tim's set ran pretty long, which was surprising since Sue was the headliner for the night. I think Tim actually ended up playing more songs that she did. I'm a big fan of Tim's, so I did like getting to hear so many songs, but I think it may have been a bit much for some people as I think the crowd was starting to grow a bit restless by the time he was done. He and the band did put on a great show, and it was really good to see them again.
Finally, Sue took the stage with her band to close out the night. The band consisted of Brett Talley on lead guitar, John Faye on drums, and Phil D'Agostino on bass along with Sue on acoustic guitar. They started off with some full band songs, playing Start Again to begin the show fittingly, then following it with Bring Me Home, Another Life, and For You To Notice. Phil then left the stage, leaving Brett to play bass while Sue moved over to a keyboard. With John still on drums, they played the song that Sue had put on the CD favor given out at her and Brett's wedding, Let The Sun Shine. It's a very upbeat song with a great bass line, so it was very nice to hear. I think it may also be the first time I've seen Sue play keys (or at least one of very few times), so that was another nice treat.
John left the stage for the next song as Sue went back to her acoustic guitar and Brett switched to guitar. They played Enlighten Me, which was recorded with Nathan Wesner playing cello, but Sue didn't want to ask him to lug that big instrument all the way just for one song. So, instead, Brett played the part on his guitar, and it sounded pretty cool. Sue then asked Brett to continue his impressions by playing the French horn part for Perfect Moment. Sue explained how that was her first instrument, and she wanted to use it on the CD, but it would be impossible for her to play that and sing at the same time, so she had to have Brett fill in the French horn part. Again, Brett did a great job playing that part, and it sounded really good.
Sue expected Brett to play on her next song as well, but he left the stage, so she played Wonder Woman by herself. That's a song that didn't make it onto Sue's CD, but it is another great song. I had heard Sue play it once before, but I couldn't hear it very well at the time, so this was the first time I really got to listen to it, and it sounded really good. Brett came back for the next song, and they dedicated it to Brett's mom for her birthday, which was coming up the next day. Brett described how his mom is a country fan and has always tried to get him to listen to that music with little success. They played a country song that Sue had written called Searchin', which Brett said would be the only time his mom would get to see him play country music. It was clearly appreciated as she gave them a standing ovation following the song.
The full band came back to continue the show with Don't Wanna, which Sue pointed out is one of my favorite songs. They followed that with Wake Up and Come Undone. Then, similar to the first song, which was a very fitting opener, they closed the show with Goodbye. That has always been one of my favorite songs (along with Don't Wanna), but it was especially good on this night, as the band rocked out on it! I never really thought of it as a rock song before, but with the full band it certainly was a nice high-energy finale to the show!
Sue's whole set was great, and I really liked seeing her get to play with a full band. I had seen her play accompanied by others in the past, but never with a full band like this show. However, I still thought the best part of the night was when just she and Brett were alone on stage for Enlighten Me and Perfect Moment. They were two of the softer songs, and the room got very quiet to listen. It created a very intimate feel, and the songs were just amazing! As exciting as some of the full band songs were, they just couldn't top those two.
I've got pictures, but I'm getting a new computer, so I don't have the files right now... I also still have pics from vacation that I want to post but haven't had time to go through yet... And I think I may even have some pics from an old IKE show even before that... So someday I should get all that stuff posted, I hope...