CONCERT REVIEW - ABBY PAYNE - NATE & KATE - CYBER CAFE WEST - Feb 14th, 2009                                           -Corey Coleman

This is something I may do from time to time, when an event strikes me in a such away that it inspires my sharing it.



Tonight I decided to head on over to the Cyber Cafe West in Binghamton, NY. There were two groups on the bill, Nate And Kate, who I was familiar with, and Abby Payne, with whom I was not. They were both absolutely wonderful.



Nate And Kate
started the evening with their sometimes joyous, sometimes melancholy,
but always passionate folk-inspired songs which kept the audience
captivated and entertained. It was a rare treat to watch and listen to
two people so devoted to their art and audience.


Beyond their perfectly crafted originals, including their
chug-chugging, whistle howling, steam billowing train song "Freight
Train Play That Song", an additional highlight was their simply
delivered cover of The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" and the
truly beautiful cover of "A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow", originally
performed by the fictitious duo Mitch and Mickey in the Christopher
Guest satire "A Mighty Wind". I almost started chanting "Mickey!,
Mickey!, Mitch!, Mitch!", but I didn't want to be THAT guy (Those who
have seen the movie will understand. Those who haven't absolutely
must).



All in all they are a completely original and refreshing sound and
should be checked out by anyone who enjoys REALLY good music at www.myspace.com/nateandkatemusic or www.nateandkatemusic.com/
Their CD "Fame By Frame" is available at cdbaby.com/cd/natekate



Next up was Abby Payne
and her band from New York City. What an absolute pleasure it was to
bump into such an oxygen-infusing, jaw dropping songwriter and singer.
Her sound is a brilliant blend of Powerpop and Piano Rock that
basically renders you unable to stop tapping your foot and bopping your
head.



The set was opened with the hard-hitting "Bad One" from her latest album "In A Pretty Box", available at cdbaby.com/cd/abbypayne.
That set the tone for the rest of the night, which was filled with some
of the catchiest, most well-written music I've had the pleasure to come
across in a long time.



Featuring the rock solid and tone-warping bassist Chris Anderson, tight, funky and pocket drummer Kenny Shaw, steady-fingered and soundscape-weaving keyboardist Jacob Pleakis, and of course the boldly sweet vocals and imaginative piano stylings of Abby Payne herself, the band was absolutely perfect.



In terms of covers, it didn't hurt that they played songs by three
of my biggest musical influences of all time, Prince's "Nothing
Compares 2 U", Ben Folds' "You Don't Know Me", and Tori Amos' "Precious
Things". It was almost as if I had selected the songs I wanted to hear
and they played them. What wonderful taste in music!



I left the cafe tonight feeling more inspired than ever to immerse myself in my music, and I thank them all for that.



It's amazing what you can come across when you're bored on
Valentine's Day and decide to get out of the house. I'll be sure to
continue following these two groups.



Musician contact/website info:



Nate And Kate:



www.myspace.com/nateandkatemusic


www.nateandkatemusic.com


cdbaby.com/cd/natekate


Abby Payne:



www.myspace.com/abbypaynesongs


cdbaby.com/cd/abbypayne

[COREY COLEMAN: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/coreycoleman  SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE!]