As Brian Webb and Beth Amsel, two independent singer/songwriters, performed an hour and half’s worth of inspired folk-pop tinged original songs and covers in the Cat in the Cream Wednesday night, remnants of the warm, refreshing spring day seemed to creep into the room.
Webb opened the show with two consecutive songs. Unassuming yet comfortable, he hunched over the microphone and strummed his guitar. On the brooding folk-rock opener,“Talk to You,” Webb’s guitar rang as he described a state of emotional unfulfillment. His lyrics were clear and direct. “Well you search for love and you search for happiness/And you come to find, there is a difference,” he sang. “So you search for wisdom and you search for truth/And all you find is quiet, maybe it finds you.” Webb’s nonchalant vocal delivery was reminiscent of Tom Waits and Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz.
On the second song, the bluesy “Oh Lord,” Webb used a delay pedal to record percussive slaps on the body of his instrument, and then played slide guitar.
Webb’s humor surfaced in a song he said was “about being cool.” In it, he sang about his high school days when everyone thought they were the only ones who had any insecurities because of the false security most people project when they are in public. “My how things have changed,” he deadpanned as the audience chuckled.
Later in the set, Webb talked about how he and Amsel played the night before in a Cleveland club that turned into a martini bar by evening’s end. He said he was inspired to write “Product in Your Hair Boys,” a four-chord song about cheesy bachelors, a piece which prompted an avalanche of laughter.
Amsel began her act with a beautiful a cappella rendition of “Hunger.” After the first song, Amsel quickly revealed an assured and elegant presence on the stage. She spoke in a contemplative and thoughtful manner about her love of Maggie Simpson, her fellow Colorado tunesmith behind “Hunger,” whose CDs she is carrying around the country with her.
Amsel’s voice is thick and expressive. When she sang in a breathy manner towards the bottom of her range, the result was both flirtatious and syrupy sweet.
Upon picking up the guitar, Amsel’s country-tinged poetic folk songs recalled Joni Mitchell and Tom Petty. The first few up-tempo numbers led towards a more ballad-focused mid-show lineup. “Louise,” a song about an imprisoned woman, was particularly effective.
“She had no funky folk singer pretentions on stage,” junior Ashlynn Manning said. “She was just up there and happy to share her music with us. I was blown away by her flawless vocal quality; it was pure and strong no matter where she took it. Her music was exactly what I needed last night — beautiful.”
During the second half of the show, Amsel spoke about the importance of freedom of speech in times of war. Joking about the frighteningly conservative nature of the U.S. government, she pointed out the gastrointestinal connection between elected officials Bush, Dick and “Colon” Powell. The comment sparked laughter and amused moans from the audience.
“I thought she interacted with the audience really comfortably,” sophomore Wilson Skinner said. “It didn’t seem to faze or bother her that there was such a small crowd — that seems like the mark of a good performer.”
Before performing her final number, Amsel talkdabout what she calls the “Track 9 Tendency,” the habit of singers to write songs instead of resolving issues with people. Then she launched into a blues-folk number featuring interesting guitar picking, that proved to be an evening highlight.
After a minute of applause, Amsel returned to the stage for an encore. Stepping towards the edge of the stage with her guitar, she invited Webb to join her onstage. She played guitar and sang without a microphone. Webb sat on stage playing his guitar filling the room without amplification. Together, they established a uniquely intimate connection with the audience.