Uncommon Ground is a great restaurant and venue that has
been celebrating and supporting local talent for many years. It also happens to be walking distance
from our Lakeview home. What I did
not know is that Uncommon Ground expanded their space further to the north and
changed the location of the “music room”.
The new space is the home to an old school analog sound board too
(previously there was none). The
wood panels and spot lighting creates more of a “club” feel previously lacking
in the old space.
Tonight’s event opened with locals Bittersweet Drive and Jack
Byron. I managed to catch the last song for Bittersweet Drive and all of Byron’s
set. Bittersweet Drive, friends
from Columbia College, were a harmonizing folk duo that I would like to hear
more of. Byron, dressed in a
hairline-striped button down and paperboy cap, played his acoustic guitar and
sang falsetto with no fear. I
believe he would have good stories to go along with his songs but he indicated
that he was trying to play as many songs as time would allow. Personally, I love the stories. I say tell more stories and perform one
or two less songs! I enjoyed his
Johnny Cash impersonation too during his song “Rhythm and Blues” and his lyrics
in the humorous “Cream of the Crop” including “All I want to do is wreck your
bed”.
Headliner, Jourdan
Myers was up next. She was adorable, perky and fashion conscientious, exemplified by her glam “bling” headband and white
blouse with matching “bling” collar.
She is from Minnesota and is managing her own Midwest tour, driving from city to
city, accompanied by her vocal chops, keyboard, and merch. While on the topic, her merch consisted of hand knit
scarves, headbands, CDs and Christmas ornaments “that did not do as well as
expected” during the holiday season.
Frowny face.
Myers opened with "Firelight" aptly demonstrating her nuanced, haunting, passionate and
powerful vocals which immediately commanded your attention. Her songs are strong, sultry and soft with jazzy
undertones. Myers told me that she had to learn how to sing and play piano/keyboards at the same time. It was not intuitive. With keyboard in tow, Myers comfortably
demonstrated her vocal range and building crescendos with each song hardly requiring a mic! She is a pure
chanteuse capable of any note.
Most of her songs build to an emotional crescendo, with lyrics that read
like poetry, describing human longing and the inability for most of us to get
everything we desire. Her
collaboration with producer Matt Patrick has been effective. Her sophomore release, Ruin Me With Love, captures the growth
of Myers and her desire to push herself.
My favorites on this 12 song emotional rollercoaster include “Wonderlust”,
“Push Me on the Playground”, and “The Fight”. Her vocal prowess and style has been compared to Sarah
McLachlan by other reviews and her song “The Fight”, to Feist. I think, if comparisons must be made,
Tori Amos and Sia Furler should be added to the list. Now that, my friends, is a good list.
Check out Myers music video for "Wonderlust" here followed by the video of "Push Me On The Playground" I took at the Uncommon Ground show :
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