Last Monday, I ventured down Harvard to a little dive bar called The Colony for their weekly Singer Songwriter Night. I always have high hopes for gatherings of local musicians, and this one did not disappoint.
The Colony, according to its mantra, is meant to be a place where “locals could come to support original music every night and enjoy as musicians brought their ideas together to develop their craft.” In working towards this dream, The Colony began hosting the Singer/Songwriter Night, giving local musicians the chance to test their material to a live audience.
The first up was a man by the name of Baby Keith, who sang a folksy song with a lot of la-di-das and smiles and an electric guitar that made me feel right at home in a place I never would have expected. His next song was more of a story, and showed off his wonderful low notes and dazzling high notes. He can best be compared to a cross of Taye Diggs and Darius Rucker. He topped off his set with a completely different sound, a slow heartfelt melody about his love for his father.
Frank Gallagher was next up with the kind of quirky Irish style folk song meets show tunes one would find at a Renaissance fair. He could maybe even be called an adult Wiggles. Such odd phrases as “I’m just another descendant of amphibians” were artfully turned into unexpectedly charming life lessons. His second piece had a sort of 70s ballad feel with the message “don’t dream or you’ll fail, be average”. It was very angsty, wistful and brought a blanket of nostalgia over the whole bar.
It was the kind of thing where, if it wasn’t entirely wood and brick, people would raise their lighters and sway. He finished with a song containing odd metaphors, including one comparing a boy to a “ping pong ball in a world of paddles” and the overall message was “don’t give up underdog” which left the bar on a more inspiring note.
Next, Simon Hajjar walked up with his full beard, mustache and acoustic guitar. First he played a love song about “the sweeter things in life” that made him rival Hunter Hayes in heartthrob appeal, especially with the indie vibes and lack of country twang.
He went on to play a newer song about his breakup that sounded more like older country ballads. After his earlier sweet ballad, this song was heart-wrenching but beautiful. He made his story even sadder with a song to his son, talking about how hard life is, heartbreak and how growing up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Overall the performers were fantastic, and I hope to see all of them again at future Singer Songwriter nights.