Charlie Louvin / Laura Cantrell @ The Gramercy
March 12th, 2007 - by John
Last Thursday was a quite a cold evening. But not cold enough to dissuade me from heading down to the Gramercy Theatre on 23rd Street to check out Charlie Louvin and Laura Cantrell. I had never been to the Gramercy before and though it was a little chilly- the sound was excellent- and the size was just right for an intimate evening with two excellent performers.
Laura Cantrell opened the show; accompanying herself on an acoustic guitar. Her backing band consisted of mandolin, guitar and upright bass. Laura commented on the temperature in the room as the show began- hoping that the audience was wearing long-johns, or in the alternative had a glass of whiskey. I had neither. Perhaps it was the cold, or the slightly chilly audience, but the band seemed a little out of sync. Never the less they pulled together a nice set opening with That What You Said and proceeding through Poor Ellen Smith, Mountain Fern (Cantrell’s ode to Molly O’Day), Roger Miller’s Train of Life and Bees. The set also featured a cameo by Mr. Louvin on Everytime You Leave- which was seemed a little unrehearsed- but I imagine that is the nature of such moments. The band finished the set fittingly with the Nashville to NY epic Old Downtown.
Charlie Louvin was up next and hit the stage with a backing band that included bass, a small drum kit, electric and acoustic guitars. The woman playing acoustic guitar also sang harmony vocals, and as you might expect, was excellent. They opened with Must You Throw Dirt In My Face and moved through a set whose highlights included Great Atomic Power, Blues Stay Away From Me and When I Stop Dreaming. Louvin also commented on the cold weather- calling NYC the coldest place he had ever been. However, Charlie seemed in good spirits and excited about having a new record out. He was very conversational and told several long jokes- much to the delight of the audience. At one point in the evening he even took a moment to vent a bit about Jet Blue – something many New Yorker’s could relate to in light of recent events. Other musical highlights of the evening included: See The Big Man Cry, Will You Visit Me On Sunday’s, Knoxville Girl, Here’s A Toast To Mama and Think I’ll Go Somewhere And Cry Myself To Sleep. I was once again impressed by Louvin’s commanding stage presence and his obvious chemistry with his band. His ability to relate to an audience, many of whom hadn’t even been born during the heyday of his hits, was also very impressive and speaks to the enduring quality of his music.
