Using tongs, Jim Moran sticks a long, thin piece of wire into the small but very hot fire of the blacksmith’s forge.
When he removes the metal, the tip is white hot.
John Prine said he didn’t plan to sing “Grandpa Was a Carpenter” at The Egg on Saturday: His hands just found it on the guitar, so he sang about enjoying pickup truck wanderings with his grandfather, who wore suits for dinner, chain-smoked and hammered nails into planks.
Saturday night in front of packed house at the Palace Theatre, Darius Rucker more than fully proved his country chops. But it sure sounded like Hootie and the Blowfish.
No, it wasn’t midnight at the oasis, it was early evening in town. But it was Maria Muldaur, evoking her old-timey pre-hit music with four guys born after she was already a star.
The inspired artistry of pianist Emanuel Ax mesmerized a capacity crowd Wednesday night at Union College’s Memorial Chapel as part of the 38th International Festival of Chamber Music.
After Herb Alpert and his trio finished the instrumental Latin standard “Besame Mucho,” the third song of the Sunday night show, he assured the Troy Music Hall audience that the group plays the song different every night. An audience member called his bluff: “Play it again.”
It may not have been pretty the entire time Guy Clark was onstage at The Egg’s Swyer Theatre Sunday night, but then again, Clark’s songs have never been about being pretty.
Classical guitarist Jason Vieaux has magic in his fingers. On Thursday night at Skidmore College’s Filene Recital Hall as part of the Sterne Virtuoso Series, Vieaux gave an inspired and impeccably prepared recital before a large audience.
The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra under conductor Charles Schneider opened its 76th season Sunday afternoon at Proctors in a program that tested the musicians from the opening chord.
Four songs into Keb’ Mo’s two-plus hour set in front of a packed house at The Egg’s Hart Theatre Sunday night, he called out to his guitar tech for a pen and a pad, which he tossed to the side of the stage with this explanation: “Sometimes we don’t like our set list.”
The New Century Saxophone Quartet debuted Saturday night at Emma Willard’s Kiggins Hall as part of the Friends of Chamber Music series and showed that a saxophone is more than an instrument for jazz.
If politics have overexposed “change,” Playing for Change — the international band built on Mark Johnson’s idea of peace through music — sounded stirring and fresh on Saturday at The Egg.
Steve Martin introduced the title track to his bluegrass album “The Crow” Tuesday night at Troy Music Hall this way: “I try to write songs based on my experiences. So this song is called, ‘I Think My Masseuse Is too Chatty.’ ”
