Partridge Cafe - John Berbrich ----June Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 12

The Partridge Café, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

April 25th 2008—Tonight we saw & listened to a sort of musical circus comprised of four acts. The first band was Electrical Bananas, consisting of Iann Ethics on guitar and vocals, backed by a primitive, unnamed drummer with a skunk haircut. Ethics started out on electric guitar which unfortunately was so fiercely loud (with accompanying piercing feedback) that his vocals were essentially inaudible. Ethics seems to be shy, playing most of the time with his back to the crowd. After a few songs he switched to acoustic, a relief for the ears. His music is unorthodox yet pretty interesting; the guy exudes a real love for what he does. One countryish number reminded me of an old Dead Milkmen song. Ethics is cool and mellow, with a perpetual 1967 smile on his face. I bought his little seven-song CD for $3.00 and let me tell you it was pretty good.

Next up was little Hadin Lemery from Syracuse. His band (it’s just him) is called The Hadin Lemery Experience Presents:. I was told that the colon is of vital importance. Lemery, who looks at the world through thick glasses, performed shoeless, wearing a pair of white socks. He plays acoustic guitar with a lightning-quick strum, shouting the vocals in a raggedy voice. His quirky, endearing songs are purposely offensive, with absurd lyrics. You gotta like this guy.

Another little fellow from Syracuse is Matt Hall, who performs under the moniker of Marco Polio. He came out wearing a pair of baggy, checkered boxers and played berserk acoustic guitar with a strum almost as fast as Lemery’s. Hall screamed the words to every song with rage, rage, rage. And he looks like such an easy-going chap. He was backed by Lemery on drums, who played with a steady, unobtrusive beat. I really enjoyed Hall’s music but can do without all that anger.

The night’s festivities were concluded by Chernesky, stage name of Christopher Peltz. Chernesky is from the prison-town of Auburn. He played acoustic guitar with the most vicious strum I’ve ever seen. He wanged on the strings so hard that he had to retune between every song, taking the opportunity to tell the crowd charming dumb jokes. After the show, Chernesky told me that his two biggest influences have been Ukrainian folk songs and Bruce Springsteen. He played the Boss’s haunting “Atlantic City,” complete with harmonica, and also sang a beautiful piece he has written called “Gypsy Rose,” an absolutely authentic-sounding folk song from the Ukraine.

After the show the foursome departed for a whirlwind musical tour of Plattsburgh, Albany, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Hope to see them back in town soon.

May 15th 2008—Scott Shipley and the Lemmings gave a marvelous performance tonight. Here’s the lineup: Scott Shipley on acoustic guitar and vocals; lefty John Richey on electrified acoustic guitar; Rosemary Philips on tinkling mandolin and backing vocals; and Catherine Jahncke on steady bass and backing vocals. The drummer couldn’t make it. They played for well over two hours, mixing songs from Shipley’s first CD, “Sentimental Fool,” with newer material like “Zombie” and “Pink Whiskey.” They also played some covers—Lowell George, “Losing my Religion” by REM, and a chilling version of the old English ballad popularized years ago by Traffic, “John Barleycorn Must Die.” Shipley has a strong, muscular voice and a marvelous songwriting talent. Playing with admirable restraint, Richey’s swift, clean leads fill in perfectly where Shipley’s voice leaves off. Plus Philips and Jahncke teamed up as a convincing duet on three songs, “Caleb Meyer” by Gillian Welch and two tunes by the Indigo Girls. All in all, this was an excellent, spirited show. And the good news is that the new CD is halfway finished.

Shows at the Partridge Café are generally held on Thursdays, Fridays, and/or Saturdays, with starting times at 7:00 or 8:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere, plus now serving beer and wine. I’ll see you there. ---

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich

To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Partridge Cafe - John Berbrich ----May Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 11

The Partridge Café has live music in downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

April 3rd 2008—David Wells played tonight, bringing his acoustic guitar, his great voice, and his long list of songs. Wells, an Ogdensburg native, is a pretty prolific songwriter who specializes in sensitive personal lyrics. He played lots of his usual pieces—“I Am,” “Sadly Mistaken,” “Idiot’s Love Song,” and plenty more. One of his best tunes is “My Sweetest Song,” a paean to his daughter Emma who’s now five-years-old. Wells played a few new songs, concentrating on his latest CD, Try Not To Let My Mind Stray, due for release on April 26th during a celebratory party & performance at the Partridge. For info on Wells’s new CD, check it out @ myspace.com/davidmwells.

April 12th 2008—Tonight local author, poet, singer, and songwriter Richard Hayes Phillips spoke and answered questions about his new book “Witness To A Crime.” Well-known as an election fraud investigator, Phillips was called in to investigate irregularities in the voting record from the 2004 presidential election in 18 counties in Ohio. Phillips examined 126,000 ballots, over 120 poll books, and over 140 voter signature books. The findings of his methodical analysis reveal, in the author’s words, that “The election was rigged. It must never happen again. And no matter what we think of John Kerry for failing to fight, or even to investigate the outcome, we, the people, were robbed. This was a presidential election, with the leadership of the free world at stake. Ohio was the state that decided the election.” Phillips knows his subject cold. He spoke for over 90 minutes, engaging his audience in an intelligent discussion regarding some vital political questions. A handsome 448-page hardback, “Witness To A Crime” was published by Canterbury Press of Utica, New York. Each book includes a CD containing 1200 images of ballots and other election records. For additional info go to www.witnesstoacrime.com.

April 18th 2008—Jazz night. The next generation of local jazz musicians gathered under a full moon to play to a full house. The lineup: SebaTooth (Seba Molnar) on sax, Brian Beaudin on upright bass, Bryan Sibbitts on trombone, Joe Newman on trumpet, Josh McGrath on electric keyboard, all backed by Darryl Kniffen on the drums. They played the usual standards and jazz classics, trading solos, improvising with taste. These fellows are definitely worth checking out.---

Shows at the Partridge Café are generally held on Thursdays, Fridays, and/or Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere, plus now serving beer and wine. I’ll see you there.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich

To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Partridge Cafe - John Berbrich ----April Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 10

From the Partridge Café, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

February 22nd 2008—David Wells played tonight, bringing his acoustic guitar, his great voice, and his long list of songs. Wells is a pretty prolific songwriter who specializes in sensitive personal lyrics. He played lots of his usual pieces—“My Sweetest Song,” “Sadly Mistaken,” “Idiot’s Love Song,” and plenty more—and mixed in a few excellent covers: some Beatles, Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” and he finished up the show with a thumping version of “Land Down Under” by Men At Work. One new number was “A Valentine in Manhattan,” which recounts the time he proposed to his fiancée on the roof of Rockefeller Center. The big news is that Wells’s new CD, “Try Not to Let My Mind Stray,” should be out any time now. The recording is complete; they’re working on the cover and final production right now, with a release date tentatively scheduled for sometime in April.

March 1st 2008—Jazz night. A jaunty performance was given by this evening’s ensemble: Jake Whitesell on sax, Sam Whitesell on organ, Matt Bowman on trumpet, Seba Molnar on sax, Dan Gagliardi on his 1969 Fender Bassman, and Darryl Kniffen on drums. Among lots of others, they played “Summertime,” “Night and Day,” “Bye-Bye, Blackbird,” “Black Orpheus,” and a crazy version of “Tenor Madness” by Sonny Rollins. Sam Whitesell entertained a portion of the audience by eating an apple, and then a banana, with one hand while he keyed the organ with the other. As on other jazz nights, the mood oscillated between the lush and the austere, the romantic and the isolated. Lonely street corners and wild parties, these guys hit them all.

March 7th 2008—Acoustic guitar player and singer Geoff Bray entertained the crowd this evening. Bray, an Albany native, is attending SUNY Canton, concentrating on courses dealing with environmental issues and alternative forms of energy. His own songs tend to the moody and the brooding, and he sings them with great feeling. He also played a Bob Marley number, David Gray’s “Red Moon,” and his own song “O’Brien” based on a character in George Orwell’s seminal novel, “1984.” Outside of a few open-mike performances, this was his first scheduled gig, and I think that all there had a good time.

Shows at the Partridge Café are generally held on Fridays and/or Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere, plus now serving beer and wine. I’ll see you there.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich

To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ----Mar Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 9

The Partridge Café has reopened in the Jubilee Plaza, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

February 15th, 2008—A rare double-bill at the café, this was an evening of great music. The first band up was Milwaukee Talkee, a three-man rock ensemble from Ogdensburg. These guys put on a heck of a show. I can think of three things that make Milwaukee Talkee unique: 1) they play only instrumentals, all originals too—I can’t think of another rock band about which the same can be said; 2) they play their songs straight, with a minimum of jamming; 3) the guys do not go off on long solos—as I said, they play their songs straight. And the songs are real songs, with a beat, a melody, and a rhythm. The music is rock spiced with an occasional touch of funk, punk, and jazz. Jud Whitney is a hard-working drummer. He slams those cymbals and tom-toms like he’s got some personal vendetta against them, all the while laying down an interesting, complex beat. Greg Bresett, rock-steady bass man, acts as the spokesman, telling the audience the name of each song and giving some background to its origin. And there’s the innovative technician Dan Barkley on electric guitar. Dan never seems to cut loose, instead picking and strumming his leads and rhythms with absolute control. Working the foot pedals, he launched with a delicate touch into a plethora of ethereal sonic regions. Some of the songs remind me of a Grade B Primus—which is high praise cuz I like Primus. Check these guys out. They’re currently at work recording a CD that should be released by summer.

The second act was Swedish Radar, another trio. The lineup looks like this. Jeremy Greene plays like a human-drum-machine, tapping out percussive patterns that precisely complement the song in progress—and he knows how to bring the action up and how to bring it down when required. That lanky bass player is Claude Aldous, who plays droning electric keyboard with his feet while he thuds on the bass guitar (I’m not kidding); Aldous fiddles with a variety of pedals and gadgets, switching with ease from smooth bass tones to a crunchy fuzzy crackle. Lead singer Eliza Moore, wearing a short black dress over a pair of decoratively patched blue jeans, accompanies her vocal soprano with plaintive sharp-edged violin. This music contains all the elements of good space rock—it’s imaginative, repetitive, hypnotic. Moore’s voice roams between the stars, riding the interstellar sound. All the songs are originals except the old Irish ballad, “Black is the Color,” a haunting traditional piece. While Aldous lives in the Canton area, Moore and Greene traveled down from Montreal for the show, after which they headed down to New York City for a gig at the Parkside Lounge in Manhattan. Check them out @ www.myspace.com/swedishradar.

Shows at the Partridge Café are generally held on Fridays and/or Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere, plus now serving beer and wine. I’ll see you there.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ----Feb Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 8 (Full Edition)

Swinging music is back in downtown Canton, and it’s found at the Partridge Café located in the old Jubilee Plaza, also known as the Mid-Town Plaza. Herewith are descriptions of some recent shows.

December 21st, 2007—Geoff Hayton returned to the café with his electric guitar and a bunch of new songs. Hayton’s been recording lately with a band called Swedish Radar (they’re going for a Velvet Underground sound) and hopes to have a new CD out soon. He plays with a quick-strumming style to accompany his sweet edgy early 1960’s voice. Hayton’s songs are mostly narratives, laced with irony, written with wit, sprinkled with gritty humor. Tonight he even played a few covers, songs by the Beatles, Kinks, the Fugs, and This Bike is a Pipe Bomb. As a bonus, you can even hear and understand the words, and they’re worth listening to.

December 22nd, 2007—Jazz night at the café, starring Jake Whitesell on sax, Sam Whitesell on keyboards, Sam Bailey on sax, Kyle Tupper on drums, and Dan Gagliardi on bass. The quintet played lots of cool/hot jazz standards, including songs by Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, and Duke Ellington. Tonight I was particularly taken with the ability of bassist Dan Gagliardi, whose fingers move faster than light or at least faster than sight. His solos elicited whistling cries of amazement from the crowd. The ensemble played tight, as usual, trading off solos with the flourish and aplomb of old pros.

December 29th, 2007—More jazz, spotlighting Jake Whitesell on sax, Alex Jenseth on bass, Bill Vitek on piano, and Kyle Tupper on drums. They were joined for the second half of the show by trumpeter Matt Bowman. The group was in particularly good form, flying even higher than usual. They played classics like “Bye Bye, Blackbird,” “Misty,” and “Days of Wine and Roses.” I was able to position myself for my first really good look at Vitek’s keyboard work. The man plays like a poet, selecting the best notes in the best order, to paraphrase Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He can vamp and he can swing; tonight he sort of directed the younger players with gestures and significant looks like an old-time bandleader.

January 3rd, 2008—Poetry night in Canton, as SLAP (St. Lawrence Area Poets) hosted its second open-mike reading at the café. Readers included regulars JeanMarie Martello, Dale Hobson, Neal Zirn, John Berbrich, and Nancy Berbrich, plus new recruit Duane Pelkey. Marina Llorente took advantage of the open-mike to read a poem by Isabel Pérez Montalbán in both Spanish and English. Open-mike readings at the café are scheduled for the first Thursday of each month at 7:00—all are invited.

January 11th, 2008—Jazz again, featuring Kyle Tupper on drums, Sam Bailey on sax, veteran Tim Savage on keyboards, and the fluid Alex Jenseth on bass. This was a tight, controlled performance. They played Lester Young’s “All of Me,” “Satin Doll” by Duke Ellington, and the hypnotic “Maiden Voyage” by Herbie Hancock. Tupper especially excelled tonight, playing like a wild man but never missing a beat.

January 12th, 2008—David Wells performed solo, but he says he might return next month with a band. Tonight he played songs both old and new, many of which will appear on his next CD, due out next month. He also played covers by Pearl Jam, two by the Beatles, and that old Sesame Street song, “The Rainbow Connection.” Wells was in great voice, as usual, and complemented his rich vocals with a percussive style of guitar playing. He has been working on this new CD for a long time now, and I expect to hear great things when it’s finally released.

Shows at the café are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00. Call at 386-3016 for upcoming acts. And check out their growing list of delicious micro-brewed beer.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ----Jan Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 7

From the Partridge Café - here’s an update on recent shows.

November 23rd, 2007—Jazz night. As always a great show, featuring Jake Whitesell on high-flying sax (plus flute on one song), the dynamic Kyle Tupper on drums, and the incredible Mike Hartigan on electric piano. Jeff Utter and Alex Jenseth alternated on the throbbing, groaning upright bass. The quartet played plenty of jazz standards like “All of Me,” “Black Orpheus,” “Misty,” and “Take Five.” I hadn’t seen Hartigan before and was astonished by his wild exciting sweeps up and down the keyboard, his playful extemporaneous artistry. Originally from Potsdam, he’s living in Boston these days, playing in a band, and, home for the holidays, he was able to perform tonight with some of his old pals. Sam Whitesell gave Hartigan a bit of a rest, filling in on keyboard. This was another of those magical jazz nights, an evening of absurd, careless joy. I just can’t wait to see and hear these guys again.

December 15th, 2007—Country rock tonight by Sundog, with the emphasis on the Rock. These guys are new to me and were quite a pleasant surprise. The band consists of Dan Caldwell on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Doug Schatz on lead guitar and occasional lead vocals, and Phil Neisser on spunky drums. Their bass player has recently left town and is sorely missed. Sundog played all original material for nearly two full hours. Caldwell is the main songwriter and an enthusiastic vocalist. Schatz also writes—he wears a cowboy hat, sings his own songs with a C&W voice, and he plays a pretty mean salmon-pink electric guitar, which compares rather favorably with old Lynyrd Skynyrd. After a slow start—the first few songs sounded dull and a bit out of tune—the band members got into their upbeat groove and rocked with catchy numbers like “True to Gone,” “Que Sera,” and “Underdog.” Check them out on myspace.com/sundoggrooves for more into, recorded bits of live performances, and audio clips.

Shows at the Partridge Café are generally held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere, plus now serving beer and win.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ----Dec Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 6

Here’s an update on recent shows from The Partridge Café.
October 27th, 2007—Tonight Scott Shipley appeared with exactly one-half of his band, The Lemmings—that was Catherine Jahncke on bass and Rosemary Philips on tinkling mandolin, both of whom helped out with occasional vocals. The drummer and guitarist couldn’t make it, but all worked out a-okay—you can’t miss with Shipley’s muscular voice and impressive guitar-work. The trio played a number of Shipley’s own tunes—“This I Know,” “Partners in Crime,” and “Screen Savior,” along with plenty of others, plus a strong new song, “A Credit to the Family Name.” Scott also sang a cycle of three songs about Abraham and Isaac, Job, and Cain and Abel, in which he voices issues he has with some of the methods of the Old Testament God. They performed a rocking version of “All Along the Watchtower,” plus a marvelous rendition of everyone’s favorite spastic, Joe Cocker, singing “Feeling Alright.” Merging intelligence, passion, humor, and pure unadulterated concern for humanity, Scott Shipley is an act to catch whenever he’s in town. He was preceded this night by the neophyte guitar duo, Absolute Zero, consisting of John and Jakob Berbrich.
November 10th, 2007—Poetry was in the air, as SLAP (St. Lawrence Area Poets) hosted its third open-mike poetry reading. Featured readers were Beth Konkoski (an ’88 SLU graduate) from Virginia and Nancy Henry (her sixth poetry collection is due out soon from Sheltering Pines Press) from Maine. Following these featured readers were SLAP members John Berbrich, Nancy Berbrich, JeanMarie Martello, and Neal Zirn. After SLAP, Jazmine Mussington approached the open-mike gingerly—it was her first time reading alone in public; after a few giggles she did a fine job. And Mwelwa Bwalya, an SLU student from Zambia, finished off the evening with a powerful reading of Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.” Keep an eye out for these SLAP open-mike poetry readings—they’re always looking for new voices.
Shows at the Partridge Café are generally held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere, plus now serving beer and wine. ---

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ----Nov Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 5

Here’s an update on recent shows at the Partridge Café Music Report .
10/5/07—A quartet of determined young musicians gathered this evening for a rare Friday show at the café. The ensemble consisted of Seth Molnar on sax and clarinet, Jake Whitesell on sax, Sam Whitesell on keyboards, and tectonic powerhouse Kyle Tupper on drums. Calling themselves the Seth Molnar Jazz Group, these fellows played standards like Thelonious Monk’s classic “Blue Monk” and “Days of Wine and Roses” by Henry Mancini with verve and a gentle touch. Following a short intermission, the quartet morphed into a sextet with the addition of Matt Bowman on trumpet and Christa Aikins-Hill on vocals. Christa, who sings in a husky alto-contralto, led the band on “Take the A-Train,” a song popularized by Duke Ellington, and “Misty,” made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, as well as several others. By the end of the night, the band was cooking with a barely controlled chaos, as the players traded licks and took turns exploring ethereal sonic regions known only to adventurous jazz musicians. These are people to keep an eye on. Molnar’s playing has improved tremendously over just the past six months. He’s comfortable and steady, with a good tone and plenty of poise. And don’t forget, he wasn’t born until a dozen years after Monk’s death. Tupper is all syncopation and power on percussion, and he has fun doing it. And the Whitesells make it look easy, with Jake flying high on sax with the hawks and eagles and Sam always right there on the keys, playing a throbbing keyboard bass simultaneously with his organ and electric piano work. Catch these guys the next time they’re in town.
Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ----Sept Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 3

The Partridge Café has reopened in the Jubilee Plaza, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

7/27/07—Richard Hayes Phillips headlined on this rainy night, accompanied by local jazzmen Kyle Tupper on drums & Alex Jenseth on bass. Phillips performed his customary routine, mixing anti-war protests with songs of the plight of the homeless and the evils of voting fraud. Although tonight’s show was perhaps a bit less edgy than usual, as Phillips sang a number of love songs in his sweet, rough tenor. He displayed his versatility by playing guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and kalimba, an African instrument that sounds like cool water running in the moonlight. The addition of Tupper and Jenseth provided extra punch and pep to the sound of this local troubadour.

7/28/07—This evening’s sounds were provided by Kerry Newell, a folksinger with a clear, kindly voice, who accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. Newell sang many favorites, including folkie favorites by Harry Chapin, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Roger Miller, James Taylor, and Simon and Garfunkel. He sang hobo songs from the 30’s, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music.” Newell handed out songbooks and managed to induce patrons to sing along on a few numbers. A good-feeling night of musical Americana.

8/4/07—The Buskers traveled a long way for this evening of superlatives. Two of the band members live in SLC but two others live in the Lake Region of New Hampshire. The Buskers are: Paul Hubert on guitar and vocals; Kathy Sommer on vocals, guitar, mandolin, and perky, plaintive, powerful violin; diminutive dynamo Craig Jaster on piano, accordion, ¾-size upright bass, and vocals; and drummer Paul Knowles, a percussionist of rare taste and style. The Buskers are a spunky, energetic, fabulously talented quartet. They played soft jazz, swing, folk-jazz, jazz-funk, a bit of zydeco, and even some quasi-reggae. Ray Charles, Fats Waller, and George Gershwin are prominent names on the Buskers’ playlist, but they performed plenty of their own tunes as well. See this band if you get a chance. I’d even call them luminescent. As well as versatile, passionate, and funny.

8/10/07—Twas a happy/sad night in Canton, as the original Fifth Edition gave what could be its final performance before its members scatter far and wide to various colleges across the land. Here’s the original lineup: Sam Bailey on sax, Mike Davis on trumpet, piano by Ben Hammond, bass provided by Alex Jenseth, and Kyle Tupper on the drums. The guys played lots of favorites in the first half—“Black Orpheus,” “Blue Monk,” “Green Dolphin Street.” They were joined by a phalanx of local musicians for the second half: Seba Molnar and high-flying Jake Whitesell on sax, Matt Bowman and Keith Shult on trumpet, Bryan Sibbitts on trombone, and Jeff Utter on bass. For the finale—something called “B-Flat Blues”—all 11 musicians performed together. I’ll tell you—every jazz band needs a 7-man brass section. The fellows say they might get together during school breaks. Hope to see them again sometime soon.

Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ---- July Edition - Volume 2 - Issue 1

Bringing live music back to Downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

5/19/07—Tonight’s band was the Rustic Riders in their first-ever performance at the café. The Riders, who normally play the Tupper Lake-Saranac Lake-Adirondack circuit, consists of three members: Lisa Meissner, Klaus Meissner, and Skip Outcalt. The front position is shared by Skip and Lisa. Both are songwriters and singers. Skip sings in a pleasing tenor and plays bass and electric guitar. An alto, Lisa plays guitar, 8-string bouzouki, mandolin, and cello. They switched off on their instruments following every song, lending variety to the sound and texture of the music. Klaus is the percussionist and sound technician. He punched out the beat on bongos, a snare, and on a convincing drum machine that features over 1200 different sounds. The band played all originals tonight, except for a cover of “Lay Me Down,” written by James Raymond, son of David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, and Nash fame. The Riders specialize in folk music, and this night focused on positive songs celebrating love and brotherhood, as it was Klaus and Lisa’s 28th wedding anniversary.

6/2/07—This evening’s sounds were provided by an unnamed ensemble of local jazz musicians, including: Kyle Tupper on electric keyboards, plus vocals on an up-tempo version of Gershwin’s classic “Summertime”; Matt Bowman on emotional trumpet; steady Kate Pearson on bass; drums by Tosh Cornwell; and Seba Molnar on clarinet and alto and tenor sax. This youthful quintet had never played together before; as a consequence, the evening started off a bit slow and cautious, but once the band warmed up they had a lot of fun with tunes such as “Blue Monk” by Thelonious Monk, Johnny Mercer’s “Autumn Leaves,” and “The Girl from Ipanema” by Antonio Jobim. Alex Jenseth from the Fifth Edition took over the bass for one song. For me, the real stars were Tupper, ordinarily a drummer, and Molnar who, at 13 years of age, plays that sax with a nice gentle touch and coaxes a lovely rich mellow sound from that clarinet. I expect we’ll see a lot more of all five players at various local venues.

Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ---- June Edition - Volume 1 - Issue 12

The Partridge Café has reopened in the Jubilee Plaza, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

4/28/07—Tonight David Wells gave his finest performance yet. Just back from a tour of Maryland, in which he played at the Red Star in Baltimore, Wells was in good voice, sang lots of his own songs—“Sadly Mistaken,” “I Am,” “Next in Line,” “Even I,” and plenty more—and told stories, developing a friendly rapport with the crowd. He performed a creditable version of Procol Harum’s classic “Whiter Shade of Pale” and even sang “Tempted by the Fruit of Another” by Squeeze, a tune I love and hadn’t heard in years. And he sang a new one, “Redneck Girl,” a song that isn’t quite in its final form but has plenty of potential. Wells was also selling CD’s for $3 apiece, a recording of him captured Live at Hurley’s at Potsdam State University in April. He’s still working on his studio CD and hopes to have it ready by this summer.

5/5/07—This night we saw and heard Into The Blue, an all-star lineup of local jazz musicians: Jake Whitesell played alto and tenor sax like eagles and hawks, effortless, joyful in its power and flight; the explosive Timothy Hill, a powerhouse on percussion, he seriously played drums with a baby on his lap and poked the guitar player with a drumstick for slacking; Josh Lazo on trumpet and gritty tenor sax; Zack DuPont on electric guitar like cool liquid moonlight; Dan Gagliardi, who accompanies his amazing flipper-fingered bass with vocal scat; and on piano, the impeccable professional, Bill Vitek. These guys have played in lots of ensembles throughout the Canton-Potsdam area. Highlights included George Gershwin’s “Summertime” and a funked-up version of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” Into The Blue was joined at the end by vocalist Christa Aikins-Hill, who sang “Chega de Saudade” (a Portuguese number) and “Georgia on my Mind.” The vibes were strong and magical.

5/12/07—A rare doubleheader. Richard Hayes Phillips held the stage for the first hour, playing his original songs on social topics: voting fraud, war protest, homelessness. Phillips accompanied his sweet tenor voice with guitar, harmonica, and mandolin. He was joined by Kyle Tupper on drums and Alex Jenseth on bass—these local Wunderkinder added punch and power to Phillips’s songs of protest and social conscience.

Folk gave way to jazz, as Phillips stepped down to be replaced by Zack DuPont with his cool smooth electric guitar. DuPont joined Tupper and Jenseth, and together that trio took off on some ecstatic improvisational flights. Sam Bailey joined in later on flute, and Matt Weiskopf plied his tenor and soprano sax on a few numbers at the end, notably John Coltrane’s otherworldly “Impressions.” A small café is the place to hear sweet, cosmic, unfettered jazz. I hope these guys return soon.

Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ---- May Edition - Volume 1 - Issue 11

---- The Partridge Café has reopened in the Jubilee Plaza, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.

3/24/07—On this snowy night, Rick Bates (guitar, harmonica, vocals) headlined without his usual keyboard and vocal sidekick, Chip Lamson, performing instead with Phil Neisser, drummer for the band Sundog. The pair played lots of originals written by Bates, but also included stirring versions of songs by people like Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, and Jimmy Reed. Bates told stories of his and Lamson’s successful musical tour through the South back in February. Among other shows, they played at Morgan Freeman’s famous blues club Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Tennessee. Upon leaving Ground Zero, Bates wielded his nastiest delta guitar at an after-hours blues club called Red’s Lounge, located in the scariest part of town. He says that they must have liked him, cuz he got out with his skin intact.

3/31/07—Richard Hayes Phillips delivered pretty much his standard show tonight, accompanying his sweet vocal tenor with guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and the cool watery sound of the African kalimba. His songs embraced his favorite topics—war protestation, appreciation of nature, homelessness, the right-to-vote, et cetera. Phillips concentrates on traditional folk ballads of both the British Isles and Appalachia, and writes his own songs as well. By request he played an instrumental version of the old tune “Whiskey in a Jar,” popularized a decade ago by Metallica.

4/7/07—Excellent hot/cool jazz at the café tonight, featuring an ephemeral assemblage of local notables calling themselves the Postmodern Jazz Quintet. The Quintet comprises Kyle Tupper (consummate impact technician on drums) and Alex Jenseth (graceful acoustic and electric bass) from the Fifth Edition, Matt Weiskopf (passionate tenor and soprano sax) and Zack DuPont (clean, fluid electric guitar) from St. Lawrence University, and strong-jawed Jake Whitesell (fabulous, high-flying alto sax), who also performs with Just in Time. These guys played lots of favorites, including tunes by Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, ending with Wayne Shorter’s classic “Watermelon Man,” on which Weiskopf played two saxes simultaneously. Solos were passed from player to player like a baton in a relay race. Each member of the Quintet played with style, exploring his instrument, searching for new methods of expression. If they return to the Café, you must check it out.

Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times and updates on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ---- April Edition - Volume 1 - Issue 10

---- The Partridge Café has reopened in the Jubilee Plaza, bringing live music back to downtown Canton. Here’s an update on recent shows.
2/17/07—I’ve heard the Fifth Edition play live at least six or seven times, but this was the finest performance yet. Old hands Alex Jenseth on upright bass, Kyle Tupper on drums, and Sam Bailey on tenor and soprano sax, were joined by Josh McGrath on piano and—for the second half of the show—Matt Bowman and Joe Newman on trumpet. The six-man ensemble jammed and jazzed to the music of John Coltrane, Horace Silver, Stanley Turrentine, and plenty more. These guys are getting to be so good it’s hard to believe that they’re all like 18 years old. The music was by turns passionate, playful, and lyrical. If you get a chance, you must check this band out.
2/24/07—This evening, Neil J. FitzGerald brought a rainy day, acoustic mood to the café. FitzGerald played acoustic guitar, harmonica, and handled most of the vocals. George Ross played acoustic lead guitar and sang a couple of songs. Joining this pair for the first half of the show was Josh Lazo from the local band Piquant on tenor sax. Roughly half the songs were purely instrumental, with the sax frolicking like a gang of seagulls over the rolling waves of sound. While most of the originals were written by FitzGerald, they also played familiar songs like “Wooden Ships,” “Scarborough Fair,” “Summer Breeze,” and “Here Comes the Sun,” with plenty of verve.
3/3/07—It was the night of the lunar eclipse. I had hoped that Scott Shipley wouldn’t be eclipsed by his new band, The Lemmings, but I needn’t have worried. For the first hour, Shipley played his usual solo set, just the acoustic guitar and his magnificent voice. For the second hour he was joined by The Lemmings: lefty guitarist John Richie, Steve Doheny-Farina on drums, Catherine Jahncke on bass, and Rosemary Philips on mandolin and background vocals. The new lineup really fills out Shipley’s sound, with Richie’s hard-edged electric leads adding a whole new dynamic range, along with Philips’s tinkly mandolin. The band’s playing is tight and tasty. Shipley noted sadly that the fuzzy lemming suits hadn’t arrived in time for the show.
3/10/07—This rare doubleheader was opened by Albie, who played guitar, harmonica, electric piano, and even a little kazoo. Albie alternated his own songs—“Break Time,” “Five-Foot Four,” something untitled, “Solid Ground,” and “Country Girl,”—with favorites like “Paint it Black” by the Stones, “Something” by the Beatles, and songs by Radiohead, Van Morrison, and the Everly Brothers. He also performed “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, in which the kazoo made its sole appearance. Albie’s passion and enthusiasm certainly won him some new fans in the audience.
The second act of the evening featured Cara and Rhian Morgan, billed as the American Idol Twins. Cara and Rhian sang karaoke to a CD-player. If this sounds tacky now, well it sounded great that night. With their unique, rich harmony, the Twins sang about the only country songs I can stand, including “I’m Here for the Party” and “Redneck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson, “I Can Love you Better” by the Dixie Chicks, and Faith Hill’s “Mississippi Girl.” They also included two Aretha Franklin songs, “Respect” and “Natural Woman.” The Twins are bouncy, flirty, and exciting. While in Los Angeles last month, they wrote four songs with Ashley from the defunct band Dream and Renee from similarly inactive Wild Orchid. Last week they were scheduled to return to LA to record these four songs in a professional studio. They hope to perform in this area again soon.
Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times and updates on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere. I’ll see you there.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ---- March Edition - Volume 1 - Issue 9

----Music & Entertainment from the Partridge Café: 1/27/07—David Wells took the stage before his growing core of devoted followers. He writes his own songs with a bittersweet nostalgia, plays them with a percussive strum on the acoustic guitar, and sings them in a voice that is incapable of hitting a sour note. Wells’s best songs will have you smiling sadly—“Hello, Again,” “I Am,” “Even I,” “Distances,” and others all resonate on a deeply personal level and are driven home by that voice. He played one song I hadn’t heard before, “Next in Line,” written at 2 a.m. at a subway station in New York City, “just me and the rats” as he put it. He has recorded one CD thus far and is working on his second, due out (he hopes) in June. Wells is a solid performer, whose songwriting skills seem to improve with time. He’s heading down to Baltimore in March to play a few gigs, but hopes to return to NNY soon.
---Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times and updates on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich ---- February Edition - Volume 1 - Issue 8

----Music & Entertainment from the Partridge Café: Here’s an update on some of their recent shows.
12/16/06—On this particular Saturday evening, magic was in the air in downtown Canton. I mean that literally, as self-taught magician, Rob Doran (pronounced DOOR-an) dazzled a small crowd w/ remarkable sleight-of-hand skills and prestidigitation. Doran concentrated on card tricks, using an ordinary deck of Bicycle cards. He says that a Tally-Ho deck is better, but that any cards will work. I have no explanation for what we saw. Doran made cards appear and disappear, one of which turned up in the pocket of his jacket which was draped over the back of a chair several tables away. He put a card into my hands and at the conclusion of the trick I turned it over and found indeed a different card. He also worked wonders with coins, taking a quarter from a spectator and making it sort of walk across the back of his knuckles. The coin disappeared—he then plucked it back out of thin air. Doran’s from Oswego, but if he returns to Canton you’ve got to check his show out.
----12/23/06—On this particular Saturday evening, poetry was in the air. Again, I mean that literally, as a poetry reading was held at the café, with four readers scheduled. John Berbrich read first; his poetry explored a broad spectrum—from comedy to pathos, utilizing puns and narrative. Sarah Gates went next, reading personal poems related to various stages in her life, starting with a sweetheart poem at the age of 11 and advancing to mature womanhood. Third was Bob DeGraaff, whose wry humor regarding ordinarily mundane topics such as toads and gardens elicited peals of laughter from the audience. Both Gates and DeGraaff are English Professors at St. Lawrence University. The featured poet was Robin Merrill, who drove all the way down from the State of Maine. Merrill’s poetry crossed a wide range of topics, from a sobering account of her humanitarian mission to West Africa a couple of years ago to the hilarious “A Nature Poem.” Merrill currently serves as President of the Maine Poets Society and is editor of the small press poetry journal Monkey’s Fist.
----12/30/06 (On-Line Only) —A versatile performer, Richard Hayes Phillips played to an enthusiastic crowd, accompanying his sweet and gentle tenor with guitar and capo, harmonica, kalimba, & a mandolin constructed in 1917. For the uninitiated, the kalimba is a South African instrument also known as a thumb piano; its sound is lovely, like a blend of sweet water and bells. Phillips is an original balladeer & folksinger, who concentrates on the folk music of Appalachia and the British Isles. He’s also a prolific songwriter. His interests include the usual topics of Romantic poets, nature and love. Many of his lyrics derive from his job clearing trails in the Adirondacks and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of his originals, one song was about the memorable Ice Storm of January 1998; another, called “Leave it Alone,” concerned the microburst of July 1995, which demolished many forested mountainsides in the Adirondacks; a third original tells of the day that Phillips saw a wild cougar in the Adirondacks—but he wouldn’t say where, preferring to leave the beast in peace if possible. Phillips has recorded nine CD’s, many of which are available at various locations in Canton.
----1/6/07 (On-Line Only)—Rick Bates and Chip Lamson brought stomping soul and vibrant energy to the Café with an evening of funky blues. These guys have developed a strong stage performance, with Bates (long dark-silver ponytail) on acoustic-electric guitar, dobro, and harmonica and Lamson (black beret) on his Yamaha keyboard. Bates handles most of the vocals with his rich growly voice, with Lamson generally singing the more comedic songs. In fact, this duo has developed quite a comic interplay between them. But when they get down to serious music—with Bates attacking that slide guitar and Lamson hammering on the keyboard—you’d better be prepared to listen. They played mostly originals plus the classic “Hootchie Koochie Man,” Robert Johnson’s “Love in Vain,” and one Taj Mahal number. A particularly powerful song called “Black and Poor in New Orleans”—an acerbic comment on social injustice during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—was written and sung by Bates. This pair is playing a brief local tour in Albany, Lake George, and Lake Placid, after which they drive down to Memphis, Tennessee, at the end of January for the International Blues Challenge. We wish them lots of luck and open roads.
----1/12/07—Angie Beeler, back home for a visit from Boulder, Colorado, packed the house on this night. Every seat, bench, and chair was taken, with people standing and leaning against the counters and along the walls. Angie’s vocals were backed by four-fifths of the local jazz band Just In Time—David Katz on upright acoustic bass, Timothy Hill on drums, and the strong-jawed Whitesell twins, Jake on sax and Sam on electric piano. The atmosphere was relaxed and party-like, with little kids running around and a few members of the audience coming up to help out periodically with vocals and sax. They played lots of jazz and blues standards, including “Fine & Mellow” and “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz. The band even worked in a little samba. It’s not easy to describe Angie’s singing voice. The closest I’ve been able to get is to say that it’s like a cat, playful and whimsical, but with killer claws liable to appear at any moment. Angie’s due back in town next summer and plans to get together again with the Just In Time guys then.
---- Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays and occasionally Fridays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times and updates on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and friendly atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...

Cafe Spotlight - John Berbrich -------- January Edition - Volume 1 - Issue 7

From the Partridge Café Bringing Live Music Back to Downtown Canton

---- A versatile performer, Richard Hayes Phillips played to an enthusiastic crowd, accompanying his tuneful vocals with guitar and capo, harmonica, kalimba, & an 89-year-old mandolin. The kalimba is a South African instrument also known as a thumb piano; its sound is lovely, like a blend of sweet water and bells.
---- Phillips is an original balladeer & folksinger, who concentrates on the folk music of Appalachia and the British Isles. He’s also a prolific songwriter. Many of his lyrics derive from his job clearing trails in the Adirondacks and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
---- Of his originals, one song was about the memorable Ice Storm of January 1998; another, called “Leave it Alone,” concerned the microburst of July 1995, which demolished many forested mountainsides in the Adirondacks; a third original tells of the day that Phillips saw a wild cougar in the Adirondacks—but he wouldn't’t say where, preferring to leave the beast in peace if possible. Phillips has recorded nine CD’s, many of which are available at various locations in Canton. (Performed on 11/25/06)
---- Rick Bates and Chip Lamson brought stomping soul and vibrant energy to the Café with an evening of funky blues. These guys have developed a strong stage performance, with Bates on acoustic-electric guitar, dobro, and harmonica and Lamson on his Yamaha keyboard. Bates handles most of the vocals, with Lamson generally singing the more comic songs. In fact, this duo has developed quite a comic interplay between them. But when they get down to serious music—with Bates attacking that slide guitar and Lamson hammering on the keyboard—you’d better be prepared to listen.
---- They played songs by Willie Dixon, Taj Mahal, Leon Russell, and B.B. King (“The Thrill is Gone”), plus lots of originals. A particularly powerful song called “Black and Poor in New Orleans”—an acerbic comment on social injustice during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—was written and sung by Bates. This pair is heading down to Memphis, Tennessee, at the end of January for the International Blues Challenge. We wish them lots of luck and open roads. (Performed on 12/2/06)
---- David Wells took the stage before his small but devoted core of followers. He writes his own songs with a bittersweet nostalgia, plays them with a percussive strum on the acoustic guitar, and sings them in a voice that is incapable of hitting a sour note.
---- Wells’s best songs will have you smiling sadly—“Hello, Again,” “I Am,” “Even I,” “Distances,” and others all resonate on a deeply personal level and are driven home by that voice. And Wells is a clever songwriter—his “Idiot’s Love Song,” is composed entirely of clichés. He has recorded one CD thus far and is working on his second, due out (he hopes) in the spring. Wells is a solid performer, whose songwriting skills seem to improve with time. (Performed on 12/9/06)

---- Shows at the Partridge Café are held on Saturdays, with starting times at 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00. Call ahead @ 386-3016 for exact times and updates on scheduled performances. There’s no cover charge and plenty of good food and atmosphere.

I’ll see you there! —John Berbrich To Contact Him Please E-mail Us Here...