So, I don't know about you all, but I don't howl like a werewolf often enough, but I got a good start on my howling practice Friday night at The Grand Theater. The Grand is on High St. in downtown Salem. It is a really great old building across from the county courthouse with a beautiful, old theater on the street level.
The theater has great acoustics as Lauren pointed out more than once during the performance. Partly because of it's great acoustics which allowed her to hear the audience, and partly because of her laid-back style, the concert felt more like hanging out at a friend's house - a particularly musically talented friend that is. She interacted with the audience throughout the night, telling stories, asking us to sing along, whistle, and yes, even howl like werewolves (okay, so she sang a song about a werewolf, because I know you are all wondering exactly what kind of music includes howling).
Lauren and her musical partner, Greg Clark, made the stringed instruments they played just come alive. The music was a combination of blues, bluegrass, folk, country and maybe a little bit of gospel thrown in just to round it out. I think "American Roots" music covers it very well. It sounds like the kind of music that people used to play and sing-along to all across this country before radio and TV and MP3's took over. There is something really amazing about feeling like you've been taken back to another era - back to a toe-tapping, banjo-playing, dancing-in-the-kitchen kind of era.
Although this music seems to defy explanation, the one thing I can say is that it's the kind of music that just makes you smile. And sometimes...that's just what a body needs. :)
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