247 Elm St, Somerville, MA 02144
February 20, 2020
Give Amy Kucharik a couple of spoons and a wooden box top and she could entertain a crowd in front of a WalMart in Anyplace, USA. Give her a ukulele and a few talented musicians and she can, and did, entertain a full house in The Back Room at The Burren in Somerville tonight.
Singer/songwriter is a feeble way to think about what she does. She's a master of the ukulele for starters. "I like to learn new things," she says as she picks up a guitar, adjusts the capo to set it in ukelele range and sings one of her original songs. That's after she's accompanied herself with a harmonica and some righteous foot stomping. And what you have to hear to believe, a kind of humming she calls mouth harping that sounds like a trumpet with a kazoo for a mouthpiece. Your jaw will drop the first time you hear this. Delightful.
The woman loves music that tells stories. She pitches them to us with a bit of their history, a personal anecdote, a bit of philosophizing, and natural sense of humor (some delightfully at her own expense). Several songs are from her 2018 album "Until The Words Are Gone" (original songs) and a few from her 2014 "Cunning Folk" album (more original songs!).
A nod from Amy, and Shazam! ...her regular crew of sax, keyboard, and standup bass players tattoo the song's intent, from lyrical to raucous, in a six lane highway spanning blues, punchy 1920s/30s ragtime jazz, folk, pop, and country, with show-stopping energy that elicit spontaneous applause from us, and grins from her band mates.
The Amy Kucharik partisans in the crowd were treated to Amy at her best, haunting, jaunty, and humorous...this is why you come to hear live music.
A light - hearted moment, one of many tonight...
Down Hearted Blues, a 1922 classic written by Alberta Hunter and Lovie Austin - Amy sings and plays, the band kills it with inspired solos, note Amy's inventive 'mouth harp" at around the 4 minute mark.
Knock down blues....oh, my...blues dancers and listeners delight, Amy and the band are in a serious groove covering Lil Green's 1940 "Romance In the Dark," written by Big Bill Broonzy, revered for its smoky hues and covered by scores of artists. You'd have to go some to find a cover that does it more justice. .
Photos and videos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
The Burren Backroom Series is hosted by WUMB. FM, Boston, tonight's MC Perry Persoff.
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