City Winery was a new venue to me tonight. It's a very spacious room with some columns holding up the high ceiling, but the sight-lines to the stage were pretty good throughout. The stage was quite pretty with wine barrels stacked against the back and leafy boughs and ivy arching up above the front of the stage. The stage lighting was mostly a soft rose; the audience/floor was barely lit with votive candles on all the tables and some fairy lights installed at ceiling-level here and there. The tables were really packed in, one could barely make it in and out once folks were seated. (That's really my only complaint.) We got there early to have some supper and there were tasty vegetarian selections and loads of wine to choose from. They make their own wine there with grapes brought in from Oregon, California and even Argentina. Luckily table service pretty much stopped with the artists taking the stage, but there were some dropped forks and tinkling glasses making themselves known throughout the evening.

Sam Amidon took the stage just after eight. His selections included some traditional folk songs, as well as some of his own creations that definitely used traditional form as a touchstone. I thought his songs showed incredible depth of feeling and really gorgeous melodies. Some of the too-cool-for-school New Yorkers around us weren't sure how to react to Sam's creative performance in front of their friends, but my fiancee and I really enjoyed him. He played a really antique banjo that looked like it'd seen some hard days on the road and an acoustic guitar on some other songs. He also had Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman, for those keeping score) sit in on piano for some songs. (There was a shiny black grand piano onstage.) Beth came out and sang for two songs that she and Sam had recorded together for his forthcoming album. One was a traditional game song that kids sing on Georgia(?) Island and the other was called 'Sugar Baby'. I really liked how Beth and Sam's voices worked together and look forward to hearing the album versions. They really looked like they were having fun up there; I'm glad Beth's been working with such nice folks again.

There was a brief intermission and then Beth (now in a rose "cocktail dress" and black tights) took the stage with her acoustic guitar and treated us to (1) Someone's Daughter.

Banter snippet: "I don't get out much- my name's Beth" (pulled a face)

(2) Stolen Car. Also solo with guitar.
(3) Conceived. Ditto.
(4) Unnamed New Song with lots of lovely light imagery and a message of hope

Beth did a lovely spoken word intro for the next song. Something along the lines of "I dreamed of you last night...this dream was short but happy."
(5)Touch Me With Your Love

Banter snippet after coughing more: "Don't be concerned. I had walking pneumonia, but now I'm fine- I took an antibiotic!" Poor Beth had to hit her hot tea pretty hard tonight, but she sounded great.
(6) Countenance. (There was a charming moment during this song when Beth nearly sang "obsessed with his complexion" instead of "obsessed with his reflection" but she recovered with quick wit and a smile.

Thomas Bartlett came out to play piano. Sam and Beth played guitar on:
(7) Whenever (I think- my writing is unclear here)

Then the three played a song they recorded for an upcoming John Martyn tribute album. (Beth didn't play guitar on this one, just sang.)
(8) Go Down Easy

Sam left the stage leaving Thomas on piano and Beth on guitar for:
(9) Sweetest Decline

Same deal for:
(10) Sugar Boy

There was talk of a "mutual admiration society" (between Beth and Thomas)- "It's sickening, but kind of beautiful."
(11) Central Reservation

Beth solo on guitar:
(12) Shopping Trolley

Banter snippet: "These songs are part of my homage to my album 'Comfort of Strangers'."
Beth solo on guitar:
(13) A Place Aside

Thomas came back out to accompany Beth on piano. There was a wee delay as Beth tuned her guitar. She joked that she gets "OCD when I tune", and played it up for the laugh.
On (14) Rectify, Thomas reached over the top edge of the piano to dampen the strings he was playing for a neat plucking effect. Beth played guitar.

Beth on guitar, Thomas on piano for:
(15) Safe in Your Arms

Beth paused to tell the audience that many of her new songs are "lullabies of a sort", since one has to sing quietly while the baby's sleeping. She said they'd been living for a while in a barn out in the country near Norfolk (where she's from.) Her daughter must have the nicest naps in the county, with lullabies from Beth- am I right? Sam came back out to play guitar along with Beth's on this one, with Thomas on piano.
(16) Unnamed New Song- lovely and lullabyish as promised

Encores:
Just two, Beth soloing on guitar

(E1) She Cries Your Name. This one was the first song I ever heard of Beth's and it still gets me every time.
(E2) Ooh Child. There was a bit of guitar picking trouble on the changeup on this one, but she got it sorted quickly with a little witty banter.

 A live Beth show always brings me out of the woodwork. I really have little more to add since BlueGirl wrote very nicely about everything.

She sang 2 new songs of her own and the John Martyn cover "Go Down Easy". She said this would be on an upcoming tribute album.

Standouts to me were "A Place Aside", "Sweetest Decline" (with Thomas Bartlett on piano), and "Ooh Child".

I felt like I was watching Beth circa 1999 again, with the short hair. She sounded great, despite the walking pneumonia. She coughed between songs, but other than that it didn't seem to disturb her voice...maybe she has some magic tea in that pot. She looked really comfortable and happy and this came through in her voice...she smiled a lot when singing. At the end, after the house lights came up and everyone was leaving, I saw her jump off the stage with a plate of food and go sit at a table with Sam, Thomas, and David Byrne!

I have mixed feelings on Sam Amidon. I liked his banjo-playing. I thought his voice sounded very good at points. I actually do love old folk music and am always up for new interpretations of it. One of the songs he did very well was "O Death" - which you might know from the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, done by Ralph Stanley. His duets with Beth were very good. Overall though, there were times when I couldn't tell if it was all just a joke. He screamed in the middle of one song, and was doing some odd movements with his body in others. Very strange stage presence. I will hold my full opinion until I hear some of his recorded stuff.

-Kathleen