Ballymore Acoustic Gigs have become something of an open secret among those who lean towards a discerning taste in music. Monday is not always the best night to get free from family commitments or the pressures of the working week, but with Aidan Ingoldsby at the helm, the good ship that is Mick Murphy’s bar is steering a steady course since he inherited the promotion duties from Roy Thompson and this cosy venue continues to offer attractive gigs for these cold nights and hopefully, into the future.
Tonight, we are truly blessed to have the wonderful talents of American singer songwriter Jeffrey Foucault and his songs that cover much of the subject matter that occupies the daily lives of everyman. His guitar playing is very compelling and lays down a mood for each song that his words inhabit; words that are both insightful and reflective in reaching out to share a common emotion or feeling.
If we are to make any difference in the space that we occupy upon this planet, then we should take it upon ourselves to leave a happy and positive legacy. Foucault works from this perspective and slices through a lot of the doubts, fears, hopes and dreams of what binds us together in this human glue.
There is a support slot from Ry Cavanaugh, fellow traveller and excellent songwriter in his own right. He joins Jeffrey later and he warms things up with a short set of 6 songs, including two tracks from his new release, TIME FOR THIS; a tribute to his Father who died many years ago but who was a songwriter in his younger days also. Ry also plays a song that Mary Black recorded, Lighthouse Light, plus a few more from his years with his band, Session Americana or as a solo artist. Raking Through The Ashes is a terrific song and there is also a funny work-in-progress that he’s writing with his son about their dog. Ry leaves in order to allow some room for refills and shifting of seats and stools among the audience, before returning with Jeffrey, smartly attired in denim and Stetson Open Road hat, to kick off the main event.
Over the next 75 minutes we are treated to a set of 13 songs that display the full range of talent on show, with Ry playing around the acoustic guitar lines of Jeffrey and adding some fine electric guitar runs and light touches. The harmony singing is beautifully loose and yet always in the pocket when the two musicians share vocals at the microphones.
Although BLOOD BROTHERS was Jeffrey’s most recent American release in 2018 and gets a UK release this March, it is not the central album that features tonight, with only three tracks played – Blown, Blood Brothers and Little Warble. More of the set is taken from the SALT AS WOLVES release in 2015 and five songs are included - Des Moines, Rico, Left This Town, Blues For Jessie Mae and the encore, Hurricane Lamp, with its lovely message of “You've got a heart like a hurricane lamp, Keep your light inside.”
Jeffrey also plays a few solo numbers and the impressive presence he exudes is testament to the journey he has taken in his career to arrive at the centre of his power these days. His combination of wistful, soulful vocals and inventive guitar playing is a reflection of his rounded experience and knowledge of performance dynamic and song structure.
Crown Of Smoke is a fine performance of a still unrecorded favourite and his take on what the life of an ex-lover has amounted to has a fragile sadness, “Somewhere along the way, She gave up on love.”
Cover versions include a slow burn rendition of Don’t Get Me Wrong, The Pretenders song, made famous by the smoky delivery of Chrissie Hynde. There is also a Chris Smither song in tribute to the great man and Jeffrey tells of the way that he was mentored by Chris in his early career. He also dedicates No Love Today in memory of the late, great Larry Roddy, who was a big fan of Chris and used to sing along, out of tune, to this song. There is also a performance of The Moonshiner, a tradition Folk song that Redbird (Foucault, Kris Delmhorst and Peter Mulvey) included on their debut album.
Everybody’s Famous is also performed from the HORSE LATITUDES album and is a fine example of Jeffrey’s ability to capture and mirror the feeling of our times. Something in the lines “And there's something down inside you, Feels like it's being torn, everybody's famous, everything is gone,” just seems to resonate and capture the frustration and isolation at large these days.
Foucault says that many folk artists have a compulsion to explain exactly what every song is about, thus taking away the power of the meaning for others as a result. That could never be the case with these songs that leave enough room and space for contemplation and interpretation. This was a really great evening of entertainment, fun and inspiring performance. Hopefully Jeffrey will not leave it so long to return to Ireland next time out – he has certainly been missed and his ability to plug straight into the Irish soul is a special thing to witness.
Dublin
As this short Irish tour winds down, we are pleased to be in the company of Jeffrey Foucault and Ry Cavanaugh once again, as they find themselves in Dublin City at the DC Club. This discreet venue, in the basement of an old building at the corner of Camden Row, is like stepping back in time and you descend the stairwell into a room that seats quite a healthy number, flanked by a bar to the right and a separate room for those who enjoy a game of snooker. The décor has an old World feel to it, even if the bar prices are very much 21st Century.
Intrepid host Paul Lee is delighted to boast a sold-out show tonight and in contrast to Ballymore Eustace last Monday, a seat is very hard to find among the tables, couches and stools that populate the space. Given the long absence since the last time Jeffrey Foucault played in Ireland, this is a very heartening sight to behold and proof that live music is indeed alive and well in the current climate of home-based media entertainment and a diet of music selected by download and streaming preferences. True, the average age of the audience could be defined as ‘mature’ in profile, but it is filled with those who know their music and are happy to share an evening with two gifted musicians.
Ry Cavanaugh opens up with a short set of six songs and a few changes from those played at Mick Murphy’s last Monday. He plays a funny Toothbrush Song with clever lyrics and also speaks of the song that Mary Black covered, Lighthouse Light, that he played on Monday. He has an easy, relaxed stage presence and is very expressive on guitar as he delivers fine tunes like All For You, One Good Reason and Raking Through the Ashes, a song inspired by his stay on the Inishowen peninsula one winter, in a summerhouse, with his wife, Jennifer Kimball.
Jeffrey Foucault appears after a short intermission and for the next 80 minutes we are treated to a master class of song craft, tales from the road, insights into life and love, plus a healthy amount of witty repartee. With Ry Cavanaugh by his side, the songs and performance dynamics are superbly crafted and the guitar work of each musician is beautifully balanced as they play off each other and around the rhythms created. There is plenty of space in the arrangements and the playing is never rushed, with a less-is-more feel to the delivery and mood. Foucault is a real student of song and the finely tuned skill of a professional musician is very evident as he delivers soulful vocals and a dextrous guitar style that fit perfectly into his sense of place and style.
The setlist tonight has six different songs to those he delivered on Monday last, with two striking cover versions, Leon Redbone’s, If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven, plus a superb version of Bob Dylan’s, Señor (Tales of Yankee Power), his second encore at the end of the evening. Also included in a strong set are Ghost Repeater, Cross Of Flowers, Slow Talker and I Love You (And You Are A Fool)– a song he insists was not written about his beautiful wife, Kris Delmhorst.
The tempo changes on Rico, which has both musicians playing electric guitar with a bluesy groove, but this apart, the evening passes in a mellow sense of being in the moment and witness to something special in the hushed environment. Left This Town ended the set before an encore of Hurricane Light, followed by that Dylan song, brought a satisfactory conclusion to proceedings and had the audience filtering back up the stairs to the reality of a cold January night, fortified by the glow and warmth of the evening just ended.
Reviews by Paul McGee and photography by Kaethe Burt O’Dea