This is my write up of a fabulous show I saw at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla this year...
There’s a reason the art of storytelling has lasted through the ages: Everybody loves a well-spun yarn. Tonight, the bill features three exceptional lyricists (two of whom are published authors) so the narrative quality of the songs is no surprise.
Robert F Cranny is first up to the mic and he quickly justifies his reputation as one of Sydney’s most gifted songwriters. His lyrics carry the weight of nostalgia and regret across the grimy landscapes of small towns and the inner city. His guitar playing offers tempo changes and structural twists when you least expect them. It’s an impressive combination.
With Katy White now recruited on keyboard/melodica, the next chapter of Cranny’s career is beginning to take shape. If some harmonies were added, to lift his vocals a touch, who knows where it could lead?
Jason Walker sticks to a more tried and trusted formula to tell his tales. His acoustic strumming has a distinct country twang while the lyrics feature sad, angry men propping up bars while drinking women’s tears. Walker is a charismatic performer, throwing in one-liners between songs, and his powerful voice gives his stories added punch. His musicianship is so sharp that it’s hard to believe he was added to the bill just 24 hours ago.
The storybook is now passed on to singer Willy Vlautin who, with Dan Eccles, makes up half of Portland, Oregon’s Richmond Fontaine. Opener ‘Welhorn Yards’ begins a series of evocative, often harrowing testimonies from a gallery of rogues. We hear of a violent criminal’s guilt, a gambler’s losing streak and a boxer’s journey from obscurity - to victory - to injury (both physical and psychological).
On the surface this sounds bleak. But if you peer between the cracks there are signs of redemption and catharsis: ‘Two Broken Hearts’ and ‘Post to Wire’ both see lovers united after shared pain, while ‘Polaroid’ concludes: “Not everyone lives their life alone/Not everyone gives up or is beaten or robbed or always stoned”.
Throughout, Dan Eccles gives everything, as if he might squeeze the very life out of his guitar; while Vlautin proves himself to be a major country-rock talent. He might not possess the same vocal range as Bruce Springsteen or Ryan Adams but, when it comes to storytelling, he is way ahead of them both.
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