Review 1
Every week, the public is invited to the American Folk Art Museum to enjoy live music on Free Music Fridays. Now, most museums feature their displays in dimly lit rooms where smooth shadows easily creep across strange stone faces and dance with little men clad in animal skin. This museum was no different in that respect. However, the shadows and frozen figures were all neatly assembled into a much, much smaller space.
The museum seemed to be hiding as the small glass door was concealed behind a sharp turn. Near the entrance stood a tiny gift shop filled with all sorts of quaint items from a box of matches to a giant map of the United States made completely of colorful license plates. I thoroughly enjoyed the shop because I like giant wooden spoons and small china. The atrium, being the central hall of the museum was quite unimpressive. It was simply a small open area lined with folding chairs on two sides. A very grand staircase on one side, along with the lack of windows, threw more shadows within the already dim accommodation.
In the atrium, I took a seat to the right of the band to delight in some free live music. The three members included Tarrah Reynolds, who was the vocalist and guitarist, Sean Dixon, who played the drums, and Brian Satz, who played the bass. It was a very casual, café-like atmosphere. Tarrah’s guitar portrayed the mellow mood with its strings sticking out at the nuts. The drummer’s poet hat and the small round tables with newspapers, magazines, and drinks, added to the typical café ambiance.
Tarrah and her band members sang the usual three to five-minute songs. They sang about love, friendship, and the past in a bluesy style. The small room allowed the bass to boom and stand out and Tarrah had a very beautiful, smooth, and soft voice. It was sweet and pure, like glass, and her high notes rang in one’s ears. Unfortunately, these high notes were rare for I only heard them in one of the seven songs she played. Other than those strong and clear notes, her songs were mostly repetitive in sound. She did not include much range in her singing and basically played and sang the same couple of notes over and over again. Furthermore, she could enunciate better sometimes because every so often, she would sound like she’s drooling, and she could probably bring the microphone a little closer because her soft tones would occasionally get lost in the acoustics. The beginning of a song would sound pretty decent, but one would lose interest easily and quickly.
As a whole, the performance was quite disappointing. Although I got the chance to listen to a very beautiful voice, its loveliness was offset by the repetitiveness of the range and the dreariness of most of the songs. In addition, the environment was so informal to the point that it seemed less like a serious gig, and more like a rehearsal. The setting was also very distracting and noisy as museum goers walked in and out all over the place. However, kudos to the overall pleasantness and friendliness of the museum’s staff and band members.