Songwriter’s night at Club 527 brought together an assorted group of artists for an evening of acoustic music here in Murfreesboro. Kicking off plans for a weekly show to be held at Club 527 every Sunday, this was a great start to what the guys over there are trying to do.
The first of five local musicians, Kyle Knutson took his stool on stage with only his guitar and harmonica to accompany him. Coming out of South Dakota, Knutson sounds like he was born and raised in downtown Memphis. Beale Street and the blues are obviously a huge influence over Knutson’s songwriting. Featuring tracks that oftentimes told stories, Knutson would speak his lyrics as much as he would sing them. Knutson played a lot of hilarious songs, including one about sperm donation. Lyrics “You will have five-hundred dollars and a picture from Playboy to thank” had the entire audience laughing out loud.
Amid funny songs, Knutson hammered out a couple of hard-hitting straight blues tracks. Regardless of being completely deaf in his left ear, Knutson can really play his guitar and has a solid voice to go right alongside it.
The next artist to take the stage was Joelle Jantamaso. Her humble and grateful attitude immediately warmed the stage as she simply introduced herself saying, “My name is Joelle and I’m just happy to be here.” Joelle begins her first track on the keys of her piano as an unexpectedly powerful voice comes belting out of this tiny girl. Joelle wields her acoustic guitar for the next few songs as she closes her eyes and plays as if every person in the room is completely connected to her and her music. Obviously Joelle has close friends watching as she playfully giggles at a crack from one of her fans. After four originals, Joelle returns to her piano and explains, “I didn’t have the pleasure of writing this one but someone very talented did.” Then she begins a gorgeous cover of Death Cab For Cutie’s “A Lack of Color.”
Bob Baxter is the next act to take the songwriter night stage. As the front man of local band Scarlett Classic, there is a certain aspect of Baxter’s music that almost calls for a band to back him. Baxter changes the mood of the show by playing much quicker and higher energy songs. His cheerful mood helped keep things rolling between songs as he told stories of his music and even meeting Little Richard over the weekend. Baxter had a crowd that gathered closer to the stage for his set and he seemed to really connect and play to them more than to the entire bar. Realizing that a lot of his music has a somewhat distressing tone, Baxter said, “This is the happiest song I have,” and ended his set with “Harlem in the Sheets.”
Samantha Knight, seemingly having influences from across the musical spectrum, was next to play. Her soulful voice varied in sound from an angry Janis Joplin to the playful deliverance of lyrics by someone like Joanna Newsome. Regardless, this girl can sing. Incorporating a lot of scat vocals in between lyrics, Knight allowed her vocals to accomplish more than most backing bands could. The relaxed atmosphere of the show became very apparent as Knight played a collection of music probably not far from the way she would in a friend’s living room. Knight’s final track was definitely the most energetic of the songs she chose and put a nice finish onto her set, which was the longest of the five musicians.
The final artist of the evening was Josh Phiffer. As the evening was winding down, so had this audience. Regardless, Phiffer delivered his performance as if he were playing for thousands. Alongside catchy hooks, a reoccurring theme of “she did this to me” is very prominent in Phiffer’s music. While easily comparable to a good number of current acts, Phiffer delivered a tight set that was very professional and he seemed grateful for the opportunity to play. Declaring, “If you hate my guts that is cool, I still want to be your friend,” Phiffer finished out his set and closed out the night.
Look for more songwriters to take the stage at Club 527 in the coming Sundays.
