rockin' out with McLeod and Company

In an intimate coffee house setting, Ryan and Cindy McLeod and their stellar backing band of Dave "Layin' it Down" Booth on upright bass and Johnny "the 5 is Alive" Andrews on the skins put on one of the better shows I have yet seen in 2006. The deal was sweetened by the fact that these are people I know personally and they are all wonderful personalities along with being fantastic musicians. Because of this it was great to see them putting on a show together with all proceeds benefiting Mission Mexico. With what was supposedly a minimal amount of rehearsal, they came up HUGE! The songs were tight, the playing was stellar (with a band like that, how could it not be?!), and the sound was excellent in the Solstice Cafe.

My observations: I will maintain (as will my fiancee Caitlin) that Cindy has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard and I never get tired of listening to her. Her playing on the keys displayed both great touch and varied dynamics which supported her melancholy, fragile, confessional songs. Johnny 5 and Dave Booth were solid, adding a fluid and muscular backing to the songs (Johnny, as per usual, had some killer fills. That guy blows my mind!) and were bang-on all evening. The big surprise of the night, for me, was Ryan. I have always known that Ryan is a good guitar player and singer, but on Saturday night he showed me that he was a GREAT guitar player, songwriter and singer. It was kinda like John Mayer without the navel-gazing and self-obsessed whining. His songs were tight and thoughtful, but his work on the axe was what really bowled me over. Interesting chords, funky rhythms, and melodic leads were the name of the game all night be it on his own songs or his wife's. Very impressive...

For $7, I got to see some great people showcase their talents while raising money for a worthy cause. It doesn't get much better than that. Should they choose to put on another show, I would encourage you to go because, for local singer-songwriters, it really doesn't get much better than the McLeods. Until next time...