The Evening Muse, Charlotte NC

This blog is dedicated to sharing my thoughts about and photos of performances at The Evening Muse in Charlotte, NC. The Evening Muse is a special place which affords singer/songwriters the opportunity to showcase their talents in a warm and friendly environment. It's a place where undiscovered future "stars" can be seen. www.theeveningmuse.com

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Location: Charlotte, NC, United States

Monty is a freelance photographer and avid music fan located in Charlotte, NC. He has been documenting the world through still photography for over 30 years. Monty's website is meant to both share online images and support the acquisition of prints/merchandise of those images by those whom desire to do so. Monty's travels have brought him to several corners of the world. "The ability to share these travels and my personal interests with friends and family has proven to be both an inspiration and a great source of personal satisfaction for me. Inspiration and satisfaction tend to sum up to balance which is something I treasure greatly."

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Gareth Asher - 03/14/09


Gareth Asher brought his powerful voice and medley of popular songs to the Evening Muse Saturday night. It had been a while since I had seen Gareth and I was very much looking forward to this show. He is a very unique singer-songwriter in that his voice is crystal clear, in tune, and booms loud enough to probably not need a microphone! I mean, Gareth can bring the soulful ballad to your ears and your heart!

Gareth shared that many things had been going on in his life over the past several months. He mentioned he is "newly single" to the applause of the ladies in the house - but its obvious that he is not quite so happy about it. On a lighter side he shared with me that he had enjoyed both The Simple Man cruise and the Rock Boat cruise this winter. Lot's of performing, eating, and partying with friends durting those couple of weeks in the Caribbean.

Gareth is working on a new CD. When asked when it would be available, he said "when its done". I guess these things don't happen on a schedule but rather in due time as the various components come together, one song at a time. One thing is for sure - his vocal ability sets him apart from anyone else doing acoustic sets. Not to mention that you won't meet a nicer person.

Listen to a few of Gareths songs at his MySpace page and have a look at a few of his performance videos. You'll want to add his music to your collection - I promise.

Here's a link to a few photos of the show.

Cheers,

Malcolm Holcombe - 03/14/09

Shuffling around the Evening Muse prior to the beginning of the show, Malcomb Holcombe had the look of a humbled soul, lost in the noisey buzz of the people who had come to see him perform. Slight of stature and unassuming off the stage Malcolm blended with the crowd, occasionally stopping to say hello to a fan who had recognized him.

As the Evening Muse continued to fill it was obvious that the Charlotte locals had been waiting for Malcom to come back to this listening room. Many of the conversations were stories of the last time they had seen Malcom, either here in Charlotte or at a folk festival somewhere in the Carolinas. The chatter supports Joe's introduction of Malcolm as "The man, the myth, the legend". He's certainly one of Carolina's sons and a favored mountain trubadour.

There's a lot that changes when Malcomb takes the stage. I'd swear he gets 6 inches taller and puts on about 40 pounds as he begins his set. His graveley voice and rustic appearance combined with some unique guitar picking/strumming/banging mark the unique sound that is Malcomb Holcombe. A gifted guitarist and storyteller indeed! The country fried stories which introduce each song are filled with anticipation as one never knows where Malcolm is going to take a story or what adjectives are going to come out of his mouth. It's an adventure! Over and over again, the crowd let's out a chuckle as Malcolm transitions from a story to a song.

On this night Malcolm played a number of upbeat, bluesy, rockin' songs which kept the toes tappin'. Of course the night would not be complete without several ballads as well. As the set drew to a close and the house stood in ovation, Malcom continued with an additional three encore songs as people shouted out favorites and Malcolm quickly acknowledged them. Once finished, Malcolm stepped off the stage and began greeting his fans and friends as he melded back into the unassuming man whom had blended in with the crowd as the night began.


Cheers,