Local Duo And Trio Entertain Music Lovers At MERA Fundraiser

Feb 27, 2013

The MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners was the place to be on February 10 for music lovers wanting to sample the talents of two groups, both of whom are no strangers to the local music scene.

Listeners were first treated to the sounds of the sibling duo “Charlie in the Middle” comprised of Margaret and Noah Sullivan. Margaret played her stand-up bass, which she calls “Charlie”, hence the band name, and Noah played acoustic guitar. They shared lead vocals and provided each other with delicate harmonies in a repertoire comprised of both cover and original folk/roots material. Favorites included a cover of Sherman Downie's “Blue” whom the two met while he and his band toured local festivals last summer. Their version included beautifully blended harmonies and a plucky chorus. They also covered North Carolina songster Jonathan Byrd's “I was an Oak Tree”, which Noah sang with guts and gusto. (Byrd will be back at MERA performing along with Catherine MacLellan on March 9).

Other memorable covers the duo offered included Tom Waits' classic “Ol' 55” as well as a number of catchy original tunes. One noteworthy original was written by Margaret and inspired by regular family car drives to their grandmothers and the vehicles’ strange tendency to wind up at a beloved local doughnut shop. Margaret described those trips as inspiring the song and “a willingness to suspend your disbelief.”

The Long Sault Trio, a group that's hard to pin down as far as musical genres go, offered up their wide ranging repertoire of original material inspired by classic folk, blues, country, Celtic, rock as well as old jazz and swing standards. The group, who have been playing together as a trio for two years, is comprised of Linda Grenier on lead vocals/guitar, local famed fiddler Victor Maltby, and Dave Tilston on guitar/mandolin. The three opened up their set with numerous selections of their all original material comprised of and demonstrating the various styles that they are influenced and inspired by. Their first tune, a waltz called “I Wish It Was Me”, demonstrated both the trio’s talent as individual players and their prowess as an ensemble with pitch-perfect a capella harmonies that accented Genier's rich and expressive vocal stylings.

Their second tune was an original reel/medley featuring Maltby on the fiddle and Tilston on mandolin, which demonstrated their mastery of the Celtic genre. Tilston’s original up beat blues-inspired tune “Can't Get Out of These Blues”, which featured Tilston on lead vocals, Maltby on saxophone and Genier on brushes demonstrated the group’s further flexibility and comfort as straight ahead blues practitioners. Grenier had numerous opportunities to show off her skills as a jazz/blues diva on tunes like Tilston's original jazz standard inspired “I'm Lucky” as well as on Grenier's own original titled “Moonlight”, the latter of which highlighted not only Grenier's vocal strengths but also the heart and personal experience that bring a truthfulness to the lyrics that she sings so well.

For those who missed the MERA performance, the Long Sault Trio will be performing at the ABC hall in Bolingbroke on Fri. March 1 at 7:30pm.