Lucy Kaplansky / Beachland Ballroom (2/5/05)



There are two types of musicians / bands, those that are amazing and those that are just standard. Both are relevant and have their place. For me, about half of my music exposure are the standard performers and half are for those that have a superior talent, ones that phrase words as if they are meant to be put together and produce melodies / beats that are as good as you’ve ever heard. But what makes them exceptional is that you don’t hear music like that every day. The standards are good, reliable and enjoyable. Lucy Kaplansky is somewhere near standard but reaching greatness in my book. She has never been a strong songwriter, releasing albums where she may have only written half of the songs. However she continues to produce new music and tours often, garnering her a comfortable enough lifestyle to have the luxury of being a full-time musician. Her newest album, on which she’s come to Cleveland twice supporting, has shown that she’s dedicated to her songwriting and borders on being great. She also circulates in quite a crowd, including the likes of Dar Williams , Julie Miller, Richard Shindell and Jennifer Kimball. Her amazing ability to harmonize helps to accentuate her career with projects such as Cry Cry Cry . So you may ask, why have I seen her every time possible, have all her albums, and yells out songs at shows if she’s not one of the great ones?

There are also those artists that find their way into the exceptional category because of nostalgia or an experience tied to their music. Lucy and I go way back. All the way back to 1997 when I started listening to music not typically found on the radio in Bowling Green, OH. Folk music. I was watching shows organized by a “Trace of Folk” productions by Ann Tracy, and Lucy was one of the first ones I saw in the upstairs of the Junction (coincidentally one of Playboy’s top 50 college party bars). She would finish her set and walk awkwardly off the makeshift stage into a supply closet, then come back out for the encore. She sounded extremely happy to have changed her life and be doing what she loves. During her show that night, I called out a song from her first album, not because it was great, but because she asked and it was catchy. She was tickled by the request and wasn’t sure she would remember it. She did, and we briefly spoke after the show and she signed my ticket stub. Several years later I was visiting NYC with my friend Tim and I saw her on a subway car in lower Manhattan. She was with her husband and I think we were the only 4 people on the train. Tim encouraged me to say hi, but I did not. For this show I knew she would ask for song requests and I was hoping that if from the front row, that if I yelled that same song title, she’d remember me and recall the time 8 years ago in BG bar when it happened prior. I yelled it, amongst many others mind you, and no such reaction happened. I knew it would be a long shot. However, after all these years she’s still making CD’s and still touring, which says a lot about her as an artist. She’s one of my favorite because I can still see her from the front row, yell out songs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one time she’d remember me.

Lucy Kaplansky at AllMusic.com
Beachland Ballroom (http://www.beachlandballroom.com)

Posted: Sun - February 6, 2005 at 09:37 AM           |

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