Brewer And Shipley

A guest 100% at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC), South Orange on Sat, 14 Mar 2015

I have always loved the must the Richie Furay has made. And I am lucky know Richie personally. This has brought me to many of his concerts over the years. Last night, Brewer And Shipley opened for The Richie Furay Band at SOPAC. What an unexpected treat that turned out to be.

I was certainly aware of "One Toke..". I mean, I'm 65, grew up in northern New Jersey, and owned a good FM radio. It would have been impossible to turn on WNEW-FM in NYC in 1970 and 1971 and not hear that song over and over again. We all loved it, and knew the words by heart without even thinking about it, at any given moment, regardless of our state of consciousness, or lack thereof. But, I was not really aware of, or knowledgeable about, Mike and Tom as artists, or their body of work. After last night, I am no very sorry that I missed them back then. They are fantastic.

Their guitar work is a joy to watch and hear. Remember how "tight" The Band was when they played live? They sounded exactly like their records, right? Well that's how tight the two guitars, and voices, of Brewer and Shipley are. It's as if all the music is coming from one instrument, not two.

Their harmonies are wonderfully matched and mated to each other. Their voices blend and support each other perfectly. And the lyrics are intricate and sensitive enough to make you think, without being so obtuse or deep that you miss the point.

I ran out at intermission and bought CDs. I will be expanding my iTunes Library. And I will be watching for opportunities to enjoy them live just as soon and as often as time and circumstances allow.

If you get a chance to experience them live, don't hesitate. Just get tickets and go. You'll be glad that you did.

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