Another Saturday night, when the Senior Center at Heritage
Plaza was transformed into a Greenwich Village-‘esque’
venue, complete with clothed and candle lit tables, and a faux
brick wall backdrop. Bruno’s provided an assortment of
dinner worthy fare that had those in attendance coming back
for more. The sound reinforcement, as usual, was impeccable
and the coffee was freshly brewed and flowing as would be expected
at a coffee house.
But the surprise of the night had to be how a couple of New
Fairfield residents, taking the stage as “showcase performers”,
stole the show.
Marc Huberman, a transplant from a Pelham Parkway neighborhood
in “da Bronx”, gave the audience a virtuoso solo
performance of instrumental guitar. His combination of strum,
finger-style, and percussive technique mesmerized everyone,
so much so, you could have heard a pin drop between the notes.
It was an excellent way to open the show getting folks in the
mood for what was to follow.
J.D. Southard, out of Greenwich, gave us acoustic renditions
of her ‘alternative pop’ songwriting. One could
detect nuances of Suzan Vega, Aimee Mann, and Chrissie Hind.
A bit later, and closing the showcase portion of the evening’s
program, the band Second Thought, or at least the core of the
local club band of the same name, took the stage. These were
Joe DeMillio and Bill Gundel on guitars, and Groovin’s
own Meredith Rilley on lead vocals. Having only taken up the
microphone recently, she had been a regular in the St. Edward’s
church choir before answering an add for a lead vocalist she
saw in this very paper (thanks, Ellen). And those listening
were glad she had taken that opportunity to stretch out, because
on Saturday night, she certainly did. Opening with a rendition
Love Me Like a Man (a version reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt’s
cover of the Chris Smither classic) , she followed with the
Edna Swap original, Torn, covered K.T. Tunstall’s Black
Horse and A Cherry Tree flawlessly, and closed with a tune from
Four Non-Blondes, What’s Up. The crowd, a full house (over
100; no kidding) was delighted with the effort. She, and her
guitar playing comrades, literally brought the house down.
Featured performer, Annie Dinerman, up from the Big Apple by
way of Ohio, took us on a voyage into her world though her songs
inspired by observations of life around her. I could feel the
lonely neighbor, clasping onto the reassurance that the couple
next door’s relationship, though privately in turmoil,
was the hope that she too might find true love. Or the vignette
of an older woman encountered near the apartment building mailboxes,
pining for some mail other than her bills, were painted with
the strokes of Annie’s guitar strings and vocals.
So, who knew? The volunteer organization, Groovin’ in
New Fairfield (in cooperation with NF Parks and Rec and the
Senior Center), who have developed a reputation for consistently
recruiting the talent to put on an evening’s worth of
quality entertainment, right here in our Town, and for only
a $5 cover charge. I hope you’ll join us next time, but
get there when the doors open, because tables fill up quickly.
(Note: check your local listings for the channel 17 airing of
the April Coffee House to see what you’ve been missing).
Jeff Main
