Sung-day

With the week-end winding down, I stopped by The Dakota for the 2nd Dark Day Review. Fiddler Miranda Mulholland was hosting 3 weekly shows where she invited any singers/musicians to take the stage. As the evening progressed, most of the players (and audience) turned out to be local musicians or from theatrical productions including the cast of Once.

Mulholland and her Belle Starr band-mate Stephanie Cadman started with some fun fiddling tunes with Cadman also showing her East Coast step dance prowess. After that, it was a procession of singers on stage, with others jumping in to help out and improvise on guitar, piano, fiddle, cello, bass, and even cajon (drum box). The repertoire was eclectic: everything from Bob Dylan (Girl of North Country) to Michael Jackson (Billie Jean), Joni Mitchell (Case of You) and Taylor Swift (Shake It Off). There were quite a few "white man screaming" singers but surprisingly no musical theatre numbers. Two highlights for me: Mulholland and company improvising mad solos on Isn't That So ("It's in A minor and then D") and Saidah Baba Talibah showing how it's done on Ain't No Sunshine. The evening ended with all musicians grabbing an instrument and everybody (audience included) joining in on Neil Young's Helpless.