Venue: Brick & Mortar Music Hall / San Francisco
If you’ve followed this blog at all you know that I’m a huge fan of Chris Ayer. He’s a favorite and I always try to catch him when he’s in the area, even if it’s the day after Thanksgiving. I’d only seen Matt Simons once before so was looking forward to seeing him again as well.
Let me start by saying that Brick & Mortar is one of my least favorite venues because the people at the bar are always too loud and it’s impossible to hear quiet songs. It’s also always unbearably hot even when it’s cool outside. It frustrates me. All that said, it was a fun night and I was definitely happy to be there. Also, as a side note, the lights were not conducive to photography from regular cameras so the ones below aren’t the best.
Chris kicked off the night and sounded amazing, as always. His songwriting ability is among the best around and his songs always make me smile as they reach deep into my soul. His lyrics always dig deep to elicit emotion and his accompanying chords and melodies create beautiful works of art that are only made better by him singing and performing them live. His performances are always filled with passion along with wit and humor and this night was no different. It was great hearing some new songs live and hearing some of my favorites as well. It was also fun to see him join Matt on stage for a couple of songs. Their voices blend well and it was fun to see them perform together. I look forward to seeing him again soon!
Matt Simons played a great set and while I don’t know his music as well he is another great singer songwriter with a great voice. He also plays a mean piano. It was cool that he brought his wife up to sing a song with him, as well as Chris, as previously mentioned. It looked like he was having a lot of fun and definitely had a ton of fans in the crowd. Many of them were singing along behind me - not always on key but definitely with passion. It was great to see his drummer, Rodney Flood, who played in my living room earlier in the year with Todd Carey. He’s a remarkable musician and I love watching his passion as he plays. So all in all it was a great night of music and a fun way to spend the day after Thanksgiving.
