Sarah Blacker With Seannymac And Joshua Panda Friday October 2, 2009 At The Skinny Pancake

Words by Tim Lewis.

It was a Friday evening and I got out an hour early. I ran home for a quick change and headed out on the lightly rainy evening to the Skinny Pancake. I arrived to a full restaurant, but was able to grab some standing room and a beer. Joshua Panda was on and playing his acoustic. He had some nice songs, and though the crowd was mostly focused on eating, they seemed to appreciate his music. I stood quietly listening to him play, and to the ambiance of the room. He played some suspender popping good time music that kept the crowd warm but didn’t do a lot for me.

Soon enough his set was done and Sarah Blacker and her bassist, Seannymac, took the stage. The bass added a bit of rumble to her songs, and gave me an idea of what she would sound like with a full band. Sarah’s songs are pretty cool and she plays them blisteringly well. Usually I’ve seen her solo, though last time it was with another guitar player. It is to her credit that she plays well with others, and it makes me wonder what she would sound like with a full on rock band behind her. I bet that would be great.

The late start saw the crowd slowly diminish as her set progressed. People seemed to be enjoying the music, but when their food was gone they left. She played some songs solo and some with the bass player, and all the while I reveled in the music and her powerful voice.

Everything sounded great that night but Oh Holy Night was especially cool. There is a story behind that but I’m going to skip it. Some things you just have to be there to experience.

As the set wrapped up I checked out and got a final beer. Instead of leaving like I always do, I thought I’d stay around and say hi. She settled into a table with some friends and invited me over. We chatted a bit until the staff looked like they wanted to close. We all grabbed a couple of pieces of gear, and helped Sarah and Seannymac carry stuff to the car. I said goodnight and headed down Lake st and up Depot st and made my way home. What a lovely evening.

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.