Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Mark Baker & the Barbreakers with Pucci

Saturday night The Gryphon and I checked out an event in Media, the State Street Blues Stroll. We found out about it the week before when we had breakfast at a coffee shop there.

It sounded interesting: blues bands would perform at various venues all over town, playing multiple sets. The idea was that you paid for a wristband and then could roam, checking out different bands. We purchased our tickets online and picked them up at the Will Call booth.

When we arrived at about 7:30, things were just getting underway. So we looked at the schedule to figure out where we might want to go. We read the description for Mark Baker and the Barbreakers with Pucci, and they sounded interesting, so we walked down to Pinocchio's, where they were playing.

I was breaking in my new shoes from DSW shoes, along with my polka dot skirt with the handkerchief hemline, a teal short-sleeved wrap shirt I'd just bought, over a black camisole, and an extra lawyer of a lightweight olive drab fitted jacket, which I ended up removing. I carried an orange metallic handbag, big enough to stick my camera, the program and all my usual stuff. The shoes turned out to be remarkably comfortable, considering all the walking we did.

Pinocchio's is a pizza place on the Baltimore Pike, and when we walked in the door, we weren't sure where the band was performing but knew it must be further in, because just inside the doorway was a narrow bar area across from crowded booths. So we pushed our way into the main dining area, where the band was setting up. Some folks were having pizza at various tables, while the rest of the crowd was standing, nursing beers and waiting for the performance.

It was a little bit of a tight squeeze for the band, because they had four performers, including Pucci Talbert on vocals, Mark Baker on guitar, a guy listed only as Evan on bass, and drummer Dave Indevero. When they got underway, though, they rocked the house and made the best of the situation.

Pucci has a pure alto voice that is a pleasure to listen to. She worked the crowd, moving to the beat and smiling. The lead guitarist, Mark Baker, reminded me of the love child of Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was showing off, doing all kinds of fancy guitar work. A couple times he even came through the crowd, playing a solo behind his back!

The Gryphon says he was hamming it up for my camera, which was probably the case. I was one of the few audience members taking pictures. Later, he also played a solo right to some little kids down front. If I'd been closer, it would have made for an awesome photo. He definitely is a showman!

When their set ended, the crowd was in high spirits, enjoying themselves despite the crowd. If it had been any other night, I would have wanted to stay to see what else they came up with, but we knew the whole purpose of the evening was to sample different bands, so we moved on.

Next, we checked out Blues Anatomy, who were in the middle of a set at John's Grille. The band is made up of six Philadelphia area natives: Eddie Davis, vocals; Rick Prince, bass; Rick Nollet, guitar and vocals; Lenny Gorden, drums and vocals; Mike Suchodolski, keyboards and Marky B on harmonica. According to the program, they've been on the Philadelphia music scene 25 or more years, and to us they seemed like a group of buddies or family members, jamming out.

If possible, John's Grille was an even worse venue. Despite the fact that there was more overall space, the place was divided into two rooms. The bar was in one room, but the band and a number of tables were in the other, with a thick wall in between so that the sound had to travel into the bar area via an open foyer.

When we first arrived, I snuck around the corner and snapped a picture or two. That's Eddie Davis on vocals, Rick Prince on bass (wearing a peach T-shirt) and a barely visible Rick Nollett.

Overall, we were most impressed with Rick Nollett, whose reedy blues vocals had a folk quality to them, and whose guitar playing reminded us of Eric "Slow Hand" Clapton.

Unfortunately, the combination of the acoustics, some poor quality mics and a bad mix meant that a lot of their performance didn't come across. We enjoyed our second and final beers of the evening, though, and stayed for the end of their set.

Next, we were going to check out Leroy Hawkes and the Hipnotics, who were performing at Joclyn's. Leroy Hawkes had an impressive history in the blues, which made me want to see him. But once we got there, it was so crowded that we couldn't even get in the door. We thought that we'd make it back later, but we never made it back. Maybe I'll get another chance to see him sometime.

On the way there, we'd passed a couple venues that intrigued us, where we could hear the music from the street. So we returned to Quotations, where Dave Coppa and Scrapple were performing.

Strangely, the band's description in the program brags about their original songs and the acts they've either performed with or opened for, but it doesn't list any of the band members except lead guitarist/vocalist Dave Coppa. I found an old bio online, however, that lists the other band members as Pat Coppa on bass and David Esposito on drums. The photo below features David Esposito on drums and Dave Coppa on guitar.

I would say that Quotations was the nicest venue so far. The band was performing in the back room, but it was a nice 0pen floor plan so the sound carried all through the restaurant/bar. The place was brightly lit, clean and smoke-free, and even though it was standing room only it didn't feel quite so overcrowded.

We were impressed initially with their musicianship, and their contemporary blues style. But then I started listening to the lyrics of their original songs. One had lines like "your eyes are like a hurricane" and "I want to paint you a rainbow." Not exactly traditional blues subject matter!

After a while, that got a little distracting for me. Plus, Dave Coppa fell apart in the middle of a protracted solo. It was almost like he fell asleep and then woke up again. So The Gryphon and I moved on.

We walked a couple stores down and waited in line at Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I ordered a serving of their light ice cream. Funny story: when we got home, I wanted to figure out how many Weight Watchers points I'd eaten for the day, which are based on the amount of calories, fat and fiber in a food item. So I went to their web site, only to discover that they no longer offer nutritional info online! To get it you have to call their customer service number. I called that number and requested they send me the nutritional info. They said to expect it to take about 24 hours, and so far, two days later, it still hasn't arrived!

However, there seems to be plenty of info at Calorie-Count.com. It's definitely a splurge! Good thing we don't do that too often.

By the time we finished the ice cream, it was between sets again, so we thought we'd check out one more act, this time Dennis Donnelly at the Coffee Beanery, a solo musician. We passed him in the doorway, talking to some friends, and when we walked in, we saw he had several guitars on stands around his stool, including two steel guitars.

He was a virtual one-man band, playing slide guitar and harmonica, plus singing. He was entertaining, telling stories and cracking jokes between songs. Even his songs sometimes had humorous twists to them, as he'd work in lyrics, for example, about coffee or the Blues Stroll.

According to his bio, Dennis is the "happiest man with the blues", and that certainly came across. He was a genuine pleasure to listen to, whether playing his original songs or standards. Frequently, he would take an interesting twist on the standards. For example, he sang "Sweet Home Chicago" but made it "Sweet Home Kokomo." He also sang "Shake Your Moneymaker" but changed up the melody.

One of our favorite songs was an original song about his brother, who'd died in Vietnam. He told us that he was singing it because he'd just run into an old friend he hadn't seen since the mid-60s. I kept wondering throughout the show if that friend was the guy with long gray hair, a shaggy beard, and an American flag headband.

What started as a nearly empty room, consisting of us and one other couple enjoying coffees at the tables, became a standing room only performance by the end of his set. Afterwards, we bought one of his self-printed CDs and talked to him briefly. He told us he plays all over the country, balancing that with surfing with his two teen songs.

That was the end of our night, and I reflected on the experience. We noticed a strange aspect of the event: not all venues checked at the door for arm bands, meaning that people could easily enjoy a night of music without paying for anything but food and drinks.

However, we're not poor college kids, so if we come back next year, we'll play by the rules and buy a wristband. After all, it helps keep the event rolling, and for someone who's been jonesing for a good blues event, I certainly want to support local events when I find them!

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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