AmericanaFest: An Enchanting Evening at the Blue Room with S.G. Goodman, Dawes and Others

 By Wil Comstock

MCAU Contributing Writer

An Evening at The Blue Room

Sept. 11 (Thursday)

This was my first time at the Blue Room.  What a great venue.  The capacity is 150, which makes it a warm and intimate place.  They have a nice selection of beer and adult beverages, a small outdoor area, and clean bathrooms!

Murray, Kentucky’s, S.G. Goodman was up first.  She has a unique and vulnerable approach to her songwriting which is her strongest point.  Her stories between songs are engaging and endearing. Dusty Escalante accompanied her on backup vocals and utilitarian guitar. S.G. opened with the sparse “Planting by the Signs,” which reminded me of Hazel Dickins.  Good stuff!   She was challenged by a friend to write a love song, because she didn’t have any, so she did!  The not-so-happy sounding “I’m in Love.”  My favorites were “Nature’s Child,” written by her friend, Tyler Ladd, and “Never Want to Leave this World.”

The first time I saw Dawes was at the Honors and Awards Show.  I was impressed.  That’s why I came out for this show.  The band usually has four members, but tonight it was just brothers Taylor (lead vocals and guitar) and Griffin Goldsmith (background vocals and drums).  I didn’t miss the other two members.  They kicked off with “Things Happen” and had the audience in their hand the entire show.  They reminded me a bit of Steely Dan on the jazz rock “Enough Already.”  These guys are really good!  Crowd favorites were “Waves” and the island vibe-influenced “House Parties,” written about going on vacation with the wife and kids when you’d rather be at home.  For the last number, fellow Altadena resident John C. Reilly joined them for “All Your Favorite Bands.” Great harmonies!   Besides the exceptional musicianship and tight vocals, Taylor’s songwriting stands on it’s own.  I’ll be picking up a few of their albums. I’m hooked.

I didn’t have any expectations for Medium Build, whose real name is Nicholas Carpenter.  Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised. Medium puts it all out there. He’s upfront about being a former alcoholic, drug user, and “asshole.”  His opening song, “In My Room,” even talked about him masturbating.  He’s zany, a little over the top, and completely real.  His vocals are raw and filled with passion as displayed on “Downtown Theater.”  One of my favorite moments was when he brought Dawes back up to harmonize on their collaboration, “This is Life.”  His cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time” brought the house down. He closed with his most popular songs, “Last Time” and “White Male Privilege.”  Carpenter has a voice, and I’m glad it is being heard!

Last up was Joy Olodokun, a child of Nigerian refugees. Growing up, she felt she didn’t really fit in anywhere. This was the inspiration for her first song, “Somewhere.”  Accompanying herself on guitar, Joy’s melodic and soulful voice captured our hearts. Later she told us her parents were leaving America, the result, the lilting “No Country.” Growing up she was taught that you help your neighbor, but as she grew older and looked around her, she saw that this was not what people were doing.  This became the basis for “Take Care of your Neighbor.”  A highlight of her set was the love song “Sweet Symphony,” written for her father to sing to her mother.  He had sung Motown to his wife while Joy was growing up, and she missed those sweet symphonic moments.  If you get the chance to see Joy Olodokun, take it!  You will be glad you did.

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