Showcase: True Love Coffeehouse

Featuring: Simon Ennis, Tim and Gerri (Baby Grand) and Red Star Memorial

Here?s a little known secret about Sacramento: the music scene is absolutely HUGE! This column will be dedicated to bringing you reviews of some of the best shows in town. I?ve decided to christen this column with a review of last Saturday night?s show at one of my favorite places in town, the True Love Coffeehouse.

The True Love is a fantastic place to catch up-and-comers as well as some of the more popular Sacramento acts. The atmosphere of the True Love couldn?t be better. It?s a place where local musicians come together to listen to one another play for an often packed house. While the coffeehouse may be small, its size provides a level of intimacy for almost every performance. Saturday night?s show was no disappointment.

The opening act was Simon Ennis. Since I?d never seen him before, I didn?t know what to expect, and I was both surprised and impressed. Instead of using the stage, Simon played his entire set from the middle of the room. No amp, no microphone, just him and his acoustic guitar. This was a welcomed surprise. The performance gave a very street musician feel to it. With Simon?s twangy blues guitar style and his drum beat being provided by his foot and a piece of wood, you could just picture Simon standing on a street corner in New Orleans playing to a group of onlookers. But the crowd at True Love was much more attentive. It seemed that my approval of Simon was shared by all who watched him that night. If you get a chance to see Simon play, do it.

Playing the middle slot was Tim and Gerri, the bassist and lead singer/guitarist for Baby Grand. Tim and Gerri played acoustically; Tim playing on a stand up bass. Now, I?d seen Baby Grand play before and I wasn?t that thrilled. But seeing a stripped down version of their performance really allowed me to feel the songs. With the full band present, Gerri?s vocals seemed to be drowned out by the overpowering music, but not at this particular show. Gerri has an airy, wispy voice that really draws you in. I found myself not taking notes, but rather just listening to the music and really enjoying the performance. I was really impressed and would definitely give the full Baby Grand crew another chance the next time they?re out.

The most impressive part of the night was when Red Star Memorial?s lead singer, Bobby Jordan, told the crowd that his band didn?t have a set list. He told the crowd, “I like the spontaneity of it. So we?re just gonna wing it.” I was skeptical about this plan of attack by the headlining band. I?ve seen bands do this before and create disasters. But it in this case, it was awesome.

Red Star Memorial has a great sound to them. It?s an infectious mix of country, pop and good ol? American rock and roll with some fantastic solo action by guitarist Steve Amaral. Not only was the music good, but the involvement from the band was very refreshing. In between songs, Jordan would ask the crowd which song they wanted to hear next and then give a little story behind it a la VH1 Storytellers. The crowd at the True Love Coffeehouse absolutely loved them and so did I.

So, having said that, here?s the deal: go out there and listen to these guys! Get off the couch, don?t go to the Limelight and have some fun!

Sacramento music is growing, and if you don?t support it, you?ll be kicking yourself in the ass when the Sacramento music scene breaks out.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Simon Ennis: No dates set

Baby Grand: Sept. 28 at Old Ironsides with The Decibels

Red Star Memorial: Thursday at the G St. Pub in Davis with Infinite Martinis; Sept. 21 at The Blue Lamp.