Otherside of the Bear Folk Night

Woody Pines hails from North Carolina, and as such, played songs that spoke to the area and its history, songs about epic wanderings and great deltas. Whether of their own creation, or a song passed down by generations, everything the band performed called to some common ancestry, a basic place that all feel and only few acknowledge: a universal hook. The bass-lines walked the room while the steel guitar felt its way through the cracks and filled an unspoken void. It was earthy and natural; a sound as far from Boston as the boys themselves.

The man known as Spitzer Space Telescope was the least reserved of the bunch, with less regard for technique, more for wild abandon. His hands made spastic patterns along the guitar neck as he made full use of both mics, sometimes craning upward, sometimes bending down. His hands would flail, fall a half step off the right note, find their place and hit home. It made the performance: it was honest, with no inhibitions and no apologies. And a sharp contrast to what lay ahead.

Vikesh Kapoor took the stage last, and wasted no time: “There’s a hole there - fill it!” urging the crowd to fill the empty space before him as he leapt into his first song. Kapoor was the unifying grace of the evening, playing middle ground to the ages represented in the previous acts. He took the old and spoke it as new. With the Simon Brothers on bass and guitar, Kapoor’s songs found grounding in three part harmonies and sparkling guitar. Alone, he laid himself bare, naked save for a gentle melody and his harmonica. His songs moved from delicate finger pickings to jangly ballads and his voice sounded like a lost art.

And then, with a timid thanks and a brief wave, the show was over.