Saturday, November 12, 2005

Steve Freund @ The Poor House Bistro

Last night, I headed down to the Poor House Bistro to catch Steve Freund and his fabulous band. Due to a traffic problem in Fremont, I arrived with two song left in the first set. I was lucky when I walked in a found a table close to the bandstand. The place was packed with musicians.

A partial roll call included: Steve Freund, Robi Bean, Scott Brenton, Kedar Roy, Jimmy Dewrance, Gil Leon, Bob Welsh, Hans Bosse, Suzy Tyler, Eddie Mac and Artie Chavez.

The Poor House Bistro has a really nice vibe going. During the breaks, the lack of an incredibly loud jukebox makes the environment conducive to conversation. The food is great and the drinks are cheap. Where else can you relive your early 20's drinking ultra-cheap pints of Pabst Blue Ribbon? For those not into cheap beers, they also have an excellent selection of other libations available at a nominal cost.

Enough of the commercial. During the breaks, I got to socialize with a number of people that I don't get to see too often.

I would have to say that Steve's band is probably one of the tightest units in the Bay Area. It's obvious that Steve, Robi Bean and Scott Brenton work togther quite often. They've play well off of each other. The addition of Kedar Roy propelled the rhythm section quite nicely.

Steve made several new fans last night. During the second set, he sang a real tear jerker called, "Let Me Down Easy." It was a very emotional and intense tune that melted the ice surrounding the coldest heart. For me, that may have been the musical highlight of a very awesome evening.

Suzy Tyler and Eddie Mac joined Steve on several numbers. I've had the good fortune to hear them on several occasions and last night's performance may have been the best yet. They were on and sounding fantastic. During the third set, Bob Welsh, Hans Bosse and I sat in on a few classic Chicago Blues tunes.

If you were there, you had a great time. If you weren't there, you missed a great time.

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