Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
Remember when the songwriting process involved an artist sitting down at a piano or guitar and thoughtfully crafting melodies and lyrics?
We didn’t think so.
Y’see, ours is an age where Popular Music is a dense galaxy substantially orchestrated by technology. Streaming platforms are calibrated to ensure a constant turnover, so that a song and/or artist can attain vast popularity — for about three days! The industry stands ready with even newer product, cranked out by music producers who rely on the same simple melodic and instrumentation blueprint over and over in commitment to the idea that each hit will sound exactly like the last hit because THAT hit worked so well and that was already 70 hours ago so why mess with success and …
What’s a Jackson Browne to do?!
The thing is, there ARE damned good singer-songwriters out there — it’s just that our culture doesn’t prioritize them properly.
Fortunately, Sinner’s Circle, New London’s best-ever singer-songwriter performance concept, which flourished from its beginning in 2010 until it came to a halt at the onset of Covid, is back. Plus, the sessions will now regularly take place in the Garde Arts Center’s intimate and acoustically ideal Oasis Room.
Sinner’s Circle was originated by iconic local composers Hugh Birdsall, Ben Parent, Jim Carpenter and John Fries. They were inspired by the loose and revolving aggregate of songwriters who regularly gather onstage in Nashville for artists-in-the-round concerts. It’s a great format: the players take turns, each performing a new or old tune along with commentary and anecdotes about the song’s creation — and the others onstage are free to join in for the discussion or performance.
This season’s first gathering of the rejuvenated Circle takes place at 8 p.m. Friday and features Birdsall hosting a hand-picked and seductively diverse array of his favorite artists: pop melodicist Brian Larney, roots multi-instrumentalist Sandy “Sandman” Allen and ArleneWow!, who cleverly distills an array of modern and classic forms.
“Each one of these songwriters is special in a distinctive way,” Birdsall said in a phone conversation last week. “I love hearing their music and learning from them, and I think Garde patrons will really enjoy getting to know them.”
Birdsall, of course, is one of Connecticut’s most versatile and popular tunesmiths. Most famous as a member of late pub rock legends The Reducers, Birdsall has since been active in solo and duo formats, with the groups Dogbite and The Three-Pack, and as a teacher and activist. Most recently, he and lyricist Tom Deedy have collaborated on a musical called “War Orphans” that will hopefully debut in the next year or so.
In anticipation of Friday’s Sinner’s Circle gathering, Birdsall answered five questions. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
1: The music industry today is very different from when Sinners Circle started. Would you say the old-school singer-songwriter is on the endangered species list?
Birdsall: You know, you would think so. There’s so much going on out there to grab a listener’s attention. But what astounds me is how many really great singer-songwriters there are — especially in Connecticut. I’ve met and heard so many, for example, at the Songwriter’s Night events that (renowned Meriden tunesmith) Frank Critelli puts on around the state. (laughs) This lineup Friday night is, I hope, a wonderful example. So we’re out there if you know where to look, and that’s why we think it’s the perfect time to bring back Sinners Circle.
2: Perfect segue! The series is indeed back and starting a new residency in the Garde’s Oasis Room. Talk about this arrangement.
Birdsall: A lot of us are used to playing in bars or coffeehouses — places where people are having conversations and a night-out and they maybe aren’t focused so much on listening to music. I think the live music experience is a mixed bag these days, and we’re so grateful to the Garde that they even have a venue like the Oasis Room.
It’s a perfect listening space, with an awesome PA and great sound engineers and it’s the sort of performance opportunity we don’t encounter very often. It’s also true that a lot of these writers and performers are putting out great recordings with high end production values that reflect the quality of the songs and the arrangements. I think a lot of people who visit the Garde regularly will be very excited about the Sinners Circle once they’re exposed to it.
3: What about your songwriting? As artists get older, sometime the creative process slows and sometimes it speeds up. Have these turbulent times helped or hindered your inspiration?
Birdsall: Oh my God, yeah! I’ve been writing more than ever. Actually, I’ve probably written more songs in the last five years than I did in the whole period before that. There IS a lot to write about, and I’ve been working with collaborator Tom Deedy, who sends me a batch of lyrics every week. I’m always about 10 songs behind trying to catch up with the material he sends me.
4: One of the fun things about Sinners Circle is the opportunity for the listener to learn a bit about the artistic process through the prism of a specific song — and also about the composer’s own relationship to craft. What has changed about your approach to songwriting?
Birdsall: Well, there are reliable ways to go about it. But inspiration comes from places you might not expect! For instance, in recent years I’ve played a lot of wedding gigs and sometimes the bride will ask for some jazz standard like “The Way You Look Tonight” or “Fly Me to the Moon.” Originally, I’d be a little annoyed that I had to learn these songs that were actually kind of challenging — but then I really started to appreciate these cool and sophisticated chord progressions.
I’ve never had very good jazz chops, but eventually I wondered if I could do something in that context, so I wrote a kind of mash-up of a couple of jazz standards and turned it into my own song. (Laughs) It will never BE a jazz standard, but the learning process was amazing. I began to get familiar and comfortable with these augmented and diminished chords, and now I use them far more than I’d ever expected. They’re great transitions from one chord to another and can just add these colors and textures I’d never thought about before.
5: One cool Sinners Circle possibility in the Oasis Room format is that you and the other artists onstage could presumably entertain questions. Is that something y’all are open to?
Birdsall: I would love it if audience members asked questions. I mean, I’m happy to answer anything because songwriting has certainly been an obsession most of my adult life. I love to talk with other songwriters and read about their work. I’ve thought a lot about craft, and it’s fascinating to get a look behind the process, so it would be fun to have that kind of audience engagement.