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By: Ryan Dembinsky
Bobby Long :: 03.15.10 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY
In this uncharted realm of so-called new media – you know, the one that flipped the music
industry on its head and continues to shake it by its very ankles until every last bit of
loose change spills out of its pockets – there now exists a slew of ways to judge the
snowballing momentum of a rising star. You can count hits on a MySpace page, fans on
Facebook, views on YouTube, links on blogs, downloads on iTunes, Tweets, re-Tweets, and
more. But there's still one failsafe method that speaks volumes above and beyond any
digital metrics for monitoring the growth and staying power of a new talent: Can they fill
a venue on a Monday night in the rain?
In his latest unlucky streak of stormy visits to the Big Apple, the U.K.'s Bobby Long packed
the Mercury Lounge to
the gills on a dreary, stormy Monday and served a perfect supplement for the Day of Moon
blues with his heart-achingly stripped-down songwriter fare with a finger-picking country
bent and sung with a beckoning English accent.
I suspect few jam fans know much about Bobby Long as he does not fall neatly within those
borders, but for anyone who cares to hear a captivating vocalist in the vein of Ralph
McTell, Kris
Kristofferson, or perhaps even a British John Mellencamp, give
him a listen.
Over the course of this hour-and-change set, Long tested out new material, including "A
Winter Tale," "I Give Her Love," "A Stranger Song" and "Hide Yours," while working in old
standbys like the popular "Bounty of Mary Jane" and "In the Frost," all performed with
great solemnity. Highlights included the introduction of a new arrangement of "Penance
Fire Blues," which built into a nice crescendo, as well as the rousing beauty of "Two Tone
Lover."
Between numbers, he kept it light, joking before delving into "Who Have You Been Loving"
that "this one's for Tiger Woods." Furthermore, he showed a generally increased comfort
level and ease in his stage presence, taking the audience on entertaining anecdotal
tangents, such as an endearing story of his grandfather's time spent serving as a Royal
Air Force (RAF) pilot.
Since his last visit to New York City, when he held court at the also jammed Bitter End in September,
Long seems to have also improved markedly in his finger-style guitar playing. The
majority of the catalog builds off relatively simplistic chord progressions, but he shows
a remarkable knack for adding color via accent notes with his unorthodox two-fingered
picking attack and construction of fuller, brighter chords than the standard singer-
songwriter fare. Notably, he walks the line between country blues and the more uplifting
traditional I-IV-V type structures, while taking the crowd energy through high peaks of
heavy strumming howls and low valleys of quiet, whispered picking.
Interestingly, while no shortage exists of catchier singer-songwriters in the genre, Bobby
Long possesses a rabid fan base, once comprised largely of females but the male portion
continues to grow fast. This is surely due, at least in part, to his distancing, finally,
from an earlier licensing success as he had a song placement in some movie that we're not
going to mention - it's time to let it go. Still, the fans get it. They follow all the
new material intently, sing-along with most every tune, and soak up even the most obscure
cover choices.
There is something genuine and invigorating about catching a young musician in such a
sweet spot, the point where the close knit, accessible feeling still exists but you truly
feel that momentum building. Bobby Long currently sits comfortably on that perch. With
his first proper LP due to drop later this summer and the rooms quickly growing, the
chances for quiet, standing-room-only Mondays are likely fleeting. But look on the bright
side; so is the rain.
Bobby Long :: 03.15.10 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY
A Winter Tale, I Give Her Love, The Bounty of Mary Jane, In the Frost, A Stranger Song,
Who Have You Been Loving, Penance Fire Blues, Hide Yours, and I'll Hide Mine, Dead and
Done, Two Tone Lover, Two Years Old
Bobby Long Tour Dates
:: Bobby Long News
:: Bobby Long Concert
Reviews
JamBase | Longing
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