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Review: Storyville Players at Merge

Storyville Players were, for me, a pleasant accidental discovery. After an early show at Mohawk, I stopped by Merge looking for a quieter experience. On the stage were three men and a woman, playing something that was the intersection of blues, folk, and hawaiian. Brian Pietrus plays mandolin, Mike Laudico is on upright bass, David Adamczyk handles the fiddle, and Sarah Rose sings and plays ukelele and kazoo. They didn't have anyone on percussion Friday night but Mike kept time on the bass and they would sometimes stomp out the beat.
String bands face a very unique problem, especially if they're playing acoustic. The ideal situation is a venue small enough that the force of their performance can be easily heard. Merge is such a venue. In this case, the unique stage setup at Merge serves the band well. The violin, mandolin, bass, and uke carried well in the room and only Sarah Rose's vocals were amplified. The mix was a perfect balance.
More to the point, however, was their unique interpretation of the songs. Their musicianship is subtle and restrained, leaving room for the true interpretational instrument: Sarah Rose's voice. Sarah Rose performs brilliantly. She has all the growls, rolls, and breath character that the songs require. Her skill is truly impressive.
Mike's slap and pop on the upright was absolutely delightful. Brian's mandolin brought a sweetness to the sound and David's atmospheric violin was perfectly apt. Sarah Rose's resonator ukelele added a unique tone and feel to the songs. The overall sound is quite delightful and far more than the sum of its parts.






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