#winer wing
Kevin So live performance on WBRS Coffeehouse
(feat. track - “Standing In The Shadow Of Ellis Paul” [spotify] from The So Must Go On [spotify])
Friday afternoon saw lauded folk singer Kevin So make an appearance on WBRS’ weekly free live music series, the “WBRS Coffeehouse." Highlighting tracks from his recently released "That Oriental Guy” and plugging an upcoming performance at Brandeis’ Asian Awareness Weeks’ main event, So romped through blues grit and classic folk ballads with a musical virtuosity and bright personality that livened up the snowy afternoon.
Though often referencing his Chinese-American roots, So mines a musical vein as old as the country itself, brushing upon the work of folk luminaries from Woodie Guthrie and Bob Dylan up through the modern anti-folk cadre, sampling liberally from the blues, jazz and classical music along the way. Deft on the fretboard, So proved that he knows his way around an acoustic guitar, having a little fun with a slide to boot, but even more impressive was his brief interlude on the studio’s rickety piano, where he squeezed some beautiful sounds out of the vaguely out of tune box.
Though a solid performer, So falls into the trap that hurts so many modern folk acts, crossing the line from clever to gimmicky a little too often for comfort; for every few brilliantly smart analysis like the witty “Standing in the Shadow of Ellis Paul,” a rumination on So’s place in the Boston folk scene, or the cleverly playful blues romp “Hot Tub,” there’s a cheeseball number like the silly “Porn Star” (sample line: “Just take off your clothes, don’t screw up your lines/ Don’t pick your nose, make sure you last a long time”). Still, So seems pretty good at sensing his limits, and ends up on the right side of the line most of the time.
Over the course of 90 minutes, So showed his range, both charming and lulling the modest audience in Usdan’s Winer Wing. So’s star is rising, and with good reason; as was witnessed Friday afternoon, he’s a magnificent performer with a ton of talent in reserve. Kevin So may not look like a typical folk singer, and the simple fact is that he’s not a typical folk singer – he’s much better than that.
originally written 3/11/01
