How Was The Show - Jeffrey Foucault, The Pines at The Mill

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Jeffrey Foucault with The Pines at The Mill on 6/9/06

Jeffrey Foucault at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis - Photo by David de Young (see full set from this show)

As I entered the comfortable, low-lit Iowa City restaurant and bar where Jeffrey Foucault was to perform Friday night, I was struck by what sounded almost like elevator music playing in the background. "Interesting choice for a folk show," I thought at first. That music, which Foucault later revealed was selections from his iPod, would later include Peter Case, Leon Redbone, and Willie Nelson and helped set the tone for the clear, resonant and rugged singing to come.

The crowd at The Mill, which ranged in age from 20 to 65, was one of the more jovial, warm-hearted, and relaxed groups of people I have encountered at a show. And though the opening band began an hour late, people casually drank and talked near the bar in the back of the venue, not seeming to mind.

Taking the stage first, the now Minneapolis-based The Pines, made up of Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt, began a slow song, showcasing their ability to compliment each other on guitar with a paucity of back-up vocals. I was pleasantly surprised by the haunting, at times Dylanesque, sound of The Pines, (reviewed in more depth here by Andrea Myers) friendly musicians whose intimate music needed no introduction.

The Pines - Photo by David de Young

There was a brief intermission before Jeffrey Foucault took the stage. Though I have seen Foucault perform with Kris Delmhorst and Peter Mulvey as Redbird several times, this was the first chance I have had to see him solo. One thing I appreciated about Redbird was the chemistry and harmonies the three performers had on stage. As Foucault began playing his first song, "Ghost Repeater", I immediately realized that he could easily hold his own on stage. The rest of the show was characterized by his bold and intriguing voice, enhanced by a physically intense playing style clearly born of a deep connection with his music.

"Ghost Repeater", the title track of Foucault's new album (Ghost Repeater, Signature Sounds Recording Company, 2006), opened the show as strongly as it opens the album. Backed only by Eric Heywood on pedal steel and electric guitar, Foucault commanded the crowd's attention. As this was his CD Release Party - fitting, as the album was recorded at Minstrel here in Iowa City in December, 2005 - Foucault mostly played tunes from the new album. But he did not fail to indulge his long-standing fans with a few older songs, including one of my personal favorites, "Northbound 35" from 2004's Stripping Cane. Foucault's new songs have a lighter and more upbeat feel to them than his previous work. By the time he played "One For Sorrow" from the new disc at the end of the first set, it seemed clear why he had dedicated the album "with love and gratitude" to his wife Kris Delmhorst. His earlier work, often thematically centered around heartache and regret, has been supplanted by hymns of joy and thankfulness.

Eric Heywood and Jeffrey Foucault - de Young

Although Foucault could have easily played an excellent set with just his voice and 1948 Martin guitar, Eric Heywood added refreshing and understated accompaniment to Foucault's music throughout, and is also featured on the new album. With his mastery of the pedal steel, Heywood improvised and followed Foucault's lead with ease. The two demonstrated the chemistry between musicians that live folk music is so good at producing.

Foucault began the second set with the traditional, hymn-like, "Moonshiner" which appears on 2003's Redbird. Next, I was pleased to hear a song he claims he is still working on called, "I Still Miss the Midwest," a list of familiar complaints many Easterners have about Midwesterners. The song, which had perhaps been misunderstood at a recent New Hampshire show, was well-received by this sympathetic crowd of Iowans, Minnesotans, and Wisconsonites.

Foucault and Heywood finished with another song from Stripping Cane called "4 & 20 Blues", and left the crowd energized and asking for more. The show was everything I would have expected from Foucault - relaxed stage presence, passionate playing, heartfelt songs - and was an great kick off to his 2006 Tour which will take him across most parts of America this summer and ultimately to Europe in the fall.