The Acadia Café is a great place for live music in Minneapolis. Conveniently located at the corner of Franklin and Nicollet, with the added benefit of free parking, it is an intimate theatre that seats 50 people comfortably. It also has a friendly staff, a clear sound system and a "coffee-house" with a 24-tap beer rail! I was there Monday night to hear three of the most talented musicians in town; Paul Chamberlain, guitar, Pete Mathison, upright bass, and Ken Sherman, fiddle. My invitation to the show came in an email, the subject of which read: Paul Chamberlain - smoldering, sensual musical genius, or just all around great human being? Yes! How could I turn down a chance to see a "smoldering sensual musical genius"? At a place with a 24-tap beer rail and free parking, no less? I couldn't.
I arrived, paid my nominal $4 door charge, and sat down just in time for the first song: "Milk Maids," one of my favorite Paul Chamberlain originals, a folksy young-love song. The chorus goes something like "Milk maids, all in a row / There they go, walking down the row / Buttermilk and cream are good for a boy / and it is GOOD to see the beautiful Milk Maids." There was enough space between tables on the floor in front of the stage for a couple people to dance a bit. After another couple original songs - including a cleverly written song called "Halloween in Hollywood" - Chamberlain introduced a fiddle tune written by Ken Sherman, telling the audience that, "Ken is one of the most talented musicians around, but he doesn't know it. We keep undermining his confidence so he'll continue to play with us." Everyone laughed. And then undermine they did - about half way through the tune, titled "Gale's Fancy," Paul and Pete good-humoredly upped the tempo, leaving Ken's fiddling fingers flying furiously around the frets to catch up.
Over 17 years playing together as 3/6ths of Cousin Dad - the well-loved Twin Cities-based "eclectic string band" - and longer than that as a jam-group emerging out of the band Farm Accident, these three musicians play together with the ease that time brings, and the depth of soul of true masters of song craft. The sound is well balance - a grounded but free-flowing and grooving bass, steady and flexible guitar, and, as a perfect top-note, the sweet easy sound of the fiddle. There is purity to this music that makes it seem familiar and comfortable, like a pair of long-loved leather-soled shoes that have conformed to your feet and make walking easier. Ken Sherman is not the only one who doesn't know how talented he is; there is not an ounce of arrogance between these guys, and so much pure talent.
Another of Chamberlains' originals is a story-teller-folk-song called "Strayline Streak," which he called "long, but not as long as that Gitche Gumee song" (a reference to the well known 1976 "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot). Paul plays this song with a dropped D, which Sherman proudly told the audience "Paul invented, and now over 50 people worldwide use this tuning." Another song played later in the set was the self-proclaimed epic "Spanish Stallion," with lines like, "His hide was heavin' / his flanks were steamin'/ like some wild eyed rank witches familiar," and with hints of Spanish, almost-Flamenco sounds. Some of the other songs in the set included "Animal," "Blues Legend," and another of my favorites, "Too Far Gone to Go." With its tight vocal harmonies and stick-in-your-head-for-a-week beautiful melody, I found myself humming it days later; the Germans have a word for these kinds of songs: ohrwhurm (ear worm in English). So many of the songs I heard last night are still ringing in my ears today - hints of beautiful melodies, whispers of cleverly written lyrics, and the haunt of a fiddle. Pete Mathison sang the lead on this and a few other songs including another ohrwhurm, a gospel-inspired piece with beautiful tight harmonies "Who's Been Walkin' on My Prayin' Ground?"
One of the neat things about Acadia is that they have a very strict "Originals Only" policy for all their performing musicians. Acadia does not purchase music licensing from BMI/ASCAP/MAFIA/SESAC, so musicians can only play their own or public domain material. This makes Acadia a great place to come and hear new music, and pieces you might not otherwise get to hear. I thoroughly enjoyed my home-made peanut-butter-chocolate bar from Acadia's deli case, as well as my Hardcore Cider. I had a sip (or three) of my friends double-chocolate-stout as well. To sum it up: No smoking. No parking hassle. Easy to find. Good beer. Good music. Good time!
Photo by Marguerite Archer
The Acadia Café is a great place for live music in Minneapolis. Conveniently located at the corner of Franklin and Nicollet, with the added benefit of free parking, it is an intimate theatre that seats 50 people comfortably. It also has a friendly staff, a clear sound system and a "coffee-house" with a 24-tap beer rail! I was there Monday night to hear three of the most talented musicians in town; Paul Chamberlain, guitar, Pete Mathison, upright bass, and Ken Sherman, fiddle. My invitation to the show came in an email, the subject of which read: Paul Chamberlain - smoldering, sensual musical genius, or just all around great human being? Yes! How could I turn down a chance to see a "smoldering sensual musical genius"? At a place with a 24-tap beer rail and free parking, no less? I couldn't.
