Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Concert review: Dogdander, Camille Cortinas, and Cas Haley at Opening Bell (April 25)

By Zach Lewis of Zlew.net

Last week I was on record pace for seeing live music. I saw shows three nights, and took somewhere around 1,500 pictures in an attempt to capture a few pearls to share with you guys. The second show I saw was Saturday night at the Opening Bell location in the Mosaic building featuring Dogdander, Camille Cortinas, and Cas Haley.

Zach Lewis

Dogdander

If you are a fan of rootsie (I think I just made up a new word), banjo pickin’, fiddle playin’, group harmonizing, country folk music, and you were not at this show, then you missed out. When Travis, aka Billygoat Brink, gets on stage with several of his friends coming and going to play along with him on different tracks you end up with “Dogdander”, and they were the opening act Saturday night. Eric Neal was on stage with Travis for most of the night (all of the night?), and several others joined them on the stage to put their mark on difference songs.

At one point I counted at least five people on stage putting together a great harmony for a few songs. With one of those people being Camille Cortinas (more on her in a sec), you are bound to get good results. Even the people in the audience who were not Folk music fans looked like they were enjoying what they heard, and I think that says a lot about the quality of the music. I do have one question for all the banjo players out there: Is it possible to keep a banjo in tune for more than one song?

Zach Lewis

Camille Cortinas

I have to admit that I was a little worried when I read that Fishing For Comets no more! I was very relieved when Camille let me know they were just getting away from the name because they lost their website domain, but would still be playing with most of the same folks. Saturday night it was Eric Neal and Camille playing together as a killer combination of musical talent. Their songs are upbeat and fun songs that are well written both musically and lyrically. They are the type of songs you want to sing along with, and have a way of putting a smile on your face without you even realizing it. Give a listen to Acrobat on their MySpace, and I challenge you not to crack a smile. I don’t think it’s possible.

Camille has an incredible voice, and there is a chance that you have heard her even if you don’t follow her music: (check this and this out). The show itself was a great performance which kept everybody in the audience smiling and engaged for the duration of the evening. I’m still convinced that one of these days we’ll be reading an interview with Eric and Camille talking about how they got their start back in Dallas long before the private jets and tour buses.

Zach Lewis

Cas Haley

The Reggae and Island beats of Mr. Cas Haley finished out a great night of live music. Cas has played around the area for a long while now, and he recently made some big waves with his appearance as a contestant a few years ago on America’s Got Talent (video here) with his sweet version of "Walking on the Moon."

This evening, Cas had Eric Neal playing bass, and another guitarist (I didn’t catch his name) playing along side him. If you are like me, and have a tendency to try to guess what someone will sound like when they sing by looking at them, Cas will be someone you have to add to your “I totally didn’t see that one coming” list. The music he played was all very fun and upbeat with quick island riffs and booming vocals. He is currently touring all over the country, and you should check out his show if you get the chance.

Zach Lewis

Eric Neal

So….did you notice there was a common theme in all three of the performances above? There was one man who played in all three shows, played five different instruments (by my count: two fiddles, a mandolin, acoustic guitar, and electric bass), and sang backup vocals. Eric Neal is one of those super hero musicians that can seemingly play everything and anything you throw at him. If you have seen any live music around town in Dallas, there is a good chance you have seen him on stage.

I am told that he currently have over half a dozen projects he is working with, and I would guess that in the last few years he has played with dozens of bands. Before two or three songs Cas pointed out the fact that Eric had never heard or played next songs on the playlist. Eric was able to not only instantly pick up and play the song, up but do so with gusto. If you want to see a masterful musician at work, make sure to keep an out out for Eric the next time you are at a show.

Pegasus News content partner - Zlew.net

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• Concert review: Vanessa Peters and Salim Nourallah at Opening Bell (April 25) (April 29, 2009)

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• Arts > Popular Music > Singer / Songwriter