Duke Robillard at NightTown

As I sat next to my father in the car, listening to none other than (God help me), EmmyLou Harris, I thought back to my last concert experience. It had been almost two years since I had the opportunity to see live music, the last time being Modest Mouse at Tower City Amphitheater in Cleveland.
I had some vague notion that this performance would differ from the popular indie rock bands, but was excited all the same. I know that the sole reason my father had invited me was my mother's complete disinterest in music and his own reluctance to arrive solo. I had quickly weighed my options for that Saturday, and decided that a chance to get a (free!) beer with Dad was just too good to pass up.
I like to think of myself as a music lover. And so does my father. It is no secret though, that my father and I love different music. It was not lost on me that when my father invited me out that night, he seemed hesitant to disclose the genre of the music we were going to hear. My expectations were low. Very low.
We were on our way to the NightTown in Cleveland Heights, where Duke Robillard would perform, as a fundraiser for Roots of American Music.

Roots of American Music
Roots of American Music {ROAM} is a non-profit organization that visits Cleveland area schools and uses traditional American music styles while providing fun and engaging lessons to students. My father is a member of ROAM’s Board of Directors, and consequently a huge fan, of ROAM's various events and musicians. I knew very little about ROAM before that night, and (I hesitate to say this, knowing that a good portion of ROAM's many members of ROAM's board of directors are likely to read this) thought that the best part of my night was going to be that (free!) beer with Dad.

NightTown
I was shocked when I stepped into NightTown. With a name like Roots of American Music, I expected a quiet, coffee-shop type concert. NightTown is a bustling, exciting, chaotic jumble of a restaurant/bar. Servers bump each other as they shuffle through the narrow walkways, allowing nearby seats a waft of the delicious aroma of the food they’re serving. With the lights dimmed for the performance, the whole place seemed to be painted a soft mustard yellow. Paintings cover every inch of the walls, a large moosehead jutting out across from the bar. You could spend hours just admiring the decorations.

Duke Robillard
Duke Robillard is the fourth or fifth performer in ROAM's Masters of Guitar series. The Masters of Guitar series is a fund-raising project that displays some of the best musicians in several different styles of music, ranging from Applachian finger picking to hot jazz. Duke Robillard fell somewhere in this range, an interesting mix of swing, jazz and "jump blues".
Duke is a slightly graying, jolly man wearing thick-rimmed glasses and black button-down shirt with two leopard print strips down each side. He rests his guitar on his lap as he perches on a stool, the word "Duke" embroidered into his guitar strap. The baritone sax player rests his massive instrument on the hardwood floor. Next to him is the very expressive bassist, whose face reflects every the mood of every song.
Even the pictures looked interested when Duke and his band struck up their first song. The strong melodic guitar, the thumping piano, the plunk-plunk-plunk of the walking bass, and wailing baritone saxophone complemented each other perfectly. The instruments seemed to be dancing with each other.
An interesting break in the music was when Roots of American Music’s director, Kevin Richards was given the opportunity to speak to the audience. Mr. Richards did a wonderful job describing ROAM and their mission. I encourage you to look at their site to learn more.
The concert had a very different feel to it from a Modest Mouse concert. I enjoyed to the opportunity to meet many Roots of American Music contributors, and to learn more about the organization. It was my first ROAM concert, but certainly won’t be the last.


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