Sunday, August 24 Lamb’s Songwriters Showcase featured John, Nick Strange Duo, Nick Lucassian, Anthony Retka, Steve Kovich and Michael Bermudez.

I Went to Lamb’s Songwriters Showcase
By Laurie Smolenski
Eleven Sunday nights a year, for the past four years John D. Lamb has hosted Lamb’s Songwriters Showcase at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak. The set-up is straightforward—the group of five to seven songwriters armed with their guitars take the stage together in a row of seats, and rotate playing two songs each. A short beer break follows, and they return to the mic alone to perform two more songs. Lamb makes the monthly selection of musicians with contrasting styles and creative backgrounds. The idea is to give songwriters an opportunity to play for a crowd, as well as provide the audience with a taste of an eclectic mix of talented musicians.

The dim atmosphere and large size of the restaurant (yes, the place with the giant statue of a pig on the bar) provide an ideal venue for the Showcase. The event clearly has a steady network of regular fans; the place was near empty when we showed up, and packed by 9 pm. Because of the cutthroat competiveness of the music business, it’s refreshing to experience a lineup of superb songwriters who share, support, and learn from each other on one stage.

Playing first are Jessica Oberholtzer and Daniel Orcutt, a duet known as Nick Strange Duo. Oberholtzer graces us with a full, sweet, soulful voice like velvet that leaves the audience wanting to hear more; Orcutt plays guitar and does backups. Oberholtzer and Orcutt, who met ‘by accident’ in a local bar, are Ann Arbor residents who have played together a mere two years. The Nick Strange duo, (a name which Orcutt tells me has nothing to do with anything) eagerly await a new album that will be out by the new year titled “Middle of the Sun.”

Next up is the eastside bluegrass group Catfish Mafia’s Nick Lucassian, a longtime musician with a background in rock, bluegrass, gospel, and soul. (Your confusion is mutual; Lucassian’s seating was random, and there is no one named Nick involved in Nick Strange Duo). Lucassian’s voice is ferocious; it will make your hairs stand on end. It is mind blowing that so much soul comes a man of slight physical features. His highlight, “Cruel River”, is a bluegrassy murder ballad about a man who drowns his son in a river and is later hung by his neck for the act. Banging out rhythm with black shit kickers, Lucassian is aesthetically rock and roll with tattooed forearms and long hair in his eyes. Lamb mentions he’s the closest thing to Elvis’ first band, and many say he evokes Joe Cocker. When Lucassian takes a seat, Lamb says it all—“Nobody sings that hard around town any more.”
Anthony Retka, of Tone and Niche, uses an immaculate blend of great songwriting, vocals, and guitar. He plays melodic numbers with full vocals and introspective lyrics, many of which are about love. Retka is a master of dynamics, moving between rich, strong heavy guitar bits and gentle, barely-there strumming. The diversity of his octaves is astounding; he conjures images of Radiohead one moment and Jeff Buckley the next. Listen for Retka on September 25 on WDET 101.9FM at 10:30am.

For his third appearance on the Songwriter’s Showcase, Steve Kovich is reminiscent of Pete Seeger with some good ole’ finger picking. He brings to the group gentle vocals and a quirky, folksy touch. Kovich shares a song called “Carlos in California”, crafted for one of Lamb’s assignments at a past Songwriter’s Retreat. Hilarious and political, it was inspired by a news article that addressed the ugliness of America’s greed for power. A clever line indicative of his work is the following: “A bridge like this I needed so that I could finish this damn song, we should have built some so that we could all get along.” Here Kovich uses the bridge as both a symbol of diplomacy and a musical term, with the first line referencing his desire to complete Lamb’s songwriting assignment.
Last up is Michael Bermudez, a former student of the Berkley School of Music in Boston. Like Lucassian, Bernudez brings an especially unique sound to tonight’s lineup. Coming from such a young, clean cut gent, Bermudez’ music is admittedly unexpected. He performs with a heavy undercurrent of jazz and youthful energy, with intricate guitar parts and deep, smoky vocals. After the show, he was off to perform at 24 hour music marathon in support of Barack Obama.