Trend has officially gone country.
Trend on Wednesday nights has indeed gone a bit country – fittingly so, as the town of Montclair itself has some elements to make up a true down-home and easygoing feel with its share of cottage- style houses, locally farmed foods and many quiet parks.
The young woman who normally performs spoken poetry decided to head in a slightly different direction by only singing cover tunes, one of them a country song by Neko Case, entitled “I Wish I Was the Moon.” The other song covered was “Blue Ridge Mountains” by the Fleet Foxes, who are an indie/folk band with some country elements.
Brian Peterson returned with country-style lyrics to original songs such as “Lover’s Moon,” “She Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye” and “Worth it for the Ride.”
A woman named Carol returned after recuperating from some surgeries. While resting, she had written several originals, some of which she performed that night, including “Lines,” Mindy Schmidt joining her with harmonies. After the two performed Rufus Wainwright’s “Hallelujah” together, Carol and Mindy decided to switch harmonic and melodic duties, including her original “This Old Tree.”
The ever-favorite and effusive staple Rostafa quipped, “I’ve been hearing country songs all night, so I might as well do one,” right after his acoustic cover of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel.” That song was Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” which can be considered a country-rock song.
But the real country boy of the night was a man named Roger, who is originally from Texas and started his set off with a cover of “Rex’s Blues” by country cult favorite and fellow Texan, Townes Van Zandt. Following that, Roger performed two originals: “Copernicus It Ain’t So Bad” and “Ain’t No Real Cowboys in Brooklyn.” The last song was actually quite fitting, as Montclair has its share of country and country life enthusiasts, who can still easily make friends with some of its hipster-esque residents.
It is strongly encouraged for musicians, comedians, poets and the like to come out to these Wednesday night events because each week is almost vastly different from the previous. Come enjoy the locally-made foods and the newly introduced gluten-free cupcakes. Every element is a new adventure in, as host Greg Spinelli jokingly puts it, “the dysfunctional game.”
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