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<\/a>On recommendation of my friend Charles Bryant, I made the trek through late rush hour traffic to JP Hops House on Highway 6last Wednesday to catch a performance by David and Alyson Fahl. Wednesdays are soup night at the Hops House and the opening entertainment this evening was provided by an abbreviated version of the Hard Times Troubadours (several of the usual members being out of town).<\/p>\nDavid Fahl is a prolific Americana songwriter, having over 350 songs to his credit. He is accompanied by his wife, Alyson on piano and on this evening, Jeff Hoofard on percussion. David\u2019s songs range from philosophical, to humorous, to tender love songs. His writing style is witty and poignant and displays a highly intelligent mind through words and music. Although he occasionally throws in a cover song here and there, the majority of his set is spent on original compositions.<\/p>\n
When David took the stage he wore a deadpan visage that I have only seen on one other performer, that being James McMurtry. They started the set off with the apocalyptical, \u201cBattle of New Jericho\u201d. From there he moved on to \u201cThe Girls in Their Summer Dresses\u201d about waiting through cold dark days of winter for the lighter, happier summertime. That was followed by a philosophical discussion that had been written out in verse and put to music called \u201cOne Way or Another\u201d. It depicted two people (per David) sitting in Opie Hendrix\u2019s back yard saying that they were bound to change the world with their lives either for the good or the bad. Next in line was a love song called \u201cDream about You\u201d that featured an excellent performance by Alyson on the ivories.<\/p>\n
As the set progressed, David\u2019s deadpan look began to crack with an occasional wry smile as if he were working on some prankish joke. The joke erupted to the surface with the performance of \u201cWaiting for the President\u201d about hanging around the White House and snooping through the president\u2019s private possessions, while waiting for him to get home. They followed that with another love song, a cover of Adrienne Young\u2019s \u201cMy Love Will Keep\u201d. Mr. Fahl\u2019s stage presence grew warmer still as he introduced, \u201cNothing\u2019s Gonna Happen\u201d in which he beamed that it was a story in which the songwriter wins.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>David and Alyson began to exchange grins as if they were now sharing a joke and a personal connection as they performed \u201cBe There, Too\u201d, another love song full of beautiful imagery. David introduced \u201cMy Uncle Stumpy\u201d, a song about a careless user of power tools losing appendages, as one of the songs to be included on a children\u2019s album that they wouldn\u2019t want to listen to in front of their parents. The trio followed that with \u201cAccording to You\u201d and a cover of Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cQueen Jane, Approximately\u201d.<\/p>\n