The torch has been passed from one generation to another. Lisa Guyer has come a long way in the past two years with her Lisa Guyer Music Empowerment Program. Her one week course has become popular with young student learners as well as their parents. Guyer has a side project of her music course called the Monday Night Muse. Held weekly at Whippersnappers in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Guyer invites a special guest musician session to play with the house band. After the master player performs with the house band, it becomes time for young musicians, either solo acoustic, or in duets, or full bands to get up on stage to strut their stuff. And the kid who is judged the finest of the evening takes home a hundred dollar case prize.
Each Monday night’s Muse alternates between host Lisa Guyer(Mama Kicks, Lisa Guyer’s Gypsy Caravan) and a singer who goes by the name Triana.
Last Monday night’s featured musician was Dave Mitchell, guitarist for the Beatle tribute band Beatlejuice. Mitchell could definitely inspire many a great young players. His talent caliber was top notch as he fired off notes and chords from his arsenal of colors, tones, dynamics, timbres, and everything cool that makes a high caliber musician. His stunningly good guitar phrasing created a huge sound. Opening with “Thrill Is Gone,” he proved more than a good singer as well, crooning with a soulful voice honed by years of experience. Mitchell continuously peeled off colorful phrases while Gardner Berry, of Stone Cross and Mama Kicks fame, supported on keyboards and left handed bass.
Mitchell burned up the melodic phrase to “Crossroads,” putting out a brisk chord progression in between his string of fiery notes. Berry, raspy, raw, belted out the timeless lyrics, having adjusted his voice to the drier territory of blues vocalists. Berry also found the right voice for The Beatles’ “Get Back.” He used that faux blues timbre that comes into play whenever rock musicians play blues. Berry nailed the bluesy keyboard riffs. If you had closed your eyes, you’d have thought you were in a honky tonk bar south of the Mason Dixon line instead of a family restaurant in a southern New Hampshire small town strip mall.
After Mitchell, Berry, and a very capable drummer named Mike Dupont had opened the show, it was time for the youthful players to strut their stuff in front of a live audience. First up, a young man who won the hundred dollar cash prize two weeks earlier displayed a strikingly beautiful voice, showing he might be someone to watch for. Next up, a 19 year old went up on stage to cover a Johnny Cash tune, his guitar strumming having a strong rhythmic click. His vocal interpretation of “Folsom Prison Blues” revealed a reasonably good amount of knowledge of vocal phrasing. He brought Steve Miller’s “The Joker” to a place it hasn’t been to before with a fine country blues interpretation.
A third youth came up to showcase his lead guitar skills, getting into a feisty groove with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” Berry impressed by singing it very much like a soul singer from Detroit. It’s always been one of the tricks up Berry’s sleeve to uncannily adopt the color, tones, timbre of the voice that originally recorded a song, not as an impersonation but so that it fit the song like a glove. The young guitarist pulled some hefty chords out of his axe before unfurling an electrifying lead phrase. The kid surprised this reviewer by selecting a staple from Freddie King’s repertoire, “Going Down,” for his second number. He nailed the rhythm before pressing out a feisty lead guitar phrase.
The youngest performer of the evening, a 13 year old musician, went up to play a killer lead guitar phrase on “Born Under A Bad Sign.” Any kid in his early teens who can hold his own against Gardner Berry is worth his weight in gold. Remember, GMan started his first band when he was about the same age. On a down tempo blues, the youth picked off a fiery slow boil phrase that had the audience gasping at his talent caliber. I wont keep anybody in suspense. This kid was awarded the hundred dollar cash prize at the end of the night.
Next up was a full band dubbed Clohie And The Ladies, featuring a young lady on vocals and ukulele and three young men, guitar, bass, and drums. They played a fun, bouncy rendition of a Sublime song with a solid grasp of the tremendous rhythm going on in their number. Clohie, trying something different, sang it like a bouncy pop song. She also played piano on an original song her band has come up with. Her vocal phrasing was particularly strong as she rode the melodic line.
A solo acoustic artist named Delanie sang and picked an old time country blues number, showing a solid grasp of blues acoustic guitar, making her notes ring out with authentic emotion and vintage sound. Another youth came up to play electric guitar on John Cougar Mellancamp’s “Jack And Diane.” He had his chord progression down pat, and he slapped out some particularly snappy chords. He also managed to play the pretty guitar notes very well on “Stairway To Heaven,” playing it delicate, tender, with feeling, including the climactic lead guitar phrase finale.
Guyer, throughout the show, worked amazingly and surprising well with the youthful performers. After 28 years in the music business, the lady is no milk toast. Known for having a bit of an edge, she was warmly received by the young musicians while being warmly, fondly receptive to them. It was a whole new dimension to Lisa Guyer.
One of Guyer’s students from her Lisa Guyer Music Empowerment Program sang prettily and picked gentle, sweet notes, showing a flair for that sweetly understated approach. It was impressive how she vocalized in that soft girlish timbre.
Another full band that doesn’t really have a name but goes under the singer’s name Rachel went up on stage next. The singer showed a flair for R&B/pop crooning, phrasing, so her voice moved over the groove with zip. The singer brought up a second young lady singer and the band played a danceable version of “Superstition.”
Last but not least, a trio calling itself Eliot And His Son played a raucous version of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin” as their young guitarist went appreciably wild on the lead phrase.
Speaking with the press after the show, Guyer explained her inspiration for creating her Lisa Guyer Music Empowerment Program and the Monday Night Muse. “I want to get them out of their garage bands and get them on a stage,” Guyer said. “I started the music program to pass it on to a younger generation. I was that kid who wanted to play on stage, a long time ago.” Guyer has two separate week long summer programs scheduled, one in July, the second in August. For more information, please visit:
