The Lied To’s; DubHub; Dublin, New Hampshire
The Lied To’s have been on the singer-songwriter scene for several years now. Their three CDs have garnered them favorable reviews and a number of gigs. Last night at the DubHub, The Lied To’s made the most of their set at the Dublin, New Hampshire listening room coffeehouse.
The duo of Doug Kwartler and Susan Levine opened with “The Lesser Of Two Evils,” the title track from their second album. Kwartler’s smooth, handsome vocals put a lot of emphasis on his haunting words. Levine’s sweet girlish timbre brought just the right amount of tenderness while their electric and acoustic guitars brought plenty of character and personality to their tune.
A new song, “Trying,” about Levine’s recently departed pediatrician father was filled with vulnerability. Her daddy’s little girl sentiment could be felt at the heart of her song, showing through with delicate tenderness. It could also be felt in her tremendous acoustic guitar strum, especially as it was supported by Kwartler’s electric guitar. His notes rang out with as much emotive meaning as it did clean tones. It helped that the DubHub’s acoustics and low ceiling made for a fine listening space.
The Lied To’s; DubHub: Dublin, New Hampshire
With both Kwartler and Levine on acoustics and singing in perfect harmony, “End Of A Gun” found them playing a compelling folksy mesh. During another new song, “In Between,” Levine’s wide, expansive vocal nails the bittersweet emotion of sending a child off to college. Her emphatic voice only grew in emotional expression as she went along. Kwartler’s pretty electric guitar colors heightened the feeling everyone in the DubHub was likely feeling if they ever had children to send off to college. The duo perfectly captured the necessary sadness of a parent having to let go.
Flinty rhythm and humorously pinched vocals helped bring a sense of fun to “Bourbon.” Amid the fun, Kwartler pressed an achy emotive quality out of his acoustic six string. A death row song titled “Three Weeks” found Levine’s vulnerable timbre ringing out with sincerity. She likely made her DubHub audience feel what a doomed inmate was feeling as he contemplated his final days. Slow traveling acoustic guitar notes carried her voice with the needed mournful trepidation.
Kwartler’s “Three Chords And A Lie” traveled at a mosey pace that thickened its sensitive nature and wisdom before Levine treated the DubHub audience to “Time,” an emotionally honest view of her ex-husband and the times they shared, a gentle drama with a deep emotive after taste. The Lied To’s next treated their audience to a brisk lively number they call “Leaving” that kept toes tapping.
The Lied To’s; DubHub; Dublin, New Hampshire
After The Lied To’s finished their set of engaging original music, a couple of open mic players, a duo calling themselves Susan and Jake featured his rippling acoustic guitar notes to his song “Oh, No” before getting into some melancholy honky tonk with “Over Again.” Open mic singer-songwriters, fondly termed “open mikers” by DubHub artistic director Monica Laskey, played a handful of numbers before The Lied To’s came on stage.
A duo named Ruth and Margo did their thing with lofty harmony vocals before folk artist Dwight Shelton performed his original music with his chirpy vocal before moving onto a folksy, likable version of “Mr. Bojangles,” playing it downtempo, deep, and contemplative. A duo named Sue and Jake played material by Norwegian duo The Kings Of Convenience, showing depth in their joint guitar playing. This batch of open mikers was concluded with David Cresta’s murder song, a tale of a man who plead guilty to a robbery he didn’t commit to avoid being charged with a murder that he wasn’t guilty of.
It was an evening of fine singer-songwriter material with a folksy touch at the DubHub last night. Officially called The Dublin Community Center, the DubHub, located in the middle of Dublin, New Hampshire, hosts this Coffeehouse and Open Mic forum every third Saturday of the month. Boston’s The Lied To’s were a perfect match for the DubHub’s acoustic qualities and comfortable coffeehouse atmosphere. Next month, their Coffeehouse and Open Mic will feature The Milkhouse Heaters made up of husband/wife team, Mike and Jan Sheehy, October 19, 2024.
