Sherry Austin (wrap-up)

By Greg Pool
Host, TreeHouseConcerts.org

Here's a wrap-up of Sherry Austin's visit to the Tree House (pictures of that night):

• Sherry Austin is a singer/songwriter from Soquel, near Santa Cruz, California. She performs around the Monterey Bay area and Northern California, and you'll hear her often as the "official audience" on KPIG's Please Stand By live music show on Sunday mornings. She's also able to fill-in at the last moment when an artist doesn't show up.
  
  
• Sharon Allen, who sang harmony and sang a couple of her own songs, sings blues with the Firebirds up in Santa Cruz.
  
  
• Check the podcast for more details, but Sherry talked about how Danny Levitt, who played guitar, is from Souther California but knew Sherry's boyfriend, Dave Gorden. Danny talked during the show about having done the theme song for the well-known L.A. radio show Folkscene.
  
  
• Tonight was the first time we had an animal in the audience, enjoying the show. Sherry's poodle, Phoebe, took in Sherry's set while sitting on Dave's lap.
  
  
• The opening band, Camp Danger, played all covers. Here's the setlist:
  
  Open All Night - Bruce Springsteen
  Midnight Train - Mark Erelli
  Crocodile Man - Dave Carter
  Passin Thru - Randy Scruggs/Johnny Cash
  Cowboy Singer - Dave Carter
  Key Chain - Slaid Cleaves
  
  
• Camp Danger came together about a month prior, when Sherry only wanted to do one set and was gracious to let us open for her. Nick Chiulos (guitar) and Mark Whittington (bass) are regulars at an impromtu camp ground up at the Strawberry Music Festival. I've wandered past their camp for the last three years and made a bunch of friends playing in their song circles.
  
  
• Both Nick and Mark live here in Pacific Grove, so we were able to get together a couple of nights to practice. Using GarageBand on my Mac, I even recorded a demo CD for them to practice with. Both Nick and Mark were more than gracious in letting me choose the set list from my repertoire, because everybody at Camp Danger seems to have about 50 songs they can pull out at the drop of a hat.
  
  
• The recording of Camp Danger's set came out well. It's 28 minutes long and available as a CD for anyone who comes to the next concert with Audrey Auld Mezera. Let me know you want one, and your's will be in the stack!
  
  
• I used Audacity to capture the song digitally on my Mac laptop. I also used a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone, which means I was able to capture all three of us fairly well. The result gives it a very live feel, much like it would have been at the real Camp Danger. There is one digital blip for a half-second at 0:30, but the rest is great.
  
  
• Juliet got to throw in a passionate "MAN!!!" at the end of Dave Carter's Crocodile Man, something she always does when I perform this by myself. I knew it would be a perfect addition tonight.
  
  
• Sherry and Camp Danger both performed a Slaid Cleaves song that night. Slaid was performing the same time up in Santa Cruz, at a show Sherry and I wouldn't have missed otherwise. Like Mark says, however, the gig always trumps. Sherry did "Broke Down" and Camp Danger did "Key Chain."