Embracing one of our own
On a crisp Friday night on the first of October, a group of dedicated music listeners showed up to our humble Bomber for a concert full of good friends and relaxing music.
Craig Cardiff, as a local artist, has become somewhat of an icon, having many fans that come for his sets,with their usual crowd of friends every Friday night. It doesn't take much to grab a beer and get comfortable with those around you. In fact, I took three friends along with me and there were no complaints about the entertainment value or the quality of Craig.
There is something about his music that allows the crowd to totally connect with what he is singing about. Maybe it's the appreciation for the fact that Cardiff writes all his own lyrics, as well as manages to use small anecdotes and stories to get the crowd into his state of mind. Or maybe it's how much he puts into his performance and his craft.
Songs like "Judy Garland," "Dance Me Outside" and "Stabilize" have an effect of head-bobbing and silence amongst the crowd. If there is noise, it's people singing along. I'd imagine the feeling he gets from a live performance would almost be intoxicating, not to mention the pride he feels when he realizes that there are people sitting on the Bomber floor just to get close. I don't think that anyone could pay me to sit on who floor on a Wednesday night. Fridays are different, folks.
As a big fan of indie music, as well as your staples such as Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Luke Doucet, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and Dashboard Confessional, I find it almost calming to know that there is an artist that has been playing for ten years mainly for his love of music and that it won't cost my right arm to see him in concert.
The opportunity to see an artist who puts on a good show in your own backyard or at a small venue is priceless. The chance to see an artist who has six albums under his belt and the booking capacity to come to your own living room is even better. Has anyone else heard of this? Charge your friends eight bucks and gather 30 people and Craig is yours for an evening. If you can't make it to the Bomber, bring the performance to your home. It's what he has come to call a "living room show."
I would like to make a point in this article of the importance of supporting local talent. Okay, so maybe you're not a local like myself, but getting into the arts and music scene in a community is a great way to spread your love of music and promote talent that obviously doesn't get as much international recognition as it should. You can't go wrong buying a ticket for the show, having cheap pitchers and just relaxing on a Friday to a man on an acoustic guitar, especially if that man is Craig Cardiff.
(Source: http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/story.php?f=2&t=5692&i=&v=f&story=5692)
