Up the stairs of the Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House, in the concert venue behind the full restaurant, 75 to 100 people were seated on Thursday night. The concert-goers were taking in a performance by Toronto's Creaking Tree String Quartet (www.creakingtree.com), in full swing by 8:30 p.m.
No one took the extra flight of stairs up to the top floor of the venue, where you can look down to see the musicians at work - although it provides the perfect perch to take in the show.
Creaking Tree is a four-piece mix of jazz and bluegrass, with Andrew Collins (mandolin) Brad Keller (guitar), Brian Kobayakawa (bass) and John Showman (fiddle).
The band was no individually miked, instead each moved up to a single microphone at centre stage to emphasize certain instruments or solo runs.
That's all except for the difficult-to-move bass of Kobayakawa. The rest of the band simply moved to the back of the room so his solo work could shine.
Kobayakawa was dressed in beat-uniform black shirt with matching dark pants and a striped tie. His style contrasted with the rest of the band - playng in blue jeans.
Even in clothing, it was Creaking Tree - jazz and country in one.
***
A smaller audience of less than a dozen was on hand for the start of a 9 p.m. show down the street at the Fat Cat Blues Bar.
Yet local act Shawn Beresford and the Soulution (yes, that's soul-ution) brought an audience-welcomed traditional pop R&B/soul sound with Beresford adding smooth vocals over the top. Read: plenty of longer notes and lyrics about love.
The Soulution includes Bruce Cooper, Gary Johnston, Ian Taylor and Natasha Hartery. Hartery's vocals blended well with Beresfords when called on for a harmony.
During the band's set, Beresford told the audience he is currently working to complete a new release ("Call My Name") and has been taking advice in the studio from Chris Kirby ("Vampire Hotel").
He is offering a pre-sale to help cover the costs for the album. It included: a copy of "Shawn Beresford and Mojo," a copy of "In a Heartbeat" featuring Shawn Beresford and the Soulution pianist Gary Johnston and the new album (upon release) for $20. More on Beresford and the Soulution at: www.shawnberesford.com
***
Arriving at the Majestic Theatre at 9:30 p.m. you could catch the end of a set by The Dogberries, featuring Charlie Barfoot and Jack Daw.
The group closed on some upbeat numbers, venturing away from some of the smoother, slower-paced work on their 2009 album "Saltwater Jazz."
The Majestic held approximately 250 people around 9:30 p.m. as The Dogberries played.
When the main act of the night, Alex Cuba, took to the stage, the number was closer to 400. It would run to 450 by mid-set for Cuba.
The plan was to originally limit the number of tickets to Cuba to 300. Working for the festival, Liz Dunbar told The Telegram audience demand had led organizers to clear out the bulk of the chairs inside the venue, increasing the capacity for the evening.
What had been a 300-ticket event had about 150 additional tickets sold at the door.
On stage, Cuba was introduced by CBC Radio "Deep Roots" host Tom Power and brought on to hearty applause. Stepping to his golden microphone, the afro'd Cuba (his concert t-shirts remind you to "Go With the Fro") was all charm, smiling and waving to the crowd.
From song one, he and his sidemen had a collection of women dancing in the aisles on each side of the stage - the group growing as the set went on. Added to that, people were tapping feet swaying and bopping throughout the crowd.
Cuba had everyone singing along with regular call-and-answer segments, even getting a repeat from the crowd on his whistling at one point.
"Women have more power than men," Cuba said in one between-numbers address, then added: "I dedicate this to all the women in the audience tonight."
He received hoots, whistles and applause in response.
Cuba sang mostly in Spanish, reflecting the bulk of his work, but also performed, from his 2010 Juno-nominated album, the English-language track "You Give Me Love."
"Which I hope you do," he said.
afitzpatrick@thetelegram.com
