Performance
Review: Schubas, Chicago
By Mitch Schoenfeld
February 22, 2002
How many
people were on stage at Schubas for an early evening
acoustic set last Friday night? The correct answer was one,
but if my eyes were closed my ears would have sworn there
was at least a trio of people on stage. Three guitarists?,
Two guitarists with one drummer?...the imaginary band
members made entrances and exits, depending on what song
Preston Reed was cranking out at the time.
I can ask another question...How do
you get an acoustic guitar to sound like a heavy metal rock
band one minute and a thumping intricate rhythm section the
next? Just attend a Preston Reed show and the answer will
soon be evident!
Being a first time listener of
Preston Reed, I thoroughly enjoyed both his many musical
talents and the little stories he mixed in. Since Preston's
songs have no lyrics, this gave new and long time listeners
a much welcomed background as to what was happening in his
life when he created these tunes. For instance, Reed was
doing a promo for Ovation guitars when, to his surprise two
Brazilian dancers showed up to accompany him on-stage while
he played guitar. This inspired him to write a song
dedicated to one of the dancers called "Gianaina". That
night at Schubas, one could actually feel the artist
thinking about her while he was playing the song. Another
song he played off his latest album "Handwritten Notes"
called "First Summer Without You" went untitled for a number
of years, until a male fan suggested the title after one of
Preston's shows in Italy.
Utilizing jazz, rock, country and a
hint of new age, Preston Reed is a performer that can change
the mood in a room from one song to the next. If you like
listening to great guitar playing, you won't want to miss
Preston Reed next time he is in town.