At one local musical haunt, perfect pitch was reached courtesy of electrified low notes. At another, high notes did the trick.
The low notes sealed the evening Thursday for an enthusiastic crowd at Cafe Nine. The crowd turned out to hear Idaho’s Eilen Jewell, a touring singer-songwriter and recording artist whose polished yet gritty music gets described as alt-country, folkie, roots-rock, Loretta Lynn-ish, and of course Americana. She mixed older numbers and covers with new material, including “Hallelujah Band” (in video, which is getting heavy public-radio airplay).
A comfortable frontwoman who visibly enjoys connecting with an audience, Jewell was backed by upright bass, drums, and electric guitar — the last spot filled by a Jerry Miller. Miller shared the spotlight with Jewell all night, his hard-driving, lyrical solos serving almost as second vocals as they swapped verses with Jewell’s singing. Miller’s left hand surfed the fretboard with innate ease, whether he was draping atmospherics over Jewell’s dreamier numbers or stabbing hearty, twangy lines on the fifth and sixth strings to drive the upbeat songs complete. No disrespect to Jewell, but Miller stole the show.
The high notes, on the other hand, made the sound complete when Westville’s best-known Grammy winner, fiddler/Dobro master Stacy Phillips, brought his ever-shifting ensemble of Bluegress Characters together for their most recently monthly jam at the Outer Space last week. The high notes came courtesy of former New Haven Advocate Editor Andy Bromage. Bromage, often heard on banjo, picked up the guitar and, most importantly, provided lead vocals and harmonies with Phillips’ crew. Bromage hit those clear-as-a-mountain-stream notes on one mid-20th century bluegrass standard after another; that made all the difference. (Click on the video for a sample.) Phillips’ cast of characters is headed next to the Institute Library at 847 Chapel St. on July 23 starting at 7 p.m. to play a benefit for the organization.
