Karen Ponzio Photo
The Sawtelles.
During the Sawtelles set at Never Ending Books on Saturday night an audience member every so often would yell “story” between songs if drummer Julie Sawtelle or guitarist Pete Riccio did not readily offer a little piece, as they most often do. However, this was a night when story and sharing came easily and naturally to each performer without much provocation.
It was another edition of the annual birthday party for The Sawtelles, celebrated each year during this month because both Sawtelle and Riccio — who are husband and wife as well as bandmates — each have a birthday in July.
According to Bradford Jacobs, who works along with Dave Kelsey as Golden Microphone to set these shows up, the Sawtelles have been celebrating this event at Never Ending Books on State Street for about nine years now.
The first act of the night, Nick Depuy, was new to most of the room, and a revelation to many. Drawing from the blues guitar players of the past, he found a way to marry his youthfulness to that classic style and bring a new sound to the audience. He played both old and new material, including songs from his new album, Don’t Be Sorry, which he said would be released in about a month. Playing his guitar with both strength and finesse, he also showed his own gentle strength for storytelling as he talked about the thread running through this album about a singer-songwriter who finds a love of both music and a girl. When he came to his last song, “Falling Suns,” he mentioned that it was a favorite song of his mother’s, who has ALS, and that he would be performing at a benefit for her at the summer theater of New Canaan on July 25. After this intimate and lovely song concluded, it was obvious that Depuy had made an impression, and a few new fans.
Next to the stage was Kevin MF King — quite the storyteller in his own right and back in New Haven visiting and performing his solo work as well as his music with his band, Peg Bundy.
“There are no children here, right? Then I’m going to be totally disgusting,” he laughed and stated almost immediately, but he was anything but. He invited friend and fellow musician Ben Erickson to the stage for the first song, which was one of Erickson’s, taking time in between songs to praise Depuy and The Sawtelles and almost constantly acknowledging and offering his appreciation of the audience members who were also friends and fellow musicians. Whether performing his own songs, covering Jane’s Addiction, or leading a full-on hard rock musical assault with his band — which included Tom Hogan on drums and Artie Figgis on bass — King made his guitar sing and tell its own stories. Even when he made a mistake and restarted a song, there was the sense that that was how that particular story was meant to be told.
The Sawtelles arrived in celebratory mode with Riccio on guitar and vocals, Sawtelle on drums and vocals, and Richard Brown on guitar and saxophone. Delivering their more well-known tunes as well as newer selections, their catalogue continually delivered a fresh take on a classic ‘60s-‘70s vibe, reminiscent of Neil Young, Steely Dan, and the kind of rock and roll one would want as their background music to a hot July night cruising through city side streets. Sawtelle’s and Riccio’s harmonies added sweetness to the driving beats, and Brown, whether paying guitar or sax, deepened the groove on every tune. In between each song, the three musicians conferred with one another as well as the audience about their next tune, and Sawtelle bantered with the audience and told her own stories as well, connecting with almost everyone, even asking who else in the room had gigs coming up so they could receive some attention as well. The show naturally ended with the audience singing “Happy Birthday” to these two loved musicians.
“As I always say, you had a choice and you chose to be here, and I really appreciate that,” said Sawtelle earlier in the set. The choice by the end of the night seemed to be obvious: create your own story with old friends and new, and keep celebrating it and them.
