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Acoustic Music Review Magazine DROPPING IN ON THE DOUG SUITE: |
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Thirteen songs about a guy named Doug. It sounds like an unlikely premise for a concert, let alone a successful concert, let alone a great concert. But when Andrew Ratshin writes the songs, and Arni Adler, Ashley O'Keeffe, Patrice O'Neill, Libby Torrance, and Ratshin sing them, suddenly you have the ingredients for the best concert in Seattle this year, and that's just what took place at the Nippon Kan Theatre on August 4th. The Doug Suite traces the fictional title character's life from birth ("Doug's Birthday Song") to death ("Doug at the Gates of Hell"), with looks at his first job, his first date, his wedding, his divorce and his relationships with his TV and his mother. Some songs are funny, others are serious, and they all speak of the human condition. You can recognize yourself, people you know, and bits of your life in every one of these songs, and that's what makes them live and breathe. Ratshin crafts masterful songs, and he is at his best with the Doug Suite. The performance marked the triumphant one-night reunion of Uncle Bonsai (Ratshin, Adler and O'Keeffe) after nine years of separation. They were visibly delighted to be playing together again, and their chemistry and talent were undiminished by the long hiatus. They clicked off the old songs and a parcel of new ones with skill and confidence, and kept the 400 overheated members of the invitation-only audience enthralled in the steamy Nippon Kan. The highlights of the reunited band's set were two new songs written for this concert: "Doug's Birthday Song," which set the tone for the concert (and Doug's life), and Adler's brilliant performance of "Doug's Divorce Part Two," a wrenching song of separation ("I'II be coming in the morning for my life") with a deceptively lighthearted title. Uncle Bonsai also played host to two other bands for which Ratshin has written "Doug songs": Mel Cooleys (Ratshin, Adler, O'Neill, and Torrance, along with Garey Shelton and John Goforth) and Electric Bonsai Band (Ratshin alone). Mel Cooleys especially shone on the wistful "Delilah Gets Married" featuring Patrice O'Neill's crystalline vocal, as Doug's new wife frets during her wedding reception because she never learned to waltz. All told, it was a wonderfully entertaining evening of fun, intelligent music by exquisite performers. The audience was eager and enthusiastic, and they left satisfied. Concerts don't get any better than that. This live performance of the Doug Suite was recorded, and will be released as a CD around the beginning of October. (Scott Katz) |
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