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Concert Tue Mar 08 2011
Review: Street Home Chicago: Chicago Street Musicians @ HOB 3/3
There is something about seeing people out of context that forces you to see another facet of their personality, whether it's running into your French teacher in the lingerie section at Macy's, catching a glimpse of a man who looks familiar at Whole Foods and realizing it's Warner Saunders, or seeing street musicians perform on a bonafide stage. Last Thursday at the House of Blues, a handful of street musicians usually found on subway platforms and street corners got a chance to play in front of an audience that for once wasn't in a hurry to get somewhere else. This was the first such concert for Chicago Street Musicians, an organization founded in 2009 by musicians Gabriel Chapman and Sarah Barnes.
Chapman wasn't kidding when he said that Keithen Terrell, the headliner, was "a dashing young man." The audience was in Terrell's corner from the moment he appeared onstage and began singing the opening notes to a bluesy version of The Temptations song "I Can't Get Next To You".
Other notable moments included Meisha Herron's interpretation of the Fleetwood Mac chestnut "Dreams;" George Banks' tribute to Harry Nilsson; the agility of the musician known as Maverick as he lay down the law on his guitar; and Chris James jamming Hendrix-style. I kept waiting for the glint of recognition to come -- the moment when I'd see a musician that I'd heard while traveling downtown, and it finally came in the form of The Real Connection, a trio of singers I've walked past a hundred times if I've walked past them once. Their repertoire -- songs like "Stand By Me," "Don't Know Much," and "What's Going On" are as much a part of the experience of commuting downtown as riding the train. Next time you see a musician on the street or in the subway, take a moment to consider what it would be like to hear them in another context; you might find yourself adding a few extra minutes into your commute.