Sipping on tasty Carlo Rossi

Author: Reid Hansen

What could possibly be more enjoyable than eating a bowl of Annie's Mac & Cheese while listening to some good music on a Thursday night? Maybe some magic cookie bars, but not much else, thinks Emily Adler '07.5, manager of the Gamut Room, which is why she promises that students will be able to find more and more reasons to head down to the basement of Gifford in the coming months. As part of an effort to bring more people to the Gamut Room who don't make use of it on a regular basis, those behind the scenes of the operation are making efforts to bring in more entertainment, student-based and otherwise.

One such musical evening involved The Carlo Rossi String Band, which played last Thursday night. Members of the band included Israel Carr '09, on bass, Geordie Lynd '08 on fiddle and banjo, Kevin Brown '09 played banjo and harmonica, Josh Deane '09 was on mandolin and Will Mallett '07.5 led the band with vocals and guitar. Impressively, each member sang, though Mallett, standing in the center of the Gamut Room stage, was clearly the lead.

The band's strength lay in its rigid sense of time, bright rhythms and jolly presence. Though Carlo Rossi's folk tunes maintained relatively static volumes, the songs shifted between dragging heavy tempos and fast paces. Mallett had a clean, mellow lead voice. Occasionally the band shuffled around to allow Lynd a melodic fiddle solo, or Brown a few licks on harmonica. Some of the songs featured well-executed harmonies, but the real character of Carlo Rossi appeared when the band members came together and hollered the choruses of their tunes.

Carr was especially optimistic, noting that the band had just recently officially been named the Gamut Room's house band: "We've been together for a year, under this name," Carr said, adding, "We like being called Carlo RossiÖ but we'd rather drink it." The band laughed at that comment, suggesting a key character of the ensemble: the Carlo Rossi String Band isn't only about music, but also about having a good time.

When Carlo Rossi finished, Brown introduced Felix Sonny-Boy Wilson. The lights went off and Felix tuned his banjo, and then transitioned into his first song.

Obscured by shadows onstage, Felix Wilson sounded like a trio. On the banjo, Wilson frailed accurately, drumming his thumb against the instrument's body, while also finger picking and singing. His speaking voice was reminiscent of Bob Dylan reading "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie," and his singing had a sharp, bluesy touch, bending notes and adding a quick vibrato that tapered off the end of his words. About four songs into his set, Wilson showcased an impressive yodel, while playing a Dobro guitar and a kazoo. He sang mostly about love, but showed an interest in politics as well, again evoking long-ago Dylan recordings.

Felix seemed surprised to be playing for "academic folk." Though, late in his set he commented, "I like you, Middlebury College." Thanks, Felix. Middlebury College likes you, too.

Be sure to look for posters advertising upcoming events in the Gamut Room - or just stop in next time you're hungry.