We really don’t give our community enough credit when it comes to the opportunities we have to appreciate culture and the arts, and that was proven again in the Crouch Auditorium on Sunday. When the Weston County Concert Association hosted it’s first concert of the season, the Guthrie Brothers invited the audience to step back in time with them as they unfolded the songs that carried Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to stardom. The task was an easy one, as they gently played some old favorites that eased your mind and released for listeners an overwhelming sense of calm as they let themselves go along on the journey.
I wasn’t born in the time of Simon and Garfunkel, but my love and appreciation for the music of that era was introduced early in my home. My dad was always playing his records in an attempt to stop me from listening to the “junk” music, as he called it, of my teenage years. We would actually have stereo wars— which he always won with his much nicer set of speakers— so I heard a variety of bands growing up.
As bad as I thought his selection was, I later grew to greatly appreciate his introduction to the best music ever, and my love for the “oldies” has only grown over the years. They have always had a place on my playlist, and Simon and Garfunkel has always been a particular favorite.
Many of the songs performed by the duo on Sunday afternoon were very familiar. Some were new to me, but they all had a groovy rhythm. One of the first songs performed was one Simon and Garfunkel had performed on American Bandstand at the age of 15, and from that introduction it was very apparent their roots were in folk music. Even in the midst of the emergence of the rock era, Simon and Garfunkel held onto those roots.
The word choices in their songs are strong and intentional, and those words alone invoke emotion. Over the years I have learned to listen to the words of songs, and look to find their meaning. The more familiar tunes were, of course, fun to sing along with, much to the embarrassment of my middle school daughter.
Summer accompanied me to the concert with the goal of hearing one song, “Cecilia,” and when the brothers skipped over that song when it was listed in the program, she was obviously bummed. Fortunately, it came into the show a bit later and all was good.
The introduction for the songs is something I enjoyed, in addition to the music itself. The brothers shared historical tidbits, like the meaning behind “Cecilia.” It turns out Cecilia was Paul Simon’s muse, and he is portraying the relationship he has with her as kind of a fleeting thing— here one minute, gone the next.
During the 59th Street Bridge song (Feelin’ Groovy), we were persuaded to participate. We were in charge of the line “Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy,” and separated into two groups. At the end of each verse we would repeat the line four times in a round. The request for participation was well received, and the end results was a beautiful harmony that made everyone in the auditorium really feel like we were part of the show.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening to share with fellow music lovers, but I have never been to a Concert Association presentation that wasn’t enjoyable. Even getting to one performance more than makes up for the cost of the membership. It’s a nice evening out, and there are plenty more opportunities to catch a show throughout the concert season. With winter approaching— and road conditions about to get dicey— there’s no better time to rediscover the culture available to you right here!