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Brattleboro reformer - Brattleboro, VT "One of the first shows I ever saw at The Iron Horse was Robyn Hitchcock solo, and I remember thinking that it was the best venue I'd ever been in," recalled Pioneer Valley singer-songwriter Henning Ohlenbusch in an e-mail exchange. Years later he would find himself on performing on that very stage as part of the now defunct Humbert. "When it came time for me to sing one of my songs, I can clearly remember thinking back to that concert and thinking how cool it was that I was on the same stage that I had seen Hitchcock on years before. "I smiled while I sang." Ohlenbusch, who now fronts School For The Dead, will again be smiling when he returns to the renowned music hall for a solo slot opening for Hitchcock Monday night. "I've been a fan of his since I started writing music," said the lanky guitarist, to whom the former Soft Boy is a musical mentor. "One of the most important elements that I tried to learn from Hitchcock was the relationship between lyrical content and melody. Also, to not be afraid of singing about strange or sometimes goofy things. "Hitchcock has the amazing ability to turn the surreal into the sublime, to somehow make a song about toads or kidneys be beautiful enough to break your heart. Whether I managed to pick any of that up isn't really up to me to say, though. I'm just a guy writing about himself writing." Ohlenbusch also cites The Beatles, Syd Barrett and Paul Simon as influences. Last year's School For The Dead CD is full of whimsical slices of pop, a la Hitchcock. Ohlenbusch is on the verge of releasing a new solo record titled "Look Like I'm Tall." "It was a completely solo task, I played all the instruments and did all the engineering. That's one of my favorite things to do to turn an idea into a recording all by myself up in my room with the snow outside the window," said Ohlenbusch. "Sonically, its over-all feel is a little bit gentler than a School for the Dead album." Ohlenbusch is appreciative of the opportunity to open for one of his songwriting heroes. "Well, The Iron Horse provides local artists with this amazing opportunity to share the stage with some great international artists. I have a good relationship with them from past performances and I certainly have made it clear over the years that if Mr. Hitchcock were to come back that I would be delighted to play." When asked what this gig means to him, Ohlenbusch replied, "A couple free drinks at the bar. No, no, I'm kidding, of course. I also get to see the Robyn Hitchcock show for free." For any emerging musician from this region, a headlining slot at the Iron Horse is much more than a free beer at the bar. Sixteen year-old Seth Glier will have to settle for a soda -- and a chance to perform on the same stage that most of his heroes have. "This is a great opportunity for me to prove myself, both musically and business wise," said the young singer/pianist, who won last year's "Valley Idol" competition, the region's more sophisticated take-off of the TV network hit, "American Idol." The prodigious Glier, who attends Mohawk Trail High School, promises an eclectic and unique show. "The audience should expect everything. I play everything from ballads to blues jams to hard core piano jazz. This is my first time playing with a big band. I've played with two or three people before, because I usually classify myself as a solo artist. This time I'm playing with a six-piece band," he said. Glier, whose CD "Why" was produced by area fave Goody Goodrich, will be surrounded by some top shelf talent including Joe Nerny on sax (Stevie Wonder), Bruce Dobbins on congas (John Sheldon), Ryan Hommel (Sharp Circle), Gabe Rioux (In The Groove), Peter Kim (Love Bomb, Susan Angeletti). "I am very humbled to play with such talented people," added Glier, who cites Jamie Cullum, Martin Sexton and Peter Cincotti as influences. The Iron Horse bookers may have been alerted to the talents of young Mr. Glier from a memorable performance at a Pothole Pictures production at Memorial Hall Theater in Shelburne Falls. "I was hired to sing 30 minutes before the movie 'Fahrenheit 9-11,'" Glier recalled."This was a perfect scene for me because my lyrics can be very politically motivated." The show was a sellout (520 people), Glier earned three standing ovations, a pair of encores and ran out of CDs to sell. It was at Memorial Hall performance by Martin Sexton that young Glier cites as a turning point in his musical life. "He has been such an influence on my music and live performances. I learned that I need to become part of the song, part of the art, when I'm performing." Glier hopes to carry that inspiration into The Iron Horse Saturday night. His hope is turn the hallowed hall into "a place were people can dance, cry, laugh and feel good." |
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