Joe Tilton wrote a review of our recent, 7/29 Concert in the Park for the Lakeview Area News. Below is his article......thank you, Joe. We look forward to coming back soon. Great setting....great town...great folks!
MIP Scores Big – Joe Tilton
Strong praise was heard about “New Third Coast,” the trio who played and sang for Music in the Park on Wednesday the 29th, but they were still a surprise; a good surprise.
Ask anybody on earth what good music is, and there’s a different opinion from every one, but somehow, New Third Coast brings more consensus to the term “good music” than most anybody who has played for Lakeview’s audiences.
The first thing noticed was; no drums. Still, amid the three voices and six instruments, a “kick” was heard keeping precise rhythm to the power-folk, self-described group. During the single set of 19 songs, the desire to go up there and find the origin of the bass-drum sound was strong. The only thing making sense was the bass player’s right foot tapping in rhythm. Sure enough, it’s called a “Porch-Floor Bass,” which is plugged into the sound system, authentically replicating a bass drum sounding every down beat.
But, that wasn’t the only curiosity. They mixed two acoustic guitars with a four-string electric bass to open the show, which was “Home in the Country.” Immediately, the vocal blend was captivating in the Crosby, Stills & Nash style.
About the time a solid respect for lead guitar skills was established, keyboard styling on the Korg synthesizer was eyebrow rising, as if recognizing a comparable keyboard skill. But switching instruments didn’t end there. The same lead-guitar player later picked up the five-string bass and kept going, handing the lead to the former bass player who now showed amazing skill on the mandolin. Dang! Where do we go from here?
Tasteful key changes, intricate chords with occasional sevenths and thirteenths added, spiced originals and cover songs to provided a very surprising cohesiveness between members Patrick Niemisto, John Kumjian and Bryan Poirier, all with music degrees.
New Third Coast satisfied the need for rhythm variety by going for a Texas two step with “$10 Bucks Worth of Reg'lar,” to “Three Quarter Time” (a mandolin solo) and a driving 4/4 novelty tune, "Dig What You Do." Their musicianship shone on their original, “The Way Life’s Supposed to Be,” which can be seen on YouTube. (But it’s better live!)
That relaxed feeling of, “Yep, no more tension because they might mess up; they are that good,” came with the current rendition of the 60’s original, “Four Strong Winds.” Add, “Teach Your Children Well” to their list of seriously-relevant tune selections. Another stand-out was, “You can Only Hold so Much in your Hand.” A popular Michigan subject is the ship, Edmond Fitzgerald, but their song saluted the captain and crew, making us listen carefully to the lyrics. A message to make one think came through, “The Cost of Freedom.” And, this is group prompted an encore; the first since this reporter has been attending Music in the Park.
A few times there was talking in the audience, which was particularly sad since these three professional musicians were so worth serious attention. But, they took it in stride and invited dancers to the front to capture attention.
With their own sound system and seated during the show, the initial observation of “this is different,” changed to “we’re going to like this,” within the first few notes. If they return to Lakeview, and pray they will, bring your friends. This is the best non-famous group you may ever hear. Why are they not crazy famous? Most groups have one serious stand-out performer, but New Third Cost members are all skilled and well balanced musically, and by all appearances, mentally too. (There was never a question about the last point.)
