Press & Reviews

Flipside at the Navigator Coffee House
Saturday January 15, 2011

The Navigator Coffee House continued its series bringing local and regional acts to Falmouth.  This Saturday night featured the Falmouth based band Flipside and The Smile Makers, a relatively new duet from Holbrook.  The Coffee House is located in the Navigator, the home of Falmouth’s Portuguese American Association. 

Flipside is known mostly for performing its own renditions of the blues blending in jazz and pop.  Tonight Flipside was comprised of Chris LoCascio on keyboard and Melissa Roberts Weidman on bass.  Flipside often plays with six members.  Both are accomplished musicians and have played across the Cape for many years.  Tonight they played mostly original songs with a few covers putting their unique imprint on those standards.

In this intimate setting Ms. Weidman’s mastery of the bass revealed the instrument’s essence.  Standing alone the bass resonated as the musical base of the sound.  The tonal movements of the bass closely represent the time and space limitations of the human body.  Its sound and expression do not move any faster than we can walk or run.  It moves one note at time, one lyrical footstep at a time.  It does not soar. It does not push the emotions or imagination.  It grounds the music.  It is appropriately the mother Earth manifestation of the mystery of rhythm and melody.  With the body satisfied the mind and imagination can be moved by the adept improvisation of Mr. LoCascio and Ms. Weidman’s voice on songs such as Missing Me, Bag of Bones and a song about a toothache.

I am not sure if Mr. LoCascio ever opened his eyes while on stage.  His entire performance on the keyboards is his expression of the feeling of the music coming through him.  His presence explains the success of blind musicians.  It is a means of expression not limited by or a product of our sight.  It is only limited by the ability to express experiences, moods and feelings.  It reaches something beyond our everyday experience.  He is in touch with the feel and mood of each song and spends those few moments immersed in its world.  His voice is equally adapted to the content and nature of his songs as exemplified by Working Man and Cool Black Hat.

The two beautifully adapted their musical style to the coffee house environment and their instruments and their expression.  They played mostly originals that were more jazz nuanced than the blues they are best known for.  Confident in their capabilities they were relaxed and had fun as did the audience.

The Smile Makers is comprised of Eric Donaldson on acoustic guitar and Nicole Sutka on bass and recorder.  The two are from Holden and treated the audience to what Ms. Sutka called Bassisters, both bands fronting female bass players.

Mr. Donaldson explained that their name was more of an inside joke than a description.  He confessed that most of their music did not take a walk on the bright side.  I would disagree with anyone who would describe their music as dark, it was simply music about life.  The Smile Makers committed the sedition of admitting to their own feelings and their own emotions.  Their original lyrics were an honest expression of life as they live it.  Mr. Donaldson as the lead singer was not afraid to express himself in songs Can You Tell, Shimmering and Down Below which was an upbeat song about having no money.  As our emotional lives become more and more controlled by the demand to express socially acceptable feelings ranging from the political correct to keeping up with the latest fad, The Smile Makers are a reminder that deep down inside we still have gut feelings and it is healthy to express them.  It takes courage to express yourself through original music not knowing if anyone will listen or care. 

Despite his somewhat burly appearance Mr. Donaldson had a beautiful voice following energetically with his arm propelling his acoustic guitar with bold strokes.  While she mostly remained in the background, Ms. Sutka had a sweet voice and a heart of rock bass style that was distinct and vibrant.  They were engrossing every minute they were on the stage.  There was genuineness about their performance that just sucked the audience in.  They are a testament to the amazing amount of talent that is out there and available to see the Navigator Coffee House series for a quick drive and fifteen dollars.