Review: Ruthie Foster Comes to the Abbey Bar
By: Tory Gates Oct. 20, 2016
There's a thing about old becoming not so much new, but good again. You see that in trends that go beyond fashion, music and the arts. It's seen as well in the places people go.
The Appalachian Brewing Company is one such place. A building of many lives since its erection around 1915, the place was once a printing factory according to a manager who took me on a brief walkabout through the at times cavernous, dark and yet welcoming place.
Original brick, wooden beams and hardwood floors remain, with the lagering section of the brewery dated back to 1890. Craft beers and sodas, the former no longer a curiosity to a particular set of the population, and one of the draws to the historic spot.
Music is another. The upstairs Abbey Bar is host to performers that at the least have a fair following, even if the names are unknown to the mainstream.
After an armload of awards in the blues realm, one would think Ruthie Foster might be a bit better known. I'll confess not knowing her name until I stumbled onto Promise of a Brand New Day, her 2014 release. From the first play of tracks like "Singing the Blues," "My Kinda Lover" and "It Might Not Be Right," you hear an honest voice from the heart, sophisticated songcraft (not a bad thing in this line), and a vibe that gets you. You remember the first you heard Foster, and you don't forget.
On a Sunday evening, she rolled into the Abbey Bar for a solo acoustic set. The Susquehanna Folk Music Society, which helped bring Foster here was in attendance, and members of the Blues Society of Central PA were on hand. A mostly older crowd with a deep appreciation for the music crowded in for an intimate, and much more laid-back set than I'd anticipated.
Ruthie's set was part performance, part engagement with the crowd, and even a little standup. A huge smile, and her Gibson in hand, she took the stage. Expect a "hallelujah time," she told me, for those who'd never seen her, and she would be right, from the standpoint of joy.
Onstage, Ruthie kicked into "Brand New Day," and we were off. Shifting through blues, folk and gospel catalogs, her own and others, Ruthie led the crowd through a casual but spot-on set. She also treated us to two versions of "Singing the Blues." The original was more in the style of Eric Bibb, whom she noted, a more fingerpicking style. The chords and rhythm of the second were more to the recording and won the round.
Lucinda Williams' "Fruits of My Labor" was taken in hand, and Foster's interpretive skill makes another's song her own. Terri Hendrix' "Hole in My Pocket" and Patty Griffin's "When it Don't Come Easy" also get the treatment. Ruthie took us inside the African-American churches, joked about what the "Amen Corner" actually is, and the gospel side came out, especially on Son House's "Grinnin' in Your Face."
Full of stories as well, the Texas native brought up her years in New York City, playing in the Village (apparently being mistaken for Tracy Chapman was not a bad thing) and working in television before moving back south to San Marcos. Robert Earl Keen lives nearby, and George Strait hangs out locally like it's nothing. "Welcome Home" takes us there.
Ruthie rounded out the set with "Runaway Soul," which quickly turned into "The Road's My Middle Name," and back again. To the well-deserved standing ovation, Ruthie returned for "Phenomenal Woman."
Well, it's probably a run through, and I wish I could say more, but cannot dig into any word-filled blather as I sometimes find. There's no need; Ruthie Foster turned in a free-floating, relaxed set, but with all the power you'd expect from her shows. She is a "don't miss it" performer; when you get that chance, you take it.
http://www.ruthiefoster.com/#homepage
http://www.sfmsfolk.org/info/home.html
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