Warm and Intimate Evening

Tweet

I'll be honest: there are maybe a handful of people who live outside of Chicago who know Gerald Dowd's name. That's bad for him, to some degree, given that his finely-crafted songs truly deserve a wider audience. However, he seems quite comfortable where he is. Where he was last night was headlining a warm and intimate evening in the "Side Bar" at Fitzgerald's nightclub in suburban Chicago. Singer/songwriter Dan Phillips, who performs as a two-man band (him on guitar and a drummer) as "Zapruder Point," opened the show. The Sidebar at Fitzgerald's was packed to see the two singer/songwriters, and neither man disappointed. Phillips' songs were quiet and reflective. He played a relatively short (about 35 minutes) segment, and he was well-received by the audience. Dowd had a number of friends on board to help him feature songs from his 2014 album Home Now as well as his earlier Kingsize EP release. He also threw is some covers, the highlight of which was performing "I Die a Little Each Day" in tribute to Chicago native and R&B legend Otis Clay, who died earlier in the month. The personal highlight was Dowd performing one of my favorite songs from his album, "Kalamazoo Star," accompanied by his friend Scott Stevenson on accordion. Soon Dowd will be back on tour as a drummer, but this was a time for him to shine and show of his abilities as a singer and songwriter. And, like that star in the Kalamazoo sky he sang about, he certainly did shine.