by Jaz Bowens
The light snow and unexpected winds didn’t stop people from coming out to see a great line up of artist at the International House in University City on Tuesday night. Susanna, Charles Cohen, and Chris Forsyth put on a great show.
Chris Forsyth, the guitarist, composer, and producer, was first to bless the stage. Unfortunately, due to some traffic issues I only caught the tail end of his performance, but what I heard make me wish I came earlier.
After Forsyth’s performance Charles Cohen got ready. He’s a Philadelphia based musicians and composure and his performance was like nothing I’ve ever seen or heard before. He was using a Buchla Music Easel synthesizer. The room was dark and the only lights on were two desk lights pointed at his synthesizer. His experimentation made for a new musical experience for me.
It was then time for Susanna’s performance. Susanna, the international songstress, producer, and composure, superseded my expectations. Her recordings don’t do her justice. She sounded amazing! AMAZING! Her voice was crisp, soulful, and abundant. Just her, a guitar, and drums is all it took. Helge Sten on guitar and Fredrik Wallumrød on drums brought the music together wonderfully. She played songs from her Wild Dog album, her current album, The Forester, and songs from other artist. She was really good. I can’t emphasize that enough.
She told the audience she is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of her first album, List of Lights and Buoys. She was also excited about being in Philadelphia for the first time and how it was colder than she expected. “It’s warmer in Norway,” she said.
I went home to listen to her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”. For a feel of Susanna, I suggest checking out her songs “Stay” and “Imagine”. You can check out some of her live performances on Youtube. For more information on what she is up to, check her website continuous updates.
