The Poly Post

Issue date: 5/20/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Brandon Tan/Poly Post

Candice Brown sat poised on a stool, microphone in hand, looking out over the capacity crowd in the Music Recital Hall during last Thursday's Songwriter Showcase. The crowd sat in anticipation as music began to emit from the grand piano situated next to her and Wayne Ingram's voice cut through the room, her clear high voice blending into beautiful harmonies as they sang Ingram's "Memory," a sad but powerful pop ballad.

Backing them up were Andres Aguirre - who provided an electrifying guitar solo midway through the piece - and The Polyphonics, the house band consisting of drummer Jeanette Lawler and bassist Nick Meade that was also featured at last quarter's Songwriter Showcase.

This sense of collaboration was in full effect throughout the night, with the various singer/songwriters accompanying each other for most of the performances.

"The first [Songwriter Showcase] focused more around individual songwriters … and occasionally we brought in other musicians. These past two ones, and especially this one, we really tried to have songwriters work with each other and sing on each other's songs," said recording technology professor Arthur Winer, the director of the show. "We're trying to make it more into a cohesive show than just individual singer/songwriters."

Winer first conceived the Songwriter Showcase last year, an opportunity for student musicians to play their original songs.

Brown collaborated with several musicians throughout the show, most notably Matt Matsumoto. The two are both veterans of the first two showcases and collaborated together during last quarter's performance.

Following the tradition they established at the last show, they played a humorous song. Entitled "Mother Earth," the song was a dedication to their maternal caretakers with nature-infused lyrics.

Because of the joint songwriting aspect of this show, the deadlines for material were tighter than before. But, under the gun, Brown and Matsumoto found the inspiration they needed to produce another memorable number.

"Matt and I actually didn't have a song yet, so I … made a random title," said Brown. "Since it was Mother's Day, I put 'Mother Earth' down."

The song was the second in Brown's set, which began just after the intermission that followed "Memory."

She began with the very moving "Into This Bliss," an intimate pop piece that found Brown alone on stage with her acoustic. The stripped-down version of a song she previously recorded in the music department studios was engaging in the way it relied on her voice alone to carry it along.

Continued...

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