Author: Bridget Benevides
I am from California, so this whole “sub 60-degree weather on a daily basis” thing is new for me and while my body may be freezing, my soul is warmed thanks to the incredible performance by Karla Bonoff at The Triple Door on Tuesday, February 20th. The Triple Door is a warm, welcoming and intimate venue. It is always fun for me to see the couples that get dressed and come out to enjoy live music, and share their love.
The concert started promptly at 7:30 PM. If you go to The Triple Door, I advise that you do not plan to be there fashionably late, because you will miss something. I love the punctuality of all the artists that I see there. It is comforting to know I will get home at a reasonable time (as opposed to some concerts I’ve been to where the main act did not come on until three hours after the show was scheduled to start).
The type of music Karla Bonoff played had an acoustic singer-songwriter feel but it also had a unique spin through the addition of electric guitar. She was accompanied on stage by Nina Gerber who played electric and acoustic guitar and I can honestly say Gerber is the most talented guitarist I have ever seen live. The crowd interrupted the songs with applause after her guitar solos because they were so incredible and complex and played with such ease.
Image courtesy of the artist’s Facebook page
Karla flowed from song to song with ease, pausing every once and a while to tell the story behind her songs. She sang about her father and about a cat of hers. She talked about her time in the band Bryndle, and about her small bout of writer’s block (10 to 20 years) which elicited chuckles from the crowd. She sang of very real and raw things which made her songs easy to understand and connect to in one way or another.
The highlight of my evening was Nina Gerber playing “Imagine” by John Lennon. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: people who can play instruments impress me so much! But Nina Gerber was on another level. She did not just strum the chords, but her fingers danced so expertly that you could hear the words that were not being sung. However, the crowd joined in at the verse “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one” and sang together in imperfect harmony “I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one”. Chills ran through my body as I sat there in this crowd of strangers and felt the world wash over me.
Nina Gerber
Image courtesy of David Bazemore
It hurts me that, despite that we are all human, we are separated by hate. It hurts me that some feel superior to others because of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, or education. It hurts me knowing that my little brother may not be safe sitting in his high school classroom, and that school shootings have become so common that there have been 18 just this year and I haven’t heard of most of them. It hurts me that the government makes excuses for their citizens deaths and then do nothing about it. And while the events from these past few weeks, months, and years are tragic and unforgettable, I find some hope in music. I find hope in the power it has to bring a crowd of strangers together, to sing along with their fellow humans, and recognize the power we possess together.
BRIDGET BENEVIDES | thankful | KXSU Music Reporter