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The Calm Before The Storm at the BergenPAC A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch "Snowmaggeddon" was the term weather forecasters were using to describe a winter storm heading towards northern New Jersey. Luckily, Marc Cohn and Suzanne Vega were able to share and exit the stage at the BergenPAC in Englewood, New Jersey on February 9, 2010, just before the significant snow fall arrived.
 Marc Cohn and Shane Fontayne on stage at the BergenPAC. Marc Cohn is a Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter who plays guitar and piano. Marc's music is a blend of adult contemporary, alt-county and folk rock. Cohn is best known for his song "Walking in Memphis" (1991) but he has released other notable numbers since then. Marc is now in the process of finishing up another album that is scheduled to come out in May of this year. Suzanne Vega is an American neo-folk artist and poet. Suzanne also plays guitar and sings and she has enjoyed prominent chart success in her career. In February of 2010 Vega released Close-Up: Love Songs. The CD is the first of a four part set in which Suzanne strips down her songs to their acoustic core. This first volume finds Vega reinterpreting her songs that deal with attraction, confrontation, flirtation and love. Suzanne and Marc took similar simple approaches to their presentations that also supported their current projects. Both were accompanied by a guitarist as they handled lead vocals and guitar. Marc also performed some of his songs on a black grand piano. "Let's get this in before the snow," stated Marc from behind the ivories with guitarist Shane Fontayne at his side. Fontayne was an obvious fountain of talent and it's no wonder he's been hand-picked by artists like Springsteen and Sting to join them on tour throughout his career. Shane has been with Cohn for over a decade now and together they had a good chemistry onstage. The two played an engaging set of Cohn's classics including the colorful "Silver Thunderbird". Marc is a storyteller whose lyrics are lively and lush. The third tune of his set was "Perfect Love" - penned back in 1987 for his brother and sister in-law who were in the audience. For this track, Cohn played his left-handed guitar combining strums and taps that layered nicely with Fontayne's leads. "Listening to Levon" was a tasteful and a thematic tribute to Levon Helm of The Band. "29 Ways" was scorching and smoked on Fontayne's fiery lead while describing the lengths one would go to make it to his "baby's door". Marc also played a beautiful ballad about family. The song was originally written for Cohn's first child who is now 18 but he said it was really about all of his children. It was followed by the melodic "Walking In Memphis" with Marc on piano and Shane on electric. It was a fan favorite played with flair. The last part of Cohn's set was in support of his new album, which is due out later in the year, and slated to be called Listening Booth: 1970. Marc explained that it is a cover record featuring songs that were released in the calendar year 1970. He mentioned how influential that time was and listed some of the artists such as The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Neil Young that made an impact on him growing up. Marc relayed that he chose songs that would best suit his style yet offered enough space for reinterpretation. Cohn finished up his show and encore by featuring three tracks from the forthcoming CD allowing the audience a sneak peak into his take on Alex Chilton & the Box Top's "The Letter", CCR's "As Long As I Can See The Light", and Cat Stevens's "Wild World" - before closing the night with his own "True Companion".
 Suzanne Vega's latest Close-Up was released on Tuesday, February 9 - the day of this concert. "Are you ready for the snow?," Vega asked as she greeted the crowd after opening with the pleasing "Marlene On The Wall". Suzanne played a solid set which included tracks from her new record. She explained that it was out in the stores today and it was the re-recording of some of her older songs. "Small Blue Thing" from Vega's first album was a prime example. The track still featured her astute observations with alternative accents provided by guitarist Gerry Leonard using effect pedals. "Frank and Ava" featured peppy prose with Gerry adding backing vocals. Suzanne shared some of the stories that inspired her songs. Vega's lyrics were visual. "New York Is a Woman" looked at the city that never sleeps through the eyes of a visitor. The combination of acoustic and electric guitars underscored the points and poetry of the piece. "Tombstone" was a cheerful song about being "remembered after you die" jested Suzanne. The tune did have an up-tempo groove with Vega clapping along to her words of wisdom. Suzanne started "(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May" with strong string strums as the two guitars blended. Vega - in good voice and seemingly upbeat about her new record - sang her vibrant lyrics in her musical answer to the famous Rod Stewart hit. Suzanne ended her set with her two most well-known numbers. "Luka" is still a straight forward yet startling story about child abuse. "Tom's Diner" - with its rap about the events in a New York city restaurant - was enhanced by Leonard's electric guitar and effects. Both were well received by the attentive audience at the BergenPAC. Cohn and Vega have toured together in the past. In fact, it was this pairing - along with Fontayne - that performed a concert in Denver five years ago. Tragically, on that night (August 7, 2005) Cohn was shot in the head and seriously traumatized during an attempted car-jacking following the show. Marc and Suzanne complement each other in concert as they are similar stylistically with both acts choosing similar formats to showcase their classic and contemporary projects. Their mellow yet melodic sets provided a captivating calm before the snowstorm ending just in time for fans and musicians alike to dodge the flakes.
 Related Links: For more information on MARC COHN & SUZANNE VEGA and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- MarcCohn.net | SuzanneVega.com | ShaneFontayne.com | BergenPAC.org (Originally Published on February 02, 2010) |
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