Central Maine Newspapers
December 28, 2001

by Lucky Clark

Rogers keeps audience close

Musician enjoys shows at smaller venues.

Debut appearances are always special, and next Friday s show at the U.U. Coffeehouse in Waterville is a good example - popular Garnet Rogers will be performing in an unusual Friday night gig on Jan. 4.

This Canadian singer-songwriter has nine solo albums under his belt, including his latest, "Firefly," all on his own Snow Good Songs Records label. He s also a multi-instrumentalist covering all forms of guitars (acoustic, electric, slide, tenor and baritone guitars), mandolin, cello, violin, flute, alto flute and glockenspiel.

His voice is a strong baritone, reminiscent of Dave Mallett and John McCutcheon, while his song writing abilities are second to none. He is able to capture emotions that ring true in a palpable way as he brings the common man and his day-to-day existence to his audiences.

And as far as Maine performances, Rogers has played in Maine "a little bit over the years," primarily in the now-defunct Left Bank Cafe in Blue Hill and in Ellsworth with the occasional gig in Portland - and he s even played Slates.

"It s a great little joint," he said in a recent telephone interview from his home up in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. Slates is a nice place, I ve played there a few times."

The singer explained that smaller venues, like the Hallowell eatery, are perfect for his performance style, which is often humor-based and thrives on being able to interact with an audience only a few feet away.

"Sometimes people will just start talking back to you," Rogers said, "and it s great - it s a lot more fun because let s face it, that s really the only contact with human beings I get all day."

When the U.U. Coffeehouse came up in conversation, the singer-songwriter had some decided beliefs concerning that particular organization.

"I don t know what we d do without Universalist-Unitarian coffeehouses in New England. A lot of folk clubs are run out of (the churches) and they just seem to have a really great involvement with the community."

As a performer, Rogers said shows put on by those organizations feel more community-oriented and more intimate and personable than a larger venue.

"You just feel a little more connected, somehow," he added warmly, "and for me one of the attractions is that I m not stuck in a dressing room somewhere waiting for the show, going out on stage and finding the audience 60 feet away on the other side of an orchestra pit or something. I do have to do big halls sometimes and I detest them - I like the smaller venues, there s more interaction."

Rogers tries not to lose sight of the fact that his shows are a night for the fans.

"It s my main job description - I m an entertainer. I never want to lose track that people really want to laugh - particularly this period in our lives. All the shows I ve done since Sept. 11," Rogers declared, "people just really seem to need to come out and get away from TV and Dan Rather. They just want to laugh and feel a part of a community that s not teetering on the edge of some weirdness.

"So if people want to sign along, they can sing; if they want to listen to some serious stuff, they can listen to that, but it s all kind of tied together by humor. I find that I need to do that - leaven the mix by poking fun at myself."