A Mini-concert in Rogers Park’s Jarvis Square reviewed by Julia W. Rath

Review of Laura Joy and Victor Sanders, with Rebecca Jasso in Concert

4 Stars ****

The energy of a packed house buoyed musicians Laura Joy, Victor Sanders, and Rebecca Jasso on Saturday evening July 31st at the Jarvis Square Pottery Shop, a small, eclectic storefront in historic Rogers Park. This “first gig in the New Normal” featured a concert of popular music that was hosted by owner/potter Paul Bick under the watchful eye of an inspirational wall-hanging of a young Jerry Garcia.

Jasso opened the show. Her 30-minute set consisted of seven original songs, punctuated by the reasons for writing each of them. My favorite featured the line “Home Is Where the Memories Are”, which tells the story of her relationship with her extended family and how difficult it can be to deal with those you may or may not want to see in your life. Her often self-deprecating monologue humanized the performance and helped the audience overlook some aspects reminiscent of a rehearsal. For example, at the very beginning of the show, her electric acoustic guitar required the installation of a cover over the sound hole in order to prevent feedback.

After a 15-minute break, Joy and Sanders played a 45-minute set. Joy sang a combination of original songs (e.g., “Here” and “Remember”) and well-worn melodies, such as those from Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, and Tom Petty, while accompanying herself on acoustic guitar. She ended the set with her rendition of “Stand by Me.” These were safe and recognizable songs which she made her own. As an aside, it was interesting that the oldies she chose to sing were all written by men.

The star of the show, however, was Sanders, a legendary and highly accomplished bass guitarist, who masterfully accompanied Joy’s vocals and guitar. He supported her original compositions plus added a new kick to the oldies. Sanders’ genius is proven by how well he maximizes the tonal versality of his six-string electric bass guitar through the use of tremolo and a whole host of modulation and reverberation effects. He also served as the show’s audio engineer, with Bick making minor adjustments to the sound from time to time. Sound quality and balance were excellent during both sets.

The music venue is visually interesting, and one doesn’t know where to look first. Original pottery is neatly displayed as is an abundance of artwork including a wide range of Indian tapestries, paintings, b/w photos, and wall-hangings. There is a substantial collection of record albums, notably from The Beatles and The Grateful Dead. The makeshift stage is located in the store’s front window, and guests have their choice of watching the performance from indoors or simply listening from seats outdoors located in “Molly’s Garden.” On an absolutely gorgeous evening, my guest and I got to hear live outdoor entertainment from the bar kitty-corner across the street as we sat in the beautifully-tended garden waiting for the doors to open.

The only inconvenience concerning the event was the restroom situation. The pottery shop has only one sole-person restroom available, and this is shared with the theater next door.

In all, an enthusiastic crowd wanted more, much more! In large part, this had to do with the quality of the music and the fact that we were all having such a good time. But the other reason was that it felt good to see people in close proximity and associate with them without feeling the need to wear a mask or be socially distant. (Note that only two people in the crowd wore gaiters; the rest of us went maskless.) In the back of our minds, we all knew that the relaxation of COVID restrictions would not last much longer. Said one of the concert-goers: “Let’s not think about the Delta variant for one night.” Although I’m not the sort of person who pooh-poohs the virus, I couldn’t agree more.

Laura Joy and Victor Sanders, with Rebecca Jasso in concert was publicized by the Chicago Acoustic Underground at https://chicagoacoustic.net/, which is “dedicated to promoting original artists in the Chicagoland area.”

The suggested donation was $10 or whatever you could afford.

Jarvis Square Pottery is a community-oriented venue, located at 1443 West Jarvis Avenue, in Chicago. For information about their future events, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/JarvisSquarePottery/.