Normally a forward-thinking power-popper, singer/guitarist Richard Barone gets historical with Sorrows & Promises, rounding up tunes associated with New York’s Greenwich Village in the Sixties. He and some pals cast a wide net, covering not only the expected folk standard-bearers (Dylan, Neil, Ochs, Simon & Garfunkel), but also the Lovin’ Spoonful, Velvet Underground, and Buddy Holly, who resided there when he recorded “Learning the Game.” Barone sticks with straightforward interpretation over personal vision or reinvention, which is a shame. Originals still widely available, these songs seem ripe for reimagining as something other than these solid but uncompelling renditions. (Fri. 17, Victorian Room at the Driskill, 8pm)
This article appears in March 17 • 2017.
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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.
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