Sam Shinazzi

Live Reviews

Sam Shinazzi, Tom Morgan, Andy Calvert, Wally Moor @ Sandringham Hotel, Sydney
Friday, 3 September 2004

Taking a quick look at the gig guide this evening, many people would have assumed that tonight's show was going to be your standard acoustic solo artist performance. Even given the talent that these songwriters have, in particular Tom Morgan and Sam Shinazzi, it was to my and I expect many punters surprise that tonight ended up being as special as it was.

Upon entering the small venue, I was pleased to accept a free CD of all the artists on show tonight. The four unreleased songs with professional artwork would be a lovely reminder of what was going to transpire over the next three hours. I'm not sure how many were given away, but it was a nice gesture.

I managed to catch most of Wally Moor's set. After asking someone next to me about him, I found out he was from a local band called The Distants. He played emotive tunes in the rock/pop genre accompanied by a bassplayer. The two of them were upbeat and energetic. Moor's vocals were at times a little hit and miss, but his charisma more than carried the strong songs and performance. They were joined onstage by a keyboardist towards the end of their set which filled out the sound tremendously. They finished with a hilarious version of 'Karma Chameleon's by Culture Club which then leap seamlessly into You Am I's 'How Much Is Enough' which would have bemused even Tim Roger's I would think.

Andy Calvert is one of two songwriters in the Givegoods. In solo mode he is even more animated, with stinging yet intelligent lyrics which at times reminded me of a young Tom Waits or even Nick Cave. I was lucky enough to have a seat near the stage and close to the speakers, so it was always going to be an intimate show. Towards the back of the room though, it seemed like maybe Calvert's tales were not travelling as far. The crowd was growing larger and I am guessing that many people were here to see the last two acts. Calvert told some stories though in-between songs and get the majority of the crowd interested in his beer-soaked songs. It was great to see him solo after seeing the Givegoods so many times.

The Sandringham is a fine hotel for live original music, although the bar situation is a worry. Having removed the upstairs bar to create more space for punters (which is a great thing), it is some distance to the bar and quite hard to carry more than two drinks back upstairs.

As I hinted at above, I was here to see the last two acts, having been a fan of both songwriters for some time. Tom Morgan came on after 10pm and was his usual brilliant self. He now has an enormous back catalogue to fall back on, and based on the CD I received upon entry, his new material is going to be even stronger. Looking back, I don't recall him playing that song but he more than made up for it playing Smudge, Givegoods and Lemonheads tunes. It was almost like a greatest hits performance from him. 'The Outdoor Type' and 'Impractical Joke' were flawless; a perfect example of just how gifted Morgan's touch is.

He has never been a big talker onstage, and tonight was no different. He lets his songs do the talking and the large crowd was silent as Morgan's lyrics shone. Requests were yelled out, to which he generously replied in song. The crowd was a real mixture of indie fans and a somewhat older audience. He has the knack for writing words that make you smile and even laugh, and then the capacity to just tug at your heartstrings. Even though Smudge are playing again soon, and I imagine the Givegoods will be back soon, there was something special about watching Morgan tonight. Sure he looks a little older, but his voice and songs keep getting better and better. On night's like these I think to myself and anyone else that will listen, its a shame his legend is not bigger, but then I am reminded he has sold hundreds of thousands of albums through the Lemonheads connection. And in a seminal kind of way, his legend will only grow. I also get the feeling he doesn't even care about that kind of thing. Give him a guitar,a pen and some paper instead. It is a tribute to him that some of the songs he played tonight must be nearly fifteen years old, yet they sound as fresh as if they were just written.

Finishing the night was Sam Shinazzi, who I guess still does play under the C-Minus Project moniker. Over the last two years he has become one of Sydney's more respected songwriters, whilst at the same time improving his voice and performance levels to a point where he can now match it with most singer-songwriters that come to town. He is still an extremely shy performer, but he has learnt to deal with it. Tonight he closed his eyes almost the entire time he sang, preferring to concentrate on every word. When he did open his eyes and connect with the audience, it was as if he was almost nodding to them...saying "Hey, you know what I'm singing about don't you?". And we did. Broken hearts, dreams both broken and coming true and the overwhelming power of memory. He has been type-cast as a melancholic writer, and no one could deny this. Yet to keep him in that corner doesn't make sense. It wasn't all down.

Tonight Shinazzi was a little more tougher than usual. He had a big crowd to contend with, and won them over after a song or two. He also said he was embarrassed to be advertised playing over Tom Morgan who he has a quite public love for, and that he had nothing to do with it. His shy persona of "I thought you'd throw bottles at me tonight playing after Tom Morgan" displays his humble side which on any one else would be a turn off. But like I said, he has seemingly learnt how to deal with his onstage shyness. When he is actually singing, he seems so confident and sure. In-between songs his nervous energy is contagious. He says things without thinking and sings impromptu lines from songs. At least tonight he did. But it is charming. He stuck to mostly new songs off his forthcoming second album, and they sound just as personal lyrically, and just as catchy melodically. The big difference is that the songs are more upbeat. Quicker. Shorter. Sharper. And that's no disrespect to his debut album from last year, because songs like 'House Near Bridge' still inspire. He threw in covers by Blake Babies, Steve Earle and even played a harmonica. This guy continues to impress me on the live stage. Artists cannot buy the honesty that Shinazzi gives his audience.

The audience was then treated to something I won't forget in a long time. Tom Morgan joined Sam Shinazzi onstage for three songs that blew the roof off that Sandringham and rewarded everyone that had stayed late into the night. It looked very unrehearsed, with the two of them in a huddle discussing chords and the like. When they played them though, it was simply amazing. Morgan's 'Down About It' was sung mostly by Shinazzi, the two trading lines back and forth. The smiles on their faces were matched by the audience, who by now were very vocal themselves. After another huddle, they played 'Missing You' which is an old 80's song that Smudge recorded. Morgan lead Shinazzi through this one, with Shinazzi's vocal range easily going up a notch in the chorus. To be fair though, he had the crowd singing along with him. The applause seemed like it was coming from a larger crowd and venue. Shinazzi then exited the stage with Morgan still up there receiving the applause. Morgan made him come back on and they openly disagreed about doing one more song until Morgan said something I couldn't quite hear to which Shinazzi got ready again for one last song. In many ways it was like watching big brother and little brother, or the teacher and student even? They finished with 'Dancing in the Dark' by Bruce Springsteen which sent everyone home on a high note. It was really something special to watch these two ad-lib their way so much, yet make it sound so effortlessly together. I dare say they should record their own side project !

Four acoustic performers can sometimes be hard to watch over a long night. Tonight, thanks to all four songwriters and the uplifting finale, it was a pleasure.

Julia