Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin

www.stephaniebettman.com

MIM:  Accomplished singer/songwriter and fiddle player, Stephanie Bettman has earned praise from both her audiences and critics for her captivating performances and soulful lyrics.  In her critically acclaimed 2008 debut album Get Close to Me, Bettman combined bluegrass and jazz elements with expressive ballads and upbeat melodies.

Greats such as Merle Haggard, the Steve Miller Band, and Lone Star have welcomed the gifts of the multi-instrument and powerful vocalist Luke Halpin.  His mastery of the fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin, as well as his ability as a singer/sonwriter, makes Halpin an impressive young talent.

Soaring harmonies and folksy rhythms characterize this skilled duo.  Bettman and Halpin have toured together since 2008 and have enjoyed success as an ensemble.  Their 2010 album It All Comes Back to Love has received extensive radio play and critical acclaim.

This concert can be described nothing short of ‘sweet’.  The sugariness of their multiple love songs was pleasant and welcome at first, boring and nauseating at the end.  I enjoyed their style and likeability – I only wish there had been more variety in their presentation and song selection.

Overall, the musicality of the evening was superb.  Stephanie can play a great fiddle and their harmonies were impressive.  A major glitch to the evening was a faulty microphone at the beginning of the concert that caused a lot of angst on stage.  Stephanie was able to adapt and they soon worked the kinks out.

I enjoyed the show but overtime the memories of it have faded, the impressions of it lost.  I remember one big ball of love songs.  It was all pleasant but not particularly awe-inspiring.

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band

www.sukeyjumpmusic.com

MIM:  Firm believers in music as “an important part of the human soul”, Swedberg and her band encourage the audience to strum and sing along, and discover new ways to connect with their own musical talents.

Given a ukulele when still a young girl, Swedberg learned to play and enjoy the instrument in her room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  She picked it up again while auditioning for roles in Hollywood.  A successful actress in movies and television, Swedberg now plays and teaches ukulele full-time.  In 2009, she collaborated with her husband John Bartlit, old pal Daniel Ward, and other friends and family to create the award-winning album Play, geared toward teaching children to play the ukulele with exuberant and easy-to-master songs.

Another MIM first for us today:  ELAYNA’S FIRST CONCERT.  Aaron and I brought E as the show was geared towards children and most of the songs were good folk classics.  The band was playful and colorfully costumed and they kept the energy up throughout the entire show.  Elayna enjoyed the music for the first half and then was a little bored – we ended up letting her dance in the back and she LOVED it.

At intermission, the MIM loaned ukulele’s to the audience and hosted a good sing-along for the second half.  Unfortunately, there was little to no instruction about how to actually play so most of the audience sat with their ukulele’s on their laps…  But it was still a fun idea.

It was a fun and cheerful show – a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.