Every music night at Little Rabbit Barn is special, however, the return of Eve Selis was extra special; a record seventh LRB visit from the 7 time San Diego Americana Music Award artist Eve Selis.
Eve Selis was the first artist to play in the Barn way back in July 2010, a return we feared may never happen.
Two weeks following her 2016 Tour for the release of her CD, SEE ME WITH YOUR HEART, her husband Tom was diagnosed with brain cancer. Two short months later her brother Dan was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Two brain surgeries and 34 rounds of radiation later, Eve and her family experienced the unimaginable and devastating loss of her brother Pete.
With more than one can imagine handling, Eve took an obvious sabbatical from performing and touring, primarily to be at home with her husband for his health, and for the quiet time of introspection she needed for her own soul. This time allowed for a journey of honest profound self-discovery planting powerful seeds for a new artistic vision in her field of a fertile heart. She set out to write from a place of vulnerability and more openness than ever before.
After three years of self-contemplation, grieving and healing, Eve is returning to the UK with not only new songs but an entirely new perspective on life. The “Life Happens Tour” will feature fan favourites but also an evening of Eve sharing her journey and message of finding her way back to love, through the healing powers of music…. Alan Cackett www.alancackett.com/eve-selis
Eve is a truly inspirational, and despite many personal challenges she is again sharing the healing power of music around the world.
To start the evening off we had a return visit from The Flyin’ A’s, Hilary and Stuart Adamson all the way from Texas to entertain us.
Their name taken from a brand that was seared onto the hides of cattle many moons ago on Stuart Adamson’s family ranch.
They played songs from their two great albums ‘TILL THEY SHUT IT DOWN and YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY along with some new songs (New album on the way?) and with a couple of covers.
Hilary and Stuart are fun to listen to with their tales from the road, often made into song. They were the perfect foil to introduce this significant Eve Selis gig, we all loved it.
The wonderful food break allowed us to get the stage ready and served to build the anticipation for what was to prove to be an amazing performance. A first 2 hour set, with no break, another record broken.
Keep calm and Larry on, says Larry Grano’s T shirt logo, with more than a touch of humour and a motto that sits well with the LRB crew as we welcome Eve Selis to the stage for the 7th time, opening with a Townes Van Zandt song If I Needed You. That was Lovely…
Eve is the perfect example of carrying on in the face of adversity and talks about how we should all be looking after each other and being in this together.
Beautiful Dreamer is next, a song Mark wrote for his wife. Track 5 on SEE ME WITH YOUR HEART.
A shout out to The Flyin’ A’s and the introduction of Josh Jewsbury from the UK on Bass and his cockney translations was the lead in to This Is Home, A Berkley Hart Selis and Twang song. Track 1 from BHST. Larry does a great Jeff Berkley vocal here.
While The Night is still young is a beautiful song about keeping going even as we get older. Track 7 from SEE ME WITH YOUR HEART. Mark Twang certainly gets a chance to shine here with spontaneous applause from the crowd.
The title track to the cd SEE ME WITH YOUR HEART is next and was inspired by the story of The Little Prince, a book that Eve says changed her life, “A children’s story for adults”. Laughs…
This was another fine performance as Eve and the band put their heart and soul into the performance.
“These songs were all written in 2015 and now have a deeper meaning to me” Eve tells us “In a world driven by fear, we have to turn it around”.
So Fearless Heart is next, the opening track on the last album. The tempo never drops and the band are on fire.
Larry gets introduced to us all, he is certainly the comedian in the room. Little Wars from the same album is next, again keeps the room rockin’.
‘Chocolate’ Dave requested Pocket Full Of Stones,Track 8 from NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. Eve and Mark Played this for him as a thank you for all the chocolate gifts he has given them over the years. A gift of kindness indeed and a kindness re paid. This is a lovely song to bring the tempo down with for a while. Light and shade…
“I believe kindness is the new super power; and a smile”, Eve tells us, and she has taken to using sign language for I Love You instead of a ruder gesture when Flippin’ The Bird to people in traffic… laughs… Before introducing The Ballad Of Kate Morgan. Larry takes up the second vocals here showing what a talent he is. It’s a ghost story, Track 2 from NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. That deserved all the applause it received as we head to a brand new song never before played live.
The banter flowed across stage with Larry, in anticipation of his girlfriends arrival to the tour the next day. He was getting excited, that’s for sure… Laughs… He also had his first solo recording available on memory stick INTRODUCING LARRY GRANO, a fine EP it is too. Larry, we want more… Mark, already sold out of his CD’s early in the tour.
So, now we have a song inspired by Eve’s husband after her lifetime of making bad choices in men… Laughs… With a beautifully soulful introduction I Didn’t Know What I Was Missing. Featuring Larry Grano on second vocals and spontaneous applause for his effort, also a blistering guitar solo from Mark. That was so classy… A hit for sure.
Eve tells us she has been playing with Mark for 28 years and he just gets better… We can testify to the truth in that statement.
Tear this house down, Track one from the DO YOU KNOW ME ALBUM follows with an opportunity to enjoy some lovely slide playing from Mark. Larry and Josh keeping the whole sound tight, brick by brick as the song says… Eve is in fine voice at the top of her game tonight.
“Now the part of the show where we all cry” Eve says, as she explains some of the troubles she has had, and that has faced the loved ones in her life.
She exudes a spirit of optimism despite all the tragedy and has written a song for her brother called Dark Sky Blue, a song she knows will be difficult to sing. That was a very emotional moment for everyone in the room. Beautiful!
“These songs help me heal and maybe they will help others too”. Eve says,
“Changing the question from why? to what can we do about it? understanding we don’t know The End of the Story has been a helpful shift in thought”. Another beautifully healing song and a privilege to hear live.
Eve opens her heart to us about her journey to choose love persistently as she could no longer live with the darkness. Another new song born of pain. I Choose Love. A chance for the LRB choir to join in, which of course, we did…
“Happy songs are coming” we are assured.
11.00 PM is a Hard stop, and so not to waste a moment, the band get into it again with Heart Shaped Tattoo and the Barn is rocking again. More slide from Mark, more Larry, more Josh, more everything… more heart…
Larry gets to sing a song and the introduction is priceless. Eyesight To The Blind in a way you’ve never heard it before… Mark and Larry make a great double act here with soaring guitar and possibly the happiest drummer we have ever seen, not to be forgotten, Josh rock solid in the bass also. They raised the roof on that one…
Eve now takes up an acoustic guitar in open D tuning demonstrating that we can all play an open D… Laughs… Already Gone Track 8 from SEE ME WITH YOUR HEART. A song Eve wrote on her on at her 50th birthday, Marvellous.
Is this the last song already? Still Have A Long Way To Go.
A real rocker with Mark and Eve trading riffs, Vocal and Guitar, before more electrifying guitar solos from Mark Intravaia and Larry doing his best Keith Moon impression on the drums, Josh Jewsbury keeping the whole thing solid. Oooo we all loved that for sure and the applause said it all. Eve Selis and her band are a world class act full of world class Heart.
“a truly inspirational and moving gig last night from the remarkable Eve Selis and her amazing band at Little Rabbit Barn. She spoke bravely and candidly about the tragedy of recent years, but mostly she sang her heart out and dispensed the healing power of music. It was a very moving evening, but in the end, as always, it rocked” Steve Howlett, music promoter, Grapevine Norwich
