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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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Classical Guitar
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Colleen Murphy
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by rick grant
rickgrant01@comcast.net
It was a warm and breezy night on the Copeland’s outdoor deck when I arrived to check out Cary Austin’s duo with Brooke Lee, called Gypsy Highway. This acoustic duo is an offshoot of Vagabond’s Dream, for any which Cary plays lead guitar and Brooke plays bass. The other members of Vagabond’s Dream include Jennifer Walsh on lead vocals and percussion, Bonnie Theroux on lead and backup vocals, Bo Olsteen on keyboards, and Gary Oursler on drums and vocals.
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As Gypsy Highway’s front person, Cary Austin is a singer/songwriter and accomplished guitarist. In 1994, Cary and his family relocated to Jacksonville where he played in several bands. Then he formed Vagabond’s Dream in 1999. Cary spent his early music years in the Coast Guard. He played guitar in many side projects throughout his Coast Guard career.
Brooke is an experienced and funky bassist with years of experience behind her. Her music career started in Huntington Beach, California. Brooke’s first musical instrument was flute, but in her sophomore year of Wolfson High School she played bass for the ensemble. She earned a full scholarship to the FCCJ Jazz program. Brooke was selected as one of two national Junior College bassists to perform in New Orleans during the annual Heritage Jazz Festival.
Copeland’s deck was a pleasant place to have a few beers and listen to Gypsy Highway’s acoustic renderings of a variety of popular songs including today’s hot singer/songwriters. Cary and Brooke’s vocal harmonies are precise and memorable. From the Beatles to Johnny Cash, they put their mark on their cover repertoire with original style. Cary and Brooke play from a massive repertoire of songs from classic hits, to Buffett-style reggae, blues, folk, groovin’ oldies, and country.
Since adaptability is the key to keeping musicians working, Gypsy Highway has other configurations as well as the acoustic duo. They perform as a trio, with a drummer, and as a quartet, with a keyboard player. Whatever the gig demands, they can adapt or shape-shift into a duo, trio, or four piece. Of course, Vagabond’s Dream is available for larger gigs (like the Landing) as a six piece.
To underscore that being flexible keeps gigs on the books. Why be limited to one group when you can book various jobs that demand smaller ensembles? This is an innovative way of making a living playing music in Jacksonville, where the monetary compensation for live musicians is abysmal and cover bands get most of the paying jobs.
In contrast, original bands have tough time working steadily. They are limited to showcases at Freebird, Jack Rabbits, The French Quarter, and a few other original venues. So it’s a dilemma for groups who steadfastly believe in working as original artists. Of course, there are a few bands that have compromised by playing both originals and covers to keep working. This is an acceptable path for aspiring original artists, because playing out steadily keeps the band tight.
More importantly, in an eclectic environment, songwriters can test their new material in venues that feature mostly cover music. In other words, if their originals get strong audience response, then they can be assured that their songs will hold up to mass audience scrutiny.
Ah yes, I’ve met many young idealistic original artists who refuse to play covers, which is fine, that’s their prerogative. However, they only play out maybe once a month, and when they do, they sound ragged from the downtime between gigs. Yeah, they say they rehearse every day, but it’s not the same as playing live gigs in front of general audiences.
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