Written by Mike Koehler Sunday, 20 October 2013 09:41
His playing is incredibly deft and heartfelt.
Old Rock House, St Louis
I tripped into English guitarist Adrian Legg’s work a few years ago when I was researching various guitar techniques and how to do them. I happened across a clip of him performing his song “Cajun Interlude” that was filmed in the ‘80s I’m guessing. I was absolutely floored by his fingerpicking and his sheer mastery of playing. The things he was doing just blew my mind. When I found out he was coming to town, I knew I had to go, and I couldn’t have been happier that I did.
The show was part of Old Rock House’s Listening Room Series. I’ve been to many shows at ORH but never part of this series of shows, so this was a new experience. The venue was set up for seating (YES!) and was lit for an intimate affair. It was a nice change as I’m used to being crammed in there with barely any room to move or breath. Crowd was sparse, which is a shame as Adrian put on a great show.
Adrian is a fingerpicker, but his music is not limited to country and bluegrass where you normally see fingerpickers. His music ranges from bluegrass, folk, Celtic tinged ballad, to almost rockabilly. It’s just him and his guitar. His playing is incredibly deft and heartfelt. He lets his very complicated arrangements tell the story without the need for lyrics. In between songs, he would tell a poignant and often funny stories that would lead into the next song. Hearing the story behind the song really made you feel it even more and watching him play was a thing of beauty for me as I’m a guitar player. Watching him just effortlessly play some insanely complex chord progressions and lines was a thrill. Particularly on songs like “Chicken Licken’s Last Ride.” There are times in his music that it sounds like there are two or three guitars being played. But it’s just Adrian, making the most wonderful cascade of tones from his guitar.
His music sounded great in the ORH. Despite the sparse crowd making it feel cavernous in there, you didn’t have to struggle to hear anything nor was it so oppressively loud that you couldn’t hear anything other than noise. It should be said that Adrian is a very witty man as well — a seemingly very nice, caring man who has just a wonderful wry wit to him. | Mike Koehler