Curtains for You find a new fan in Drew Grow ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Five years on, the Round is more than just an intimate event that’s catching on internationally, it’s a malleable concept that’s potential is only limited by how much it’s participants are willing to run with the idea and cross-pollinate. The participants of the inaugural south-end Round at the Columbia City Theater met those expectations of putting on a one-time-only event, weaving three distinctly different approaches to music, two poets, and a painter into an interactive and reactive experience. Painter Fritha Strand-Davern layered colors and more colors, creating what at first I thought was the face of a skull, only to have that image obscured five minutes later, finally ending with an I-don’t-know-what-that-is result. The poets this night, Ela Barton & Jessie Anne Fouts, seemed particularly focused on race and gender, which was yes, slightly uncomfortable among a room full of educated white people. Even so, the second poet was a compelling speaker who related challenging ideas and situations that made her “slam” poetry so much more than just poetry and a white guilt trip. (Though, too be honest, it was that too. I felt the guilt.)

Perched at the grand piano for much of the night, and accompanied by a string section, Grand Hallway’s Shenandoah Davis provided the best glimpse yet of songs from her upcoming solo release, songs that felt big and fully realized with additional instruments and the nimble backing vocals fellow performers Mikey and Matty Gervais of Curtains For You. Always excited to make music with friends and lend a harmony or clarinet to any mix, the brothers Gervais are the ideal Round participants. Linking up in the day beforehand to work out a few songs might’ve taken some of the spontaneous fun out of show, but as a gaggle of gifted artists can do when they put their minds to it, they can also raise the bar and make a far better end product. Davis and the Gervais’ proved natural compliments to each other’s meticulously formed songs, and the contributions of Shenandoah’s guest guerrilla string section to nearly every song surely earned them a seat a the front of the stage next time around.

If Davis and the Gervais’ performance thrived in planning, the duo of Portland’s Drew Grow and Pastors’ Wives wild-man instrumentalist Seth Schaper seem to only work on an improvisational basis completely on the other side. At one point Grow explained his next choice of song was made on the spot due to a lyric in Davis’ just performed song. When asked by a poet for some sad sack beach walking music, Schaper was at the ready to provide the reverbed mood. “It All Comes Right,” always the much anticipated closer at any Pastors’ Wives set, was not just everyone on stage’s opportunity to belt one out together, but also the crowds opportunity to join in the Round.

Shenandoah Davis and Kaylee Cole will be joined by the full Seattle Rock Orchestra at the Triple Door, Saturday April 2nd doing their own songs. The Round 71 is April 12th at the Fremont Abbey with Shelby Earl and OK Sweetheart, and the Round 72 is May 10th at the Abbey with Kaylee Cole and Kevin Murphy plus some Moondoggies. No word yet on when the next Columbia City Round will be.

Shenandoah Davis ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Shenandoah Davis ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

A Poet ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Drew Grow ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth