Voice of Country | A Night Out with Marcel and Friends

A Night Out with Marcel and Friends

The cost of tickets to live gigs continues to be a sore spot with me, particularly when outfits like Ticketmaster try to slap as much as $30 per ticket on top of prices in the name of a bewildering assortment of "fees".

So it was a double pleasure to see a magnificent show at Nashville's 3rd and Lindsley club and only be charged five dollars to get in. "Marcel and Friends" was easily far superior to many of the over-priced musical lineups on offer. Marcel on his own would be sufficient reason to show up, but on this occasion he was joined by Billy Dean and Jessica Andrews plus top Nashville songwriters James Slater amd Trevor Rosen. (Josh Gracin was also due to appear but had to bow out due to a family emergency).

Although Marcel is no longer with Lyric Street Records, he has his completed second album on sale, featuring VoC hits "I Love This Song" and "Believin". He performed a number of songs from this intensely personal collection and, as always, hit the listener right in the heart with his passion and sincerity. Another highlight of the set was his performance of his autobiographical 2003 hit, "Tennessee", which still makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck...fantastic.

This show featured a full band backing Marcel, fleshing out the material with superb musicianship and revealing new richness and complexity in the songs we've been hearing acoustically in Marcel's last series of gigs.

Billy Dean has been working with Marcel and stepped on stage to perform some of his past hits as well as material from his new album, "Billy Dean Sings Richard Leigh". You'll be hearing music from this outstanding project on VoC very soon!

Jessica joined Marcel onstage to perform the ballad version of "There's More to Me Than You", among other selections, and although she said her voice was "fried" from singing demos in the studio that day, she electrified the audience. Can't wait to hear her next single and the album that will follow.

Gentleman Jim and I had a chance to briefly speak with Marcel before the show. Although the record deal with Lyric Street didn't pan out as hoped, Marcel says he will "never give up the dream" to succeed as a performer. Meanwhile, his songwriting activities are moving full speed ahead.

A great night out and apparently there's going to be another Marcel show next week at the same venue. I've already got my five dollar bill ready for that one...