Acoustic-driven shows always work better at small venues…<\/p>\n
If you think in Marc Ford\u00b4s<\/strong> latest incarnation as an acoustic troubadour instead of the electric and visceral guitar hero, The Borderline, a dark intimate Soho basement, seems to be the perfect comrade\u00a0for his\u00a0collection of meditative\u00a0Americana. Accompanied by Stew Jackson<\/strong>\u00a0(Phantom Limb<\/strong>) and the effects of a\u00a0few\u00a0pints that enhanced\u00a0his\u00a0introspective vocals\u00a0and delicate\u00a0guitar playing, Ford\u00b4s<\/strong>\u00a0current show is more like an open letter of a bleeding heart rather than a lesson of guitar\u00a0virtuosity.<\/p>\n Like with Holy Ghost<\/em> (2014) \u2013 Ford\u00b4s<\/strong>\u00a0latest collection of songs \u2013 the show transits between an atmosphere of contemplation and soul-searching speculation \u2013 the kind of music that jeopardizes nostalgia. The sound coming out from the speakers feels\u00a0like a personal confession\u00a0that recaps the craggy\u00a0pathway of a\u00a0man that has been on the road for almost three decades. Does the Black Crowes\u00b4\u00a0<\/strong>former lead guitarist still\u00a0need to prove something? Certainly not. Does he still need to pursue inner peace with\u00a0music as the exorcist of his demons? It seems so. This show is not for us, the crowd. This is Marc\u00a0Ford\u00a0<\/strong>exploring his darkest corners of vulnerability as a human being and as a sensitive artist.<\/p>\n Despite the lyrical dialogue goes beyond personal, the holy ghosts of The Band, Dylan, Neil Young<\/strong> along other southern and country-like textures, wrap\u00a0the tiny venue in a moment of testimonial truthfulness. Love and the loss of it, sorrow, romance, self-examination and nostalgia is what Marc Ford\u00b4s<\/strong> about in 2014 and tracks like ‘Dream #26’, ‘Call Me Faithful’, ‘In You’ or ‘Dancing Shoes’ prove it,\u00a0while inclusions like\u00a0‘Shining Again’ or ‘When You Go’ from\u00a0It\u00b4s About Time<\/em> (2006)\u00a0enhanced\u00a0the tone of the\u00a0heartbreaking message.<\/p>\n Ford\u00b4s<\/strong> current show could be\u00a0flat, monotonous for moments and\u00a0brutally introspective, but this is the kind of gig\u00a0that brings out the real face of an artist, and most important, from a human being.<\/p>\n