BENNY BLEU AND TYLER WESTCOTT CREATE A BEAUTIFUL SYNERGY!

As the sand seems to slip more and more quickly through the hour glass for me and my contemporary musician friends, I realize the importance of getting a group of younger musicians to invest their time in our concert venue. Benny Bleu and Tyler Westcott, two terrific young singer/songwriters and musicians, are beginning to make Quiote a regular stop in their schedules, and I only hope their enthusiasm for this concert series spreads to other younger musicians. Yesterday, Benny and Tyler teamed up, and in a round-robin fashion, delivered one awesome afternoon of music. Although the format was planned, the content was not, and that became the true beauty of the show. Their show was like going down an unknown road, and at each bend there was a new discovery, making the journey more interesting and exciting. For example, when one introduced and played a song covering a particular theme, the other would come back with his creation about that same topic. The synergy got even better when they would at times accompany each other. When one was playing a song, the other would add a harmony or grab a harmonica, guitar, or banjo and tastefully add to the song. These two guys, very supportive of each other, were having a blast, and their fun spilled over into a very appreciative audience. We were in their living room, and they were very gracious hosts. As I watched their show, it brought me back to my years as a teacher. I always loved watching students get excited about something they were creating. These two very talented guys came to the show not really knowing what was going to happen. As their performance Progressed, they both got excited about what was unfolding, and it was an absolute pleasure to observe. Although the following videos are from previous shows, here are two songs they did yesterday: Benny, "Porcupine"; Tyler, "The Eye of the Storm"

Big thanks to Benny and Tyler for a terrific show! Big thanks to Raf, Erin, Teresa, Trevor, Hanna, Noah, Julie, and the rest of the staff at Rio for all the help you give us to make this event work! Big thanks to Scott Regan for promoting these shows on WRUR’s “Open Tunings!” Big thanks to you, the audience, for your continuous support of this venue! Without you, it would not be possible! Our next show in Quiote is on Apr. 5. Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland will be our guests. There will be music for the brunch at Rio from Noon until Paul and Perry take the stage at 3 PM. Stay tuned for more details about this show and “Sunday Music at Rio!”