LIVE: Peter Mulvey @ Caffe Lena, 9/21/09

Peter Mulvey leads the pack of contemporary guitar playing singer-songwriters in the folk music pantheon. He is young enough to appeal to the same audience that listens to Rusted Root and yet old enough to be admired by the generation that embraced Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tommy Sands and even Tom Waits – all of whom were influences some time ago.

On Sunday night, September 21, Milwaukee-based Mulvey delivered a night of edgy, funny and lyrical songs in the intimate environment of Saratoga’s famed Caffe Lena. A little funk, rock and even jazz found its way into Mulvey’s song stylings, complete with his witty banter and husky singing voice.

Much of his performance was drawn from his newest release “Letters From A Flying Machine” on the Signature Sounds label.

Opener Brianna Lane showed great promise as a future folk notable. Like Mulvey, she was a bit tired out from pedaling into town on a bicycling tour that started earlier this month in Michigan and will make stops in Cambridge, Mass. on Thursday and Friday, September 24-25 before concluding at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Mass. on Saturday, September 26.

Review and photographs by Andrzej Pilarczyk