LIVE: Cock ‘n Bull’s Heyday is Right Now with Jeffrey Foucault’s Storytelling Music 10/24/2019
Jeffrey Foucault raised and met expectations at his performance at The Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant on Thursday, October 24th. The artist’s music could easily be described as crossing genres from folk to country and even some blues and rock and roll, and excels in each of them.
Foucault is a Wisconsin native who is touring with Billy Conway “on his suitcase drum kit,” and the duo produces a unique sound from one song to another with nary any repetition. Foucault’s original lyrics, many of which tell a story through organic, descriptive language, are equally unpredictable, moving from love song to countryside narrative with an ease that betrays the author’s authentic voice.
At the Cock ‘n Bull, Foucault played over a dozen pieces in his humble, understated manner, telling jokes between songs that included gritty, descriptive lyrics that transported the listener and made the mundane features of daily life somehow wondrously linked to human connection and spiritual awakening.
Foucault switched between his wooden guitar and a resonator, or “res” guitar, the latter of which helped to really differentiate between Foucault’s more Americana sound with a bluesy, rich sound that matched the heaviness of rock.
An early tender moment of the night was Foucault’s performance of “Pretty Hands,” a song about his wife’s “pretty hands / dirty nails / wedding band.” He clearly aches in his love of his wife, whom he describes having a heart “like the city / I get lost in it,” unlike his own heart, that he feels is more like a small town, “the best parts are hard to find.”
This type of vulnerability betrays a depth of emotion that goes beyond a simple love song. Later in the concert, when Foucault sings about the road between his hometown and the town he now lives in, the details again betray both an intelligence and an awareness of the importance of being present. The sound of the music matched the lyrics, providing a soothing, homey feeling to the piece.
A melancholy moment in the night followed Conway’s “union break” in the set, leaving Foucault to perform an acoustic love song about loss. “You were in my hands / as much as water,” he sang, remembering a love that was frail and wild. “Grace is just the measure of a fall,” he crooned, powerfully telling the truth about love: sometimes it fails.
Foucault and Conway joined forces again to play the title track of his current album, “Blood Brothers,” before closing out the night with more soulful guitar playing and humorous stories explaining songs’ origins. He even owned that he stole a riff from artist Peter Mulvaney, who performed at the Cock ‘n Bull a few weeks before.
Charming, soulful, and quietly intense, Foucault and Conway’s musicality and connection made for both a highly entertaining evening and a night of exceptional music. The barn was an ideal setting, offering acoustics that allowed the guitar playing to resonate clearly without overpowering Foucault’s voice.
Perhaps the height of the music series so far, Foucault is a must see musician who will enchant listeners with vivid language and beautiful sounds. Kudos to Cock ‘n Bull for inviting this exceptional musician back again and again to visit Galway; he is not to be missed next time he passes through!
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