Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Singer-songwriters completely of their own creation: BEN ABRAHAM at Joe’s Pub and WILL WOOD at The Bitter End

• By drediman
• December 7, 2024
• No Comments

This week, I encountered two singer-songwriters completely of their own creation. As per usual, read on for my thoughts.

BEN ABRAHAM CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Joe’s Pub

On Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to catch Ben Abraham’s Christmas Special (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) at Joe’s Pub located in the East Village. For those unfamiliar with Abraham — like I was — he is an Australian singer-songwriter known for his delicate, folk-infused songs, as well as his collaborations with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Kesha. Although the concert was billed as a holiday show, the heart of the evening belonged to Abraham’s original material — introspective ballads and gorgeous soft-pop songs (“Never Been Better” in particular is a gem) blessed with ethereal melodies that lilt and lyrics that bloom with soulful wisdom and subtle spirituality — which he opened and closed the concert with. Abraham is a supremely talented and sensitive musician, a master on both piano and guitar, as well as in possession of a sweet voice that thoughtfully caress his songs. He’s also an appealing stage presence, winning over the late night show with his lowkey banter and easy charm (suffice to say, he easily coaxed the audience to join in with some backup vocals). For the Christmas portion of the evening, he was joined by musical theater actor Max Chernin (who headlines the current Parade national tour cast as Leo Frank) — their tender and wistful rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” oozed gentle authenticity — as well as the talented violin and guitar duo Tim and James.

WILL WOOD: SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM!
The Bitter End

On quite the opposite end of the spectrum is singer-songwriter Will Wood, who is currently concluding his Slouching Towards Bethlehem! tour with a handful of sold out shows (RECOMMENDED) at The Bitter End in the West Village. As with Abraham, I hadn’t heard of Wood — also a talented and accomplished musician, very much at home across banjo, guitar, and keys — prior to attending his show, although he’s amassed himself quite the cult following amongst young non-conformers. But quite unlike that deeply humane Australian soul, Wood takes immense pride in his brash (bordering on obnoxious, frankly) onstage personality. A natural storyteller, his shows tend to have an elaborately meandering theatrical quality that simultaneously calls to mind stand-up comedy and performance art. For his consistently surprising and dialogue-heavy Slouching Towards Bethlehem! set, he dissects the fading town of Branson, Missouri, from its fudge shops to its defunct sights and attractions. Throughout, he blurs fact and fiction, using absurdity to emphasize the ephemeral nature of all things. Although the show is arguably overlong, it’s never less than fascinating to witness Wood’s existential, fever dream musings unfold. As far as his commentary-like songs — largely drawn from his “In case I make it,” album — they’re knotted, frustrated outbursts that find definition through Wood’s uniquely twisted yet bittersweet lens.