Me

Me & Them II

August 22, 2001

The picturesque village of St. Jacob’s and it’s lovely little Church Theatre saw the second in a series of concerts put on by the entertaining Rich Baker and his group of friends, this one featuring Jason McCoy, Jamie Warren and the Ontario Regional winner of the Project Discovery contest, Jason McEwen. Now, we all know Jason McCoy (and his nominations in the upcoming CCMA awards) and Jamie Warren (and his ever-popular videos, awards and hit songs) plus Rich’s string of songwriting successes (topped off by the upcoming album release produced by Rick Hutt at Cedartree Studios) but how many have had the pleasure of experiencing a Jason McEwen appearance? Well, that will soon change, believe me. This show was sold out in advance of the show (hooray for country fans!) and there were even people waiting outside in hopes of someone leaving early so they could be admitted! That’s the sign of a successful show.

Linda Martelli of 820 CHAM was present to be the show’s host and she led a group of lucky listeners who had won tickets over the week preceding the show. I spotted Colin Bradley in the theatre, who had been a very welcome additional special guest at the previous show and sure enough, I soon picked out his beautiful guitar sitting on it’s stand behind one of the stools set up on stage. Colin and Rich have a long history of camaraderie going back many years and including the ‘road years’ when they would tour together (before the advent of families, I’m guessing). After Linda welcomed everyone and told a little of the history of the “Me & Them” idea and a little tidbit about each performer it was Colin’s turn, and he headed off into his first song to a now capacity crowd. Not a sound could be heard as he finished up, and everyone expectantly waited for the four extra stools to be occupied. Same set up as before, lined up in a row along the front of the stage each with a guitar stand behind the seat and row upon row of expectant faces looking up.

Rich came out and thanked Colin (for a job very well done, I must say) and mentioned how he’d like to welcome everyone to his ‘living room’, and that’s just what it’s like when a group like this gets together to write some songs. Each sitting around, with a guitar on his knee, taking turns working out bits, pieces and ideas that eventually come together in some magical way to spell out a message into a song. They refer to it as ‘the hook’...that one thing that you’ll think or hear that opens up a world of ideas or possibilities and keeps you working at it until you have it there, in your tape recorder, on your paper or in your head. Rich’s first song was inspired just that way, by a comment made by his mother one day...”That’s Gonna Leave A Mark”.

Jason McCoy and Jamie Warren both emerged and took their seats as Rich introduced them (to a very rapturous welcome from the many ladies present). Right away they started teasing each other which is what you’d expect when you have Jamie present anywhere but for some reason it was about whether or not Jason’s fly was open (and I don’t think I want to know where that came from). As they next introduced Jason McEwen to the crowd their attention turned to the decor of the stage, done up for a play that was currently going on there and obviously was being set in the 60’s. Jamie contributed that he thought the play was “No Sex Please, I’m British”, since no one seemed to know which play it was. As the crowd broke into laughter he added,” Not really, I just like that title.”

Jason McCoy’s first song (which would come next, as he was seated next to Rich) turned out to be “Fix Anything” to great crowd response and if you think the full band sound is good you should hear the solo acoustic version. Just superb! Jamie was next and took the time to remark, “He’s good. I don’t want to play now.” As everyone chuckled someone called out a request, which led him into a story to do with the song requested (and this ‘story telling’ is the best part of these shows...you won’t find a more ‘intimate and interactive’ show anywhere). Seems back some months ago he was having one of his songs released as a single from “Just Not The Same” and he got a call from Terry Odette with an idea for a video for the song. He asked the crowd what they would think about being told about ‘playing’ with a giant squirrel in a park, having him run around getting into trouble. As everyone broke out laughing he said, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I did. And then when I stopped Terry said, ‘No really...” So the next was, obviously, “Sunny Day In The Park”. He even got the crowd to sing the “Hey Hey” parts of the song, making all of us part of the show before ending to a huge roar from us ‘wannabees’.

Jason McEwen had been sitting quietly on his stool during the performances of the others, listening so intently that occasionally he’d close his eyes to concentrate a little better (a music industry trait) and now it was his turn. As he positioned his guitar a little more firmly on his knee he ruefully remarked to the crowd, “And it gets passed to me.... I have to follow these great song writers...” But you know what? His song was called “Like The River Needs The Rain” and it was, like all of his songs, self-written. And there was not a sound to be heard during his song; he is not only a fantastic singer but he’s an unbelievable songwriter and he obviously deserves to be up there too. The ovation he received at the ending of this very beautiful song caught him totally off guard I’m sure, as you watched the emotions pass over him and it was almost heartbreaking to see. The others were all gazing down the line at him and it’s some tribute to get when Jason McCoy looked at Jamie and remarked, “Sure, and now we’ve got to follow him.” Good job Jason! I knew you had it in you when I first saw you perform over a year ago in Thorold.

Time for some mood lightening...no long serious pauses for this bunch. The next object for Jamie and Jason’s attention turned out to be Rich’s shirt. Rich defended his shirt, saying there was nothing wrong with it; he’d gotten it out the back of his brother’s van (which brought lots of laughs). Rich decided to share a story with everyone about the song he’d written with John Landry for his wife, Jennifer. Seems Rich and John had been writing together for most of the day and had come up with a song they were both pretty happy with, so Rich headed home to share his latest creation with Jennifer. She listened to the song in silence and when he was done asked him, “Why don’t you ever write anything for me?” So, despite the darkness or the fact that it was getting kind of late Rich hopped back into his truck and went back to John’s, where the lanky Mr. Landry had already gotten his pajamas on. The result (with John in his jammies) was Rich’s next song, “Talkin’ In Your Sleep”. Now, that’s loving your wife when your writing partner is decked out in his pajamas.

Next it was time to get better acquainted, even if you’re on stage doing a show. Jason McCoy looked down the line and asked Jason McEwen if he had any kids. Jason said no, he didn’t. The other Jason leaned forward again and asked, “Are you sure?” Everyone laughed, especially Jamie and Rich. Next they headed into pets. Jason McEwen has a goldfish. Jason McCoy said he and his wife have two cats. So he figures they’re finished. But first, he wanted to share some stories about marriage and his non-angelic stage. He related the story about how he had been quite a handful when he was working his way up and one night his wife Terrine (then his girlfriend) arrived after a gig to pick him up, due to his ‘enjoying’ his work a little too much to drive home. As they drove along in the dark she was getting angrier and angrier until he proved to be too much for her to take at that time and, being left handed, he was on the wrong side for her to swat at him so she punched the windshield instead. Shattered – totally shattered. Jason said nothing has ever sobered him up as quickly as that moment. He gulped and remained quiet for the rest of the way home. When they went to get the windshield repaired they told the guy that it had been a flying stone that hit the windshield. The man didn’t say anything, until they were picking up the vehicle. That’s when he remarked that it was the first time he’d seen a stone damage a windshield from the inside before. Lot of laughs for that one and a new appreciation for the women who stand behind the men in country music…and they’re the real power behind the throne, don’t be fooled. This story led into his ‘relationship’ song to tie it all together.

And what would a get together between this many artists be without a little ‘shop talk’? Jamie and Jason (and the audience) had a little discussion about the wonders of royalty cheques and what songs are actually free of royalty fees (meaning that you can perform them without having to pay the appropriate fee for doing so). This led to the group trying to remember the words to “The Monster Mash” – don’t ask why! Jamie’s turn was next so he asked for requests from the audience and they settled on “Fallen Angel” as his next song.

Poor Jason McEwen, up next again. “It’s me again, on the end here” he remarked, to which the other Jason replied, “That’d be a good name for a song.” Jason decided to do “Shoot For The Stars”, a song about following your dreams and a very apt choice for this exceptional young artist. And as always, he was warmly appreciated afterward by a crowd that won’t forget him anytime soon. This show series not only provides some excellent entertainment but you get a chance to see the showcasing of some of the best songwriting talents from right around here.

Rich is so funny; you really have to be around to hear his way of telling stories to entertain a crowd. No matter who he is with you can bet that it won’t be Rich doing the ‘straight man’ bit and he can come back with a come back that will leave you on the floor laughing. Now at this point in the show during their next discussion he suddenly mentioned, “I can’t see you Jamie, so every time you talk it’s like hearing the voice of God”, which brought a huge laugh from everyone (especially Jamie). And just prior to this Rich had ‘cussed’ in ‘church’…he’d asked everyone who’s butts were getting sore (and some hands went up, including Jamie’s). Rich’s song choice during this interlude turned out to be a song he’s written with Colin a few years ago.

Jason McCoy’s turn and he wasn’t ready to leave the ‘church’ thing behind just yet, as it had reminded him of a good church story he’d heard that he wanted to share. There was a preacher waiting in church one Sunday and the only one to show up for the service was one farmer, so the preacher wasn’t sure if he should continue and give his sermon or not. He decided to ask the farmer what he’d thought and the farmer thought for a minute before replying, “Well, if I had 100 head of cattle and at feeding time only 1 turned up, I’d feed him.” So the preacher agreed with that way of thinking and proceeded to give a three-hour sermon, full of all he had to give. At the end of what he thought had been a wonderful performance he approached the farmer and asked how he’d like the sermon. The farmer thought for a minute again, and then replied, “If out of 100 head of cattle only 1 showed up I’d have fed him, but I wouldn’t have given him the whole bucket”. Jason’s song turned out to be a beautiful story song by the same author of the song “The Little Girl” and he’s thinking of putting it on his next album.

Jamie wanted to do his favourite song next and it was a fine choice with me, it’s one of my favourites too. “I Cried All The Way Home” is only one of the many excellent songs that Jamie’s done and I love hearing them all (and luckily I’ve been able to many of them, many times now).

Jason McEwen wanted to do a song that he’d written recently, a real ‘statement song’ about how he feels about the heroes in this country who have stood up for our country time and time again over the years and how we should always think of them. It’s his “Remembrance Day Song” and it’s really something else. And a fitting ending to the first segment of the show, with the intermission coming next. Now, the intermissions are the really nice touch that sets this series apart as it allows the artists to come down and mingle with the crowd while they stretch their legs too. It’s your chance to go up, say hi and have a little visit with your favourites in a relaxed, intimate setting with no ‘Bruno’ type security guys between you. It would be hard to say who enjoys this more, the performers or the fans. And in this case, the merchandise table near the door was being manned by two of the wives present; Jamie’s wife (and manager) Beth and Jason’s wife Terrine so if you went to buy anything you could say hi to them too.

Colin and Rich took their seats again and the lights went down, signaling the start of the second part. They brought the audience up to speed about the history they share in the music business while the other performers took their seats and first thing they end up doing is picking on Rich’s mom (who is a lovely lady that we sat next to at the previous show). Jamie had to share the fact that Rich’s mom said that Jason McCoy was ‘hot’. This brought a snort of incredulousness from Rich (and laughs from Rich’s brothers, who were there too) and Rich said that ‘thanks Jamie, now I’ll be getting a phone call tomorrow’…which made Jamie smirk a little bit.

This time the line went backwards so Jason McEwen would go first. Now, first thing Jason wanted to do is to apologize for ‘hiding’ backstage during part of the intermission. He’d just been unaware that anyone would want to talk to him or come up and say hi (and we had to track him down in the back stairway to say how well we thought he’d done). So he announced that he would be out front from now on for anyone who wants a hug or to say hi and he’d gladly take any compliments while he could get them, which brought a laugh from the other guys. Jason’s song was followed by a new song from Jamie that would be appearing on his next album, currently in the works.

Jason McCoy had a few requests for “Born Again In Dixieland” so he happily obliged. But first he got after a lady sitting near the front when he spotted something that he couldn’t let go. “You were yawning!” he exclaimed….followed by “That’s it, I’m not singing now.” But as the poor lady got more flustered he started to laugh and let her know he was just kidding. Following the song he shared a little tidbit about its creation. He’d been working on it but didn’t have it done when his record company called one day. His album was done for the most part but they wanted another song for it, what had he been working on that they could consider. Did he have another song ready? Well yeah, he said he did (even though it wasn’t really finished yet). Come and record it they said, we’ll book the studio time for tomorrow. So he worked like a dog to finish that song and went in, recorded it in a five-day deadline and boom, onto the album it went. And when he tours with Terri Clark, her band affectionately refers to it as “Born Again In Disneyland”. This song took on a special element when he gained two background singers in Jamie and Jason (oh, to be so lucky!) and he couldn’t resist one more tease to that poor lady. “No more yawning!” he said after the song.

Rich took a minute to start a discussion about cowboy hats and this time he was the only one up there with one on (actually he was the last time too, as John hadn’t worn his for a change). The other guys all expressed their admiration for Rich’s hat and Rich said it was funny, but it had been a cowboy hat that led to the creation of his next song choice too. He’d been at Cedartree one day when he met a guy there and decided to start writing with him because that guy had been wearing a cowboy hat. “Then, I took him back to my place…” he began, then he stopped and said, “That didn’t sound too good, did it?” As everyone laughed Jason McCoy gave him a very eloquent shrug but didn’t say a word (though his expression said it all). Any guesses as to Rich’s song choice? “Forever Took Too Long”, that he’d written with his good buddy John Landry. Jason McCoy contributed that the reason he never started wearing a cowboy hat is because he’d “look like an ant carrying a potato chip”…I like this guy more all the time. Talented, cute and very funny…what’s not to like.

Jason McEwen’s turn took on a personal story too, as he mentioned that learning to play the guitar when he was little to be able to ‘jam’ with his family taught him something he’d never forgotten. That the only really important chords he’d have to learn then were G, C, D and sometimes A and as he sat around with his family he’d learned to play. So that was his song, in a nutshell, and it was a pretty good little song too.

Jamie and Jason McCoy chose Jamie’s turn to trade guitars and try out the view ‘from the other side of the fence’…now, it must be pointed out that to a musician their instrument is something they know inside and out and to use someone else’s can be akin to wearing someone else ‘s shoes. You know how shoes go and what they’re for but they’ll still feel strange at first even if they fit, so it was funny to see them trying out the other’s guitar. Jamie’s song choice is easily the most personal song of his, written for his daughter when she was very young. Describing the feelings and changes of life as you watch over the sleeping form that you love took on a very charming effect as Jason McEwen joined in for the harmony and yes, they sound amazing together. This moment ended when guitars were traded back again.

Jason McCoy took a minute to sing “Happy Birthday” to ‘May’ who was somewhere in the audience (lucky May!). Sharing more insight into male/female relating he next comments that ‘you’ll never get to really figure out women but if you ever get a chance to get close, this’ll probably do it.’ And then he sings “I can’t get over you, ‘till you get out from under him” to lots of laughs from everyone. What a guy!

Rich and Jennifer Baker not only make a heck of a team for organizing shows like this but they can write some really good songs together too. “Why Did That Feel Like Goodbye” was inspired by the final episode of the TV show “Party Of Five” that Jennifer used to watch and Rich used to put up with. At the end of the series one scene caused Jennifer to turn to Rich and ask, “Do you know what he was thinking?” And there it was – ‘the hook’ that became one heck of a good song, and an amazing way to end the second in what I’m sure will be a long series of shows. If you want to experience what it’s like to be an intimate part of the music industry this concept is the way to do it. Like Rich says, it’s like being ‘in the living room’ with the best songwriters and performers out there. It’s the concept they like the best and one they’ve adopted for all of their seminars, guitar pulls and songwriting showcases. And when they come over they do bring their guitars (they rarely go anywhere without them), they do pull up a chair and they do let loose with their latest creations, their favourites and any requests you may have. It’s a heck of way to get spoiled, let me tell you. So if you don’t want to miss the next visit to the living room of country music’s best keep your ears open for the next Me & Them show. To miss any more would be a real shame.

We’d like to thank and congratulate Rich and Jennifer Baker for another fantastic show. You guys rock! (Jamie couldn’t have said it better himself). Thanks also to Jason McEwen for proving that we DO have the best talent and that time will prove our instincts right. To Jason McCoy and Terrine, it was so great to finally meet you instead of seeing you from across the room, and we look forward to running into you again. Jamie and Beth, you two make teamwork look so easy and thanks for being ears when we need some. And Linda Martelli from 820 CHAM, it’s always so much fun to run into you while we’re out and about, you guys are getting to be like family. When you hear that country music is really all about family it’s no joke. The welcome from the friends you make can carry you through anything and makes ‘working’ not like working at all, which is really nice. You guys can always count on us!

Written by Kim Jamieson

Photos by Wayne Tozzi

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