Spring Break
OGDEN, Utah, March 14, 2007 - Despite an audience more sparsely populated than usual, last Thursday night’s Honors talent show gathered performances as varied as Mozart, Christian pop music, a cover of Jimi Hendrix, a harpsichord-viol duet, and more.
Pianist Carlie Sitzman opened with Mozart’s beautiful “Moonlight Sonata” to abundant applause. She is a double-major in Architectural Design Graphics Engineering and German and a senior in the Honors Program at Weber State University.
A Christian songwriter and pianist from Liberty Christian Church in Layton then played a few works of uplifting Christian pop music.
Cristine Jennings arrived toting her viola da gamba, or “viol,” the head of which portrays a carving of Dante’s visage. With WSU senior Paul Edward Clayton on the harpsichord, Jennings played a duo from J. S. Bach’s Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Keyboard No. 2 in D major.
The viol’s soft sound was brighter than a cello and mellower than a violin. The duo’s harmonic sonance gently lit up the room “like butterflies dancing on a pond,” said Sitzman.
Jennings is a WSU graduate, a staff member in the Math Tutoring Center, and an adjunct instructor in the Geosciences and Physics Departments. “It’s an honor for me to be a part of this program,” she said. “I was really impressed with everyone.”
Moving from the harpsichord to the piano, Clayton proceeded to introduce and play Romantic-era selections from Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Opus 17, a collection of short songs and dances. With each number, Clayton’s exact finesse recreated the emotion and setting of a lighthearted Norwegian folk tune. He is a member of the University Honors Program and an English major with a Creative Writing emphasis.
Stuart Child, a member of the band “Busted Child,” played three songs: “Mistake” and “Desideratum” by Child and bassist Tyler Nickl and “Blind Date” by Child. His smiling, energetic, fun-loving style beamed joy into the audience as he poured his heart and soul into his electric acoustic guitar. The humorous lyrics of the song “Blind Date” prompted frolicsome laughter from the audience.
Local band “Skinny Bob and the Blue Dawgs” debuted Thursday night. They performed covers of “The Sky is Crying,” originally played by Elmore James, “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood and the Destroyers, “Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton, “Pride and Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and “Move it on Over,” initially written by Hank Williams.
As an encore, the band executed a stunning rendition of “Red House” by Jimi Hendrix. A guitarist for 43 years, Robert Barney, alias “Skinny Bob,” even played with his teeth at one point, a feat reminiscent of Hendrix himself.
Barney is an English major and a co-minor of Music and Communications at WSU. He has written several original works, including the album “Storm Haven,” recorded in Hollywood, Calif. in 1992.
The “Blue Dawgs” include bass guitarist Rusty Larson, pianist Zoltan Vegvari, and drummer Darren Ewing. Barney and Larson are both songwriters. “I’ve written hundreds of songs,” Larson said. “That’s my gift.” He became a bass guitarist because most of the bands he has joined needed one.
Regarding the band’s excellent performance that evening, Larson said, “I praise the Lord to be a part of that experience.”
Ewing is a student in the Honors BIS program with emphases on Communications, Multimedia, and Theater. He also works for the Salt Lake Tribune in multimedia and web development.
29-year-old Vegvari’s elite piano skills, along with Barney’s guitar expertise, repeatedly drew spontaneous applause. Vegvari said, “I’ve been playing since I was 12. I love to get together with people and just jam.”
Skinny Bob and the Blue Dawgs will be playing in Ogden at Angelo’s on 130 25th St. from April 13 to 14 at 9pm. They will also play at the Rock Bottom club at 317 Washington Blvd. on March 30 starting at 8:30pm.
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