Review: DAN TRACY & FRIENDS Have (And Give) Cause To Celebrate At The Bowery Electric

On November 3rd, singer-songwriter Dan Tracy returned to the stage with a set of new music, his first solo show in a decade, and even though it was a Dan Tracy show, the singing actor wasn’t up there alone.  For his program, simply titled Dan Tracy & FRIENDS, Mr. Tracy invited chums, colleagues, collaborators from an artists’ group he attends, and his fiancée, Melissa Mahoney, who showed off some impressive skills on the bass, an instrument she taught herself during the quarantine.  The forty-five minute set being performed at The Bowery Electric took place on Tracy’s actual birthday, but it was Tracy, himself, who was the gift for the occasion, as the completely packed house of music lovers indicated with consistent rousing rounds of applause and shouts of appreciation.  Dan Tracy back on the stage is a right wonderful thing, and those in attendance will, no doubt,  remember how special the night was.

The last time Mr. Tracy played a solo show in New York City, his choice was a one-man acoustic concert at Rockwood Music Hall, again, sold out, with a crowd that was prepared for the laid-back vibe for which Tracy was known, that of a Middle-American troubadour with a guitar slung over his shoulder.  On November 3rd, though, the musical program was a far cry from that Rockwood Music Hall concert from ten years ago.  During his ten-year absence from the stage, Dan Tracy appears to have gone inside of himself, artistically, exploring the sounds he might create and the emotions those sounds might evoke, emerging a different artist, having opened a new gear in his work that traverses multiple musical styles like jazz, pop, alt-rock, musical theater, rap, r&b, patter, and even the minuet.  Oh, and comedy… Dan Tracy has a cheeky comic flair about him, one that hides behind his mild-mannered smile and prominently-shaped eyeglasses, one that comes out in his onstage patter and his cleverly constructed lyrics.  All of these components meld together, making him a songwriter with an artistic imprint that has no real comparison, a songwriter who has created a sound that is all his own.  In a decade, Dan Tracy has reinvented himself as an artist while reclaiming his older style in a bold manner that eludes being branded.   This is a singular sound echoing forth from a singular artist who rides a fine line between the self-confident and the self-effacing.   Uniquely tongue in cheek, the gentleman apologizes for this or that every now and then… yet there doesn’t appear to be anything that requires apology.  Mischievous and affable, shy but cocky, quirky yet down-to-earth, Dan Tracy has an ineffable quality about him that makes you like him just for being a goofball with a guitar, fronting a gang in a garage band.  Of course, then he starts to sing, doubling down on the likeability.

Kicking off the evening with “Waking Up” (perfectly suited as an opening number), Tracy came out all guns blazing.  The beautiful up-tempo number had that blow-your-mind, fabulous, high-energy vibe to it, and although the composer/lyricist admitted he had been “musically silent for a decade,” there was no warm-up for him: he dove in, feet first, with this take-no-prisoners number.  He was ready and he was in the pocket, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand, solid in a way you rarely see, especially from someone just back from a lengthy hiatus.  He owned the audience for the entire evening.  Going back and forth from keyboards to guitar to trumpet, the proficient demonstrated his versatility as a musician, a versatility visible in the setlist, as well, as he segued immediately from comedy rap number “Chicken Tikka Masala,” with its Gilbert & Sullivan speed speak, to the poignant and vulnerable “Sunny Days” (this writer’s favorite), with which he opens himself up about his inner thoughts, effortlessly reaching out into the crowd with vocals that go from quiet to powerful in a matter of verses.

The Bowery Electric is a rock venue, one of those cool, groovy, dive bar vibes where people come for a beer and a rowdy time, and Dan Tracy & Friends fit right in, so the quiet introspection of “Sunny Days” was a momentary lull in the pulsating action of the night.  The rest of the program was filled with the funny (a hilarious, silly love song to trousers titled “Pantz” that was co-written with Jackie Pomeroy, who performed with Tracy) and the creative (a guest spot from Mackenzie Lesser-Roy, who made her debut as a singer-songwriter, performing her own “Bluffing” while Tracy accompanied her on guitar, as she had been behind her cello for him).  Indeed, the presence of Lesser-Roy in the presentation provided an audience glimpse into the artistic life of the bohemian Tracy that cast a light on who he is and what he has been doing during his self-imposed hiatus.  Lesser-Roy and Tracy (it was explained) are part of a “Song a Week” group that meets with the mission to make music.  The members are tasked with writing a new song between each meeting and then presenting their creations for one another for feedback.  “Bluffing” is the result of Mackenzie’s membership and this was her first time writing and performing her own music, live, a composition and a performance rich with surprise, musical dissonance, and unexpected direction changes.  The Song A Week group is, most certainly, paying off for both Mackenzie and Dan.

Backed by Carl Howell on Guitar, Oliver Palmer on Drums, and the women on Cello (Lesser-Roy) and Bass (Mahoney), Tracy was able to present the full sound of his compositions, and the Bowery Electric sound system and tech team made for an impeccable listening experience, so the Friends part of Dan Tracy & Friends was the dessert, but it is Dan Tracy himself that is the main course.  What makes him exciting is that his music is so full of surprises.  One doesn’t, as a listener, know where he is going.  He is a gifted songwriter who hears things in a way that belongs, solely, to himself, giving the music interesting changes in time, tempo and timbre.  Melodic lines turn, unexpectedly but not jarringly, while the poetic nature of his lyrics reaches right into the heart (and the funny bone).  Just when you think you know what you will see and hear next, you find that you have been kidding yourself, as he, once again, brings forth something unforseen.  His rapport with the audience is electric, relaxed, and always hilarious, while his chemistry with his band is palpable and comfortable, particularly when it is he and Mahoney in the spotlight, like when he sang the Melissa Mahoney-inspired “I’ve Been Thinking” for his wife-to-be.  The light and airy love ballad was juxtaposed with whimsical lyrics like “You are my taxes when they are done,” serving up relatable, vulnerable humor with love and affection.  From start to finish, the entire outing was a resounding success, a top-notch show ready for prime time, unlike that more regularly to be found when attending a show by someone who has returned to performing after a long break.  But, then, Dan Tracy isn’t your usual, every day, run-of-the-mill artist.  He is rare and it would be a shame if he were to take his unique brand of storytelling away from us again… that is, unless it were to take a honeymoon.  But, after that, Dan Tracy should, most assuredly, get his act back on a stage, any stage, anywhere, with as much frequency and fervor as is humanly possible.

Dan Tracy is in Instagram HERE.

Melissa Mahoney is on Instagram HERE.

Carl Howell in on Instagram HERE.

Mackenzie Lesser-Roy is on Instagram HERE.

Oliver Palmer is on Instagram HERE.

Jackie Pomeroy is on Instagram HERE.

Find great shows to see on the Bowery Electric website HERE.

Contributions were made to this article by Broadway World Cabaret reviewer Bobby Patrick and occasional Broadway World Cabaret guest reviewer Jennifer Houston.

 

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