SOMERVILLE, MA—August 3, 2005 - Cameron Hood’s charisma factor is extraordinary. That’s sure to give the appearance of brazen banality emanating from the pen of yours truly (an individual perpetually skating on the edge of utter sycophancy in matters Ryanhood-related). It’s true, however. More on that later...
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Davis Square is located in the west area of Somerville, MA, in fairly close proximity to Cambridge’s renowned Harvard Square (which it resembles in many ways—sort of like a mini-version). Tufts University abuts the outer edge of Davis. Whereas Somerville’s reputation in the region is predicated on its notorious history of private and public crime and racketeering (see my Johnny D’s-August 25, 2004 report for more details), Davis Square has a resoundingly sophisticated air about it, and its neighborhood serves as the domain of some of Boston and Cambridge’s young and very bright, talented, and pioneering scientists, engineers, writers, and artists.

Someday Café could just as well be located in the heart of Harvard Square; it would blend in perfectly with the zeitgeist there. Jeanne Greeley, writing for Citysearch, referred to it as “an urban sanctuary harboring hipsters and caffeine fiends. Espresso machines hiss and canisters brim with more than 15 types of tea leaves. Bagels, biscotti and other baked goods are offered, along with a dozen ice cream flavors like reverse chip and cherries, and gingersnap molasses. The bathroom is a pop art treat.” A bit over the top, perhaps, but she crystallized its essence concisely. Look the place up on any of the on-line city guides and you can bet that the editors will toss in something to the effect that you’ll be mingling with bohemian types and bookworms (or words to that effect). This is hardly surprising since the establishment is located in an area heavily concentrated with students and young high-level professionals. What the guides omit is that the Someday Café has a decent sized room adjacent to its serving area that is often used to exhibit works of artists/photographers and to host musical performers. It features the works of artists in all mediums, as well as performance art, poetry, music, and theatre. In Cambridge they’d refer to Someday Café as a “Gallery.”
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Cameron anchored himself in the extreme left front corner of the gallery area, making himself immediately visible to all Davis Square strollers. He presented listeners with a few staples from the Ryanhood songbook along with many of his new songs and some again that Ryanhood have heretofore played at shows but haven’t yet recorded. Cameron performed several interesting covers as well, ranging from Coldplay to The Beatles, with U2, Boyz II Men, Derek Webb, Paddy Casey, and others in between. The set list that Cameron provided for the Ryanhood Army Group appears at the bottom of this report.

Cameron’s presentation was subdued and tranquil, diametrically in contrast to his Ryanhood stage presence. He sat through his entire near two-hour set and barely stomped a foot (and interestingly enough only on Ryanhood songs like “Gardens and the Graves” and “Helpless Hopeless”). His audience interaction was also in marked differentiation to his Ryanhood approach, and in this atmosphere it worked perfectly. Nobody has more right to compose a song called “Introduction to Human Psychology 101.” Cameron has an astounding innate sense for gauging the mood of a room or audience and communicating in a manner that is optimally appropriate and effective at once. This was one of the defining factors which motivated most in the audience to stick around for the entire set. Of course the other factor was Cameron’s superb material and his excellent performing and playing skills.

It’s too easy to overlook Cameron’s guitar playing skill within the Ryanhood framework, since he’s dwarfed in the context of playing alongside one of the most talented guitar players performing today. And to his everlasting credit (and prudence) Cameron didn’t attempt to emulate any of Ryan Green’s textures in any of the Ryanhood songs he played, save for some harmonics at the end of “Intro to Human Psych…” which he did very effectively. Cameron Hood is a very capable guitarist in his own right, which coupled with the strengths of his excellent songs and great voice made for an enjoyable musical experience.

All of the material was outstanding, but a couple of things in particular stood out to this observer. Cameron’s rendition of Derek Webb’s “Wedding Dress” is deceptively simplistic in its approach and yet electrifyingly emotional as well. More crucially, it mirrors the essence of the messages in most of Cameron’s ostensibly simple but in actuality complex lyrics; to wit, that in ones attempt to live a good and honorable life it takes more than simply proclaiming verbal allegiance to a higher order. Webb’s “Wedding Dress,” and the aggregate of Cameron Hood’s songs, question what one values, what one should value, and how those values differ from those of the world at large. I never made the connection until this particular performance (and I’ve heard Cameron perform this song previously at a recent Ryanhood show).

Another very captivating moment occurred when Cameron introduced us to a new song called “Postcards” and told us an anecdote about the song’s meaning. It humbled me and I’ll explain why. The song is about Phil Taylor, a man Ryan and Cameron met last summer during their Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market residency. Phil was at the marketplace for practically every single set they performed and became a fervent follower. Phil is apparently a transient, although I can assure you he doesn’t look like one—his appearance and demeanor is more akin to a professor (and he’s quite bright to boot). Anyway, Phil doesn’t possess any assets to speak of, and yet that never stopped him from helping Ryanhood build their fan base. He would collect free postcards and write Ryanhood’s Web site address on the back and distribute them to anyone he saw, ergo the song’s title. I’ve seen Phil, and in effect have stood side-by-side with him at some Ryanhood shows, but I never bothered to engage him in conversation—and have no reasonable justification or rationale as to why. It is rather unconscionable on my part, especially given that Phil discovered the very RH Reader section on this site you’re presently viewing and introduced it to the Ryanhood Army visitors. If you’re looking at this, Phil, then please accept my belated gratitude and appreciation. The song, incidentally, blended perfectly and segued seamlessly into “Helpless Hopeless.”

All of the brand new songs (at least to us) are terrific, and the other cover songs were performed masterfully by Cameron. His two U2 covers were for two acquaintances in the audience who are fanatical U2 fans, and Cameron managed to pull off singing in a much higher register a la Bono. Oh, and listeners weren’t denied at least a few highly witty remarks from Cameron; it’s just that on this occasion he wasn’t consciously attempting to create a festive and party atmosphere. And is always the case, he’s right—it wouldn’t have worked and would have cheapened this otherwise brilliant, serene, and beautiful performance.
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Cameron was invited to perform at the behest of the photographer/artist whose stunning water photography was the featured exhibition in the gallery area. As brilliant as is his photography, Dr. Peter Müller is by day (so to speak) a young and formidable pioneering chemist at M.I.T. specializing in developmental work in X-Ray diffraction and crystallography. Dr. Müller is also a devoted follower of Ryanhood. I’ve seen him at many Ryanhood shows in the Boston area, such as Faneuil Hall, All Asia Café, and Club Passim. He often brings a crowd with him, and promotes awareness of Ryanhood very effectively.

David P. Dionne

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SET LIST

GARDENS AND THE GRAVES
INTRO TO HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY 101
THE LUCKY ONE (by Paddy Casey)
THREE GRACES (new) (into Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)
SAD AND HAPPINESS (with Let It Be, Undone, The sweater song, Beverly Hills, Wordplay, The Remedy)
BORN TO RUN TO YOU (new)
PHOTOGRAPHS (new)
MORNING SONG (new)
LONG WIDE OPEN
SPANISH LULLABY (new)
FIX YOU (Coldplay)
WATER RUNS DRY (Boyz II Men)
WILL YOU COME HOME? (new)
I AM FOR YOU (new)
WEDDING DRESS (Derek Webb)
SUMMER RADIO SONG (working title, new)
YOU USED TO
POSTCARDS (new, intro to HH)
HELPLESS HOPELESS (into Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses by U2)
THE FLOWER SONG (new)
GOLDEN I (new)
MRS. MARIE (new)
GOLDEN II (new)
LITTLE SISTER (new)
GOLDEN III (new)
DIVIDE (new, with Where the Streets Have No Name, All I Want Is You, and Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?)