CAMBRIDGE, MA—July 15, 2005 - Club Passim is also known as the Passim Folk Music and Cultural Center—a legally recognized non-profit educational chartered entity. Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, Patty Larkin, Taj Mahal, Geoff & Maria Muldaur, Tom Rush, Suzanne Vega, Jackie Washington, and Peter Wolf did long-term residencies there, establishing loyal and devoted followings before going on to play larger venues. Judy Collins and Nanci Griffiths have both been frequent performers. Then up-and-comer Bob Dylan performed between sets but never headlined. Tom Waits performed at Passim. The establishment was one of Bonnie Raitt’s preferred and most inspirational hangouts during her student days in Boston.

Founded in 1958 as a jazz club called Club 47, the establishment has morphed twice; first into Passim in 1969 and again to its present Club Passim in the mid-1990s. In the late 1950s jazz clubs weren’t considered to be the epicenters of honorable society or high culture, and law enforcement agencies were extraordinarily zealous in their efforts to harass, hassle, and harangue club operators, patrons, and performers alike—and resorted to beyond-the-pale measures to unceremoniously close them down. Club 47 faced such persecution almost immediately upon its inception. The Cambridge Police shut it down during its first few months under the auspices of then-archaic local “blue” laws (which prohibited more than three stringed instruments in a place that served food and beverages). Club 47, however, just happened to be located in Cambridge, MA, home to two of America’s preeminent universities (Harvard and MIT) and all its by-product of intelligence, wits, and know-how. Club 47’s remedy was to acquire an educational charter and reopen as a private club, making every person a “member” at the door. Trying times called for equally creative solutions.

Club 47 continued to be shut down for one minor ordinance infraction after another, which only served to rally performers and loyal patrons alike to organize hootenannies to keep the music going, and in the process created a strong, close-knit community around the club that persists to this day. It is considered by many long-time patrons to be a “sacred room.” That room, incidentally, is no larger than 30’ X 40’ with a seating capacity of 125 (which is often exceeded) and is located in a subterranean-level brick-floored basement in the heart of Cambridge’s Harvard Square.
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Ryanhood are no strangers to this legendary cultural icon. They’ve performed at Club Passim on two previous occasions to enthusiastic reception—which isn’t easy. Whereas the defining factor to Club Passim’s continued success is its audience, who support new musicians and are willing to listen with an open mind, that same audience possesses educated and discerning ears and settles for nothing less than extraordinary songwriting and performing ability. Of which Ryan Green, who performed there without his long-time collaborator Cameron Hood on July 15, has both in abundance.

Ryan proceeded to obliterate any ill-founded preconceptions that someone like me may have brought to the show. Such as; what type of material will Ryan perform? Will he do his own solo compositions from the Ryanhood repertoire scattered with generous instrumental offerings highlighting his astounding guitar talents? Oh no (pun intended). Ryan kicked off his set with “Gardens and the Graves” and managed to make his sole guitar sound like two people were playing it along with singing the song in a manner far more Cameron-like than the softer tone he typically employs in Ryanhood. This would have astonished me but for the fact that I first became familiar with Ryan when he was with his former electric band, Iluminada, where he provided very effective backing vocals to the best—bar none—and most powerful female singer (Monica Rodriguez) I’ve heard in over a generation. Nevertheless, Ryanhood fans couldn’t help but be surprised.

Ryan’s interaction with the audience between songs also transcended the typical Ryanhood show. Ryan most often relegates that role to Cameron, and whereas on some occasions he integrates the kind of spontaneous, comedic wit that we more or less expect from Cameron to the point of taking it for granted, he usually reserves his spoken announcements for factual anecdotes about the material and/or appreciative gestures to audiences. Ryan, however, possesses innate humorous instincts; he’s real sharp, smart, and a great comeback artist all at once. He’s not a wallflower by any measure. Ryan kept this very sophisticated audience laughing and in high, positive spirits throughout his set.

After “Gardens and the Graves” Ryan proceeded to perform “Something That She Saw” and “Stopless” solo before introducing us to a special guest visitor from Tucson, Arizona—Ryan’s friend Samir. Ryan told the audience that he met Samir on an AOL chat room back in his high school days; it turned out they had the same guitar teacher! Samir accompanied Ryan on “Welcome You Into My Head.”

Ryan then continued performing solo with renditions of “Ivy,” “Can I Kiss You,” “Abby’s Lullaby,” and “Sad and Happiness.” The set concluded with another guest appearance by evening headliner Owen Plant who accompanied Ryan on “Army.”

Ryan repeatedly informed the crowd that he normally performs with his long-time collaborator Cameron Hood, and I construed that his decision to augment at least those two songs with the other players was to give new listeners amongst the audience a feel for what the material sounds like coming from a duo. This is pure conjecture on my part. It’s a matter of fact rather than a fact that matters, and I could have very well asked Ryan about it; he would have gladly solved the mystery, as it were—he’s always been overly generous in helping me understand things of musical and creative elements which I don’t comprehend myself. The important thing to know is that Ryan used this rare “solo” slot not as a vehicle to showcase his own non-Ryanhood material, but instead drew from the standard Ryanhood songbook—Ryan’s and Cameron’s alike. These are traits of an unselfish and collaborative individual.

I’m certain that other Ryanhood followers in the room, like me, listened to Ryan’s reconstituted renditions of “Welcome…” and “Army” in the context of this unique setting, and in no way compared these one-off duos to the ultimate duo—Ryan and Cameron. Cameron in no way was being replaced because there is no way to replace, or substitute, his role in Ryanhood any more than Ryan’s role could be likewise replicated. Their musical and personal chemistry has too much synergy for that to be possible. It was, however, very interesting to hear all these great Ryanhood songs in a different framework. They are, after all, great songs, and Ryan succeeded in winning over the audience who came to see Owen Plant—a seasoned and very gifted performer/songwriter in his own right. I'm certain that Ryan converted most in the audience into Ryan Green fans, who will hopefully become Ryanhood fans as well.

I’d like to think that the overwhelming enthusiastic reaction Ryan received from the Club Passim audience was a combination of many factors, but in particular his tendency to employ all of his lightning fast phrases and beautiful harmonics in order to add texture to the songs, and not merely for the sake of displaying his masterful grasp of technique. He could get away with that if he desired, but I can assure you that Ryan would never resort to it. The songs themselves were the focal point, and they were all great songs, skillfully and masterfully performed.

David P. Dionne

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