Correction appended.
Three individual guitarists with different takes on acoustic music dazzled the collective audience at Stuart’s Opera House on Wednesday night.
The threesome became complete last week when Meg Baird joined Steve Gunn and Lee Ranaldo's tour. Each performer has their own flavor, nevertheless the trio blended together tastefully.
“I think it’s a great combination of contemporary and classical music,” Josh Miller said. “It’s really cool that it has come to this part of the country.”
Baird opened the show with a two-finger roll style of guitar play that provided a rhythmic cadence behind her high, lonesome vocals.
Gunn followed with a fingerpicking exhibition that featured consecutive, catchy riffs that resemble the acoustic works of Led Zeppelin.
“It’s been real interesting, and it’s been really exciting, I liked it” David Baer, an attendee from New Marshfield said. “The fingerpicking was really good, the lyrics were good, and the sensibility was good.”
Ranaldo appeared after a short intermission with a violin bow in one hand sliding across the top string, and a set of Himalayan-sounding chimes dangling in his other.
In contrast to the plucking and picking of the other two performers, Ranaldo was a strummer — slamming the pick across the strings until one finally broke.
Resonances formed in the hollow body of the guitar were amplified and selectively distorted by wah wah pedals. Yet the raunchiest sounds coming from the guitar were accompanied by the most polished and poignant vocals of the show.
Luca Wistendahl came not knowing who the performers were or what to expect, he said.
“I’m real glad we came,” he said. “Because this was fantastic.”
Greg Newton, an associate professor of media arts and studies, shared his appreciation for the venue.
“I love the opera house,” Greg Newton said. “They book such amazing, eclectic group of artists here, I wish we could get here more often than we do. It’s a wonderful time.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated where David Baer is from. He was an attendee from New Marshfield. The story has been update to show the most accurate information.
