Tonight was a good night at Godfrey’s. Sam Steffen returned from Philly for a song swap with myself and a good crowd of friends and admirers. Sam is a special songwriter who writes epic topical songs that have biblical storytelling hooks (lots of Samson referrals tonight) that still are linked to his personal experiences. Most of his songs have a dozen or more verses, his language is rich and his wordplay extraordinary. Since he moved to Philly over a year ago with his fiance Jamil, he’s been working with the homeless, trying to facilitate postal addresses for them (if you don’t have a home, you don’t have property and you don’t have an address – making you a non-person officially). So, he’s walking the walk.
Sam did two songs for every on of mine, but I tried to do some hard-hitting songs like Ten Men and Rocket Launcher as well as some positive tunes like We Are Welcomed, I Can See Clearly Now and Step by Step. A bunch of these were new to most of the audience. Some friends came up afterward and thanked us for Sam’s amazing tunes and my aggressive guitar work, a good combination. Did I say I love my Martin 000-15M?
As always, these Dave’s Night Out sessions are remarkably intellectually challenging and fulfilling. I’m proud that I’ve developed this unique series. Next month: Sing and Swing with Wendi Bourne and Rolly Brown.