Red Letter Days with Sirsy at Barn Jam in Awendaw

By Mark A. Leon

Sirsy, the husband and wife duo from Saratoga, New York took the stage at Awendaw Green for Barn Jam last evening under the pretense of rain and potential thunder, lightning and area flooding.  That did not steer away the crowd from an evening of gifted music.  Led by Melanie’s vocals and Richard’s guitar, they warded off the bad weather to plant the roots for a great evening of live music.

From the rolling hills of Upstate New York to the Lowcountry of South Carolina, Sirsy brought a unique blend of rock, funk, instrumental and sing along passion to their set.

Recently, married this summer, Sirsy at first glance provides a unique approach to the traditional anatomy of a band; only two members.  Melanie is versed in drums, flute and vocals, while Rich takes his tight guitar riffs to new levels.

After anointing the audience with a rich opening of songs that combined elements of early 70’s rock, funk, jam and ZZ Ward / Katy Perry strong female vocal anthems, Melanie took a step back and introduced their mantra song, Revolution.  As she explained  it, the song represents inner passion and leading a life of desire, unexpected journeys and complete fulfillment.  It is about “doing your own thing like forming a two person rock band and driving around the country in a creeper van”.

Sirsy then got the audience going again with Cannonball or the “hey, hey song”.  With her wit, strong connection to the audience and infectious smile, Melanie drew the audience into her world one song at a time.  Here cannibalistic beating of the drums along with Rich’s inspired guitar play welcomed new fans onto their journey.

Awendaw is one stop along a tour that is carrying them along the coast.  At the end of the set, Rich and Melanie combined for a powerful drum duet while Rich still carried his guitar piece.  It was the marriage of Metallica and John Stewart.  With power and accuracy, they beat the drums while they playfully laughed acknowledging the true bond they share with one another and their fans.

The final drum power bash could be seen as a symbol of their commitment to take the country by storm.  Ironic twist as Hurricane Joaquin is lingering just off the coast.

They were the highlight of a set of singer/songwriters which included Eric Sommer who has traveled the hills of Appalachia to the streets of Nashville; Texas to New York bringing deep rooted blues and poetic storytelling to the stage.  Weigh Station wanted you out of Chinatown and Forlorn Strangers introduced a little Tennessee bluegrass to the stage.

After the show, with only the light of the moon to provide us with exposure, I asked Melanie and Rich, what their go to songs were and who they would love to collaborate with.  There was a clear British influence in their responses with Bowie and The Beatles leading the charge.

Band of Skulls was a unanimous selection for mates to collaborate with.  Maybe one day, we will see two musical forces combine sharing creative energies.

As they departed for the highway in their “creeper” white van, we said our farewells and wished them well.  As they drove into the darkness, it was clear; the future looks bright for Sirsy.