Show Review: Kyle Rictor

The thing about B-Sides is that it is never lacking in musical quality. Sure, the Union can be an acoustical nightmare, but the artists and bands are always top notch. Looking back at life, it's hard to remember what it was like in high school, without something like B-Sides. I guess I still went to maybe one gig every two or three weeks, but here at school I've averaged more than one gig a week. If you think about it, that's nuts.

So anyway, this is about this week's B-Sides artist: Kyle Rictor. Though we've got a reputation with B-Sides, Nashville tends to have a bit of a bigger one when it comes to music. That's why it's really no surprise that Rictor has settled himself there. It's a hub for musical ideas and the Kyle and his tunes are very much a product of the environment. Despite having a full band on his recorded material, his music was in its raw form, he and his wife, Kelsey, singing while he played guitar.

Seeing a singer/songwriter, I, admittedly, sat down with a closed mind. I'm cynical and judgmental and that's just how it is. Not that all singer/songwriters are bad, but there are an overwhelming number of them that are ...lacking. After I settled into my seat, I began to absorb the experience and I realized that Rictor was not just another singer/songwriter just droning on in monotony.

The first thing that really stood out about Rictor was how he mentioned, on stage, that he considered himself, "more of a songwriter than an entertainer." Being a guitarist who would look at it more from an artistic point of view, I've never really gotten the whole entertainment thing quite like the rest of the world, so hearing this from Rictor, while others would raise flags, I was intrigued. He went on to explain how, for him, it's about the art of constructing a song and placing meaning into everything.

From there, he went on to pair most of the songs in his set with a story. Part of music is communication and part of communication is perception. Though Rictor didn't write story-based songs, he placed his songs into context with his stories, directing our perception. A lot of being able to connect with an artist is being able to understand where they're coming from and how they perceive their own music. Rictor drew the connection perfectly. He was candid and honest and so were his songs. 

The song that stood out the most was a song about his cigarette addiction (unfortunately it doesn't look like it's been recorded). He recognized it as something that was killing him and dragging him down. Without the background on the song, the song sounds like it's about a love affair and to him, that's the impact it was having on his life. His use of imagery on this song and the rest just painted the picture perfectly.

All of this said and I've said nothing of the sound. (That seems a bit silly for a review of a concert, but the personality and character on stage really made the biggest impression.) Musically, it was solid. Nothing over the top, but it seemed to steer away from simple chord progressions enough to hold my attention. On top of the guitar were the vocals. Kyle's got a great voice - good range, good feel, etc. Kelsey, though she didn't sing in every song, added a smooth soothing texture to the slight rasp in Kyle's voice. The two were perfect compliments of each other.

As far as a live show goes, this was one of the most real performances I've seen in a while. It was calm, collected, and very down to earth. You really can't ask for much more.

EDIT (03/28/11)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The song I mentioned liking so much is up as a demo! Check out Little Miss Nicotine here.