John Nitzinger, Jay Johnson, & Victor Andrada Rockzilla.net Songwriter's Showcase Lone Star Café and Club 8/2/01 by Scott Snidow
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There are few moments in entertainment that compel the reviewer to write about them. There are even fewer moments that serve as an inspiration to all that witness the event. Thursday night, August 2nd, at the unlikely junction of Northwest Highway and Jupiter Road, one such milestone occurred. Through the dimly lit confines of the Lonestar Café and Club, one could see on the makeshift stage, not one, not two, but three chairs and microphones, set up to resemble someone's living room somewhere. The rudiments of an experiment that had been given the improbable name of Rockzilla.net Songwriter's Showcase. Soon the chairs were filled with three artists, none from the same school of music. On the left was a thin, gaunt man in his early thirties with a classical nylon string guitar. This was Victor Andrada, a local folk and Tejano artist. Next to him, seated in the middle, was the longhaired elder statesman of the trio, blues rock legend John Nitzinger, donning his trademark red Les Paul. To his left was local country folkster Jay Johnson, with his standard flat top guitar and a grin plastered on his face, betraying his own excitement at the night that lay ahead. Three artists. Each as different in musical style as the guitar he was playing. Each with the challenge to participate in a songwriter's round robin, where every writer would bring to the table songs that he had written, and to blend their performance with the one that preceded them. Three artists. One stage. No one, not even the artists themselves, knew how the evening would progress, or, for that matter, if the grand experiment would even work. In the audience were those who had come out of curiosity at the billing. There were also those who were there to lend their support to a given artist. There were even some, no doubt, who had come to watch the grand experiment falter. Everyone, artists and audience alike, were in for a big surprise. The show began somewhat tentatively, Andrada leading off with one of his compositions. The other two merely watched while Andrada played and sang, each waiting for his turn, and wondering which song out of their repertoire would best blend with the previous offering. Nitzinger followed, then passed the torch onto Johnson. Each artist performed a song of his creating, each performance good, but nothing spectacular. Things continued in a similar vein for the next thirty minutes; Andrada then Nitzinger then Johnson. It was interesting, but far from earth shattering. Then something quite suddenly transformed what was turning into an almost mundane evening into something special, something magical, something that would have a profound effect on all in attendance. At first this "magic" was barely noticeable. It started in the form of Andrada supplying some subtle, melodic riffs in accompaniment to a Nitzinger number. Following this number, all three faces on the stage couldn't help but show their pleasure as the audience roared theirs. Now the evening and the performers had a direction. As Johnson began his next number, Nitzinger played with the effects to form a sound that would give shape to the rocking solo parts he played, and again, more grins from the men on stage. That was the way the remainder of the first set continued, each artist searching for a way that their talent could bring a new dimension to the equitable talents of the others. When emcee Michael Johnson announced a fifteen-minute recess, I glanced around me and did a visual poll of the faces in the crowd. What I saw in those faces was a unanimous consensus of approval. Grins were a dime a dozen, and many faces betrayed what their role in the "water cooler" discussions at work would be come the next morning. The second set began with Andrada again, and that was the only similarity to the beginning of the first set. By now each of the three songwriters had become comfortable with the others, and they were more than willing to supply whatever they could in supporting and enhancing each performance. They played with vocal harmonies, at one point achieving a three-part harmony. They worked out incredible rhythm parts and breathtaking solos, and with each subsequent number, they began to meld into a single unit with three quite distinctive personalities. They joked with one another, pushed one another to give their all, and in the process served notice to all that this experiment was indeed a success. After the performance that night, none of the artists could conceal their pleasure at what had just occurred. Each requested the chance to play the Songwriter's Showcase again, preferably with each other. There lies perhaps the truest success of the experiment. Not only was every face of every audience member burning with excitement, but so too were the faces of the three artists who had accomplished that evening what few in attendance had expected. Did you miss the first Rockzilla.net Songwriter's Showcase? Want to avoid being left out of the loop during the next office water cooler conference? Then make sure that you are at the Lone Star Café and Club every Thursday night at 8:30 PM. If you are curious about this week's casting of singer songwriters, then check out the Rockzillaworld Concert Calendar. You can also use the calendar to see when and where each of the artists in this review will be playing.   You can contact Scott Snidow at: scott-at-rockzilla.net

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