Few artists know how to tell a tale better than Phil Cook or Charlie Parr. The two Midwestern natives (Cook from Chippewa Falls, and Parr from Minneapolis) showcased their gifts for songwriting in front of a well-attended crowd at Milwaukee's Turner Hall Ballroom, while the Milwaukee Bucks played game two of the NBA Eastern Finals at the Fiserv Forum across the street. While "Fear the Deer Fever" was infectious outside of the venue, with loud hoots, hollers and enthusiastic yelps from the crowd leading up to Turner Hall, the audience inside the ballroom was pin-drop quiet, anxiously hanging on each note of the songs masterfully performed by two gifted musicians.
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Earlier in the day, Parr and Cook performed a "studio session" at local radio station 88.9 Radio Milwaukee where they spoke of the power of songs. Parr remarked in the interview with 88.9's DJ Marcus Doucette that songs are really nothing but particles in the wind that take on a new life each time they are played. This sentiment could not ring truer when thinking about the artistry of Charlie Parr and Phil Cook. Their songs are truly living entities. Once performed, they belong to everyone and can provide their listeners to a myriad of interpretations and emotions. Masterfully crafted songs allow room for the listeners to insert themselves into the stories the songwriter is telling. No song can ever be performed exactly the same twice. It is the power of these masterful, narrative songs that draws listeners to Cook and Parr as individual artists, and when together, created a truly unique and special experience for the audience. Both artists performed solo sets, and then came together for an encore which was a treat for their fans in attendance.
Charlie Parr was up first, sitting on his stool in his trademark flannel shirt, scraggly hair, avuncular smile, and two open guitar cases at his feet. Parr's solo set featured a mix of material from his many releases. Parr is as earnest and humble as can be. In between his songs, he quipped with the crowd about how he doesn't mind mowing his lawn, but shoveling snow is another task altogether, a sentiment felt by the Milwaukee fans in attendance. Parr's set contained a good mix of his more recent work. Highlights included, "Cheap Wine," from his 2011 record by the same name. "Dog," from 2017's Dog LP was also extremely well-received and had Turner Hall stomping their feet (respectfully of course) and singing along with the road-worn songsmith.
Next up was Phil Cook. Like Parr, Cook does not operate with a set list but rather goes off of the vibe from the crowd to create the flow of his show. Cook was dialed in and exuded his joy for music through his tales and Cheshire Cat grins that were evident every time he took the stage. Few artists are more joyful than Cook. Mixing together a smorgasbord of Americana stylings, Cook's set featured a slower-tempo, more gospel-infused version of "Gone," a standout track from 2017's
People Are My Drug LP. A brief conversation with the audience about the importance of being mindful of how we feed our brains in our current age of information overload transitioned into a stellar rendering of "Steampowered Blues," another fantastic song from
People Are My Drug. The highlight of Phil's portion of the show, however, came not in the form of a vocal song, but rather in the instrumental numbers Cook played off his most recent 2019 record,
As Far As I Can See, which is a compilation of instrumental recordings Cook has made over the past decade. "The Jensens," which was dedicated to Cook's good buddy Chis Rosneau, was meticulously and soulfully performed.
These two exceptional song smiths joined together for the final portion of the show, rendering a raucous version of "1922" a track that Parr originally penned and Cook covered for his terrific LP, 2015's
Southland Mission. However, the true show stopper was both gentlemen performing "Over the Red Cedar" off of Parr's
Stumpjumper from 2014. The collective talent of Parr and Cook demonstrate two songwriters who share a powerful humility and undying faith and hope in the power of others, working together, to make a difference.
