It Is Not I, Small Child, He Sang

"It ain't me Babe" sang Rod McKinnon in the Concert Chamber. As it turned out it was him, but some others were not of the same standard.

This was a folk concert held on July 2 where a handful of folk-singers, mostly local, were attempting to show that they were capable of better things than being background music in a coffee bar.

Two soloists and a group succeeded in this attempt, with Rod McKinnon perhaps being the best. He came on after a long interval and a patchy first half, and it took several of the older (female) members of the audience a good while to get used to his clothes; yet in no time at all he had the audience hushed. His guitar work was excellent, and he sang well and with feeling, particularly in Pete Seegar's "Turn, Turn, Turn."

Val Murphy was the best-known of the singers and did nothing to detract from the good reputation she has earned. Whether singing or rushing across the stage for some cough lozenges, she was alive, and communicated her exuberance to the audience.

Of her numbers. "She Heel" got the best reception, but all were good, although I feel she resorted a little often to the harshness of tone she produces so well.

John, Geoff and Lin—a Peter-Paul-and-Mary type group—were technically adequate but lacked originality. The sound was pleasant, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Lin is a cut above her companions vocally.

The others, as I said, were patchy. The biggest fault was a lack of clarity—a lack more evident in the introductions than the songs.

Singers can hardly expect an audience to react to something it cannot understand.

Overall the concert proved its point, and showed that some local singers are good enough to take a step beyond the coffee bar, and towards Mr. McKinnon's objective of Carnegie Hall.