Ben Lee at the Clubhouse 12.11.2007

By Steve Shugg, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

There are certain shows where the lineup of artists simply gets put together because of either record label politics, or favors to friends bands. These said shows always seem to go the same way; first band plays, leaves; next band, gets off stage; finally the main act and shows over. As good as these shows might be, its always more fun to see the artists interact with each other. At the recent Ben Lee and Cary Brothers show at the Clubhouse, the listeners were in for an experience. All three artists, Kate Voegele, Cary Brothers and Ben Lee jumped on stage with the other acts, got the crowd involved, and just seemed to be having a great time on stage.

The show started with Kate Voegele, an up and coming artists who recently was signed to Myspace records. She did not hesitate to give everything she had, and it showed; she put on a great show, and with her voice and songwriting ability, she’ll be around for a while.

Next up was Cary Brothers. Here’s an artist that has put in the time to become a talented musician, and celebrates that with his songwriting and crowd interaction. Playing crowd favorites like “Blue Eyes” and “Honestly”, Brothers has the stage presence that seems to be missing from so many live acts these days.

Closing out the night was of course Ben Lee, an Australian musician who puts on one hell of a show. Mixing in witty jokes with some amazing tunes is a great way to feel welcome in this country. Playing songs off his latest album “Ripe”, he sounded great. He also played a tune off of his cover album, where he covered the entire Against Me! album, “New Wave”.

The night would not be complete, however, with a sing a long, and these three did not disappoint. Before they finished, Lee brought everyone back on stage to not sing one of their songs, but instead covered Rush’s “Surrender”. It turned out to be a great song that everyone that was old enough to know the lyrics, sang along to. Overall a great night at the clubhouse, and makes one look forward to the up coming Hotel Café Tour, where some of these artists will be back for another great show.