The Blue Room Session with Chas Smith
The state of Ohio is home to some of the finest
musical talent in the country and sometimes we at Buckeye Music Magazine have a
difficult time covering this vast state and its many gifted musicians. There
are many areas where we have yet to venture and one of those places was
Southeastern Ohio; in particular Nelsonville located near Athens. We received
an invite from Chas Smith to come to Nelsonville for what is known as The Blue
Room Sessions. The Blue Room Sessions are held and recorded at Nick Collura’s
INSEA Sound Shop. Nick began the sessions a few years ago and the Blue Room
Session quickly become a favorite of musicians and fans alike. The INSEA Sound
Shop is nestled in the hills of beautiful Athens County and is the perfect
setting for an intimate evening of music. Nick has a Vintage Instrument shop,
full service repair shop for practically any stringed instrument as well as a
recording studio where the sessions are held; and yes the studio is blue.
Lisa and I arrived just prior to the first
performance and as soon as we walked in the shop we felt like family. The Blue
Room itself holds about 25-30 people and was filled with folks waiting to see
the nights performer Chas Smith. Chas is a local musician that has been
performing and playing music for some 35 years. Chas is well respected in the
area for his musical talents as well as his contributions to the community that
include the Southeastern Ohio Songwriters Association (SOSA). Chas helped start
SOSA with the hope to bring community awareness to the many songwriters and
musicians in the area and their contributions to the community. So it was no
surprise that Chas sold out both one hour sets. As soon as Chas began to speak
you could sense his love for people and his passion for music. There were
several musicians in the audience that night (I would have been a nervous
wreck) so for their benefit Chas described the tools he would be using that
night as well as how each instrument was tuned. Chas chose alternative tuning
for most of his instruments that included two acoustic guitars, banjo,
mandolin, and a string instrument I have never seen before called a Charango
that has a sound similar to a ukulele.
Chas came to the Blue Room with six new tunes
instead of, as he explained, “doing what was comfortable”. I have to respect
anyone who likes to challenge themselves. Chas began his set with an
instrumental he played on the Charango called “A Little Song for a Big Island” then
he was accompanied by Todd Parish on drums for the song “Gone.” Todd is a very
talented young guy who seemed to play as many different instruments as Chas
including the saxophone o the love song called “Hidy-Hi, Hidy-Ho” that speaks
of a man that is smitten with the girl at the local grocery store and returns
day-after-day just to go through her line. The song is one of those tunes that
as you listen, you become a part of it; to me that is the sign of a GREAT
songwriter. In fact every song featured the songwriting brilliance of Smith and
his gift as a musician.
As I sat listening to the mellow tunes, the writer
in me kept trying to close in on what to call Chas’ style of music and I just
kept thinking “Americana Folk,” although you know how I hate putting musician
into a box. And while you can see
several musical influences, Chas has a style and sound that is his own. One of
my favorites of the evening was a song about the start of a relationship called
“Taking it Slow.” The set ended with a classic from Chas called “Jibber Jabber”
that featured Chas, Todd on sax and Mike Makosky on drums. Following the show
we had a chance to chat with Chas for a few and Nick gave us a tour of his
facility. These are some of the nicest and most talented people I have ever met
and their hospitality was overwhelming. As a matter of fact, Nick invited us to
stay for the second show and we were more than willing to accept. I encourage you
to take the trip to Nelsonville and the INSEA Sound Shop for one of Nick’s Blue
Room Sessions; it will be an experience you will never forget. And if you have
the opportunity to catch Chas live or come across his CD be sure to take
advantage of your good fortune. Thanks to Nick and everyone at the Sound Shop,
I am looking forward to our next visit already. And special thanks to Chas
Smith for inviting Buckeye Music Magazine to God’s country and for an
incredibly entertaining evening. We will see you soon!
2011 Reviews and Interviews 
