The Siren of Unionville

kw: local events, music

A friend and I went to the Darlington Arts Center coffee shop to hear a colleague of mine, Geri Smith, perform with her favorite ensemble.

From left, Geri on guitar, Guenevere Calabrese Finlay, Marilee Calabrese (Gwen's mother), Jimmy Daughton on Dobro, and Phil Calabrese (Gwen's father, and a long-time friend of Geri) on bass. The Calabreses are a musical family who, as Gwen told us, sang in the car because there was no radio; and they sang everywhere else also. Still do.

I'd call the genre "soft pop" mixed with folk, with some old-time gospel rhythms thrown in. There is also a strong element of the kind of singing you'll hear by Celtic Woman. All the songs but one were Geri's compositions. She has a guitar technique and style that just makes me marvel.

Geri performed piano bar music at Harry's a grill in Delaware for a number of years. She performs everywhere (she refers you to her MySpace page for schedule information). The Darlington coffee shop, on a few Fridays per year, is a hidden treasure of southeastern Pennsylvania.