The typical adjectives used to describe singer songwriters don't really apply to Patrick Park. The contemplativeness and over analysis that are so often behind the heady brand of music Park proffers doesn’t appear in his creative process. Indeed, his decisiveness is rare, if not unprecedented, in so introspective an artist. He doesn’t agonize over his music; he just makes it. He doesn't purr out the lyrics; he sings them in full voice, putting everything he’s got into every line. Park's verbal precision recalls Leonard Cohen, his forcefulness rivals that of Neil Young and the Dylan of "Positively 4th Street."

His debut, Loneliness Knows My Name, brought plenty of critical praise but remained under the radar. With Everyone's In Everyone,, we'll hopefully see the singer/songwriter get more well deserved attention. He has already gotten some media bites from the opening track, "Life Is A Song," but we'll get to that later. "Time For Moving On" adds a nice bit of country twang a la Ryan Adams And The Cardinals. The jangly acoustic guitar and harmonica solos are backed by gentle waves of pedal steel, with Park's vocals remaining front and center. With other noteworthy tracks such as "Arrive Like A Whisper" and "Pawn Song," Patrick Park is able to encompass the better qualities of fellow musicians Joseph Arthur and Ron Sexsmith in a mighty strong collection of tunes. If you like gimmick-free, well-written Americana, don't miss out on Everyone's In Everyone. And oh yeah, his "Life Is A Song" was also the last song on the final episode of The OC.

Artist's website

Sarah Slean, previously scheduled to perform, will not be appearing.


Friday, November 6th, 2009 | Showtime 9:30pm | Upstairs Live

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