| Neal and Leandra Christmas Concert Friday, December 6th, 2002 |  |
It's funny. When you leave a Neal & Leandra concert, you feel that you just
spent an intimate evening catching up with two of your best friends around a
cozy fireplace. Personally engaging, they are real cutups when they banter about
things like road misadventures, baby burping and using coffee to highlight
one's hair. This married couple are as irreverently candid and affably
relaxed as they are masterfully talented. Fresh from winning the prestigious
Musician's 2002 McKnight Fellowship, they were queried about how they would
use that money. Chuckling Neal Hagberg quipped, "Stucco the house."
Kicking off the 2002/03 SJA Concert Series Friday December 6th, the first of two performances in SJA's gym, this Twin Cities based nationally known folk recording duo are a throwback to the style of the Everly Brothers. With heavenly tight harmonies and accomplished acoustic guitar work, the two opened their 105 minute Christmas concert quietly with the traditional "Go Tell It On the Mountain," followed with hysterical holiday anecdotes between selections. Defending her chic black laced flesh colored pants, Leandra Peak explained, the lining is "very pale and secure."
The couples' self-penned "Welcome Friend," (one of five selections they performed from their 'Listen to the Angels' album) with its distinctly hip Roger Miller "King of the Road" style arrangement, beautifully conveys the Christ-child as a contemporary figure of wonder. Responding to holiday decorating, Leandra brought up Neal's over wrought use of Christmas lights.. Not just tacky, downright garish, she said, "It is so bright that you could go out with a newspaper and read it." The audience warmly sang along to "Silver Bells" and musician Jeff Victor joined with his accordion for a stirring "O Come Little Children."
"I wrote this next song when I didn't have much to do," offered Neal. Leandra
countered, "I betcha it was a busy day for me." Idle time can inspire some
wicked playfulness. "Cowboy Santa," with a Hank Williams' style arrangement
and cowpoke fun lyrics, are inspired jocularity: "They gave him relaxed fit
jeans" and "spurs on his boots." Jeff accompanied Neal and Leandra's tight
harmony and guitar playing with mean honky-tonk piano playing.
Leandra's rich resonating alto voice glistened like the hanging snowflakes above her on a magically quiet cover of the classic "Toyland" while Neal nicely dovetailed her with his tender composition "It Happened Once," about a father's grateful rediscovery in the power of believing after the arrival of his newborn daughter.
Impeccable vocal harmony is the trademark of Neal and Leandra but what sets them apart is their consistently tight sense of volume control. The one leading always sings slightly louder while the other follows lightly underneath. Credit this to Sound Engineer Doug Lohman. Their cover of "Away In a Manger" is a collaboration of perfect amplification. Having a Scandinavian moment, the couple poked fun of Swedish stoicism before delivering the traditional "N'war Det Jul Igen" and with melodica, Jeff added homey resonance to Leandra's romantic vocal of "I'll Be Home For Christmas."
Recalling a recent concert appearance in Milwaukee, raven-haired Leandra confessed that a proud mother was thrilled that Leandra held such a positive influence on her daughter: "I'm glad you're not blonde and sexy," cited the weary mother. Mocking insult with indignation, Leandra responded, "Brown as I am, I'm glad to be your role model." Getting funky, the two closed the first set with a medley of rock-a-billy tunes: the Everly Brothers' "Dream," "Be Bop" and "Rip It." Especially funny with "Be Bop" was their "burp n' slurp Anna Belle Doll" who "pees and poops, and vomits, too."
Intermission offered a scrumptious treat of wine and mouth-watering home made rosettes from A Taste of Scandinavia, a bakery in Glenwood, Minnesota.
The second set started with an old blue grass feel with "O Beautiful Star"
and followed aptly by "Ding Dong Merrily On High" and the traditional
Hanukkah song "Ritsch, Ratsch Filiban," the latter complimented by Jeff's
accordion playing. Leandra sung vocal lead on the compelling "Rich" from
their 'Stranger To My Kin,' album, a composition that looks at what's really
important in our journey of life. Particularly moving is the poetic verse
"Your love is the water / I've waded into the holiest of streams." This
performance was met with well-deserved thunderous crowd approval.
Having toured through 45 states, this road-weary couple magnificently performed Jeff Mack's "I'll Be Everywhere" (made famous by both Hank Snow and Johnny Cash), a task mastering showdown which requires dexterous precision and enunciation for two people playing guitar while spouting off a hundred places or so. Challenging themselves further, they, with equal aplomb, proceeded to sing Japanese and Spanish places as well. Catching their breath, they followed with Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," done with tender restraint. "Listen To the Angels," Neal's self-penned holiday anthem received a joyous Gospel workout with Jeff on organ. They closed with an encore of their first hit "Old Love" and were joined with joyous audience participation on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." By all accounts, I think we already have!
What are they actually gonna do with their McKnight fellowship? Record a Perry Como Tribute album.
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