RON SEXSMITH
Sounds nice, but hides downer vibes
The paradox at the center of Ron Sexsmith’s opening performance at the Green Stage Sunday morning was how an artist whose music could sound so relaxing could conceal so much melancholy. The Canadian singer/songwriter played a smooth set centered around his acoustic guitar strums and lower-register voice, backed by a full band that added a bit of force — but not too much — to his set. Songs ranged from mid-tempo folk cuts to, at their swiftest, the galloping rock cut “Radio.” It was pleasant with flashes of harder energy, appropriate for the first show most folks in Naeba would see Sunday.
So Sexsmith’s music sounded easy-going, but get too comfortable and you might miss the generally downtrodden lyrics lurking within. Opener “It Won’t Last For Long” celebrated the transience of heartbreak and acts as kind of a pick-me-up for a friend, but the subtle implication is “don’t mope, because you are going to die.” Which is clever songwriting, but set the scene for what was a bummer thematically. Most numbers hovered around troubled love, but even the otherwise springy “Radio” announces that the world of today stinks, so the narrator is embracing nostalgia. Pretty bleak! Even between song banter could be tinged with pain. “This next song went to number two on the charts,” Sexsmith said before “Evergreen.” “In Ireland. Nowhere else. Better than nothing.” It was a joke, but one delivered with a weird earnestness, in much the same way all his songs sound nice but hide a lot of bruises. Happy Sunday morning!
