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The storm that I mentioned in the last post has moved on toward the New England states, leaving us to wake up this morning to sparse, fluffy snowflakes drifting gently to earth. They instantly reminded me of this year’s first snowfall, which happened to coincide with my unsuccessful reintroduction to night mountain biking…

After about a half-mile of climbing, with my respirations running at least 60 and my heartrate through the roof, I decided to turn back … As he passed, I told the “sweeper” I was heading down, and hung my head as I made my way back to the car…

It was a tough night – probably tougher than I let on when I wrote about it from the warm comfort of my office, a day later. I desperately wanted to hang in there with the group, to get through the ride. And since I hadn’t, now – cruising toward home in my cooshy car while the rest of the group was still out grinning their way up the trail – I just wanted to curl up in a ball.

I turned on the radio, and with no CDs aboard, flipped through the channels looking for something to match my mood. The local pop and classic rock stations offered no solace, but then I reached the preset for 98.9 “The Buzz”, and hit on the perfect cure: Teagan Ward

As it turns out, Teagan and two of her musician friends – Katy Wright (of Katy Wright Band fame, and also a member of the Tweeds) and soloist Teressa Wilcox – were promoting their upcoming fundraiser concert, Chicks with Picks on 98.9′s local-artist spotlight feature, The Sunday Night Shakedown. As I tuned in, Teagan had just launched into the chorus of one of her songs, Don’t Walk Away

…Because you’re warm, like whiskey to my soul
Something in you feels like home
Our time is measured now, just in days
But you’re the person in this life who,
walks on in and feels so right now,
come closer won’t you stay oh please…
don’t walk away.

The music, the lyrics and the voices fit the moment perfectly, like the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle. I smiled as the snowflakes streamed by outside the window.

After a little digging on teh interwebs, I managed to track down whose voice I was hearing, and landed at a downloadable podcast of the very show I’d heard! Better yet, the concert was still a little over a week away, so Kelly and I headed to The Social to pick up our tickets.

We arrived a bit early, giving us plenty of time to check out the various acoustic solo acts performing amidst tables of hors d’oeuvres and chatting attendees. We staked out some seats in the main hall, and talked our way through the sound check – then the bands took the stage. Katy Wright and her band got the night off to a start that was nothing short of rockin’, and Teressa Wilcox mellowed us out with some delicious acoustic work. This Other Life – whose members, unbeknown to us, had been sharing the bleachers with Kelly and me all along – took the stage next, and let me assure you: they know how to show the audience a good time!

Finally, after four hours of great music, food, and drinks, Teagan and The Tweeds hit the stage. Teagan’s voice, so at home flanked only by her acoustic guitar, blended in perfectly with the country-tinged sounds of the band I was hearing for the first time. The mix was as wonderfully alchemic as a good drink: rock masterfully blended with country, electric guitar shaken with steel, Teagan’s country alto with a sprinkling of cool, clear Katy Wright in the background. Don’t Walk Away came up second in the set, and I can’t think of any description other than the simplest: it was great.

But fortunately, in this edition of Saturday Morning Tuneage, you don’t have to take my word for it! You can check out Teagan and The Tweeds yourself at Lovin’ Cup in Rochester on January 23rd, 2009! I’m dropping a countdown to the show in the sidebar, so don’t forget to check it out! And if you’re going to, do leave a comment? It’d be pretty sweet to hang out, rock some coffee, and take in some music with a few DaveRea.com readers!

Update Jan 7th ’09: Not sure why I didn’t link to it here, but Teagan has an album for sale on CDBaby… check out Two Decades and a Dream.