Sometimes the day can offer you a surprise that just makes you smile. Sometimes it offers you several, one after the other, and you feel amazing! That is exactly the feeling you would have enjoyed if you went to see Tim Herron play at Small Plates on May 1st for the weekly Acoustic Thursday sessions.
There are lots of things that make Small Plates unique. The armory Square eatery opened up this past September (In the former location of PJ Dorsey’s), and has a cool post-modern urban interior, fusing reclaimed elements of the past like exposed brick walls and repurposed-materials-made tables, with modern touches of plain white plates contrasting the graffiti-esque wall mural and soothing dimmed lighting. The menu, which is a kaleidoscope of global culinary delights and comfort foods in an American melting pot version of the more traditional smaller offerings of Spanish tapas or Greek mezze, is the same type of fusion as the interior design, combining the old and the new.
Tim Herron at Small Plates in Armory Square.
Micha L. Crook Photo | Syracuse New Times
“What does any of this have to do with surprises or Tim Herron’s music?” you are probably wondering at this point. “A lot”, would be my reply.
The fore mentioned delight at the interior and menu establishes the foundations for the experience of surprises Herron infuses his musical performances with. Just as Small Plates combines the old and new, Herron uses his musical skills of inventiveness to delight you with one surprise after another. Making the tested and familiar fresh and reinvigorated.
Some of the best surprises of the night included the way he was constantly changing and adapting popular pop and electronic covers into unexpected folksy, blues inspired acoustic renditions. From way he performed a raspy and mischievous version of Jace Everett’s “Bad Things” (True Blood theme song), to a bouncy staccato of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, to the coolest and most delightful version of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” that had you wanting to happily join the asylum, instead of the normal fatalistic melancholy it usually inspires. Herron continued to balance the evening’s performance with some of his own original pieces, further demonstrating his talents a composer and performer. My favorite was “Keep me safe, keep me warm, keep me alive”, a catchy mantra of trying to get through the day-to-day of living.
We all have preconceived notions of when we go to hear an acoustic set. I am delighted to say that Tim Herron has forever changed my expectations. I sincerely look forward to the next chance I get to be surprised by this talented musician.
To learn more about Tim Herron and his original music you can visit his website.
To check out more music at Small Plates, go to 116 Walton Street in Syracuse and see who is playing. Acoustic Thursday at Small Plates is every Thursday from 6:00- 9:00pm.
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