Denison Witmer/Saxon Shore @ The Bug Jar

It was a hot and steamy evening at The Bug Jar in Rochester, NY and about half the audience was brave enough to sit on a bar floor to watch Militia Group recording artist Denison Witmer perform.

He's well-known for his enchanting solo acoustic performances, but the Rochester NY audience was in for a special treat as a reward for enduring the oppressive heat.

I got there just in time. With a cold beer in hand, I politely budged my way to the front of the audience to see Denison Witmer finishing his sound-check with acoustic guitar in hand. He told the audience to hang tight and that the show was to begin in about 20 minutes. He quickly changed his mind and said he would just start playing solo right away and give Rochester a nice long show. He likes Rochester. Rochester likes Denison.

He opened the show with one of my favorites, "Healing Time". He also played acoustic versions of "California Brown and Blue", and "Los Angeles".

Then the members of Saxon Shore took the stage and added a whole new dimension to the already sublime performance of Denison Witmer. With all the bells and whistles of a full band, Denison played "Grandma Mary", "Little Flowers", "Everything But Sleep", and of course, "The 80s."

Reverting to the intimacy of the solo acoustic was a perfect end to the set. Denison excused the band, and performed the favorites "Stations" and "Are You A Dreamer?"

It was a nice variety of acoustic and full band performances that I have never before experienced at a Denison Witmer show. Rochester was the last stop on the month long tour with Burnt Toast Vinyl recording artist Saxon Shore.

all photos by Melanie M.