I heard a song in my car
It made me feel like a child
I turned it up real loud
To the top of the dial
With all of my lungs
I sang all the words
I was thinking of you
In my favorite verse

— “Remote Control,” Mark Edgar Stuart

 

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes at Folk All Y’all, and in the case of last night’s show, there was even more than usual. Mark Edgar Stuart was greeted by my children (making their first FAY appearance) while I was running around the rainy backyard trying to get my puppy to vomit. Agreeable as always, Mark just went to work getting set up, and we somehow got everything in order before guests arrived. And oh, the guests! I set a limit on seats using the typical house show/airline policy of overbooking just a little to accommodate for no-shows. But none of y’all no-showed! So we were all good friends by the time everyone found one of the 50 seats squeezed into my living/dining room. (Speaking of … please forgive the weird angle/distance of the photos/videos from this show; to stay out of anyone’s sightline, I was hidden in the hallway or all the way by the front door.)

Which was just as well, because Mark’s show was the most companionable, conversational evening we’ve had. Songs and discussions ranged from Jesus to jihadists, covering prostitutes, DUIs, childhood memories, and Jerry Lee’s child bride along the way. It was like a late-night conversation at the P&H in musical form, and as I should have expected, Memphis as f***. We sang along, clapped along, and even shared the peace with each other. The relentless charm of Mark’s songwriting is matched only by the relentless charm of Mark himself, and the whole room was beguiled by both. It was a tremendous pleasure to host him, and as the first Memphis musician to visit us, he set the bar ridiculously high.
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