Massy Ferguson set to rock Cromwell Park Wednesday

Massy Ferguson free concert Wednesday

Concerts in the Park: Massy Ferguson, Wednesday, August 20, 7pm: Rain or Shine, Cromwell Park, 18030 Meridian Ave next to Courthouse.

Massy Ferguson is a bar band in the best sense — not a band relegated to bars because it will never rise higher, but a band that plays music perfectly suited to dark, crowded rooms in which there’s at least a possibility of a beer glass smashing against a wall.

The songs, filled with barflies, broken hearts and doomed late-night romance, would sound pretty good anywhere, though. Singer-bassist Ethan Anderson says the sound is Americana that leans more toward rock than country, and that’s a pretty good description. Think Drive-By Truckers or some combination of Son Volt and The Hold Steady. Think Springsteen’s “Greetings From Asbury Park” or “Nebraska.” Those are all influences, as is 1970s Southern rock and good-time classic rock bands like Thin Lizzy.

If that means Massy Ferguson is derivative, well, that’s partly true. It doesn’t really matter, though, because the songs, if not particularly groundbreaking, are just plain good. And the lyrics are full of enough detail and imagery that you start to forget any objections.

Join your friends and neighbors for this great concert under the open sky. All events in the Arts Council's Concerts in the Park series are free and start at 7p.m. rain or shine  For more information, or to see the full summer line-up visit the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council’s website. 

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations.