Deep respect for and enjoyment of the music of Harry Manx led this critic to urge many friends to attend this show. I didn’t know at the time that I was understating its appeal. Billed as a Harry Manx performance, advance publicity did not mention his bandstand partner, Southside Steve Marriner, regarded as one of Canada’s top blues harmonica players. That Marriner distinguished himself 1/20 by providing beautiful tone, judicious instrument and effect choices and comprehensive backing accompaniment proves that he is worthy of all the praise he’s receiving on two continents (soon to be three, with an Australian tour alongside Manx coming up) and a consummate professional with the unique ability to support his front man and suppress his own ability and likely desire to cut loose a time or two during each show. This ability is rare in popular music, even in the top tiers; the best known sideman in rock, Keith Richards, has always had to step forward a time or two during every show.

It was, however, by billing and by Marriner’s own sideman role fulfillment, a Harry Manx concert. The Manx sound has been summed up as “Mysticssippi,” a blend of Eastern music and blues combining soft, narrative, soulful song selection, slide guitar, some flashy additions like banjo and cigar box guitar and his trademark mohan veena, an obscure guitar / sitar hybrid. It is a sweet, expressive sound.

Hard listeners, excited, showed up early. Most walked to the edge of the stage before going to the bar to inspect the instruments. The Manx arsenal included two acoustic guitars, one quite fat bodied, an electric guitar, the mohan veena, a banjo and the cigar box guitar he’d shared the previous night backstage in DC with Bruce Springsteen. An EQ pedal and one other arcane stomp box sat on the floor in front of Manx’s stool. Steve Marriner’s area included a box of diatonic 10-hole harmonicas, at least one chromatic, and what appeared to be a Line 6 effects pod. Marriner switched back and forth between his stand mic and a Green Bullet. All stage mics and instruments went directly into a Mackie mixer on stage, which sent one signal to the house sound man, whose primary task was, then, getting volume right. He did so, anonymously contributing a great deal to the show’s quality.

Local press announced a 6:00 start time, though online promotion from Manx’s own team listed 7:30. The first song, “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” played lap slide style with some nice call and response string stings and sung softly, actually kicked off at 7:08. The duo kept a lot of balls in the air throughout the show. Marriner’s choice of harps to accompany Manx’s switching among stringed instruments was fascinating ... chromatic with mohan veena, etc. Manx’s feather light slide work was effective both as to sound and to the sense of reverence for the sound and instruments he displayed while playing. Reverence was also evident in the crowd, which was hushed, silent, and in complete consensus that this was a concert rather than a bar act. The rare reward Manx gave his audience was taking the perfect music from inside one’s head and putting it out on a bandstand.

Unforgettable.

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