[show_avatar email=jess@iwenttoashow.com align=left avatar_size=62] The IWTAS team was overwhelmed and grateful for the support shown by friends and fans last Friday night at Foam.  We were proud to host a night of music featuring Madison, WI’s Anna Vogelzang and St. Louis standouts Beth Bombara, Syna So Pro, and The Lulus. There was a moment of glorious panic when the torrential downpour began on Cherokee Street just before show time. We watched as drenched folks ran in (and into) the door (“The handle sticks! Lift up! UP!!!”).

But you showed up. For our show. About eighty of you braved the weather and the heat in the room.  We get it –there were pretty ladies playing pretty songs on stage– but you clapped and smiled and participated in a sing-a-long even… we can’t thank you enough.

The Lulus introduced themselves to many of you (including three-fourths of IWTAS) for the first time. This band of seasoned folk musicians huddled around a condenser microphone, busted out a hammer dulcimer, and then covered Woody Guthrie near the end of their performance. It was the kind of thing that makes you feel like you’re at home, even in the middle of a crowded coffee shop in the heart of St. Louis City.

We watched helplessly, and in awe, as Syna So Pro dragged her own PA down the sidewalk through the storm. “I don’t wanna blow Foam’s system!” she laughed, and then proceeded to deliver a transfixing set that quieted the bustling, rain-jittery room. By her last song, Syna, aka Syrhea Conway, was huddled near the back of the stage, tearing apart her guitar (almost literally) and created a sound so big that only her own startling voice could rival it.

Anna Vogelzang explained that she was fighting a sore throat and a cold, not surprising for a motivated musician who tours like a madwoman. The scene in Foam was a change from the quaint room she’s played in St. Louis on her past two visits. We’ve been fortunate to get to know Anna from her previous stops in town, so we were delighted to see so many of you meeting her and enjoying her sound.

A solo Beth Bombara finished the night (and helped us with sound throughout the evening – typical her :)) by playing three or so instruments at once while singing songs off her most recent release, Wish I Were You. Bombara also treated the crowd to a couple older favorites, specifically, “Worn” and “Making Our Way” off the Abandon Ship EP.

So to those of you who were able to join IWTAS and Anna, Beth, Syna, and The Lulus: a sincere thanks again. We are consistently, pleasantly surprised by people coming out to support live performers. Your continued presence at various venues around the city will keep the resurgence of St. Louis music alive and well.

Notes:
— More photos from the event are on our Flickr page.
— The title of this post was borrowed from Vogelzang’s song “Lustrum (Postcard)”. Head over to her Bandcamp, sample and buy her music if you dig it, and help support her upcoming release, Canary in a Coal Mine.