Shawn Mullins Lights Up the Winchester

Grammy-Nominated Guitarist Cradled Cleveland

Sometimes life throws you the most perfect coincidence. A few months ago, while checking out my friends’ band The Poland Invasion at Lakewood’s Winchester, I noticed that Shawn Mullins was coming to town. As in the “Lullaby” Shawn Mullins. That night, I typed in the info into my iCal and cemented the event into my iPhone, the very thing that holds my busy and complicated life together.

Later that week, I sent an email to my concert-loving friends and, surprisingly, none showed interest. Or, they had to work. Then, someone finally agreed to join me and, unfortunately, she fell sick and couldn’t make it. The day of the show I was hell-bent on going, but who wants to attend a concert by themselves? Movie? Sure. Concert? Not so much.

Luckily, these days we have social media and, after returning from teaching class that day, as I scrolled all the Facebook news stories, noticed that radio pro and music aficionado Suzy Peters posted that she was listening to Shawn Mullins on Spotify. “Are you going tonight?” I posted on her feed. “Yeah. Are you?” she replied. “I’m on the fritz. No one to go with.” Twenty minutes later Suzy confirmed that she not only invited me as her plus one, but, also, that she’d pick me up. (The iCal doesn’t lie.)

We arrived a few minutes after the scheduled starting time, hoping we’d by then miss the opening act, which is typically of little interest. Well, no one had started yet and the Winchester, at that point, was still half empty. So we found fantastic seats, very close to the stage. As in less than ten feet from the microphones.

Chuck Cannon, originally from South Carolina, opened the show and his Southern drawl, wise lyrics and acoustic guitar charmed the audience. Not to mention his sense of humor, which he infused from the very beginning of the show. “Are you nervous?” he asked sarcastically of us. Shawn Mullins also joined Chuck on stage for a number, as, it turns out, the two have a history of writing songs for each other. A third guitarist, Patrick Blanchard, from Augusta, Georgia, accompanied both men.

Mullins opened his set with “Light You Up,” the hit from his 2010 album of the same name. A catchy, melodic tale that could mean many things to many people, the song immediately put everyone in a certain groove. Mullins continued the evening with showcasing other songs from the recent album, including the haunting “The Ghost of Johnny Cash.”

Mullins, based out of Atlanta, also performed previous work, such as the lovely “Beautiful Wreck” and, if it wasn’t for the ill-mannered hecklers sitting behind us, we could have heard more of the background stories of each song. Hopefully the rude behavior of a few doesn’t stop Mullins from returning to Cleveland, as his last stop here was six years ago.

Between the two sets, Suzy, who is the Director of Digital Content, Marketing and Promotion at Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Company, and I questioned why isn’t the Winchester sold out and how is it that she and I, with all our Cleveland media connections, both accidentally stumbled upon this concert? This wasn’t the first show that came and went in N.E. Ohio without proper promotion. Then, we both wondered, “Well, who WOULD be promoting a talented singer / songwriter who is focused on the craft, performs with an acoustic guitar and has no bells or whistles to his show?” Who is marketing quality music for grown-ups?

We didn’t dwell on that too much as there we were, up close and personal with an artist we both love.

“What a fabulous night at the Winchester Music-Hall,” adds Suzy. “So thankful for the sound system there since both artists were all about lyrics and subtle delivery. I can see why some performers choose the Winchester over other venues. (Also), the opening act was a complete surprise. Chuck Cannon has been around for years, writing hit songs in Nashville. I particularly loved the clever lyrics of, ‘You Let the Fox Watch the Henhouse.’”

As the evening was wrapping up, Mullins closed with his Grammy-nominated chart hit “Lullaby,” and then returned for an encore, with Cannon and Blanchard joining him.

Three Southern gentlemen serenading two Northern ladies in one very intimate setting. What a beautiful wreck it was.

Reprinted with permission and gratitude from CoolCleveland.com.