A Night With Spellbox
The first notes ring out of the Alvarez Misty is controlling, soon to be joined by the trademark mandocello, (a clever blend of a Mandolin and Cello), that Shawn wields as though an extension of the man himself. The first song is “Time for a Change”, a song written by Misty about the absurdity of the MTV of today. As the song begins I am captured most by the uncanny ability these two performers have to “bounce” the sound of the guitar and mandocello back and forth off of each other. She reaches the mic and then reaches the audience immediately with a sultry tone in a songlike manner. “What’s this on my T.V.?” The question rings through the room clearly and leaves you wanting the next line.
The hammering sounds of the mandocello are reminiscent of the many Led Zepplin albums I have at home, but it is a mandolin that Led uses, this is a mandocello. It has 8 strings paired together like a mandolin but the body is big allowing a resonate bass to the relatively high pitch of the strings.
This uncanny skill that the duo shares increasingly captivates the audience. As I look around I see people applauding the intro, the verse, and the chorus; unable to break away from this music. The lyrics are pronounced and delivered well despite the difficult tone range that Misty uses to illustrate her meaning.
In the time I watched this show I saw an audience increase of from about fifteen people to a good fifty by the time all was said and done. The songs performed are well structured to easily follow one another; yet another benefit for the audience.
The C.D. is great, but the experience at the show is greater still as you can see the swaying and movement behind the sound. Altogether a great stage show and one you should catch.
J. Bileyu - UF Writer (Jun 9, 2004)