Staunton - It was well worth the trip over the mountain from Charlottesville to Staunton to see Peyton Tochterman, Gary Green and Darrell Muller’s performance at the new roots music hall better known as The Mockingbird.  The venue is a gracious music hall that would remind one of the setup of an elegant dinner theatre complete with high ceilings, great acoustics, tables for dining and seating close to a very approachable stage.  Food and Drinks from the adjacent restaurant/bar are served before and during breaks.  It was the perfect setting to enjoy this trio of singer/songwriter and acoustic instrumental virtuosos.  When I asked Peyton to describe his work he simply replied, “I play music and I write songs.”  He went on to tell me how he sees the arts including music to be essential to the education of our children and a sort of weathervane of our culture.  The example he used was about a family who went on vacation to Italy.  When asked about what they did and saw, they spoke of the Sistine Chapel, an opera, and an art museum.  Essentially, they chose to see the art of that culture and country from antiquity to the present time.

While I listened to Peyton belt out his songs about family and love; tragedies and perplexities of our time, it occurred to me that this is what it means to have a musician/poet pen and play a tune to the pulse of our time and place.  Isn’t that what the bards of old did?  They told the stories of their time and place shedding light and bringing tears and laughter.  Peyton’s lyrics are sharp, introspective, and often wryly funny.  As he steps onto the stage and begins to sing he opens a friendly door into his world, our world, our Virginia.  He beckons us down a road colored by real life images, like one of his father kicking the weeds off his own father’s grave to prepare for the burial of his wife, Peyton’s grandmother.  His songs sing of life filled with passion, angst and humor.

“If we can’t find the humor in life, even in the tragedies, we are done,” says Peyton. 

The sweet soulful harmonica of Gary Green along with Darrell Muller’s upright bass slipping in the heartbeat provided a backdrop that made for an evening of music to remember.  Peyton brings his guitar and songwriting skills as well as his open easy charisma to the stage.  He humbly plays down his own skill while singing the praises of his musical partners.

“Darrell is the best bass player I have ever been around,” he told me.  “We met almost a decade ago when Andy Thacker and I opened for Darrell, who was playing with Old School Freight Train.  We instantly got along and have since played together in several bands and become close friends.”

Indeed, Darrell provides the grounding for the trio with a master’s touch and creative flair. I watched him use both bow and fingers on the upright bass and even use his hand to drum a few beats on the side of his instrument.

“Gary is probably one of the top harmonica players in the country,” he explained.  “He has toured a lot with Terri Allard, who is another very accomplished local singer songwriter.  I met Gary when I got him to do sound for a gig when I was playing with John D’Earth, Andy, Darrell, and Matty in my old band called High Society.  We got along great and later he helped me to get a job doing a few construction projects at the Paramount.” 

Peyton is right; Gary’s harmonica playing is stellar.  If Peyton’s guitar and lyrics are the steam engine in this trio, Gary’s harmonica is the river that carried it over fast and slow waters with deep feeling and tremendous expressiveness.

I give this trio a triple thumbs up rating.  If you get the chance to see them live, I heartily recommend making it happen!   Peyton will be at the Ashland Coffee and Tea in Ashland, Virginia in July ……