Mark T. Small ~ 2025 August 16 ~ Mattapoisett Museum, Mattapoisett , MA
Mark T. Small, vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, resonator guitar, foot percussion.
Review
It's hard to describe how entertaining a Mark T. Small concert is. Virtuoso is the word when he picks up guitar, banjo, mandolin, or resonator guitar. He could write the encyclopedia on the blues of the early 20th century. He has a unique look on stage, with the long blonde hair, the stylish stage clothes, and the rock guitarist expressions. He can sing to bring you to the swamp or to the city or to the back roads.
The last time we'd seen Mark was at a brewery, and he mostly played and did very little talking, because of the audience. This time around, since we were in a museum environment, his inner educator was liberated and he was able to tell stories of the original creators of the songs, as well as about the musical instruments he played. Did you know that Willie Dixon, known as one of the creators of the Chicago blues, was also a boxer? Did you know that Pythagoras, who in ancient Greece was responsible for much of the mathematics that we study in school today, was also among the first to create harmony in music? How about the Dobro guitar -- it was named for the two Slovakian brothers who first invented this guitar in an effort to make an instrument loud enough to be heard in an outdoor environment. These tales of the history of the music were mixed in among Mark's playing and singing.
The Mattapoisett Museum, the host of the concert, is quite a venue. It was built in 1823. It is evidently a converted church building, with pews and a pulpit. There is no stage, and Mark set up in a small space to the side of the pulpit. There's no parking lot, but there was plenty of street parking. The museum itself is full of charming maritime artifacts, many of which were gleaned from a ship that sank right off the coast in the 1800s. They do have an occasional acoustic music concert and I plan to keep an eye on their listings. The building is about two blocks from the lovely Mattapoisett Harbor where some years ago yours truly competed a couple of times in the only triathlons I ever did during my long running career, which gives me a happy feeling about this quiet New England town.