This weekend on the bustling streets of downtown Hanover, the Skinny Pancake will be hosting Montreal-based acoustic blues player Adam Karch and the New Hampshire-based group Sensitive Men.
At the Skinny Pancake on Lebanon Street, the small but lively creperie strives to cater to the culinary and musical taste of its patrons. Every week, the “Skinny” opens its doors to musical artists from all over the New England area, making it one of the few off-campus locations in Hanover with consistent live music. With locations in Hanover and Vermont, the Skinny has hosted a tremendous number of artists, including The Gaslight Tinkers. The creperie also prides itself on its delicious food, much of which is sourced locally. Recently, the Hanover location has actually become a full service restaurant and has expanded its menu to include more non-crepe entrees and several tasty cocktails.
This Friday at 8 p.m. Karch will be performing from his newest acoustic blues album, “Moving Forward,” and some spirited covers of classics like “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees. Karch’s energetic guitar playing paired with his classic bluesy twang promises to make for an exciting performance.
“My vocals are like a seventh guitar string that sings along and tries to compliment the melody of the song,” Karch said.
Despite calling Canada home, Karch has many influences, including great American artists Chet Atkins, James Taylor and Van Morrison amongst others. He describes his style as a cross between Kelly Joe Phelps and Taylor. Karch is a one-man show as he sings and plays guitar. His fingerpicking style and singing voice have both garnered praise.
“Karch is a straight-ahead and brilliant performer with a phenomenal voice and really nice guitar accompaniment,” Skinny Pancake marketing director Michael Cyr said.
If Karch were a crepe, he said he would “have bacon, whipped cream and peanut butter with a little lemon, too.”
“Thick, juicy, sweet, greasy and filling, just like my music,” he said.
On Saturday at 8:30 p.m. the Concord-based trio Sensitive Men will be performing mellow, acoustic tracks fresh from its new, self-titled EP. Sensitive Men is comprised of three Concord Food Coop coworkers: Patrick Gale on baritone ukulele, Vincent Ardizzone on baritone and tenor ukulele and bass and Ethan Archer on guitar. Their combined musical stylings, which draw influence from pop punk, classic rock and progressive rock, interplay interestingly with the group’s indie folk-pop songs.
“[Sensitive Men have] strong songwriting and really good players,” Cyr said. “Not super loud, just really focused on vocals and harmonies. They’re just three guys talking about their feelings.”
On stage, Sensitive Men are known for its effortless banter and ability to create intimate spaces for its audience. It performs original works and also does a fun segment in which the band passes out paper for audience members to write whatever they want. Archer and Ardizzone play a melody as Gale attempts to weave audience submitted lines together into lyrics. This fun spontaneity is a common feature in the group’s shows.
“Some of the best times are when the equipment breaks, and we have to make everyone come in really close, so we can play all acoustic to the people surrounding us,” Gale said.
If Sensitive Men were a crepe, it would be a “blueberry, banana and peanut butter crepe,” Gale said.
For anyone who has yet to get the “skinny” on the Skinny, both Adam Karch and Sensitive Men will be sure to dazzle and surprise the crepe-loving crowd this weekend. According to Cyr, the Skinny Pancake hopes to have Dartmouth students attend this weekend’s shows as well as future live music shows at the Hanover location.
“We want Dartmouth students to come, because if it’s not the music they want to be seeing, we want to know what it is,” Cyr said.
