Posts Tagged ‘Mitch Glazer’

October’s VOCAL Showcase offered the final Open Mic set of the year and seven accomplished songwriters performed a wide array of styles and skill on Monday, October 19, 2026 at O’Toole’s Restaurant and Pub.

Steve Nuckolls led off with a solid set of mostly recent compositions, beginning with a seasonal transition story in “Spring into Summer.” Combining the wonder of “seasons changing…as mother nature works her magic” with emotional ties, he observed “the earth’s gotten warmer since you’ve been on my mind.” The bouncy melody rendered in his familiar tenor reassured his listener “I want to spring into summer with you.” Next Steve was “Wearing My Hometown” and making the many connections with his past from his present because “I’m miles away from my family home but…I’m wearing my hometown.” Home and place were also on his mind in “Praying for a Rocky Top” where the singer looks as he travels for the reminders that harken back to the warm and safe feeling he had growing up. That Rocky Top’s where he “got a bird’s eye view of paradise” and why “everywhere I stop I just pray that the town has got its own Rocky Top.”

John Ellis sang “you need love to make a home” in “Band of Silver.”  But he commented, the symbol of a marriage doesn’t have to be expensive because “a glass stone in a band of silver is all you need when your love is gold.” John’s distinctive style included unexpected chords and arrangements that supported strong melodies over his fluid playing and punchy beat. The familiar “Autumn Hours” featured John’s arpeggiated interludes between his lyrics revealing his enthrallment with the autumn season and sensations. He revealed, “I find tranquility in the autumn hours.”

First time Showcase performer Mitch Glazer stepped up next to explain the promises he made to himself and, perhaps, others as they were “Havering Together.” Then he addressed himself to the person whom he missed because “your face was so darned gorgeous when I held it in my hands.” Unfortunately, he remarked “I Think I Liked You Better When You Loved Me.”

Ken Roller brought along brother Tom and they first performed Tom’s “Keep Leroy,” the story of a foster dog to which he and his wife gave shelter. The problem of the song was adoption as he explained “lots of good reasons and some not so good to keep Leroy.” Despite amusing experiences and doggy trouble, Tom claimed “dang this dog, he’s a good old boy.” Ken took the lead with his expressive tenor and wry observations while Tom handled banjo accompaniment in “Can’t Find the Sunshine for the Rain.” A story of longing and lost love, Ken told us “another day ends the same” when “it seems you can’t find the sunshine for the rain.”

Next to the open mic was Jonathan Brown, also new to our Showcase, who treated the audience to some driving rhythm and fierce delivery in “Badlands” where he warned “sometimes I’m dangerous to be around.” His soulful vocals and rolling chords with a ton of movement in the bass, the tune was a contemplation on the different behaviors between people. In “Throttle”, Jon told us he would be “working on my demons till I die.” When he wanted a lover to “Rescue Me” he cited a distance he created “choosing wisdom over love” and admitted “many who tried to love me I chased away in pride.” He observed in “Geraldine” that there “ain’t nothing funny about being broken yesterday” when he can’t find a way to keep his girl and it’s his own fault.

Matthew Costello was the final performer in our lineup and he began with “You Are Always There,” an ode to the joys and constancy of the James River. With his percussive rhythm and smooth baritone,  he describes returning from a visit to the river and says “I feel you still with me, I’m almost home, Your voice rings strong when you clear the falls.” In a trip down his own memory lane, Matthew shared his reminiscence about the summer of love and famous Woodstock music festival over “3 Days in 69” when “a stone of love caused ripples in the river of time.”  He concluded with a description of searching for writing inspiration that he was “walkin' out here on storyteller road” and could “Trust the muse will provide.” He realized all that happened allow him to “Catch A Ride” when ideas were like “Cars that pass [and] promise inspiration, Stick out my thumb, catch a ride.”

With some extra time in the Showcase, several of our performers chose to offer an encore. Mitch sang “Good Enough” about being satisfied with what one has because you “got beer and life and love and its good enough.” This would be true even with the perils of aging such as lost hair and forgetting why you walked into a room, so he advised listeners to be thankful about what you have and don’t have. The next tune took our imagination to join George Washington in the cold of Valley Forge as he contemplated if he might return one day to his home where he “sees the river though the trees.”

John Ellis wrapped us up when he performed “I’ll Be There For You” to tell his lover that “I know all your fears, what you need me to be” and he can offer steady support. This tune included some nice pick action during the instrumental bridge. The final “Put Me in My Place” was about a time “I tried to love you but you pushed me away.” He finally recognized that she was just “waiting until someone else came along” and “kept me strung along.”

~ Russell Lawson

Showcase Photos

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Photo Credits: Matthew Costello