Steve Forbert showed up in New York City in 1976 with a guitar case and a harmonica rack and proceeded to become one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of his generation. His 1979 debut single “Romeo’s Tune” was a top-ten hit, but it was the albums around it — Alive on Arrival and Jackrabbit Slim — that established him as a writer of uncommon depth and a live performer who could hold a room on pure presence alone.
That’s still true today. Forbert has continued releasing records and touring steadily through five decades, earning the respect of critics and fellow musicians who recognize that his catalog holds up in a way that most of his contemporaries’ work simply doesn’t. He plays small rooms and plays them well — which makes Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY a fitting setting for a July 2 show.
Daryl’s House is one of those venues that seems designed for exactly this kind of artist: a storyteller with a guitar, a history worth hearing, and an audience that actually listens. The room seats a few hundred, the sound is excellent, and there’s food and drink to sustain you through two sets of songs that span decades.
Tickets are on the announced side — grab them early. A Steve Forbert show at this scale doesn’t come around often.