The Side Door, Sacramento, CA - May 20, 2023
I came to The Side Door on a Saturday evening with a couple of friends to see Joe Craven and the Painted Mandolin, a four piece band made up of Joe Craven (Mandolin, violin, percussion, and vocals), Matthew Hartley (acoustic lead guitar, banjo, and vocals), Larry Graff (acoustic rhythm guitar and vocals), and Dan Robbins (stand up bass). I had purchased my ticket online at https://www.thesidedoor.net/shows a few weeks earlier at the suggestion of a good friend of mine who had seen the band before.
Right next door to The Side Door is The Hop Gardens Restaurant. My two friends and I showed up at The Hop Gardens restaurant at about 5:30 PM to get a bite to eat and have a couple of beers before the 7 PM show. Doors at The Side Door opened at 6:30 PM. We were the first to show up. We were greeted by super cool and friendly Side Door owner John Green who had our name on his list and checked us in as we arrived. John explained to us a little bit about his business model for bringing through great performers at a reasonable price to the audience. You can get a discount on your ticket if you order early. I got mine for $20 and one of my friends got his for $25.
The Side Door is a very intimate setting. The room is a triangular shape and seats about 100 people, with the stage at one corner and the chairs arranged in curved rows leading away from the stage. The front row is literally 6 feet away from the edge of the stage. I got to sit in center of the front row.
Joe Craven and the Painted Mandolin are considered to be one of the best Grateful Dead cover bands ever, and of course, we did get to hear some great GD songs; however, on this pleasant Summer's eve, we were mainly treated to songs from their newly released album, "Sweet Rain." Most of the songs were written by Larry Graff. Matthew Hartly engineered the album produced by Joe Craven. Songs included: Sweet Rain, After the Fire, Love in a Rose, Shine On, Mather, Bird Dream, and Northern California Banjo Hound.
The melodic tunes filled the air with comforting rhythmic resonance, like sweet honey over a warm raspberry muffin. A true delight to the senses as the musician's instruments and voices blended together to form an amalgam of fantastical enchantment. Each musician brought his special talent to the stage, and combined, they delivered pure perfection. The band did take a 15 minute break at about one hour into the show. Good time to grab a quick beer at The Hop Garden next door, and yes, converse face to face with these wonderful musicians.
Go online to find more great shows that this band will be bringing to audiences in the coming months https://matthartlemusic.com/painted-mandolin
The Side Door also has many great additional shows lined up for the coming months. Check out https://www.thesidedoor.net/shows to learn more! read more