Nestled upstairs next to the fiction section in the Camp Verde Public Library, musicians Seth Brown, Reno McCormick and Michael Peters gathered in the Fireside Room at the Camp Verde Community Library for Music in the Stacks on Oct. 14.
“Can you believe all the talent?” said Penelope Cook, a Camp Verde resident of eight years who has been attending community music events at the library since they began almost five years ago. “It’s just wonderful. Music is just so good for the soul.”
Music is good for the soul, and Brown, a singer-songwriter originally from Oregon, is the definition of soul. Clad in bell-bottoms, gray cowboy boots and a wool felt hat, Brown stole the show Thursday with his original music and unique country/folk sound.
Hailing from a family of 19 children, Brown has plenty of stories from his life and shared them generously with the crowd before each song. Each of his originals had some personal meaning to the singer/songwriter, adding a sense of meaning for the audience, as Brown recounts his vagabond life and how he and his wife “accidentally” moved to the desert.
“We parked our little motorhome out there on the 525, that road that sits out behind Sedona with a view of the red rocks,” Brown said. “I think we sat there for about three days and said ‘Yeah, alright, I think we’re going to have to stay for a few days, and that was in January.’”
“It goes just like this,” Brown said.
Pulling his guitar from behind his back, Brown recounts the inspiration found in the desert, inspiring the audience with his love for the area, and even enamoring the fellow musicians on stage with his original song titled “Falling For Arizona.”
“There’s a lot of talent in the Verde Valley,” Brown said, smiling to Reno McCormick and Michael Peters. “You guys are my friends now. You make music with me and we’re friends for life …. You know just what to do with that beautiful guitar.”
The Camp Verde Community library hosts Music in the Stacks every second Thursday of the month, as well as a variety of other events including a spinoff of Music in the Stacks every fourth Thursday, where instead of a round-robin style show they feature an individual or single band, and an open mic every Monday from 5 to 7 p.m.
On Thursday, Oct. 28, singer/ songwriter Christy Fisher will be performing from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Camp Verde Public Library’s Fireside Room. Fisher is known for her unusual audio engineering techniques and powerful vocals that have been compared to Ani Di Franco and Linda Ronstadt.
