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Kapp Singer Photos.
Bright mandolin solos and punchy bass lines drowned out the cars speeding down Whitney Avenue. Crisp banjo melodies atop warm guitar chords reverberated through the air. Everyone in the crowd, from infants to octogenarians, bobbed and tapped their feet.
On stage was the local bluegrass quintet Five ‘n Change. The band—made up of Ken McEwen (guitar and vocals), Pete Kaufman (banjo), Bob Boettger (bass), David Sasso (mandolin), and Ryan Mooney (guitar and dobro)—played a 90-minute set Saturday evening at the Best Video Film & Cultural Center in Hamden. The event was part of the store’s ongoing weekly concert series.
For the evening, Five ‘n Change transformed the bare tarmac of the store’s parking into a cheery makeshift amphitheater. They played a mix of covers and originals, as soulful (“It’s a lonesome feeling when you're traveling down a lonesome road”) as they were silly (a series of songs about corn). All were grateful that the rain held off, and for cold drinks from Best Video that tempered the hot and sticky air. The music only stopped for the band members to wipe their brows, retune their instruments, and have a sip of beer.
“It was a nice turnout for a very hot and humid day,” Sasso said after the show. “I just like making music with these guys, and it’s very fun to sing harmony with Ken.”
Sasso and McEwen’s vocals shined especially brightly on “Mahogany,” the opening track of the band’s 2013 live album Live in the Chamber. The folk-rock ballad tells the story of lead singer Ken McEwen traveling to Northampton to look for a guitar.
“That old six-string in the backseat / my momma turned and said to me / my boy, now it’s your turn to play mahogany,” the two sang. Then McEwan nodded to Sasso, and the mandolinist launched into a solo with a grin.
Kapp Singer Photos.
In addition to playing several other songs off their two previous records, the band, which has been together since 2012, treated the audience to a couple of unreleased tracks from their current project. In “No Longer Lonesome Without You” and “I’ll Be True,” McEwan recounted his process dealing with a breakup.
These songs will eventually become part of a larger set that the lead singer plans to write on the same theme—a cathartic way to catalog his feelings. “And we’re gonna keep going with that until I find someone,” McEwan said with a laugh. Five ‘n Change had been planning to record 10 new songs in 2020, but their session was canceled due to the pandemic. “We’re hoping to get back in the studio this year and release our next CD,” McEwen said.
“I really enjoyed their original songs,” said Peggy Schoen, who lives in Hamden. Her daughter, Katie Buchanan, was visiting from out of town and also tagged along. “It was great, it was just what I needed tonight, it was perfect," she said.
In addition to a sneak peek of songs on the horizon, the members of Five ‘n Change also offered a glimpse of their past. David Casali, the band’s old bassist, came to see the show from his home in Glastonbury. At one point, he made an impromptu appearance on stage, putting the ‘change’ in Five ‘n Change.
“I just expected to spectate tonight,” said Casali. “But I heard the music playing and it was just incredible and I’m so glad they asked me up for a few songs.”
“It was tough to remember all the notes, but I think I pulled it together.”
The band closed with a cover of Bella White’s “Do You Think About Me at All,” a pining track embellished with Mooney’s shimmering dobro slides. It was a perfect, gentle landing for this summer night. As the band packed up their gear, the crowd was slow to trickle out, mingling with the musicians and offering congratulatory claps on the back.
While you’re waiting for Five ‘n Change’s new record, you can see them play every fourth Thursday of the month at Next Door Pizza in New Haven’s Jocelyn Square neighborhood. The event is a bluegrass open mic, so if you’ve got a banjo or a mandolin, be sure to bring it along.