Anne Haley, Happenings - American Folk Music at its Finest!

March 15, 2006 - Just when you think the Pamlico Sounds shows can't get any better, Livingston Taylor steps out on the stage. The house is filled to the brim with fan anticipation crisp in the air. All is quiet when the stage lights come up.

Out walks the lanky Taylor, wearing his classic suspenders, bow tie and Taylor grin. The audience applause hurries him to center stage.

It is immediately understandable why Taylor is a professor at Berklee School of Music, teaching stage performance - for he commands stage presence. He took Oriental audiences through the gamut of emotions and back again.

But Saturday night, he probably didn't wish to command as much stage presence as what he got. While slinging his guitar over his head, it slipped. A painful hush befell the audience as the guitar sailed into the air. In an effort to recover the instrument, Taylor knocked his face into the microphone. The guitar clanged to the stage, Taylor quickly grabbed it up, looked it over and was then told by audience members that he had suffered a cut under his eye.

It is suspected that this stage ordeal may become a story in Taylor's stage presence course on how to admirably regain composure under unusual circumstances.

"Just ignore the blood running down my face," quipped Taylor.

Local recording artist Anne Haley climbed the stage steps, armed with tissue and ready for rescue, and assisted in Taylor's quick cleanup.

But Taylor's composure didn't waiver. It was business as usual for the former Chapel Hill resident.

The show was mixed with the classic "Liv" songs as well as selections from his new CD "There You are Again," just released in January.

Throughout the show, Taylor's humor was apparent, not only in his stories, but in songs such as "Railroad Bill."

Taylor also treated the audience to a song he had only just recently completed, "Call Me Carolina." "Of course I live up there in Massachusetts and I tried calling it 'Call Me Massachusetts," said Taylor, which didn't really fit. The haunting melody and lyrics left the theater quiet, except for Taylor and his ever-tapping foot.

Sitting down at the theater's piano, Taylor rubbed his hands together in much the same way as a child with the prospect of opening a Christmas present - there was bound to be something good inside. And there was. Taylor brought out "December 1903," a song about Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers; "There You Are Again," the title track from his new CD, "Step By Step," also from his new CD and other songs.

During both nights of a semi-Homecoming production, Taylor invited local musician Anne Haley to sing a duet, "Loving Arms." The crowd was delighted showing it with thunderous applause.

Haley used to sing with Taylor back in the 1980s and on Saturday night expressed the soft spot she held close to her heart about the support and mentoring she received from Taylor.

"Back when I was very, very young and very, very green," said Haley, she was seated in the audience when Taylor asked if she knew the song "City Lights." After Haley looked around the audience thinking that some lucky person would have the opportunity to sing with him, it dawned on her that he was speaking to her. She responded by saying that she knew only brother James's part, not Livingston's.

Haley has said that Taylor helped her career so much that she considers herself to be one of Taylor's first students.

"He told me 'Anne, surround yourself with people who believe in what you do as much as you do,'" she said, "I've carried Liv Taylor with me ever since."

And Saturday night, in an unplanned duet, Haley joined Taylor on stage to once again re-visit "City Lights." The audience was enthralled and showed the pair with wild applause how appreciative they were of this impromptu offering.

Taylor's shows missed the three-hour mark by minutes as he performed some 20 songs.

Ending Saturday's show, Taylor said, "This has been a wonderful night for me. First off, I didn't break my guitar. Then I didn't bleed all over the place. Then I had the great pleasure of having Anne Haley join me and above everything else, I was able to hang out with you guys for two whole days in Oriental, North Carolina."

But the audience wouldn't be sated and shook the theater's concrete block walls for more of Taylor.

And he did re-appear, stating, "I'm not that busy tonight. I can hang out."

His first encore was off his new CD and titled "Step By Step," which Taylor termed "paint the barn red gospel." On the CD Taylor performs the song with Andrae Crouch and a 45-person choir.

His second encore was the old favorite "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Taylor, who also performed Friday at the theater, seemed genuinely honored that the audiences bestowed such overwhelming appreciation of his huge musical talent.

The next show for Pamlico Sounds will be on April 28 and 29 when Al Stewart brings his show to the Old Theater. Tickets are available by emailing: tickets@pamlicosounds.com.