I was pleased to see a full house the Lethbridge Folk Club’s first show of the season, featuring Oscar Lopez at the Lethbridge College Cave, Sept. 17. And even more pleased to be able to catch most of it though it meant cutting Love and records short.
It is as it should be, so 91 some people of all ages, plus volunteers listened intently and applauded enthusiastically for the Juno award winning Latin musician, who has called Calgary home for almost 30 years.
The affable Lopez and guitarist Ricardo Rodriguez humbled many a guitar player in the audience, with limber tremolo picking and fleet fingered arpeggios that made my fingertips bleed just listening to them. he even made string tuning sound like they were part of his songs.
Most of the set was instrumental, but he captivated the crowd throughout. he sang a couple of songs in Spanish including “ In the Line of Fire.”
But mostly he played tender melodies that could make a strong man weep.
The second set was much of the same, jokes, Spanish songs and outstanding guitar picking. He noted he doesn’t usually play cover songs, but played a beautiful cover of The Gypsy Kings “Bamboleo.”
“Does anybody know what I’m singing about, because I don’t,” he chuckled.
“ Music is the universal language,” he observed.
He invited his son Nico on stage to add percussion, which he did by banging his shaker on his dad’s head until Lopez asked him not to and Lethbridge Folk Club general manager Morris Soenen set up a separate microphone for him.
