August 5, 1998, Flanagans, Bethesda, MD
All images (c)1998 by Christopher Russell
Not just anyone can play these Irish pub gigs. Flanagans, on this night (and like most every night), was filled with the most boisterous of patrons who loudly cheer the musician, the waitresses, and the monitors which televise a variety of sporting events.
Sanford Markley remained unfazed by any of this. Indeed, this veteran of the D.C. bar circuit cheerfully delivered a catalog of crowd-pleasing songs during a typically gruelling nine-to-one solo gig. Sanford's indefatiguable delivery is all the more amazing when you realize that he's been doing this for about 20 years now, either solo, with his sister Lena, or with tight-performing bands like Brandywine. On top of it all, Sanford runs a home studio for recording others' work as well as his own. And oh yes, the ever-boyish Sanford is a family man, with a new-born son to accompany his toddling daughter. But I digress. Tonight's show was a gravy gig, one which calls for sing-along favorites like "Brown Eyed Girl" and "American Pie." Sanford has a fair number of traditional Irish folk songs which complement the venue. Whatever the tune, Sanford belts them out with a vocal range and tonal control which the rest of us would die for. He can do all this in his sleep, I'm sure. Guitar chops? You bet, but a more telling observation is that he can whip out some song that you'd never expect someone to tackle as a solo performer-- and deliver a jaw-dropping one-man-band performance. Remember the Beatle's "Day in the Life?" Yup, Sanford does that one, creshendo and all, armed only with a well-worn flat-top guitar.
Until I hear differently, you are reading the only web page devoted to Sanford Markley.
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