Jim Ohlschmidt (left) and Steve Cohen (right)
“Wouldn’t it be funny if they were playing the same song as us?” said Jim Ohlschmidt, as a Rock Band on a nearby stage all but drowned out his voice.
How does an acoustic duo comply with the unwritten law of volume at a multi-stage outdoor festival? Simple—let subtlety be your strength, utilize imaginative arrangements for familiar songs and allow cooler heads to prevail.
Friday afternoon at Summerfest’s Klement's Sausage & Beer Garden Stage, Sheboygan native Ohlschmidt and Steve Cohen played a relaxed set of blues at a small oasis of a side stage—which should not be confused with a different stage called an Oasis.
The music of Olschmidt and Cohen was simplified and sturdy, but not simple. Guitarist Ohlschmidt’s driving thumb pick anchored the musical foundation while Cohen was a tireless athlete on harmonicas. Here were two guys who might have been at the first Big Gig – relaxed, settled and taking it all in.
While Ohlschmidt’s originals “Funky Garbage Man”, Shades of Blue” and an ode to Highway 29 travelling from Eau Claire to Green Bay shone, the duo also offered strong revisions. They adapted Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” in a Slim Harpo vein with a nod to “Satisfaction”. Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” took on a Louis Armstrong arrangement. “She’s a Woman” by The Beatles was reimagined as played by Mississippi John Hurt. The set also included tunes by Little Milton and Billy Joe Shaver.
Ironically American blues music was “discovered” by British bands and sold back to U.S. teenagers in the ‘60s. “My apologies to anyone this offends,” chuckled Ohlschmidt late in the set, “but I’ve always hated Led Zeppelin.”
“Especially right now,” deadpanned Cohen in reference to their fellow performers over-rocking nearby.
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