Chris Teret

Chris Teret can fit a guitar and a campfire in his back pocket. I’m pretty sure he could bust them out in the middle of Grand Central Station and instantly transport the masses into reflection and reminiscence. The recent Portland transplant and member of NYC band Company did just that with a far more manageable audience at One Longfellow Square as part of Kelly Nesbitt’s beautiful benefit housewarming concert.

With back-up by Tim Burns (Phantom Buffalo, the red f), Teret led the audience through a song cycle weaving tales of lonesome loss, with a little bit of existential crisis thrown in for good measure. HIs guitar playing and stage presence are so comfortable and confident that the door is wide open for you to move beyond the pomp of performance and swim in the lyrics, which in less capable hands would be ridden with cliches about landscapes and cups of coffee. Instead, these same devices are delivered with an honesty that speaks of experience and sets a visual stage for his stories.

Teret’s voice cracks and wavers like many in the country-folk pantheon but, just like those greats, he still hits every note with crystalline precision. He wrapped up his story-set with “Ranger’s Command,” a standard popularized by Woody Guthrie and a reminder that a good story and a good song will never get old.

Chris Teret’s two new EPs, Alone in the Wilderness and Who is That You, are hot off the presses. Company tour in February to support their new record, Old Baby.

On the Web
Chris Teret: www.abandcalledcompany.com