In a warm, art-covered small tea house, folks packed the Random Tea Room on Feb. 1 to see Folkadelphia presents: Andrea Tomasi, Johanna Warren and Abigail Reimold.
Excitement built in the room as the audience awaited the adventure the singer and songwriters were about to take everyone on. But before the first guitar strummed, a venue manager asked everyone if they could sit. With no more than 15 seats, the audience mostly packed up on the floor. The manager then thanked everyone for coming, and immediately, he was thanked in turn by a member of the audience for hosting.
Others that were situated in the back and near the front entrance were forced to stand. A few had no view at all.
“The vibe was super cozy,” said Ashley Tryba, a senior environmental studies and French double major. All of the singer/songwriters were at ease. Heads nodded and fingers strummed to the rhythms throughout the three acts. Audience members noted how lucky they were to have felt such an experience.
“It was an awesome turnout in an intimate space. I appreciated the quiet small venue,” Warren said. “People are so kind, it shows the good of society. I would say the smell was really nice [plus] the tea brewing. The energy of the over all space was really good.”
Many of Warren’s songs were peaceful and filled personal inspiration. Her lyrics debated love and the daily struggles and those same messages were felt by the entire audience.
Reimold filled the room with an electric guitar and multiple foot pedals distorting, fuzzing and fading sounds.
This may have been Reimold’s fourth show on an electric guitar, she said. James Collins, a senior Boyer College of Music and Dancing student and Reimold’s friend, described how Reimold “melted faces” after playing so well. Her vocals pared guitar riffs and subtle transition. Reimold put on an overall strong performance overcoming a few audio problems throughout the show.
Melody after melody fluttered to the listeners with minute pauses in between songs. Occasional comments like “thanks for coming out” and clapping were all that suspended the music during the acts. In between sets, the audience stretched their legs while chatting, drinking craft teas and even spending time by the fire in the beautifully finished backyard.
Others glanced at the dozens of works of art, hats and tea products covering the walls and tables of the tea house. Tomasi opened with a folky rhythm on her acoustic guitar matched by flawless, calm vocals – so calm, several members of the audience rested their heads upon their friendly neighbors’ shoulders. Halfway through her set, the blissful sound of Warren’s flute then beautifully matched Tomasi’s voice and guitar.
Tomasi and Warren were starting their tour at the Random Tea Room, with future stops in Louisiana and Portland.
Warren, who played a studio session with WXPN’s The Key with Tomasi was also promoting her debut album available on Bandcamp. Reimold also gave a sneak peak to songs from her upcoming album.
“It was really cute how everyone packed in,” Tryba said. “All the girls did a wonderful job because it was so heartfelt.”
Toby Forstater can be reached at toby.forstater@temple.edu.
*Editor’s note: Abigail Reimold also holds a position as the Photography Editor at The Temple News, but did not play a part in the editing of this article.
