Valerie Gracious, Steve Unruh, Phideaux Xavier: “71319: Live At Monforti Manor” (2020) CD Review

Not a lot of live albums result from house concerts. And that’s kind of a shame, because artists often feel relaxed and loose at those intimate venues, leading to some wonderful moments. The double album 71319: Live At Monforti Manor captures the show that Steve Unruh, Phideaux Xavier and Valerie Gracious performed on July 13, 2019. And that date is the reason for the album’s title. It is not part of the address of the building, though the album’s cover photo shows that it is (other photos of the building show that number to be 5241). That’s a fanciful cover anyway, as the show took place in Chicago. And what a show it was. I’m sure those who were present consider themselves fortunate to have experienced it. And the rest of us can enjoy this two-disc set.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the first set of the night, all songs by Steve Unruh. He is known for his work in the progressive rock band Resistor, but has also released several solo albums. It is from his solo work that these songs come. He opens the show with “Learn To Love Rain,” a song from his 2005 album Song To The Sky. It is a short track, and at the beginning you hear some crowd noise and a brief introduction. And from the sound of the applause, it is clearly a fairly small room. As I understand it, the capacity at this venue is 55 people. Very cool. On this first song, he plays kalimba. On this album, he also plays acoustic guitar, violin, flute and percussion. “Life, the great mystery/Sprawled out before us/Begging us for just a moment of time.” He follows that with “Twilight In India,” the lead track from his 2010 release Challenging Gravity. This song features violin (at the beginning and end) and guitar. “And somehow it is morning in America/It seems like more than half a world away/And somewhere someone’s praying.” By the way, the sound is excellent on this recording. The music was recorded by Steve Royce, and mixed by Steve Unruh. Partway through this song, he adds percussion. This is one of my personal favorites.

The next track is labeled “Violin Raga (on Song To The Sky) > Focus,” and is two separate pieces, one running straight into the next. “Focus” comes from his 1997 album Believe?, the lyrics delivered a cappella.  And the guitar comes in with a great intensity. That leads straight into the next track, “Something In Heaven Bleeds,” a song from The Great Divide, released in 2007. This is another highlight of the first disc, in large part because of his vocal delivery, and the attitude in it. “If I’m of God, God must have his demons/How can this be?/We can make sense of nothing.” This track also features some excellent guitar work. The introduction to the next song is included at the end of the track, Steve saying, “This is a tune from way back when, and it ain’t prog, but that’s okay.” And he goes into “Reaching For The Sky (The Lawn Chair Song),” here titled simply “The Lawn Chair Song,” from The Beginning Of A New Day, released in 1998. This is a fun, light number, and is another highlight of the first disc. “Well, my friend you try to understand me/With textbook psychotherapy/Might I suggest it’s probably easier to interview a tree.” And it is here we also get some nice work on flute.

He then introduces Phideaux Xavier: “Ladies and gentlemen, on the bass guitar, some dude.” That works. Steve Unruh then gets into a couple of longer pieces, the first being the title track from his Two Little Awakenings album. I love these early lines: “Maybe, he thinks, he should finally give in to reality/That things are only what they seem.” What a frightening prospect, right? That first section is so pretty, and the song grows from there. And I think we can all relate to these lines, at one point or other in our lives: “Deliver me, deliver me/I am not at all where I’m supposed to be.” And in the second half of the song, Valerie Gracious joins them on vocals. “The world offered no answers, the world offered no truth.” Someone in the audience shouts out that it was the best version of the song ever. Steve responds, “Yeah, that was how this song always should have been.” The first disc concludes with its other long number, “Luxury Denial,” from Precipice, an album that was released the day this concert took place. There is a great energy to this song right from its beginning. Then a few minutes in, there is a shift in direction, turning more gentle and thoughtful. And the piece grows again from there, and features some excellent vocal work.

Disc Two

The second disc contains the second set from that night, with Phideaux Xavier taking over. In addition to bass and vocals, he plays acoustic guitar and electric piano on this album. Valerie Gracious is on electric piano and vocals. And Steve Unruh plays several instruments. The set begins with “The Error Lives On,” a song from Phideaux’s 2018 album Infernal. Steve Unruh adds some really nice work on flute at the beginning, right away giving the song a different flavor from the album version. And the arrangements throughout the set are generally different from those on the various studio releases. Valerie comes in on vocals halfway through, singing “Do not fear, all we want to do is talk/Just some names and then you walk away/Wait, I can’t hear/Don’t you want to tell me something?” And there is some beautiful work on violin. A strong and serious opening to the set, and there is a bit of stage banter at the end of the track. He follows that with “Candybrain,” from the 2007 album Doomsday Afternoon. Steve Unruh again adds some good work on violin. “Candybrain” leads straight into “The Sleepers Wake,” from Infernal, both songs presented on the same track. That leads straight into “Darkness At Noon,” though it is presented on a separate track. Here Valerie delivers a haunting and powerful vocal performance. “On a train of human cargo/I was standing in the crush/The rush to feel the air against my skin/Might never feel that again.”

“One Star” comes on strong, more of a solid rock song, changing the mood. This is a song from The Great Leap, released in 2006. “One star it destroys you if you look into the light/That’s the star that I want when I’m out at night.” Halfway through the track, there is some exciting work on violin. Phideaux then reaches back to the early 1990s, to his debut album, Friction, for “Inspecting The Spoils,” which features another moving vocal performance by Valerie Gracious. They follow that with another song from The Great Leap, “You And Me Against A World Of Pain.” This is another song that grabs you, particularly that work on keys. These guys deliver a compelling performance here. Then from Ghost Story, Phideaux chooses “A Curse Of Miracles.” This version is quite a bit different from the album version. The first several lines are cut, and he begins it with “Friday afternoon/Came a rustling from the room.” He gives a particularly strong vocal performance on this track, and this ends up being one of my personal favorites. “In the back of my head/The monster wants to be fed.” And when he sings, “Everyone knows that it’s a regular show,” you can almost feel the audience smiling, knowing that line does not apply there. Clearly this was a special show. That song is followed by “The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice (Part Two),” a song from Doomsday Afternoon. Steve Unruh provides some nice work on flute at the beginning and again later in the track, and also on violin at one point. The second disc then wraps up with “Infinite Supply,” a song from Number Seven. This is a beautiful rendition, featuring some good work on violin. “Take care, take heed, take everything you need/This always will be your sanctuary.”

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Learn To Love Rain
2. Twilight In India
3. Violin Raga (on Song To The Sky) > Focus >
4. Something In Heaven Bleeds
5. The Lawn Chair Song
6. Two Little Awakenings
7. Luxury Denial

Disc 2

1. The Error Lives On
2. Candybrain > The Sleepers Wake
3. Darkness At Noon
4. One Star
5. Inspecting The Spoils
6. You And Me Against A World Of Pain
7. A Curse Of Miracles
8. The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice (Two)
9. Infinite Supply

71319: Live At Monforti Manor was released on August 5, 2020.