Local musician Patrick Coman shows his respect for The Boss at the Armory for the Arts this weekend.

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

Local musicians will gather to pay tribute to The Boss when The Armory Center for the Arts hosts For the Sake of the Song: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen this coming Saturday, May 28, at 8 p.m.

The group has been presenting their For the Sake of the Song events at various venues throughout the area, celebrating the music of music legends such as Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Townes Van Zandt.

Greg Loftus, Kieran Ridge, and Patrick Coman are the featured performers. They will be playing some of their Springsteen favorites as well as discussing his influence on their own songwriting and performing.

“The way he can connect with the lives of ordinary people has allowed him to stay relevant throughout his career instead of fading away like other artists who maybe lose sight of that as time goes by,” said Coman. “I think it will be fun to see which songs each performer picks because Springsteen has such a diverse catalog. For instance, one of the songs I’m playing is I’m On Fire, which is not one of his folksier songs, so it will be fun to put it in that context. That, to me, is always the most fun. To see how different performers reinterpret the material and put their own stamp on these classic songs.”

According to Coman, “Springsteen obviously has a reverence for the history of folk music and you can hear it in albums like Nebraska and The Seeger Sessions. But more than that he has such an honest approach to his songwriting. His ability to describe the lives of regular people in ways that can be beautiful or heartbreaking – or both – that to me makes him folk whether he is playing a solo acoustic tune or a big rock song like Born To Run.

Coman’s knowledge of Springsteen’s body of work is astute and removes any doubt as to how respectful these artists are going to be towards the pop music icon. “Tributes and covers can be difficult when the original musician’s treatment of the work can take a life of its own. The cover should not mimic the original too closely so as to sound like electronic playback. When it comes to a Springsteen tune, the craft from the songwriting to the sound is synonymous with the creator, so any tribute would have to be carefully arranged for tone and timing.”

Coman’s understanding of Springsteen’s music is abundantly apparent. “I am really excited about this show because not only is Bruce Springsteen one of my favorite artists of all time, but we also have a great line up with Greg Loftus and Kieran Ridge on the bill. The great thing about these shows is that they also give the audience a chance to learn more about some the amazing talent we have right here in town and I think people are going to be really impressed with what these guys do with the Springsteen material, as well as their own original songs.”

More information on upcoming For the Sake of the Song events can be found on their Web site at www.forthesakeofthesong.com. Meanwhile, the Armory is the place to be this Saturday to get a taste of how this group of talented artists can offer new perspectives on the work of a world-class legend.