The “early show” at Mercury Lounge on May 21, 2009 featured an evening of soloists who stretched their vocals into falsetto frequencies, and intertwined spots of stand-up improv. First up was Chase Pagan, singer/songwriter, vocalist/whistler, guitarist, and keyboardist from Mountain Home, Arkansas, followed by Jonah Matranga, singer/songwriter and guitarist, who presented solo material and acoustic versions of previous work from his bands Far, New End Original, and Gratitude.
Based on the cheery melodies and effervescent guitar and keyboard accompaniment, one would have expected sentimental lyrics from Chase Pagan. Instead, his verses, while mostly reflective and insightful, contained bits of biting humor and overall silliness that generated uncontainable giggles from the audience and launched listeners into high spirits. A semi-operatic “The Lonely Life,” cabaret-meets-hula-style “Summer Comes,” and jolly “Life Garden” highlighted Pagan’s multi-octave vocal range, affecting arpeggios, and ethereal and enchanting interchanges between his soaring singing and poignant piano playing. The short but sweet “Oh, Musica!,” title track of Pagan’s 2007 debut album, twinkled with piano triads and wispy vocals, and bridged the set to an entertaining and hilarious ditty “John & Betty.” 
The song, a story of prostitution transitioning into true love, featured Pagan mimicking both male and female vocal roles of the anecdote. Keeping the audience on their toes, the artist segued to a composition wrought with tension and frustration, “Waltzing in the Sky” that was followed by a peaceful “Mornings” which ebbed and flowed with slack-key guitar strums and bird-like whistles, soothing the room into serenity. Soft-spoken Pagan jokingly observed, “It’s too quiet in here…you can talk during my set; I don’t mind!” but the audience was too enthralled with Pagan’s set to socialize. A blue-grass, tongue-in-cheek, and bittersweet track “Don’t Be Gay (Working Title)” mocked gender role stereotypes, and a charmingly melodic “Waltzing a Line” completed Pagan’s show, leaving the crowd in awe of Pagan’s multifaceted musical proficiency.
On June 9, Chase Pagan released his new full-length album Bells and Whistles on iTunes, and has planned a few Midwest concerts in July. Please visit Chase at www.myspace.com/chasepagan to find photos, song samples, and bios, and return often to investigate this inventive new singer/songwriter and his future shows.
