A preview of Stevie Coyle’s talent given in a SaraSolo kick-off on Friday, January 22, 2016, showcased his ability to play his guitar but didn’t have half the kick of his full program two evenings later. It was no surprise after that to learn that he runs his own shop, Mighty Fine Guitars in Lafayette, CA, or that he writes as well as plays songs, because he proved to have an appealing way with words with and without music. Stevie’s “Jung” part of his entertainment involves autobiographical material that ranged from early Church influences through near suicide to going through analysis. “Now, with the help of audiences, I’m good,” he said. That was being modest. One of his funniest tunes was a “cowboy song” inspired by songs from movie westerns, done with patter about “how the yodel was born.” His rhymed story of “A Padre in Old Sierra Madre” brought the audience in spontaneously. It put him in the mood for his mellow take on an old Janet Rembling song. After a few “Catholic jokes,” Stevie delivered a forced-rhyming “I Am The Light of the World,” an Episcopalian hymn, and “Old Time Religion,” which was a crowd pleaser whose lyrics, toward the end of the official version, he parodied and turned satiric. A final series of English folk songs could have gone on and on to the audience’s delight, but Stevie had to make way for another show. What ended his was a fanciful way with the title song from TV’s “Gilligan’s Isle.” Fun-full too.
