This past weekend we hosted our favorite traveling singer/songwriter, Jon Troast, for what we calculated was our 8th Living Room concert. For those of you who follow theMangoTimes, you already know that we love Jon and think he is an incredible musician. However, if you’ve listened to him, what you won’t pick up on Jon’s recorded music is his unique ability to captivate his audience with his soulful voice, fun guitar playing and the background stories behind all of his music. That is why we love his concerts in our home and that is why we love to introduce Jon to our friends whenever we can.
Jon Troast, March 2023
For this concert, we cozied up with 25 of our friends. The kids sat on the floor and the grown-ups piled in shoulder to shoulder in our “makeshift concert venue” to enjoy Jon and his music.
I’ve heard Jon multiple times, but from the moment he started singing, I was reminded song after song that Jon has really provided the soundtrack for our family. The sound and volume of Jon’s set-up perfectly filled the space and our guests were moved by the emotional stories behind every song. At the same time, Jon is a really talented musician too. His guitar playing seamlessly blends fingerpicking and strumming and when combined with his voice, they create a unique sound that reminds me often of the John Denver records I grew up listening to.
Jon also takes audience engagement to a different level and makes a point of connecting with each and every person in the room, taking the time to share stories about his songs and asking for audience participation. He even took requests from the crowd, and his ability to play almost any request on the spot always impresses me.
This specific concert contained old songs from his catalog to a few of his newer favorites, all of which remind me how talented Jon continues to be as a songwriter and performer. One of the highlights of the concert for our family was a song called "Joy" which brought a few tears to everyone in the room who knew it was sung at Uncle Jeff’s memorial service last year. For me it was a tender reminder with great memories of a man I loved and miss.
This won’t be our last concert, so if you have the chance to join us in the future, don’t miss it!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch