Intown Community Church always manages to line up great acts for their Coffeehouse Series. This past Friday, we were treated to a wonderful double-bill: Randall Goodgame and Pierce Pettis.

If you were to search through the archives of this humble weblog, you would find a number of favorable references to Randall Goodgame. Although he writes for Caedmon's Call these days, he is quite the singer/songwriter in his own right. His writing can make you chuckle and can also make you cry, often within the same song. His songs tell stories that honestly portray the struggles and pain of life, but his music always offers hope and redemption. He also has a talent for writing memorable melodies and hooks. All in all, Team Redd highly recommends Randall. Because he did not have the main slot at Friday's show, he did not play a full set. But the songs he did play were fantastic. We look forward to seeing him play a full show sometime soon.

Pierce Pettis is a stud. I'm not sure how else to describe him. Like Randall, Pierce tells stories in song that evoke a range of emotions and reactions. His songs are peppered with attention to detail and clever turns of phrases. His skills on the guitar are amazing. Even if people haven't heard of Pierce Pettis, they have probably heard his music, as he has written or co-written numerous songs recorded by famous artists. His live show defies explanation, though. Not because of the music or performance, mind you. The guy is just, just ... well, "weird" is probably the best way to describe him. His rambling song introductions often meander far from the actual topic, but they are always entertaining. Sometimes the stories are more enjoyable than the actual songs, and that is saying a lot. He is quite a unique individual, but one overbrimming with talent. If you want to listen to some great music, pick up one of his albums. But better yet, try to catch him in concert.

(PS The opening act was a college student from Intown. He played only three songs. He had a very good voice, but his songs were decent yet unremarkable. I guess that's why he was the opening act.)