Devin Cuddy and Ryland Moranz entertained a packed Geomatic Attic, Sunday, Feb. 25 with plenty of piano powered fun.

The always personable Ryland Moranz opened the set  with some fleet fingered banjo an guitar picking, interspersed with stories about touring, having to sleep at the Kamloops airport and trying to  rebel against hippie  parents and not doing cocaine.

 

 He admitted he was fighting off a cold, but he covered it well.

 

 He played some new music  and observed he has a new album  coming out soon that was delayed by the record company.

 He noted  his form of   rebelling against his parents was playing a cover of Richard Thompson’s “ 1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” which he did well, show off some hot finger picking  on guitar.

 He finished a brief set with his ever-present  smile  but would be back.

 

 Devin Cuddy, son of Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy  has made his own path, playing piano.

 Cuddy who bears a striking resemblance to his dad, has been forgone his dads‘ band’s  unique brand of Canadiana roots rock for plenty of boogie woogie, b and blues based piano.

 

 He  smiled a delivered a solid set of earnestly catchy blues, and  roots rock, mostly from his latest album “Dear Jane,” a few new songs, a couple older songs plus a few choice covers.

 

“ 44 Calibre,” was an early highlight of his show full of rollicking piano.

 He said  “Dear Jane,” was a morbidly themed songs about letters written home  by soldiers on the front lines duringThe First and Second World War

 Mike Tuyp played tasteful leads on guitar and ukulele.

 

 Cuddy lightened things up considerable with a couple light spirited covers from musicians like Billy Joel.

 A  bluesy new song, “Unemploy a Bill”  was very much in the light hearted vein of  Randy Newman, but had a message about one of Cuddy’s friends who has  trouble holding down a job.

 

 Cuddy showed his country roots on   a cover of Justin Townes Earle’s “ One More Night in Brooklyn,” cover and on Guy Clark’s “ L.A. Freeway

“Take me To Valhalla” was s a heartfelt highlight.

 Cuddy talked about his family’s friendship with Barney Bentall’s family before playing his beautiful cover of Bentall’s 1988 hit “ Come Back To Me.”

Cuddy wound down the night by welcoming Moranz back to the stage to sing Bruce Springsteen”s “ Hungry Heart.”

— by Richard Amery, l.A. beat Editor