It has been a while since Golden B.C. duo Broken Down Suitcase visited Lethbridge, so the crowd size at the Owl Acoustic Lounge 
was a little disappointing, May 20. A few more trickling in for the second set were not disappointed.
Guitarist/ mandolin/ banjo player Ben Caldwell and lead vocalist Eric Larocque started off with an upbeat rock and roll song about growing older called “ It’s Not Over Now.”
They followed it up by singing a cappella and harmonizing with each other.
They played a pretty diverse set after that ranged from traditional folk to more upbeat numbers to a Woody Guthrie song about unions.
They even played a Celtic tinged number called “Stars Rising” which drew lots of applause.
But the show-stopper was a heartfelt and inspirational cover of “ Dolly Parton’s hit “Jolene,” which Larocque belted out like a possessed Tom Jones, while rolling onto the floor. Caldwell kept the beat and stomped out a rhythm on the stage.
They were called back for an encore by an enthusiastically chattering and dancing audience.
Caldwell switched to mandolin and tried to get the audience singing along with the fiendishly complicated chorus of a song called “Amsterdam.”
They wound down the set with Caldwell switching to banjo and playing the Woody Guthrie song “Union.”
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
