Library hosts therapeutic concert

[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]

By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter

Massachusetts native Mark Lipman visited the Walpole Public Library on August 17 for an intimate concert in the Community Room, thanks to the Friends of the Walpole Public Library. As a successful musician and music therapist, Lipman provided his audience with impressive vocals and a sense of peacefulness as he made his passion for music evident to those in the room.

Even as the artist warmed up and tested the microphones with bits and pieces of songs, such as “ABC,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Barbara Ann,” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” the audience felt at ease and sociable as they happily chatted and waited for The Mark Lipman Band to begin its performance. Lipman stood before the microphone with his acoustic guitar to soothingly sing a song in French before the full band joined him for a more upbeat song. Accompanied by Reid Angwin on the guitar, Sean McLaughlin on bass, and Mike Levesque on drums, Lipman flaunted his range of vocals.

Lipman made the concert feel even more personalized and intimate as he joked while performing both originals from his album and covers. As he began to play “Goodbye Copilot,” a song from his album of the same name, he stopped abruptly and chuckled. “You see, what happens is sometimes you forget how your own songs go,” Lipman laughed. “If you were wondering, it does happen.” Lipman’s genuine personality, soulful vocals, and captivating lyrics kept the audience engaged as he sang “Migratory Birds” and “That Old Train” from his album.

To mix things up, Lipman and the band perform a cover of “Angel from Montgomery.” Lipman even encouraged his audience to join him when he heard their approval for the song: “You’re allowed to sing along, by the way. As a music therapist, I’m required to say that,” he jokes. “But I mean it, too.”

Lipman even surprised his own band with a song that was not on their setlist, an original called “Lead Penny,” before performing more covers, including Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” and the famous “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. To end the concert on an upbeat note, The band performed a cover of Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You,” which inspired the audience to dance in the aisles and praise Lipman for the wonderful performance.

While it was not meant to be a music therapy session, the Mark Lipman Band’s performance certainly displayed the positive results that music can have on a person’s mood - the audience left the library with smiles and pep, proving the importance of music in one’s everyday life.