Talent Show / Various

Talent Show / Various

Every weekend, somewhere in America, there's a talent show going on. People get up on stage in front of their community and give it their all. This particular talent show was held at a church and it features children from the parish and residents from several nearby nursing homes. There are plenty of missed notes and false starts, with a piano accompanist soldiering on through it all. But, more importantly, there are genuine human interactions and honest impromptu moments galore. These are heartfelt performances by people who could be your neighbors, if you're lucky. Tapes of this event have circulated in underground circles since it was recorded in 1981. For several years now, no less a performer than Jad Fair has been doing his own acappella cover of Jack Mudurian's medley from the show. The package also includes liner notes by NRBQ's Terry Adams (who's also the man behind the Shaggs reissue and rediscovery of swamp legend Boozoo Chavis). Package produced by Duplex Planet's own David Greenberger.