Mary Porter’s Triumphant Return to 54 Below!

By Andrew Poretz . . .

Mary Porter has been making the scene here in New York with several well-attended and excellent performances at 54 Below. This writer, who reviewed her November show for another publication, revisited Porter’s somewhat updated show, Hats Off to Carolina, a tribute show to North Carolina musical artists, on April 2. Porter, a solid singer and storyteller, is one of the most heartfelt performers you’ll ever see. She truly wears her heart on her sleeve, often making herself — and the audience — emotional. Her daughter drove up from North Carolina for the show, which only added to the poignancy when Porter spoke of her or sang to her.

Porter was accompanied by the wonderful pianist and musical director Michael Orland, bassist Marc Schmied, and drummer/percussionist Damien Bassman. Guest appearances by singer Seth Sikes and violinist/vocalist Edmund Bagnell made for an even more special evening.

Here is a video of photographs from the event, taken by Matt Baker (https://www.mattbaker.photography/).