Special to the Guide
Angie Aparo has one main requirement for the perfect intimate music venue.
“You can always tell a room is going to be great when the bar is smaller than the stage,” he said. “That’s kind of my rule. If the bar is the focal point, you’re going to have a tough time.”
That’s one of the reasons the Atlanta singer/songwriter chose The Jazz Corner for his one-night-only concert with Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland. The performance, billed as an “intimate evening,” is at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Although he admits Roland and he are probably not the typical performers for the jazz venue, he appreciates it as a live music venue.
“The performer has to be the one to quiet the audience,” he said. “I don’t like the rooms that are like, ‘Come on, you have to be quiet.’ Let the performer (fail or succeed), and let the chips fall where they may. But there’s something about (The Jazz Corner) that inspires listening.”
Aparo has known Roland for years, but the duo recently reconnected in Nashville. When Aparo retreated to the island to work on an upcoming album and multimedia project, he invited Roland to come visit. He also suggested hopping on stage for an extension of their Tennessee jam sessions.
“It’s just a traditional Nashville song circle,” Aparo said of the “intimate evening.” “Just the two of us, and you each play a song back and forth for a couple of hours and tell stories. It’s an amazing format.
“It’s the kind of thing I’ve been wanting to do more of, because, the traditional show with an opener, etc., is amazing, but this is so much more dynamic.”
Aparo has released several albums and garnered a loyal following, especially locally, where he has performed on the island since 1996. But he is perhaps best known as a songwriter. Aparo wrote the Faith Hill hit “Cry,” which originally appeared on his 1999 album “The American.” He has also penned several tunes for Hill’s husband, Tim McGraw.
Roland, from Stockbridge, Ga., fronted Collective Soul, one of the most successful alternative bands of the 1990s. Their self-titled 1995 album logged a 76-week run on the Billboard Top 200 and produced several hits, such as “December,” “Gel” and “The World I Know.” Roland, the primary songwriter for the band, also penned “Shine” and “Heavy.”
“I’m just a huge fan of his work,” Aparo said. “We both have a mutual-admiration society. I’m such a huge fan. I’m, like, ‘Play that one!’”
Aparo will be both a performer and a fan when he plays with Roland Wednesday. The informal format of the song circle allows him to sing, talk and interact.
“I’ve found through the years of doing it, that three (performers) is the max,” he said. “Because what happens is that, with over three people, there is a lot of storytelling, so the audience doesn’t get to hear a ton of songs in two hours.”
IF YOU GO
• WHEN: 10:30 p.m. Sept. 14
• WHERE: The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexford, Hilton Head Island
• COST: $20
• DETAILS: 843-842-8620, www.thejazzcorner.com