If you find yourself strolling down Washington Street in Brighton and you stumble upon what looks like a little Irish cottage, then you know you are at Porter Belly’s Pub. It is highly encouraged you go in. Maybe it will be a Sunday and you can muster up the strength to display your talents for, “Krazy Karaoke”. Hey if you’re good enough you should go back for, “Open Mic Night” on Wednesdays. Or maybe you want to check out Mr. Porter Belly himself. His likeness is painted on the wall and can be easily viewed as you sip a Guinness and scarf down a, “Green Bay Packer” from the burger menu. Ok, so Boston sports fans may feel obliged to pass on anything with such a name, but who can resist all that hearty meat complete with fries and fixings.

Of course, to truly satisfy your musical palette, a visit on Thursday evening is best. On Thursdays’ “I’ll Drink to that”, Porter Belly’s features live music from the latest local up and coming talent. One of the most recent performances by Treebeard with guest Jonny Rely lived up to that expectation, as many a drink was poured and sipped amongst a variety of their tunes.

Jonny Rely began the evening with his solo acoustic performance, taking his listeners on an anecdotal journey: from the beaches of Florida, with his fast guitar strumming tune, “In the Sand” all the way to the realm of outer space with a song about an unearthly girl entitled, “She’s So Far Out”. Of course, somewhere in the middle Rely stopped for provisions with, “Check Out Girl”: an upbeat and catchy tune in which he professes his love for a super market cashier. Rely’s presence both in song and on stage is basic and straight forward, yet he intrigues the audience with a mysterious and, at times, comical sensibility leaving his listeners to question both the why and why not of it all.

Where Rely’s lyrical tale ended, Treebeard’s pilgrimage began, however, in an all together different direction. It was the orchestration of the music that seemed to pave the winding path for the listener to get lost in: the kind where the absence of direction lends itself to peace rather than panic.

The collaborative workings from lead singer and guitarist Rick Frauton, drummer David Fried, and bassist Samuel Rulon- Miller delivered a sound of thick musical complexity, while emitting a relaxing and soothing presence. The music seemed to unfold organically and with modest subtlety, while demonstrating the true cohesive talent that existed among its members.

Songs such as, “Rise Above” felt reggae inspired, as the carefree tangling of drums, bass, guitar and bongo drum centralized around the soft spoken lyrics uttered by Frauton. Other songs such as “Unstrung Leos” wrestled more with a melancholy feel, countered by the raw and cutting beauty of cello accompaniment performed by newest band member, Aviv. The presence of the cello brings a different layer to the tunes and only enhances Treebeard’s marriage of the electric with acoustic; of the eclectic with the classic. There is an airy lightness and yet solemn thoughtfulness to Treebeard’s style, making it something worth exploring.

The talents of artists such as these are sometimes hard to grasp from a few songs off of an EP or Mp3 clip. These artists, Treebeard especially, give a live performance that is worthy of seeing, or from Porter Belly’s standpoint raising a pint to. So please, go out and listen to live music. Listen online and you may hear a great tune. Listen live and you may just become part of the journey.

Treebeard’s next performance is scheduled at the First Annual North Shore Folk Festival in Salem, MA on Saturday, May 16, 2009.

For more information on Treebeard please visit: http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=189965

For more information on Jonny Rely please visit: http://www.littleguyrecords.com/main.htm

For more information on Porter Belly’s Pub visit: http://www.porterbellyspub.com