
Audio By Carbonatix
Cat Shell |
Local musical luminary Diane Ward will play the Girls with Guitars songwriter series on Tuesday, July 21 at the Van Dyke on South Beach. She’ll appear alongside some of South Florida’s finest singer-songwriters of the XX-chromosomed variety — actually, one is XY — including Daphna Rose, Sarah Packiam, and Cat Shell. If you’re unfamiliar with Ward, she constructs straightforward but beautifully-crafted melodies that sometimes bust the seams of acoustic-rock expectations. While “This Love is Hard” pulls off a softer Melissa Etheridge-type grit, “Wonderlight” blends piano, guitar, and Ward’s hearty vocals for an infectious and optimistic rock tune.
In addition, songwriter Daphna Rose‘s
accomplished piano playing, guitar work, and breezy-blues vocals have
the sort of emotional intensity that bend your soul (see “Shining
Pieces”). Packiam runs
the gamut from soft folkie rock to tough-grrl alternative. And one of
the hardest-working singer-songwriters in South Florida, Cat Shell
sings the sultry blues, her cheeky voice teasing just enough on numbers
like “I’m Torn”; though her music seems to be informed from genres
across the musical spectrum including jazz and country.
Other scheduled performers include Sindy Espitia, Alih Jey, Karina Iglesias, and
Chris Syler. The show starts at 9 p.m. at Van Dyke Cafe, located at 846
Lincoln Road, Miami Beach.