NEWTOWN SQAURE—On Friday, Sept. 16, Burlap and Bean welcomed back one of their favorite performers, Jeffrey Foucault (pronounced "folk-alt"). He was paired with Dean Fields, who was a first timer at Burlap and Bean. The pair both fit the folk rock genre, but what tied them together in this ideal bill was the lyrical strength each man possessed.

For both, songs aren't just about the emotion but the moment that inspires each emotion. Both Foucault and Fields combine a quick turn of phrases with poetic narratives that capture a time and captivated Friday night's audience.

Fields was living in Miami when he got a wake-up call, which is actually hard for him. Apparently he has been known to wake up and a perform household task without realizing it.

"I really enjoy making music and I hate day jobs," he joked. "I think the awakening has been 'what can you do to keep this career going and not lose your mind' and at the same time, keep the passion for what you are doing—which is create music."

After a series of events that didn't work out as intended, Fields felt he had to think about what was really important to him and music always seemed to be the answer. He also had to think of a way to keep him financially stable. He discovered writing songs with other artists through a publishing deal to be a stable and creative position.

"It feels really fruitful. I've always been a sort of really slow artist in general," he explained. "When you're co-writing, you just sit down and it's done. You just finished that day. It's pretty cool." 

He claims to have tripled his songwriting catalog in the past year just from working with other people.

Fields' personality and demeanor is a little different from his music. His voices are even juxtaposed, but it is safe to say he sounds more confident behind the guitar than just behind the mic. Between songs he was quick to joke and shared stories about how certain songs came into existence like a love song that was sparked by stepping in dog feces.

His lyrics fit tons of emotion within a short song such as, "I've used a girl for the sake of a song once, and I used a song for the sake of a girl more than once" or " I want to hang like a hem from your dress."

Fields' voice is mellow as if he's whispering the secrets of his heart to the audience. Fields' guitar work is comprised of simple chords and notes that match the simple brevity of his music.

Foucault on the other hand has been writing and recording for nearly 10 years. As he stepped on stage, his raspy voice and poetic lyrics brought an intense silence to Burlap and Bean Friday night.

Foucault's focus over the years has always been becoming a better writer, musician, and recording artist. Surreal lines like "Last night I dreamt of television, it felt like nothing” lingers in the listener's ears, making them wonder for more.

"As a writer, there are a series of questions–which songs are worth writing and why, and why write songs at all–that never really stay answered for long. So I'm always finding new answers and trying to write in new ways," said Foucault.

With a pen and notebook by his side, Foucault is always jotting something down as he's inspired.

"It's a variable, but I generally carry around a little notebook and try to write things down as they occur to me–lines, phrases, scenes–and then when I'm back home or in a hotel somewhere, I'll pair them with a figure on the guitar and see where they go," shared Foucault. "Some songs take a few years and others take 15 minutes. I like the fast ones better."

His latest album Horse Latitudes features several musicians, whom he was friends and fans of. Drummer Billy Conway has worked with Foucault before as well as playing with Morphine. Guitarist (and steel-pedal) Eric Heywood and bassist Jenn Condos play with Ray Lafontaine’s band. Lastly, keyboardist Van Dykes Parks has played with the legendary Brian Wilson. Everything seemed to fall into place and they recorded 10 songs in three days.

Friday night's set for Foucault included mainly acoustic numbers, but halfway through he switched to an electric guitar named Ty Cobb. He had found the guitar tucked away in his home, which turned out to be a gift to his wife from an old boyfriend.

He joked about being pretty sure his wife wasn't too crazy about him performing with it. Either way guitar worked well for Foucault. He played a few songs that had a mellow driving riff reminiscent of the Velvet Underground.

As he stepped off stage, the audience continued to applaud until he returned for an encore. Instead of plugging back in, he stepped to the edge of the stage and sang without help from the speakers or the spotlight. Serenading the crowd, Foucault clearly showed the difference between singing for and singing to an audience.