Jahn Xavier at the Treehouse at 2A

As a six-year-old in New York City, Jahn Xavier was backstage at numerous rock concerts at the Fillmore East thanks to his godmother, a booking agent for many of the leading rock bands in the 1960s and 1970s. By age seven, Xavier began learning to play guitar and drums, and started playing in bands when he was 12 years old. At age 15 he took on the name X Sessive and began hanging at CBGB's, playing briefly in the Blessed and then the Ghosts. At age 16 he became the roadie for Richard Hell & the Voidoids and in 1979 wound up playing bass in the band. In 1980, Xavier started his own rock and soul band, the Nitecaps, which played the local circuit, recorded two albums, and opened for U2 on a six-week tour of the United Kingdom in 1983. In 1990, several Nitecaps resurfaced as Jahn Xavier & the Preachers. More recently, Xavier leads Jahn Xavier & the Bowerytones, releasing an album in 2012. Xavier recently has performed several area concerts as a solo acoustic act.

In a little-advertised gig tonight at the Treehouse at 2A, Jahn Xavier performed with only an acoustic guitar and a big voice. Better said, it was a massive, booming baritone that could be heard clearly on the sidewalk outside the club. Many songs started with a whispering voice singing reflective and confessional lyrics, his eyes pressed tightly closed as he soulfully conjured his life story into melodies. Once he belted the song's refrain, his mouth seemed to open wider than his head and his raw emotion filled the room. While the concert did not rock like when he performs with a band, Xavier's take on classic folk and soul music was spellbinding and riveting.