Emile Mosseri is a renaissance man. Not only has he composed multiple movie scores (Minari (2020), Kajilloinaire (2019) and The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)) he has also released two other albums filled with lyrics, Heaven Hunters in 2023 and trying to be born this past February. Mosseri’s eclectic combination of instruments combined with his crisp falsetto makes his music truly stand out as a tree among shrubs. I had the pleasure of seeing Emile Mosseri perform at Old Town School of Folk Music on March 20th.
As an opener, Mosseri had Paul Dally, a folk singer from Vashon Island. His deep bass voice accompanied by his red acoustic guitar made him seem like a 21st century Johnny Cash. “I know I’m a sloppy player, it sounds kind of intentional,” he remarked.
When Mosseri entered the stage, the audience cheered gleefully. During the very beginning of the show, his capo got lost somewhere in the ether on stage. Another audience member pointed out the lost capo and Mosseri quipped back “You’ve got a good eye, what’s it 2020 something like that.” I chuckled with enthusiasm.
Around a quarter of the way through the show, Mosseri recognized an audience member as a parent of Patrick Thomas, who now works as a big shot in the music business. The audience member shouted “You stayed at my house!” In response, Mosseri exclaimed “Oh my gosh, thank you for coming! Jesus Cranberries! That’s something my wife’s grandpa used to say.” Mosseri’s drummer even attempted to FaceTime Patrick during his set.
Mosser’s band consisted of three other guys who all exuded a very cool and suave vibe. In his song, “this time i lost my mind” he refers to his beloved as a jelly bean singing “You’re the jelly bean that is stuck in my teeth.” Mosseri and his band also played many songs from audience suggestions. He played a cover of “I Get Along Without You Very Well” by the legendary jazz musician Chet Baker and another cover of “Time Has Told Me” by Nick Drake. In one of his last audience-suggested songs of the night, “Infinite Love” from the Kajillionaire soundtrack, he had two microphones fixed with reverb.
After the show ended, Mosseri stuck around to talk to ardent fans and sell vinyl records. I spoke to him about my favorite of his film scores Minari, and we bonded over having immigrant families come to the US. Emile Mosseri’s performance at The Old Town School of Folk Music was one that brought a sense of community and warmed the hearts of many.