Downstairs at The Press Room isn’t exactly a prime “listening room” setting, but that’s OK. The cheery, chatty crowds that frequent the place give the warm pub its charm. Local songstress Liz Parmalee and Boston resident Jennifer Greer braved the noise and won over a good many of the patrons last Thursday night with their music, despite the beery crowd. 

Parmalee opened the show, complete with her guitar, charming smile and a snappy black Star Wars T-shirt.  She started her set with an unexpectedly refreshing cover of Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones”  before scattering in some originals and a few more covers. Parmalee seemed a little flustered during her set—forgetting lyrics to a handful of songs and missing the occasional chord. However, while this would usually be a death knell for most artists, Parmalee has an undeniable stage presence that drew in many, including a visiting Englishman who leaned over and said “A quality singer, isn’t she?!” Her voice is indeed lovely, and she is quite a good guitar player. Everyone has bad gigs. This one had some warts, but on the whole, the people of Portsmouth should feel good about our little scene. Performers like Liz Parmalee bode well for its future. Check out Parmalee’s new music series weeknights at Dover Soul.

Boston’s Jennifer Greer played for the rest of the evening and on most songs was joined by drummer Rodrigo Bonelli on drums, who tastefully accompanied Greer’s nimble piano work. Greer and Bonelli dug  into some of their darker material late in the set—Greer’s dark hair falling around her face as she sang into the mike, Bonelli’s eyes closed as his limbs pulsed out often polyrhythmic beats. Her Tori Amos’ influenced songs were often pretty, and many of the subtleties were likely lost in the room’s noise. However, Greer’s love for music shone through. This wasn’t “Mustang Sally” material these guys were doing, and it takes some love to lay out your soul in the corner of a loud, smoky bar, but they did so cheerfully. Greer will return to our area on Monday, Jan. 30 for an appearance at The Red Door’s Hush Hush series.