The intimate nature of Dornan’s stage can be intimidating,

a sense that is intensified by the absolute attention of the listeners.  The silence seems as loud as the music between songs, and an artist has no place to go up there besides bodly facing the audience.
At her solo concert last Tuesday, Niccole Bayley appeared a bit nervous at first, trying out her new loop-station to play a few riffs before lunching into song.  But before long, her infectious fun-loving smiles led to her champoining a string of solid originals.

“Despite the Dents,” the title track from her debut album, celebrated the 300,000 miles she has logged in her car while trekking across the country over the years.  The hummable “Everything’s a Trade” simplifies some of life’s woes with some great lines: “We worry about money and how much we have/We worry about our good times somehow turning bad/Still the best times that I ever had/Were just sitting in the sun”.
Well-received covers had the crowd singing along quiety.  Bayley delivered John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” and jazzy version of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”, on which she soared vocally.
Her singing mate, Mo Kelly, added harmonies during several songs, including “Sweet Wyoming”, dedicated to her summers at Teton Valley Ranch Camp, first as a camper, later as a counselor.  She proudly sang about memories with summer camp friends and how they had helped shape “the best days of our lives”.
Bayley was completely at ease, and her patter between songs sparked the mellow crowd into laughter.  It became obvious how much fun she was really having on stage.  Her comedic stories about life on the road and lost love proved this woman has a passion for the words.  In the end, the show filled this listener with an energy that could only be a reflection of the performer herself.