Friday nights can take strange twists and turns, sometimes. Take the night of January 25, 2008. I was scheduled to attend a performance at spick-and-span Philadelphia venue, World Café Life, with the speculation it would be a mellow singer-songwriter affair. I wound up seated at a table, struggling to take notes over the shadows of belly dancers, who were girating to a cover of the Flaming Lips’ "Fight Test" right in front of me. I should also mention that I was seated in the <i>back</I> part of the venue.

Before you scratch the scalp right off your head, allow me to explain. All of us who have lived or worked in, or even visited the bigger U.S. metropolitan areas have had some sort of experience with street performers. Some talented, some less so. All of them committed. The least of these brave souls is not the busker.

If you’ve ever taken public transportation in Philly, New York, D.C., etc., odds are you’ve seen and been entertained by the busker. Armed with his instrument of choice, he plays for money, fun, or for the sheer experience of it. Some buskers - like Simon and Garfunkel, for example - eventually turn their peculiar vocation into a highly successful career. Enter Colorado native-turned-Philadelphia resident, Gregory, who has been busking in Philly since mid 2007 and, just recently, took his performance to the stage - under the moniker of Audible Eye.

The January 25th performance at World Café Live was Audible Eye’s first formal gig. My initial hunch that Gregory would be influenced by the college folk sounds of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, and Jason Mraz, had some merit. The set’s beginning was pure coffeehouse material, showcasing the sort of percussive guitar playing that only a former drummer (like Gregory) would espouse. The rootsy sounds and introspective lyrics of "Write Our Own History" and "Scoochin’ On Back" were relaxing, but didn’t exactly forecast the many sonic shifts Audible Eye’s first set would take.

Greg kept playing after a string broke, five songs into his performance. Apparently, he wouldn’t need the string much longer, anyway. Minutes later, we were exposed to the appropriately named "Tabla Banjo Jam." Fans clapped, snapped, and stomped along, while Greg took turns banging on tabla drums and hammering out spacey, atonal banjo passages. Yes, you read all of that right.

Things became even more eccentric when Greg’s friend Jim (whom he met while busking) climbed onstage and performed spoken word over an improvised bassline - once again, supplied by Audible Eye’s sole and multi-instrumentalist. In a particularly interesting moment, Greg performed a solo number featuring only his own voice and bass guitar. "Our love is like a mirror," he sang. "It helps me see myself more clear."

The night’s first set was punctuated with memorable acoustic numbers, as well as world music turns and improvisation. After playing well over an hour, Audible Eye took a break. Jarrell Deleon (also a friend of Greg’s from his busking experiences) took the stage, playing a 20 minute set of excellent lounge piano. Little did most of the crowd suspect what was up next.

Audible Eye’s one member once again sat front and center - this time manning a drum kit and distorted electric guitar at the same time. Once Greg began strumming an electric, comparisons could’ve been more easily drawn to Ben Harper’s fiery guitar playing than Jack Johnson’s acoustic excursions.

As the up-tempo music began, a quartet of Philly-based belly dancers, bordered by a pair of male percussionists, moved through the World Café crowd. The dancers urged many in the crowd to move toward the stage and begin dancing themselves. Several songs in, the girls - who were wearing ornate, tribal jewelry of undetermined origin - moved on to the stage to perform with Greg.

This was the creative boiling point for a show put on by a passionate young musician - an unpredictable turn for a truly inventive guy. Audible Eye, in its current state, seems to be about musical experimentation, thoughtful lyrics, and grabbing life by the tabla drums. Gregory’s youthful ideals are right out on his sleeve. Poignantly, he urged any musicians in the crowd to go out and spread their own sounds around - once the show was over, of course.

Tellingly, Audible Eye’s songs chronicle a story that is very much still in progress. "It’s been a long musical journey," the singer told the crowd. "But I’m just getting started."

Check out Audible Eye on Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/audibleeye