Acoustic Americana Music Guide & NEWS, August 4 to 11 (and beyond)
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The poem, “Acoustic Americana!” published as the opening piece in the Guide’s July 1 edition, is now featured in the current edition of FolkWorks, available online at www.folkworks.org/content/viewcategorycur/89
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Here are the Guide’s latest News Features
(all the concert listings and event write-ups are in the complete edition)
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Tied to the Tracks
ACOUSTIC AMERICANA
MUSIC GUIDE
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August 4 through 11 edition (+ upcoming events, months ahead)
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NEWS FEATURES
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1) “THE NEW L.A. FOLK FESTIVAL” ARRIVES THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 7
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It’s a new event that’s booked acts we haven’t seen in the lineups of other festivals. It’s a one-day event with a ten-hour run, 2 pm-midnite. THE NEW LOS ANGELES FOLK FESTIVAL brings LINDA PERHACS, MIA DOI TODD, ARIANA DELAWARI, L.A. LADIES CHOIR, LES SHELLEYS (TOM BROSSEAU & ANGELA CORREA), OLENTANGY JOHN, HENRY WOLFE, HE’S MY BROTHER SHE’S MY SISTER, EAGLE WINGED PALACE, ROBERT JAMES, SANDRA SARRA, “and special guests” to Historical Monument 157, 3110 N Broadway, L.A. 90031. More at www.lafolkfest.com
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2) RICKIE LEE JONES, WITH FULL BAND & HORN SECTION, FREE, AUGUST 5
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RICKIE LEE JONES, “THE DUCHESS OF COOLSVILLE,” brings her full band to play the 26th Annual “SANTA MONICA PIER TWILIGHT DANCE SERIES” on the pier, W off Ocean Av (at Colorado), 2 blks S of Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica; 310-458-8901 or 310-396-0799; www.twilightdance.org; www.santamonicapier.org. It’s a Guide “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick, it’s Thursday, August 5, at 7 pm, and it’s free.
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RICKIE LEE JONES is one of the most singular artists in today’s music world. A clue to defining her iconoclasm comes from her own family description as “lower-middle-class-hillbilly-hipster.” From her emergence on the national scene in 1979, Rickie Lee has become one of the most acclaimed and talented singer-songwriters of our time spanning many genres: folk, rock, jazz, soul, spoken word and pop.
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Her first self-titled album launched her career and received five Grammy nominations. Her nominations included Best Song, for “Last Chance Texaco,” Best Album, Best Pop Vocal and Best Rock Vocal. As it happened, she won Best New Artist, and her career was launched. Just four months after her debut, Rickie Lee graced the cover of Rolling Stone, and again only 18 months later.
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Expect selections from her newest CD, “Balm in Gilead.” We ’spect to hear material from her 2007 album, “The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard,” wherein Rickie Lee and her collaborators put Christ’s words into a modern-day musical context, as she says, to “portray those words in a way that anyone can understand.”
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“Twilight Dance” brings a different show, usually a concert, 7-10 pm every Thursday, late June to late August.
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Nearby parking is costly, so walk, bike or take the MTA (www.mta.net) or Big Blue Bus (www.bigbluebus.com) or call 310-451-5444 for bus info. The Pier’s “Bike Valet” starts at 6:30 pm on concert nights, offering safe parking for thousands of bikes. The Pier is wheelchair accessible. Bring your lawn chair or blanket to stake-out your space on the wooden planks. If you want to avoid the crowd and hear but not see, you can sit on the beach under the pier, and hear the music mixed with the sounds of the surf. All shows in the Thursday “Twilight Dance Series” are free.
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3) N’AWLINS, CAJUN, ZYDECO MUSIC IS BACK FOR ONE LAST 2010 FESTIVAL
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This Saturday & Sunday, August 7 & 8, the annual “LONG BEACH CRAWFISH FESTIVAL” and it’s a Guide “Show-of-the-Week” pick.
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Before we get to that, how about a choice of two FREE evening concerts of Cajun & zydeco to get your happy feet ready for the festival?
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On Thursday, August 5, you can choose between two of the Guide’s “Show-of-the-Week” picks, one in Culver City at 7 pm, the other at the Skirball at 8, atop Sepulveda Pass, above the south end of the San Fernando Valley. To the south, GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN’ BOOGIE play the 16th annual “CULVER CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL,” the every-Thursday night free summer concert series (through July & August), at Culver City Hall Courtyard, 9770 Culver Bl, Culver City; 310-253-5716; www.culvercity.org.
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Geno and his band deliver a rich gumbo of Cajun, zydeco, R&B, real country, and Delta Blues. He’ll play his trademark accordion, and the band includes a talented rub board player (if you don’t know what that is, that’s another reason to go see, and hear.) Dancing and listening will go together, because that’s just how this music works. And it works. We dare you to sit still. More at www.genodelafose.net. Whenever you’re headed to Culver City, the Boulevard Music website has a helpful local dining guide, at www.boulevardmusic.com. The concert is free.
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Plus, big fans of Geno should know that Sunday, August 8, at 5 pm, in an alternative to the big festival, GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN’ BOOGIE play the Zydeco Dance series in Lakewood; see the Guide’s listing for details.
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Thursday night’s other Cajun-zydeco “Show-of-the-Week” pick is at 8 pm, as STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS play the free Thursday Night Summer Concert Series at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A.; 310-440-4578; www.skirball.org. More at www.mamouplayboys.com. Come early for a good seat, and to enjoy the tasty offerings of food and drinks from the café.
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If you’re more oriented to OC, you can catch STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS on Saturday night, at either of two shows, 6:30 pm or 8:30 pm, at the San Juan Capistrano Multicultural Center. (See the Guide’s listing.)
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Now, on to the weekend festival.
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The annual “LONG BEACH CRAWFISH FESTIVAL” brings a stellar lineup, with performances by RODDIE ROMERO & THE HUB CITY ALL STARS, ANDRE THIERRY & ZYDECO MAGIC, BLUES BOX BAYOU BAND, BENNIE & THE SWAMP GATORS, AJ GIBBS THE MYDECO KING, THE NEW ORLEANS HIGHSTEPPERS BAND, LALA 2nd Line Dancers, GENO DELAFOSE & HIS CAJUN ROCKIN’ BOOGIE, LE ROY THOMAS, BONNE MUSIQUE ZYDECO, ROYAL GARDEN DIXIELAND BAND, and more. It’s at the same site as June’s “Long Beach Bayou Fest,” at Rainbow Lagoon Events Park, 400 E Shoreline Dr (between Shoreline Village Dr & Linden Av), Long Beach 90802.
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Of course, there will be food, not just crawfish, and plenty that’s Southern Louisiana style. And as Joel Okida observes in his page-one story in the summer print edition of FolkWorks (www.FolkWorks.org), only in Southern California do we celebrate Mardi Gras more than once a year, and in the summer, instead of February. The bonne temps will indeed roulez dans la mer de ville de Long Beach.
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More at www.longbeachcrawfishfestival.com.
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You can check out videos of past years performances at www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbW5HF-bxpM – www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL6PzKE3z8k – www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit – www.youtube.com/watch?v=8goajeVxYIs – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar2cHiGAlEs&feature=channel
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If you just can’t get to any of these performances, then mark your calendar for Saturday, August 14, when you can go to Ventura County to catch a 4 pm show by ACADIANA, when they bring their delightful take on Cajun and zydeco to the “Concerts by the Sea” series in Peninsula Park, Channel Islands Harbor, 3401 Peninsula Rd, Oxnard 93035. More at www.acadiana-music.com
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4) HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN TO PLAY FREE L.A. SHOW, AUGUST 12
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One of ‘em toured the world as BOB DYLAN’s fiddle player. As an all-star ensemble, they’ve been called “The swingin’est western trio on the planet.” No argument from us. They’ve performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks,” and they headline festivals all over the world. They create the perfect hybridization of Django Reinhardt and Bob Wills, with plenty of Louis Armstrong in the mix, and they know all the music of all of these luminaries, plus hundreds more songs from the early twentieth century, and the ‘20s through the ‘50s, and their own fine catalogue of originals.
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On Thursday, August 12, at 7 pm, in a Guide “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick, HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN plays the 16th annual “CULVER CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL,” a Thursday night free summer concert series (July & Aug), at Culver City Hall Courtyard, 9770 Culver Bl, Culver City; 310-253-5716; www.culvercity.org.
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Boulevard Music’s GARY MANDELL, who books the Culver City series, says, “The Hot Club of Cowtown’s progressive traditionalism flies in the face of modern Nashville’s cookie cutter country, openly embracing the past while boldly setting new standards for alternative country’s future.”
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ELANA JAMES vocals are smooth as silk and sweet as honey, and her fiddle prowess caused BOB DYLAN to pick her for his round-the-world tour.
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WHIT SMITH plays the hottest western swing guitar anywhere, and shares lead vocals.
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JAKE IRWIN is an absolute master of blindingly fast slap bass techniques, a joy to watch and to hear, and he sings his share of leads and harmonies.
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Whenever you’re headed for Culver City, the Boulevard Music website has a helpful local dining guide at www.boulevardmusic.com. Concert is free.
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5) REVIEW: “ROOTS ROADHOUSE” – A BIG SUCCESS
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Don’t let anyone tell you that L.A. just isn’t a good town for roots Americana music. Anyone who was in the audiences at any of the three stages for the “Roots Roadhouse” and its TWENTY booked acts on Saturday, July 31, found themselves surrounded by dense throngs of happy listeners and dancers. The constant punctuation was hoots of approval from an audience that ranged from teenagers, through plenty of twenty-somethings, to those old enough to remember good times at the Ash Grove and the Palomino.
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Using the Echo & Echoplex in the urban village of L.A.’s Echo Park was a smart choice of venue, and one that’s accustomed to alt country and Americana crowds, given the weekly “Grand Ole Echo” series held there. With three stages, it was possible to catch partial sets by every act, but by the end of the night, we realized we had opted to stay for full sets from some we hadn’t heard before and others we already like so much that they’re irresistible anytime, anywhere.
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The producer’s arranging for some of the most popular “food trucks” to be on-site – the new L.A. phenomenon in moveable feasts – was an easy answer to cuisine, and it proved popular with patrons. (They’re not your father’s lunch-break catering truck “roach coaches” anymore.)
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One criticism: the stage amplification was waaaay too loud, everywhere, for most every act. We’re talking rock-club-level, ears-ringing-the-next-day, permanent-damage loud. It was absolutely unnecessary, and we were not the only ones wearing earplugs as a result. (Is every sound man in L.A. a half-deaf old rocker who doesn’t realize he’s making everyone else deaf? Sheeesh.)
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Here are some notes from the Guide on some especially notable acts.
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CHATHAM COUNTY LINE, a North Carolina-based bluegrass group, was a delight on the Echo Stage. They practice the “Monroe Doctrine” – wearing suits and ties on stage, in the manner of Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys, and they proudly hang their state’s flag as their stage backdrop. Their rolickin’ bluegrass is more akin to other stars their age – the Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show – and the crowd found that to be just fine. Clearly, these boys made enough new fans in L.A. that word-of-mouth will assure them a full house at any venue smart enough to book them on their next trip to Southern Cal. (They already have a Northwest following, playing a festival in Oregon and Seattle’s landmark Tractor Tavern on this tour.)
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Chatham County Line’s sound check had required far longer than planned, and the schedule had already fallen behind, so things conspired to cut deeply into their set. They handled that beautifully at the other end of their allotted time, by climbing down from the stage and setting-up in the middle of the floor. There, they played more of their raucous Appalachian / Piedmont roots music, unamplified, pure acoustic, surrounded by a tightly-packed throng of new admirers who suddenly liked them even more for doing it. And these guys are pros – keeping an eye on the stage, they knew exactly when to quit, when the next act was set-up and ready to roll. It made a seamless transition with no dead time, something that’s all too rare with multi-act shows, much less multi-stage festivals.
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RED SIMPSON is a genuine legend, whose songs have been recorded by other legends of classic country (before Nashville ruined it). He commanded the room in the Echoplex, and there’s no doubt why. First, pay heed to where he’s been: MERLE HAGGARD recorded one of his songs three different times. Red thrilled the crowd with his ensemble band of L.A. favorites, with PAUL MARSHALL (I See Hawks in L.A.) on bass, and JOHN McDUFFIE on pedal steel, plus two members of the Riders of the Purple Sage, CODY BRYANT on guitar and LANDON McCOY on drums. And, ol’ Red can still sing them songs just fine. We hope to see him slingin’ his guitar again soon.
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T MODEL FORD & GRAVEL ROAD brought old school blues like you hear at Preservation Hall at New Orleans, if you’re lucky enough to pick a good night. We can envision that T Model is that older black bluesman you hear in a nondescript Mississippi juke joint that you remember all your life. He was a brilliant and essential inclusion at an event called Roots Roadhouse.
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TRIPLE CHICKEN FOOT, or “The Foot” to their many fans, delighted the audience during their outdoor stage set. The trio’s old time, high-energy music had generated plenty of phone calls when they performed live, on multiple occasions, on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks.” (They’re the ones who conceived and produce the annual “Los Angeles Old Time Social” every May, as a three-day festival.) They attracted a clogger to dance at the foot of the stage, and a square dance caller formed a conga line through the crowd to collect participants for a big concentric square dance while they played. Big fun.
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The highlight for most in attendance was the final three acts on the Echoplex stage, running from about 9 pm ‘til after midnight. They were I SEE HAWKS IN L.A., the CHAPIN SISTERS, and DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY MEN.
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“The Hawks” (I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.) proved once more why they are one of L.A.’s favorite bands in any genre, and why they are so successful at building a loyal following in Europe. They identify themselves using lots of hybrid and avant garde genre descriptions, but none of that matters when you hear them play. Solid, and oh-so-musical. Why aren’t they at the top of the charts? That’s one more reason why Nashville has lots of ’splain’ to do.
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The CHAPIN SISTERS, daughters of singer-songwriter TOM CHAPIN and nieces of the late HARRY CHAPIN, held an on-stage reunion of all four sisters, rare since one had a baby sixteen months ago. Their harmonies are splendid, and some of their songs mesmerizing. Their performance was a joy.
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DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY MEN delivered the evening’s strong closing set. Dave, wearing his characteristic cowboy hat, western shirt and bandanna, was obviously enjoying himself, back in the company of a band with whom he had toured for years. (We last caught ‘em in Canada in 2002.)
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Some backstage hi jinks – a practical joke played on Dave – brought the literally “guilty men” out in the best of good spirits. Though the crowd never caught-on to the inside joke, everyone was a beneficiary of the bit of camaraderie that has characterized the relationship these guys have had for years.
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Cheers followed every song, whether new or an old favorite.
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Their encore brought a surprise addition, as Dave’s brother PHIL ALVIN joined the band, with his guitar. Phil took over as front-man for THE BLASTERS some years ago when Dave left, and that band continues in fine form. (We last caught Phil and The Blasters when they played the annual Elvis Birthday Bash, in January.)
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In recent years, Dave was on the road with DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY WOMEN, and their 2009 tour included a performance many Southern Cal folks had seen, at last year’s Live Oak Music Festival, north of Santa Barbara. (It was one of the last performances by the late fiddle wizard AMY FARRIS, who was a member of that all-star ensemble, and it was an evening we’ll always remember.)
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There was a lot to Roots Roadhouse, a very full afternoon and evening music festival. Merchant booths were attractively presented indoors with thoughtfully appealing display techniques in the roomy Echoplex facility, offering everything from clothes to photographs to dish cactus gardens. All was presented as tastefully as were the food trucks outside, across from the outdoor stage. The Echo and Echoplex full-service bars were supplemented with outdoor beer booths, and there were raffles and, somewhat incongruously, a bingo tournament drew players for the tables on the Echo’s outdoor patio. Security was present and capable, but never intimidating.
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With twenty booked acts on three stages, the music offerings were extravagant. We had just caught guitar wizard PETE ANDERSON a week earlier, when he opened for Laurence Lebo’s CD release show at McCabe’s, though we missed his set at Roots Roadhouse. We wish we’d caught the event-opening set by WHISPERING PINES. Beyond that, OLD BULL, OLD CALIFORNIO, KILLING CASANOVA, & LESLIE & THE BADGERS are all L.A.-based bands with deservedly loyal followings, and we confess to not hearing any of them perform at Roots Roadhouse, on the grounds that it’s not difficult to catch ’em around town. Multi-stage offerings always force choices.
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Congratulations to producer KIM GRANT for a fine event. Already, there’s a bit of buzz – started by none other than DAVE ALVIN – that a future Roots Roadhouse may be coming. We hope so. We’ll keep you posted, and keep our yee-hahs ready and willing.
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6) WE’D LIKE YOU TO MEET… ALI MARCUS
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(This is the Guide’s new recurring feature, profiling musicians and people on the music scene that you should know.)
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ALI MARCUS, from Seattle, is a well-known indie singer-songwriter and roots music artist who played her first L.A. show at Hollywood’s Hotel Café back ion March 31, 2008. Ali earned a “Listener Favorite” for her original, “The Most Autobiographical Song,” back in 2005 on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks” before NPR discovered the song and picked it up.
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In addition to her solo singer-songwriter “urban folkster” identity and sometimes duet personas, Ali has an old-time folk band, THE OLD BAY WARBLERS. More on that traditional roots collaboration at www.myspace.com/theoldbaywarblers
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Ali’s April, 2008 record, “The Great Migration,” brought plenty of critical acclaim. Her previous albums have earned accolades from Harp Magazine, the print version of the Seattle P-I daily newspaper (now an online-only newspaper), and NPR’s “All Songs Considered.” Across the board, she wins high marks for her songwriting and lyrical skill.
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Recording “The Great Migration” with a band brought many of her songs to full fruition – something that her fans waited to hear for some time. No question it was time for it: in the year before that album’s release, Ali toured 15 states, playing NYC’s CMJ, Nashville’s Bluebird Café, DC’s IOTA Café, Cambridge’s Lizard Lounge, Berkeley’s Starry Plough, and Seattle’s Experience Music Project. She has stayed on the road as long as four-months, mostly touring the Pacific Northwest and playing the festival circuit there, with trips East and a few to California, performing in places like the MakeOut Room in San Francisco, the East Village in Monterey, and along the way, amid the high redwoods.
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Of her earlier, more pared-down, recordings, a reviewer in “Listen to This” says, “The music is quite beautiful. It’s just Marcus and an acoustic guitar and that’s all you need… Driven by a pretty voice that occasionally recalls Jenny Lewis, these are some of the best songs I’ve heard from a new artist in an age.”
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Dave Beck of KUOW 94.9 FM said, “Ali casts a skeptical look at life’s supposed certainties – religion, success, domestic content. She suggests any of these values could someday crash into that big, jagged iceberg of the unknown.”
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Gene Stout, writing in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, cited her “Folk music with heart and soul.”
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Critic Oliver di Place says, “ALI MARCUS displays a wonderful command of the English language. These are sung poems.”
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Writing in “Womenfolk,” Robbie McCowan says, “Appropriately titled, ‘The Great Migration’ amplifies Marcus’ talent as a continually burgeoning, confident songwriter.”
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In the past, Ali has toured frequently. We anxiously await her return for another L.A. performance. Learn more about her at www.alimarcus.com
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7) JASON D. WILLIAMS CD, PRODUCED BY TODD SNIDER, DUE IN OCTOBER
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Arkansas-based piano-playing wild man JASON D. WILLIAMS is well-known on the Americana-rockabilly scene, so it makes sense that his next record, “Killer Instincts,” due October 26, will be released on Rockabilly Records. It’s Williams’ first album in six years, and the first to have originals written by him.
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TODD SNIDER, who did a splendid performance-interview this spring at the Grammy Museum in downtown L.A., produced the record for Williams, at Blackbird and Ardent studios.
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In expressing his joy at the chance to produce a Jason D. Williams album, Todd Snider says, “I’d been waiting 15 years on this phone call.”
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The piano playing Williams retorts, “I’d been waiting 15 years to make this phone call.”
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Williams says he wrote his first-ever originals on the fly. That may concern some, but Snider is not among them, and therein lay the story. Following Williams’ phone call, Snider had to don the producer hat right away. But after a day of working on the cover songs that Williams had prepared, the session was not working. So the duo started writing on the fly.
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Williams says, “All of a sudden, our agenda went to hell and we were just creating in there. Todd made me feel like it was ok to reach down and sing something crazy. It was just short of amazing and magical.”
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Snider says, “He was coming out with all this poetry in waves. It was his heart. It was amazing. It’s a very vulnerable thing to do.”
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The session was transformed. As one example, the album take of “Crippled Down” was recorded the first time it was performed and came out entirely intact.
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Things kept rolling, as studio visitor BOBBY BARE, JR. inspired the humorous song “Really Really Pretty.” Along the way, Williams revived several childhood favorites from his hometown of El Dorado, Arkansas, a burg that’s just 15 miles from the Louisiana border, so they recorded covers of “White Trash” and “Big Red Green One.”
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“They were just fun and clever songs,” recalls Williams.
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‘Killer Instinct’ was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, and mixed at the famous Ardent Studios in Memphis, with DAN BAIRD, KEITH CHRISTOPHER, RICHARD LEO JOHNSON and RANDY COX playing roles in the process.
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While the new album is titled “Killer Instincts,” there is no track with that name. Instead, it appears to be an homage to JERRY LEE LEWIS, since one of the CD’s 14 tracks is “Like Jerry Lee.” We expect some singles to hit radio in advance of the October release.
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8) LISTEN TO, OR DROP-BY, A RADIO SHOW IN WESTERN COLORADO…
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BARBARA RICHHART is the Western Music Association’s 2009 “DJ of the Year.” Her “CowTrails” radio show is broadcast on Sundays at “High Noon” from Mancos, Colorado, a little mountain town in Southwest Colorado. Sometimes, the performing guest segments are pre-recorded. Either way, Barbara says, “Guests are always welcome! Just give me a call for more info.” On Saturday, August 7, she will record the show with her guest, acclaimed, top award-winning cowboy singer-songwriter GARY McMAHAN. She adds, “Gary is awesome and a funny, funny fellow! Check him out on the web at www.singingcowboy.com.” Barbara says, “Would love to see you here,” promising “An evening of friends, family and FUN!”
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Catch the show’s simulcast at www.ksjd.org at noon (Mountain Time) on Sundays.
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You can reach Barbara at CowTrails Radio Show, 32229 Rd P, Mancos CO 81328 or call her at 970-739-8408 or at the studio at 970-564-0808. Her email request line is onair@ksjd.org and her regular email is bfboston@fone.net. There’s more at www.myspace.com/mancosbelle and www.facebook.com/barbara.richhart.
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9) MAVIS STAPLES PERFORMS LIVE ON RADIO’S “WNYC SOUNDCHECK”
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When they tell us the same day, we can’t tell you in time for the live simulcast… fortunately, some things stay archived for a few days. So don’t dawdle, and you can still find “Mavis Staples on WNYC Soundcheck” at http://beta.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck
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MAVIS STAPLES performed a couple of tracks from her Jeff Tweedy-produced album, “You Are Not Alone,” due for release September 14 on Anti-Records. The show was presented and recorded live, with Mavis backed for the special preview performance by RICK HOLMSTROM, her guitar player.
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Rolling Stone recently called the title track from the album “The sweetest Tweedy song in a while” adding that Mavis sounds as “inspiring as ever.”
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10) DAVE STAMEY, HOTTEST OF WESTERN ARTISTS, TO PLAY L.A.
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We’re telling you now because this will sell-out soon. His shows always do. On Sunday, August 22, in a pair of Guide “Show-of-the-Week” picks, DAVE STAMEY will play two shows, a 2 pm afternoon matinee and a 7 pm evening concert. Both are at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; info www.coffeegallery.com. (It’s the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue).
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DAVE STAMEY is a marvelous performing songwriter who has won every award in western music, at least once, and had more of his originals recorded by others than anybody this side of Marty Robbins. Voted Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music Association, winner of the Will Rogers Award for Male Vocalist of the Year from the Academy of Western Artists, and a five-time nominee before winning Songwriter Of The Year, Dave Stamey is one of the most popular Western entertainers working today. His vast repertoire of classic and original Western folk music represents a link between today’s Americana singer-songwriters and the old-time cowboy balladeers. He has delighted audiences in seven states, performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks,” and will tell you he has found that he “prefers this type of work to being stomped by angry horses.”
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His shows sell-out quickly, so get your tix right away. 2 pm show, $20; 7 pm show, $25. Reservations, 626-794-2424.
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11) IF YOU LIKE THE GUIDE, PLEASE SUPPORT IT!
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Whether you’re here for the first time or a regular reader of the Guide, welcome. We hope you’ll recognize that the Guide is unique: we aren’t just a calendar that lists events with names of artists you may not know. We tell you about those artists. Other sources offer simple, “bare bones” notices of many of the events that are DETAILED in the Guide. Those sources give you SOME of the “who, where, and when.” We give you that – and much more – about MORE events that the others list, AND we don’t stop with simple listings. Most everything in the Guide is a veritable feature story on each of the events. Along with letting you know “who, where, and when” the Guide gives you the all-important “WHAT” – what kind of music, what awards the artist or band has won, what the music media is saying about them, often with useful info on the venue where they’re performing, and more.
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We hope you find that all of this is just so amazingly valuable that you’re willing to help us continue to do it, AND to move it all to a full-feature website with pictures, song clips, performance videos, and more! (Yes, we have that opportunity RIGHT NOW, if we can afford to take on the responsibility to do it!)
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We expect our situation will be just like your favorite NPR station: they depend, for most of their needs, on their individual supporters. We must depend on you, our readers, and the musicians whose gigs are listed in our pages. (We are simultaneously seeking commercial sponsors to assure that we can continue to publish and move the Guide to essentially “take-over” at www.acousticmusic.net, where the Guide is currently linked. There, we have been offered the opportunity to build the site around the Guide, as a full-feature website with current reviews and much more. But there’s no guarantee that we can get sufficient commercial sponsors to raise enough revenue to allow us to do that. We’re giving it a good go. Either way, just like a public radio or PBS station, we need financial support from YOU, our readers, and from the musicians whose gigs we list! Please help, so we can keep making the many hours required each week to do this!
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The Guide needs your support to continue to bring you NEWS, and CONCERT & EVENT LISTINGS, and to offer you FREE TICKETS through the summer and beyond, and we can only do that if we are still here. Some of you have responded with a check for $25, in return for THREE CDs of your choice, or for our professionally-produced live concert DVD + one CD of your choice. We are grateful to those readers and artists. (If you haven’t yet received your CDs or DVD/CD in the mail, please be patient, they’re coming.)
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The Guide still needs everyone’s support. Really and truly. Many people read it regularly, and have never helped to sustain it. If that’s you, we especially need your support, together with support from the artists whose gigs always appear in our listings. Doing this requires a TON of time. We’ve made our case to you. Our mailing address is below. We need your financial support – at a modest level – support from you, our readers and the musicians whose gigs appear in the Guide.
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Send us a check for $25, in return for THREE CDs of your choice, or for our professionally-produced live concert DVD and one CD of your choice (while they last, so act quickly!) And all that is about to change – see the next News Feature.
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AFTER AUGUST 10, our offer of “Thank-You” DVDs / CDs in return for your support will CHANGE. We will offer ONLY the live concert DVD, plus one CD of your choice, WHILE THE CDs LAST.
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Write your check for $25, made-out to “Tied to the Tracks,” and mail it TODAY to:
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Tied to the Tracks
2424 Greenfield Av
Arcadia CA 91006
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Then email us with a subject of “Guide thank you” and tell us whether you want 3 CDs of your choice, or the live concert DVD plus 1 CD of your choice. The catalogue of our extensive offerings is at http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/support-guide-and-get-some-great-dvds.html. Some listed there have already been claimed by other supporters, so list your second choices. (That’s why we must soon discontinue offering CDs.) We’ll email you back, and let you know. Please remember to title your email “Guide thank you.”
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Please sustain our ability to get free tickets and goodies for you, and for the Guide to be able to continue bringing you all the news and events. And thanks again to those who have contributed to continue making the Guide possible!
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RECENT NEWS FEATURES (in the past month):
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July 29 edition’s News Features are available at:
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news_29.html
The topics are:
1) A FESTIVAL-RICH WEEKEND TO DEFY MID-SUMMER DOLDRUMS
1a) “ROOTS ROADHOUSE” IS A WHOLE LOTTA MUSIC THIS SATURDAY
1b) “BIG BEAR MOUNTAIN TWILIGHT MUSIC FESTIVAL” IS SATURDAY
1c) FESTIVAL + ARTISTS’ PICK:
“NATIONAL STORYTELLING NETWORK CONFERENCE” IN L.A.
2) BUNCHAS O’ EVENTS FOR ARTISTS THIS WEEKEND
3) AUTRY DRAWS MASSIVE CROWD FOR “NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY & COWGIRL,” JULY 24
4) R.I.P., BEN KEITH…
5) WE’D LIKE YOU TO MEET… [notes only; no one profiled this week]
6) THE GUIDE URGENTLY INVITES YOUR SUPPORT
7) “THANK YOU” CDs / DVDs FROM THE GUIDE: THE TIMES ARE A-CHANGIN’
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July 22 edition’s News Features are available at:
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news_22.html
The topics are:
1) “National Day of the Cowboy & Cowgirl”
Venues Include the Autry in L.A., July 24
2) “Roots Roadhouse” Arrives July 31, as an “Event-of-the-Summer”
3) Pete Seeger’s “Reclaim the Coast” – Gulf Coast Oil Spill Benefit
4) Ford Amphitheatre Seeks Proposals for 2011 Summer Season
5) Indie-Music Top 25 Awards – Round 2 Deadline is July 31
6) New Mavis Staples Tune Debuts, Written by Jeff Tweedy
7) We’d Like You to Meet… MARK HOLT
8) The Fureys & Davey Arthur, plus Ken O’Malley: West Coast Tour in September
9) Is Internet Music “Completely Over” -?
10) The Guide Still Needs Your Support
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July 16 edition’s New Features are available at:
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news_6388.html
The topics are:
1) Six Local Festivals this Saturday: 2 Free, 2 Charity Benefits, Plus Four Festivals on Sunday – One an “Event Of The Summer” –
> 1a) Saturday… 2nd annual “Sea Shanties Festival;” Friday evening early start, with “Sea Chanties… Evening” [with a note on various spellings of “chanties, chanteys, shanties, & shanteys”]; “Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Festival” in San Pedro; “A Sweet Taste of Jazz” benefit; 15th annual “NoHo Midsummer Nights Coffee House & Music Festival,” a local charity benefit; annual “Santa Barbara French Festival;” annual “Music in the Mountains Festival,” with Celtic and traditional Americana, at Green Valley Lake.
> 1b) Four Festivals on Sunday – One an “Event Of The Summer” –
annual “Boulevard Music Summer Music Festival;” annual “Americana Family Festival” in Santa Ana; day two of the annual “Santa Barbara French Festival;” day two of the “Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Festival” in San Pedro.
2) “Tin Pan Alley Jazz” at Descanso Gardens this Thursday Night
3) “Lord Of The Dance” Joins Ken O’malley, for July 16th Free Show
4) Tannahill Weavers Play Caltech Folk Music Series July 17th
5) Hawaiian Vocal Quartet, with Hula – and Bluesman Stan West?
6) “Roots Roadhouse,” a “Show-Of-The-Summer,” Coming July 31st – with Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men, Red Simpson, T Model Ford, Pete Anderson, I See Hawks In LA, Old Californio, Chatham County Line, The Chapin Sisters, Leslie & The Badgers, The Whispering Pines, Olin & The Moon, Triple Chicken Foot, Killing Cassanova, & Speedbuggy, in Echo Park…
7) Accessible Classical Goes “Bu-De-Bu-De-Ba, that’s all, Folks”
8) Still More Accessible Classical, Outdoors and Charming…
9) Jackson Browne & David Lindley at the Greek Theatre, July 23rd
10) Records, CDs, More, at Big Flea Market, July 18th
11) Please Support The Guide
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July 9 editions’ News Features are available at:
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/acoustic-americana-music-guide-july-9.html
The topics are:
1) “How to Work the Media: A Workshop For Artists” on July 10
2) The Guide’s New Faster Format, Status, & Future
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THE LATEST FULL EDITION of the Acoustic Americana Music Guide is always available at
www.acousticmusic.net or at
www.acousticamericana.blogspot.com or by links from the News-only edition at www.nodepression.com/profile/TiedtotheTracks
or by following any of MANY links on the web to get to one of those sites.
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Entire contents copyright (c) © 2010, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
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