Acoustic Americana Music Guide & NEWS, Sep 25-Oct 5 (and way into 2011)

.
Quick links to our FALL FESTIVAL SEASON’s detailed features –
+
* “FALL FESTIVALS ALMANAC” at
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/09/fall-festivals-almanac-summers-last.html
+
and our survey of the
* ANNUAL GUIDE TO MUSIC AT THE L.A. COUNTY FAIR, through October 3, at
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/09/guide-to-la-county-fairs-music-more.html
+
and check-out THIS WEEKEND’S concerts, festivals, club gigs, free shows, newly-added events (some now, some soon, and some waaaay in advance) and MORE, all in this edition!
.
.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
.
Tied to the Tracks
ACOUSTIC AMERICANA
MUSIC GUIDE
.
SEPTEMBER 25 through OCTOBER 5 edition (and way into 2011)
.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
.
.
NEWS FEATURES
.
…in this edition:
.
1) SPONSOR CANCELS “AMERICANA MUSIC FEST,” OCTOBER 3…
2) ENTER NOW: SONGWRITER’S CHALLENGE FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
3) QUICK GLANCE AT ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND OF MUSIC!
4) DALA, CANADIAN FOLK DUO & PBS DARLINGS, HERE SEPTEMBER 25 & 26
5) JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS HIT L.A., SEPTEMBER 25 & 26…
6) 8th ANNUAL “SOURCE AWARDS” HONOR WOMEN IN MUSIC
7) WE’D LIKE YOU TO MEET… VICTORIA VOX
8) SPUTNIK, GPS, & IPODS: IS THIS THE “GIANT LEAP” WE WERE EXPECTING?
.
.
===
.
.
1) SPONSOR CANCELS “AMERICANA MUSIC FEST,” OCTOBER 3…
+
With only two weeks to go until the event – intended to be the “first annual” – word suddenly arrived that it is not to be.
+
The sponsors, the Thousand Oaks Kiwanis Charitable Foundation, jumped ship when advance ticket sales were not strong enough.
+
CARL GAGE, producer of the event, scrambles to try to schedule an evening concert on the same date, as a means to generate enough money to recoup out-of-pocket expenses incurred by artists and others who had already bought airline tickets, etc.
+
But there just wasn’t time. Carl called to tell the Guide, “It’s over. We just couldn’t make anything happen on such short notice.”
+
Carl and his volunteer staff had been working on the event since April. It would have been held at the beautiful Paramount Ranch near Agoura Hills, in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area. (Same site as Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival.)
+
Intended to run all day, 10 am-5 pm, the First-ever “AMERICANA MUSIC FEST” would have had quite a lineup, with JOE CRAVEN, SCOTT GATES WITH CHUCK HAILES, JOHN YORK (THE BYRDS), KIRSTEN PROFFIT, BORDER RADIO, SUSIE GLAZE & THE HILONESOME BAND, CATHY-ANNE McCLINTOCK, JOHN BATDORF (BATDORF & RODNEY), ROBERT EARL “ROBBY” LONGLEY, THE STATMEN, SABRINA & CRAIG, TRACY NEWMAN & THE REINFORCEMENTS, BOYD & WAIN, UKULELE BARTT, GARY ALLEGRETTO (HARMONIKIDS), MILES FRANCIS, and more.
+
All performances would have been all-acoustic. In addition to headliners, other performers were chosen by a panel of judges from the local music scene, from submissions through the spring and summer.
+
Except for its cancellation, there’s much that others could emulate. The event was to Include performances on three stages, workshops, an “Instrument Petting Zoo,” jamming, food, and more. CARL GAGE had previously explained, “the Instrument Petting Zoo [was to] let kids get some hands-on feel, workshops, many with the goal of getting kids interested in learning to play and letting them know where to get lessons.”
+
It does cause us to realize that working with sponsors who are new to our music universe can be especially challenging. It may be a lesson from this experience that, where advance sales are important, a substantial “early bird discount” may need to be built-in. But that’s 20/20 hindsight.
+
The Guide’s editor has plenty of empathy for Carl and his crew: in 2004, the editor produced a festival for charity with 60 acts on six stages – after the original benefiting charity / sponsor withdrew two months before the event. Two months proved to be enough time to find a new sponsor / beneficiary – in that case, Project Hope, known for operating the SS Hope hospital ship and providing medical services, worldwide. (From that experience, Desert Song Productions was born, and still continues in the hands of others who played key roles in the original festival.) But two weeks to find a new sponsor, for an event where all the proceeds were already earmarked to specific charitable causes? Obviously, that’s too much for anyone to salvage.
+
When we checked, the Americana Music Festival website was still up. It’s www.americanamusicfestkw.org
.
.
===
.
.
2) ENTER NOW: SONGWRITER’S CHALLENGE FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
+
Early each October is FIRE PREVENTION WEEK. There are plenty of songs about fire. It’s primordial, from Prometheus to the vital hearth of the cave or earliest village, to the tragedy of the bigots who burned the great library of Alexandria. There’s Buck Owens singing “Ring of Fire.” There are Torch Songs. There’s the band ARCADE FIRE. There’s the BLACK IRISH BAND’s tribute album to firefighters, “Into the Fire.” Think about it and you’ll surely be able to list a half-dozen other musical references to fire.
+
So, here’s one for all you songwriters. It’ll get your “fire song(s)” some exposure right away, and bring you a chance to win a prize later in October.
+
+
a) FIRST, SEND US THE URL FOR ANY SONG OF YOURS THAT’S ABOUT FIRE OR FIREFIGHTERS AND CAN BE HEARD ON THE WEB (audio or video), and we’ll post it in a special section. Be sure to include the name of the song, the genre, and the names of the songwriter(s) and musicians performing the song. All genres welcome for this one, but please tell us the genre(s) of your song(s). We’ll give you until October 3 to get your song info to us.
+
Make the subject of your email “FIRE SONG” and send the info to us at tiedtothetracks@hotmail.com
+
Send as many “fire song” urls (with info) as you want. You can send the info for as few or as many in each email you send, but remember to title each email, “FIRE SONG.”
+
+
b) LATER, WHEN WE HAVE ALL THE SONGS LISTED, we’ll have a GUIDE READER’S CONTEST TO PICK THE TOP THREE SONGS. But first, get the recorded performances of your songs posted someplace accessible, and send us the required info and the url for everyone to hear (or watch) ‘em.
+
Here are some notes about FIRE PREVENTION WEEK that may help inspire you to write a new song, or simply help to keep you and yours safe…
+
First, it should hold special significance for Southern Californians in the midst of an ongoing drought, surrounded by bone-dry hillsides of chaparral. The chaparral-covered hills, that is, that didn’t turn into the surface of the moon from last year’s notorious and devastating “Station Fire.” Firefighters made incredible stands during the weeks of that conflagration, and almost miraculously saved the historic and scientifically irreplaceable Mt. Wilson Observatory, along with virtually all of L.A.’s TV and radio transmission towers.
+
We need to be mindful of all the gratitude we feel for our firefighters in times of crisis, and to remember that gratitude when government looks at ways to cut budgets. We need to remember the firefighters from other states and other taxpayer-supported jurisdictions who came from all over the nation to fight Southern California’s Station Fire. Of course, the memories of firefighters on 9/11, and coming from everywhere in its aftermath, are ingrained in the annals of civilization. And we should be mindful that each time a fire bell rings, it signifies a life-and-death matter for somebody, somewhere.
+
Brush and wild land fires aside, each year there are 550,000 RESIDENTIAL FIRES in the US (nearly all preventable) and these cost taxpayers billions of dollars. So, before your mind turns to haunting your neighborhood for Halloween, help make sure it’ll still be there. Take a little time to be aware and proactive for fire prevention.
+
For starters, CHANGE THE BATTERIES IN YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS. Daylight Savings time began earlier and extends later this year, so if “time change day” is when you usually change those batteries, they may not last that long this time around.
+
Then, enter your “fire song” in the Guide’s contest!
.
.
===
.
.
3) QUICK GLANCE AT ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND OF MUSIC!
+
See our separate features on DALA and JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS, playing locally, to learn more about each…
+
Next, CHRISTINE LAVIN is back in Southern Cal and she isn’t often here. As astute, witty, entertaining, funny, and socially relevant as ever when we saw her perform earlier this week at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Christine Lavin remains a “must-see” artist. Catch her in San Diego Friday, September 24 at 7:30 pm at the “AMSD” concert series (formerly Acoustic Music San Diego). OR, she performs in West Hollywood on Wednesday, October 6, at the Gardenia Restaurant & Lounge. See the Guide’s event listings.
+
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, & SUNDAY, DAY-BY-DAY…
+
+
TONIGHT, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, there are several Guide “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks, and more. Here’s a sample…
+
* 7:30 pm CHRISTINE LAVIN plays the in San Diego.
* TONY BENNETT at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City.
* 8 pm “WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY” plus music Oscar winner RYAN BINGHAM at the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park, L.A.
* 8 pm BEAUSOLEIL avec MICHAEL DOUCET at McCabe’s in Santa Monica.
* 8 pm JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in, Altadena (plus, they play the Grand Annex in San Pedro on Saturday at 8 pm).
* 9 pm I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. play the Cinema Bar in Culver City, no cover.
* 9:30 pm KEN O’MALLEY plays Ireland’s 32 in Van Nuys, fresh from his big night at the Ford Amphitheatre.
+
+
ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, there are a BUNCH of Guide “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks, and other interesting stuff…
+
The all-day, 16th annual, “HARVEST FESTIVAL OF DULCIMERS” brings Appalachian music and Bavarian & Medieval music workshops & concerts, at Culver-Palms United Methodist Church in Culver City. The noontime concert is FREE, and there’s a 6 pm evening concert with festival and workshop headliners CARMEN AMREIN, KENDRA WARD, BOB BENCE, & NEAL HELLMAN that requires tickets (the workshops have fees).
+
Plus, on Saturday, there are ALL THESE shows and more:
* 7 pm JANET KLEIN & THE PARLOR BOYS bring their charming early-20th –century proto jazz and tin pan alley classics to the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena.
* 7 pm “FIESTA MEXICANA VIII – SONES, BAILES Y CANTARES” at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood.
* 7:30 pm SLAID CLEAVES plus ANNABELLE LEE play the Folk Music Center & Museum in Claremont.
* 7:30 pm BANSHEE IN THE KITCHEN plays a house concert in Northridge.
* 7:30 pm KEN GRAYDON & FRIENDS play the “Fallbrook Americana Music Series” at Fallbrook Mission Theater in Fallbrook (N San Diego Co).
* 8 pm DALA, the splendid female Canadian indie music duo of AMANDA WALTHER & SHEILA CARABINE, plays the Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University in Malibu (and DALA plays Sunday at 4 pm at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts in Whittier).
* 8 pm CHRIS STUART & BACKCOUNTRY play Boulevard Music in Culver City.
* 8 pm “BODIE HOUSE MUSIC 10th ANNIVERSARY SHOW” at the “Bodie House Music Series at the Thousand Oaks Library.”
* 8 pm BEAUSOLEIL avec MICHAEL DOUCET plus BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX & THE MARDI GRAS INDIANS at Great Park (Balloon Park), Irvine.
* 8 pm COW BOP plays Boulevard Music in Culver City.
* 8 pm JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS play The Grand Annex in San Pedro.
* 8 pm THE ANDY RAU BAND at The Fret House in Covina.
+
+
ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, there are more Guide “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks…
+
* 4 pm DALA, the splendid female Canadian indie music duo of AMANDA WALTHER & SHEILA CARABINE, plays the Shannon Center for the Performing Arts in Whittier (after they play Saturday at 8 pm at the Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University in Malibu).
* 7 pm SLAID CLEAVES is at McCabe’s in Santa Monica.
* 7 pm JIM “KIMO” WEST – top Hawaiian slack key guitarist and composer, plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena.
* 7:30 pm PO’ GIRL plays the “Gelencser House Concert” series tonight in Claremont (AND, they -play the Coffee Gallery Backstage on Tuesday, September 28 at 8 pm, AND Wednesday at 7:30 pm, PO’ GIRL plays the “AMSD” concert series in San Diego).
+
+
See the Guide’s event listings and detailed write-ups for information on all these shows and more.
.
.
===
.
.
4) DALA, CANADIAN FOLK DUO & PBS DARLINGS, HERE SEPTEMBER 25 & 26
+
An enthusiastic “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick in the Guide, DALA, the splendid Canadian indie music duo, plays shows in performing arts centers in Malibu at 8 pm Saturday night, and in Whittier at 4 pm Sunday.
+
Darlings of the Canadian music scene, AMANDA WALTHER & SHEILA CARABINE of DALA have come a long way in a short time. The duo’s name was formed by combining the last two letters of each artist’s first name. That esoterica aside, Dala won the 2010 “Toronto Independent Music Award” for “Best Folk Artist(s).”
+
DALA has performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Edmonton Folk Festival, California’s Strawberry Festival, and Mariposa. In 2009 it was the only Canadian act invited to play at the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival.
+
The duo’s PBS special a co-production for US public TV, “Girls from the North Country,” was recently broadcast across North America and GREATLY impressed the editor of the Guide. (Of course, we saw it in L.A. with many pledge drive interruptions, since that’s the only time KCET and KOCE air PBS music shows.)
+
“[They are] the angels of folk music. Ethereal, eloquent, and downright beautiful, the music they create is faultlessly performed…” – Exclaim!
+
“Everyone Is Someone,” Dala’s newest album, was released in 2009 to critical acclaim. It earned the vocalists their FIFTH “Canadian Folk Music Award” nomination and was named “Album of the Year” by The Irish Post. Their song, “Horses” – which speaks to the heartbreak and hope of a young man dealing with disability – was nominated by National Public Radio in the US as one of the “Top 10 Folk Songs” of 2009.
+
Amanda’s ethereal soprano voice blends seamlessly with Sheila’s velvety alto, creating the lush harmonies that have become their trademark. The sheer joy with which they perform is infectious, turning first-time listeners into instant fans.
+
The duo has performed at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall a total of seven times, and toured across Canada six times, opening for Canadian artists Jann Arden, Tom Cochrane, Matthew Good, Stuart McLean of the CBC’s “Vinyl Cafe,” and, most recently, Chantal Kreviazuk.
+
The two best friends have come a long way since they met in their high school music class and wrote their first song together in 2002.
+
Dala is poised to bring its harmonies and fresh brand of acoustic pop to the world. Drawing upon influences like the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, the pair writes songs that are both catchy and insightful.
+
More at www.dalagirls.com
+
DALA performs:
+
8 pm SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at the Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu; www.arts.pepperdine.edu. Presented by Pepperdine University Center for the Arts. Advance tix, 310-506-4522. The admission price includes a dessert reception with the musicians following the performance. Tix, $25 gen’l, $10 for full-time Pepperdine students.

+
AND,
+
4 pm SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, at the the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; advance tix, 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org.
.
.
===
.
5) JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS HIT L.A., SEPTEMBER 24 & 25…
+
Catch ‘em Friday, September 24 at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, or Saturday, September 25, at The Grand Annex in San Pedro (see events listings).
+
Now, just WHY do you want to see ‘em? JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS have played shows with some of the most acclaimed artists and songwriters, including TAJ MAHAL, LOS LOBOS, ETTA JAMES, THE RADIATORS, ROBERT EARL KEEN, JOHN HAMMOND, AUGIE MEYERS, DAVE ALVIN, GUY CLARK, and CHUCK PROPHET, and others, Halford making a name for himself with his poetic lyrics, his raw and haunting slide guitar, and continuing to build his rep with his band of top players. Buddy Siegal of the OC Weekly wrote, “I am here to place Jeffrey Halford . . . in the pantheon of great American singer-songwriters.”
+
Okay, this isn’t an acoustic string band. This San Francisco-based outfit receives the inevitable comparisons to John Fogerty, Tom Waits and even Bob Dylan. Jeffrey Halford & the Healers offer soulful blues-influenced and rootsy rock-n-roll. Getting his start on the streets and small clubs in the City by the Bay, Halford’s songs create a uniquely American, and specifically California, landscape.
+
Halford’s newest and fifth CD, “Railbirds,” is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Hunkpapa.” Reviews for their recordings illuminate what makes them distinctive and compelling:
+
“’Broken Chord’ again highlights his strengths as a talented wordsmith with the soul of a rugged roadhouse rocker,” writes No Depression. The reviewer for Blues Bytes wrote of their CD, Broken Chord, “I liked [it] better each time I heard it.” The San Francisco Chronicle said, “Halford and the Healers tone down the electric edge of the country-rock, which has matured admirably on their new CD, Broken Chord.” A paper with one of the most colorful names in America, the Tacoma Weekly Volcano, wrote, “Halford is a singer-songwriter who plays a mean six-string…with shades of country, blues and rock and roll, he and his band play with a fiery fury that is raucously delightful. He is about as authentic as the day is long.”
+
And then there are the reviews of their live performances:
+
“Jeffrey Halford and crew go well beyond a mastery of their instruments” – Music Connection. Phil Reser of the Chico Enterprise Record wrote, “Their impeccable improvisational skills make listeners feel that each moment of their performance is unique and special…experience and dedication emanate from Halford and the Healers…(he) makes his guitar sound like the voice of a soulful back-up singer,” and he continued, “Halford is a talented, American roots-rock musician steeped in the trinity of blues, folk and rock, with well-crafted and lyrically interesting songs about American life.”
+
Halford’s song “Rock N’ Fire” has been featured on the nationally-syndicated radio show, “Blues Deluxe,” heard weekly over one-hundred-plus stations throughout the US and Canada with a two-million-plus listenership (of course, we don’t get it on any L.A. broadcast station.) Three tracks from Broken Chord were added to regular rotation on KPIG-FM in San Francisco, one of America’s top Americana stations. This past summer, Broken Chord remained in the Top 20 Americana Charts for nine consecutive weeks, receiving over 3,500 spins – placing it on a par with such renowned artists as Wilco, Steve Earl, and Ryan Adams.
+
The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena – the place for Friday’s show – has repeatedly received accolades in FolkWorks annual “Best of / Top Ten” as the “best intimate acoustic venue in L.A.” If you haven’t found your way up Lake Avenue, straight above the 210 Freeway and Old Town Pasadena, you’re missing a venue with great sound, adjustable stage lights, and more top-quality acoustic and Americana bookings that anyplace else in Southern California. Reservations are recommended at 626-794-2424; tix, $15.
+
The Grand Annex is an intimate 100-seat music listening room in San Pedro – which hosts Saturday’s show – is operated by Grand Vision Foundation, a 15-year-old non-profit dedicated to the preservation and continued use of the historic Warner Grand Theatre. Proceeds from concerts at the Grand Annex go toward ongoing restoration and repairs at the Warner Grand Theatre. They offer wine tasting packages on show nights, and various other specials. A “Wine Tastings & Ticket Package” is available for $25 advance, $30 day of show. Tastings before all shows are at Off the Vine Wines, a few doors down. See the Guide’s events listings for full info. Make reservations for either option at 310-833-4813. Show tix are $15 advance, $20 day of show.
.
.
===
.
.
6) 8th ANNUAL “SOURCE AWARDS” HONOR WOMEN IN MUSIC
+
The SOURCE AWARDS, co-hosted this year by BRENDA LEE and JEANNIE SEELY, are an annual celebration honoring women in the music industry for their tireless work and contributions to the business.
+
MICHAEL BOLTON, VINCE GILL, and Nashville Mayor KARL DEAN were on hand for the special evening honoring “Influential Women in the Nashville Music Industry.”
+
The event was held Thursday, August 26, at the Noah Liff Opera Center in Nashville.
+
CELIA FROEHLIG, CAROL PHILLIPS, SHERYTHA SCAIFE, LIZ THIELS, and RUTH WHITE were celebrated and thanked for contributing their knowledge and talents to the industry and Nashville community as well as for their continued efforts to push the music industry forward. FRANCES W PRESTON received the esteemed “Jo Walker Meador Lifetime Achievement Award” from country music star and her good friend VINCE GILL. Congratulating Preston were singer-songwriter MICHAEL BOLTON and Nashville’s Mayor KARL DEAN.
+
The evening was filled with stories, laughs and appreciative words for all that these women have contributed.
+
Gill said, “I was thrilled to death to get this invitation to come and present this to Frances. You could be a kid getting their first songwriter award, or you could be Harlan Howard–and she treated you the same. I really love women. A woman knows how to nurture. A woman knows community. A man never ‘gets’ that. I value these relationships, these friends.”
+
Founded in 1991, SOURCE is a nonprofit organization supporting women executives and professionals who work in all facets of the Nashville music industry. In 2003, the Source Awards were established to honor the pioneering women who helped establish the foundation of the music industry.
+
If you happen to be passing through the Nashville International Airport, check out “The Source Behind the Music” exhibit, currently on display at Concourse C. It highlights many of the past and current SOURCE award winners and their achievements.
+
The exhibit makes the point, “While many were not celebrated in the music industry during their lifetime, they paved the way for women in the future and created the music industry as it is today.” The exhibit is curated and produced by “Arts at the Airport,” Caroline Carlisle, curator, and Karen Edgin, designer. It will remain until July, 2011.
.
.
===
.
.
7) WE’D LIKE YOU TO MEET… VICTORIA VOX
+
She’s a headliner at the upcoming SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA UKULELE FESTIVAL, Saturday, October 2 in Cerritos. It’s a Guide “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick, it runs 9 am-10 pm, and featured artists are VICTORIA VOX, “D HAWAII” SENIORS, THE JUMPING FLEAS, UNCLE LINCOLN’S UKULELE, HAWAIIAN LEGEND SERENADERS, MELE O’HANA UKULELE GROUP, ALDRINE GUERRERO, FRED THOMPSON and many more. But only she will sell you a “Don’t Uke and Drive” button, its message in a clever pictorial depiction.
+
VICTORIA VOX is charming and hides a devilishly playful streak behind that ever-so-sweet smile. She does the best “lipsophone” (as she calls it) mouth-effect of most everything in the horn section, without the need to pack any brass. She graduated Berklee College of Music with a degree in songwriting. She’s a multi-instrumentalist who plays the accordion and guitar. But mostly, she’s among today’s most-booked ukulele players, taking that instrument to gigs all over the world, and teaching techniques with it at numerous music camps.
+
She’s performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks” several times amidst her touring and recording sessions in L.A., doing her originals and covering classics like “Ukulele Lady.”
+
Last month, Victoria’s newest CD, “Exact Change,” got some fine reviews. Check out these comments:
+
Urbanite Magazine wrote, “The uke might scream novelty act, but behind the whimsical instrumentation lies some precise pop-friendly songcraft and serious ambition, as Vox’s new album proves. Vox pushes the little instrument into expressive new territory.”
+
Vintage Guitar Magazine cites, “An undercurrent of toughness, a beautiful voice, great melodies and loads of charm make her unique folk/pop music impossible to resist.”
+
Baltimore Magazine, published in her adopted hometown, says, “Vox explores the instrument’s propulsive potential. I’ve never heard, or seen, anything quite like ‘Exact Change.’”
+
And never underestimate the value of a fan review. Victoria shared “a really cool email from someone that I got a couple of weeks ago. Every now and then an email makes me laugh out loud!” Here’s an excerpt:
+
“A word on your music: through social media (and concerts, etc.) you have probably noticed that you have an interesting ‘following’-your music appeals not just to your own ‘age group,’ and not just ‘ukeys’ (I coined that one), but to a wide range of folks. That means you’re doing something right! You’re not bound by just one style, nor by one instrument. You are also being creative with the marketing and business aspect of your music in a time of great change in the industry.
+
“Transcending your collected work is a lively intellect, a playful sense of humor, a mastery of language (there IS an art to songwriting, as with poetry, to invoke in the reader/listener emotion, imagery, etc. while being spare with your words).
+
“I was thinking about that while driving. You are a generation younger, but imagine, for a moment, if Tina Fey, Victoria Jackson (early Saturday Night Live), Flo (Progressive Insurance commercials), and Cyndi Lauper were put in a Waring blender, and the best of each PLUS something uniquely your own flew in from Green Bay, ukulele in hand, and crashed a Dave Matthews Band & U2 joint concert. That’s what I hear in your songs. Interesting, infective, often joyous, never boring, with a slightly unpredictable edginess.
+
“As Martha Stewart says, that is ‘a good thing.’”
+
Beyond sharing the message from that happy fan, Victoria wrote, “The bag is packed (please note that my squeezebox takes up 1/2 my suitcase, so I don’t get to bring much for clothes!) and I’ve got 2 ukuleles and my laptop. All I need really. 🙂 I left Daphne (my car) at home this time, and I’m mass transiting from NY to CA. I’m currently in Montreal, just for fun, as I got a $62 train ticket from NYC! It was a gorgeous 11 hour ride and I get to speak French for a couple of days before heading to NV for the first week of the tour.”
+
She sent us a long list of shows, and notes she is “averaging a show every other day or so.”
+
That’s more important that the usual desire of a musician to work. Victoria explains, “This is a VERY good thing as I just put an offer in on my very own house in Baltimore! It’s super cute – a little old and needing some work (anyone know a good plumber!?) but quirky enough to fit my style 😉 So… I’m very happy to be working ;)”
+
Before playing the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA UKULELE FEST, she is, as usual, playing festivals all over the map, including the “Wine Country Ukulele Festival” in St Helena, California, on September 12; the “Ukulele Meetup” in Phoenix, Arizona on September 23, and the “Milwaukee Ukulele Festival” where she performs with the excellent BOULDER ACOUSTIC SOCIETY in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 25. Not to mention a buncha other gigs.
+
The annual SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA UKULELE FEST returns Saturday, October 2, and runs 9 am-10 pm at Cerritos Park East Community Center, 13234 E 166th St, Cerritos; info, 818-522-6066 or 818-322-8026. (See the Guide’s listing.)
+
There’s lots more at www.victoriavox.com and www.itunes.com/victoriavox and www.victoriavox.bandcamp.com
.
.
===
.
.
8) SPUTNIK, GPS, & IPODS: IS THIS THE “GIANT LEAP” WE WERE EXPECTING?
+
An important and essentially unknown anniversary arrives October 4. On that day in 1957, SPUTNIK 1 became the earth’s first artificial satellite, when it was launched by the Soviet Union. The size of a basketball, all it did was orbit and beep – and scare the crap out of militarists and scientists everywhere west of the Iron Curtain.
+
Oh, yes, it did that, and along the way, it STARTED THE SPACE RACE. And that has given us: communication satellites; talking car-dashboard navigation units (and watches and cell phones) with “we-know-where-you-are” GPS; ever-smaller portable computers; cell phones that let you watch TV on one-inch screens; wall-size flat screens (because who wants to watch anything on a 32-inch TV – though one-inch screens are somehow okay); postage-stamp-size music players with ear buds that make us deaf and antisocial; countless and ubiquitous (and often annoying) digital doodads and gew-gaws; and oh, yeah, it took America to the Moon with six manned landings from 1969 through 1972.
+
Alas, it all became nothing but narcissistic consumer electronics that made mass-produced high-tech highly profitable – by exporting all the jobs to slave-labor complexes in China that lock-in as many as 300,000 workers in each fenced-in factory / living unit, where they work 36-hour shifts for $5 a day, and have the highest suicide rate of any workers in the world (as detailed over the past year in the London Daily Mirror and in the current Bloomberg Business News).
+
The GENE RODDENBERRY vision of the future, together with that of ARTHUR C. CLARKE in his “2001,” and the long-gone (thrown-away) magic of Apollo – the true pioneering promise and the “Giant leap” for humanity – were all tossed overboard, and have yet to be rediscovered or fulfilled…
+
At least live acoustic music performances are still real.
.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
RECENT NEWS FEATURES (in the past 30 days):
.
.
September 16 edition’s News Features are available at:
+
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/09/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news-sep_16.html
+
The topics are:
1) We’d Like You to Meet… James McMurtry (he plays The Mint, Sep 22)
2) Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band’s “Legacy”
3) “Byrds Week” at The Coffee Gallery Backstage…
4) Blue Ridge Pickin’ Parlor – Closed, but not Gone; Concerts Coming, & Stage at “Santa Clarita Pumpkin Festival” October 23
5) Dillon Campbell, Son of Glen Campbell, Releases Sampler EP
6) “Amoebapalooza” Hits King King in Hollywood, September 26
7) Molly’s Revenge Plays Benefit for One Of its Own
.
===
.
September 9 edition’s News Features are available at:
+
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/09/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news-sep_09.html
+
The topics are:
1) Tix Giveaway: Coffee Gallery Backstage – Show of Your Choice
2) Tix Giveaway: “Celtic Arts Center Concert at The Ford,” Sep 12
3) Annual L.A. County Fair, Brings Music & More, Runs Entire Month
4) 1st Annual “Fall Equinox Festival” Arrives this Weekend
5) This Saturday is Crazy with Good Music
6) “Festivals Almanac” – Summer’s Last, Through the Fall
7) We’d Like You to Meet… Eliza Gilkyson (she has local gigs this month)
.
===
.
September 4 edition’s News Features are available at:
+
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/09/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news-sep.html
+
The topics are:
1) Tix Giveaway: Coffee Gallery Backstage – Show of Your Choice
2) Tix Giveaway: “Celtic Arts Center Concert at The Ford,” Sep 12
3) Some Thoughts about Labor Day, As it Is in 2010
4) Millpond Music Festival Will Bring Tuneful End to Summer
5) We’d Like You to Meet… The Whites
.
===
.
August 28 edition’s News Features are available at:
+
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/08/acoustic-americana-music-guide-aug-28.html
+
The topics are:
1) 21st International Bluegrass Music Awards Names Hosts – Jerry Douglas,
Sharon & Cheryl White to Officiate
2) “Laptop Lyrics” Singalong Is Innovative Fun, Every Week
3) San Pedro’s Grand Annex Announces Fall Season
4) “Texas Crossroads Cowboy Gathering” Seeks Performers
5) Karen Hart Gears-Up for Holiday Season, Has Video Up Now
6) Bob Stane’s Tale of Desert Delirium – and He Solicits Yours
7) Our Musician’s “Real-Life Moments” of The Week…
From Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, And From Marina V
8) Brigitte DeMeyer Signs Nashville Publishing Deal
9) We’d Like You to Meet… Jerry Douglas
10) Editorial: Why a Show Biz Career Confuses Heroes & Celebrities –
and Makes You a Target for Gossip (Part 2)
11) Final Days for The Guide’s Current “Thank-You” Gifts –
Change Arrives August 31
.
===
.
.
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.
.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entire contents copyright (c) © 2010, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.