Sunday, February 28, 2010

2/28/10 Playlist

1. Carolina Chocolate Drops: Snowden's Jig (Genuine Negro Jig), Nonesuch www.carolinachocolatedrops.com
2. Patty Griffin: Death's Got A Warrant (Downtown Church), Credential www.pattygriffin.com
3. Patrick Bloom: Minnesota (Ghosts of Radio), Mud Dauber www.patrickbloom.com
4. Patty Larkin w/ Beppe Gambetta: St. Augustine (25), Signature Sounds www.signaturesounds.com

Concerts:
5. Hoots & Hellmouth (Pearl Street 3/6): Family Band (The Holy Open Secret), Mad Dragon www.hootsandhellmouth.com
6. Atwater-Donnelly (Aubrey at Windsor Art Center 3/4): She Sits at Her Loom (The Blackest Crow), Rabbit Island www.atwater-donnelly.com
7. Brooks Williams (Iron Horse 3/7): Lightning (The Time I Spend with You), Red Guitar Blue Music www.brookswilliams.com
8. Maria Sangiolo (Plainfield Town Hall 3/5): Red Tent (One Autumn Night), Long Night Moon www.mariasangiolo.com

9. Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem (The Kate 3/7): They All Ask'd For You (Ranky Tanky), self www.raniarbo.com
10. Kerri Powers (Iron Horse 3/3, S.N.F.F. 3/7): Do You Hear Footsteps (Faith in the Shadows), self www.kerripowers.com
11. Todd Snider (Iron Horse 3/3): Corpus Christi Bay (The Excitement Plan), Yep Roc www.yeproc.com
12. Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas (Iron Horse 3/2): St. Kilda Wedding / Brose & Butter (Fire & Grace), Culburnie www.culburnie.com

13. Notorious (Sounding Board 3/6): Gelem, Gelem / medley (Elkin), Black Socks www.notoriousfolk.com
14. Jonathan Edwards (Stone Soup 3/6): Seven Daffodils (Rollin' Along), Strictly Country www.StrictlyCountryRecords.com
15. Girlyman (Iron Horse 3/6): Easy Bake Ovens (Everything's Easy), self www.girlyman.com 16. Catie Curtis (Garde 3/6): (Hello, Stranger), Compass www.catiecurtis.com

Eliza Gilkyson at Roaring Brook 3/6 www.elizagilkyson.com:
17. Rosie Strike Back (Legends of Rainmaker), Gold Castle
18. Lights of Santa Fe (Through The Looking Glass), Private Music
19. Solitary Singer (Redemption Road), Silver Wave
20. Great Correction (Beautiful World), Red House www.redhouserecords.com

Grace Griffith's famous cat Miss Kitty died this week; she was included on a couple of album covers over the years -- these songs aren't about her, but what the heck:
21 & 22. Cindy Mangsen: Open That Can & The Familiar (Cat Tales), Compass Rose www.compassrosemusic.com

More concerts:
23. Black 47 (Half Door 3/6): One Starry Night (Bankers and Gangsters), United for Opportunity www.UFOmusic.com
24. Lunasa (Crawford & Vallely in Middletown house concert 3/6): Bulgarian Rock (The Kinnitty Sessions), Compass www.compassrecords.com

The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Fraser & Haas's "Fire & Grace," Culburnie

Birthdays:
25. Jim Mercik w/Hugh Blumenfeld: Is This Enough (Rocket Science), Prime CD www.hughblumenfeld.com
26. Jacquie Manning/Small Potatoes: Waltz of The Wallflowers (Waltz of The Wallflowers), Wind River www.folkera.com/windriver
27. Matt & Shannon Heaton: Keeper of The Game (Dearga), self www.eatsrecords.com
28. Jim Douglas / Old Blind Dogs: The Wisest Fool (Play Live), Green Linnet

Nuclear power, the CLEAN solution!
29. John Hall: Plutonium Is Forever (No Nukes), Elektra
30. Tom Paxton: All Clear in Harrisburg (The Paxton Report), Mountain Railroad LP
31. Doobie Brothers / John Hall / James Taylor: Power (No Nukes), Elektra
32. Don Lange: Take the Children and Run (Don Lange Live), Flying Fish LP
33. Gil Scott-Heron: We Almost Lost Detroit (No Nukes), Elektra
34. Fred Small: Hot Frogs on The Loose (Everything Possible), Flying Fish

35. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House www.redhouserecords.com

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New Utah Phillips Website

This from Utah's son:

Hello everyone,

Please do take a few minutes or hours and check out the new web site that I built to house the works of Bruce " Utah " Phillips (dad) http://www.thelongmemory.com and to keep folks up to date on the various projects that we are working on.

Thank you
Duncan Phillips

Monday, February 22, 2010

2/21/10 Playlist

1. Houston Jones: Pick Up the Snake (Jericho Road), self www.houstonjones.com
2. Susan McKeown & Lorin Sklamberg: Yula (Saints & Tzadiks), World Village www.worldvillagemusic.com
3. Battlefield Band: Three Brothers (Zama Zama -- Try Your Luck), Temple www.battlefieldband.co.uk
4. Rebecca Troon: Broken Picker (Animal Skin), self

5. James McMurtry: Fire Line Road (Just Us Kids), Lightning Rod www.jamesmcmurtry.com
6. Pieta Brown: Lovin' You Still (Shimmer), Red House www.redhouserecords.com
7. Grada: Salthill Bugalu (Natural Angle), Compass www.compassrecords.com
8. Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: Syncopated Washboard Rhythm Song (Banjo to Beatbox), self www.cathymarcy.com

9. Dan Reeder: Maybe (This New Century), Oh Boy www.danreeder.com
10. Bonnie Koloc: God Bless the Child (Beginnings), Mr. Biscuit www.bonniekoloc.com
11. Suzi Ragsdale: Wishbone (Best Regards / Less of The Same), self
12. Charlie Maguire: Talking Camping [for all the campers who get to take their loaded firearms into the national parks as of tomorrow] (Stepping Stones), Mello-Jamin www.charliemaguire.com

13. Bela Fleck: Kinetsa (Throw Down Your Heart), Rounder www.rounder.com
14. Anne Hills: Pennsylvania (Points of View), Appleseed www.appleseedmusic.com
15. Michael Troy: Progress Is A Slow Train (Mill Town Boy), self www.folkmichaeltroy.com
16. Joy Kills Sorrow: Thinking of You and Such (Darkness Sure Becomes This City), Signature Sounds www.signaturesounds.com

Birth anniversary/days:
17. Nina Simone (1933): I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Forever Young, Gifted, and Black), Legacy / RCA
18. Greg Artzner / Magpie (1948): Bracero (Working My Life Away), Collector www.magpiemusic.com
19. Mary Chapin Carpenter (1958): Down in Mary's Land (State of The Heart), Columbia
20. Nina Simone: The Times They Are A-Changin' (Forever Young, Gifted, and Black), Legacy / RCA
21. Greg Artzner/ Magpie: Water, Fire & Smoke (Give Light), Sliced Bread www.slicedbread.com
22. Mary Chapin Carpenter: Halley Came to Jackson (Shooting Straight in The Dark), Columbia

23 & 24. from Patty Larkin's "25," Signature Sounds www.signaturesounds.com
23. with Mary Chapin Carpenter: Chained to These Lovin' Arms
24. with Chris Smither: Brazil

The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Ensemble Galilei's "Notes from Across the Sea" www.annmayomuir.com

25. Black 47: Izzy's Irish Rose (Bankers and Gangsters), United for Opportunity www.UFOmusic.com
26. Carolina Chocolate Drops: Snowden's Jig (Genuine Negro Jig), Nonesuch www.carolinachocolatedrops.com
27. Carolina Chocolate Drops: Hit 'Em Up Style (live downloads with pre-order), Nonesuch www.carolinachocolatedrops.com
28. The Ebony Hillbillies: Hell Among the Yearlings (Sabrina's Holiday), self www.theebonyhillbillies.com
29. Anais Mitchell: Wedding Song (Hadestown), download, Righteous Babe www.anaismitchell.com
30. Ani di Franco: Our Lady of The Underground (Hadestown), download

31. Tim Grimm: The Longest Night (Farm Songs), Vault www.timgrimm.com
32. Jim Post: Windego (Back on The Street Again), self www.jimpost.com
33. Patty Griffin with Emmylou Harris: Little Fire (Downtown Church), Credential Recordings www.credentialrecordings.com
34. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House www.redhouserecords.com

Monday, February 15, 2010

Laurie Lewis article, San Francisco Chronicle

Laurie Lewis garners fans with grace, not glitz

Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle Senior Pop Music Correspondent

Sunday, February 14, 2010

One of the highlights of the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival every year takes place out of the sight of the public, at the cast-and-crew dinner and jam session on the Saturday night of the three-day free concert in Golden Gate Park, where Berkeley bluegrass bandleader Laurie Lewis presides over a roomful of the greatest musicians in the field.

With gracious good humor and the kind of feather-touch command only a woman could wield, Lewis will point her fiddle bow into the crowd and summon to the stage musicians far better known than herself: "Emmylou, come up and sing one."

"It's a private thing," she says, "but it's been incredible fun. It's good because it's become one of the things artists playing Hardly Strictly look forward to play. It's too much fun, not that I don't work my ass off."

The rest is at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/12/PKL91BOUI6.DTL

Sunday, February 14, 2010

2/14/10 Playlist

1. Joe Jencks: Crossing Over (Links in A Chain), self www.joejencks.com
2. Claudia Schmidt: Promising Sky (Promising Sky), self www.claudiaschmidt.com
3. Madden / Conway / McComisky / Dolan: Redican's Mother / Medley (Pride of New York), Compass www.compassrecords.com
4. Tom Chapin: We Will Adjust (Let the Bad Times Roll), Sundance www.tomchapin.com

5. Wendy Webb: Nashville Can Wait (Moon on Havana), Spooky Moon www.wendywebbmusic.com
6. Joe Pug: The Door Was Always Open (Messenger), Lightning Rod www.joepug.com
7. Les Sampou: Lonely Nights & Lonely Days (Lonesomeville), self www.LesSampou.com
8. Slaid Cleaves: Green Mountains and Me (Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away), Music Road www.slaid.com

9. Kaydi Johnson: Peasant of The Wreck (Peasant of The Wreck), Fifty Fifty Music http://fiftyfiftymusic.com
10. Matt the Electrician: Bridge to Nowhere (Animal Boy), self www.mattheelectrician.com
11. Diana Jones: Better Times Will Come (Better Times Will Come), Proper American www.dianajonesmusic.com
12. Greg Trafidlo: Talking White House Cleaning Blues (Carved in Song), Kira www.gregtrafidlo.com

13. Deborah Berman & The Nogoodniks: Shtec Nit Dayn Finger in Der Noz (We're Not Kidding! A Tribute to Barry Louis Polisar), Snail www.barrylou.com
14. The Vespers: All I Want Is You (We're Not Kidding!)
15. Kat Eggleston: Careless (Speak), self www.kateggleston.com
16. Crosby Tyler: Warmth of My Tears (10 Songs of America Today), Bohemia www.myspace.com/crosbytyler10songsofamericatoday

Upcoming concerts:
17. Anne Hills: Alexandra Leaving (Points of View), Appleseed www.appleseedmusic.com
18. Eric Bibb: Done Laid Around (Good Stuff), EarthBeat!
19. Bela Fleck et al: Throw Down Your Heart(Throw Down Your Heart), Rounder [www.rounder.com]
20. Three Tall Pines: Jenny Mule (Short While Ago), self www.threetallpines.com
21. The Ebony Hillbillies: Dangerous Man (I Thought You Knew), self www.theebonyhillbillies.com

In addition to being Valentine's Day, it's also V-Day, involving a global movement to stop violence against women and girls
22. Caroline Aiken: Are We There Yet, Mama? (Are We There Yet, Mama?), self www.carolineaiken.com
23. Tamarack: Hockey Town (13), Folk Era www.FolkEra.com
24. Peggy Seeger: Winnie and Sam (Period Pieces), Tradition
25. Tom Paxton: She Sits on The Table (The Paxton Report), Mountain Railroad LP
26. Janis Ian: His Hands (Breaking Silence), Morgan Creek www.janisian.com
27. Malvina Reynolds: The Judge Said (Ear to The Ground), Smithsonian Folkways

The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Roger Williams's "A Resophonic Retrospective," Happy Appy Records www.rogerreso.net

From Hope For Haiti Now (download), www.hopeforhaitinow.org
28. Mary J. Blige with The Roots: Hard Times Come Again
29. Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Kid Rock: Lean on Me
30. John Legend: Motherless Child

Anne Hills at The Sounding Board 2/20:
31 & 32. Lover's Knot & Forget Me Not (Angle of The Light), Flying Fish www.annehills.com
33. Little Orphant Annie (Ef You Don't Watch Out), Collective Works www.collectiveworksmedia.com

34 Shannon Lambert-Ryan: Betsy Belle and Mary Gray (Across the Pond), self slryan18@gmail.com
35. Kerri Powers: Low Down Low (Faith in The Shadows), self www.faithintheshadows.com
36. Greg Trafidlo: Life Is Like A Grocery Coupon (Carved in Song), Kira www.gregtrafidlo.com 37. John McCutcheon: Closing The Bookstore Down (Storied Ground), Rounder www.rounder.com
38. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House www.redhouserecords.com

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Wall Street Journal article about Nashville's variety

Country's Cousins

By BARRY MAZOR, Wall Street Journal

Feb. 9, 2010
Nashville, Tenn.

When, back in the '70s, Waylon Jennings sang of Nashville, "It's the home of country music, on that we all agree," he did not feel called on to add to that lyric the footnote "Of course, a lot of the time, I play rock songs myself."

It is, by this point, something of a local amusement among performers in Music City, U.S.A. (which never was called simply "Country Music City," after all) to spot the articles that appear every few months, quite dependably, in music and travel sections in the national press—the ones heralding the shocking new discovery that there is so much quality music being made here that isn't country at all.

The rest is at http://tinyurl.com/yazezvt

Sunday, February 7, 2010

2/7/10 Playlist

1. The Resophonics: Joy Comes Back (Diamonds in The Ground), self www.resophonics.com
2. Sara Watkins: Where Will You Be (Sara Watkins), Nonesuch www.sarawatkins.com
3. Jim Post: Beautiful City (Reach Out Together), self www.jimpost.com
4. Amy Speace: Dog Days (The Killer in Me), Wildflower www.amyspeace.com

5. Dave Rawlings Machine: How's about You (A Friend of A Friend), Acony
6. Laura Love / Orville Johnson: Cotton Eyed Joe (The Sweeter The Juice), Octoroon Biography www.lauralove.net
7. The Loose Acoustic Trio: One Man Band (Sorrow Be Gone), Big Book www.looseacoustictrio.com
8. Shannon Lambert-Ryan: The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Across the Pond), self www.myspace.com/shannonlambertryan

Upcoming concerts:
9. John McCutcheon (Sounding Board 2/13): Sydney / Joe Hill (Untold), Appalseed www.folkmusic.com
10. Hot Soup w/Ann Mayo Muir: Two Fine Friends (Soup Happens), SOUPer Music
11. Hot Soup (U'n'I Coffeehouse 2/13): Dead Egyptian Blues (Hot Soup on Stage), SOUPer Music www.HotSoupTrio.com
12. Greg Brown (Infinity Hall 2/12): Verona Road (Dream City), Red House www.redhouserecords.com

13. Heather Maloney (Buttonwood Tree 2/12): Let It Ache (Cosy Razor's Edge), self www.heathermaloney.com
14. James Keelaghan (Music for A Change 2/12): Medusa (House of Cards), Borealis www.borealisrecords.com
15. The Sweetback Sisters (Iron Horse 2/11): It Don't Show on Me (Chicken Ain't Chicken), Signature Sounds www.signaturesounds.com
16. The Ebony Hillbillies (Mark Twain Theater 2/18): Cluck Old Hen (I Thought You Knew), self www.ebonyhillbillies.com

17. Karan Casey & John Doyle (Iron Horse 2/10): Sailing Off to The Yankee Land (Exiles Return), Compass www.compassrecords.com
18. Mark Erelli (Stone Soup 2/13): Hope Dies Last (Delivered), Signature Sounds www.signaturesounds.com
19. Gerard Edery Sephardic Ensemble (Branford Folk 2/13): Entre las Huertas (Sampler), private
20. Archie Fisher (Blackstone River Theater 2/13): Ride through The Rainbow (Windward Away), Red House www.redhouserecords.com
21. The Electric Trains (Willi Coop 2/13): Texas 1947 (Demo), self jackcollins50@hughes.net

I read Susan Campbell's "A Day of Triage for The Uninsured" [http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-campbell-free-clinic-020710-column,0,5232761.column], then played, from "Care for All," VermontCareForAll.org,
22. The Devil Makes Three: Never Learn
23. Si Kahn: Care for All
24. Anais Mitchell/Maddub w/Bernie Sanders: Suffering of The People

The Dreaded Folk Calendar over selections from Ed Gerhard's "Counting The Ways," Virtue Records (Ed's at Roaring Brook 2/13)

Here in CT there was a huge explosion at a power plant which was about 92% completed -- the only parallel I could think of quickly was with explosions in mines:
25. Molly Slemp: West Virginia Mine Disaster (Music of Coal), Lonesome Records & Publishing www.lpoy.org
26. Charlie Maggard: Explosion at Derby Mine (Music of Coal)

There's a lovely column by Jenna Woginrich in Paste magazine called "Night Rounds," about the soundtrack to her farming. I read it between two Tim Grimm songs from "Farm Songs," Vault Records www.timgrimm.com
27. She Remembers
28. Autumn Garden

New-ish:
30. Meg Hutchinson: Hard to Change (The Living Side), Red House www.redhouserecords.com
31. Bela Fleck et al (Jorgensen 2/23): Kinetsa (Throw Down Your Heart), Rounder www.rounder.com
32. Euphonia: Let the Bullgine Run (The Old Jawbone), self www.sylviaherold.com
33. Eliza Gilkyson et al: Peace Call (Land of Milk and Honey), Red House www.redhouserecords.com

Thursday, February 4, 2010

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Winners 2010

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS WENT TO:
Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan

GOOD TRADITION AWARD:
Transatlantic Sessions

FOLK SINGER OF THE YEAR:
And the winner was:
Jon Boden
Other nominees were:
Cara Dillon
Jackie Oates
Martin Simpson

Lots more at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folk-awards-2010/nominees/

The Banjo Project

The Banjo Project -- A Documentary

One of the most defining aspects of the bluegrass sound is the addition made by the 5-string banjo. It is the most “American” of all the instruments comprising a bluegrass band. There is a lot of lore, and misinformation, about the origins of the instrument and how it came to be what it is today. The banjo has played an interesting role in American culture over the years. If you’ve ever been interested in the history of this unique instrument, then you’re sure to be interested in The Banjo Project.

More at

http://www.thebluegrassblog.com/category/bluegrass-filmmovie-news/

and a LITTLE more at

http://thebanjoproject.org/

and at the bottom of THIS page, Mark Twain is quoted:

"The piano may do for lovesick girls who lace themselves to skeletons, and lunch on chalk, pickles, and slate pencils. But give me the banjo... When you want genuine music—music that will come right home to you like a bad quarter, suffuse your system like strychnine whiskey…ramify your whole constitution like the measles, and break out on your hide like the pin-feather pimples on a picked goose—when you want all this, just smash your piano, and invoke the glory-beaming banjo!" (Early Tales and Sketches, Vol. 2)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Dylan to perform at White House for first time

Emily Tan, Jan 26th 2010 1:35PM
Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is set to perform at the White House for the first time. As part of 'In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement,' Dylan, Natalie Cole, John Mellencamp and Smokey Robinson will perform songs from the Civil Rights era.

Hosted by President Barack Obama and his family, the show will take place in the White House East Room and will air on Feb. 11 at 8PM ET on PBS stations nationwide. Other performers include Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Howard University Choir.
More at http://tinyurl.com/ye5y4ny