tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55927582800197442582024-02-21T00:10:39.748-05:00Americana ReviewAmericana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-30369194110133131442020-02-26T15:46:00.000-05:002020-02-26T15:46:09.564-05:00Winterfolk XVIII A Roaring Success<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 28th edition of Toronto's annual wintertime music showcase, <a href="https://www.winterfolk.com/" target="_blank">Winterfolk</a> Blues and Roots Festival, celebrated music, activism and creativity at its new home this past weekend (February 21 to 23). Moving from the festival's traditional home along the clubs and pubs of the Danforth to its new home in the Annex at the Tranzac Club and Annex Hotel, the switch proved to be popular among festival-goers as the artists played to consistently packed rooms all weekend. Over 100 artists played in five separate rooms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The festival began with a stellar ticketed event highligting the musical diversity of Winterfolk with a showcase of Blues and Blue Grass featuring sets by Toronto blues mainstays Ken Whiteley, Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite, along with old-school country artists The Layrite Boys. This show highlights the history of modern North American music as blues and bluegrass are among the earliest forms of popular music this side of the Atlantic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Saturday's highlights included a wonderful set by <a href="http://www.alfieandnicole.com/index.html" target="_blank">Alfie Smith and Nicole Christian</a>. Alfie treated the crowd to some great blues guitar with "Sitting on Top of The World," while Nicole shared the story of receiving author Steven King's blessing for a song titled "Barn Dance." This show was heavy on the blues and Americana. Both artists are a treat to watch and will be playing a couple of shows over the course of the summer in Hamilton and Pelee Island, Ontario. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Saturday evening sessions were highlighted with a special showcase featuring some of the country's finest folk and Americana musicians, with Jon Brooks delivering a beautiful guitar heavy performance. Singer-songwriter extraordinaire <a href="https://www.thelynnes.com/home" target="_blank">Lynn Miles</a>, along with guitarist Wendall Ferguson, delivered a stellar performance which highlighted Miles' fantastic songwriting. "Merle," a song inspired by the passing of the great Merle Haggard reminded everyone of the importance of Mr. Haggard as an artist and influencer to musicians and songwriters everywhere. Special guest Clare Lynch appeared for two songs and provided high harmonies on "Old Soul," a track from a previous album.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pure folk duo Sue and Dwight played a few sets over the weekend with a special performance that paid homage to 1960's era folk on Sunday afternoon. Sue and Dwight had the good sense to provide the audience with lyric sheets to all of the songs to be performed during this session, which resulted in the first sing-along of Winterfolk weekend. An additional set featuring the greatest hits of Peter, Paul and Mary was very well received, as the duo featured hits by the groundbreaking 60's group, such as "If I Had My Way," "500 Miles," and their version of the John Denver classic "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Sue and Dwight perform similar sets regularly at the Free Times Café in Toronto, the third Wednesday of every month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps the finest showcase of the weekend took place with the Sunday blues performance of <a href="https://www.jackdekeyzer.com/" target="_blank">Jack DeKeyzer</a>. The first half of the show consisted of Jack taking the crowd to school, with a history lesson based on the evolution of blues music in North America. Taking fans through the early blues and highlighting many influential musicians such as Lightning Hopkins, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, Jack blew the crowd away by showing the guitar techniques of these groundbreaking blues guitarists. Jack then provided the link between those musicians and the evolution of modern rock as British rockers Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page introduced white America in the 1960s to the blues music of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, through their interpretation of the blues style of guitar playing. Examples were provided with snippets of the Clapton classic "Crossroads," and the Led Zeppelin classic "A Whole Lotta Love," which prominently featured Jimmy Page on guitar. A blues jam followed this set, featuring other guitar greats Mike McKenna, Danny Marks, D'Arcy Wickham and Donnie Roberts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Winterfolk is always a great kickoff to the folk festival season. If the success of Winterfolk is any indication of what 2020 will bring to the festival circuit, music fans are in for a huge treat this coming year.</span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-60279872746005715322020-02-20T07:05:00.001-05:002020-02-20T07:05:12.147-05:00Country vs. Americana Music<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago this space discussed comments made by Loretta Lynn on Martina McBride's podcast, where Ms. Lynn stated she believed country music is dead. As alluded to in the article, this is a discussion that has been going on for decades and is not likely to be solved any time soon. A debate that also continues, however, is one that Tyler Childers has brought about, and that is a country music versus Americana music conundrum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since his national and international breakthrough, Tyler Childers has been promoted heavily and heartily as an Americana artist, which includes a win as the Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Awards. In this <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/tyler-childers-rosanne-cash-sound-off-at-2018-americana-honors-awards-723621/" target="_blank">Rolling Stone Country article</a>, Childers bristles at the suggestion he's an Americana artist, insisting and identifying only as a country music artist. While I don't agree with Tyler Childers' seemingly hostile attitude to the Americana Music Association and the Americana movement as a musical genre, I do agree with one of his main arguments. That argument is that country music, and I'm talking of pure traditional country music, is now being referenced and referred to as Americana. Which, as Childers rightly points out, is wrong and doesn't solve the current issue with the state of mainstream country music today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For some music lovers, the state of today's mainstream country music is just fine. I would not agree. In an interview, Marty Stuart stated that, when asked by young aspiring newcomers to Nashville what's the most outlaw thing you can do in country music today, he tells them "play country music." Today's country music bears little to no resemblance of the original artform. Which, it can be argued, is a sign of musical evolution. No genre of music is the same now as it was 50 years ago. But what's happening in country music is head scratching, yet it's nothing new. The genre, or rather those in charge of the business side of the genre, have been chasing their tail for generations in an effort to be liked by the "cool kids" without ever really knowing who the "cool kids" are. They found the right formula in the 1990s with arguably country music's most successful commercial period with hundreds of millions of records being sold during a roughly 15 year timeframe. Now it seems the bottom has fallen out, with country music as a genre struggling to figure out what it is and who they are trying to appeal to. Steel guitars have been replaced with electric drum machines, pop hooks and a pseudo-rap sound that sometimes makes it difficult to discern whether the music belongs on a country station or pop station. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No other genre seems to wrestle with this sort of "identity crisis." For example, it would be hard to imagine Jay-Z saying in the studio while producing a rap song, "You know what this rap record needs more of? It needs more steel guitar to bring in a country sound." And, that's okay. Because it's rap - a different art form. Jay-Z is an amazing rap artist and recognized long ago that rap is his creative outlet and is confident enough in his art that he's not trying to have that art be something it isn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With this evolution of mainstream country music to its current state, it's no wonder country music purists are turning to a category/genre where elements of traditional country music can flourish. Enter Americana. Americana is a genre which is a melting pot of blues, country, folk, soul, and rock and roll. Artists are encouraged to experiment and produce the strongest material they can without the restrictions of Music Row contractual obligations. As the aforementioned Marty Stuart has said, Americana is about the heart and the art, not the charts. This blog site is primarily dedicated to the the Americana genre. Americana has experienced an astounding amount of growth over the past three to five years, as I believe people will always gravitate to what is real. Americana provides that real music to the masses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, it does become concerning when traditional country artists are automatically considered Americana. It's concerning for the country music genre. An article I recently read identified The Highwaymen album as an Americana record. That's not an accurate assessment. That 1985 album was a watershed moment for country music in the 1980s, as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson were very much country music artists. The album was a number one country music album and the title track was a number one song on the country music charts. There was nothing Americana about that album at the time of its release. If the narrative is now going to be delivered that traditional country music is really Americana and this narrative is accepted, then the genre of country music really is on life support. Which will be tragic as I believe country music is as worthy of a musical artform as pop, latin, rhythm and blues, and rap. If country music could just get out of its own way and stop trying to be something its not in a tireless effort to appeal to people that will never support country music, then the genre could get to a point where it could flourish again like it did in the 1990s. Country music doens't need to pretend that it's something else, including Americana. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-86222007081960038532020-02-13T08:48:00.002-05:002020-02-13T09:33:03.253-05:00Album Review: William Prince, Reliever (Six Shooter)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The world is opening up for <a href="https://www.williamprincemusic.com/" target="_blank">William Prince</a>. Fresh from opening a series of shows for Americana powerhouse Yola, William Prince has released a stellar sophomore record,<i> Reliever.</i> This 11 song collection comes at the conclusion of a challenging time for Prince, with the themes of these significant life changes finding their way on the album. What results is a record that can provide healing, hope and inspiration to the listener. This project is a great reminder that all things do pass, including the dark chapters of life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The album presents itself almost as a book, with chapters of the pain and disappointment of divorce and separation captured in songs "The Spark" and "Always Have What We Had" being followed up immediately by "Wasted", the title track "Reliever" and "Old Souls" showing the listener that once you get through those life changes, better is waiting for you. "Old Souls" in particular provides a brilliant transition in this project, as we move from the pain and promise of old and new relationships to life itself. Prince's son was the inspiration for "That's All I'll Ever Become", while the death of his father was the inspiration for "Leave It By the Sea." The writing, context and song placement is among the best I've ever heard on an album.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">William Prince is poised to become the next big Americana artist that we'll all be talking about. It's much deserved. The voice is there, the songwriting is there, but most of all the person is there. The only time I've met Prince is to shake his hand and say "well done" on a great performance. But in attending the record release for<i> Reliever</i> last week it became apparent that this gentleman is an amazingly good person. Prince's outlook on life is so positive that it's infectious. It's my great hope this excellent record and the artist receive all the accolades they deserve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-56105934929141899342020-02-06T15:43:00.002-05:002020-02-06T15:43:53.572-05:00Is Country Music Dead?<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's been a week since one of the pioneer's of modern American music, Loretta Lynn, voiced her concerns regarding the state of country music. "I think it's dead ..." was the <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/01/31/loretta-lynn-country-music-dead-martina-mcbride-interview/4621522002/" target="_blank">response</a> Ms. Lynn provided when asked by the amazing Martina McBride during an episode of McBride's "Vocal Point" podcast. If anyone has listened to mainstream country music for roughly the last decade, and you're a longtime fan of the genre, it's hard to argue against the point. And I'm not going to argue against a living legend who blazed the trail for so many performers to take up the mantle of country music going forward. Rather, I think country music is, once again, in the middle of a prolonged identity crisis. Such crises are not foreign to country music. As Sammy Kershaw once said - country music is the only genre that hates itself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For generations, country music has been attracted to "crossover" appeal; the great search for that elusive hit song that cracks not only the top of the country music chart, but the pop chart as well. So much so, that I would argue the genre has allowed itself to be compromised in almost every possible way to chase that dream. As I say, this is nothing new. The 1960s had what's referred to as "the Nashville Sound" where lush string sections and crooning vocals were all the rage. Sometimes it worked beautifully, as was the case with Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold. Other times, it failed miserably, as was the case with the earliest records of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. But that last sentence should raise eyebrows and pose the question ... what the hell were they doing pairing Willie Nelson with string sections? The answer is as true then as it is now. And it's the same miscalculation: if Cline, Reeves and Arnold are making big money with that type of crossover material, then everyone is going to do it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Record labels and their producers try to make a particular sound the standard as opposed to allowing the artists to set themselves apart with a different sound. It usually takes some renegade artists to move the needle back the other way. When that happens, it's usually a torrent going back to a more traditional sound of country music. The cure for the Case of the Crossover's was two guys that based themselves out of Bakersfield, California named Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. It was their electric guitar-heavy sound mixed with country twang and rockabilly, as well as some killer songwriting, that brought things back around. This in turn allowed Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings the opportunity to sing, write and perform as they always wanted to perform and before anyone on Music Row could see it coming, the Outlaw movement was off and running. This movement altered the country music landscape with a more traditional sound throughout the 1970s. During this time, there were country artists who were still crossing over to the pop charts, but it was with their own sound, not something manufactured by the power brokers on 16th Avenue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then the 1980s hit. This was a bit of a dark period for a lot of genre's of music. Synthethizers dominated the songscape and country music - once again - couldn't help itself from turning to a more pop-oriented sound. Some country artists were experiencing crossover success and the genre as a whole suffered. But all was not lost in the 1980s. Some guy from Texas named George Strait was just getting started, and another guy from Kentucky named Ricky Skaggs made a point to keep the traditional sound of country music on the airwaves. During that time, Dwight Yoakam was also reminding everyone that Bakersfield was the site for the last revolution in country music in the 1960s. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It wasn't until Music Row placed a bit more focus on the three artists just mentioned that they hit the jackpot with one of the most traditional country vocalists in its history: Randy Travis. Travis blew open the door and brought country music back to its traditional base in the late 1980s, moving it away from the pop-oriented sound that permeated the landscape in the early part of that decade. The way Travis was embraced by fans and, perhaps more importantly, garnered record sales once again caused a major shift in focus. Tradition sells, so they went and found traditional sounding artists. This resulted in the famed Class of '89, which gave the music world Vince Gill, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and Garth Brooks. These artists, and several others of this ilk, would dominate country radio for the better part of the next 15 to 20 years. Other artists who were successful in the 1980s, such as Reba McEntire and George Strait, became massive stars in the 1990s. Country music would go on to become the most listened to and most popular genre during this time, not for the way it sounded like pop music, but because it sounded like country music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now here we are in 2020 and for most of the past 10 years it seems country music finds itself in an existential crisis - trying once again to say to its detractors, "Hey, look at me, I really <i>am</i> cool!" The problem is, like with most things, if all you're doing is trying to please your critics by appeasing their every critique then you've already lost your way. The truth is, you will never win those critics over, no matter how many lyrics you rap in your country song, or how many electronic drum beat machines you utilize to record your album. They will just find something else to criticize. These days it's tough to tell if your local country music radio station is playing country music. It sounds the same as your local hit music station, and your local easy listening station, and your local pop station. Where there once was a way to differentiate the art, the lines have been steadily blurred. This change hasn't resulted in any increase in record sales, or even really a bump in radio ratings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps Music Row is starting to clue into the fact that what's going on in the genre isn't really working out as hoped. There is a bit of promise in the fact that a straight ahead country singer like Jon Pardi has managed to score a few number one songs over the past couple of years. It's encouraging that the power brokers are at least givng Pardi a chance, considering they blew off the best male country artist they've had in a generation by dismissing Jamey Johnson off radio and all their record labels. Chris Stapleton remains one of the top concert and record sellers in country music, although radio continues to embrace him sporadically. To Ms. Lynn's point and the original question of country music's mortality, I would suggest that it's not necessarily dead, although we've come quite close to witnessing its passing. We're currently in one of the more prolonged flows to the pop-side in recent memory. Much work will need to be done to get it back, but it's not impossible and I believe it will happen. People will always come back to what's real, they will always purchase and consume what's real. And country music is as real as it gets. I close today, with a clip of the talented lady that started this discussion and put McBride's question to you - what do you think about the state of country music today? </span></div>
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Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-89747640828924398992020-01-31T12:28:00.000-05:002020-01-31T12:28:07.571-05:00Bands You Wish You Could See, But Can’t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you ever have those moments when you hear a certain artist or band from days gone by, and wish you could have attended one of their concerts while they were still on the road and in their heyday? Lately I find myself in that situation, especially as I get farther along with writing again. Most of my wish list is around awesome bands that will </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sadly</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">never come around again largely because members who were at the forefront of these bands have long since passed away. Here are four bands that I would give my eye teeth to see but will have to make do with concert videos and vinyl records. I would love to hear who you would love to have seen - please add your picks in the comment section below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Growing up I was exposed to 60s, 70s and 80s country music with little exposure to anything else, so I came quite late to the party where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are concerned. Their music is true, heartland American rock and roll. No matter what song you hear from this band, you cannot help but feel uplifted and good. These guys have been the soundtrack to summer road trips for the last 40+ years. The sudden and much-too-soon passing of Tom Petty hasn't tempered interest in their music. Man, I wish I was tuned into this group in my younger days and had a chance to attend one of their concerts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Band</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Band came together during the period of 1958 to 1963 as one at a time Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel joined together to back Ronnie Hawkins as The Hawks. They left Ronnie in 1964 to venture out of the Toronto music club scene and had a storied career that led them straight to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Band has earned their place in musical lore as a group that is now widely considered to have been among the first Americana musical acts - long before the term Americana was considered as a genre. With their ability to blend their influences, which ranged from rockabilly, country, blues, soul and classical music, The Band recorded timeless and genre defying material. They remain one of the most influential music groups in history. I was only three years old in 1976 when The Band, in its original version, called it quits. Thank goodness we have The Last Waltz concert movie to capture their final show. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Highwaymen</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waylon Jennings. Willie Nelson. Kris Kristofferson. Johnny Cash. Not that I need to say more, but I will. Four of the greatest country singers and songwriters that ever lived. Willie and Kris are the only surviving members today. With dozens of number one hits and millions of records sold individually, they came together in 1985 to record and release "The Highwayman", an album that would be certified platinum that same year. Country music's first super group was born. All four are members are in the Country Music Hall of Fame and have influenced more artists in several genres of music than can be counted. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Allman Brothers Band</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Formed in 1969 in Jacksonville, Florida with brother Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Berry Oakley, and Jaimoe Johanson, The Allman Brothers Band successfully blended rock, country and jazz to become arguably the first successful southern rock band. They are, for sure, the pure definition of a jam band as evidenced in their legendary live performances where songs would last for nearly 20 minutes with improvised guitar solos at the forefront. You can feel the energy this improv style had on a crowd when listening to the landmark 1971 landmark live album "At Filmore East." While the album only has seven tracks, it has a running time of more than 78 minutes. It doesn't take much effort to feel the soul and energy captured in The Allman Brothers signature tune "Whipping Post", which runs for over 23 minutes on the album. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-81273455358051924192020-01-21T21:46:00.001-05:002020-01-26T12:10:55.959-05:00New SPEAK Music Be Kind Festival A Roaring Success<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the organizers and volunteers look back on the first ever <a href="https://www.speakmusicbekindfest.com/" target="_blank">SPEAK Music Be Kind Music Festival</a>, they may look back at it as the little festival that could. Having taken up residence this past weekend at one of Toronto's most versatile music venues, The Tranzac Club, all involved should view this accomplishment with a great sense of pride and satisfaction. Steady crowds continually braved strong, inclement weather to attend what appears to be Canada's first truly gender-balanced music festival.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Embracing diversity and wide-ranging musical styles, the festival kicked off in the evening of Friday, January 17 and continued all day Saturday with Lydia Persaud, Mike Field, Tragedy Ann and Johnson Crook. Workshops featuring the festival performers occurred throughout the weekend, providing the artists with the opportunity to describe their stories behind their songs. These workshops often led to some excellent collaborations and unique moments as these artists <strike> </strike>likely don't perform together on the same stage at the same time very often.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I attended one of the workshops on Sunday, the final day of the inaugural festival. The Bluesrockin' Roots session featured three of Canada's best blues and roots musicians: <a href="https://juliantaylormusic.ca/news-shows" target="_blank">Julian Taylor,</a> <a href="https://www.kimdoolittlemusic.com/" target="_blank">Kim Doolittle</a> and Ken Yoshioka. All three of these artists are world class musicians. To have them sharing the spotlight for a 45 minute show in a first year festival demonstrates that the organizers are serious about the success of this festival for the long term. Julian Taylor is a remarkable and outstanding singer-songwriter who brings heart and soul to the forefront of his performance. As shown in his telling of "In This Land", this is an artist who has the life experience that one must have lived to make the listener feel every word of this song. Blues mainstay Kim Doolittle has been rocking it out for over 40 years and did not disappoint the packed room when her turn came up. Performing "Into The Blue", a track from her latest album, got the crowd into that nice, feel-good groove that the blues can have now and again. Ken Yoshioka fit in nicely to complete the trio by contributing solid old-school blues guitar as background, in addition to providing his own material.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the most unique acts I’ve seen in a long time is <a href="http://www.laurelminnes.com/minuscule" target="_blank">Minuscule</a>, a group created and fronted by Laurel Minnes. The sound is a good cross between Joni Mitchell and a vocal choir, the latter of which is a major part of this group - 9 members, all female, backing up Larel’s lead vocal. With a 3 piece band comprised of a drummer, keyboardist and cellist accompanying Laruel’s ukelele, they deliver a spellbinding performance. Their debut album titled “Great” is soon to be released. Watch for this act if they are set to appear in your hometown. The future is bright for Minuscule.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The final two showcases that I attended put the focus on the classics: classic country and classic gospel (it was Sunday, after all). <a href="https://dirty-dishes.ca/home" target="_blank">The Dirty Dishes</a> are a Toronto based, all-female trio who blend and introduce old-time country and folk to new audiences. They delivered an impressive set, covering Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me”, Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight”, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, as well as The Band’s “Evangeline.” Gospel was delivered in the form of “I Saw the Light” and “Down By The River to Pray”, the latter of which was featured in the film O Brother Where Art Thou. The finale of “I’ll Fly Away” with The Barrel Boys was reminiscent of improvised jam sessions on the Grand Ole Opry or Music City Roots broadcasts. One of those unique moments you can only see at this type of festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The final performance of the evening was a total Americana mashup with HOTCHA!, <a href="http://rickmusicamericana.com/" target="_blank">Mr. Rick</a> and <a href="https://thebarrelboys.com/" target="_blank">The Barrel Boys</a>. This performance captured the complete spectrum of the Americana genre, in that folk, bluegrass and old school blues was delivered to the die-hard crowd. The audience was tired but more than willing to cheer and encourage these performers, with HOTCHA! having some fun with "Two Axe-Handles Wide", The Barrel Boys delivering a string band version of the Buck Owens classic "My Heart Skips A Beat", and Mr. Rick showcasing 1920's style blues with "Blues In The Bottle." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A heartfelt congratulations to Bev Kreller and everyone at SPEAK Music for organizing their first festival. The philosophy of being kind to one another now and always is something we all need in these troubled times. The SPEAK Music Be Kind Festival provided everyone involved, from the artists to the audience, the promoter and venue, to the volunteers, a much needed respite from the craziness of the outside world for three wonderful days. The power of music truly can heal the troubled soul. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*CORRECTION: The original version of this post stated The Tranzac Club was one of Toronto's newer music venues. With it's roots dating back to the year 1931, the Toronto Australia New Zealand Club (TRANZAC) has been operating and featuring music at its current location of 292 Brunswick Ave. since 1971. I regret any confusion this earlier story may have caused. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-35424755685235149212020-01-16T11:03:00.000-05:002020-01-16T11:03:26.732-05:00What If the Country Music Hall of Fame Had a Builder Category?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pretty much every sports' hall of fame has a builder category. This is a category reserved for inductees who were not athletes of the sport, but executives, coaches, media, and so on, who made significant contributions toward the promotion, growth and overall benefit of that sport -</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">making them worthy of inclusion in their respective hall of fame. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has somewhat of a builder category called "Early Influencers." Hank Williams, Sr., Bill Monroe and Brenda Lee are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in addition to their induction in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Their inductions to the Rock hall is a nod to their contributions to the development of popular music in North America. How Johnny Cash is not on this list escapes me. Hopefully the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame corrects this oversight soon. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This got me thinking about the Country Music Hall of Fame. Country music has had many influencers outside of the genre. Some influencers didn’t have many country hits, if any at all, and perhaps didn’t sell as many records as current inductees. But their overall influence on the direction of country music over the decades deserves to be recognized. While I’m sure there are many influencers I will have overlooked in this post, here are my first six inductees into the currently fictitious Builders Category in the Country Music Hall of Fame in no particular order. Have a read and let me know who you would like to see added to this category. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Byrds</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Byrds are widely recognized as one of the pioneers of the country-rock sound and one of the most influential bands in music history. The most creative period for The Byrds ran from roughly 1964 to 1973 and endured several personnel changes. It was in 1968 with core members Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons that The Byrds hit their creative peak with their seminal album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." This album remains a North American classic, truly one of the most influential and important projects ever recorded in the development of country music. Many of the names you see in my proposed list had their careers directly or indirectly influenced by The Byrds. And, I suspect, many of the current members of the Country Music Hall of Fame would say the same thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gram Parsons</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the most influential singer-songwriters of any era, Gram Parsons remains on the outside of both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame. Another pioneering member in the development of country-rock as a solo artist and member of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, it's Parson's influence, love and recording of straight-ahead country music alone that warrants induction as a builder. Parsons had no hit singles, but his contribution to the development of country music is measured in the way Nashville came around to other sounds. It is also important to note, a protégé of Parsons, to whom he was introduced by Chris Hillman, was inducted into the Hall of Fame herself in 2008: Emmylou Harris. Harris is featured prominently on Parson's records and contributed greatly to the sound Parson was trying to capture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Linda Ronstadt</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Linda Ronstadt could be the single greatest female vocalist of all time. Not known for writing any of the songs she recorded, Ronstadt takes that material and makes it all her own. With hits on the pop, rhythm and blues, rock and country charts, Ronstadt has also performed opera and Latin/Mexican music. Quite simply, Ronstadt can sing anything. Recognized as the first female rock superstar, Ronstadt was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. But her country music cred is real. She had several hits on the country music charts both as a solo artist and as a member of the group Trio with her good friends Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton (two current members of the Country Music Hall of Fame). If you listen to Ronstadt perform, you can clearly see her influence on modern country music, and specifically artists such as Reba McEntire and Martina McBride - one current Hall of Famer and a future inductee, respectively. Ronstadt is also responsible for the introduction of her earliest road band members, a group of guys who went on to a little success themselves … Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who became ...</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Eagles</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The formation of The Eagles, out of Ronstadt's short-lived backing band, in my view represents the culmination of the country-rock era and there was no band that did it bigger or better than this group. Having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, they remain one of the most important acts in modern North American music. The Eagles, it could be argued, were the first country music performing "band", meaning all official members played their own instruments and provided vocals. <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The success of The Eagles introduced a style of country music pioneered by The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons to the masses in much the same way that Garth Brooks did with country music in the 1990s. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mainstream country bands such as Restless Heart, Lonestar and Hall of Famer's Alabama owe a great deal of their success and acceptance at country radio to The Eagles. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. With some country chart success, their influence on modern country music and their continued relevance on the touring circuit today with Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill as a member, The Eagles are a natural choice as a builder inductee to the Hall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lynyrd Skynyrd</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blending rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and country music, Lynyrd Skynyrd have cemented their legacy as pioneers of southern rock. With influences in equal parts of Hank Williams, Sr., Merle Haggard, The Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd graced the world with anthems "Sweet Home Alabama", "Simple Man", and the timeless "Freebird." These songs and more became staples on the club band around the world. Their influence can be heard in early Alabama albums, and encouraged Hank Williams, Jr. to completely change the direction of his career in the mid-1970s. Travis Tritt's entire career has been based on blending southern rock and country. <span style="background-color: white;">Lynyrd Skynyrd didn't have any hits on the country charts, but the influence this band has on country music continues today.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ray Charles</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Willie Nelson has said that no other singer has done more for country music than Ray Charles. It's hard to argue that point. When Ray decided to record an album of country music in 1961, albeit with Ray's own spin on those tunes, it changed the trajectory of the genre. Released in 1962, "Moderns Sounds of Country and Western Music" went on to become one of the best selling albums of all time. The album broke down racial barriers during the Civil Rights movement introducing country music, a predominantly white form of music, to a black audience and gained acceptance. In the 1980s, Ray Charles would record several country hits, mostly duets. But it is the release of this album with a recording of a style of music that influenced Ray Charles as a child and young musician</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> that ultimately influenced country music for generations to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Who do you think should be inducted </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">into the currently fictitious Builders Category in the Country Music Hall of Fame?</span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-16637649202958959732020-01-02T15:18:00.000-05:002020-01-02T15:18:15.992-05:00For Americana, 2020 Will be the Year of Amanda Shires<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time marches on, as Tracy Lawrence once sang. Amazingly, it's been nearly 3 years since I've written or posted anything on this blog site. In that time, my grandson has started public school, I got married to the woman of my dreams, moved to another town, and Americana as a genre exploded to such new heights even birds are jealous. Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, The Lumineers, and Brandi Carlisile are but some of the leaders of this charge, writing and performing among some of the most relevant and poignant material of any time while selling out large theaters and arenas around the world. When the end of 2020 rolls around, <a href="http://amandashiresmusic.com/" target="_blank">Amanda Shires</a> will take her rightful place in that list above (playing arenas may not be her thing, but I think large theaters would be right up her alley, as shown in this interview with <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/12/26/amanda-shires-highwomen-tour-new-music/2688238001/" target="_blank">The Tennessean</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The wheels are already in motion for this to take place. Year over year, her career has been a slow build to this moment. Building on the success of such critically acclaimed albums <i>My Piece of Land </i>(2016) and <i>To the Sunset </i>(2018), she took on some risk in 2019 spearheading the formation of <a href="https://www.thehighwomen.com/" target="_blank">The Highwomen</a>. Comprised of outstanding female members Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, Shires and Carlisle, this wildly well-received supergroup is accomplishing their goal of showing the continued inequality of female to male radio airplay and promotion in mainstream country music. Their debut album (as a group) is selling well, having reached number one on the country album sales chart. But as usual with mainstream country radio when something different and creative rolls across the desk, their singles are being ignored. Not that it would seem that acceptance at radio was the big nugget everyone was looking for, rather to me it highlights the continued problem with mainstream country radio that has existed arguably from the time radio began playing music - that is to say, for roughly the past 100 years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A solo tour that's running from the end of January to April will see Amanda travel across the United States, with Canadian stops in Vancouver (March 11) and Toronto (April 17), will kick off with an appearance at the <a href="https://girlsjustwannaweekend.com/" target="_blank">Girls Just Wanna Weekend</a> festival in Mexico. Her performance at the most recent "Music City Midnight" event in Nashville (with crowd estimates of over 200,000 people) was among the most acclaimed performances of the evening, gaining recognition from CNN's Brooke Baldwin during that network's New Year's Eve broadcast. And, Amanda continues to perform as a member of her husband Jason Isbell's band, the 400 Unit. She is one of the most versatile performers and important artists in music today as she continues to grow and evolve her craft while championing women in music. The world is taking notice. The stars lined up nicely in 2019 for the Americana Music Association's Emerging Artist 2017 winner. The year 2020 will see this young lady explode to new heights. When we do this again next year, we will look back at 2020 as the year of Amanda Shires.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-91492642548152511402017-02-19T11:38:00.000-05:002017-02-19T11:38:01.163-05:00Winterfold XV Roots and Blues Fest Underway<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for winterfolk 2017" 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" 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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the great mid-winter music festivals is underway in Toronto this weekend with the 15th edition of the <a href="http://www.winterfolk.com/" target="_blank">Winterfolk Blues and Roots</a> Festival. This 3 day festival showcases the finest in local and national touring musicians, with some artists just beginning their musical journey and others who have been on the landscape for many years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking place at 5 different venues around the intersection of Danforth and Broadview Aves., this festival is the perfect tonic to come out of the cold winter blues. Checking in at Terri-O's Sports Bar (185 Danforth Ave.) mid-afternoon, the Brampton Folk Club was holding court with a showcase that featured traditional Celtic music performed by members Moira and Elena, Brown Ale and Sylvia Genders. This set was Celtic in the traditional sense, there were no shades of Great Big Sea in this hour. Following this set, The Best of Dr. B's Acoustic Medicine Show kicked off their two hour showcase with local favourites Roger Zuraw, Kirk Felix, Sean Peever and Linda Saslove. Felix's "California Sunset" and Saslove's "Long Goodbye" were particularly well received by the packed house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over at the Dora Keogh Irish Pub (141 Danforth Ave.), Tragedy Ann was on stage performing a wonderful set that included a stellar cover of Jason Isbell's "Cover Me Up." Tragedy Ann will be taking the stage again today in the 2:00 hour once again at Dora Keogh's during a showcase titled "The Bridge." A big and bright future is in store for Tragedy Ann, this young and talented duo is just getting started. Another young artist from Toronto who impressed the audience is Isaak Bonk. With his wry sense of humor making its way to his songwriting, he's a cross between Corb Lund and Murray McClaughlin. I look forward to hearing more work from Isaak, as a bright future lies ahead for this young man as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the feature showcases of the weekend took place at the Black Swan (154 Danforth Ave.) on Saturday night with the Saturday Night Harmony Hoedown. Running from 7 to 11pm, this four hour showcase shone the spotlight on 4 of the country's finest folk and roots band. From Hamilton, Ontario, The Redhill Valley's kicked the evening off with an outstanding set performing songs off their latest album. Recent Toronto residents The Command Sisters showcased their spot-on sibling harmony's while sharing stories of their recent travels which inspired some of their latest writings. Johnson Crook offered up a country-rock set that was very well received, and the harmony's of Stratford, Ontario's female trio Trent Severn closed the Harmony showcase. Not to be outdone, Canadian blues virtuoso Jack Dekeyser closed off the nightly proceedings with a rocking blues set to send everyone out of the Black Swan ready to come back for more today.</span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-13312800369062917152017-02-08T08:08:00.000-05:002017-02-08T08:08:08.855-05:00Toronto = Music City?<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for silver dollar room" 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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">City of Toronto Mayor John Tory last year stated his desire to have Toronto recognized as Canada's Music City. It's a great goal to have, as Toronto has provided its share of big Canadian stars on the world stage, with Drake being the most recent example. Toronto was the developmental ground for one of the most influential bands in music history, The Band, as they played the Toronto club circuit in the summer months prior to returning to Arkansas, the home state of Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm in the winter months. But today, there could be a disturbing trend developing that is throwing a big wrench in Mayor Tory's plans for Toronto as a musical hotbed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A mere 5 weeks in the new year, Toronto has already experienced a rather astounding amount of live music venue closures. Reports from the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2017/02/03/is-toronto-facing-a-live-music-crisis.html" target="_blank">Toronto Star</a> and Toronto Sun, among others, indicate that two venues (The Silver Dollar Room and Hugh's Room) hope to re-open, but the fact so many venues (4) have closed in such a short period of time is concerning. Revitalization and redevelopment are just two of the reasons for the closures, in addition to the more standard financial causes. But if Toronto is losing music venues to redevelopment and revitalization, how can they claim to be a Music City?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Closing down live music venues does not revitalize a city, nor does it do anything for redevelopment. Both aspects should mean that you're improving a situation. Closing music venues does more harm than good. It takes away the development stream for aspiring artists to learn and hone their craft, it limits their ability to learn how to play in front of live audiences. In a recent broadcast of Great Performances on PBS, country star Brad Paisley stated the advice he provides to aspiring artists is that they become local stars first, prior to becoming national/international stars. Becoming a local star is important in their overall development as a complete performing/recording artist and musician, and assists the artist in handling an ever growing level of fame. If live music venues are being taken away, it would be akin to removing the minor league system of baseball ... the development stream ends, which in turn hurts the overall product. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To their credit, the Toronto City Council seems to recognize there is a problem. The <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2017/02/06/silver-dollar-will-return-as-venue.html" target="_blank">Toronto Star</a> reports that The Silver Dollar Room will not be closed permanently. Having been designated a heritage space, it will re-open in the newly developed space that will take the place of the building currently occupying the corner of College St. and Spadina Ave. In the meantime, The Silver Dollar is still slated to close on May 1. Hugh's Room is still hopeful for a reprieve with some additional financing, but this outcome is still not clear. A committee has been formed to set a new path forward that will be financially viable and will continue to provide a venue for national and international touring musicians, as well as showcasing some of the finest local talent Toronto has to offer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These closures notwithstanding, Toronto does still have a decent amount of live music clubs. Having said that, the time is now for the community, music and otherwise, to come together and work toward solutions that will keep the local live music establishment healthy and financially viable and provide that development system for aspiring musicians to take that next step in their careers. With many people doing the heavy lifting, Toronto can still fulfill its aspiration as Canada's Music City.</span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-11510394589808700302017-02-05T10:44:00.001-05:002017-02-05T10:44:18.977-05:00Americana Poised for Massive Breakthrough Following 2017 GRAMMY Awards<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Image result for sturgill simpson a sailor's guide to earth" 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" 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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we've comfortably moved in to the new year it's worth noting that we're a week away from the <a href="https://www.grammy.com/" target="_blank">GRAMMY</a> awards (Feb. 12), the night where artists and musical genres of all sizes, shapes and stripes will be honored. This year will be particularly interesting for Americana as an industry, as one of the genre's brightest stars is nominated for the biggest award of the evening, Best Album. It says here, that in a category where such music industry heavyweights as Beyonce, Adele, Drake and Justin Bieber are nominated, it will be <a href="http://www.sturgillsimpson.com/" target="_blank">Sturgill </a>Simpson that wins the Best Album award for his outstanding project "A Sailors Guide to Earth."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This will not be an insignificant achievement, to say the least. You could float a battleship on the amount of records that Simpson's competition has sold, numbers which reach in to the tens of millions. Sturgill's effort, however, has sold just shy of 150,000 copies. Given today's market climate where few people are buying physical albums, this is a pretty solid number, given Sturgill's place in the music business. His competition fill arenas and stadiums, while Sturgill has only moved into playing 3,000 to 5,000 seat theaters in the past year or so. It speaks to the quality of his work to have been nominated in the Best Album category for "Sailor's Guide", the follow up to his breakthrough "Metamodern Sounds In Country Music." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">While many people may have asked "Who the f**k is Sturgill Simpson?" (as quoted from Sturgill's new t-shirt), he has been a late-night media darling for the few of years. Appearances on virtually every late-night show from Letterman to Jon Stewart contributed to Sturgill's exposure in ways that the suits of Music Row in Nashville did not. Indeed, the executives of Music Row bore the brunt of an epic rant from Simpson last year following the death of Merle Haggard and the Academy of Country Music's subsequent naming of an award after Mr. Haggard. The hypocrisy, Sturgill rightly noted, was in the fact that Music Row and country radio had all but ignored legends like Mr. Haggard for many years, only to now capitalize on Haggard's name in his passing. Simpson is quite right when he says Music Row will have blackballed him because of the rant. But this is where the GRAMMY's often get it right. Projects that may not necessarily catch on commercially can still be up for awards. They view the quality of the project as a whole, as opposed to the quantity of product that is sold. A nomination on its own can lead to an increase in record sales for any given artist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I expect the same thing will happen for Sturgill Simpson this time next week. Given that he will also perform on the show, Sturgill could be on the verge of his own Chris Stapleton moment ... where one performance in front of millions of people can catapult record sales to the number one position on all applicable charts. Chris Stapleton with Justin Timberlake at the 49th Country Music Association Awards brought his major label debut "Traveller" from obscurity to nearly double-platinum status with nearly 2,000,000 records sold. This could be the case for Sturgill Simpson. With a Best Album win, Sturgill Simpson will see his "A Sailors Guide to Earth", an album he wrote as a gift to his son, reach untold and unknown heights from a sales perspective. And more physical album sales is good for the music business as a whole. Regardless of who actually wins, all the albums are worthy of praise and are projects that have been produced by some of the best and finest artists in the music world. Good luck to all, and enjoy the show!</span><br />
<br />Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-71153466435577938562016-12-02T10:41:00.002-05:002016-12-02T10:41:43.494-05:002016 Canadian Folk Awards Weekend<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest weekend in Canadian folk music kicks off tonight at Hugh's Room in Toronto, Ontario. The <a href="http://folkawards.ca/" target="_blank">Canadian Folk Music Awards</a> has landed in Canada's largest city with a stellar lineup honouring legends, current stars and newcomers alike in a celebration of the country's diverse artistry and roots music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 2016 Awards show is set for Saturday night, December 3, at the Isabel Bader Theatre on the campus of the University of Toronto. The Awards are a celebration of the great and creative work of many talented singer-songwriter musicians from across Canada. The Awards also celebrate and acknowledge the many diverse forms of folk music created in the differing regions of Canada. Categories range from traditional folk to contemporary, and honour artists of English, French and Aboriginal descent. The Awards ceremony will be presented in English and French, Canada's two official languages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Performing at the Awards show is the legendary Bruce Cockburn, an artist who has received many honours throughout is long career, including Order of Canada, Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement and induction in to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The incredibly talented Colin Linden steps away from his band mates with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings to grace the Awards stage, along with the wonderful Ennis Sisters, Red Moon Road and Klo Pelgag to round out the evenings entertainment. Tickets can be purchased <a href="http://folkawards.ca/tickets/" target="_blank">here</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nominee showcases take place tonight and tomorrow morning at Hugh's Room (2261 Dundas St. West) with Jocelyn Petit, Old Man Leudecke, The Small Glories, Hillsburn and others tonight. A special Nominee Brunch Showcase will start at 11:00 tomorrow morning and will feature Rosie and the Riveter's, The Andrew Collins Trio, Keltie Monaghan, William Prince and Ten Strings and a Goat Skin. Tickets for the showcases can be purchased <a href="http://folkawards.ca/product/cfma-2016-all-access-wristband/" target="_blank">here</a> and will include admission to both showcases and the Awards show. Showcase only tickets can be purchased through the Hugh's Room <a href="http://hughsroom.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An exciting weekend awaits fans and nominees alike as we gather to honour and celebrate the best that Canadian folk music has to offer the world. If you're in Toronto, be sure to take in the festivities of this weekend and support these fine, independent artists.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-37917686421498759222016-04-07T22:13:00.000-04:002016-04-07T22:13:32.655-04:00Merle Haggard: Country Music's Greatest Singer-Songwriter<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for merle haggard" 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ZaXmXvnPiYBRbpu5wMjQanjnu4rWtErbdOBnamSREaZ/qoqpoI8vrzVh2htoc8MA0BmeR+cZ+CrjqkSI/T1mqEHv6eARGjNC4pWzU5KBelRSoaNEZrUWq4Dqg73Y3R0hJGn1OfcOWhQ4ieXrelDkNPz6oG7m65Zzv8wjWe0lhjdw/JCXJJ5CCbp1ZEjQoGqHslfAY3EweXNTFNAq1HlEaEo0KUVxKUmEmEUBLUXbm953DkFRIXdTaHDjIz6Zr1HcRmmDy8V5V+EEk+tV6i2WP2DM/uj5LN6F7++CeSoN10Mdvong55B0zFN5yV/vs9g9CqPcf+Podakf9t/6qeo0oZN7lUdoqQcXOIGit1TRU+/awCUqs+6wtc7gQfP5KoX22RUaODnDkNfmFbryrYaRmTiIbHHj35KtW2n9rxa5haDwLgRnKRFTvOpi906T8M+UqvW18k9Spao+aY5MePCQoGoVqNC0iQRBhalsneOJrW4iYEnMweAE5k/XisqVi2bt2HKd4JG8gGYB3JRuF328sDdDJI78iN2h7XgFI/8AGSQX6YvLtFuXme5ZzYr1LiMRgFxJg6CQB5EDuIT9t7tNOAdC0TMakZeXms4iy2295BhwiSCcU/DnORVbtVrBcQSSBDoyyDiW/TF3qKt97NBa0ZjQTAPaxEkjcciN+5FdaYDJ+LFGWuEE8fDxTArWZhaZGpAI1jtRkepHiFAe9NOp7txlpOUic3ZPjlijRSW0F5sZhY3QMxnfmRPlI9BUy8r2xRGoxRME9ozr4KyLCN915eSD59AR5KMc4rnunVcxslaBqVMkqRpUdy6y0oGWq6pV+6D38eMIBr1gBA1+SZDP1xS9NnHRBihAalAPooamWTtee9N3Pgpe8qgOEj16hA2qOw5biEk470e0GYKS3IDPKkbDbBk1x6H6FR25EQWpiOkLDUxMB4geO9OIUogfd5ZmMpceA3AcyhpWnOAIaNB9SiOzJGsR4nTwCRjPX8+gVD1hxTPrd9V6Y2KtJNloOOrqTDwk4RK812cZ84/ZendlbKW2akHaimyZEQQ0ahShxfLuwVT7jj+PonnUj/tuVj2kqw0hU26bRhtVJzvxED/UxwHzCx6jVXvyKzzauscYA3mOmauvv5GXBVq9bDjqTu1OXkhUNetjDbO1/wCA5k8x+yrFgHvqkbpI3wB+cFaBbrKHWdzHAQRG7WNVS9naLhUex0AgkxrplPPUKozi+qBo1atLWHVY/tdmPmq49aH7Q7nPvxWEQ9uEyfvZws8qtIMFajQiVs1TCZSS5UWq7LYHENnPWN2XEb9FI263YQ4AwcpI1MZZd0CVSrLWLXSFJ2y1kAQdQN86b/XBQOq9rxjESCZbk3pABnhhlBVvV0NJzjdrABED5+KgxUImNCimqdOUKh5a7cXEkkknI98/t3JgSgXAIBAlOrJTz70WzgA6S7gnllomXPeI5fmgGoIHXxj9cvBN3mPWXJKvfMnw5JtX09bkB3PlwnR2R5dPJcXQ0tPxNdl04JOocu5rvofqig4nSf3Qc9uvT5I7iCzmI/Jc4STyafMJGkdQgB5y6IoR6o80RqAzdCiI7CiIJ64nSyOBPnmpMBRGzxycOY+X6KaAUorbjhc7lPy+ghN7O7U/IZ8TCPaDnHj8yiPEDr+ao0H2T7OfxVq96/8AlUS0ka4nnNrZ5RiPcvRNKnAWf+x65TZ7EwOEOeTUdlvdp4CB3LQnuyWRV9qBAncsf2ivosdLB2muBbuzaZHmFqm2Vqhh6HyWD3tbA41HcyAkiRvWyd8stFFlRpMOAI5cQeYOXcrLUsoc3RedvZbtV/D1hQqH7Ko4YTPwPcQAOhy6FekLC8FoPJTMqoa22PsQRIOo3BVm+Lv90W1WwJ7BjymPXNaDVs8qIvqwNLCI8pRGYXvZWvBqOzOjQAJBnXPNZFe9PDVcIIhx1IOW7MLX76oy3CG9kEktknPeeaou1F0kgPaGgjIgAaKwimrkLmwgWlcEtXrYoyiB4pFLUggDBkk5T4iGkplTElB0ozGkrniTA6KSs1HIZehvQEu+zEBzu4Zd6cW2pDAOIE+GaXbEZcc+7keBUdeB7YaNxj5fqgLjMgHIfmm7z69cgPFLPZAIOu9IFhInQAfJApTplzZPw6eaSpDPkM1JWhobTaz8WXlM/JR9lbJw8deiBamwhuLe6fkmtIwVJ26AOgP5KOrRII4BALx2ehSQSzN44pGEHIFxXIJnZzV4/t/+ysbWKt7NHtvHFo8ifzVoaFmim2GkHPk6DNWfYDZw221B7m/ZUyCZGROrW/In9VGWG73OhgEue5rRukuMATw48pXobY3Z6nZqDGMAGEEEgRJntE98q2idu6hha1vKCnVcwCjUmQkra+GlZGa+0W1wwg8Fhtuq5BvU+JWqe0+2SCO5ZFWzK1EjrH8Y6r0p7LtoxarKwky9n2b/AO5kZ94LXd6802cw6eEq7eyXaH+HtgpOdDK0N6VAewe8S3vCfLivToTO86csKWslTE0HklKrZBCgzO2XecRdnnMzl4KsXxZmTg355Df5LS9o7sLmEsnIfCBqeapV9XQcLahZhcDmG8CcuGfVZiMpv+5yC4taQQe0CM+qrhWu2y6qeIkS1x1a7smeh1WfbSXb7t5I0JzW5VQaWopFK0iqHFoeA2N5KZgoajpKKgeXbQxPz0HoKaeIGX6pndDIbPFSdMZoG9ZgYC4md/oKKoCe27fMfMlPL6qZBo3lNqpAAHqBmUDa0Ok4e8pV4iiOceZTZjx2uYSrGuc1ogxlnuyQOC2Xjg0eTcz5ptYiA7NKCS8Yd286Z6pCo3TJAveNWSAD1+ibw3j5JNxXNA3oDtdmPBGr/qkt8pauJaCgbrly5BM7MD7R39v1VuZTVU2S/mP/ALR81cmhZqGF01hQrUKhEtp1WF3MOOFxP+6e5ejrMwYRhMjIgjOZ3g8F5ctHwP8A7fqF6E2T/wAJZ/8Aks+QUVaQ3JRl8VIYTqlnqEv3+U5KlY17RLVicevRZyTmrntx8TuqpbtVqcIBp1XU3lpDgYIIII1BGYI70CBVXq32a38LZYqVae1GGoOFRuTx0nPoQrUVkX/p+/wVf/5P/wCNJam5ZzAs+lrzVf2kuxz6Tg0S7LrruU4E2tnwqDJ9ogyyz71wdP3T2nuPFo3arNL5tvvXGGwNw1PkrN7Sv8c/o35KnM+F3X6LUhiKqshFlK2nVIqjl0ISlKWo6hBMWbLLd+0fX9U+sr/i5D8vomDPz/8AEJWz/wAup/yj/wCbkEda6uJ0jTdzSNoO6f2HrySrfiCJX1/0/mgcWK7HHtEDjmlrcMA3TGUDwUvQ+FvQKNv/AOJvVvzKBCjYeyJxTrqUwtAyPIq0v07lWrVo7r9UBadMRKSqQlfujomrkBhu9b0rSGJseuISW8dPql7FqUDVchdqUCCb2TH2rv7fqFd2aKlbH/zj/YfmFd1Ef//Z" 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The music world is in mourning once again as it suffers another monumental loss with the passing of Merle Haggard on April 6, his 79th birthday. There have been many biographical articles written about Mr. Haggard over the years, and many more have been written in the past 24 hours since his passing. This piece will try to somehow put in to context what it means to lose such a giant figure in the North American music scene.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Haggard's country music chart success ran un-interrupted for roughly 25 years. His total of 38 number one songs on Billboard's country music chart, along with many more singles that made the top ten, place Mr. Haggard among the giants in any musical genre. Mainstream country artists of today can only dream of reaching these types of numbers with today's fickle market. It's not impossible, but it is rare. Mr. Haggard's feat was no different. His music endured many different style changes to country music, but his style was always relevant. It was his songwriting that made this so. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>The warden led a prisoner, down the hallway to his doom</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>and I stood up to say goodbye like all the rest"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lyric above is the opening line from an early Haggard hit "Sing Me Back Home." A story song that was born of life experience. It's no secret that Mr. Haggard spent time in and out of the prison system, including time served at the infamous San Quentin prison. This time featured prominently in many of his early hits, including songs he didn't write like "The Fugitive." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>I'll probably never see you eye to eye again</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>this letter's meant to be my last farewell"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This mournful opening line is from "Looking For a Place To Fall Apart" is again a true story. Mr. Haggard did indeed write a letter to his soon-to-be ex-wife who called an end to their marriage. But rather than send the finished letter, he placed in the trash and burned it. Then, he wrote this masterpiece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're a young person reading this article, I cannot stress enough that you go and explore the Merle Haggard lexicon. This is especially so if you are an aspiring songwriter, as Mr. Haggard's songs are perfect examples of how to craft a song. Write about what you know, tell the story of your life and your observations, but most importantly write from the heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Haggard's music is not something you would dance too. Rather, Mr. Haggard's music is a style that calls for one to sit down and <i>listen </i>to the lyrics. There is social commentary, heart, soul, feeling and real life in the words. Consider this: in the recently released documentary on Keith Richards, Mr. Richards sat at a piano and sang "Sing Me Back Home" while stating Merle Haggard was a huge influence on the Rolling Stones, specifically the songwriting. Indeed, other artists who have cited Merle Haggard's songwriting as a major influence on their work is a lengthy list: Toby Keith, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Miranda Lambert, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, the Dixie Chicks, John Mellancamp, Jewel, Ronnie Van Zant/Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jamey Johnson are among the many that have cited Mr. Haggard as having touched their lives through his music. Successful artists and songwriters, all. I mean to say, you have the Beatles and Rolling Stones saying they turned to Merle Haggard music for inspiration ... if that doesn't signal a lasting influence and legacy, I don't know what does.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The heaven's gained one of the most prominent artists in modern history with the passing of Merle Haggard. We are blessed to have such an incredible catalog of music that remains. On a personal note, it's the loss of another one of my country music heroes. I will be forever grateful for the music Mr. Haggard created, as it formulated my appreciation for the craft of songwriting and performance. This last video is one which paired two of my heroes together. They were reunited yesterday morning. Mr. Merle Haggard and Mr. George Jones. Sing for the angels, gentlemen.</span></div>
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Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-80096682952918731422016-02-25T15:24:00.000-05:002016-02-25T15:24:28.067-05:00Album Review: Larry Keel, Experienced<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday February 26. 2016 will see acoustic and bluegrass virtuoso <a href="http://larrykeel.com/" target="_blank">Larry Keel</a> independently release his 15th studio album <i>Experienced. </i> The album is comprised of 7 songs, four written by Keel and three by his songwriting partner Will Lee, and showcases the musical talent possessed by Keel that has brought forth praise from such bluegrass luminaries as Sam Bush and Del McCoury. Bush and McCoury, along with Keller Williams, Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band), Mike Guggino (Steep Canyon Rangers) and Anders Beck (Greensky Bluegrass) all make guest appearances on this stellar album. <i>Experienced </i>may be considered a bluegrass album, but to me it represents an exploration of American roots music with folk and blues making appearances on the record.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The opening instrumental track "Ripchord" sets the album off at a frenetic pace, with the talents Keel and his compatriots on full display. Front and center on this cut is Sam Bush with a blistering mandolin solo. Indeed, "Ripchord" is a song that should be played at full volume, with the full risk that the walls may shake right off their foundation. "Lil' Miss" puts the blues in bluegrass, as this song could easily be played in the smokiest blues joints of Chicago or New Orleans. Anders Beck's work on the dobro, along with Larry's growling vocals set this song apart from the traditional bluegrass sound.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The album's third track, "Memories", brings the listener right back to the traditional bluegrass/folk territory. A wonderful song about making each day a memorable one, allowing yourself to have a life well lived and worth looking back upon with few regrets. The melody and lyrics are reminiscent of Gordon Lightfoot's earlier works. "Fill 'Em Up Again" takes us back in to pure bluegrass territory, with brilliant harmonies from Del McCoury, Will Lee and Jenny Keel joining Larry on the chorus. The album explores much darker territory on "Miles and Miles" and "The Warrior", but wraps up with much brighter subject matter in the traditional country sounding "Another Summer Day."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Larry will be touring throughout the spring and summer promoting <i>Experienced </i>as the touring entity Larry Keel Experience. The tour will kick off Feb. 26th in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and then moving on to Washington D.C. at Gypsy Sally's on the 27th. Do yourself a great favor, pick up a copy of <i><a href="http://larrykeel.com/" target="_blank">Experienced </a></i>and check out a show. It will be an Experience, to be sure.</span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-70743894440922578362016-02-02T21:48:00.002-05:002016-02-02T21:54:21.555-05:00Soar With the Eagles<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is not what I had in mind for my first blog piece of 2016. We're one month in to the New Year, and we've been reminded in rather rude fashion that we're all getting a little older. The passing of so many great artists in music, film and stage in the span of a few weeks is quite shocking. For me, like so many others, the passing of David Bowie and Glenn Frey struck home. Not to take anything away from the passing of Natalie Cole or Lemmy (for all you Motorhead fans out there), but the passing of Bowie and Frey struck deep as they're music was among my first introductions to something outside of the old school country music I grew up listening to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was especially the case with Glenn Frey. It wasn't until high school that my musical tastes expanded. I was still very much a country fan, and it could be argued that the Eagles were more or less a country band. That argument is much stronger when you consider their earlier material ... think pre-Hotel California. As I entered grade 12, I had something that not every kid had, but every kid wanted. I had the car. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Which meant, there was a lot of driving (perhaps when I should have been in school), and a lot of music that was being blasted from that stereo. Not all of it was country. It was my first exposure to the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and of course, the Eagles. Like so many other music fans, the Hotel California album was (and still is) something special to hear. Glenn Frey and his singing/songwriting partner Don Henley were at their creative peak. Don Felder had created one of the most recognizable guitar intros in the history of song, and the band had just added Joe Walsh as their second lead guitarist. Randy Meisner was still with the band delivering that high vocal that only he can do. The Eagles became my favorite band in those days and remain so to this day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The passing of Glenn Frey was a turning of the page, the end of a glorious chapter in music. There will never be another band like the Eagles with their quality of songwriting and five part harmonies. The influence they've had on rock, country and North American music in general cannot ever be measured. They have been inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I can only hope the Country Music Hall of Fame follows suit. Really, the best way to honor a great artist and great band is to present their music. Below is one of the finest songs to feature Glenn Frey on lead vocal and is the best example of their five part harmonies. It's a country tinged song that was written by Tom Waits and was a B-side off the On The Border album. Here is "Ol' 55."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-59283020207614400942015-11-28T17:15:00.001-05:002015-11-28T17:15:24.505-05:00Rising Outlaw: California's Sam Outlaw Brings Classic Sound To Toronto's Dakota Tavern<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are several acts permeating the musical landscape that have embraced the more traditional sound of country music, some of whom I have written about in this space. A rising star from the California coast made his Dakota Tavern debut in a showcase hosted by his record label, Six Shooter Records. <a href="http://www.samoutlaw.com/" target="_blank">Sam Outlaw</a> is a pure country artist whose musical sound can range from the easy listening style of a Don Williams, to lyrically clever sounds of Gram Parsons and earlier southern California country-rock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a set mainly to showcase the release of his new album "Angeleno", Sam Outlaw played to a packed house on a Toronto Tuesday night a couple of weeks ago. The intimate setting of the Dakota Tavern was the perfect backdrop for Sam Outaw's fine performance, as it provided Sam the opportunity to deliver some backstory to some of his songwriting. The song "Love Her For A While" was inspired by the aforementioned Don Williams, and listening to it, you could hear Mr. Williams wrap his unique and wonderful baritone voice around the lyrics. "Angeleno", the title track to his Six Shooter release is a song about a couple making their own way with the struggles and tribulations of life. "Who Do You Think You Are?" is a wonderful tale about love found and lost in Mexico, with a real Mexican-style sound to it. "Ghost Town" is one of the finest songs you will hear anywhere, it's a beautifully performed tune about cutting one's losses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the increase in profile of pure, traditional country artists and the rise of Americana musicians in the mainstream consciousness, Sam Outlaw is poised to break out to the next level of notoriety. He has the talent, skill and creativity to maintain the career path he is currently on. As has long been said in this column, people will always come back to what is real. Evidence of this has been witnessed with the success of artists like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson over the past couple of years, as well as the incredible rise of Chris Stapleton. Sam Outlaw is poised to join that illustrious company with a solid record in "Angeleno", creative songwriting and a classic country sound that has been missing from the musical landscape for far too many years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would be remiss if I didn't give a brief mention to Sam's record label, <a href="http://sixshooterrecords.com/" target="_blank">Six Shooter Records.</a> Based in Toronto, Ontario, Six Shooter is home to some of the most talented artists in the world, a truly amazing roster. They are a major player in the Americana scene on both sides of the border. The release of "Angeleno" represents their first foray in to releasing an artist on a global scale, where previously they have been focusing on the Canadian market. Their belief in Sam Outlaw is not unfounded and they have quite rightly made Sam their first artist to release an album under the Six Shooter Records label internationally. I wish them the best of luck and they too move in to the next chapter of their existence. When you're finished checking out Sam Outlaw, check out the other amazingly talented artists on the Six Shooter roster. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out "Ghost Town" from the great Sam Outlaw</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-67789034417051175532015-11-05T21:34:00.001-05:002015-11-12T14:54:10.887-05:00Country Music Association Signals New Day For Country Music<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's a brand new day in country music. The morning after Music Row may have signaled a turning of the page from the current bro-country that has relegated mainstream country to near joke status for the past few years. That's the only conclusion that can be reached following the outcome 49th annual Country Music Association awards presented last night in Nashville.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps not so amazingly, it took a couple of years of watching the steady rise of Americana artists and the Americana scene in general to start this shift. The artists in Americana today are just too good to ignore. The awarding, and indeed the coming out party, of <a href="http://www.chrisstapleton.com/" target="_blank">Chris Stapleton </a>as the Top New Artist, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for "Traveller" is a clear indication that the landscape has changed. The inclusion of Kacey Musgraves and Brandy Clark at mainstream award shows with Musgraves picking up a trophy for Song of the Year ("Follow Your Arrow") at last year's CMA's showed that the desire for change was beginning to percolate. With this performance of Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake last night at the CMA's and the fan reaction, it's clear that this change is upon us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But wait, that was only half of the performance. Here is the second half:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps sensing what could be happening, one had to feel a little bad for Florida Georgia Line, the act that had to follow this performance. What's telling is in the audience reaction, or rather, their almost non-reaction at the conclusion of the Florida Georgia Line performance. The crowd was simply blown away by the tandem of Stapleton and Timberlake, and whomever else followed was not going to top it. In a way, it almost wasn't fair ... almost. What it accomplished was it showed the glaring and real difference between honest and raw music versus the manufactured material that's been pushed by the major labels on Music Row for the past number of years. As I've said in this space before, people will always come back to what's real. The consumer doesn't lie: it's why artists like Jason Isbell, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, and Kacey Musgraves can all have number one selling albums. It's why artists like Sturgill Simpson and Nathaniel Rateliff are able to sell records by the boatload and fill theaters. All of these artists are doing this without the benefit of mainstream country radio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last night the world was introduced to an incredibly gifted talent in Chris Stapleton. As my friend Nelson Gullett of <a href="http://www.wdvx.com/" target="_blank">WDVX</a> radio in Knoxville, Tennessee tweeted out last night, he's been listening to Chris Stapleton for about 30 years, both as a solo artist and in the bluegrass band The Steeldrivers. Today marks a new chapter in the career of Chris Stapleton. I'm happy that he's from the Americana family and wish him well as he enters this next phase of his career.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The beginning of the CMA awards show saw the return of an icon paired up with a superstar that has been an amazing supporter of Americana artists over the last couple of years. In an entirely appropriate performance of his latest single, I think we can safely answer the question: we are indeed, ready for the country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago, I made the 2 hour trek to one of my favorite music clubs to check out a duo that's been writing and performing together since 2009. The show at the Sportsmen's Tavern was one of the final shows (as of this writing) on their fall tour supporting their 2014 release "Down The Deep Well."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The early impression one gets from Andrew Hardin and Jeannie Burns watching them perform, is they are pure Americana artists. The songwriting is tight, relevant and not afraid to tackle the controversial as evidenced by "The Call", a song that was inspired by the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. A story told from the perspective of a still sober addict, "The Call" speaks less about the passing itself, speaking more to the temptation felt daily by recovering addicts. A great blues number, "Smokestack Lightning" and "Beware of Darkness", a George Harrison cover, highlighted the incredible musicianship of Andrew Hardin. He is one of the finest acoustic guitar players I have seen live.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to be outdone is Jeannie Burns. Her signing and songwriting can take you back to the times of early Emmylou Harris, as shown on the country rock flavored "Stars Are Shining." The song "Underbelly Blues" is a great protest song which speaks to the perils of hydro-fracking, with corporate greed at the forefront. Her singing of "Lake Charles", the Lucinda Williams classic would make Lucinda herself smile. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When watching Hardin Burns, the respect they have for one another is clear. They have recognized that each artist brings something special to the table and has allowed them to create a partnership that can last for a long time. Their respective backgrounds have enabled them to tap in to each others creativity which has led to a stellar piece of work with "Down the Deep Well", as well as creating a wonderful stage presence that locks the listeners in. When this duo gets back on the road, you would do well to check them out.</span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-24996639341714874652015-09-29T18:04:00.001-04:002015-09-29T18:04:16.434-04:00Concert Review: Jamey Johnson, Webster MA, Sept. 20, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As my friend Baron Lane of the <a href="http://www.twangnation.com/" target="_blank">Twang Nation</a> blog has said on more than one occasion, "not all music from Music Row is garbage." When he was saying these words, he was talking about the great Kacey Musgraves, but I know he would agree that those words also apply to one of the <i>real </i>outlaws of modern day country music, <a href="http://www.jameyjohnson.com/" target="_blank">Jamey Johnson</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have long been a fan and supporter of Jamey Johnson, his work and his desire to complete his craft in his own way. It is in the similar vein of one of the original Outlaws, Waylon Jennings. For better or worse, the music business has changed from when Mr. Jennings would try and do things differently. Waylon was able to score a long and lucrative recording contract extension from RCA Records, his longtime record label home where he scored his most memorable and successful hits. This attitude more or less got Jamey Johnson kicked off of his major record label. Most (and I suspect Jamey himself) would agree that this turn of events was the best thing that happened to his career ... doing things your own way, in your own time and on your own terms can be very liberating. It shows in his performance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My vacation took me away from my usual time in Nashville for the Americana Music Conference and Festival this year, and brought me to the New England states. While there, my wife and I attended the Jamey Johnson performance at the Indian Ranch Amphitheater in Webster, Massachusetts. And what a performance it was. To attend a Jamey Johnson show is to attend a lesson in the history of modern country music. Mr. Johnson indeed took the sold out attendees to school on this September afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Opening up with "Playing the Part", a top 40 track from his award-winning album "In Color", and following up with an ode to the beloved record executives that he has no time for these days, Jamey deftly moved from hits that received some airplay such as "High Cost of Living" and his signature song "In Color", to the most popular song he wrote for someone else, that being "Give It Away", a monster hit for George Strait. But it was the history lesson Mr. Johnson was teaching that were the highlights of the show. Covering his well known influences such as the aforementioned Waylon Jennings ("Luchenbach, Texas"), to Johnny Cash and a surprise performance of the great Don Williams hit "Your My Best Friend", Jamey showed he has all the bases covered when it comes to showcasing the country music of the late 1950's to 1970's that laid the groundwork for the artists of today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been well documented of Jamey's longtime and deep friendship he shared with the late, great songwriter Hank Cochran. Mr. Cochran was represented very well in this set by Jamey's stirring rendition of "I Fall To Pieces", written by Hank Cochran and became a classic hit known the world over as performed originally by Patsy Cline. Another of Mr. Cochran's compositions was performed as well, as Jamey gave a nod to "the Voice", Mr. Vern Gosdin with "Set 'Em Up Joe", a song that reached number one for Vern in 1988 and was covered on Jamey's "The Guitar Song" album. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An artist like Jamey Johnson comes along once in a generation. He has the ability to unify the past with the present by educating the audience on the importance of both. Jamey accomplishes this by delivering an outstanding musical performance with songs that have affected and influenced his career. He responds to the pressure of being a standard bearer for the traditional side of country music and its outlaw ways by writing and performing songs with thoughtful lyrics and stories which paint a picture of all the elements of the great country songs of the past ... love, loss, happiness, revenge, marriage and divorce, with no sign of the tailgate parties that so over-populate mainstream country music today. Jamey continues to tour throughout the fall, check out his tour page and mark the calendar to check out this one of a kind talent and entertainer. In the meantime, enjoy this clip of Jamey's track "Between Jennings and Jones."</span><br />
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Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-31845936756926647612015-07-27T11:09:00.002-04:002015-07-27T11:09:50.654-04:00Album Review: Amy Black, The Muscle Shoals Sessions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The very mention of that little town in the southern United States always catches the attention of a true music fan. It is a place of historical significance, a true melting pot of musical genres that had led to some of the greatest recorded music in history. Artists like Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Willie Nelson are just a few of the legends that have created some of their best work in those hallowed studios. Indeed, when artists record at the FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, magic happens. How could it not? The artists, from the lead singer, to the producers, to the musicians, all push themselves just that little bit more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such is the case with The Muscle Shoals Sessions (Rueben), the latest release from <a href="http://amyblack.com/" target="_blank">Amy Black</a>. For this project, Amy takes her music in a completely different direction, fusing soul, country and blues. This move from her comfort zone pays off handsomely, as this record is one of the most underrated albums of 2015. It's a stellar piece of work that is unique to the Americana landscape today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The album kicks off appropriately with a sultry version of Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home", starting with a simple guitar and Black's powerful vocals. This introduction gives way to a purely funky version of this classic, and it sets the bar high for the rest of the album. Black re-introduces us to the spoken word concept in a portion of the Spooner Oldham/Dan Penn written "Uptight, Good Man", a performance that perfectly captures the message for women to not settle for anything less than the good man they desire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Watch Dog" perfectly captures the everything that you would expect from an album paying hommage to the history of the music of Muscle Shoals. Originally a hit for Etta James, Ms. Black breathes new life in to this soul classic with her powerful vocals and backed by a piercing horn section and outstanding background vocals by Ann and Regina McCrary (of McCrary Sisters fame). From this great funky number that's built for dancing, the album moves to one of its real highlights. "Starting All Over Again" is a beautifully written song about the painful realization one feels when they realize they must dial the relationship back a step or two. She captures the emotions perferctly, detailing the tough task ahead with the hope that the relationship will move forward and prosper with this step backward. It's an adult song for an adult subject. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While there are some brilliant selections that have been covered on this record, this is more than a cover album. Not to rest on her laurels, Ms. Black makes valuable contributions to this album with her own songwriting. She takes us to the back rooms and the back waters with the swampy-sounding groove of "Get To Me." "Woman On Fire" kicks things back up a notch with a pounding back beat that helps capture the sultry feel of the song, which once again highlights Ms. Black's vocal prowess and showcases what the McCrary's can bring to a song with their backing vocals. "Please Don't Give Up On Me" is a beautiful song of regret and apology, it is one of the finest songs on the album. If the goal for Amy Black was to contribute songs that stand with the spirit that is the music from Muscle Shoals, than we can conclusively say, mission accomplished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a finely crafted album that pays hommage to one of the truly great music centers in the world. It's an authentic and pure tribute to Amy's roots and the sound that has defined music for generations. She's got the soul, she's got the funk and she captures it all on this record. With "The Muscle Shoals Sessions", Amy Black moves to the front of the class among Americana's finest and most diverse singer-songwriters. </span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-76560687597644909202015-07-20T22:46:00.002-04:002015-07-20T22:46:30.938-04:00Mariposa Folk Festival Musings - Part 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for mariposa folk festival" 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ucw8DfuqOSlc0XGqcpcahmcGPGUnbXTv0QlFIVIZSQwIZWHEEagilQSDcK4c1rgWuFwntuftr5XhUlPr+pIBydePuOhHcRVvDJnaCsHXUpppzHw3HYUPdK22GihSBDYzFsxHHq1tmX3llHhcc6hq32blHFP4HTNklMjhcN8T5JZbL2dJiJFihXM7cuAAHFmPIDt/OkGMLjYLUTzsgYZJDYfzRMLBdFiZR12IfNzEYUKO67gk+OnhTooxxKzsnpA+/wCmwW67+YUxXRWtvm8S4P6xA34StBohwK9Z6Qv/AHsHyJHjdFO6G7owUGS4Z2OZ3AtmPAAX4ACw8+2mIohG2yqq+tNVLn2HAcls3r26uDgMp1Y+jGntOeA8BYk9wr2WQRtuVzRUjqqUMG3E8gkfi8TJPKXcmSRz2XJJ0CqBy5ACqklz3XOpW4jjjgjyt0aP5co22H0ZyOA2Jk6u+vVoAXHix9EHuAPjTbKQnVxVJU481pLYW36z5f4WzfDcOKDDNNAz3jsXViGDLcAngLEXv2aGiama1t2rjD8YllmEcttdrcPwl04uCO0UktKN0x//APbP20906yv+mFG+9G2RhMM8x1I0Rfac6KPDme4GmpZMjSVU0dMamYRj59Q4pV7G3QxeOvOxChyW6yS93J1JUAer36DspBkD5PaPFaioxOmpLRNF7aWHD5qn25seXCymKUC9rgjVWU8GU+4j3VDJG5hsU9S1UdTHnZ+QrHcHaqYbGK8hyoytEW5LmKkE911GvK9SU7w1+qWxaB89MQzcG/d/lFvS+t4cO4OnWMPHMlwfs/Gmaz3QVUej5/Ve3q8D+Usar1qFbS7xTNhFwhK9UpvwOYgHMFJvbKDrw5CpTK4sycEo2hiFQagXzH+XVTUScR/uXvlhsJhOrdX6wM7eit+szG4N72BAsuvsinYKhjGWO6zuJYXPUVOdhFjb5Ib25vVicSxLSMiE6RIxVQOQNrZz3n4cKXkme/irOlw6CnbYNBPEnX/Co9B2Cok/ujTo63dlfExzsjLFGSwZhbO1iFC34jW9+GlN00Ti7MdlSYvXRNhMTTdx5cAmRvJtj5KkchAMZlRJT7KPdcw8GK+69OyPyC6zdLT+sOLBvYkdZGtu66thUiVXJtj/AAJv2b/gNcv90qSH4je0LzwvAVSr6KVm3/n/AJ4UIRH0e43qsfD2PmiP7wuv2lSp6Z1pAqzF4ukpHdWvdp4J31arEqUIXxK4UEnQAEnwHGi9l6Bc2C87Y3FGWR5Txkdn/iYtb41SOdmJPNfRIY+ijbHyAHctNeKRFHRof9oRfVk/AaYpfiKpxr+kPaEcdJ8k/wAmEcMbsrn51kBbKi65SBrqbcrWB7abqsxZZoVHgwhE+eRwFtr8T+EuN0Ni/K8UsR9RfTl7kX9HuJNl957KRhjzvstHiNX6vAXjc6N7fwntGgUAAAACwA0AA5Duq32WFuSblVu2NqQLHIrzRLdGFi6g6qRaxNcPc2xuUxDBK54LWk68kgU4DwqmX0I7p+bpD+44X9hF+AVcRe4F8/rv6mTtPiUn99ocmPxI/WZv41V/5qrZxaQrYYY7NSRnq+5WrdjYT4ycRKcqgZpH9lb/ABY8AP6GvIojI6wXddWNpYs51PAcz5J27H2TFhoxHCgVRxPNj7THmatWMDBYLET1Ek788huVo3rxzQYSaWM2dEuptexuANDx41zK4tYSFJRRNlqGMdsSlQd/cf8A64/9OP8A7ar/AFqTmtWMGpP7fqU293JnfCwPKbyPEjMbAXZlBOgFhxqxjJLQSsjVNa2d7WbAm3ekZtw3xWIP6+b/AKr1Uye+Vu6UWgj/AOI8AnB0dJbZ8HfnPnI9WdP8MLG4sb1j/wCcESWqZV65NrbNjxETRSLdWFu8Hkw7COINcuaHCxUsMz4XiRh1C8+4rDlHeNuKM0Z8VYqfiKpnCxI5L6Cx4kYHjiL94TkG3SuyRiSfT6ga/rCAg+3Vp0los/UsX6oHV/QDbN9N/BJb4/fVUtunnuVsIYTDKpHzjgPKeeYj1fBeHmedW8MeRtlhMRqzUzl37RoOz8ogqVIrBoQkjv8A7JGHxjhBZJAJVHIZiQwH7yk+8VVVLMsmi22EVBmphm3Gnl9EQ9D+LOfERciEkA7wSrfy+VTUR3CrvSCPRj+0fdaumBT12HPIo4HiGW/3iitGoXfo+RkkHWPuqzo12pHBiz1pCiROrDngGzKQCeQNuPbao6V4a/Ximcap3ywAs1sbns/CcoNWaxyzQhShCVnSLs/GYjE3XDyNDGMsZWzXvYu1lJIubDhwUUhUske7QaLT4RPSwxe08Bx38l19GG7RVmxM8bKykpErqVI09J7Hxyg/W7a6pYbe05RY1XB9oYzcbkjj1Jj06s6hbfXbuGGFxERmjMjROqoGzNmKkAWF7a9tQTSNDSLqzw6kndOx4abAjW2m6SxqqW2V38iPZU2VVvrITK2lsr5fi16z/K4YkZf9ab9IfUX1T35h2085nSP12H1KzcNT6pAcnxH8f7W+Z8EWqthYcOymFWJcdMOH9HDyW4M6E+IDAfZPxpKtGgK0Xo8/2ns6gUtaQWnRlu9udNOiNiXeOBRdIyxzWPYG0iX3X7hxpeWpt7I1PgqSqxKOJxEIBcdzw/KsJNkbH1Tr0DDn8oOh95y1EJJ97KAVWJn2spt/x/CqNh7rRT4uWITF4IgD1iWuxb1VvYj2rkezUj5y1gNtSm6nEJIqdri2zncD1LZsbdnCyzYhXxBVY5TGi5kVmA/SJYai9xoOVD5ntAsFzUV9QyNhDNSLk2Nl1be3CEcTS4eRnygsUbKbqNTlZQNbcra1zHU3NnCyjpsYc6QMlFr8dUE4ePOyrcDMyrmPAZiBc9wvenALmyu5HZGl1tgT3J3bC3PwuGAKxh3H+9f0mv2i+i+61W0cLGDRYapxGoqD7TrDkNB+UQCpUih/f+APs/EA8kzfwsrflUNQLxlP4W4tq47c/HRdW6WMM2Dw7k3YxqGPay+ix81NdROzMBUVdGI6h7RzK7Nr/wCBL+zf8Jrp/ulQw/Eb2hed04CqVfRSrvamAy4LBzAet10bHvWZ2X4FvKpXt/Ta7tSEE16qWM9R+gB+yqIZijK6+sjB1+spDD4gVGDY3Tr2B7Sw8dO/ReicJOJEV19V1DDwYXH31dA3F186c0tcWngt1erlD+/mN6rAzm9iy9WPGQhPuJPuqGd2WMp7DYukqmDrv3apG1Urdqx23gOpaJCLEwRSN9ZwWI917e6pJG5SB1JWkm6ZrncMxA7Arbo1/wDeEXhJ/wBNqkpfiBKYz/SO7R4p1E1aLFpfb0b+xQuy4REeX1XmI9EW5C2slvG3jSctS1ps3dX1Fg8krQ6YkN4Dj+EvtpbaxGIN5pnf6N7J/Ctl+FJOke7crRQ0cEI9hoHj3nVV4UDhUaZuoa9QF6B3dS2Ew47IYx9hauWaNC+e1RvM89Z8Uqek2LLj3PtJG32cv8tV1UP1FrMEdekHUSiboeQdViD+l1ign6IQEDzLedMUfuntVZ6QE9KwcLff/CYVOLPob6RXts+fvyDzkQVBUG0ZVjhIvVs/nApHyHQ+FVS3HFejcFDkjRPZVV8gB+VXYFhZfOJHZnk9a8+7UN55j2yyHzdqpn+8V9Bp/gs7B4J07gi2z8P9QnzZjVpB8NqxeJ/1cnaiCpkgsGhC89bamD4mdxwaaVh4GRiD5VTSG7iV9CpW5YGA/wBo8AjTbDFdg4dfbZPIs8g+4U0/SnCo6cB2KvPK/hZB+7+HEmKw6Hg00YPhmBPwFLRi7wOtXVY8sp3uHI/VegquF8/UoQpQhKvpf/x4O3q2/ELfnVfWe8FqfR/4b+0eC0dEg/vcvZ1J/GleUfvld4/8Bvb9kb787vHGYeyW61DnjvwJtZkJ5Aj4gU3PF0jevgqPDK31WbMfdOh8/kkpPCyMyOpVlNmVhYg9hFVTgQbFbdj2vbnabjmFZbL3kxWHsIpmCj9BvTTwAa9h4WqRkz27FKz4fTTavYL8xofp9wUX7J6T2FhiYQRzeI2PjkY/zUyys/uCp58A4wu+R80w9mbRjxEayxMGRuBHxBB1BHYaca4OFws9NC+F5Y8WIXUTXSjQfvVv5FhiY4gJZhoRf0EP0jzP0R77UtLUNZoNSrahwiSoGd3st+p+X3Sz2xvHicTfrZWyn/dr6KeGUcffekXzPfuVp6egp4B7DdeZ1P8AOyyqRYaaVEnFiQ6HwoXrdwmv/Y3dVjlKxfTLv353u+RhY4grTOMwDaqi6jMwGpuQQBfkezXuefoxYbrzDMNNUS52jR9TyQZgukjGI136uRealch9zLw94NKtq331V1JgdM4WYSD3+SMV332fPCeuIAI9KGSMub9lgCG8RTPrEThr3KlOFVkUlmDsIP8ALIP3W2bFi8dJKkYTDxsHWPlfggI4cVLkDQaDhVPVygA5dLq5rJn01K2NzrvO56uPkjHFwDFzvE5+Yhy9ZGDbrZGGcK9v92qlTbmW14aog9G3NxKp2ONPGHj3nbHkBpcdZPcrL+yYMmTqIsvs9WtvK1R9I/mVB08l82Y353KHsPBHgTj2iFlWNJgvsnLJ6I7ri/71TkmQMunnyPquhDzrci/PUKYXY2EwOFM8iCYhQzyFQ5YtYehfRQSR+Zoc+SR+UaL19RUVUwjacutgOVuaxs/ZWFx2G6yOJ8OHLAiM9XqpIJKr6DjTmDQ57432JuvJJp6WbK5wcRz18dUssdhxHI8YZXCMy5l4NY2uKfabi61ELzIwPItcXtyXwJWAsGa3Zc2rrMea96Np4DuV3sHe7E4VhlcyJzikYlT9Um5Q+GncaljnezrCRqsMgnG1jzH81RBvR0gJicK0McTq0lg5bLlC3uQpBu17W1A0NTS1IezKBuq+iwZ8M4ke4WGosinoxv8A2fFf2pbeHWv/APumKX4YVXjNvXHfLwCvNvtbCznshkP2GqZ/ulI04vK0dY8V57HCqVfQzumPPs/rNgRkDWO8w8BI+b7LNTxbenHesy2fJix6/Z+mn1slzSK0ydXRtjutwEY5x3iP7p9H7JWrWmdeMdSxOLxdHVuPPXv/ACiip1WJd9MGNtHBCD6zNIfBBlHxc+VJVjtA1aD0fivI+TkLd/8AhL3Y2B6+eKH/AFHVT9W92+yDScbczgFoqqboYXSch/j6oh6URbHn9lH97ipqv4nyVdgZ/wBp8z9lo6Nz/tGHwk/6bV5S/EC7xn+kd8vFGvSjtxoYVhjJDzXuRoRGts1uwkkDwvTVVLlbYcVS4LSCaUyOFw36k7d26VuzdnyTyLFCuZ24DgABxJPIDtqvawuNmrVTzshYXyHT+fVMbZHRjGADiZWc+xH6Kj971m8Rlp5lGB7xWaqMfkOkLbDmdT5eKvsXurg4YJSmGiusbkMy52BCnXM9zepjCxrTYJBuIVMkjQ6Q6kcbDfqSQb1fdVQdluuK9E7LW0MQ/Vp+EVeN2C+czfEd2lKzpZS2NQ9sC/B5Krqz3/ktVgB/25HX9grbodl0xK9hibzEg/lqSiOhCU9IW+1G7tHdbzTIp5ZxCXSi9tnuO14x9sH8qXqvhlWuCi9W3sPglFs+LNLEvtSRr/E4H51WtF3Ba+d2WJx5A+C9FVdL52vOWKa7ue12PmxqkduV9FiFo2jqHgnjuQLYDDfslPmL/nVtB8Nqw2In/dydpV5UqTQlv5vUuGiaNGBxDiygfoA6dY3Z3Dme69LzzBjbDdWmGYe6okD3D2BuefUk3HGSQqi5JCqO0nQDztVWNVtHOABce1NPpC2f1Wy4oxwhaFfJSl/M1Y1LbQ25LJ4TNnrnOP7r+aXWwMSI8VA54LLGT3DMAT5E0jEbPB61pKtmene0cj9AvQVXK+frNCFDQhJbpKx4lxzAG4iVYv3hdm+LW/dqrqnZpLcls8FhMdMCf3En7K+6HsJriJTw9CMeIuzfelTUTd3JD0gk9yPtP2TKp5ZtVm2t38PihaaMMQLBuDjwYa27uFRvja8e0EzT1c1Obxut4dyB9q9F5Fzhpr9iSj+dR/LSr6P+096u4PSDhMz5jyPmgLaGBkgkaOVCjrxB+BBGhB7RSb2lpsVoIZmTMzsNwjfohxjCWaK/osgktyDKQpPvDD+EU3RO1LVRekETcjJON7fT/KuuknecwIIIjaWQXZhxSPhp2MxBAPIAnjapambIMo3SeD0And0rx7I26z5DySswGCeZ1jiQu7cFHxJ5Ad5qva0uNgtTLKyFmd5sEx9hdGSABsU5c/6cZKoO4t6ze7LTsdIBq4rN1WPPd7MAsOZ38lc707Mgw+z8SIYkjvGRdVAJuQup4njzqWZjWxOsElRTyzVcedxOvEpKz+q3gfuqrW3G69DfJxVvlXz3Mk3tsS47HTmJGkOYhVHJI/QBudANL682qukzSSGwWvpTFR0jOkIHH5nVVOP2fLC2WaN4yeGZSL+B4H3VG5jm6EJyGeOYXjcD2LmrlTJm9Fij5NKeZmN/dHHb76r6v3gsxjXxx2fcq7xm7UUkzTFpVZwoYRyMgbKdCcpFzYZfDsOtRiZwbZJMrJGRiPQgbXAO/auP+w8MWMHXymUBnI+UN1gVmBBIvwGgFxwPO9676V9s1tOxSeszgCXKLbe6LXHy71NhYRIMZiIFLENHDMM7FzxkRhdrkjRePbRI4uYHL2pkdLAyQ8CRoLcivraWEMJCwSwIspIGGnHzbNz6uxupPNQCO4Em/jHB2rhtxC5ieJBeRrjb9zdwOvmu/Z2FlMbJiVgyFcoiiVsttbg5uIPZYVw5zb3bdQyuYHB0Rd2ndDPSjGq4eAKAAJLAAWAGRtBblU9KbuN1Z4KSZnk8vuFx7udHTTRrLPL1asAyqlmax4EsbgeABq5ipc4zEqWsxwRvLIm3txKzt7o1ljGbDP1oHFGsr+4+q3hp769kpCNWarylx1jjaYZesbIYwu7WLkfIuGlDcLshRR4swAtS4hkJtZWj8QpmNzl4t1G57gnJsGFMNHBhL3kETNoDY5Cgkbu9KUce3uNWjAGANWLqHune+e2l/G9voFs3ra2CxJ/US/gavZfcK9ohepjH/cPFIKqZb9O7c/DB9mQo3qvCQfB81/vq2hF4gFha95bWPcNwfBJXE4cxu8besjMh8VJB+6qoixstvG8SMDxsdUe9EO0LSTQE+solUd6nK3wZP4aco3alqoPSCG7WSjhofEfdNCn1mEmOkzG9ZjnW+kSJH77Zz+O3uqrqnXktyWywWLJSg/3En7fZb+ivBZ8aXPCKNm/eayD4F66pG3ffkuMdly04Z/cfoNfJTpWW2OHfBGftyj8qKsfqIwE/7U/8j4BV/R89to4fvLjzieo6f4gTGLi9G/5eIV30vRn5RA36JjYDxDXP4lqas94JH0fcOjeON0L7ubcfBzdbGqsSpQq3AqSDxHA3Ua0vFIY3XCta2jbVR9G424orl6UpSPRw0antMjN8Ao++mPXDyVSPR5l9ZD3flUuP36xsoZTIqqwKlUjWxBFiLtmPDvqN1TIU7Fg9LGb2JPWfKyGH4HwpY7K1C9FbL/wYv2afhFXjdgvnMvxHdpSw6XR/e4v2I/G/9aQrPeC0+AfAd2/YLd0PP89iB2xof4WYfzUUfvFcekAuyM9Z8AmnVgsugnpZktglHtTIPJXP5UrVn9NXOBNvU35ApcbqRZsbhh+uQ/wnN+VIwi8gWkxB2WlkPV+Pun4TVuVgl5tVri/br51SndfSALaIo2fv5i4YkiTqcsahFvGSbKLC5z8anbUvaAAquXB6eV5e7Ncm+/4WMbv7jpBbrFQfq0ynzYkj3EUGqkPFEeDUjDexPaf8IadiSSSSSbkk3JPaSeJpe54q0aA0WAsEd9GW7LSSDFyraNNYgf034Z/qjl2nwpylhuc5VBjVeGtNOw6n3urq80wd6Nm/KcLLCPWZfRv7a+kn2gKclZnYQs/Rz9BO2TkdezikEy8QRY6gg8QeBBqn7VvwQRcJp7mb+RNGsWKfJIoCiRvVcDQEn9Fu2+h491WENS0izjqspiOESNeZIRdp4cR+EZf2tBa/XRW7esW3301nbzVP0Eu2U9xQzvXv5DChXDussx0BX0kT6TEaG3sj4VBLUtaLA6qzocJlleDKC1vHmUogGZubOzeLMzH4kk/Gq3UnrWvOVjddAPoAnfsHADAYGzWuiNLIe17Fm8rWHcBVtG0RsWGqpjWVOYcTYdmwQruTv6ApjxrkG90lIJ0OpRrDlyPZpy1XgqRaz1a4jg5BD6cX5j7/ADRtFvJhGFxiYP8A1V/M00JWHYhUrqOobvG7uK48fvrgogbzq59mP5w+Ho6D3kVw6eNvFTRYXVyHRhHbp4pSb07bOMxDTFcosEReYQXIv33JPvqtlk6R2Za6gpBSwiO9zue1GnRDs0gTYg8GtEnfY3c+F8o8VNN0bLXcqTH5wS2IcNT9v51oK3qxpmxk7n/UZR9VDkX4Lf30pM7M8lXeHwiKmY0cr9+qOujFsLFh2kaWNZnYh8zqrKqmyrqeBtm7791OUuRrb31VDjXrEk2UNOUbWB161fbR36wUQ/xhIfZi9O/vHoj3mpXVEY4pGHCqqU6Mt26IG3o3+OKieBIciPb0ma7aMG4AWHDtNKy1WcFoCu6LBugkErn3I4WQTKtwR2gilFeE2XpLJV1ZfOLoI6KMIFhncj0mnZCedkA0/iZvOl6VtgT1q6xyTNKxo2yg9/4sjDH4COZDHKiuh4qwv7x2HvFMOaHCxVPHK+J2ZhsUnd+d1xgpFKEmKS+W/FSLXUnnodD3Hsua2oh6M3Gy2OF4gappD/eH161e9F2KVYcQGIAVxISeQKWJPd82fKqqqbdwskcaYTKwjiLfX8q32Rvcs+IEPUSJnUvG7aZkGobKRop5HWonwZWZr3Sc+HmKLpM4NtCBwPJfcGzpoMRPJHDFJ1zZhI0hRlFgCjeg3ogi4t+VBe17QCdly+aOWJjXOIyi1rXHbuFQw7Nx3y+WdWhMiBSULMFaNwbIPRuLBOJtqL1MXxdGBwKfdPSGlbEQ6x421BHHfjdXu0sNJi+rR8MYgsiO0kjRkrlIYiLq2Ykm1rnLofdULS2O5zXSMT2093Nfe4IsL8ed7fdfO3d8Ew2IEJjdrKHkcHREJtmtzA58KI4C9ua69psOfNEZA4DgBzPJU/SvN6OHTtZ38go/mqWkGpKdwNpzvd2IM2VtvEYY3hlZBxy3uh8VOn51YMkczYq5no4J/iNv18e9OvdfbIxeGSYCxPouvsuujDw5juIq1ieHtzBYmspjTzGM/LsVsakSqGNg4v5RjsVKuscITCoeRYFnlt7yo9wqCN2d5I4aKxqY+hpo2Hd13HsOg+/eu7fVrYDFfsZB5qRXc3wyosPF6qP/AJDxSHqnW9T33LH9wwv7FPitW8PwwsFiP9VJ2lLPpM2f1WNZgPRmUSD6w9Fh9kH96kapmWS/NabBZukpsvFpt8tx/OpVG6+0fk+LhlvZQ9m+o3otfwBv7qihdleCnK+Dpqd7ONtO0a/hPwnTuq4WBsvPG08X100sv+o7OPBmJHwtVK92ZxK+hwR9FE1nID+d6Y/RBg7Qzy21eQID3It/vkPlT1GPZJWb9IJLytZyF+//AAqvpfjtiIG7YmH8L3/nqOsHtBN+j5vE8dY+o/CGN1JsmNwzfrUH8RyfzUvCbPBVnXtzUsg6vDVOfeLYMWMi6uS4sbq49ZG4XF/Hhzq1kjDxYrF0lVJTPzs+Y5hLjHdGmKU/NvFIvaSUbyII+1SDqN42K0kWPQOHtgg94XPF0c40nURL3tJ/2qa8FJIpHY5SgaZj8lZYno4EOHmmlnLNHG7hUXKLqpIBLXJFxyAqQ0mVpJKVbjhllayNlrkDU349Vkv24GkeC0S9EbJ/wIv2afhFXbfdC+dTfEd2lLPpeH95h/ZH8Z/rSNZ7wWm9H/gv7fsuXopny44j2oXHvDI33A1zSH2/kpcdbmpg7kR9bpw1ZLIJf9MD/MQL2yk+UbD+ak6z3Qr70fH6zz1fcIL3DS+0MN9Zj5ROfypWn+IFd4qbUcny8QnfimsjHsUn4GrU7LEMF3ALzfD6o8B91Ui+kHdFTbhY3KrIiSBgGGWQDQi+ufLrTHqsm4VSMZpbkOJHy8rrOH6P8c3GJU73kW32Mx+FApZCvH41SN2JPYD97Is2B0axxkPiX64jXqwLR/vX1f4DupmOlDdXaqpq8ckkGWIZRz4/j+ao8RQBYCwGgA4WptUW+6+qEJbdIG5bM7YnDLmJ1liHEnm6Dme1efEa0lUU5PtNWiwrFGtAhmNhwP2PmlseY5jQjsPYeykOpacHiFjKKLIuvuKMswVVLMxsFUEknsAGpoAvoF494YMzjYcymnuHuUYCMRiAOt/Qj4iO/MngX+6rGnp8vtO3WTxTFRP+lF7vE8/wiDfbCyy4KaOAZnYAZeZXMCwHeVBFqmmDjGQ1IYfJHHUsfJoAfrwSLdSpKsCrDipFmHcQdRVQRbRbtrg4Zmm45hYoXqwSBQiyJ92ty58UwZlaKHm7CzMOxFOpPedPHhTEVO5510Cqq3FYYAQ05ncht8ynJgMGkMaxxrlRBlUdw+899WbWhosFjpJHSOL3blIze3Zj4fFSq4IDOzxtyZGYsLHmRex7xVTMwsebrc4fUMngaW7gAEciNFT2qFOrfg8LJK2WJGkbsRS1vG3DxNdNaXe6FHLKyIXkIHb/ADVXO090cRh8P18+VBmVRHfM927baDzNSugcxuZyShxOGeboo7nfXhoqfAYdpJFRFZyWXRQWNrjWw5VGwEnROTPaxhLiBvuvRdXS+doU2RIMHBjmbVYsRNJbmQypIqjxzgVA39NrieZVjODVSxNG5a0d2n2S+k3+xxcuJQoJ/wAMIhQDs1XMfG9JGqkve60bcGpAzKW687m/kuHb+82IxgQTFLISQEXKLkWubk3NvvriSZ0nvJikw+GlJMd7nmVu3OxarM0UhtFiEMD62tmFlN/EkfvUpM27bjcLjEYnOjEjN2HMPumHhNpvh1WLExSHIAgnjQyI6jQMQgLI1gLgi1+dJFmfVp+Szr4WynPE4a/tJsR36Hq1uumbeGID0VmkPJY4ZGJ9+UAe8iuRC7jouG0rydbDtI80M4La2LgxM00+Dl6qYrcIM7RhBlX1dDoTcG3H3Uw6NjmAA7KxfT08sLY45Bmbz0vftRJDvTg2H+YjU+zI3VsPEPY0uYZBwVe6hqB+wns18FzY+Y4wdVCp6liOtnYWVkBuY4r6uW4ZvVAJ1Jrto6PV2/ALuNvq5zvPtcG348zyty3S+3w2n8qxbFLsq/NRgC+YAm5AHG7E2txFqdgYWtA4laDD4PV6cZtCdSqIjlzGhFSqwBBFwizo/wB6Fwjukt+pksbgE5HGl7DUgjQ27B30zTzZDZ2yqMWw91S0Pj94fUK+3j3+67+74BXaSQ5BJYqddLRg63+kbW494mkqc3sx7lV9Lg/R/q1VgBrbz4WRfursUYTDJCLFh6Tkc3PrHw5DuApmKPI2yqK2pNTMZO7sWrfo/wBwxP7MjzsK8n+G5d4b/VR9qRVVC3ifO5n+Rwv7CP8ACKt4fhhYHEP6qT/kfFD/AEsbOz4ZJgNYXFz9CSyn7WTyqGrZdl+SsMCnyVBjOzh9QlMRVctcmzh94s2xnlJ+cWMwE8+s0jU+JzK3vqyE14c3FZB9DlxERW0Jv8t/wlMKrVr07ujzC9XgIO1wZD++xYfAiranbaMLDYrJnq39Wndohrpjh/yr9nWr59Wf5TUFYNirP0edrI3sPddLmCbIyv7LK38JB/KkW6ELRvbmYW8wR9F6NRri44HWrtfObWKzQhS9CFy7VwYmhkhJKiRGQkcQGBBIvz1rxzcwspIZTFI144G6GsF0c4JPWEkp+m5A8kyil20kY31VlJjVU/Ygdg80WxRhQFUWAAAHYBoBTKqiSTcqq21uzhsUyvPGXZRlHpuuhN/0WF6jfEx5u4JqnrZ6cFsTrA9QWNm7rYSBxJFCFcXs12JFxY+sTyJobExpuAiauqJm5ZHkhXNSJRVW3t3oMWEE6lghJWzMtibA+qdeFRvia/3kzTVktMSYja/UuDZW5OFw8yzRBw63tdyw9JSp0PcTXLIGNNwp6jE6ieMxyEWPUFc7Xa0Ep7I3P2TUjjZpScIvI0dYXnU+r7vyqk4L6NxXo3ZwtFGPoL+EVeN2C+cSe+e1c20duYeBgs00cbEXAZgCRwvbs/pXLpGt3KkipppReNpPYFxHfLAj/iovOuenj/uCnGG1Z/8ATd3LW2/GAH/FR/H+lHTx811/pVZ/0yr7DzK6qykFWAZSOBBFwR7jUoNxdIOBaSCtlC8VXtTd3DYg3mhR29q1m/iWzfGuHRMduExDVzw6RvI+encqkdHuAvfqW8Otlt+Oo/VouSbOMVhFs30HkrvZuxoMP/gxJHfiVXU+J4n3mpGsa33QkpqiWY3kcSu+u1CsGhC5cbsyGYWlijkH00VvvFcuY124Ukc0kZuxxHYVWtudgf8A4aL3C33Vx0EfJMjEar/qO711YLd7CwnNHh4lb2ggzedr102NrdgopaueUWe8n5qyArtLrNCFpxOFSRcsiK6+yyhh5GvCAd1017mG7TZVybsYMG4wmHv29Sn9K4ETBwCYNdUkWMju8qzihVRZQFA5AADyFd2sliSTcrm2psuLEIEmQOoYNlJNrgEC9jqNTodK8c0OFipIZ5IXZozYr5whw8XzUfVIeHVplU3+qOdAyjQIk6WT233PWbrttXVyolQ7+xE7PxFuSZj4KysfgpqGcXjKewxwFXHfmlVupuzJjXYKwREsXci9r3sAOZNjz5VXwwmTsWsr8QZSNBIuTsEV4nor0HV4k35547j3ZWFvjTJo+RVQz0hN/bj7j+FQ7z7kNg4BK0yvdwhUIV9YHW5Y34dlQy0/RtvdP0WLNqpujDLaX3v9lY7rb95FEWKuQNFmGpt2OBqfrDXt7aq5aa5u1QVuEZiXwd3l5I9wWPilF4pEcfRYH7uFJuY5u4VE+J8Zs9pC6bVwo9FybQxMMYzTNGoHNyB5XrtrXHa6ljZI82YCexAG9u+/WqYcNcIdHlOhYeyg4gHtOv305DT5dXK+oMKyESTb8B5+SrejhAdoQ35CQjx6tv61Z03xAmMYJFI75eIVz0nbuOJflUSEo4HWZRfK40zkDkRbXtGvGpaqI3zBJYLXMydBIbEbX5ckG7M2VNiGCwxs57QPRH1mOg95pVkbnbBXM9VFC273AeKbe5e5yYMdY5DzsLFv0UHNUv8AFuJ7qsYYBHrxWRxHEnVRyjRvLn1nyRXTCrEPdIDW2fiPqqPN1FQ1Hwyn8LF6uPtSOqpW6T43LP8AcML+xjHkoq3h+GFgsQ/qpO0ru2xgRPBLEeEiMl+wkWB9xsfdXb25mkKCCUxSNkHA3XnplIJDCxBII7CNCPOqXZfQ2uDgCNiumPHusLwA+g7pIR3oCPjcfwiug4hpbzURgaZRLxAI7/59VzBCdBxOg8ToK5spSQASeC9FYLDiONIxwRVQeCgAfdV2BYWXzqR5e4uPFBXS/FfDQt2TAe4xyfmBStYPYB61dYA607h/2/cJUEVXLWL0Du3iOswmHf2ooyfHKL1cxm7QV8+qmZJ3t5E+KF+lTaM8EcLwyvHdmVsptf0cwv4ZT50vVvc1oLTZWeCQRTPe2RoOlx3rqwe68zorNtHGXZQ1lcDiAew12IiRq4qF9dE1xAgZ9fNdmG3TKsrHG41srBrNMCpsb2Iy6juroQ2/cVC+vzNLREwdg/KIxUyQWaEKUIQDDvBiTtk4UyfMhiMmVeHUdYNbZuNjxpQSv6fLwV66jgGG9OB7XP8A+Vl97/bexOGxGHWGTKkgsRlU6hwDqwJ4OPKiokexwtx81zhdJBPDI6Qajr6j5I7ptUil6EKr3oky4PEnsglP/LauJPcKYoxeojHWPFefpfVPgapeC+hDdekMKLIo+iPuq8Gy+bON3FLDpbivisOBxaPL9vT8RpGrHttWmwJ1oJOryKYcWwsMvq4eEeES/wBKcDGjgs+6qmdu895XQuAiHCKMeCD+ldZRyUZkedye9bwAB2AfCvVxutIx8RNusS/ZnF/K9eZgu+ifa9j3LfevVws3oQtU2IRfWZV8SB99eEgLprXO2C+YcZGxssiMexWB+40Ag7L10b27gj5Kv3sxTxYOeSNsrrGSrWBsRz10riVxawkKehjbJUMY7YlVXRvtGafDO88hkbrWUEhRZQqaeiBzJ86jpnucy5TWMQRwzhkQsLea7N6t6EwSoXjkfOTbKPRFresx0B10HPWu5ZRHwuoKKhdVOIa4C3NWGw9qDEwpMEdA1/RcWYWJHvGlweYrtjszbqCohMMhjJBtxGysK6UKlCFL0IXLj9oxQrmlkSMdrsFv4X41y5wbubKSOKSU2Y0k9SrIt8MExsMVFfvaw8zpXHTx33CYdh1U0XMbu5XasCLjUHWpUmUpdnRX2+dOE8p8opD99qr2j/cLVyuIwgdg/wDJNun1lF8TxB1KsLqwKkdoIsR5UEXXrXFpuOCBdwMOcJisVg34+jLGT+nHqub4r770rTjI5zD2q6xST1mGOpHYeoop3i29Fg4uslvqbKi+s7dgv8TyqeSQRi5VbS0klS/Iz5ngAlNvXvfJjQqFFjjVswUEsSbEAsbDgCdLc6rppzILLWUOFspCXXuToh2NCxCqCzE2CgEknsAGpNQAX0CsyQBc6DmdkT4bo9xrqHyRofZd7P8AZBA95FMCkkIuqp+NUjTluT1gaeKHmxEqEoXkUqSpXOwsQbEaHtFLFtjsrERxPAcGg36h5LGFw7TSog1eR1QE6m7EC57he9dtbcgBEj2wxl+wAvyV1vZunJgcrM6yRucocDKQ1r5SpJtoDYgngeFSzQGPikqDEmVdwBYjh+dFOj91G0MOWNtXA+sY3AHvJtRTEdIEYuCaN9urxCeFWqxC+ZGCgkkAAXJOgAHEnuo2QASbKq2TjmxL9ahK4cXEemsx4GTXURjgvbqeFr8Ndm1GyZmiEIyO97j/ANvV28+Xeriu0shbpMe2zpu8xDzlSl6r4ZVng4vWM+fgUlqq1tk89w3vs/D/AFLeRI/KreD4YWExMWq5O1X9SpFJHpC2Z1GNkIHoy/Or4t648cwY/vCqupZlk7VtcHqOlpgOLdD9vp4IbpdWit90MJ1uNw6cR1gY+CXk/lqWFuaQBJYjJ0dK93Vbv0T7q3WDQh0px3wDH2ZIz5sF/mpar+EVbYIbVY7D4JOVWLZp29HOIz7Ph+jnT+F2A+Fqtac3jCw+LMyVb+vXvCpumFf7rCf13/25KirfcCc9Hz+u7/j9wunZuG2q0UZGIwyqUUr82WOUqLX0Gtq7aJiBqFDK+ga8jI+9+YVts7DY1HDYjEwtGASyrDl0sdc2bSxseB4VI0PGriO5KzPpnNyxRuB5l1/pZVEW9eJxcjLs+FDGhsZ5yQl+5V14a8z2gVGJnSG0Y05lNuoIaZodVPNz+1u/euuQbWTUHBydqZZEJ7gSbX8a6/W6lCDh7tLPb13B+y37r71DEs8MkZhxEd88TG/AgEqeYuR5jiNa9jmDzYixC4rKAwASNdmYdihadMu8Kn2iD/8ASlf5aXOlSrVhzYQer/8AX5XV0px/O4Fv1jDzaI/lXVUNWnrUWCH9OYdX2KJtub2YbDHKzF5OUMYzyE8hYer7yKnfM1irafD55xmaLN5nQfzsXxsDaGMmcvLh0ghI9FWYmY9hIGgHcbEd9eRue7VwsEVUNNEMsby53HT2fkd1u30NsBiv2Mg81I/OvZvhleYcP91H/wAh4pDEXqoC3h2XpFBoKvF83O6V3SqubG4dbkXRRccRmlIuO+kKv32j+brUYIctNI7+aBEUfR7FzxWMP/zgPuWphTDme9Vpxd/CNn/1Xbgtz4IXWQSYglDmGeZiNNdRwI7q7bC1uuveoJcQllaWZWi/JoQEu2F2liGOLxIgwq6rEXCZhf0V19ZiNSTe3AWvSefpnHMbBXxpXUMI6CPNIdza9v5w+qv2wGwcuXNh+Fr9c2bzzXqbLT9SREuL3zWd3ad1lV7r7W+T7RGGgn67CyNlW7ZgLoWGU8iCLG2hHfUcT8suVpuEzW03S0XTyMyyDfS19bIs6QpMUMMPkge5b5wx6yBLH1ba8bXtr8aZqM4Z7CqsJFOZ/wBe1uF9r9aFtgx7GKj5Q157DrPlJcHNbXj6Nr+NQRiC2u/WrOpdid/0h7PDJa1vlqivZOyNn5uuwa4dpVVsjI+YAkEcAxtxtfjqanayPdlrqqnqKwjo6guy8QVT7xHapws/XjBiLq2z5DJny21y30v41HL02Q3tZOUnqHTsyF+a43tZV+4ke0DhT8lbDCPrG/xQ5fNZb+rpbhUdMJMns2smMUdR+sfrBxNhtayJt+9vzYOCJ4xGWeQI2cEj1GY2sw5rTE8hjaCFW4ZRx1UrmPJAAvp2hbTJisTs+OWGQRYh41kGVRlJIvk9MNYEHjyNegvfGCDYrjLBBVuZIMzASOvt0suDcDed588GJP8AeIyeICllBsdAAMynQ+7vrinmzey7dMYpQNhtLD7h+h/Kst+N4Rg8MzAjrXusY+lbVz3KNfIc67nl6Nt+KWw6jNVMG/tGp7OXzVTuDsGWOFp5pH62RTkEjMwjUi4ZlJF2OhPYNNLmo6eNwGZx1KaxWrikk6KJoyg8ABc9R5cu9UEL7PjmaTG4r5dMTZcqMyADuF1J7r2HIc6i/Sa67zmKecKx8YbTx9E3tAJ+ZsVu3n2vgZsM6x4SVHAvHJ8nCBSOF2HBe2iV8bmEZT3Lmip6mKcOdKCOIz3JCv8AoqmZsDZjcJI6L3LZWt4XY1NSkmPVI42wNqiRxAJQ7sdf9vydzzH/AJZH51Cz+oKsag//AMlvYP8AyTTp66y6zXqFVbY2R1rxSoQk0LAq9uKHSSNrcVZb+Bsa4cy5BG4TENQY2uYdWu3HXwPaPDRCHS7s92SGZQSkZZX+jny2Y911t7xS1YwkA8lcYBM1r3Rnc2t8uCAdgbM+U4iKDNlzsQW7AFLNbvspt30lGzO4N5rQVc/q8DpbXsnZsPd3D4UWhjANrFzq7eLHX3DTuq2ZE1mwWJqayaoN5D8uHcq/fveL5JB6B+ekusY7PafwW495FRzy5G9anwyi9Zl190b+XzSVjQswUXLMQAOZYmw48yTVWLkrbOcGtJOw+gCb2524yYUrLKc89tPYjvocvabG2Y+61WUNOGandY/EMVfUXjZoz6nt8lWdMJfJh7A9XncseQewCA+IL1HW3sOSa9H8vSPv71hbs4/ZLNTYgg2I1BGhBHAg8jSC05AIsdkc7G6RcVZYupGIk4AgkOe9lVTc94tTjKt+1rlUNTglOCZM+Rv08fpqinCbHxWMs20GCRXuMJHoptw65gSW+re33Uw1j36ybclUyVEFP7NKLn+87/IcO3dFqKAAALACwA0AHYKYVXvqvqhCEelI/wCz373i/GD+VLVXw1bYL/Vt7D4FJuqxbNOjoylzbPi+i0i/8xiPgatKY/phYrGW5ax3y8AiqmFVoU6Qd3GxcKmIAzRtdQSBmVrB1udBwB/dpeoiMjdN1aYVXCmlOf3Tv9v51pdybi48f8Pfwkj/AO+kjTSclo24vRn9/wBD5Ik6PN1sTDijLPEY1WNgt2U3Zio/RY8s3nU9NA5r7uCq8XxCGaERxOvryPDtATLp5ZxUW++CabAzRopZiFKqOJKuraeVRTNLmEBO4dK2KpY9xsOPclXBuRj2/wCHK97Og/mv8KrxTSHgtU7FqRv779gPkmfuJsaXCYYxTFc2dmGUkgBgNLkDW4PnT8EbmMsVmMTqo6mfpGXtbj1Kt6VMK8mFjEaO5EymyKWNskgvZQTbUVHVglmiYwORrKglxAFuJtyRBuvm+R4fMCrCGMMGBBBCAEEHUHSp4/cF1X1dunfl2ufFduOw4kjeM6B1ZCRxswIP310RcWULHZHBw4IC3amm2WHgxMEjRFy6TwqXXUAHMBqvqg668fGlIrw+y4acwr2sEeIOEsTwHW1a7T67K7bfzCW9DrnbkiwSZiewXUD41L6wzr7kkMJqP3ZQOeYeard1dkzy46XHzRmFWBCRt65uqqCw5eivPme7WOJji8yEWTFbURMpW0sZzEbnh8lxbcRl27h2CsRaO5AJAzCRNSOFcvB9YBU9M5pwuRpIvc/YrZ0tJf5ILNbM+YqLkD5sX8eNe1YvlXOBuDekOl7aX+atJ+j7DhF+Tl4ZUOZZgxLZu1hexHhauzTM/boeaVbi8+Y9LZzTu2wtbq5LGB29i8O4hxuHeQE2XEwIXDd7qouD4AeHOvWyPabPHzC9lpaaVpkp3gc2uNiOw8Vb74YWSbBTRwrmd1ChbgXBZc3rEAaXNSTAuYQEpQSMjqGPebAFJubYGKidRJh5V9IC+QsvH2luPjVZ0T2kXC2QraeRhLHjbnbxsn9VusElz0g7DxM+MhkhhZ0VEBYFbAiRmI1IPAik6iN7nggfy60GF1cEVM9j3WJv4BManFn1hluCDwOlCL2S4O5E+EmMmFSHERHTqZwMwHIKx0uPauO8GkvV3Ruu2xHIrQf6pFUxhk5cxw/c37hdi4nEDT+xI790kNvwV3mf/wBNRdHCf/dHuct2Fj2izqyYTB4ZQQTmOZrcwDHw004V6OlJ90BRyGiDSDI957h9Vb7WO0BLfDrhmisPRkLh83M3XS1SP6S/s2SsAoyy0pcHdVrLgxB2lILPhMG315Cw8stcHpTu0KdoomG4kf8AIAfdV+ydxZBikxMzQxlGDCLCoUS47zwB52GtcMpznzkjsCYnxZpgMDA51+Lzc/zkiXfDDvJgp0jUu7JlCjibkVPMCWEBV1A9rKljnmwBVb0b4GWHCFJo2jYSsQGtcqQpvoe2491R0zXNZZwTOLyxy1GeM3FgubpS2dLNh4hDG0hWYMQouQOrkF/MjzryqYXMAaFJgs8cMzjIbC33CIt3IGTCYdGBDLDGrA8QQgBB771NGLMAVdVPD5nuGxJ8ULb9bvSCRMdgwevQguqi5YDQMAPWNtCOa+FQTxm4kZurTDKxhYaaoPsHY8vLq6+1cW7uyJ8dizi8ahVIyBHEylRcagBW1yjiT+ke4WriNjpH55FNV1ENJB6vTG5O5HmOf0CPNrYATwyQsSFkRkJXiARa4ptzcwsqKGUxSNeOBug3ZO62PwWYYWXCuGN7yxsG7OK3NtOF7UsyGSPRpCuJ6+kqiHTNcD1EW+q+t4MPtVsLMJThChjbMsSSmRhbULf9KiQTFhvZeUr8PbOwsD733JFvmurotidMGyujoeubR1KkgqmtmA04691dUgIZqo8bc11RdpB0GxvzVTszZk4208vUv1ReT5wqQtjGbG5+lYVG1junLraJqaohOGtjzDNppx38kx6dWeWaEKUIXxNErqVYAqQQQRcEHQgjsoIuvWuLTcbpZ7b3Jmwsy4nA+mEYOIuLrbiBf11IuLetY86QfTuY7PGtJT4rHURmCq0uLX4HyN+KNt3N4osWl0OWRdJIW0dG5gg627//AOU3HK1403VJV0clO6ztRwI2KC+ljZEpdMSoLRLHka2vVkMxzH6JzceWWlauNxIcFd4FUxtBiOjibjr6u1AGBxHVyRyAXyOj27crBrfCk2mxBWgmj6SNzNrgjvT82RtqHEoGhkVu0X9Je5l4g1bse14uFgZ6aWB2WRtl14iBXUq6hlPFWAIPiDXRAIsVE17mm7TYocfdnZucKYoQ5NgmexJ7AmbXyqHoYb7BPivrstw51hx/KvsDs6KEZYo0jHYihfO3GpWtDdgkpJXyG7ySetdVdKNShClCFQ767HkxeGMMZUMXQ3ckCym54A61FNGXtsE9h9S2mnEjwbWO3WEJYLos/wBbEe6NLfaYn7qWbR8yraT0gP7Gd58kdbB2NHhIhFFmKglrsbkk8eVNxxhjcoVFU1L6iTpH7qxrtQKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIWLUIWRQhShCxQhZoQsChClqEKWoQs0IWLUIWaELFqELNCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKELBoQoBQhZoQpQhQ0IWLUIUoQpQhZoQpQhShClCFV7T2FDMwdlyyD1ZkJSRfBl1t3G47q4cxp1TENVJGC0HTkdR3FfGwcQ7CVHYv1chiDMBmYBVN2ygLf0jwAoZqNV5O1oILRa+qpt4NxsJIGkCGJrEkxEKDz1Ugr5AVDLTsOqdpMXqYzlvcdfnulzHsVOty5nFuBBF/O1J9EM1lozWPMWaw+tvFMHZG4mGKBpXnlv+jJKcvkgW/vpuOBttbn5rPz4pNchga3saL/AFuirZ+zIYFywxJGOxFC38bcaYDQ3YKskmklN5HE9pXXXSjUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIUoQpQhShClCFKEKUIX/9k=" 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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s been just over two weeks since Mariposa 2015 wrapped up
and the wonderful memories still linger.
While the main stage had its share of brilliant moments, it was the action on the side stages that were the story of the weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The number of side stages at Mariposa give those in attendance the opportunity to see several acts at one time in a setting that is different than on the main stage. The side stages are definitely more intimate and, as evidenced in the Mariposa Pub Tent, can turn interactive. The first such setting that we experienced was the Songwriters Session featuring Irish Mythen, Doug Paisley, Cheryl Wheeler and Adam Cohen. Wheeler and Cohen would appear on the main stage later that afternoon/evening. What's most impressive about the daytime sessions (called "workshops" by the Festival) is the opportunity for the songwriter to tell the story behind the song. For example, Cheryl Wheeler was able to expand on how "When Fall Comes To New England" came to pass. It's a wonderful, descriptive Gordon Lightfoot-esque tune about, well, fall in New England. The more intimate setting allows for great banter between the artists, as witnessed with Irish Mythen and Cheryl Wheeler.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The real "come to Jesus" moment took place on the Ruth Stage at the next workshop. A tribute to the songs of Gordon Lightfoot which featured Rick Fines, Tim Chaisson of the East Pointers, Ash and Bloom, Doug Paisley and Turbo Street Funk brought out the man himself in a surprise appearance. Following Tim Chaisson's version of "Sundown" to open the set, Mr. Lightfoot casually walked to the stage and took a seat to watch the ensemble perform many of his best known hits, as well as some songs from deep in the Lightfoot lexicon. When Mr. Lightfoot appeared, the crowd responded as if greeting a king. Considering what Mr. Lightfoot has meant to the Mariposa Folk Festival over the decades, it was an appropriate response.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were many highlights in this one hour session, with the only complaint being that it was only a one hour session. Doug Paisley performed an outstanding version of "Early Morning Rain", one of Mr. Lightfoot's most widely covered songs, and told a story of meeting Mr. Lightfoot at an autograph session at Sam The Record Man, the once iconic record store in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Ash and Bloom performed a stellar versions of "Summer Side of Life" and "Rainy Day People", while Rick Fines provided a bluesy take on "Ribbon of Darkness." The ballsiest performance of the show was "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Turbo Street Funk, with a horn section replacing the iconic guitar riff. All the artists did Mr. Lightfoot proud and were all deserving of the ensuing standing ovation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weekday workshops are a great opportunity to discover the amazing talent that exists in this country. If one could identify the most influential artist over the course of the entire event, the weekend indeed belonged to Irish Mythen. Originally from Prince Edward Island, Irish Mythen has travelled and resided in many parts of the world. It is this worldliness that she brings to her writing, which is so incredibly skilled, deep and raw that her work demands that you pay attention. Her workshop set with the Hamilton, Ontario based celtic band Poor Angus was the highlight of the weekend. The stage presence and chemistry between both acts sharing the stage was infectious, the interaction with the crowd was outstanding, and the performances were the talk of the festival. To watch Irish Mythen, and to listen to her perform is an emotional experience. She is one of the most important artists in music today and not to be missed if she comes to your town.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The memories of the 55th edition of the Mariposa Folk Festival will remain for a long time. From the artisans selling their wares, to the wide selection of food for purchase, to the lakeside setting and of course the incredible and varied styles of music, the future of Mariposa is looking very bright. What impressed me most about the festival was the people. Fans attending the weekend festivities are among the most welcoming, generous and kind people one could ever hope to meet. They unite once a year for a common purpose, and that is to celebrate the genre of music that inspires love for one another. Virtually everyone is welcome under this tent. You can truly live the saying at Mariposa: sing like no one is listening and dance like no one is watching. And if they are listening and watching, they will cheer you on and on and then join in your fun.</span><br />
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Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-70382728657685638022015-07-12T14:51:00.001-04:002015-07-12T14:51:19.962-04:00Mariposa Folk Festival Musings Part 1<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for mariposa folk festival 2015" 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" 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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the longest running folk festivals took place last weekend over the course of three days on July 3, 4 and 5 along the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe in Orillia, Ontario. The Mariposa Folk Festival took place for the 55th time and in part 1 of a two-part story, we'll talk a little about the festival and why you should go and focus on the headliners of the weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With this being my first experience at Mariposa, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it would be a great time, but I've been used to attending mainstream country music festivals such as Jamboree In The Hills and the Havelock Country Jamboree. The Mariposa experience is incredible. It is a treasure on the Canadian musical landscape. The music is first rate, from the main stage to the side stages that operate during the day, and the Mariposa Pub Tent that operates well in to the evening. You can have virtually any kind of experience that you're looking for at Mariposa. If you want to have a big party, you can do it. If you would like a quiet and reflective time, Mariposa offers Tai Chi and yoga classes in the mornings. If you want to eat first class food and drink first class beer, Mariposa has you covered in that regard as well, with food and craft beer selections to satisfy any palate. An artisans area and artist merchandise tent are also on hand if you wish to purchase music, instruments, clothing and so much more. Mariposa will take place on July 8, 9 and 10 in 2016, so please join in the fun next summer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course the main reason everyone attends the Mariposa Folk Festival is for the music. This years' lineup featured headliners Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams and Adam Cohen closing out the shows on each night respectively. Supporting on the main stage on Friday night was legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. Many of you may not have heard of Jimmy Webb, but you have definitely heard his songs. Performing with a grand piano as his only accompaniment, Mr. Webb kicked off the show with "Highwayman", which was a number 1 song in 1985 for Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as "The Highwaymen." Next up was Mr. Webb's anti-Vietnam Way song "Galveston", which was recorded by Webb's longtime friend, Mr. Glen Campbell. It was quite interesting to hear Mr. Webb speak about the relationship he had with Mr. Campbell given that some of Campbell's biggest and most famous hits were written by Mr. Webb. Other Webb-penned hits that were written for other artists include "MacCarthur Park" and "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mary Chapin Carpenter closed off the mainstage festivities on Friday night and delivered arguably the finest all-around performance of the weekend. Performing with a two-piece backing band, Ms. Carpenter delivered a wonderful acoustic set that included some of her biggest hits from her mainstream country music days. A stripped-down version of the Lucinda Williams written "Passionate Kisses" breathes new life in to an already stellar song about everyone deserving happiness in their lives. Ms. Carpenter's own "The Hard Way" was performed flawlessly with its message of strength while dealing with adversity hitting home with many in the audience. New music was also introduced with the beautifully written "The Things That We Become" performed and introduced as coming out on an as yet unreleased album. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday and Sunday headliners included Lucinda Williams and Adam Cohen, son of the late, great Leonard Cohen. Two showstealers of the main stage on the weekend were complete surprises. Ruth Moody delivered a beautiful set of Americana and bluegrass, a set that featured a bluegrass version of the Bruce Springsteen hit "Dancing In The Dark." One of the most talented musicians in the world performed several sets over the course of the weekend, as Gordie MacKeeman and His Rythym Boys set the bar high for Ms. Williams prior to her appearance. Gordie MacKeeman is one of the premier fiddle players in the world today, and that's not an exaggeration. A pure entertainer, he can work the crowd, sing, play fiddle and tap dance. They deliver a show that is not to be missed. The future of Americana is indeed bright with the likes of Ruth Moody and Gordie MacKeeman on board.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As if the mainstage show in the evening wasn't enough, there were many incredible performances during the daytime on several stages throughout Tudhope Park. Part two of this write up will talk about those. You won't want to miss it, I promise. In the meantime, check out this clip of Lucinda Williams performing West Memphis from the Mariposa Folk Festival on July 4, 2015. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-2583339963059156592015-05-30T10:42:00.001-04:002015-05-30T10:42:08.961-04:00Who's In Charge?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the biggest problems with mainstream country music was starkly revealed earlier this week with controversial comments made by radio programming consultant Keith Hill. In an interview with industry publication Country Aircheck, Hill had these comments regarding the key to success of mainstream country radio stations:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"If you want to make ratings in country radio, take the females out. The reason mainstream country radio generates more quarter hours from female to male listeners at the rate of 70 to 75 percent, and women like male artists. The expectation is we're principally a male format with a smaller female component. I've got about 40 music databases in front of me, and the percentage of females in the one with the most is 19 percent. Trust me, I play great female records, and we've got some right now; they're just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females." (Read the full article taken from The Tennessean <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/05/27/sexist-tomato-barb-launches-food-fight-music-row/28036657/" target="_blank">here</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, setting aside the fruit and vegetable analogy, if we examine these and other comments in the article, it reveals what I and I'm sure many others can see is a real problem with the state of country radio. If we look back over the years, we can see that this problem has existed for what could be considered generations, if we really look back on it. Focusing on the recent past, the problem I can see is this ridiculous notion of consultants steering the ship. The consultants at radio are in essence telling the listener what they would like to hear, when the reality is it should be the listener directing what gets played and what doesn't. That is to say, it shouldn't be so much about the name of the singer that automatically gets the record played on radio, it should be about the quality of the song and whether or not people like it. Male or female shouldn't play any part of determining whether or not the song gets played. If the song is good enough and the people respond, it's on the air. In my view, it was this attitude that took legendary artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton and more currently Alan Jackson off the air over the years. Those artists and others like them were releasing high quality material, only to summarily dismissed at radio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The comments from Keith Hill this week have drawn comparisons to other comments a few months ago from former Sony Music executive Gary Overton where he said he often reminds his staff "if you're not on country radio, you don't exist." Overton's comments drew the requisite firestorm on twitter and other media outlets, but I don't see the parallel between the two. In looking at the big picture, Gary Overton is in a different field than Hill. While I don't agree with the comments stated by Overton, I can see where he was coming from in making those comments. His job is to sell records at a major record label, where profit and the bottom line are key. It seems more of a statement to motivate his staff to get out and sell the single to radio, sell the record, create a buzz for the artists, and so on. It's an inaccurate statement to be sure, as the advent of Facebook, YouTube and the internet in general has made it possible for independent artists to not only survive, but thrive in the music business. As a veteran of the music business, I found Overton's comments were the sign of a more outdated way of thinking than a total insult to artists like Jason Isbell and Charlie Robison, both of whom took great offence to Overton's comments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As of this writing, the story has not gone away and you can keep following on <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/" target="_blank">The Tennessean</a>, Nashville's daily newspaper. Since the comments were first reveals, Hill has <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2015/05/28/radio-consultant-clarifies-tomato-remark-amid-backlash-death-threats/28089517/" target="_blank">clarified his comments</a> in an interview with the Tennessean. Unfortunately, the backlash has included death threats, which is nonsense. His colleagues have spoken against his philosophy, with Country Music Television president Brian Phillips <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/05/27/imaginary-rules-country-music-must-stop-cmt-chief-says/28041979/" target="_blank">stating</a> that the industry should stop creating these arbitrary and imaginary rules that hinder the business in the long run. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To close off this piece, I think it's best to let one of the pioneer's of this business say all that needs to be said. Take from it what you will. Enjoy everyone!</span><br />
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<br />Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-38795776184941258622015-05-12T21:40:00.002-04:002015-05-12T21:42:37.363-04:00Album Review: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, "The Travelling Kind"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If one were to examine a list of all the greats that have
contributed to, and indeed built the very foundation of, the Americana genre,
that list would most certainly include <a href="http://www.emmylouharris.com/" target="_blank">Emmylou Harris</a> and <a href="http://www.rodneycrowell.com/" target="_blank">Rodney Crowell.</a> Indeed, it could be reasonably argued, that Harris
and Crowell are in the top ten of the most influential Americana artists in its
still relatively young history as an acknowledged musical genre. Which makes it all the more special that they
have chosen to collaborate once again for “The Travelling Kind”
(Nonesuch). Released today, this is the
second collaborative album for the two and it comes just two years since their
first effort together, “Old Yellow Moon.”
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Their history together is well known, with Crowell once
performing as a member of Harris’ famous Hot Band. That was some forty years
ago. It’s this history the two have
together that makes a project like “The Travelling Kind” and its predecessor
special. In fact, it could be argued
that the title track is based somewhat on that friendship and history the two
artists share together. Co-writing seven
of the eleven tracks on the album, on can only hope that this collaboration
will continue in the years to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Among the tracks that the two didn’t write together is an
excellent cover of the Rodney Crowell written “No Memories Hanging Round.” The song was originally a top 20 hit in 1979
for his then-wife Rosanne Cash and Bobby Bare.
The soaring beauty of Harris’ voice, harmonized with that of Crowell
give the song a fresh take that stands right alongside the hit version. The Lucinda Williams penned “I Just Wanted To
See You So Bad” is so good and so perfectly performed musically and vocally
that it surpasses the outstanding original version.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This album of course is more than just covers of past
hits. It is a deep album exploring many
themes and stages of life as only veteran artists can. “You Can’t Say We Didn’t Try” is a heartbreaking
story of love lost, written by two artists who have lived through the tale. “Higher
Mountains” is beautifully performed as only Emmylou Harris could deliver, and
delves in to facing the unknown of what’s next at the end of a life well lived.
The project rounds itself out completely with a couple of songs that are just
plain fun, with the rockabilly influenced “Bring It On Home To Memphis” and the
Cajun spiced “La Danse de la Joie.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is rare when two artists of this caliber get together
to work on an excellent, award winning album and still remain steadfast
friends. That happened when Emmylou
Harris and Rodney Crowell created a masterpiece with “Old Yellow Moon.” It is rarer still, when those same two
artists come back together two years later and create another masterpiece that
surpasses the previous release. That has
happened with “The Travelling Kind.”
This album is a piece of art, an outstanding collection of stories from
two of the greatest and most influential artists of our time. This is an album of the year candidate, in
any year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the meantime, before you go out and pick up "The Travelling Kind", c</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">heck out this great video courtesy of the Late Show with David Letterman, featuring Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Steve Martin, Amos Lee and Mark O'Connor.</span></div>
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Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592758280019744258.post-86644183958247627512015-04-23T22:56:00.001-04:002015-04-23T22:56:51.600-04:00Album Review: The Honeycutters, "Me Oh My"<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the more underrated musical centers in North
America is the Appalachian Region of the United States. Which is quite shocking when you think of it,
considering this area was really the birthplace of modern music with the Carter
Family and Jimmie Rodgers creating the first recordings in 1920’s Bristol,
Virginia. In this century, the region is
still a hotbed for roots music with skilled bands and musicians plying their trade
daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A couple of hours away from Bristol east on Interstate
40, you will find the city of Asheville, North Carolina, a bustling city of
music and art nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains. The <a href="http://www.honeycutters.com/" target="_blank">Honeycutters</a> are a product of this city
and they have just released their third studio album “Me Oh My” (<a href="http://organic-records.com/" target="_blank">Organic Records</a>). A solid, straight ahead
country music record, “Me Oh My” further establishes The Honeycutters as one of
the top regional Americana acts on the east coast and readies them for a larger
audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All 14 songs on this album are written by lead singer and
group founder Amanda Anne Platt, who also produced the album. While Amanda may be the current creative
force behind The Honeycutters, it is the combination of her strong song writing
and the wonderful talent of her bandmates that make this album and this act
work. The harmonies are tight, and the
musicianship is first rate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Starting off with a great two-step song “Jukebox”, the
album takes the listener on a journey of love and loss, longing, fulfilment and
redemption … all things that make up a great country record. The title track is a solid piece of work,
reminiscent of classic Mary Chapin Carpenter, both in its subject matter of the
strong woman and vocal delivery by Platt.
“Carolina” is a beautiful homage to the bands home state of North
Carolina, while acknowledging the desire to explore life outside her borders. “Edge
of the Frame” is another winner where the female character is at a crossroads with
her chosen partner in life and clearly has a decision to make on her future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Honeycutters also delve back in to some past work
with two solid tracks that are included on this album. According to the album’s liner notes, “Wedding
Song” was written for a friends’ wedding present. A nice mid-tempo song with great, clever lyrics
such as “when I’m with you honey it’s like money, like I’m throwing loaded
dice.” You can’t help but smile when
listening to this song, it’s very well written and beautifully performed. “Little
Bird” is one of the few slow songs to appear on the album and broaches the
subject of love lost. It’s also the song
that brought greater attention to the songwriting talents of Amanda Anne Platt,
as it was chosen as a finalist in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at
MerleFest in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Honeycutters’ “Me Oh My” is one of the great
country/Americana albums to be released this year and is a clear reflection
that this band is developing in to one of the top flight Americana acts. If you like traditional country music, this
album is as good as it gets. You will
not find songs about drinking from solo cups, tailgates, or driving around in
the mud. Just straight up country music
in its traditional form from a band that is skilled and smart enough to deliver
the real goods. The sky is the limit for
The Honeycutters. Do yourself a favor and add this album to your collection, you'll be glad you did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Americana Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02254410056200455557noreply@blogger.com2