Signature Sounds artists have joined together to donate tracks to a benefit CD for Haiti. Artists on the CD include Patty Larkin (with Bruce Cockburn), Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, Eilen Jewell, Crooked Still, Caroline Herring, Peter Mulvey, and several others.
Buy Help For Haiti here for only $9.99, with 100% of the proceeds going for Haiti relief.
I got this press release from folk singer Sarah McQuaid, and, frankly, found the concept intriguing. If she were coming anywhere near me, I would so do this.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Calling all singers!
For her forthcoming tour dates, acclaimed singer/guitarist/songwriter Sarah McQuaid is seeking fellow vocalists to join her in singing a six-part round she’s written.
Entitled ‘In Gratitude I Sing’, the canon carries an uplifting message and features on Sarah’s third album, which is currently in the mixing stage and should be out in 2011.
In the meantime, her first two albums When Two Lovers Meet and I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning are being re-released in North America as a double CD, just in time for Sarah’s first-ever US tour – a real humdinger that takes in 20 shows in 23 days, including such legendary venues as Boston’s Club Passim, upstate New York’s Old Songs and Nashville’s Bluebird Café.
Born in Madrid and raised in Chicago, Sarah McQuaid lived in Ireland for 14 years before moving to Cornwall, in the southwest corner of England, in 2007.
On her return from the US, she’ll once again be sharing the bill with fellow Cornwall-based band Dalla at Grampound Village Hall, where Sarah debuted her canon a year ago. On that occasion, four members of Dalla had bravely agreed to essay the song with just five minutes of rehearsal time before the show.
“Up to that point I’d only heard the different parts together inside my own head, having just written it that morning,” Sarah explains, “so I was terrified that they’d turn out to clash! I also wasn’t a hundred percent sure that the key would be okay for both male and female voices.
“But actually they sounded even better together than I could have imagined, even with only five of the six parts – one man and four women including myself – and the range was fine for everybody, thank goodness.”
Eager to share the song with more audiences, Sarah is calling on any singers who plan to attend her concerts to join her onstage for ‘In Gratitude I Sing’. The sheet music is available for download from Sarah’s homepage, www.sarahmcquaid.com, as is a MIDI recording of the melody.
Details of US tour dates follow; for other dates, see www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html.
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
3:30pm
Passim School of Music
26 Church Street, 3rd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 491-2382
Price: US$35 nonmembers/$30 member
90-minute workshop entitled “An Introduction To The DADGAD Guitar Tuning”. Class size is limited to 12 participants, so book early! For more info, visit http://www.passimcenter.org or ring (617) 491-2382.
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
8.00pm
Club Passim
47 Palmer Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 492-7679
Price: US$15/$13 members
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
7.00pm
Music By The Bay
Assonet, MA
(508) 644-2331
Price: US$15
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
8.00pm (DADGAD guitar workshop at 4.30pm)
Elysium Arts Folk Club
3 Front Street, Lower Mill at Salmon Falls
Rollinsford, NH 03869
(603) 743-4700
Price: US$15 concert/25 workshop/35 bot
DADGAD guitar workshop from 4.30 to 6pm the afternoon of the concert. Places limited, so book early!
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
8.00pm (doors 7pm)
notfarG House Concerts
Grafton, MA
Price: US$10-15 suggested donation
Friday, February 26th, 2010
8.00pm (DADGAD guitar workshop 6-7.30pm)
Irish American Association of New Jersey (IAANJ)
352 Richard Mine Road
Rockaway, NJ 07885
(908) 813-8617
Price: $20 (members $15); workshop $25
DADGAD guitar workshop from 6 to 7.30pm. Places limited; to book, email irisnevins@verizon.net or ring (908) 813-8617.
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
8.00pm (doors 7.00pm)
Old Songs
37 S. Main St.
Voorheesville, NY 12186
(518) 765-2815
Price: US$20
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
5.00pm
Concerts at the Beach House
Lansdowne, PA
(610) 626-0012
Price: US$15
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
7.00pm
The AmeriSon Ballroom Folk Series at Cefalo’s
428 Washington Avenue
Carnegie, PA 15106
(412) 418-6299
Price: US$10
Friday, March 5th, 2010
7pm (doors 6:15)
The Lang Building
6th & Ella Streets
Beatrice, NE 68310
USA
(402) 742-0477
Price: FREE (sponsored by Southeast Community College)
In addition to the Friday evening concert, Sarah will also be giving a DADGAD guitar workshop on Thursday evening (location and time TBC) and a Friday lunchtime talk (and sing and play!) at Southeast Community College’s Lincoln Campus — all three events free and open to the public. For more info, email lorimc DOT celtichome AT gmail DOT com or ring (402) 742-0477.
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
7.30pm (doors 6.30pm)
The Iron Horse Concert Hall
315 S Main St
El Dorado, KS 67042-3414
(316) 321-6348
Price: US$12/$11 Sen. Cit.
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
7.00pm
Big Plain House Concerts
Lenexa, KS
(913) 904-1285
Price: US$15 suggested donation
Monday, March 8th, 2010
7.30pm
The Back Room
Barton Arts Center, 2006 Forest Avenue
Great Bend, KS 67530-4014
(620) 792-3097
Price: US$10
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Lupus General Store
Main Street
Lupus, MO 65046
(660) 849-2217
Price: US$7
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
7.30pm
Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, Southall-Moore Annex
217 E. Tuscaloosa Street
Florence, AL 35630
(256) 760-6379
Price: US$12 adv/$14 door
Friday, March 12th, 2010
7.00pm
House Concert – Tuscaloosa, AL
Tuscaloosa, AL
(205) 556-8296
Price: US$10
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
8.00pm
Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse
105 McBrien Road
Chattanooga, TN 37411
(423) 892-4960
Price: US$10 suggested donation
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
3pm (doors 2pm)
The Goddess & The Moon
603 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 251-9833
Price: US$10 suggested donation
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
8.00pm (doors 5.30pm)
The Bluebird Cafe
4104 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 383-1461
Price: FREE; arrive early to get a seat
Monday, March 15th, 2010
7.30pm
House Concert – Decatur, GA
Decatur, GA
(770) 289-3204
Price: US$15 suggested donation
A hat-tip to notloB Music for this one. You can go there and read all the details. Pete Seeger has a brand new banjo head and you can buy the old one that’s been there for 30 to 35 years. What a great piece of history that would be to own – bidding is already over $4,000.
Canadian singer/songwriter, who most notably performed with sister Anna in a folk duo, has died of cancer at age 63. McGarrigle, formerly married to Loudon Wainwright III, was the mother of singer/songwriters Rufus and Martha Wainwright.
Montreal Gazette Obituary
Andy Whitman tribute to Kate McGarrigle
I got this message today from the West Virginia Writers Podcast:
Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know there’s been a followup podcast
to the Keith Pitzer interview. This is a tribute show with Keith’s friend Pops
Walker. Thanks for linking to the previous interview.
http://www.wvwriters.org/2010/01/episode-24-keith-pitzer-tribute-with.html
woodsmeister’s note – Sue Barrett is a music journalist from Australia who occasionally submits articles to FolkBlog. All rights for this article are hers alone and it is presented here by her permission.
By Sue Barrett
Walk into any record store and you’ll invariably find a jumble of flyers, stickers and free music magazines.
A browse of ‘the Classies’ (classified advertisements) in a recent issue of one such magazine found drums, guitars and keyboards for sale; tuition available for voice, guitar, bass, drums, piano/keyboards, sax and harmonica; musicians seeking groups (including people playing bass, double bass, drums, tenor saxophone); and bands and studios seeking drummers, guitarists, bass players, keyboard players, even people to play accordion and tabla.
This is a variation on the story – it tells of four musicians who add something special to rock, pop, folk and new music, with kick ass fiddle and beautiful and tender violin.
- Shari Ulrich was born in the USA, but lives on an island off the west coast of Canada. Her new solo album, Find Our Way, features her daughter on violin.
- Ruth Ungar Merenda grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York State and, with The Mammals in hibernation, provides the ‘Ruthy’ part of the folk music duo, Mike and Ruthy.
- Lyndell Montgomery is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, who lives in a very old farmhouse in Ontario and is about to release her first solo album.
- Sophie Kinston is an English-born, Australian-based, violinist/ceramicist who plays electric violin with the Rosie Burgess Trio.
Now over to Shari, Ruth, Lyndell and Sophie…
Continue reading Variations on Corelli – Four Women with Kick Ass Fiddle and Beautiful and Tender Violin
It’s an annual tradition, just like Ohio State beating Michigan, so here is the FolkBlog list of favorite albums of 2009. Before I start, here are a couple things to consider:
- I spent most of 2009 employed part time, and my wife spent much of 2009 not employed at all, so there was not a lot of extra money to buy albums that I didn’t get sent this year for Festival Radio. Consequently, I am sure there are many albums that I would have bought had I the cash that would have affected this list. That being said, as always it was tough to narrow it down to 10.
- The albums below are generally the ones that made it onto my iPod and were taken with me to work to listen to when I didn’t have music to preview for Festival Radio. They are, by and large, the ones that I recommended to friends and played for my wife because I thought she would like them, too. In short, they are the ones I connected with in some way.
So, here they are:
- Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels. Infectious, intelligent jangly folk/pop. Maybe it’s my job situation, but “Still” in particular spoke to me this year and I listened to it over and over again: “I’m still tuning myself to the great key/I’m still mining for light in dark wells/I’m still a frequency swaying, a leaf in the wind/I’m still searching for whispers in between yells. “
- The Roe Family Singers – The Earth and All That Is In It. Old-timey music featuring murder ballads and tales of death and destruction accompanied by musical saw, autoharp and banjo. If you’re going to kill your husband, bury him deep. And beware of starving wolves coming down out of the mountains.
- The Clumsy Lovers – Make Yourself Known. This is the strongest set so far from one of my favorite lesser-known bands, British Columbia’s The Clumsy Lovers. Featuring driving banjo and fiddle, this band blurs the lines between rock, folk and country and creates a very satisfying Americana hybrid.
- Al Stewart with Dave Nachmanoff – Uncorked. Folk/pop legend Al Stewart mines his back catalog for a satisfying live album comprised primarily of lesser-known gems (No “Year of the Cat” or “Time Passages” here). Also featuring guitarist Dave Nachmanoff, the album presents these classic tracks with an impressive wall of acoustic guitar sound. Surprisingly, none of the tracks is from his 2008 release, Sparks of Ancient Light, which he was touring at the time.
- Carla Ulbrich – Live From Outer Space. Carla Ulbrich may be the funniest singer/songwriter working right now. This album made me laugh really hard, even on the second and third listens. Often bawdy, always hilarious. The highlight for me was “Duet With a Klingon.”
- Ashley Maher – Amina. Recorded in Senegal (with Youssou N’Dour’s backup band) and LA, and produced by Andre Manga, this CD continues Maher’s explorations of integrating Afropop and complex rhythms and percussions into American jazz and pop stylings.
- John Flynn – America’s Waiting. Folk singer/songwriter John Flynn has produced his strongest set yet, with songs taken from his extensive touring, his advocacy for New Orleans and his volunteer work mentoring prisoners.
- Diana Jones – Better Times Will Come. Featuring Jones’ glorious alto, these songs tell stories primarily of folks at the margins (“Appalachia”, “If I Had a Gun”, “Cracked and Broken”).
- Putnam Smith – Gold Rush. In addition to being a fine collection of original songs from an up and coming banjo player, this album is notable for its DIY packaging, produced by Smith himself on a 1901 Pearl letterpress.
- Tom Rush – What I Know. The first studio album in over 30 years from folk pioneer Tom Rush is a cause for celebration in the folk world. It’s a nice mix of originals and covers.
Honorable mentions (alphabetical order)
- Ben Bedford - Land of Shadows
- Bruce Cockburn – Slice O’Life
- Buddy and Julie Miller – Written in Chalk
- Caroline Herring – Golden Apples of the Sun
- Dala – Everyone is Someone
- Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women – Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women
- Dogan Mehmet - Gypsyhead
- Eilen Jewell – Sea of Tears
- John Gorka – So Dark You See
- The Queensberry Rules – Take Your Own Roads
- Red Stick Ramblers – My Suitcase Is Always Packed
It seems like all I’ve done over the last week or so is post obituaries, but, sadly, people who are important in the folk world just keep dying and nothing I can do can stop that. The most recent one is Tim Hart, member of Steeleye Span. Hart, who also recorded with Maddy Prior, was 61 when he died of lung cancer on December 24. Steeleye Span is the group that grew up around Ashley Hutchings after he left Fairport Convention and is one of the seminal UK folk/rock groups of the last 40 years.
I looked for a news release or obit in a major publication, but this is the only one that came up. Apparently there is no official website for Tim Hart or Steeleye Span, so here are some wikipedia links.
Wikipedia on Tim Hart
Wikipedia on Steeleye Span
Edit: Some good resources and links in the comments. Make sure you read them to get more information.
Singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt has died at age 45. Chesnutt, of Athens, GA, has been paralyzed since a car accident at age 18 and, although he never achieved a great deal of sales was a favorite of critics and other musicians. He is perhaps best known as the musician featured in the second Sweet Relief album (after Victoria Williams).
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