Talent I Saw Live That Must Be Seen

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Comment by Bubo Sibiricus on March 19, 2013 at 8:13pm

I'm a huge fan of the Jack Conte/Nataly Dawn/Lauren O'Connell continuous collaborations with various artists (like Ben Folds) together and separately from each other.  There's some sort of chemistry going on in Jack Conte's studio.

Comment by wiffledust on February 27, 2013 at 8:25pm

thanks for this, john!

Comment by John M. Cook on February 27, 2013 at 8:24pm

Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer  -  Willie’s Lady  

Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell has teamed up with singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Jefferson Hamer to release a new CD entitled Child Ballads.  It is based on the thirteenth through eighteenth century English and Scottish folk ballads collected by American folklorist and Harvard professor Francis James Child.  The ballads deal with subjects typical of many ballads: romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, morality, riddles, murder, and folk heroes.  

This video was recorded at City Halls (Glascow, Scotland) as part of Celtic Connections 2013.   The CD will be released in the US, on Wilderland Records, on March 19, 2013.  

I had the pleasure of listening to these songs, performed live, in a small hotel room at the Folk Alliance Conference, in Toronto, last week.  I came away stunned at the beauty of these traditional ballads reimagined by two consummate folk artists.   Enjoy!

Comment by John M. Cook on February 17, 2013 at 12:47pm

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist ellen cherry was thinking about the complicated motives of why people war, the consequences of military action, both intended and unintended, and the horrible after-effects that always follow conflicts.  Around the same time, there was a news report about a supernova star's light that was finally reaching Earth, after exploding several million years ago, and she was fascinated by the dichotomy in these two ideas and that, as a species, plenty of our thinking tends towards the painfully small-minded.  The result was the song “Pickett’s Charge”. 

 

Katherine Fahey is an amazing and accomplished paper-cut artist, who has recently made incredible strides into the shadow puppet theatre world, especially through her crankies, (a hand cranked scrolling story telling device in a box).  She created the visual interpretation of ellen’s song.

 

Song: "Pickett's Charge" from "Please Don't Sell the Piano"


Songwriter/Performer: ellen cherry


Puppet Show: Katherine Fahey


Director of Photography: Michael Patrick O'Leary


Sound: Nick Sjostrom


Crank Box Construction: Neal Golden


Lights: Shaun Wilson and Neal Golden


Editing: Matt Riggieri

Comment by John M. Cook on January 27, 2013 at 11:53am

Galway based Noriana Kennedy is at the center of Ireland’s thriving roots music scene.  Her 2011 debut CD Ebb n Flow showcases her engaging and unique songbook of wide range of old-time songs, folk ballads, blues and originals creating an interesting sound that is truly her own. With her style she doesn’t fancy up the music to make it more modern, but instead reaches into the heart of the songs, pulling out the deep emotions that made them so enduring in the first place.

Her trio band includes singer songwriter Noelie McDonnell and Nicola Joyce (Wildflowers). They mix incredible vocals, guitar, banjo and percussion into beautiful harmonies and well crafted arrangements of folk and original song.

This video captures a performance of the traditional murder ballad Poor Ellen Smith set to original music by Noriana Kennedy… filmed at theTivoli Theater in Brisbane, Australia. 

Comment by John M. Cook on January 25, 2013 at 12:32am

Beth Wood – The Weather Inside CD Release at Blue Rock Studio

 

This video gives you just a teaser of Oregon based singer-songwriter  Beth Wood as she debuted her new CD The Weather Inside… set in the acoustically perfect and visually stunning Blue Rock Studio and Artist Ranch.  Billy & Dodee Crockett are amazing hosts, their staff are enthusiastic professionals, and Beth Wood brought her “A” game… backed by Native American troubadour Gentle Thunder on flutes, Roger Friend on all things percussion, Drew Wommack on guitar and harmonies, and Billy Crockett on guitars, mandolin and pump organ.  

Comment by John M. Cook on January 16, 2013 at 6:55pm

Rj Cowdery is an honest, genuine songwriter who crafts her songs with unfiltered and unforced emotional lyrics and deeply beautiful melodies.  She has a warm alto voice and a clear, strong guitar style.  She sings and plays effortlessly.    

This video captures her performance of Far Away during a March 2012 SXSW Showcase at Blue Rock Studio & Artist Ranch.  She is accompanied, on Cello, by Dirje Smith.

Her third CD, In This Light, was produced by Billy Crockett at Blue Rock, in Wimberley, Texas and is a must have for any fan of modern folk, great storytelling and strong songwriting.  The disc’s eleven songs feature: Cindy Cashdollar on dobro and steel guitar (Rod Stewart, Van Morrison, Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Asleep at the Wheel); Billy Crockett on mandolin and piano. Chris Maresh on basses; Rick Richards on percussion (Ray Wylie Hubbard); and Dirje Smith on cello, with cameos from Jonathan Byrd, Pierce Pettis, and Kim Richardson. 

For more info on Rj Cowdery: www.rjcowdery.com. 

For more information about Blue Rock Studio: www.bluerocktexas.com

Comment by John M. Cook on January 15, 2013 at 8:47pm

Anaïs Mitchell has a childlike voice.  She plays accomplished, finger-style guitar. But it is her songwriting that stands out from her peers.  She is a storyteller, pure and simple.  She could easily write novels, but instead blesses us with well-crafted songs that are haunting beautiful, simple and poetic.  She recently performed three songs from her new work, Young Man in America, at the National Public Radio music offices.  Enjoy!

Comment by John M. Cook on January 7, 2013 at 8:36pm

ROBBY HECHT- Pot of Gold 

The incredible Carrie Elkin (Austin, TX) lends background vocals to Robby Hecht’s (Nashville, TN) Pot of Gold… a song about the joys of a long time relationship played against the traditional methods of fortune seeking.

Comment by wiffledust on January 7, 2013 at 12:55am

i don't know rose cousins, so thanks for that tip too! but i do know grace, and she's absolutely terrific. so glad you added her to this list...

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