Oh holy cow! I do not have an official ranking, but Josh Ritter's show at the Variety Friday night was in the Top 10 list for sure! He managed to make the 900-ish crowd feel like an intimate space.  For his song "Lantern" he turned off all the lights stage and house.  I have never seen a performer do this before, and it was memorable.   I hadn't seen him in more than 7 years, and it isn't good for my wallet to be so blown away by an artist who has 4 CDs I do not own!  His songs are packed with words, historical and literary references that make me think.  I am definitely a lyrics-driven listener, so I love it.  He had the audience in the palm of his hand from the first note.  Love, love, love him!

I saw Ellis Paul and opener Peyton Tochterman at Eddie's last night.  Wonderful night of great music with many fabulous moments.  However, I was close to tears after the second show.  I was chatting with some folks I know and waiting to talk to Ellis.  He says, "I will be right back," and headed back to the music room.  He returned with Guinness (his beautiful new guitar) and proceeds to start playing. I recognize it as "River" a song from his second album 1995.  Ellis didn't remember all the words, but a young woman began to sing with him and filled in the blanks with her lovely voice.  Afterwards, I got the back story from the woman and her mother.  She was a huge River Phoenix fan and came across the song about 10 years ago.  She tracked Ellis down and has been following him ever since. She has asked him to play it and he hasn't been able to because not remembering the words makes it tough.  She lives in Birmingham, but wasn't able to make the show Friday night so they drove to Atlanta (3 hrs) to see him last night.  He still couldn't play it on stage, but treated her and the rest of us to one of those special moments that reminds me why I love live music, why Ellis is "one of the  good guys," and how grateful I am to be in love with artists who play at Eddie's instead of Phillips Arena.

We saw the David Leonhardt Trio today!!  Absolutely wonderful!!  They made the stage come alive with their amazing talent!  Reminiscent of the music of Vince Guaraldi from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'!!   They have a few CDs out--we bought two today!  They are a local group and worth looking into if you enjoy Jazz!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaWomq97fxI

oh i love vince guaraldi music, so i would have enjoyed that. thanks for the review, mr! and thanks, margaret for yours of ellis paul and peyton tocherman too. ellis has been writing some great songs for a long time now. so glad you enjoyed!

David Lindley http://www.davidlindley.com... anytime.. anywhere, with anyone.. (he's also an old Jackson Brown lead guitarist, amongst others)  Its how he uses all those string instruments....

TheatreworksUSA put on "Seussical" at Raritan Valley Community College in NJ.  They are a touring company which performs a variety of children's theater.  Seussical was fabulous!!  With minimal props and street clothes as costumes, the group creates each characters through songs and mannerisms!  The audience "sees" the characters through "their minds eye"!!  The music is contagious--if you don't find yourself humming along and tapping your toes you should check your pulse!!  The characters are all those you know and love from the world of Dr. Seuss.  The storyline stresses the importance of being yourself and, "that a person's a person, no matter how small"!!  Positive, uplifting entertainment for the whole family!!  I highly recommend seeing the show if it comes to your town!!

thanks mark and maryrose!!!

i'm particularly happy to see both rita's kids and maryrose's daughter seeing live entertainment. this is so crucial to children's development. so much of my interest in the performing arts came from seeing wonderful shows in philadelphia, new york, washington, asheville, california, etc. i am so grateful that i was exposed to a live show. for me, there was a magic in it that has never been duplicated anywhere else.

This is the second year we have seen Project Trio!  Three guys out of Brooklyn, who play the upright bass, cello, and flute!  Unique, creative, and fun covering so many musical genres!!  They play with classical, jazz, pop, rock, salsa, even a street sound with a 'beat box' flute! They discuss how they write music and create their own sound!! A fabulous show, for all ages!  Check them out if they come to your area!!

I saw the Waymores last weekend...Tom Kimmel, Joe Henry, and Sally Barris.  They're all Nashville songwriters who's songs have been covered by big name artists.  I've heard Tom and Joe do solo acts before.  Together they are a must see act.

One of out Tuesday Night Music Club regulars.....Parker Millsap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcltph8bnw&feature=related

John Fullbright....another TNMC'er......when he's not too busy travelin' the world.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQQO9tJNkWU&feature=fvwp&NR=1

thank you, rick! this is exactly what we need!

One more post......John Williams (left) and Steve Fisher on guitar. One of the rare covers these guys do. Their original material is superb and surpasses this,,,,,again TNMC regulars.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-44FgcoQyY

And Joe Baxter!!!!!! Another TNMC giant......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnfbyBB1vVs

Here's one from TNMC'ers who are too busy touring now to stop and take a breath. Bryon White and Gabe Marshall otherwise known as the Damn Quails......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbp2yJUkH6A

Another one. Bryon White, (of the Damn Quails), Emil Kathryn, Tommye Waltman with Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadors covering  Dylan tune in DJ's living room. On a Tuesday. Imagine that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUE-g8KQ438 

Rick!  I do so love john Fullbright.  I remember seeing him in Okemah at an off-site venue during Woodyfest.  He was about 16 years old.  At the end of the week of seeing and hearing a ton of talented and more veteran performers, he was the one we talked about on the way home.  The fact that he is from Woddy Guthrie's home town just makes it that much cooler!

I am prematurely posting this because I have yet to see this artist or visit this venue.  However, I am as excited about both as I have been in a long while.  A friend played Carsie Blanton's "Buoy" for me a few weeks ago.  The lyrics amaze me and make me smile.  I will have the good fortune of seeing her open for Catie Curtis at the Red Clay Theater in Duluth, which is Eddie Owen's latest venture.  I will report back after the show!

Thanks for the Steve Fisher link.  Loves me some S F.   

A couple of really good bands that are hot on the festival circuit:

Warren Hood and the Goods or any other band Warren has put together

and Joy Kills Sorrow

who have you guys heard live recently? tell us about it!

Saw Elizabeth Wills last night.  Next, Rebecca Loebe on Tues, 6/26

Gillian Welch 2 weeks ago on a Fri. then on Sat,  Carrie Elkin, Raina, Rose, Liz Longley, Devon  Sproule, Dana Falconberry, and Nocolette Good.

if you're listening to live music this weekend, we want to hear about it!

 Live webcast -- TONIGHT! (Clothing optional ;-)
Rebecca Loebe LIVE at Wisdom Studios
8 pm CST (we'll turn the cameras on when the music starts)
Tune in at http://wisdomstudios.com/live

Heard Darryl Purpose a few weeks ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA5HbEGtTz4

Going to see Beth Wood tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC3Sn2Cw5zw

Jonathan Byrd.  I've loved him for a long while but have only rarely had the chance to hear a full show.  But I did a couple of weeks ago and he is an absolute must.  Don't walk, RUN, for tickets the next time he's in your town.  The writing is exquisite, and his mastery of guiding a show is sublime.

thanks for this, kristin! i have never heard him, and now i want to! :-) 

Oh yeah, Jonathan Byrd is a must hear live.  Like Kristin, I've known him for years and got to hear a whole show with him and Cris Kokesh a couple of months ago.  They were great.

Rose Cousins, with special guest Royal Wood, performing All the Time it Takes to Wait for the televised house concert series “the neighbor’s dog”.

GRACE PETTIS – Ebb and Flow

From the new CD Two Birds, brilliantly produced by Billy Crockett at Blue Rock Studio in Wimberley, Texas.  Music by Grace Pettis… video by Birch Fields.  Enjoy!

CHRIS KNIGHT – North Dakota

Chris is a singer-songwriter from Slaughters, Kentucky… who asked for his first guitar at age three.  Known for standing firmly behind the common working man, with his songs often reflecting the struggles and pitfalls we all face in life.  North Dakota is a tragic story about a man who comes home to find his woman not at home, and fears her lost in a ferocious snow storm.  He then finds her body in the Spring thaw, confirming his worst thoughts.  Chris’ songs are often dark and haunting while beautiful and enthralling.

oooo...he's good, john! thanks for this tip!!!

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...

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.

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!

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

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.  

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. 

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

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!

thanks for this, john!

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.

More Lauren O'Connell and Ryan Lerman.

thanks so much for this, bubo. by putting your ideas here, they are archived for folks to go browse at their leisure and not relying on fb. gracias!

Ryan Lerman and Nataly Dawn

Like I said, there's magic happening in that studio...

Nataly Dawn, being backed up by Jack Conte, Ryan Lerman, and a bunch of other talented people...

The most adorable rendition of this song.

Ben Folds, Nick Hornby, Jack Conte, Nataly Dawn....

Well, I haven't seen him lately (him living in Scotland, and all!), but hope to next month.  I just found out that Jim Malcolm (incredible vocalist & songwriter and one time singer for the Scottish band Old Blind Dogs) will be in the area.  Here's a link to his tour schedule, if you get a chance GO - you won't be sorry!  http://www.jimmalcolm.com/concerts/  (Oh, and he's not only cute and talented, he's VERY funny, too...and an all around nice guy!)

Give a listen...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNtIsrEJngU