$50,000!!!
Mar/11/2009 09:56 AM | Permalink
Well, another incredible show Saturday night. And a
true milestone for Connections Band. We passed the
$50,000 threshold for funds raised for our two
beneficiaries. This was also the first show for me to
attempt to record it straight to my "precious," the
new Mac Book Pro, and you can hear some of the
results below. First a few thoughts about the show...
It was another great crowd....somewhere between 275 and 300...the exact number being tough to count because they kept bringing in more chairs and eventually folks were just sitting on top of each other.
But the total for the night was $3,250 for Nothing But Nets. We want to thank all the good people of Coppell, because this is one of our top five fundraising nights, in our 20-something show history.
That means 325 mosquito nets for Africa...which means, literally, an entire village saved from the scourge of Malaria.
As I mentioned above, I recorded the show on the laptop. The results, as you can hear in a minute, are mixed. on the one hand, the clarity is great. OTOH, we didn't spent a lot of time worrying about the mix, and only got a single "line in" feed. So, that means some things are a little whacked...like the guitars being too low throughout. We'll do better next time.
The cut I most what you all to hear is Mockingbird. The lead vox by Jennifer and Rusty are truly fine, but it's the closing sax solo by Lisa Rucker that steals the show. She got a well-deserved "Standing-O."
Lisa also sings lead on "Only Love is Real," one of the great Carole King songs that the women shined on.
And Jennifer Rawlinson closes the first set with "Natural Woman," with Ann and Lisa backing her up.
As for JT songs, I throw in the soundclip of "Something in the Way," just for for D.
"Fire and Rain" also sounded especially good this night. The band worked really well together, and on both these last two, you can hear the fine work by bassist Paul Simonsen, and drummer Michael Sheehan.
We close the show with "Shower the People," and I think it's one of our favorites, overall.
Hope you enjoy listening.
We switch gears completely in April, turning to our "Doobie Brothers/Elton John" show on April 17th in Sachse. Make plans now to be with us....as we begin to make the climb toward $100,000!!!
It was another great crowd....somewhere between 275 and 300...the exact number being tough to count because they kept bringing in more chairs and eventually folks were just sitting on top of each other.
But the total for the night was $3,250 for Nothing But Nets. We want to thank all the good people of Coppell, because this is one of our top five fundraising nights, in our 20-something show history.
That means 325 mosquito nets for Africa...which means, literally, an entire village saved from the scourge of Malaria.
As I mentioned above, I recorded the show on the laptop. The results, as you can hear in a minute, are mixed. on the one hand, the clarity is great. OTOH, we didn't spent a lot of time worrying about the mix, and only got a single "line in" feed. So, that means some things are a little whacked...like the guitars being too low throughout. We'll do better next time.
The cut I most what you all to hear is Mockingbird. The lead vox by Jennifer and Rusty are truly fine, but it's the closing sax solo by Lisa Rucker that steals the show. She got a well-deserved "Standing-O."
Lisa also sings lead on "Only Love is Real," one of the great Carole King songs that the women shined on.
And Jennifer Rawlinson closes the first set with "Natural Woman," with Ann and Lisa backing her up.
As for JT songs, I throw in the soundclip of "Something in the Way," just for for D.
"Fire and Rain" also sounded especially good this night. The band worked really well together, and on both these last two, you can hear the fine work by bassist Paul Simonsen, and drummer Michael Sheehan.
We close the show with "Shower the People," and I think it's one of our favorites, overall.
Hope you enjoy listening.
We switch gears completely in April, turning to our "Doobie Brothers/Elton John" show on April 17th in Sachse. Make plans now to be with us....as we begin to make the climb toward $100,000!!!
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Final Show Reminder
Mar/06/2009 07:22 AM | Permalink
Hey Friends: Just a last reminder about the show
tomorrow night in Coppell:
Connections Band
Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King
March 7, 7 pm
FUMC Coppell
Maps and more info here.
Our beneficiary for the night will be "Nothing But Nets," an agency that provides mosquito nets to people in Africa to prevent Malaria.
If we have a good-sized crowd, we'll do two amazing things tomorrow night:
1) Raise enough money to save an small village in Africa,and
2) Push Connections over the $50,000 mark in total funds raised!
Wow!
We'll do all the songs you hope to hear:
-- Jazzman
-- So Far Away
-- You Make Me Feel Like Natural Woman
-- Fire and Rain
-- Shower the People
-- Country Roads
-- You've Got a Friend
The first set is Carole King music, with our fantastic women members taking the center stage. Lisa Rucker, of FUMC Coppell, will be wailing on the tenor sax for much of this set.
The second set is JT, and you'll feel like you're at one of his great summertime shows.
Don't miss it!
See you there....
Connections Band
Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King
March 7, 7 pm
FUMC Coppell
Maps and more info here.
Our beneficiary for the night will be "Nothing But Nets," an agency that provides mosquito nets to people in Africa to prevent Malaria.
If we have a good-sized crowd, we'll do two amazing things tomorrow night:
1) Raise enough money to save an small village in Africa,and
2) Push Connections over the $50,000 mark in total funds raised!
Wow!
We'll do all the songs you hope to hear:
-- Jazzman
-- So Far Away
-- You Make Me Feel Like Natural Woman
-- Fire and Rain
-- Shower the People
-- Country Roads
-- You've Got a Friend
The first set is Carole King music, with our fantastic women members taking the center stage. Lisa Rucker, of FUMC Coppell, will be wailing on the tenor sax for much of this set.
The second set is JT, and you'll feel like you're at one of his great summertime shows.
Don't miss it!
See you there....
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James Taylor Carole King Tribute Show: March 7th
Feb/26/2009 08:57 PM | Permalink
Hey Everybody:
We've got a great Connections Band show coming up weekend after this....
James Taylor/Carole King Tribute Show
FUMC Coppell
420 South Heartz Road
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 462-0471
This is Connections Band's second show at Coppell, and we are looking forward toseeing good friends again. The women take centerstage for the Carole King set, and this show features FUMCCoppell member, Lisa Rucker, singing and playing someincredible sax.
We'll do songs like "Jazzman", "It's too Late", "How Sweetit is To be Loved By You", "Fire and Rain", and many more.You'll be singing along with every one.
Our beneficiaryfor this show is "Nothing But Nets."
Go here for complete information and a map to FUMC Coppell.
We hope to see you all at our first show of 2009!!!
We've got a great Connections Band show coming up weekend after this....
James Taylor/Carole King Tribute Show
FUMC Coppell
420 South Heartz Road
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 462-0471
This is Connections Band's second show at Coppell, and we are looking forward toseeing good friends again. The women take centerstage for the Carole King set, and this show features FUMCCoppell member, Lisa Rucker, singing and playing someincredible sax.
We'll do songs like "Jazzman", "It's too Late", "How Sweetit is To be Loved By You", "Fire and Rain", and many more.You'll be singing along with every one.
Our beneficiaryfor this show is "Nothing But Nets."
Go here for complete information and a map to FUMC Coppell.
We hope to see you all at our first show of 2009!!!
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Connections Band Spring/Summer Schedule
Feb/01/2009 09:46 PM | Permalink
Our Connections Band
founding members have been meeting over the past
month, and trying to get the Spring/Summer schedule
finalized. There are a few more shows to post still,
but most of them are now known. All this info. has
been posted to the band's
website,
but I wanted to be sure and respost it here to
make sure everybody gets the word.
We'll be doing many of our old shows. And, this Fall, we'll be introducing a new show called "SuperHits of the 70s." The toughest job right now is narrowing hundreds of potential songs down to one two-set show. But it's coming together.
It's going to be a great year.
The links below lead to the shows pages on the band website:
Connections Band: Spring 2009 Schedule
March 7, 2009: Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King
April 17, 2009: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
May 2, 2009: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
June 5, 2009: Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago
September 27, 2009: Super Hits of the 70s
We'll be doing many of our old shows. And, this Fall, we'll be introducing a new show called "SuperHits of the 70s." The toughest job right now is narrowing hundreds of potential songs down to one two-set show. But it's coming together.
It's going to be a great year.
The links below lead to the shows pages on the band website:
Connections Band: Spring 2009 Schedule
March 7, 2009: Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King
April 17, 2009: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
May 2, 2009: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
June 5, 2009: Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago
September 27, 2009: Super Hits of the 70s
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Ishmael and Isaac Video
Jan/01/2009 09:17 AM | Permalink
This is a video for my song "Ishmael and Isaac,"
which I wrote some years back about the Arab/Israeli
conflict. I hope it will be received more as a work
of art than as a political statement, although I am
quite aware that people will lay their own political
views on top of it.
My hope is that the message that war is not the ultimate answer will get through. That is the real message of the song and video, and not the assigning of blame in a situation that is quite complex and nuanced.
Click here if you can't see the video player above. (Direct link to the video)
I am aware that the religious and cultural issues are more challenging than blithely quoting a Bible verse. But I am equally aware that the the metaphor of "sibling rivalry" --when seen at a macro-level, perhaps even a mythological one-- is not only appropriate, but perhaps has no more powerful cultural incarnation than this current conflict.
Here's to continued prayers for our world, and especially for warring peoples who have not yet found the way to peace.
UPDATE:
Several folks have asked for a downloadable version of this movie. So, I've created two versions, both in mpeg2 format. One is a large file, hi quality. The other medium quality. There's also a cell-phone sized version, just because I wanted to see if I could do it.
Please contact me, and I'll direct you to a download link.
My hope is that the message that war is not the ultimate answer will get through. That is the real message of the song and video, and not the assigning of blame in a situation that is quite complex and nuanced.
Click here if you can't see the video player above. (Direct link to the video)
I am aware that the religious and cultural issues are more challenging than blithely quoting a Bible verse. But I am equally aware that the the metaphor of "sibling rivalry" --when seen at a macro-level, perhaps even a mythological one-- is not only appropriate, but perhaps has no more powerful cultural incarnation than this current conflict.
Here's to continued prayers for our world, and especially for warring peoples who have not yet found the way to peace.
UPDATE:
Several folks have asked for a downloadable version of this movie. So, I've created two versions, both in mpeg2 format. One is a large file, hi quality. The other medium quality. There's also a cell-phone sized version, just because I wanted to see if I could do it.
Please contact me, and I'll direct you to a download link.
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Dan Fogelberg Tribute November 15th
Nov/09/2008 04:12 PM | Permalink
It hit me today that I hadn't posted about this show
on my own blog!
Connections has a show coming up this coming weekend:
Connections Band
Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg
November 15th, 7 pm
Northaven UMC
11211 Preston Road
Dallas TX
It should be a good one...
Click here for a Google map
Our beneficiary will again be "Nothing But Nets."
A few fun facts about this show:
-- This will be our final show of the year.
-- It is a favorite of the band's because it was our very first show ever.
-- We will feature two new songs "Tell Me to My Face," and "Phoenix" that we've only done once before (At Lovers Lane)
-- We may have other special surprises that night, even if you've seen this show before (Can't say just yet...)
In addition, we'll do your favorite Dan songs:
"Leader of the Band"
"Longer"
"Same Ol' Lang Syne"
" Run for the Roses"
"Heart Hotels"
"There's a Place in the World for a Gambler"
For those of you who don't think you know Dan's music, click here and listen to some soundclips of the above songs.
You'll say "Oh...I know that!" several times.
The set also includes many other great, but lesser known, Dan Fogelberg songs.
You won't want to miss it! We do not know when we'll be scheduling this show again. (Probably at some point, but nothing on the schedule now...)
We have marvelous crowds at both Spring Valley and Suncreek churches. And just last night, we took the show to the clergy retreat up at Tanglewood Retreat Center on Lake Texoma. For the second year in a row, we had a GREAT time with our clergy colleagues.
We're pleased to be able to say that our totals from the two church shows will be more than $ 4, 600!!!
God is good, and we are grateful.
Hope to see you on the 15!
Connections has a show coming up this coming weekend:
Connections Band
Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg
November 15th, 7 pm
Northaven UMC
11211 Preston Road
Dallas TX
It should be a good one...
Click here for a Google map
Our beneficiary will again be "Nothing But Nets."
A few fun facts about this show:
-- This will be our final show of the year.
-- It is a favorite of the band's because it was our very first show ever.
-- We will feature two new songs "Tell Me to My Face," and "Phoenix" that we've only done once before (At Lovers Lane)
-- We may have other special surprises that night, even if you've seen this show before (Can't say just yet...)
In addition, we'll do your favorite Dan songs:
"Leader of the Band"
"Longer"
"Same Ol' Lang Syne"
" Run for the Roses"
"Heart Hotels"
"There's a Place in the World for a Gambler"
For those of you who don't think you know Dan's music, click here and listen to some soundclips of the above songs.
You'll say "Oh...I know that!" several times.
The set also includes many other great, but lesser known, Dan Fogelberg songs.
You won't want to miss it! We do not know when we'll be scheduling this show again. (Probably at some point, but nothing on the schedule now...)
We have marvelous crowds at both Spring Valley and Suncreek churches. And just last night, we took the show to the clergy retreat up at Tanglewood Retreat Center on Lake Texoma. For the second year in a row, we had a GREAT time with our clergy colleagues.
We're pleased to be able to say that our totals from the two church shows will be more than $ 4, 600!!!
God is good, and we are grateful.
Hope to see you on the 15!
Doobies Brothers and Elton John: October 4th
Oct/02/2008 06:42 AM | Permalink
Connections Band is proud to announce our new show,
and hopes you'll come hear us this Saturday night.
The new show is a tribute to Elton John and the
Doobie Brothers. We continue to push ourselves
musically with this great tribute show.
Connections Band: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
Saturday, October 4th, 7pm
Suncreek UMC
1517 W. McDermott
Allen, TX 75013
(Google map here )
(more after the jump...)
This is our fourth tribute show, and one that we've had in the works for several months. As is our tradition, our debut show was last Saturday night at SVUMC, the defacto home church of the band. (In fact, the last three years, we've debuted our new show on this same weekend...we knew the date months before we knew the artists we'd be doing!)
Rehearsals had gone well, although my sense is that most of us had forgotten how much work a new show is. We'd been rotating among our other three all year shows all year, which gets to be kinda like riding a bicycle. So, the rehearsals to learn new stuff are a little more challenging, and there is a time where you wonder, "is all this going to come together?!"
One sub-text to the show is the loss of Russ Noland. We'd certainly assumed he'd be with us...especially on the Doobies stuff. We've added Brian "Doc" McPherson, who is more than ably filling in on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and some keyboards and vocals. So, as with everyone else who joins us, we're feeling blessed by the talent that surrounds us.
We've also got a really nice string/brass section for the Elton John set....for stuff like "Levon," "Philadelphia Freedom," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
I can now report that the SVUMC show went really, really well. As usual, everything seemed to come together in our final rehearsals, and the audience seemed to love the show last Saturday.
I'm singing some of my favorites from both artists:
Doobies:
Black Water
Taking it to the Streets
Elton John:
Levon
Daniel
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Philadelphia Freedom
As with our other shows, these are songs the audience knows by heart. People sing along, and we go back to some of the best times of our lives. For me personally, Elton John's "Greatest Hits" (Volume One) was the very first record I ever bought with my own money. I've been singing these songs to myself for decades. It's a blessing to be able to sing them to others now.
Ditto with the Doobie Brother's Greatest Hits. It was also a staple of my growing up. And I know it was for a lot of yall too.
We raised an additional $ 2,600 for UMCOR last Saturday night. That officially puts us over the $ 40,000 mark in terms of fund raised for our two lead charities (UMCOR and NbN)
We're hoping that with two more great shows still to come this year, we'll be pushing the $ 50K mark.
Hope to see you Saturday.
Connections Band: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
Saturday, October 4th, 7pm
Suncreek UMC
1517 W. McDermott
Allen, TX 75013
(Google map here )
(more after the jump...)
This is our fourth tribute show, and one that we've had in the works for several months. As is our tradition, our debut show was last Saturday night at SVUMC, the defacto home church of the band. (In fact, the last three years, we've debuted our new show on this same weekend...we knew the date months before we knew the artists we'd be doing!)
Rehearsals had gone well, although my sense is that most of us had forgotten how much work a new show is. We'd been rotating among our other three all year shows all year, which gets to be kinda like riding a bicycle. So, the rehearsals to learn new stuff are a little more challenging, and there is a time where you wonder, "is all this going to come together?!"
One sub-text to the show is the loss of Russ Noland. We'd certainly assumed he'd be with us...especially on the Doobies stuff. We've added Brian "Doc" McPherson, who is more than ably filling in on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and some keyboards and vocals. So, as with everyone else who joins us, we're feeling blessed by the talent that surrounds us.
We've also got a really nice string/brass section for the Elton John set....for stuff like "Levon," "Philadelphia Freedom," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
I can now report that the SVUMC show went really, really well. As usual, everything seemed to come together in our final rehearsals, and the audience seemed to love the show last Saturday.
I'm singing some of my favorites from both artists:
Doobies:
Black Water
Taking it to the Streets
Elton John:
Levon
Daniel
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Philadelphia Freedom
As with our other shows, these are songs the audience knows by heart. People sing along, and we go back to some of the best times of our lives. For me personally, Elton John's "Greatest Hits" (Volume One) was the very first record I ever bought with my own money. I've been singing these songs to myself for decades. It's a blessing to be able to sing them to others now.
Ditto with the Doobie Brother's Greatest Hits. It was also a staple of my growing up. And I know it was for a lot of yall too.
We raised an additional $ 2,600 for UMCOR last Saturday night. That officially puts us over the $ 40,000 mark in terms of fund raised for our two lead charities (UMCOR and NbN)
We're hoping that with two more great shows still to come this year, we'll be pushing the $ 50K mark.
Hope to see you Saturday.
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The New Website is Here! The New Website is Here!
We're SOMEBODY!!!!
Aug/06/2008 08:02 AM | Permalink
Hey Everybody:
I've got fun music news about Connections Band for you:
1) Our website is now official
2) We want you to vote for your favorite songs
3) We're calling it $40K
4) Upcoming Shows
1) The big news: the official website is now, um, officially up and running!!!
We hope you will visit early and often: http://www.connectionsband.net
Yes, I have been working on this for several months, and I feel like a proud papa today.
Make note of the address, because that's where the most up-to-date information about Connections Band will always be posted first.
The site has great pictures from many of our shows, soundclips, links tostories that have been written about the band. And, most dear to our hearts, a description of our two main beneficiaries --Nothing But Nets and UMCOR -- and links a tally of how much money we've raised over the years.
The website also has a blog attached, where we hope that folks will stop byand not only read the latest news, but also leave comments too. Please check it out and feel free to comment anytime you feel inspired.
And, speaking of your input....
2) We need your vote!
We've created an online survey to help us pick the songs for the new "Doobie Brothers/Elton John" shows.
You can find it here.
We're serious about wanting your input. Especially for the Elton John set, there is just so much good music to choose from, we'd love to see which songs you would vote for.
3) Let's call it $40,000 even.
After our recent and great Walnut Hill Show, we are pleased to announce that we've now raised a total of: $39, 563 for UMCOR and Nothing But Nets!!!
Wow!!!
Take a look at a graph here.
We give thanks to God, and to the generosity of all of you who have come a show and contributed.
4) Upcoming Shows:
September 27, 2008: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
October 4, 2008: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
November 15, 2008: Tribute to Dan Fogelberg
Complete info available here.
I've got fun music news about Connections Band for you:
1) Our website is now official
2) We want you to vote for your favorite songs
3) We're calling it $40K
4) Upcoming Shows
1) The big news: the official website is now, um, officially up and running!!!
We hope you will visit early and often: http://www.connectionsband.net
Yes, I have been working on this for several months, and I feel like a proud papa today.
Make note of the address, because that's where the most up-to-date information about Connections Band will always be posted first.
The site has great pictures from many of our shows, soundclips, links tostories that have been written about the band. And, most dear to our hearts, a description of our two main beneficiaries --Nothing But Nets and UMCOR -- and links a tally of how much money we've raised over the years.
The website also has a blog attached, where we hope that folks will stop byand not only read the latest news, but also leave comments too. Please check it out and feel free to comment anytime you feel inspired.
And, speaking of your input....
2) We need your vote!
We've created an online survey to help us pick the songs for the new "Doobie Brothers/Elton John" shows.
You can find it here.
We're serious about wanting your input. Especially for the Elton John set, there is just so much good music to choose from, we'd love to see which songs you would vote for.
3) Let's call it $40,000 even.
After our recent and great Walnut Hill Show, we are pleased to announce that we've now raised a total of: $39, 563 for UMCOR and Nothing But Nets!!!
Wow!!!
Take a look at a graph here.
We give thanks to God, and to the generosity of all of you who have come a show and contributed.
4) Upcoming Shows:
September 27, 2008: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
October 4, 2008: Tribute to the Doobie Brothers and Elton John
November 15, 2008: Tribute to Dan Fogelberg
Complete info available here.
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Connections Band this Sunday: Tribute to Carole King
and James Taylor
Jul/24/2008 08:42 AM | Permalink
Hey Everybody:
Hope you're finding ways to stay cool during this "hottest July on record."
One great way would be to come to our Connections Band show this Sunday night.
How about THAT for a segue?
Did you know, btw, that the etymology of "segue" comes the music world? It was originally used to describe smooth transitions from one song or piece to another.
For example, it's a pretty smooth segue that our show this Sunday night is:
A Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King
The two have been good friends for years, and their music is associated together in so many ways. King, arguably, is the most prolific songwriter of her era. And Taylor, arguably, the most iconic singer-songwriter.
We'll do just about every song you expect to hear:
"You've Got a Friend"
"Jazzman"
"Fire and Rain"
"You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman"
"Shower the People"
The Carole King set features the women in our group, taking center stage.
I'll be playing and singing throughout the JT set.
Here's the details:
Connections Band: A Tribute to the Music of Carole King and James Taylor
Sunday, July 27. 6 pm
Walnut Hill UMC
10066 Marsh Lane
Dallas, TX 75229
Here's the map
We're expecting a pretty nice crowd, so come early and stay all night. (Because of our early start time, we'll be done before the sun goes down!)
Our beneficiary for the night is "Nothing But Nets," and we're hopeful that we can raise several thousand dollars for this great cause.
In other band news, our brand new website should soon be up and running. I will send you info about this when it's done.
Hope to see you all Sunday night!
Peace, love, and an adequate AC unit,
Eric Folkerth
Hope you're finding ways to stay cool during this "hottest July on record."
One great way would be to come to our Connections Band show this Sunday night.
How about THAT for a segue?
Did you know, btw, that the etymology of "segue" comes the music world? It was originally used to describe smooth transitions from one song or piece to another.
For example, it's a pretty smooth segue that our show this Sunday night is:
A Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King
The two have been good friends for years, and their music is associated together in so many ways. King, arguably, is the most prolific songwriter of her era. And Taylor, arguably, the most iconic singer-songwriter.
We'll do just about every song you expect to hear:
"You've Got a Friend"
"Jazzman"
"Fire and Rain"
"You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman"
"Shower the People"
The Carole King set features the women in our group, taking center stage.
I'll be playing and singing throughout the JT set.
Here's the details:
Connections Band: A Tribute to the Music of Carole King and James Taylor
Sunday, July 27. 6 pm
Walnut Hill UMC
10066 Marsh Lane
Dallas, TX 75229
Here's the map
We're expecting a pretty nice crowd, so come early and stay all night. (Because of our early start time, we'll be done before the sun goes down!)
Our beneficiary for the night is "Nothing But Nets," and we're hopeful that we can raise several thousand dollars for this great cause.
In other band news, our brand new website should soon be up and running. I will send you info about this when it's done.
Hope to see you all Sunday night!
Peace, love, and an adequate AC unit,
Eric Folkerth
The Declaration
Jul/08/2008 05:42 PM | Permalink
Charles Gaby is one of my best soul friends. He's
written a new song called "The Declaration" that's up
on YouTube. I'd love for you to give it a listen.
He's also written a "pledge" I want you to know
about.
Here's the video:
As I mentioned, Charles has been a soul friend for a long time. He's working with a group in Fort Worth called "Roots of Change" that's worth checking outs
In honor of July 4th, Charles has written a "pledge" to our troops that you can sign that's connected with the song's themes.
In part, it reads:
Read the whole things here.
And consider signing.
Here's the video:
As I mentioned, Charles has been a soul friend for a long time. He's working with a group in Fort Worth called "Roots of Change" that's worth checking outs
In honor of July 4th, Charles has written a "pledge" to our troops that you can sign that's connected with the song's themes.
In part, it reads:
Your sacrifices are necessary because of our failures at building relationships. We pledge to you our love and beg your forgiveness. We pledge to never again hide our guilt in sentimentality or wrap your sacrifices in a flag or religion to hide our own shame. We cannot ask forgiveness unless we change. So we pledge to you, to do all we can to make a stand. We will join others to learn how to transform our own lives and build bridges of understanding between the people of our communities and world. We pledge to wage peace so that one day we won’t have to depend on you to wage war.
Read the whole things here.
And consider signing.
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Stone of Sisyphus
Jun/17/2008 08:45 AM | Permalink
(UPDATE: It's now early evening and I have in my hot little hand my very own copy of the CD. I'll incorporate some thoughts about it in the rest of what I say here...)
I wrote about this CD a couple of years ago when I found it on some Chicago-fan sites in bootleg version. In fact most, rabid Chicago fans have actually had a copy for years.
The legend of the CD is that Warner/Reprise, Chicago's label at the time, wanted them to continue to make and release the "ballads" that the band was getting known for in the early 90s. But the band had other ideas. They wanted a return to the edgier, horn-driven rock that so long defined this supergroup.
Subsequent information has revealed that what was also at stake were negotiations between the label and the group regarding the licensing of Chicago's entire back catalogue. The label's decision to not release the CD may have not just been over artistic reasons but also business retaliation when the talks didn't go the label's way. (Either way, it shows you the power of the big label, and everything that's wrong with the music business...).
Here's a story from CNN about today's release.
It's a very good story with quotes from the band and some very eager fans.
Here's a promotional video from Robert Lamm's YouTube channel, featuring the title track:
One of the very cool things about the new CD are the liner notes. There's a couple of pages of backstory to the CD and its tortured history.
The liner notes start with four pages called "The Lost Chicago Album." Here's a selection:
"In 'The Greatest Music Never Sold,' author Dan LeRoy calls Chicago XXII: Stone of Sisyphus "an authentic return to form" and bemoans the fact that one of America's most exciting and creative bands had been forced, for purely commercial reasons, to shelve such a daring, expressive set of songs....
The sessions found the musicians on fire, with a rekindled enthusiasm that had been all but lost as Chicago's identity was progressively eroded away by the frustration that comes with creative soul selling..."
Besides the great music, these liner notes are the best reason to own this CD. And, there are nice, extended quotes from a different band member about each individual song too. For fans like me who have enjoyed the bootleg for years, these notes provide a very nice reason to go ahead and buy the CD anyway.
For those of you who buy the CD, you'll be interested to know that Dawayne Bailey, one of Chicago's guitarists at the time, has a "Stone" page at his website that has lost of good info on the CD, including soundclips, lyrics, and pics. They lyrics page is an especially nice companion to the CD.
I must say I really like the CD. And, like many other fans, I cannot help but wonder what the trajectory of the band might have been had this edgier release been allowed into hands fifteen years ago. Not that they've been on a bad trajectory these past fifteen years. But there is some serious hit potential on this CD.
The title track, "Stone of Sisyphus," and the songs "Plaid" and "The Pull" are all serious rockers, with the power of the horns behind them. "Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed" was described yesterday by my daughter Maria (listening to the bootleg one more time...), as "kind of like a rap song, a rock song, and a jazz song..."
Yep, that's kind of what I thought too...very genre-bending stuff.
In fact, in the liner notes, Walter Parazaider says, "I think the only things we haven't covered are Dixieland and polkas, and give us long enough we'll probably do that too."
One of my favorites on the CD is a ballad called "Bigger Than Elvis," and was written by Jason Scheff. Jason is Chicago's longtime bass player.
I've known Jason's brother, Darin, for some years now, as the owner of the company that hosts this website. (and this one...and this one...and soon the official Connections site too...) So, I've gotten to know both Scheff's a little, via video-chat now and then.
The cool historical note is that their Dad, Jerry Scheff, was Elvis' bass player for about a decade...one of the best known bass players in the business in his generation. (In fact, Darin was showing off one of Jerry's basses from the Elvis days, via video-chat sometime back...)
So, the point is, Jason wrote a really fine tribute to his Dad, and it made it on the album. The song is a fitting and touching father-son tribute. (Especially a few days after Father's Day, now that I think of it...) What I come to find out today, now that I'm looking at the liner notes, is that Jerry Scheff played on the song, without knowing it. Here's how Jason describes it in the liner notes:
"We brought him in to play on the song, but didn't tell him what it was about. We muted the vocals. And that Christmas he was over at my house, and I played him the finished song. He had headphones on, and I'll never forget it. He sobbed when he heard it."
Tell you what, I've always been admirers of the Scheffs. But this just puts it over the top. These are good folks.
(BTW, earlier when I said that Jason is Chicago's longtime bass player, I am sure some of you were thinking, "Isn't that guy's name Peter Cetera?"
Know what? Jason has now been with the band longer than Peter ever was!!! More than twenty years now.
Kinda gives you perspective, huh?)
The liner notes also go into depth about the fights with the record label, and point to several songs --"Plaid," and "The Show Must Go On" that are direct critiques of the music business culture.
Chicago's been on my mind a lot lately. We can now know what the money raised at Friday's Connection's show was.
Friday was our largest audience ever (possibly 500!) and our largest single offering from the "night-of-the-show" crowd. With some funds that came in over the weekend, we can now announce that we raised more than $6,000 for UMCOR....awesome.
Then, on Sunday, at the old Starplex, Connections Band had a family night, and tooks spouses and kids to see The Doobie Brothers and Chicago...one artist we love to perform, the other we're going to be learning very soon.
It was a great show...especially the final six songs, where both bands took the stage together and traded off on some of their best known stuff....it was awesome. And a great time to celebrate with our Connections family.
But, today's all about that mysterious CD.
From the song "Plaid":
"Some will say it's too late
So don't change the story
There's too much at stake to grow
Yesterday was so great
Just bask in the glory
Don't let your feelings show
And I say, "Oh Yeah"
Like a man with a condition, I wait for my heart to stop
They say, "Stay down,
Gotta plan hold that position.
You can't afford a flop."....
I'm not asking for permission
Are you ready for me to be me?
Just pass the ammunition
This prisoner's about to bust free from your chains"
You can get the CD here.
You can also get it at just about every music store anywhere.
However you get it, I recommend that you get it.
Because it's a little piece of modern music's history, coming alive today.
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Connections Band at FUMCR Reminder
Jun/09/2008 06:31 PM | Permalink
As always, the show is free. But, as always, we'll also be taking up a "love offering" for UMCOR.
We're pleased to welcome Clayton Oliphant to join us for this show. Clayton will be "sitting in on the drums" on several songs. He even made it to rehearsal with us last week. Here's the Treo phone proof:
There are five of us that have, ahem, connection to this great church...two of us are on the staff currently, and three of us (including me...) grew up there as kids.
All this is to say that we have the hunch that this could be a big show, crowd wise. We sure hope so.
We'd love to see you there
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Connections Fall Schedule
May/28/2008 08:26 AM | Permalink
As promised a few days back, we can now announce
Connections Band's Fall Schedule.
I'm as excited about these next shows as I have been any series we've done. Because over the next few months, you'll not only have the chance to see every cover show we've done so far, but you'll also get a chance to see an exciting new one.
Here's the schedule:
Chicago Eagles Tribute
FUMC Richardson
June 13, 7 pm
James Taylor/Carole King Tribute
Walnut Hill UMC
July 27, 7 pm
BRAND NEW SHOW!
Doobie Brothers/Elton John Tribute Show!
Spring Valley UMC
September 27, 7 pm
Doobie Brothers/Elton John Tribute Show
Suncreek UMC, Allen Texas
October 4, 7 pm
Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show
Northaven UMC
November 15, 7 pm
Yes, it can now be told that our new tribute show for the Fall will be the Doobie Brothers and Elton John. Just let your mind drift back to all those great songs you know so well. Yep, we're gonna go them. We're gonna break out our rockin' band for the Doobies, and unleash keyboard player Frank Rahm for the Elton set. Should be just as fun as all our shows are.
But! As I noted, you'll also be able to see all the shows we've ever done in these next few months. Just in case you've missed one.
As always, we'll be raising funds for missional causes, and hoping to build on the $30,000 we've already raised.
Break out your smart phone. Save the dates now.
You won't want to miss em.
I'm as excited about these next shows as I have been any series we've done. Because over the next few months, you'll not only have the chance to see every cover show we've done so far, but you'll also get a chance to see an exciting new one.
Here's the schedule:
Chicago Eagles Tribute
FUMC Richardson
June 13, 7 pm
James Taylor/Carole King Tribute
Walnut Hill UMC
July 27, 7 pm
BRAND NEW SHOW!
Doobie Brothers/Elton John Tribute Show!
Spring Valley UMC
September 27, 7 pm
Doobie Brothers/Elton John Tribute Show
Suncreek UMC, Allen Texas
October 4, 7 pm
Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show
Northaven UMC
November 15, 7 pm
Yes, it can now be told that our new tribute show for the Fall will be the Doobie Brothers and Elton John. Just let your mind drift back to all those great songs you know so well. Yep, we're gonna go them. We're gonna break out our rockin' band for the Doobies, and unleash keyboard player Frank Rahm for the Elton set. Should be just as fun as all our shows are.
But! As I noted, you'll also be able to see all the shows we've ever done in these next few months. Just in case you've missed one.
As always, we'll be raising funds for missional causes, and hoping to build on the $30,000 we've already raised.
Break out your smart phone. Save the dates now.
You won't want to miss em.
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$7,100 and a Gratitude Beyond Measure
May/26/2008 08:41 AM | Permalink
Earlier this month, just after our last Connections
show, I posted what we believed would be the
fundraising total for the night.
Today, I am very pleased to tell you we were very wrong.
The actual grand total from the LLUMC show is....
$7,100!!!
Good Lord!
That beats our previous best show by $3K!!!
The good folks at LLUMC kept the books open, and apparently some folks who intended to give that night opened up their hearts and their pocketbooks.
That means, dear friends, that we were able to provide 710 mosquito nets for families in Africa, through our beneficiary, "Nothing But Nets."
That means, dear friends, that the lives of thousands of people have been saved by the generosity of our crowd that night, and the good folks at LLUMC.
This new information also puts us right at another amazing milestone:
Connections Band has now officially raised just under $30,000 for worthy charities in our "cover" shows.*
Our last show was our 12th, and with the phenomenal result there, our average-per-show is now $2,400.
Recently, founding members held a meeting where we looked forward to the Fall and to next year. (Stay tuned for exciting announcements about that soon, BTW...)
And at that meeting, we all expressed a sincere amazement at where this band has been during our journey together. When we put on our first show, none of us could imagine we'd do twelve shows, let alone raise tens of thousands of dollars for worthy causes.
Now, as we look back at the last few years --and having just played the show that brought us all together in the first place (The Fogelberg Show)-- we stand in awe and in gratitude...
We're grateful for all our fans...and especially our growing list of "groupies" that see to be following us from show-to-show. Thanks to all of you!
We're grateful to all the host churches and volunteers who set the space for us.
We're grateful to our over 35 band members, and their endless hours of rehearsal, volunteering their own time.
We're grateful for the chance to make music with all of them, and to call them friends and colleagues.
We're grateful to all the donors who've supported these causes.
We're grateful to the songwriters/performers we seek to honor through our shows.
And we're grateful to God, for the incredible opportunity to be a part of something so fun and worthwhile.
As we said a moment ago, we're not done yet!
Stay tuned soon for a complete and and confirmed schedule for the Fall, including an exciting new show to debut in September!!
And thanks for being connected,
Eric
Today, I am very pleased to tell you we were very wrong.
The actual grand total from the LLUMC show is....
$7,100!!!
Good Lord!
That beats our previous best show by $3K!!!
The good folks at LLUMC kept the books open, and apparently some folks who intended to give that night opened up their hearts and their pocketbooks.
That means, dear friends, that we were able to provide 710 mosquito nets for families in Africa, through our beneficiary, "Nothing But Nets."
That means, dear friends, that the lives of thousands of people have been saved by the generosity of our crowd that night, and the good folks at LLUMC.
This new information also puts us right at another amazing milestone:
Connections Band has now officially raised just under $30,000 for worthy charities in our "cover" shows.*
Our last show was our 12th, and with the phenomenal result there, our average-per-show is now $2,400.
Recently, founding members held a meeting where we looked forward to the Fall and to next year. (Stay tuned for exciting announcements about that soon, BTW...)
And at that meeting, we all expressed a sincere amazement at where this band has been during our journey together. When we put on our first show, none of us could imagine we'd do twelve shows, let alone raise tens of thousands of dollars for worthy causes.
Now, as we look back at the last few years --and having just played the show that brought us all together in the first place (The Fogelberg Show)-- we stand in awe and in gratitude...
We're grateful for all our fans...and especially our growing list of "groupies" that see to be following us from show-to-show. Thanks to all of you!
We're grateful to all the host churches and volunteers who set the space for us.
We're grateful to our over 35 band members, and their endless hours of rehearsal, volunteering their own time.
We're grateful for the chance to make music with all of them, and to call them friends and colleagues.
We're grateful to all the donors who've supported these causes.
We're grateful to the songwriters/performers we seek to honor through our shows.
And we're grateful to God, for the incredible opportunity to be a part of something so fun and worthwhile.
As we said a moment ago, we're not done yet!
Stay tuned soon for a complete and and confirmed schedule for the Fall, including an exciting new show to debut in September!!
And thanks for being connected,
Eric
Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show This Friday at LLUMC
Apr/29/2008 08:56 AM | Permalink
A reminder that Connections Band will be in concert
this Friday night at Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas.
Here are the details:
Read the whole press release here.
I can also tell you that we have added two great new songs to the set: "Tell Me To My Face," and "Phoenix." I'm thrilled to be playing and singing Phoenix, along with songs like "Same Old Lang Syne," "Old Tennessee," and "Place in the World for a Gambler."
And a reminder that you can hear clips from our previous Fogelberg Tribute show at our MySpace page.
As mentioned, the beneficiary is "Nothing But Nets." LLUMC has made an informal goal of raising $5,000 at this show!
That would be amazing.
But more exciting, personally, is the chance to share these great songs from one of my true heros. To help keep Dan's music alive means the world to me, personally.
Hope to see you there.
Here are the details:
Connections Band Tribute to Dan Fogelberg
Friday,
May 2nd, 7 pm
Asbury Hall, Lovers Lane UMC
9200
Inwood Road
Dallas, Texas 75220
214.691.4721
As many of you will remember, our tribute show to
Fogelberg was the very first show we ever did. And to
many of us, it holds special place in our hearts.
Here's what Lovers Lane is saying about it:
In tribute to Dan Fogelberg’s recent passing, Connections’ 18-piece band will bring Fogelberg’s music to life and do their best to honor the memory of this great performer. You’ll hear many of his best known songs - "Leader of the Band," "Same Old Lane Syne," Run for the Roses," "Longer" - but also lesser known gems from throughout his career.
As always, the show will be FREE, and a love offering will be taken for "Nothing But Nets," the project that provides mosquito nets to African families. More people die each year of the preventable disease of malaria than do from AIDS! Bring your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers … you get the idea. If you can’t make it to the show, you can always make a direct contribution to the cause, and start saving lives today.
Read the whole press release here.
I can also tell you that we have added two great new songs to the set: "Tell Me To My Face," and "Phoenix." I'm thrilled to be playing and singing Phoenix, along with songs like "Same Old Lang Syne," "Old Tennessee," and "Place in the World for a Gambler."
And a reminder that you can hear clips from our previous Fogelberg Tribute show at our MySpace page.
As mentioned, the beneficiary is "Nothing But Nets." LLUMC has made an informal goal of raising $5,000 at this show!
That would be amazing.
But more exciting, personally, is the chance to share these great songs from one of my true heros. To help keep Dan's music alive means the world to me, personally.
Hope to see you there.
What Connections Band Did During My Blog Vacation
Apr/25/2008 06:28 PM | Permalink
Another loss of not having the blog these past few
months is not being able to tell you all the
incredible stuff happening with Connections Band.
Because it's been an absolutely
cool
couple of months with four great shows.
We set a goal of playing about a show a month this year. But because of the Easter season, we crammed a bunch of shows into late Feb and early March. It was a fun three weeks. But it just about killed us too. Because, we did something we hadn't really done before: we hit the road. We went to Wichita Falls, Denton, Sachse, and Grand Prairie.
We're considering t-shirts that list all the cities on back, and say "Connections Band World Tour" on the front.
The trip to Wichita Falls was rough. Traveling with a 15-piece band is not for sissies, especially when you're also the road crew. The logistics were quite a challenge, to say the least. And they were the next three shows too...just not quite as far a haul as Wichita Falls.
But, even though it was a long haul out there, the WF show got us some of our best publicity yet. A really nice story ran in the local paper about a week before the show. Rusty and I were also interviewed by KMOC Radio the day of the show.
You can listen to it here:
It's a pretty good overall introduction to the band and what we do.
All four of these shows were the Eagles/Chicago set. And, if I do say so myself, we're really getting tight with that music. It's done us a lot of good to play so many shows together, in terms of the chemistry, and the audiences are really responding. In fact, the Sachse and Grand Prairie audiences just about went wild.
Pretty fun.
We've also got our own web-presence now. It's a myspace page, and you can find it here. (Creating it was another of the things I did during my blog vacation...)
The MySpace page has TONS of new band info. It's got a complete listing of the 35-plus people who have played with Connections Band. It's got 52 awesome pics from the Sachse show. It's got brand new sound clips; "The Reach" and "There's A Place in the World for A Gambler." And it's also got promotional videos for UMCOR and "Nothing But Nets," our two main beneficiaries. Check it out.
While creating the MySpace page, I also created the chart, which shows the funds raised by Connections Band. We are now well over $20,000 raised for the great causes of UMCOR and "Nothing But Nets:
Finally, we've got three great shows coming up during the late Spring/Summer. The best news is this: if you've missed any of our tribute shows, you're gonna have the chance to make it up. Because we're doing all three tribute shows back-to-back.
The following are the details, taken from our new MySpace site:
Upcoming Connections Band Shows
May 2, 2008, 7 pm
Connections Band Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show
Lovers Lane UMC, Dallas TX
www.llumc.org/
9200 Inwood Road
Dallas, Texas 75220
214.691.4721
In tribute to Dan Fogelberg's passing earlier this year, Connections will perform our very first show: A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg. The evening will feature many of Fogelberg's best known songs -- "Leader of the Band," "Same Old Lane Syne," Run for the Roses," "Longer"-- but also lesser known gems from throughout his career. Connections 18-piece band will bring Fogeberg's music to life and do our best to honor the memory of this great performer.
June 13, 2008, 7 pm
Connections Band Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show
FUMC Richardson, TX
www.fumcr.com
503 N Central Expy
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 235-8385
Five of Connection's members have a, ahem, connection to this church. So, we're pleased to be able to bring to our friends and family there. As always, the show will be free, but an offering will be taken for UMCOR. To get a map to the venue, click here.
July 27, 2008, 7 pm
Connections Band James Taylor/Carole King Tribute Show
Walnut Hill UMC, Dallas TX
www.whumc.com
10066 Marsh Ln
Dallas, TX 75229
(214) 357-5656
One of Connection's favorite 2007 show was at this church, and we're pleased to be headed back again. This time, we'll bring the music of JT and Carole King. As always, the show will be free, but an offering will be taken for UMCOR.
Mark your calendars now. Hope to see you all at the shows.
In early May, we'll have a Founders meeting, where we'll chart out a Fall schedule, and decide on a new artist for our September show.
Stay tuned for that.
It continues to be a thrill to us all to be able to play such great music, have such incredible audience response, and raise so much for such worthy causes. We give a lot to it, but we get a lot back. And I know I speak for the whole band when I say that it's an honor and blessing to be a part of it.
We set a goal of playing about a show a month this year. But because of the Easter season, we crammed a bunch of shows into late Feb and early March. It was a fun three weeks. But it just about killed us too. Because, we did something we hadn't really done before: we hit the road. We went to Wichita Falls, Denton, Sachse, and Grand Prairie.
We're considering t-shirts that list all the cities on back, and say "Connections Band World Tour" on the front.
The trip to Wichita Falls was rough. Traveling with a 15-piece band is not for sissies, especially when you're also the road crew. The logistics were quite a challenge, to say the least. And they were the next three shows too...just not quite as far a haul as Wichita Falls.
But, even though it was a long haul out there, the WF show got us some of our best publicity yet. A really nice story ran in the local paper about a week before the show. Rusty and I were also interviewed by KMOC Radio the day of the show.
You can listen to it here:
It's a pretty good overall introduction to the band and what we do.
All four of these shows were the Eagles/Chicago set. And, if I do say so myself, we're really getting tight with that music. It's done us a lot of good to play so many shows together, in terms of the chemistry, and the audiences are really responding. In fact, the Sachse and Grand Prairie audiences just about went wild.
Pretty fun.
We've also got our own web-presence now. It's a myspace page, and you can find it here. (Creating it was another of the things I did during my blog vacation...)
The MySpace page has TONS of new band info. It's got a complete listing of the 35-plus people who have played with Connections Band. It's got 52 awesome pics from the Sachse show. It's got brand new sound clips; "The Reach" and "There's A Place in the World for A Gambler." And it's also got promotional videos for UMCOR and "Nothing But Nets," our two main beneficiaries. Check it out.
While creating the MySpace page, I also created the chart, which shows the funds raised by Connections Band. We are now well over $20,000 raised for the great causes of UMCOR and "Nothing But Nets:
Finally, we've got three great shows coming up during the late Spring/Summer. The best news is this: if you've missed any of our tribute shows, you're gonna have the chance to make it up. Because we're doing all three tribute shows back-to-back.
The following are the details, taken from our new MySpace site:
Upcoming Connections Band Shows
May 2, 2008, 7 pm
Connections Band Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show
Lovers Lane UMC, Dallas TX
www.llumc.org/
9200 Inwood Road
Dallas, Texas 75220
214.691.4721
In tribute to Dan Fogelberg's passing earlier this year, Connections will perform our very first show: A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg. The evening will feature many of Fogelberg's best known songs -- "Leader of the Band," "Same Old Lane Syne," Run for the Roses," "Longer"-- but also lesser known gems from throughout his career. Connections 18-piece band will bring Fogeberg's music to life and do our best to honor the memory of this great performer.
June 13, 2008, 7 pm
Connections Band Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show
FUMC Richardson, TX
www.fumcr.com
503 N Central Expy
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 235-8385
Five of Connection's members have a, ahem, connection to this church. So, we're pleased to be able to bring to our friends and family there. As always, the show will be free, but an offering will be taken for UMCOR. To get a map to the venue, click here.
July 27, 2008, 7 pm
Connections Band James Taylor/Carole King Tribute Show
Walnut Hill UMC, Dallas TX
www.whumc.com
10066 Marsh Ln
Dallas, TX 75229
(214) 357-5656
One of Connection's favorite 2007 show was at this church, and we're pleased to be headed back again. This time, we'll bring the music of JT and Carole King. As always, the show will be free, but an offering will be taken for UMCOR.
Mark your calendars now. Hope to see you all at the shows.
In early May, we'll have a Founders meeting, where we'll chart out a Fall schedule, and decide on a new artist for our September show.
Stay tuned for that.
It continues to be a thrill to us all to be able to play such great music, have such incredible audience response, and raise so much for such worthy causes. We give a lot to it, but we get a lot back. And I know I speak for the whole band when I say that it's an honor and blessing to be a part of it.
No Show Saturday
Nov/08/2007 07:01 AM | Permalink
Just a quick reminder....
Although it's been on my schedule for some time, I will not be a part of the "Tredway and Friends" showcase on Saturday. I found out a few weeks back that this is also the same weekend as a campout with my daughter and our Y Princess group...and I'm gonna go camping with her.
So, if you were coming just to see me, don't.
However, there will be a lot of other great songwriters performing that night, and it will be worth you while to go see them anyway.
Although it's been on my schedule for some time, I will not be a part of the "Tredway and Friends" showcase on Saturday. I found out a few weeks back that this is also the same weekend as a campout with my daughter and our Y Princess group...and I'm gonna go camping with her.
So, if you were coming just to see me, don't.
However, there will be a lot of other great songwriters performing that night, and it will be worth you while to go see them anyway.
The Newest Super Cool Website Thingy...
Oct/22/2007 09:04 PM | Permalink
I am so far behind on blogging I'll probably never
catch up.
Wanted to write about the great JT/Carole King show. Wanted to write about playing with Rick Saturday night. Wanted to write about the clergy retreat show. Wanted to write about Memphis (probably still will...). Wanted to write about the FeastFest show. Wanted to write about getting an email from Robert Lamm (kid you not...).
Wanted to write some other things that completely escaped me now.
It's all too much to think about. So, for the moment I'll just write about the coolest new website gadget I've found this month...
It's an iPod mp3 player for my website. And after a lot of work, I've finally got it up and running all over the website. The player below now loads when you visit the main page of my site (www.ericfolkerth.com). But feel free to play around with it here:
I've also set up an individual player for several of my soundclips pages: the "Songs for the Time Being" page, the "Return" page, and even the "Connections Band" page.
Pretty cool, huh?
Yes. I actually do get excited about this stuff.
I'm such a geek.
Wanted to write about the great JT/Carole King show. Wanted to write about playing with Rick Saturday night. Wanted to write about the clergy retreat show. Wanted to write about Memphis (probably still will...). Wanted to write about the FeastFest show. Wanted to write about getting an email from Robert Lamm (kid you not...).
Wanted to write some other things that completely escaped me now.
It's all too much to think about. So, for the moment I'll just write about the coolest new website gadget I've found this month...
It's an iPod mp3 player for my website. And after a lot of work, I've finally got it up and running all over the website. The player below now loads when you visit the main page of my site (www.ericfolkerth.com). But feel free to play around with it here:
I've also set up an individual player for several of my soundclips pages: the "Songs for the Time Being" page, the "Return" page, and even the "Connections Band" page.
Pretty cool, huh?
Yes. I actually do get excited about this stuff.
I'm such a geek.
Back to Dunn Bros
Oct/19/2007 10:09 AM | Permalink
Wanted to let you know about a last minute gig that I
picked up this week. I will be playing at Dunn Bros.
Coffee in Addison:
Dunn Brothers Coffee
8 pm- 10pm
3725 Belt Line Road
972-406-9711 (Map)
As I mentioned, I just picked up this gig at the last minute, and am filling in for somebody who cancelled. So, it may be a light crowd. Maybe some of you still looking for a Saturday night plan will stop by.
I'd love to see you.
Dunn Brothers Coffee
8 pm- 10pm
3725 Belt Line Road
972-406-9711 (Map)
As I mentioned, I just picked up this gig at the last minute, and am filling in for somebody who cancelled. So, it may be a light crowd. Maybe some of you still looking for a Saturday night plan will stop by.
I'd love to see you.
Carole King/James Taylor Show Reminder
Sep/20/2007 10:31 PM | Permalink
Hey Everybody:
We had a serious blast at the Northaven Coffeehouse last Friday night. A nice crowd saw a great show with me, my friends Rick O'Connor and Jack Kennedy, and Richard Newton sitting in.
And on the heels of that.... a quick reminder about the show Saturday night:
Connections Band
Tribute to the Music of Carole King and James Taylor
Saturday, September 22nd 7 pm
Spring Valley UMC
Click here for the official pdf flyer (with a handy map)
Here we are at the Chicago/Eagles Tribute last year:
And here are some sound clips of us from various shows.
We had a good rehearsal tonight, and we've got one more tomorrow night too. The show is really coming together. For the Carole King stuff, we feature three really great women vocalists: Ann Willet, Jennifer Rawlinson, and Lisa Rucker. (Lisa also plays killer sax throughout...)
I'm getting to play and sing some of my all-time favorite JT songs, like "Something in the Way She Moves," and "Country Road." And we close the show with me singing and playing on "You've Got a Friend," "Fire and Rain," and "Shower the People."
Come on and sing along...you know you like this music...admit it. It's way back there in your music DNA, and you know it. Nobody's too cool to be reminded how great these songwriters and songs are.
They're be great desserts, and the show is free. But we will take a love offering for UMCOR. Rusty King, our band leader, figured out today that if we net an offering of $2,000, that will put us over the $10,000 mark raised for the second year in a row.
"How sweet it is" to be able to sing these great songs, and raise money for this great cause.
Hope to see you there....
We had a serious blast at the Northaven Coffeehouse last Friday night. A nice crowd saw a great show with me, my friends Rick O'Connor and Jack Kennedy, and Richard Newton sitting in.
And on the heels of that.... a quick reminder about the show Saturday night:
Connections Band
Tribute to the Music of Carole King and James Taylor
Saturday, September 22nd 7 pm
Spring Valley UMC
Click here for the official pdf flyer (with a handy map)
Here we are at the Chicago/Eagles Tribute last year:
And here are some sound clips of us from various shows.
We had a good rehearsal tonight, and we've got one more tomorrow night too. The show is really coming together. For the Carole King stuff, we feature three really great women vocalists: Ann Willet, Jennifer Rawlinson, and Lisa Rucker. (Lisa also plays killer sax throughout...)
I'm getting to play and sing some of my all-time favorite JT songs, like "Something in the Way She Moves," and "Country Road." And we close the show with me singing and playing on "You've Got a Friend," "Fire and Rain," and "Shower the People."
Come on and sing along...you know you like this music...admit it. It's way back there in your music DNA, and you know it. Nobody's too cool to be reminded how great these songwriters and songs are.
They're be great desserts, and the show is free. But we will take a love offering for UMCOR. Rusty King, our band leader, figured out today that if we net an offering of $2,000, that will put us over the $10,000 mark raised for the second year in a row.
"How sweet it is" to be able to sing these great songs, and raise money for this great cause.
Hope to see you there....
September Music News (07)
Sep/07/2007 11:20 PM | Permalink
Several fun things going on musically this month...
First, the peace really in Fort Worth last week was fun. A smaller crowd than expected, but many of my peacemaker friends were there...Charles Stovall, Hadi Jawad, Diane Baker and Beatriz Saldivar (who became a good friend at Camp Casey and actually lives in Fort Worth. We had her and others come to Northaven to tell their stories of relatives killed in Iraq...)
I got to do several songs, including "Prairie Chapel Road," which was especially cool since Cindy Sheehan was there and said she appreciated hearing the song again. She may have been just being polite. However, Ann Wright was also there, and I really did get the sense that she remembered me from the Camp Casey days. So, that was cool. All in all, an honor to be asked.
There are two other shows to tell you about, however:
FeastFest Coffeehouse at Northaven: September 14 7 pm
This should be a fun show on the home turf. It will feature myself, Rick O'Connor, and Jack Kennedy all doing sets, and possibly sitting in with each other too. There will be coffees and desserts and a casual coffeehouse atmosphere. I'll be doing my own stuff, and it will be the first real show to showcase the Santa Cruz.
Connections Band Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King: September 22 7 pm
Spring Valley UMC
Connections is back, with our next tribute show. We'll be doing a first set of Carole King songs, and featuring our women singers. Then, after the break, we'll break out the Greatest Hits of JT. I'm playing a singing a lot of these, which is cool, since I've been playing and singing them for years anyway. Again, I can tell you now, the new guitar is so very incredible sounding on these classics. It will be a great night. Here is the official concert poster.
Both of these events are free, but both will feature a "love offering." At the Northaven show, the goal will be go cover expenses. At the SVUMC show, we hope to add to the amazing amount that Connections Band has raised for UMCOR.
Plan to come to both, since both shows will be quite different, really.
New Demo song on Myspace
I've written a new song, and the demo's up on my Myspace. Click here and then click on "No Greater Wound." I'd love to hear what you think.
All for now....see you later this month at these shows.
First, the peace really in Fort Worth last week was fun. A smaller crowd than expected, but many of my peacemaker friends were there...Charles Stovall, Hadi Jawad, Diane Baker and Beatriz Saldivar (who became a good friend at Camp Casey and actually lives in Fort Worth. We had her and others come to Northaven to tell their stories of relatives killed in Iraq...)
I got to do several songs, including "Prairie Chapel Road," which was especially cool since Cindy Sheehan was there and said she appreciated hearing the song again. She may have been just being polite. However, Ann Wright was also there, and I really did get the sense that she remembered me from the Camp Casey days. So, that was cool. All in all, an honor to be asked.
There are two other shows to tell you about, however:
FeastFest Coffeehouse at Northaven: September 14 7 pm
This should be a fun show on the home turf. It will feature myself, Rick O'Connor, and Jack Kennedy all doing sets, and possibly sitting in with each other too. There will be coffees and desserts and a casual coffeehouse atmosphere. I'll be doing my own stuff, and it will be the first real show to showcase the Santa Cruz.
Connections Band Tribute to James Taylor and Carole King: September 22 7 pm
Spring Valley UMC
Connections is back, with our next tribute show. We'll be doing a first set of Carole King songs, and featuring our women singers. Then, after the break, we'll break out the Greatest Hits of JT. I'm playing a singing a lot of these, which is cool, since I've been playing and singing them for years anyway. Again, I can tell you now, the new guitar is so very incredible sounding on these classics. It will be a great night. Here is the official concert poster.
Both of these events are free, but both will feature a "love offering." At the Northaven show, the goal will be go cover expenses. At the SVUMC show, we hope to add to the amazing amount that Connections Band has raised for UMCOR.
Plan to come to both, since both shows will be quite different, really.
New Demo song on Myspace
I've written a new song, and the demo's up on my Myspace. Click here and then click on "No Greater Wound." I'd love to hear what you think.
All for now....see you later this month at these shows.
This Could be the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
Aug/19/2007 11:30 PM | Permalink
A few hours ago, I returned from the first
ever
Mt. Sequoyah Songwriter's Retreat in
Fayetteville.
You may remember, I wrote about this event
here.
And I've written extensively about Sequoyah
several times.
It was a great event and, as I said before, it was an honor to be a part of the planning. My love for songwriting and my love for that special place really came together in an incredible way that I can hardly believe. I'm still pinching myself.
For years, in fact, ever since I started going to Kerrville, I've imagined that Sequoyah would be a cool place for song circles. I have this vision of song circles, and songwriters, just taking over the place for weekend. Part of it comes --and I think I've blogged this before-- from the fact that Kerrville became the kind of community for me that Sequoyah had once been when I was helping lead the yearly Singles even there. There's something about the "energy" of the two places that feels similar to me...or at least seems like it could be if enough people catch the vision and have the eyes to see.
As I've mentioned ad nauseum, my song "Sequoyah" was inspired by the time I thought would probably be my last visit there ever (I've been three times since...). I know I've told the story of how I wrote the lyrics, and sang them to Larry Norman, sitting on the steps of Young Lodge, looking out over the valley below. Today, Larry reminded me that the song now really belongs to all of us who love Sequoyah. He's absolutely right of course.
Anyway, I digress...
We had a great, great weekend. It was a small, but dedicated, bunch. We had really fine workshops from Effron White, Emily Kaitz, Trout Fishing in America, and my old soul friend, Charles Gaby. One of the great side benefits to me was to be able to spend some time with Charles. (We live 30 miles apart, you'd think we could manage it more often and wouldn't have to go 300 miles...) and to meet and get to know Effron, Emily, Keith and Ezra.
They all couldn't have been more gracious with their time and their attention to the budding songwriters who came to be a part of the weekend.
We had a really fine song circle each, which I tried to model after all the great circles at Camp Nashbill. In fact, since I was in charge of the part of weekend, I really just took everything I've been able to learn from Bill over the years. (Everything good I did came from him...)
This was the first time for Effron to lead a workshop, and he confessed to being nervous. But he did great. Charles then took things in an interesting direction, talking about "Songwriting as Spiritual Practice." Charles' deep soul approach to spirituality, and his own connection as a songwriter and performer himself, really added a lot. (He's my soul brother...)
And Emily? How had I never met Emily before? I'd known of her for years, and I know we have a zillion mutual friends around here. Well, how gracious she was with her time, spending not only her workshop time with the group, but also the entire rest of the event too.
And Trout Fishing in America was the perfect exclamation point on the weekend. Their show was great. (It rained earlier in the day, which probably kept some folks away...) And their workshop was a great experiential treat in how to write a song. They said they use it all the time with elementary school kids, but that this was their first time to test it on adults....seemed to work.
The Sequoyah staff seems committed to try this again, and to expand it next year. Jim Twiggs, myself, and hopefully most of the other presenters from this year, will give a lot of feedback on how to expand and make it better next year. Hopefully, you'll see me write more about this soon. I think they were really pleased to see all the songwriters and performers, and it gave them a sense of what's possible.
And, it was great for the local Fayetteville musicians to see this little jewel in their own backyard...literally....I got the sense Effron and Emily live within maybe a mile...and Ezra and Keith not too much farther than that.
All those connections have got to be good. And I'm gonna believe lot's of cool psychic energy and ideas will flow out from this first experience. And the line that comes to me is from Casablanca:
"This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship"
....for the mountain and songwriters...for the local community and the mountain...and for guys like me whole just feel honored to help bridge the gap between the two.
At last year's little gathering of some of the task force friends reminded me to "trust reunion's not in vain."
Well, I'm going to trust that a whole new connection is possible. Once upon a time, I drove back down Interstate 540, singing the newly written lyrics to about reunion not being in vain. Today, taking the same journey, I listened to some CDs from Effron White, and imagined what might be in the future.
Stay tuned. When we know more about next year's event, I'll mention it.
(We've already got some ideas...)
For now, I'm just basking in the afterglow, and marveling at all the cool possibilities and connections for the future.
It was a great event and, as I said before, it was an honor to be a part of the planning. My love for songwriting and my love for that special place really came together in an incredible way that I can hardly believe. I'm still pinching myself.
For years, in fact, ever since I started going to Kerrville, I've imagined that Sequoyah would be a cool place for song circles. I have this vision of song circles, and songwriters, just taking over the place for weekend. Part of it comes --and I think I've blogged this before-- from the fact that Kerrville became the kind of community for me that Sequoyah had once been when I was helping lead the yearly Singles even there. There's something about the "energy" of the two places that feels similar to me...or at least seems like it could be if enough people catch the vision and have the eyes to see.
As I've mentioned ad nauseum, my song "Sequoyah" was inspired by the time I thought would probably be my last visit there ever (I've been three times since...). I know I've told the story of how I wrote the lyrics, and sang them to Larry Norman, sitting on the steps of Young Lodge, looking out over the valley below. Today, Larry reminded me that the song now really belongs to all of us who love Sequoyah. He's absolutely right of course.
Anyway, I digress...
We had a great, great weekend. It was a small, but dedicated, bunch. We had really fine workshops from Effron White, Emily Kaitz, Trout Fishing in America, and my old soul friend, Charles Gaby. One of the great side benefits to me was to be able to spend some time with Charles. (We live 30 miles apart, you'd think we could manage it more often and wouldn't have to go 300 miles...) and to meet and get to know Effron, Emily, Keith and Ezra.
They all couldn't have been more gracious with their time and their attention to the budding songwriters who came to be a part of the weekend.
We had a really fine song circle each, which I tried to model after all the great circles at Camp Nashbill. In fact, since I was in charge of the part of weekend, I really just took everything I've been able to learn from Bill over the years. (Everything good I did came from him...)
This was the first time for Effron to lead a workshop, and he confessed to being nervous. But he did great. Charles then took things in an interesting direction, talking about "Songwriting as Spiritual Practice." Charles' deep soul approach to spirituality, and his own connection as a songwriter and performer himself, really added a lot. (He's my soul brother...)
And Emily? How had I never met Emily before? I'd known of her for years, and I know we have a zillion mutual friends around here. Well, how gracious she was with her time, spending not only her workshop time with the group, but also the entire rest of the event too.
And Trout Fishing in America was the perfect exclamation point on the weekend. Their show was great. (It rained earlier in the day, which probably kept some folks away...) And their workshop was a great experiential treat in how to write a song. They said they use it all the time with elementary school kids, but that this was their first time to test it on adults....seemed to work.
The Sequoyah staff seems committed to try this again, and to expand it next year. Jim Twiggs, myself, and hopefully most of the other presenters from this year, will give a lot of feedback on how to expand and make it better next year. Hopefully, you'll see me write more about this soon. I think they were really pleased to see all the songwriters and performers, and it gave them a sense of what's possible.
And, it was great for the local Fayetteville musicians to see this little jewel in their own backyard...literally....I got the sense Effron and Emily live within maybe a mile...and Ezra and Keith not too much farther than that.
All those connections have got to be good. And I'm gonna believe lot's of cool psychic energy and ideas will flow out from this first experience. And the line that comes to me is from Casablanca:
"This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship"
....for the mountain and songwriters...for the local community and the mountain...and for guys like me whole just feel honored to help bridge the gap between the two.
At last year's little gathering of some of the task force friends reminded me to "trust reunion's not in vain."
Well, I'm going to trust that a whole new connection is possible. Once upon a time, I drove back down Interstate 540, singing the newly written lyrics to about reunion not being in vain. Today, taking the same journey, I listened to some CDs from Effron White, and imagined what might be in the future.
Stay tuned. When we know more about next year's event, I'll mention it.
(We've already got some ideas...)
For now, I'm just basking in the afterglow, and marveling at all the cool possibilities and connections for the future.
Connections Clips and Pics
Aug/03/2007 11:14 PM | Permalink
None of stuff below is actually new...
In fact, it comes from Connections Band shows from the past year or two. I've finally got around to putting up some soundclips from the shows. There are three from Chicago, two from the Eagles, and one from Fogelberg. All of them end up here because they're songs that feature me singing lead/and/or playing guitar. (I hope to have some additional Fogelberg cuts up eventually....)
Just click on the links below to listen. (There's an identical page in the "Sounds" section of the main website here.)
You can also find some pics of the Eagles/Chicago Show at Spring Valley here.
Chicago: Make Me Smile
Download
Chicago: Saturday in the Park
Download
Chicago: Colour My World
Download
Eagles: Best of My Love
Download
Eagles: Desperado
Download
Dan Fogelberg: The Last Nail
Download
Very soon, we should begin rehearsals for the much anticipated James Taylor Carol King show in September...stay tuned...and enjoy!
In fact, it comes from Connections Band shows from the past year or two. I've finally got around to putting up some soundclips from the shows. There are three from Chicago, two from the Eagles, and one from Fogelberg. All of them end up here because they're songs that feature me singing lead/and/or playing guitar. (I hope to have some additional Fogelberg cuts up eventually....)
Just click on the links below to listen. (There's an identical page in the "Sounds" section of the main website here.)
You can also find some pics of the Eagles/Chicago Show at Spring Valley here.
Chicago: Make Me Smile
Download
Chicago: Saturday in the Park
Download
Chicago: Colour My World
Download
Eagles: Best of My Love
Download
Eagles: Desperado
Download
Dan Fogelberg: The Last Nail
Download
Very soon, we should begin rehearsals for the much anticipated James Taylor Carol King show in September...stay tuned...and enjoy!
Data Errata
Jul/25/2007 08:02 AM | Permalink
I am proud to say that I made a mistake in
this entry
from a week ago.
Well, technically, it wasn't really a mistake. It was just information I didn't know yet. What I didn't know when I wrote you was that there was an anonymous donor at the Walnut Hill show. He/she (they're anonymous...) chose to double the total amount we raised that night for the Nothing But Nets campaign.
That means that we actually raised $3,668.00!!!
Wow!
That's the second Connections show to raise $4K because of the generosity of anonymous donors.
And, that means that, to date, Connections has raised more than $14,000.00 for various charitable causes.
I proud to be able to tell you this, and proud that I was "wrong" before.
Thanks again to all those who come to our shows. On behalf of the whole band, it's an honor to play for you.
Well, technically, it wasn't really a mistake. It was just information I didn't know yet. What I didn't know when I wrote you was that there was an anonymous donor at the Walnut Hill show. He/she (they're anonymous...) chose to double the total amount we raised that night for the Nothing But Nets campaign.
That means that we actually raised $3,668.00!!!
Wow!
That's the second Connections show to raise $4K because of the generosity of anonymous donors.
And, that means that, to date, Connections has raised more than $14,000.00 for various charitable causes.
I proud to be able to tell you this, and proud that I was "wrong" before.
Thanks again to all those who come to our shows. On behalf of the whole band, it's an honor to play for you.
Digital Download Data
Jul/20/2007 07:48 AM | Permalink
The other day I compiled some data on online digital
downloads of my first CD. (I did this last year
too...just updating...) This is data from companies
that are actually selling my music online right now.
I thought you might be interested to see which songs
were most popular.
I was actually a bit surprised how it came out. I would have never guessed the top two were actually the top two. And "Mom Went Bungie Jumping" appears to be the leader by a mile. Take a look for yourself:
Mom Went Bungie Jumping: 169
Voices: 83
I Will Sing: 57
Sequoyah: 43
The Birches of Moscow: 39
My Brontosaurus Threw a Potluck: 35
Deep Blue Grey: 30
The Peace: 27
The Road Goes On: 26
Your Warm: 25
Sun is Gonna Show: 24
Song from the Spring: 19
These Rooms: 13
(numbers indicate the total times a song has been downloaded/streamed)
If you want to hear a clip, click here to go to playlist at iTunes with these songs in this same rank of popularity.
Of course, these numbers don't reflect "free" downloads or streams from other websites, such as this one, or from places like MySpace. The truth is, my most popular download of all-time is "Prairie Chapel Road," which has now been given away more than 3,000 times. And "The Natural Thing" has more than 1,000 streams on MySpace.
But I was curious to see what folks were buying, and so there you have it. Interesting...fascinating really...to see where folks are putting their money.
BTW, you might assume all this downloading has brought in serious cash for me, yes? You'd be wrong. Total amount I've been paid for all these digital downloads?
About $55 bucks.
I've said this before, but it bears repeating here....where you choose to buy your online music makes a huge difference to actual artists. And the major company that --far and away-- leads the other digital media companies, in terms of being "artist friendly?"
iTunes.
Yep. That's right.
Sure, I'm predisposed to like them. And yes, I'm totally biased in my view of their company. But facts is facts. iTunes is the most "artist friendly" major digital distributor. It's not even close. They pay artists more than ten times per song than some of the other major retailers.
In fact, of the sales listed above, Apple's iTunes accounts for a mere one-quarter of all the downloads, but a whopping three-quarters of the money paid out!
Which allows me to remind you, as the flight attendants say, "We know you have a choice when you buy online, so thank you for choosing iTunes."
Sign up to get each new blog entry sent to you via email.
The posts come with all pics, links, and other formatting included.
Click here to find out how to sign up.
I was actually a bit surprised how it came out. I would have never guessed the top two were actually the top two. And "Mom Went Bungie Jumping" appears to be the leader by a mile. Take a look for yourself:
Mom Went Bungie Jumping: 169
Voices: 83
I Will Sing: 57
Sequoyah: 43
The Birches of Moscow: 39
My Brontosaurus Threw a Potluck: 35
Deep Blue Grey: 30
The Peace: 27
The Road Goes On: 26
Your Warm: 25
Sun is Gonna Show: 24
Song from the Spring: 19
These Rooms: 13
(numbers indicate the total times a song has been downloaded/streamed)
If you want to hear a clip, click here to go to playlist at iTunes with these songs in this same rank of popularity.
Of course, these numbers don't reflect "free" downloads or streams from other websites, such as this one, or from places like MySpace. The truth is, my most popular download of all-time is "Prairie Chapel Road," which has now been given away more than 3,000 times. And "The Natural Thing" has more than 1,000 streams on MySpace.
But I was curious to see what folks were buying, and so there you have it. Interesting...fascinating really...to see where folks are putting their money.
BTW, you might assume all this downloading has brought in serious cash for me, yes? You'd be wrong. Total amount I've been paid for all these digital downloads?
About $55 bucks.
I've said this before, but it bears repeating here....where you choose to buy your online music makes a huge difference to actual artists. And the major company that --far and away-- leads the other digital media companies, in terms of being "artist friendly?"
iTunes.
Yep. That's right.
Sure, I'm predisposed to like them. And yes, I'm totally biased in my view of their company. But facts is facts. iTunes is the most "artist friendly" major digital distributor. It's not even close. They pay artists more than ten times per song than some of the other major retailers.
In fact, of the sales listed above, Apple's iTunes accounts for a mere one-quarter of all the downloads, but a whopping three-quarters of the money paid out!
Which allows me to remind you, as the flight attendants say, "We know you have a choice when you buy online, so thank you for choosing iTunes."
Sign up to get each new blog entry sent to you via email.
The posts come with all pics, links, and other formatting included.
Click here to find out how to sign up.
"Connecting" to Nothing But Nets (thanks, Walnut
Hill!)
Jul/18/2007 05:44 PM | Permalink
Connections
played another show this past Sunday night. We were
at Walnut Hill UMC, as a part of their summer Sunday
night series. About 150 folks showed up and it turned
out to be yet another great show.
The band's played enough together now that we had a certain...uh...connection with each other that night. It was a fun night.
Best of all, we raised a heck of a lot for another good cause. The good folks at Walnut Hill suggested a new beneficiary for this show, and we agreed. It's called the "Nothing But Nets" campaign. When all the cash is counted, we'll probably exceed $2,000 raised for this great cause
Nothing But Net is a campaign to eradicate malaria in African countries. The idea is that that a simple mosquito net with a mild insecticide can actually help prevent the spread of this killer disease.
The movement was inspired by a short essay that ran in Sports Illustrated some time back. Folks associated with the NBA heard about it, and thus the name. As I understand it, many NBA stars have adopted this as a non-profit that they support. It's grown to where it's officially a United Nations program, and the United Methodist Church is now a sponsor.
Studies show that someone in infected with malaria every 30 seconds. These nets can last a family up to four years, as I understand it, and they reduce the likelihood of transmission 90 percent!
The NBN website reminds us all that the conflict in Darfur continues unabated. There are many refugees from the conflict how living in Chad, and the "rainy season" is coming soon. Estimates are that 25 percent more refugees could die this year from malaria than last.
One net can be furnished to a family for a simple $10 contribution.
So, it looks like we may have helped save more than 200 people's lives on Sunday night.
That puts it in some pretty sharp relief, no?
So, many thanks to the good folks at Walnut Hill. You all were very kind in your compliments of the band afterwards. We did a mix of Chicago, Eagles, and Fogelberg,. All in all, a good time was had by all.
Oh yeah...you know, you could send a net too. Just click here to do it right now.
The band's played enough together now that we had a certain...uh...connection with each other that night. It was a fun night.
Best of all, we raised a heck of a lot for another good cause. The good folks at Walnut Hill suggested a new beneficiary for this show, and we agreed. It's called the "Nothing But Nets" campaign. When all the cash is counted, we'll probably exceed $2,000 raised for this great cause
Nothing But Net is a campaign to eradicate malaria in African countries. The idea is that that a simple mosquito net with a mild insecticide can actually help prevent the spread of this killer disease.
The movement was inspired by a short essay that ran in Sports Illustrated some time back. Folks associated with the NBA heard about it, and thus the name. As I understand it, many NBA stars have adopted this as a non-profit that they support. It's grown to where it's officially a United Nations program, and the United Methodist Church is now a sponsor.
Studies show that someone in infected with malaria every 30 seconds. These nets can last a family up to four years, as I understand it, and they reduce the likelihood of transmission 90 percent!
The NBN website reminds us all that the conflict in Darfur continues unabated. There are many refugees from the conflict how living in Chad, and the "rainy season" is coming soon. Estimates are that 25 percent more refugees could die this year from malaria than last.
One net can be furnished to a family for a simple $10 contribution.
So, it looks like we may have helped save more than 200 people's lives on Sunday night.
That puts it in some pretty sharp relief, no?
So, many thanks to the good folks at Walnut Hill. You all were very kind in your compliments of the band afterwards. We did a mix of Chicago, Eagles, and Fogelberg,. All in all, a good time was had by all.
Oh yeah...you know, you could send a net too. Just click here to do it right now.
Sequoyah Unplugged: A Songwriter Retreat, August
17-19
Jul/10/2007 11:26 PM | Permalink
This announcement is mainly for my songwriting/
performing friends on this list. Feel free to pass
this along to anyone who might be interested....
I'm honored to be a part of what we hope will become an annual event at the Mount Sequoyah Retreat Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The event is called "Sequoyah Unplugged: A Singer-Songwriter Retreat." It's scheduled for August 17-18.
Trout Fishing in America will be the feature performers, and also teach a workshop, as will Efron White and Emily Kaitz. My old friend, Charles Gaby, will also be a workshop leader.
The entire weekend is intended to be a time of retreat and renewal for songwriters and performers, and to explore the idea of songwriting as spiritual practice. Although it's being held at a United Methodist center, and several Methodist will have leadership, it will not be sectarian in nature, and the hope is that any songwriter interested in the cross-section of spirit and writing will want to attend.
You may recall me blogging about this place before. Sequoyah is a beautiful and relaxing retreat center, just on the edge of the city, atop the "mountain" of the same name.
I will be leading/organizing a nightly "song circle" time for anyone who wants to share their gift, and I'll serve as a host for the weekend.
If you want more info, you can download a brochure from this link.
I hope some of you might consider going.
I'm honored to be a part of what we hope will become an annual event at the Mount Sequoyah Retreat Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The event is called "Sequoyah Unplugged: A Singer-Songwriter Retreat." It's scheduled for August 17-18.
Trout Fishing in America will be the feature performers, and also teach a workshop, as will Efron White and Emily Kaitz. My old friend, Charles Gaby, will also be a workshop leader.
The entire weekend is intended to be a time of retreat and renewal for songwriters and performers, and to explore the idea of songwriting as spiritual practice. Although it's being held at a United Methodist center, and several Methodist will have leadership, it will not be sectarian in nature, and the hope is that any songwriter interested in the cross-section of spirit and writing will want to attend.
You may recall me blogging about this place before. Sequoyah is a beautiful and relaxing retreat center, just on the edge of the city, atop the "mountain" of the same name.
I will be leading/organizing a nightly "song circle" time for anyone who wants to share their gift, and I'll serve as a host for the weekend.
If you want more info, you can download a brochure from this link.
I hope some of you might consider going.
Kerrville 2007
May/28/2007 09:43 PM | Permalink
So, the following are other folk's Kerr-impressions. Check back often these next two weeks for updates. Here's the link that will take you to the full page of entries. And when you visit again, be sure and refresh your browser so that you'll see anything that's been updated.
Day Two
Brian "the Breadman" Wolfsohn:
We're here.. We're pumping/shovelling out from the deluge..
We got here Tuesday. I drove alone from Florida, since ellen was
performing in the wildflower songwriting competition (and winning!!). I
got here tuesday morning, and Ellen drove down from dallas with Michael
Terry and got here tuesday afternoon..
It's been pretty wet here in the weeks leading up to the festival, and the
ground is pretty saturated.. Thursday night was a LOT of rain... I got up
around 3AM to check the porch canopy (10x10), and all was in order.. no
water accumulating on the top, or in any of the tarps..
But, come friday morning, (still raining, it rained all night and most of
the morning) the canopy had collapsed, ripped asunder, bent and broke... it
gave it's life keeping half our stuff dry..
So, scratch another canopy.. I'd been checking out what was available in
town, and i couldn't find any of those heavy duty 10x20 canopies that have
become so popular.. Walmart, lowes and home depot checks came up
dry.. Michael Terry suggested i try the tractor supply place next to big
lots, and they had a $99 dollar 10x20 canopy.. Not as heavy duty as many of
the others, and more assembly required, but, it fit the bill!!!. (and gave
the "frugal" side of me fullfillment) Thanks to the help of some camp
tranquilo and coho regulars, along with some of our newer neighbors, We now
have a beautiful 10x20 porch in front of our tent..
It finally stopped raining heavily sometime around noon Friday. Mud
everywhere, and for the first time in my experience, Sudden Creek had not
only risen, but STAYED THAT WAY!!. It's now 1PM on Saturday afternoon, and
sudden creek is still running.. Camp Nashville put a picnic table across
the creek, and that, along with a very muddy main road were the only two
ways into the lower meadow. The main road was blocked off for much of the
day, and it was too unstable for cars. Lots of shovels in view as people
are digging redirection and containment walls...
A couple of times last night there were light drizzles. Turtle Creek was
passable when we went over it, but that was hours after the big storm
ended.. I imagine it was unpassable for part of the night and early morning.
We temporarily detained someone yesterday afternoon who was fishin' in
Sudden Creek, by Camp Nashville, without a license..
I just started baking this afternoon.. it's been too wet until now..
Camps Nashbill, Sinkerrnicity, Coho, Lethargy, Fork in the Road and
Tranquilo are all in full form near us. (i'm sure there are many others
that are all here, i just haven't had a chance to get around at all)
Friday's mainstage was moved to Threadgill due to the weather. Threadgill
looks amazing.. They've terraced the balcony with space for your own
chairs.. I haven't been to a performance there yet, but i'm looking forward
to it..
Now, where can i find a good masseuse for the creaky ol bones..
All in all, it's wonderful to be back at the ranch..
Day Three
Brian "the Breadman" Wolfsohn:
It's gettin' on 2:30 Sunday morning.. Coho songcircle has gone to sleep.. I
can hear threadgill still going strong in the distance.. It may not be
Threadgill.. But it's over past the tree line separating the lower meadow
from the meadow..
Camp Nashbill has closed for the night.. It's a tired night as many people
who were planning on coming in on fridayt, delayed their arrival until
today cuz of the weather..
Liz Rrouse was spotted breaking bread with an identically t-shirt clad Vic
Heyman while Reba sat next to them in a slightly non-matching top.. (Wass
wid dat ??)
Mainstage was finally in full energy tonight.. Cosy Sheridan and TR Ritchie
opened the evening.. Peter Yarrow had an emotional set encored by Puff
along with a birthday cake for peter.. Anne Feeney joined him on stage for a
well-deserved mainstage appearance.. Have you been to jail for justice was
followed by peter's The Great Mandela.. great topical music.. there's
should always be more room for protest music at Kerrville, it just doesn't
seem to work out that way..
Denice Franke followed by Johnsmith with a rousing set finished off by Jimmy
Lafave..
It's still occasionally sprinkling, and with the ground saturated, it's got
nowhere to go but downhill.. Sudden Creek is still running, almost 48 hours
since it rose..
The cut-through next to Camp Jews Don't camp between Nashville and the lower
meadow is deep mud, and most people are detouring around it.. no accidents
yet.. fingers crossed..
Big Earl's ran out of ribs tonight.. and all ice cream flavors were gone
except for vanilla..
There's a great energy circle playing over in the meadow.. don't know where,
but there's a lot of sing-along life..
The tree frogs are in bloom, the breeze is gentle, and my condolences to
those of you who aren't experiencing this right now.. There nowhere i'd
rather be..
Anyone on the ranch is encouraged to add their travels to the list... there
are kerr-people out there waiting for a sniff... don't be selfish,. share
the wealth..
It's 7:30PM Sunday evening.. I don't know if mainstage will happen later on
tonight, but it's certainly not going to be for awhile if it happens at all..
It's been pouring cattle & sheep (that's texas for cats and dogs) for about
90 minutes & there's a river of water going past the RV...
I'm sure Sudden Creek is still running, as it was running earlier this
afternoon before this deluge..
Eric Schwartz showed up unexpectedly on the ranch for a couple of days and
was last seen holed up in Neale Eckstein's RV ...
Ellen and Allison Downey are down at Camp Jews Don't Camp holed up in the
tent w/. a couple of guitars makin' music..
and the rain is starting to let up.. oops.. maybe not.. the thunder is
still there..
And there will hopefully be 4 more loaves of bread coming out of the ovens
in 1:30..
Anybody want a piece ??
Staying dry on a very wet ranch..
bye for now..
After the Storm
here's a picture of our campsite AFTER thursday night's rain...
Thanks to Thomas & Jane in RV spot 45.. (please stop by and say hello.. I
like to attach faces to email addresses..
From Sibyl Lopez:
Hi all,
I'm trying to keep a daily blog at myspace.
I also uploaded about 60 photos here.
Sibyl
Day Five/Early Day Six:
Brian "the Breadman" Wolfsohn:
Here comes the sun...
We got some of the wet rugs out into the sun to dry them off..
Sudden creek is still running (over 100 hours consecutively now)
Monday nights mainstage was tremendous.. The highlights of the evening were
John Gorka and Susan Werner the last two performances of the evening..
Susan was as good as I've ever heard her, even though she was doing almost
all new (to me) material. It's the first time i've seen John Gorka here,
but he was as good as the times I've caught him elsewhere..
As the crazy first weekend winds down, the ranch will assume it's more
familial posture, and we can all get down to spending time with friends in
a more peaceful setting than memorial day weekend..
It's a little different this year, as we've already been here for almost a
week... Usually, we don't even get here until tuesday morning..
Ellen's left for 9 day in L.A. She'll be back for the last Thursday..
To those of you on the list, please let as many people as possible know
about itcanbethiswayalways.com and the kerrchat list. I am amazed at the
people I come across who are not aware of the lists's existence.
(Note: Kerrchat is a great email list written by Kerrvile friends and
fans. You can sign up for it at "It Can Be this Way Always"...EF)
I've got my chair planted at Threadgill for tonight's (Tuesday) sundown
concert.. I'm sitting in the second row balcony slight right of
center. Gonna gather up some warm bread which just came out of the oven
and head over now...
Tonight's show:
Midwest Campfire In-The-Round
Jim Bizer (Franklin MI)
John Gorka (Marine on St Croix, MN)
Jan Krist (Detroit MI)
Drew Nelson (Grand Rapids MI)
Susan Werner (Chicago IL)
Oh boyoboyoboy.
Day Seven:
Brian "the Breadman" Wolfsohn:
I'm sitting here (noon-ish) on-line at Camp Coho watching 2 hummingbirds
fight over who gets to feed at one of the hummingbird feeders.
Last night was one of those extra special nights where everything was lined
up just right.. The weather was perfect.. moderate breezes passed through
all evening. The moon was almost full.. Many of the camps moved their song
circles out from underneath their canopies into the road to enjoy the
moonlight..
Camp Tranquilo was spread across the road, diverting traffic while Lethargy
had a nice song circle going nearby..
I could see singkerrnicity out in the road from a distance, but the
highlight of the evening was Nashville where every song was a star and a
perfect note on a perfect night.. Amongst many of ther performers in
attendance were Stephanie Corby, Johnsmith directed circle traffic, Amy
Speace, Diana Jones, Jonathan Byrd, Eric Balkey, Amelia Spicer, Eric
Gerber, Brian Cutean, Alan from coho. (apologies to those whom my memory
fails) As the moon shone down, we toasted the memory of Rachel Bissex.
The threadgill concert opened w/ Jonathan Byrd and Diana Jones.. She's a
fine talent, but i'm not a fan of that style of music.. Jonathan was a
great listen, but he's an even better listen solo.
And the hummingbirds are really arguing over who gets the favorite
feeder. They must be a married couple'a birds..
Jeez, Cary Cooper's kids have gotten so big...
Chris Chandler was the second half of the show last night, and he was
great.. If there is something that this festival has always not had enough
of, or not placed enough emphasis on, it's protest music. Chris was joined
by, amongst others, Stephanie Corby, Adam & Kris, and Anne Feeney. His
opener was not as strong as the rest of the show, but all in all, the
standing ovations he received were more than well deserved... His tributes
to New Orleans and our combat troops were heart-wrenching, and brought many
a tear to the audience.. One of the most enjoyable aspects of a Chris
Chandler concert is watching the people who are seeing Chris for the first
time.. Sitting next to me and falling into that category was Allison
Downey (she of the Wildflower "Audience favorite" last week).. As each
minute passed, her admiration and wonderment for what she was seeing grew..
What a wonderous night...
Out of Place
May/25/2007 10:46 AM | Permalink
I feel out of place today, even though I'm at home.
That's because for most of the last ten years --mostly during this same weekend-- I would not be at home.
I would be at the Kerrville Folk Festival.
During most of these years, I would have made that long, relaxing drive to Kerrville yesterday morning, pitched a tent in the early afternoon, and be trading songs with friends by sundown. Often, I'd get to stay for the first ten days....as many folks do. I've blogged extensively about this before, and this entry is still one of my most read entries each month.
But, a variety of very real reasons are keeping me away from the festival this year. A lot of them are financial and have to do with the fact that our renters moved out of our house at a very inopportune time. So, we're a little tight on cash at the moment. Even the enticement of free tickets (thanks for the offer, Walter) wouldn't really overcome the issue.
This will all pass, of course. The tightness will likely be over by this time next month. But so will the festival. It's just the way the cookie crumbles some times.
So, for the next ten days, I vow to play my guitar a lot, stay up way too late, and think of that one-of-a-kind place.
And in honor of everyone there now, I've changed-out my Myspace songs and put up a song that was partially inspired by Kerrville campfires. Enjoy.
And if any of yall down there have any updates you want posted, I do have a computer, a blog, and a desire to stay connected to what's happening.
Keep in touch.
That's because for most of the last ten years --mostly during this same weekend-- I would not be at home.
I would be at the Kerrville Folk Festival.
During most of these years, I would have made that long, relaxing drive to Kerrville yesterday morning, pitched a tent in the early afternoon, and be trading songs with friends by sundown. Often, I'd get to stay for the first ten days....as many folks do. I've blogged extensively about this before, and this entry is still one of my most read entries each month.
But, a variety of very real reasons are keeping me away from the festival this year. A lot of them are financial and have to do with the fact that our renters moved out of our house at a very inopportune time. So, we're a little tight on cash at the moment. Even the enticement of free tickets (thanks for the offer, Walter) wouldn't really overcome the issue.
This will all pass, of course. The tightness will likely be over by this time next month. But so will the festival. It's just the way the cookie crumbles some times.
So, for the next ten days, I vow to play my guitar a lot, stay up way too late, and think of that one-of-a-kind place.
And in honor of everyone there now, I've changed-out my Myspace songs and put up a song that was partially inspired by Kerrville campfires. Enjoy.
And if any of yall down there have any updates you want posted, I do have a computer, a blog, and a desire to stay connected to what's happening.
Keep in touch.
Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show at Custer Road
Apr/18/2007 07:28 AM | Permalink
Connections Band has another show coming up and I
wanted to be sure you knew about it. We're going to
do our great Tribute to Dan Fogelberg Show again.
Here are the details:
A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg
Friday, May 4, 2007 7 pm
Custer Road UMC
601 Custer Road,
Plano, TX, 75023
Get directions here.
As always, admission is free, but a love offering is taken to benefit the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Unless we really bomb out attendance-wise, this show will be seminal because we'll pass the $10 K mark in terms of the money we've raised for this great cause.
It's kind of hard to believe we've been that successful, really.
Connections, as you may remember, is an almost 20-piece band that does "cover shows" of our favorite artists. To date, we've done a Fogelberg Show, and an Eagles/Chicago Show. A "James Taylor/ Carole King" Show is planned for this Fall.
We started with our Dan Fogelberg covers. It actually started with Rusty King, our band leader, and me figuring out how many Fogelberg songs we already knew. Over the years, we started jamming with friends, and it just exploded from there. And I think everybody in the band still has a great fondness for Fogelberg's music...not only because it's great, but because it was our first show.
I will play guitar (the new Santa Cruz) and sing on almost everything. I'll sing lead on:
Same Old Lang Sine
Old Tennessee
The Last Nail
There's a Place in the World for a Gambler
To the Morning
People tell us all the time now that they love the shows, love the music, and can't believe how good it sounds.
I'm personally pleased that we'll be honoring Dan Fogelberg again, because I continue to hear that he may be in declining health, due to his battle with prostate cancer.
These are great songs that deserve to be hear, sung for a good cause. So I hope you'll plan to be there.
A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg
Friday, May 4, 2007 7 pm
Custer Road UMC
601 Custer Road,
Plano, TX, 75023
Get directions here.
As always, admission is free, but a love offering is taken to benefit the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Unless we really bomb out attendance-wise, this show will be seminal because we'll pass the $10 K mark in terms of the money we've raised for this great cause.
It's kind of hard to believe we've been that successful, really.
Connections, as you may remember, is an almost 20-piece band that does "cover shows" of our favorite artists. To date, we've done a Fogelberg Show, and an Eagles/Chicago Show. A "James Taylor/ Carole King" Show is planned for this Fall.
We started with our Dan Fogelberg covers. It actually started with Rusty King, our band leader, and me figuring out how many Fogelberg songs we already knew. Over the years, we started jamming with friends, and it just exploded from there. And I think everybody in the band still has a great fondness for Fogelberg's music...not only because it's great, but because it was our first show.
I will play guitar (the new Santa Cruz) and sing on almost everything. I'll sing lead on:
Same Old Lang Sine
Old Tennessee
The Last Nail
There's a Place in the World for a Gambler
To the Morning
People tell us all the time now that they love the shows, love the music, and can't believe how good it sounds.
I'm personally pleased that we'll be honoring Dan Fogelberg again, because I continue to hear that he may be in declining health, due to his battle with prostate cancer.
These are great songs that deserve to be hear, sung for a good cause. So I hope you'll plan to be there.
A Conversation About Art and Soul
Apr/02/2007 07:34 AM | Permalink
A while back,
I wrote you about a great new
podcast
here in our area, called
Art and Soul of North
Texas.
I'm writing you about it again today because I was
the featured artist for March. Because of our
vacation, we didn't get the interview done until
late in the month, and I wanted to have this
notice displayed on the April page of this blog,
so it would get more visibility for a longer time.
So, I waited until today to mention it to you...
I'm inviting you to give it a listen. Art and Soul is created and produced by my friend, Shelly Niebhur, who is herself quite an accomplished musician and painter. Check out her own website here.
I have been interviewed for "radio" many times. But I have to say --with all due respect to the interviews that have come before-- this is the best one, hands down. The podcast format allows us lots of time to explore the issues, and have a true dialogue, and not just "canned" responses.
Here's how Shelly describes the interview:
Eric Folkerth is in studio today. A prolific singer/songwriter, minister, and blogger, Eric’s intelligent songwriting and skillful guitar playing have earned him a loyal and large fan base in our area. You’ll get to hear songs from his upcoming CD, along with songs from his first CD “Songs for the Time Being”. And, you’ll hear about a new love in his life, his Santa Cruz guitar.
You can listen online by clicking right here.
Once you're there, you can also "subscribe" to the podcast too, which allows it to be automatically downloaded into your iPod.
Many thanks to Shelly for asking me to be a guest. I hope you'll all take the time to give this interview a listen.
I'm inviting you to give it a listen. Art and Soul is created and produced by my friend, Shelly Niebhur, who is herself quite an accomplished musician and painter. Check out her own website here.
I have been interviewed for "radio" many times. But I have to say --with all due respect to the interviews that have come before-- this is the best one, hands down. The podcast format allows us lots of time to explore the issues, and have a true dialogue, and not just "canned" responses.
Here's how Shelly describes the interview:
Eric Folkerth is in studio today. A prolific singer/songwriter, minister, and blogger, Eric’s intelligent songwriting and skillful guitar playing have earned him a loyal and large fan base in our area. You’ll get to hear songs from his upcoming CD, along with songs from his first CD “Songs for the Time Being”. And, you’ll hear about a new love in his life, his Santa Cruz guitar.
You can listen online by clicking right here.
Once you're there, you can also "subscribe" to the podcast too, which allows it to be automatically downloaded into your iPod.
Many thanks to Shelly for asking me to be a guest. I hope you'll all take the time to give this interview a listen.
My New Baby: A Santa Cruz Guitar, OMPW
Mar/23/2007 08:09 PM | Permalink
I was born in California. In the LA area. But I don't
remember much about it, since my folks moved back to
Texas (where they were really from anyway) just a few
months later. A few years after that, they moved back
to LA for several additional months, and I have vague
recollections of Disneyland and apartment buildings
from that stay. But it's all very misty in the mind's
haze.
I mention this because the one thing that's certain is that when I was just months old, my parents brought the baby-me back to Texas by car. I know this because I have heard the stories of the cross-country sojourn. They drove me back all those 1400 miles to Dallas, where I've lived out the vast majority of my life since.
Last week, our family went on our first vacation in two-and-a-half years. (Specifically, it was back in May of 2004 when Dennise, Maria and me last went anywhere together). Two elections, a new church building, a short-staff last summer, and a host of other really "important" things kept us from going anywhere whenever the chance would come.
But last week, we sensed we had the first real opening for a holiday with all of us together in those two-and-a-half years. And so we took it. We took a Spring Break trip to California.
I should warn you that I do intend to write a long, detailed, and potentially monotonous, travelogue-blog about the whole journey. (It was a wonderful trip) But there's one minor plot twist I just have to share now.
The twist is that while on vacation I got a new guitar.
Back in December, it was clear we'd get a hefty tax refund this year, and that there was no other pressing use for it right now. So, my lovely bride suggested now might be the time to buy the high-end guitar I'd dreamed of for years. It would be my Christmas present.
She told me to start looking around. Which I did. The tax refund came in in early February, and soon Dennise was bugging me regularly about getting the guitar.
Parenthetically, this whole exercise in guitar-buying illustrates a key difference in our personalities. We had the money, she reasoned, so who not just run up to the store, pick one off the rack and bring one home? Years ago, when we'd only been dating a few weeks, I went shopping with her for jean jacket. We went into the Gap, she picked up the first one she saw, said "this looks good." She was halfway out the door with her credit card receipt before I could say "What about this one?"
So, she reasoned, shouldn't guitar buying be the same? See one. Pick it up. Buy it. You know, like, today?
She shops like I man. I shop like a woman. It's an issue. But I digress...
You see, the high-end guitar I dreamed of isn't usually on a store shelf. I wasn't thinking about a Taylor or Guild. Or even a Larivee. (Which, as few years back, is what I was sure I wanted...)
No, what I dreamed of was an Olsen. But that's really still too pricey. So, perhaps a Breedlove? Bill Nash and Tom PR both have them, and I've always loved theirs. That was a serious possibility. And you can get 'em at Guitar Center, so you really can just pick one off the shelf. (I'm still amazed that Guitar Center just keeps them in the shelf like that...) Collings are increasingly popular, and they're even made here in Texas to boot.
So, there were a lot of choices.
But a couple of years ago, I played a Santa Cruz at a store in Garland, and it stayed with me ever since. I'd heard of them, but never played one before that. The actual luthiering (is this a word?) was straightforward, simple, but elegant. And the sound was wonderful. There was just something about that guitar that was really enticing.
So, it was clear to me that Santa Cruz was one of the finalists in my quest.
Back in December, there were a couple at one store here in the Dallas area, and they promised to get some more in stock. But they weren't exactly the models I was hoping to see. They guy kept promising to get a few more in his showwroom, but it's a pricey item to just keep laying around if you don't have a potential buyer on the hook. So, the wait grew longer.
Dennise kept asking about it, confused as to why --after all these years of hoping-- I'd wait even one more second to buy the guitar of my dreams.
But it had to be the right one, not just any old one.
Then came our trip. And for some reason, as we were driving around Hollywood last Thursday morning, it hit me that one of the best known guitar shops in the country is McCabe's in Santa Monica. In fact, McCabe's own website says that they are "quite possibly the best guitar shop in the world." Might sound pompous for them to say this about themselves, but I know lots of folks who would agree. Here's a nice virtual tour of McCabe's courtesy of their website.
And it hit me that not only were they right here in LA, but that we'd virtually be driving right past them on the way to the pier later that day.
Sooo, we stopped in. And there, sitting on the shelf, was this beautiful Santa Cruz OMPW:
"OMPW" stands for "Orchestra Model, Pre War." Orchestra model refers to the body type --slightly smaller than the classic Dreadnaught-- and "Pre War" refers to a pre-World War II type of strut construction inside the guitar. (It's all very technical...) Here are some much better pics, and all the specs from the Santa Cruz website.
Anyway, turns out the body is actually roughly the size of my old guitar.....which makes it a little smallish. I know a lot of folks shun the Orchestra (sometimes called "Concert" size) because of this. And I'm a big guy, so you'd think --for sheer looks sake-- that I'd want a big body to play.
But I couldn't believe the sound of this guitar. It's just stunning. Incredible low-end, and amazing mids and highs too. And it all blends really well together. The sound simply jumps out at you, and the resonance is like very few guitars I've ever played in my life. To me, it sounds very much like an Olsen. (which may be an insult to some Santa Cruz lovers, I realize...)
Not only did McCabe's obligingly sell it to us, but they also installed a Baggs Dual Source pickup and mic the same day. This Baggs system is one I've seen in a lot of other guitars, and been impressed with. It has both a pick up, and an internal mic. The system allows you to either mix the sound of each into mono feed, or actually separate the mic and pickup into separate channels for even more serious mixing later.
The one McCabe's sold me, and Matt installed, has a smaller controller in the sound hole than is shown in this picture above. And Matt actually hid it even more discreetly, so that it's hardly visible at all. (Very nice job, by the way...)
Some folks apparently complain about feedback problems with this system. But playing around with it the past few days, I don't think it'll be a major issue (I've been told that keeping the mic feed out of stage monitors seems to mostly solve it...), and having both a mic and pickup inside really does seem to capture the essence of the guitar more completely than many other systems I've seen.
So, we paid for it, went off to the beach for the afternoon, and then came back and picked it up after dinner. Boom. It was done just like that.
After that, we drove along Mulholland Drive, and saw the lights of the city, before heading back to our hotel at the base of the pier. I played it every chance I got the rest of that trip.
While this seems like some kind of impulse buy, it's actually the culmination of several months of thought and behind-the-scenes patience. Good things come to those who wait. I keep learning that again and again.
And how great to buy it at the famous McCabe's. Glad to have a connection to that fine place. And how cool is it that --just like me when I was only a couple of months old-- our family then brought this new baby back to Texas, making that same cross country sojourn of years before.
It's now safely here at home. And I am so, so, SO terribly grateful to my lovely bride (and to the other family members who contributed towards this in previous years...) for this Christmas gift. Thanks, D.
And many thanks to Matt in McCabe's repair shop, and Nancy on the sales floor, and everyone else there for taking such good and quick care of me. (Here's Nancy playing a Charango behind McCabe's counter...)
And to everyone else....stay tuned for amazing sounds coming your way soon.
I mention this because the one thing that's certain is that when I was just months old, my parents brought the baby-me back to Texas by car. I know this because I have heard the stories of the cross-country sojourn. They drove me back all those 1400 miles to Dallas, where I've lived out the vast majority of my life since.
Last week, our family went on our first vacation in two-and-a-half years. (Specifically, it was back in May of 2004 when Dennise, Maria and me last went anywhere together). Two elections, a new church building, a short-staff last summer, and a host of other really "important" things kept us from going anywhere whenever the chance would come.
But last week, we sensed we had the first real opening for a holiday with all of us together in those two-and-a-half years. And so we took it. We took a Spring Break trip to California.
I should warn you that I do intend to write a long, detailed, and potentially monotonous, travelogue-blog about the whole journey. (It was a wonderful trip) But there's one minor plot twist I just have to share now.
The twist is that while on vacation I got a new guitar.
Back in December, it was clear we'd get a hefty tax refund this year, and that there was no other pressing use for it right now. So, my lovely bride suggested now might be the time to buy the high-end guitar I'd dreamed of for years. It would be my Christmas present.
She told me to start looking around. Which I did. The tax refund came in in early February, and soon Dennise was bugging me regularly about getting the guitar.
Parenthetically, this whole exercise in guitar-buying illustrates a key difference in our personalities. We had the money, she reasoned, so who not just run up to the store, pick one off the rack and bring one home? Years ago, when we'd only been dating a few weeks, I went shopping with her for jean jacket. We went into the Gap, she picked up the first one she saw, said "this looks good." She was halfway out the door with her credit card receipt before I could say "What about this one?"
So, she reasoned, shouldn't guitar buying be the same? See one. Pick it up. Buy it. You know, like, today?
She shops like I man. I shop like a woman. It's an issue. But I digress...
You see, the high-end guitar I dreamed of isn't usually on a store shelf. I wasn't thinking about a Taylor or Guild. Or even a Larivee. (Which, as few years back, is what I was sure I wanted...)
No, what I dreamed of was an Olsen. But that's really still too pricey. So, perhaps a Breedlove? Bill Nash and Tom PR both have them, and I've always loved theirs. That was a serious possibility. And you can get 'em at Guitar Center, so you really can just pick one off the shelf. (I'm still amazed that Guitar Center just keeps them in the shelf like that...) Collings are increasingly popular, and they're even made here in Texas to boot.
So, there were a lot of choices.
But a couple of years ago, I played a Santa Cruz at a store in Garland, and it stayed with me ever since. I'd heard of them, but never played one before that. The actual luthiering (is this a word?) was straightforward, simple, but elegant. And the sound was wonderful. There was just something about that guitar that was really enticing.
So, it was clear to me that Santa Cruz was one of the finalists in my quest.
Back in December, there were a couple at one store here in the Dallas area, and they promised to get some more in stock. But they weren't exactly the models I was hoping to see. They guy kept promising to get a few more in his showwroom, but it's a pricey item to just keep laying around if you don't have a potential buyer on the hook. So, the wait grew longer.
Dennise kept asking about it, confused as to why --after all these years of hoping-- I'd wait even one more second to buy the guitar of my dreams.
But it had to be the right one, not just any old one.
Then came our trip. And for some reason, as we were driving around Hollywood last Thursday morning, it hit me that one of the best known guitar shops in the country is McCabe's in Santa Monica. In fact, McCabe's own website says that they are "quite possibly the best guitar shop in the world." Might sound pompous for them to say this about themselves, but I know lots of folks who would agree. Here's a nice virtual tour of McCabe's courtesy of their website.
And it hit me that not only were they right here in LA, but that we'd virtually be driving right past them on the way to the pier later that day.
Sooo, we stopped in. And there, sitting on the shelf, was this beautiful Santa Cruz OMPW:
"OMPW" stands for "Orchestra Model, Pre War." Orchestra model refers to the body type --slightly smaller than the classic Dreadnaught-- and "Pre War" refers to a pre-World War II type of strut construction inside the guitar. (It's all very technical...) Here are some much better pics, and all the specs from the Santa Cruz website.
Anyway, turns out the body is actually roughly the size of my old guitar.....which makes it a little smallish. I know a lot of folks shun the Orchestra (sometimes called "Concert" size) because of this. And I'm a big guy, so you'd think --for sheer looks sake-- that I'd want a big body to play.
But I couldn't believe the sound of this guitar. It's just stunning. Incredible low-end, and amazing mids and highs too. And it all blends really well together. The sound simply jumps out at you, and the resonance is like very few guitars I've ever played in my life. To me, it sounds very much like an Olsen. (which may be an insult to some Santa Cruz lovers, I realize...)
Not only did McCabe's obligingly sell it to us, but they also installed a Baggs Dual Source pickup and mic the same day. This Baggs system is one I've seen in a lot of other guitars, and been impressed with. It has both a pick up, and an internal mic. The system allows you to either mix the sound of each into mono feed, or actually separate the mic and pickup into separate channels for even more serious mixing later.
The one McCabe's sold me, and Matt installed, has a smaller controller in the sound hole than is shown in this picture above. And Matt actually hid it even more discreetly, so that it's hardly visible at all. (Very nice job, by the way...)
Some folks apparently complain about feedback problems with this system. But playing around with it the past few days, I don't think it'll be a major issue (I've been told that keeping the mic feed out of stage monitors seems to mostly solve it...), and having both a mic and pickup inside really does seem to capture the essence of the guitar more completely than many other systems I've seen.
So, we paid for it, went off to the beach for the afternoon, and then came back and picked it up after dinner. Boom. It was done just like that.
After that, we drove along Mulholland Drive, and saw the lights of the city, before heading back to our hotel at the base of the pier. I played it every chance I got the rest of that trip.
While this seems like some kind of impulse buy, it's actually the culmination of several months of thought and behind-the-scenes patience. Good things come to those who wait. I keep learning that again and again.
And how great to buy it at the famous McCabe's. Glad to have a connection to that fine place. And how cool is it that --just like me when I was only a couple of months old-- our family then brought this new baby back to Texas, making that same cross country sojourn of years before.
It's now safely here at home. And I am so, so, SO terribly grateful to my lovely bride (and to the other family members who contributed towards this in previous years...) for this Christmas gift. Thanks, D.
And many thanks to Matt in McCabe's repair shop, and Nancy on the sales floor, and everyone else there for taking such good and quick care of me. (Here's Nancy playing a Charango behind McCabe's counter...)
And to everyone else....stay tuned for amazing sounds coming your way soon.
$4,000
Feb/28/2007 06:03 PM | Permalink
Thanks to all who came out to
Friday's show,
sponsored by HPUMC's Cornerstone Community. Once
again, Connections Band had a great night. Our
tribute to the Eagles and Chicago was another
marvelous success. About 200 folks came out on a
windy and rainy night to hear the great music.
Each band member got numerous kind and generous comments about the show, and that's always gratifying. The only bad news? HPUMC's video system seems to have crashed, and the "tape" of the show is probably lost. However, they are supposed to have some audio recordings that they'll try and get to us in a week or so. Stay tuned.
On a personal note, it was especially fun to see a few of my old HPUMC friends. Your kind words and great support was much appreciated. I only wish we'd had more time to catch up, beyond the few short minutes during intermission. It was good to see you all.
Thanks to Bill Nash for lending me his guitar. Thanks to my friend Paul Ramussen and the entire Cornerstone Community for their great support of our band. Thanks to my friend, Linda Roby for the the last minute offer to double our UMCOR contribution.
And thanks to our bandleader, Rusty King, and our twenty bandmates; each of whom made it a blast once again.
The best news of all? We had an amazing night of fundraising. We brought in $2,000 at the door, and HPUMC agreed to match it dollar-for-dollar, bringing our total to an astounding $4,000!!!!
That means Connections Band has now raised over $9,000 for UMCOR in four shows. That's truly humbling and amazing.
So, on behalf of the whole band, we say "thanks" to all of you who come out to these shows, enjoy the music, and support this great cause.
Thanks again.
Each band member got numerous kind and generous comments about the show, and that's always gratifying. The only bad news? HPUMC's video system seems to have crashed, and the "tape" of the show is probably lost. However, they are supposed to have some audio recordings that they'll try and get to us in a week or so. Stay tuned.
On a personal note, it was especially fun to see a few of my old HPUMC friends. Your kind words and great support was much appreciated. I only wish we'd had more time to catch up, beyond the few short minutes during intermission. It was good to see you all.
Thanks to Bill Nash for lending me his guitar. Thanks to my friend Paul Ramussen and the entire Cornerstone Community for their great support of our band. Thanks to my friend, Linda Roby for the the last minute offer to double our UMCOR contribution.
And thanks to our bandleader, Rusty King, and our twenty bandmates; each of whom made it a blast once again.
The best news of all? We had an amazing night of fundraising. We brought in $2,000 at the door, and HPUMC agreed to match it dollar-for-dollar, bringing our total to an astounding $4,000!!!!
That means Connections Band has now raised over $9,000 for UMCOR in four shows. That's truly humbling and amazing.
So, on behalf of the whole band, we say "thanks" to all of you who come out to these shows, enjoy the music, and support this great cause.
Thanks again.
Eagles/Chicago Show Reminder: This Friday
Feb/22/2007 01:56 AM | Permalink
One final reminder about
this show.
It should be a good one. The full horn section has been practicing this past week, and I hear they're sound great.
As you know, we've done this show twice before, and we've gotten great response both times.
And so, I am not surprised to see this.
Key differences between us and them?
1) Our show is free.
2) We do killer Chicago covers too.
3) Any money donated goes 100 percent toward disaster relief.
4) You don't have to drive to Fort Worth, and finally
5) You may know a band member personally, and it's always cooler to know the boys/girls in the band.
I hear it may rain Friday, but I trust that won't keep you away.
It should be a good one. The full horn section has been practicing this past week, and I hear they're sound great.
As you know, we've done this show twice before, and we've gotten great response both times.
And so, I am not surprised to see this.
Key differences between us and them?
1) Our show is free.
2) We do killer Chicago covers too.
3) Any money donated goes 100 percent toward disaster relief.
4) You don't have to drive to Fort Worth, and finally
5) You may know a band member personally, and it's always cooler to know the boys/girls in the band.
I hear it may rain Friday, but I trust that won't keep you away.
Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show. Feb. 23 7 pm
Feb/12/2007 08:00 AM | Permalink
Your favorite tribute band is back again.
The band formerly known as "Living Legacy Band" is now known as "Connections." (It's a long story...) And we'll be playing our Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show at the end of the February. Here are the details:
Connections in Concert
Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago
Friday, February 23, 7 pm
Wesley Hall, Highland Park UMC
Get directions here.
This will be the show we've done previously at two other church/venues, and in both cases it was well-loved by the crowd. For a refresher, Connections is a band of 20-plus musicians who do "tribute" shows to famous artists.
The Eagles/Chicago Show at SVUMC
Each musician volunteers their time and there is no charge for admission to the shows. However, a "love offering" is taken up to benefit "UMCOR," a first-responding relief organization similar to the Red Cross. To date, we've raised over $5,000 for UMCOR.
This show is sponsored by the "Cornerstone" worship of HPUMC. Wesley Hall is a huge performance hall at HPUMC that was built several years back. It's state of the art in terms of sound and lighting, and so this should be a very good show.
I play guitar on almost all the Eagles stuff, and sing lead on several of your favorite songs (Best of My Love, Desperado, Color My World, Make Me Smile, Saturday in the Park, and others...) I really love playing with this band. We have a lot of fun together, and we've managed to get a pretty "tight" sound that folks tell is sounds great.
We've cut the set list a little bit, to make it a more comfortable length. Here's what it looks like:
Eagles Set:
Hotel California
Best of My Love*
New Kid in Town
Take it Easy
Seven Bridges Road
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Desperado*
Witchy Woman
Heartache Tonight
Intermission
Chicago Set:
Make Me Smile*
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
25 or 6 to 4
Colour My World*
Just You and Me
Call on Me
Feeling Stronger Every Day
Searching for So Long
If You Leave Me Now
Saturday in the Park*
Beginnings
We hope we'll have a big crowd, and we hope you'll plan to come.
The band formerly known as "Living Legacy Band" is now known as "Connections." (It's a long story...) And we'll be playing our Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show at the end of the February. Here are the details:
Connections in Concert
Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago
Friday, February 23, 7 pm
Wesley Hall, Highland Park UMC
Get directions here.
This will be the show we've done previously at two other church/venues, and in both cases it was well-loved by the crowd. For a refresher, Connections is a band of 20-plus musicians who do "tribute" shows to famous artists.
The Eagles/Chicago Show at SVUMC
Each musician volunteers their time and there is no charge for admission to the shows. However, a "love offering" is taken up to benefit "UMCOR," a first-responding relief organization similar to the Red Cross. To date, we've raised over $5,000 for UMCOR.
This show is sponsored by the "Cornerstone" worship of HPUMC. Wesley Hall is a huge performance hall at HPUMC that was built several years back. It's state of the art in terms of sound and lighting, and so this should be a very good show.
I play guitar on almost all the Eagles stuff, and sing lead on several of your favorite songs (Best of My Love, Desperado, Color My World, Make Me Smile, Saturday in the Park, and others...) I really love playing with this band. We have a lot of fun together, and we've managed to get a pretty "tight" sound that folks tell is sounds great.
We've cut the set list a little bit, to make it a more comfortable length. Here's what it looks like:
Eagles Set:
Hotel California
Best of My Love*
New Kid in Town
Take it Easy
Seven Bridges Road
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Desperado*
Witchy Woman
Heartache Tonight
Intermission
Chicago Set:
Make Me Smile*
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
25 or 6 to 4
Colour My World*
Just You and Me
Call on Me
Feeling Stronger Every Day
Searching for So Long
If You Leave Me Now
Saturday in the Park*
Beginnings
We hope we'll have a big crowd, and we hope you'll plan to come.
Top iPod/iTunes Songs: 2006
Dec/21/2006 07:41 PM | Permalink
We are days from the end of the year. And so,
everyone and their dog is coming out with a "Best Of"
list. The Dallas News is counting down to the
"Texan of the
Year."
Time Magazine has named YOU
"Person of the
Year."
(Planning to put that one on your resume? Me too).
My favorite of these is Google's annual "Zeitgeist" list of the most popular searches for the year. Browse it, and I bet that if you're over 45 you haven't heard of most of them ("Bebo," "Metacafe," "Wiki"). The world is changing, and lots of folks are interested in things you probably know nothing about. I hope that gives you pause. It certainly gives it to me. (Pause, that is...)
Other searches ("World Cup") remind us of how the rest of world is bonkers over things we care nothing about here, no matter what our age.
Google not only lists the top searches for the year, the company also breaks them out in different categories. And thus, I was saddened to learn that, of all the News searches done this year, the words "Paris Hilton" were searched more than any others. "Orlando Bloom" came in second.
Top "Entertainment" searches, I could grudgingly understand. But top News searches?! What does this mean? A sign of the Apocalypse? (You could make a convincing case...)
Interestingly, the first real news topics to pop up in the "news" list are "Cancer" and "Hurricane Katrina." Words like "Iraq" don't even crack the top ten. What does this mean...that, in the privacy of our own homes, the things we search most are those that scare us most (Cancer), or that a year-and-a-half-old hurricane still rumbles around our cultural subconscious, no matter no much the media has moved on?
Other interesting factoids include that the top search for concert tickets this year was the Cheetah Girls. And unless you have a daughter about the age of mine, you have no earthly idea who this is. But if you do, you are "totally" not surprised.
The most searched-for "definition" was "define promiscuity."
I assume most folks really do know what it is. But maybe we all secretly do want to know what the "limits" are...
Well, the Zeitgeist is a fascinating read. Check it out.
Today, I was updating my iPod, and stumbled on the "most played" feature. For those of you a equally fanatic about your iPod/iTunes, you'll know what that is. But, to explain, it's a bit like your own, personal music "Zeitgeist list." It allows your "most listened to" songs are.
So, what follows is
The Top 25 Songs from Eric's iPod:
(The links go to iTunes, unless the musician doesn't have the song on iTunes...and, in that case, they go somewhere else where you can find it...)
1. Song: Gonna Be Some Changes Made
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 24
Man, did I dig this album this year. Downloaded "Halcyon Days" early in the year and, from the looks of things, played the heck out of it. I've always been a big Bruce Hornsby fan, and this album is really quite good. It's far different from his "and The Range," days. It's funky, jazzy, and features wicked jams that will remind the listener how Hornsby used to tour with The Dead.
I won't comment on all the songs from this album that also make the list. But as you scroll down, you'll clearly see that this CD was a huge favorite of mine this year. I assume that says a lot about just how much I listened to it as a collection. And, even for a CD-junkie like me, listening to a whole CD is apparently becoming more and more rare. It seems to me one of the things iTunes does is to uplift the individual song, or self-created playlist, and to de-emphasize the CD concept...
So, take the number of songs on this list to be a sign of just how highly can I recommend this CD to anyone.
2. Song: Dreamland
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 23
3. Song: Mirror On the Wall
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 23
4. Song: Halcyon Days
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 20
5. Song: Candy Mountain Run
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 19
6. Song: Circus On the Moon
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 19
7. Song: Lost In the Snow
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 19
8. Song: Illinois
Dan Fogelberg
Souvenirs
Number of plays: 19
Several Fogelberg songs crack my Top 25. And I am sure this is because of the Tribute Show from earlier in the year. To get myself ready for it, I used to drive around listening to the cuts, to learn my vocal parts. In this case, the harmonies. I have to say, though, I am surprised this specific song ended up his high on the list...
9. Song: To The Morning
Dan Fogelberg
Home Free
Number of plays: 18
Not surprised by this one since, as I have mentioned other places, this is one of my all-time favorite songs, and I was singing the lead in the show. Because I have a history with this song, it was a vocal I really wanted to nail. And I really had to spend some time with since it's so far out of my usual range.
10. Song: Dear Mr. President
P!nk featuring Indigo Girls
I'm Not Dead
Number of Plays: 18
I cannot remember a song like this in years. I cannot remember a song that has made me cry like this one has. The song is very un-P!ink for those who know her usual stuff. It features the Indigo Girls singing and playing guitars, and P!nk singing the lead, on a song she wrote for the President. After being directed to it online somewhere, I immediately bought the whole album on iTunes.
Folks say there are no good protest songs these days.
Not so. And in my book, this one is first and foremost. And, from what I can tell, I believe it has resonated with a generation of folks younger than us boomers/busters. They do have their protest music, and this is the best what they have.
Years from now --when we're fighting the next war, and some 20-something hipster has morphed into a graying, 40-year-old protest singer-- she'll be singing this song, instead of "We Shall Overcome," at the protest rallies. And all the other 40-year-olds will be singing along.
By the way, in studying up on P!ink, I have discovered her earliest musical roots were, in fact, in folk music...singing with her Dad who's a Vietnam Vet at events when she was a kid.
She's got that storyteller gene in there somewhere.
11. Song: What the Hell Happened
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 17
12. Song: Hooray for Tom
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 17
13. Song: Heir Gordon
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 17
14. Song: Not So Silent Night Hometown
Eric Folkerth
Demo Tracks
Number of plays: 17
I guess I'm a little embarrassed that one of mine is on here. All I can assume is that I was playing it a lot to listen to the final cut, and make sure I liked it.
15. Song: Delayed Effect
Amilia K Spicer
Seamless
Number of plays: 16
What a pleasant surprise. Amilia has become a Kerrville friend, and she's a great singer-songwriter who lives LA and Austin. In fact, I just got to see her open for Gorka about a month ago now. As someone who's a consummate procrastinator and serious introvert, I appreciate this song quite a bit.
16. Song: Song F
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 16
17. Song: Wishing You Were Here
Chicago
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning [Disc 1]
Number of plays: 15
This was another that just up the list so I could learn the background vox for the Chicago Tribute shows. Turned out that, day before the show, we switched things around and I ended up singing lead.
18. Song: Love Gone By
Dan Fogelberg
Nether Lands
Number of plays: 16
Another one from the Fogelberg Tribute Show. Again, listened to it to learn background vox.
19. Song: Joy To The World
Tom Prasada-Rao
Christmas In The Ashram
Number of plays: 16
From Tom's CD "Christmas in the Ashram." I've got the CD on the iPod, and I've also got this song in a holiday compilation of my favorite acoustic/folk Christmas songs. I love Tom's version of this song, and his holiday CD is a favorite around our house.
20. Song: Same Old Lang Syne
Dan Fogelberg
Innocent Age
Number of plays: 15
Another one that jumped up the list because the tribute show. Another one I sang lead on that stretched my true range beyond its comfort level. So, I had to listen a lot, sing a lot, and try to pick it up. (The car is a wonderful place to practice vocals).
It's another of my all-time favorite songs, and it was great to get to re-know it again this year. Dan F. says that it's the song more folks tell him "actually happened" to them once upon a time.
21. Song: Christmas In The Ashram
Tom Prasada-Rao
Christmas In The Ashram
Number of plays: 15
Happy to see this one on the list too. The song was written by Chris Rosser, but was popularized in the folk music world by my friend, Tom P-R, who used it as the title track for his own holiday CD. Tom's holiday CD was a favorite of mine before I never really got to know him personally, and we have it in the changer every season.
Christmas in the Ashram is a funky, funny, tender song, and among people who know it, is one of their modern holiday favorites.
22. Song: Near Apart
Amilia K Spicer
Seamless
Number of plays: 14
Another nice song from Amilia.
On a song like this, there is something in Amilia's voice and playing that gives a massage to your whole mind and soul.
23. Song: Follow
Annie Burns
Days In Italy
Number of plays: 14
A song with a wonderful spiritual message. I met the Burn's Sisters at the South Florida Folk Festival a couple of years back, when we shared a Friday night stage. I re-met them down at Camp Casey last year, and got a chance to tell Annie just how much I loved her CD. I really figured that, if any song from this CD would make this list, "Surrender" would be the one since it's the cut that drove me to buy the disk in the first place. (It's an amazing song, too!) But the stats don't lie and, apparently, I liked the "follow your bliss" message of this song even more.
24. Song: Come Home
Bill Nash
Runs With Scissors
Number of plays: 14
As I've already mentioned this month, this a song from my friend, Bill Nash. I am sure that over the past year I did a lot of listening to it to learn it. It's also on a holiday "playlist" that features the other two TPR songs in this top 25.
25. Song: Call On Me
Chicago
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning [Disc 1]
Number of plays: 14
Another great Chicago song, learned for the tribute show. What blew me away about this song --when I started listening carefully and looking at the sheet music-- is that the song has a lead vocal, a harmony-lead vocal, and FOUR PART harmony during the chorus. In fact, some of the harmony parts are not obvious when you listen to the song CD, and learning them was a challenge.
It's another great driving-around-in-the-car song.
My favorite of these is Google's annual "Zeitgeist" list of the most popular searches for the year. Browse it, and I bet that if you're over 45 you haven't heard of most of them ("Bebo," "Metacafe," "Wiki"). The world is changing, and lots of folks are interested in things you probably know nothing about. I hope that gives you pause. It certainly gives it to me. (Pause, that is...)
Other searches ("World Cup") remind us of how the rest of world is bonkers over things we care nothing about here, no matter what our age.
Google not only lists the top searches for the year, the company also breaks them out in different categories. And thus, I was saddened to learn that, of all the News searches done this year, the words "Paris Hilton" were searched more than any others. "Orlando Bloom" came in second.
Top "Entertainment" searches, I could grudgingly understand. But top News searches?! What does this mean? A sign of the Apocalypse? (You could make a convincing case...)
Interestingly, the first real news topics to pop up in the "news" list are "Cancer" and "Hurricane Katrina." Words like "Iraq" don't even crack the top ten. What does this mean...that, in the privacy of our own homes, the things we search most are those that scare us most (Cancer), or that a year-and-a-half-old hurricane still rumbles around our cultural subconscious, no matter no much the media has moved on?
Other interesting factoids include that the top search for concert tickets this year was the Cheetah Girls. And unless you have a daughter about the age of mine, you have no earthly idea who this is. But if you do, you are "totally" not surprised.
The most searched-for "definition" was "define promiscuity."
I assume most folks really do know what it is. But maybe we all secretly do want to know what the "limits" are...
Well, the Zeitgeist is a fascinating read. Check it out.
Today, I was updating my iPod, and stumbled on the "most played" feature. For those of you a equally fanatic about your iPod/iTunes, you'll know what that is. But, to explain, it's a bit like your own, personal music "Zeitgeist list." It allows your "most listened to" songs are.
So, what follows is
The Top 25 Songs from Eric's iPod:
(The links go to iTunes, unless the musician doesn't have the song on iTunes...and, in that case, they go somewhere else where you can find it...)
1. Song: Gonna Be Some Changes Made
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 24
Man, did I dig this album this year. Downloaded "Halcyon Days" early in the year and, from the looks of things, played the heck out of it. I've always been a big Bruce Hornsby fan, and this album is really quite good. It's far different from his "and The Range," days. It's funky, jazzy, and features wicked jams that will remind the listener how Hornsby used to tour with The Dead.
I won't comment on all the songs from this album that also make the list. But as you scroll down, you'll clearly see that this CD was a huge favorite of mine this year. I assume that says a lot about just how much I listened to it as a collection. And, even for a CD-junkie like me, listening to a whole CD is apparently becoming more and more rare. It seems to me one of the things iTunes does is to uplift the individual song, or self-created playlist, and to de-emphasize the CD concept...
So, take the number of songs on this list to be a sign of just how highly can I recommend this CD to anyone.
2. Song: Dreamland
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 23
3. Song: Mirror On the Wall
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 23
4. Song: Halcyon Days
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 20
5. Song: Candy Mountain Run
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 19
6. Song: Circus On the Moon
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 19
7. Song: Lost In the Snow
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 19
8. Song: Illinois
Dan Fogelberg
Souvenirs
Number of plays: 19
Several Fogelberg songs crack my Top 25. And I am sure this is because of the Tribute Show from earlier in the year. To get myself ready for it, I used to drive around listening to the cuts, to learn my vocal parts. In this case, the harmonies. I have to say, though, I am surprised this specific song ended up his high on the list...
9. Song: To The Morning
Dan Fogelberg
Home Free
Number of plays: 18
Not surprised by this one since, as I have mentioned other places, this is one of my all-time favorite songs, and I was singing the lead in the show. Because I have a history with this song, it was a vocal I really wanted to nail. And I really had to spend some time with since it's so far out of my usual range.
10. Song: Dear Mr. President
P!nk featuring Indigo Girls
I'm Not Dead
Number of Plays: 18
I cannot remember a song like this in years. I cannot remember a song that has made me cry like this one has. The song is very un-P!ink for those who know her usual stuff. It features the Indigo Girls singing and playing guitars, and P!nk singing the lead, on a song she wrote for the President. After being directed to it online somewhere, I immediately bought the whole album on iTunes.
Folks say there are no good protest songs these days.
Not so. And in my book, this one is first and foremost. And, from what I can tell, I believe it has resonated with a generation of folks younger than us boomers/busters. They do have their protest music, and this is the best what they have.
Years from now --when we're fighting the next war, and some 20-something hipster has morphed into a graying, 40-year-old protest singer-- she'll be singing this song, instead of "We Shall Overcome," at the protest rallies. And all the other 40-year-olds will be singing along.
By the way, in studying up on P!ink, I have discovered her earliest musical roots were, in fact, in folk music...singing with her Dad who's a Vietnam Vet at events when she was a kid.
She's got that storyteller gene in there somewhere.
11. Song: What the Hell Happened
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 17
12. Song: Hooray for Tom
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 17
13. Song: Heir Gordon
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 17
14. Song: Not So Silent Night Hometown
Eric Folkerth
Demo Tracks
Number of plays: 17
I guess I'm a little embarrassed that one of mine is on here. All I can assume is that I was playing it a lot to listen to the final cut, and make sure I liked it.
15. Song: Delayed Effect
Amilia K Spicer
Seamless
Number of plays: 16
What a pleasant surprise. Amilia has become a Kerrville friend, and she's a great singer-songwriter who lives LA and Austin. In fact, I just got to see her open for Gorka about a month ago now. As someone who's a consummate procrastinator and serious introvert, I appreciate this song quite a bit.
16. Song: Song F
Bruce Hornsby
Halcyon Days
Number of plays: 16
17. Song: Wishing You Were Here
Chicago
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning [Disc 1]
Number of plays: 15
This was another that just up the list so I could learn the background vox for the Chicago Tribute shows. Turned out that, day before the show, we switched things around and I ended up singing lead.
18. Song: Love Gone By
Dan Fogelberg
Nether Lands
Number of plays: 16
Another one from the Fogelberg Tribute Show. Again, listened to it to learn background vox.
19. Song: Joy To The World
Tom Prasada-Rao
Christmas In The Ashram
Number of plays: 16
From Tom's CD "Christmas in the Ashram." I've got the CD on the iPod, and I've also got this song in a holiday compilation of my favorite acoustic/folk Christmas songs. I love Tom's version of this song, and his holiday CD is a favorite around our house.
20. Song: Same Old Lang Syne
Dan Fogelberg
Innocent Age
Number of plays: 15
Another one that jumped up the list because the tribute show. Another one I sang lead on that stretched my true range beyond its comfort level. So, I had to listen a lot, sing a lot, and try to pick it up. (The car is a wonderful place to practice vocals).
It's another of my all-time favorite songs, and it was great to get to re-know it again this year. Dan F. says that it's the song more folks tell him "actually happened" to them once upon a time.
21. Song: Christmas In The Ashram
Tom Prasada-Rao
Christmas In The Ashram
Number of plays: 15
Happy to see this one on the list too. The song was written by Chris Rosser, but was popularized in the folk music world by my friend, Tom P-R, who used it as the title track for his own holiday CD. Tom's holiday CD was a favorite of mine before I never really got to know him personally, and we have it in the changer every season.
Christmas in the Ashram is a funky, funny, tender song, and among people who know it, is one of their modern holiday favorites.
22. Song: Near Apart
Amilia K Spicer
Seamless
Number of plays: 14
Another nice song from Amilia.
On a song like this, there is something in Amilia's voice and playing that gives a massage to your whole mind and soul.
23. Song: Follow
Annie Burns
Days In Italy
Number of plays: 14
A song with a wonderful spiritual message. I met the Burn's Sisters at the South Florida Folk Festival a couple of years back, when we shared a Friday night stage. I re-met them down at Camp Casey last year, and got a chance to tell Annie just how much I loved her CD. I really figured that, if any song from this CD would make this list, "Surrender" would be the one since it's the cut that drove me to buy the disk in the first place. (It's an amazing song, too!) But the stats don't lie and, apparently, I liked the "follow your bliss" message of this song even more.
24. Song: Come Home
Bill Nash
Runs With Scissors
Number of plays: 14
As I've already mentioned this month, this a song from my friend, Bill Nash. I am sure that over the past year I did a lot of listening to it to learn it. It's also on a holiday "playlist" that features the other two TPR songs in this top 25.
25. Song: Call On Me
Chicago
The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning [Disc 1]
Number of plays: 14
Another great Chicago song, learned for the tribute show. What blew me away about this song --when I started listening carefully and looking at the sheet music-- is that the song has a lead vocal, a harmony-lead vocal, and FOUR PART harmony during the chorus. In fact, some of the harmony parts are not obvious when you listen to the song CD, and learning them was a challenge.
It's another great driving-around-in-the-car song.
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Two Christmas Songs for You
Dec/09/2006 06:39 PM | Permalink
Since the holidays are upon us, I thought I'd break
out a couple of holiday songs. The links below lead
to mp3s of two demos I recorded a couple years back.
Each you about this time, I remember that I always
intend to do a holiday CD, but that it's too late
again this year. (Truthfully, before that, it would
be nice just to finish the second regular CD, huh?)
Anyway, since they're laying around, mostly finished as demos, and waiting to be shared, consider these little Christmas gifts to you. Just click on the song titles below and it should pop up a new window and the mp3:
The first song, "Come Home,"
was written by my very good friend,
Bill Nash.
Bill, as I have said many times, is one of the
finest human beings on the planet. And it is
always a pleasure to get to play with him anytime
and anywhere, although it doesn't happen nearly
enough these days.
Bill wrote this Christmas song while visiting his folks in Colorado. The way he tells it, the whole song took just a couple of hours, and simply poured out of him. Those of us who know Bill love his own very fine version of the song, and we love to sing along the background vocals with him. It's always a highlight of his shows, and there's no question it's one of his best --and best loved-- songs.
So, with gratitude to Bill for allowing me to mess with what was already a fine work, I've added my own touches. It's a great song that evokes the best feelings of the holiday season.
The second song, "Not So Silent Night
Hometown,"
is one of mine. I wrote it some years ago when we
were living in a rent house in East Dallas. It was
partially inspired by the roughness of that
neighborhood, and partially by
the story of a young boy named
Travis Butler
that was in the news that year. Just before the
holidays, Travis' mother died. She died right on the
floor of their apartment. She had been sick for some
time, and everyone knew she would die soon. But when
she did, Travis didn't tell a soul.
It seems he was so afraid of being shuffled off into foster care that he made a decision to just keep going to school as if nothing had happened. He fed himself cereal and pizza. When he ran out of food, we went to the store for more. He even cut his own hair. He got himself ready for school each day. And he and tried his best to keep the news away from everyone. He kept his secret for an entire month, until just weeks before Christmas, when family friends finally figured it out.
Something about this story really touched me...something about a little boy who was afraid of getting "lost" in some big system, some big, cold town. That combined with my thinking about how in East Dallas, the homeless shuffle down the streets, the sirens wail long into the evenings, and it's still a rough place to be, even during the holidays.
So, the juxtaposition of that real-world, and the promise of the Christmas story, seemed profound.
If "incarnation" --God coming to earth as a person, the true meaning of Christmas-- means anything, then it's got to mean something on the mean streets too. If God is born into the world, then it's got to be something that happens in the parts of the world that seem "lost" to an outsider's eyes. And it's got to happen in the lives of people that seem lost too.
After all, Jesus was born in a stable, not the Ritz Carleton. So, maybe, despite what we often assume, it happens in those places most of all.
Hope you enjoy the songs, and hope you're having a blessed holiday.
Anyway, since they're laying around, mostly finished as demos, and waiting to be shared, consider these little Christmas gifts to you. Just click on the song titles below and it should pop up a new window and the mp3:
Bill wrote this Christmas song while visiting his folks in Colorado. The way he tells it, the whole song took just a couple of hours, and simply poured out of him. Those of us who know Bill love his own very fine version of the song, and we love to sing along the background vocals with him. It's always a highlight of his shows, and there's no question it's one of his best --and best loved-- songs.
So, with gratitude to Bill for allowing me to mess with what was already a fine work, I've added my own touches. It's a great song that evokes the best feelings of the holiday season.
It seems he was so afraid of being shuffled off into foster care that he made a decision to just keep going to school as if nothing had happened. He fed himself cereal and pizza. When he ran out of food, we went to the store for more. He even cut his own hair. He got himself ready for school each day. And he and tried his best to keep the news away from everyone. He kept his secret for an entire month, until just weeks before Christmas, when family friends finally figured it out.
Something about this story really touched me...something about a little boy who was afraid of getting "lost" in some big system, some big, cold town. That combined with my thinking about how in East Dallas, the homeless shuffle down the streets, the sirens wail long into the evenings, and it's still a rough place to be, even during the holidays.
So, the juxtaposition of that real-world, and the promise of the Christmas story, seemed profound.
If "incarnation" --God coming to earth as a person, the true meaning of Christmas-- means anything, then it's got to mean something on the mean streets too. If God is born into the world, then it's got to be something that happens in the parts of the world that seem "lost" to an outsider's eyes. And it's got to happen in the lives of people that seem lost too.
After all, Jesus was born in a stable, not the Ritz Carleton. So, maybe, despite what we often assume, it happens in those places most of all.
Hope you enjoy the songs, and hope you're having a blessed holiday.
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New Gigs: Another Tribute Show, and Songwriters in
the Round
Sep/26/2006 11:43 PM | Permalink
During the
past week, two new gigs have fallen in my lap.
First, I'm pleased to announce that the Living Legacy Band is going on the road. We'll do the "Eagles/Chicago" tribute show again, this time in Coppell at FUMC Coppell.
Here's the scoop on the show:
Tribute to the Music of The Eagles and Chicago
7 pm, October 15th
FUMC Coppell
420 South Heartz Road
Coppell, TX
(Get a map)
Admission to the show is free. But a love offering will be taken for www.umcor.org
These tribute shows have raised almost $4,500 for this worthy cause, and I feel certain we'll go well over $5K with the Coppell show.
So, if my notice for the last show was way too late, now you have about two weeks to make your plans.
-----------------------------------------
I will also be playing at "Pearl's" on Commerce Street in late October. This is a new venue owned by my old songwriter friend, Rick Yost. An although they focus on jazz, Rick just can't leave the songwriters behind. So, once a month he invites three to come play. I'll share the stage with Dallasite Todd Buckley, and Tyler native, Raymoth Gildean. We'll do two "rounds" followed by a 40 minute solo set by each. Come to hear some talented songwriters, and experience this great new venue.
Songwriter Night at Pearl's
Pearl and Commerce Streets
(website)
October 25th, 7 pm
Hope to see you at both show!
First, I'm pleased to announce that the Living Legacy Band is going on the road. We'll do the "Eagles/Chicago" tribute show again, this time in Coppell at FUMC Coppell.
Here's the scoop on the show:
Tribute to the Music of The Eagles and Chicago
7 pm, October 15th
FUMC Coppell
420 South Heartz Road
Coppell, TX
(Get a map)
Admission to the show is free. But a love offering will be taken for www.umcor.org
These tribute shows have raised almost $4,500 for this worthy cause, and I feel certain we'll go well over $5K with the Coppell show.
So, if my notice for the last show was way too late, now you have about two weeks to make your plans.
-----------------------------------------
I will also be playing at "Pearl's" on Commerce Street in late October. This is a new venue owned by my old songwriter friend, Rick Yost. An although they focus on jazz, Rick just can't leave the songwriters behind. So, once a month he invites three to come play. I'll share the stage with Dallasite Todd Buckley, and Tyler native, Raymoth Gildean. We'll do two "rounds" followed by a 40 minute solo set by each. Come to hear some talented songwriters, and experience this great new venue.
Songwriter Night at Pearl's
Pearl and Commerce Streets
(website)
October 25th, 7 pm
Hope to see you at both show!
Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show Update
Sep/14/2006 10:55 PM | Permalink
Well, I broke
my promise to you. I promised that I'd keep you
updated on the Eagles/Chicago
Tribute Show. The show is just two days away, and
so I obviously have done a poor job.
Here's the scoop on the show:
Tribute to the Music of The Eagles and Chicago
7 pm, September 16th
Wesley Hall
Spring Valley UMC
7700 Spring Valley Road
(Get a map)
Admission to the show is free. But a love offering will be taken for www.umcor.org
A member of SVUMC has connections with the band Chicago, and they have donated several very nice pieces of memorabilia which will be auctioned off during the show, all proceeds to go to UMCOR. In fact, all of the fifteen or so musicians in this show are donating their time to this effort. Last time, when we did a Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show earlier this year, we raised over $2,500.
As it stands now, here is the set list for the show:
Eagles Set:
Hotel California
Best of My Love
New Kid in Town
Take it Easy
Lyin Eyes
Seven Bridges Road
Tequila Sunrise
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Desperado
Witchy Woman
Heartache Tonight
Intermission for the Silent Auction
Chicago Set:
Make Me Smile
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
25 or 6 to 4
Wishing You Were Here
Colour My World
Just You and Me
Old Days
Call on Me
Feeling Stronger Every Day
Searching for So Long
You're the Inspiration
Hard to Say I'm Sorry
If You Leave Me Now
Beginnings
Saturday in the Park
Dialogue I and II
I'm getting to sing lead on several of my favorites:
Eagles:
Best of My Love
Lyin' Eyes
Desperado
Chicago:
Make Me Smile
Color My World
Wishing You Were Here
Saturday in the Park
Dialogue
Hard to Say I'm Sorry (If we do it...)
I'll be playing guitar and singing background on a lot more.
If I am completely truthful, I feel less confident about this show than I did the Fogelberg show. However, that show came together marvelously at the last minute, and our last rehearsal this evening was really quite good. I think it will be a VERY good show. The Eagles stuff sounds fantastic, and the whole band sounded pretty tight on the Chicago stuff too. (We've got a six piece horn section to cover the Chicago stuff...)
If you're free Saturday, I hope to see you there!
Here's the scoop on the show:
Tribute to the Music of The Eagles and Chicago
7 pm, September 16th
Wesley Hall
Spring Valley UMC
7700 Spring Valley Road
(Get a map)
Admission to the show is free. But a love offering will be taken for www.umcor.org
A member of SVUMC has connections with the band Chicago, and they have donated several very nice pieces of memorabilia which will be auctioned off during the show, all proceeds to go to UMCOR. In fact, all of the fifteen or so musicians in this show are donating their time to this effort. Last time, when we did a Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show earlier this year, we raised over $2,500.
As it stands now, here is the set list for the show:
Eagles Set:
Hotel California
Best of My Love
New Kid in Town
Take it Easy
Lyin Eyes
Seven Bridges Road
Tequila Sunrise
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Desperado
Witchy Woman
Heartache Tonight
Intermission for the Silent Auction
Chicago Set:
Make Me Smile
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
25 or 6 to 4
Wishing You Were Here
Colour My World
Just You and Me
Old Days
Call on Me
Feeling Stronger Every Day
Searching for So Long
You're the Inspiration
Hard to Say I'm Sorry
If You Leave Me Now
Beginnings
Saturday in the Park
Dialogue I and II
I'm getting to sing lead on several of my favorites:
Eagles:
Best of My Love
Lyin' Eyes
Desperado
Chicago:
Make Me Smile
Color My World
Wishing You Were Here
Saturday in the Park
Dialogue
Hard to Say I'm Sorry (If we do it...)
I'll be playing guitar and singing background on a lot more.
If I am completely truthful, I feel less confident about this show than I did the Fogelberg show. However, that show came together marvelously at the last minute, and our last rehearsal this evening was really quite good. I think it will be a VERY good show. The Eagles stuff sounds fantastic, and the whole band sounded pretty tight on the Chicago stuff too. (We've got a six piece horn section to cover the Chicago stuff...)
If you're free Saturday, I hope to see you there!
A Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago (An Upcoming
Show)
Aug/15/2006 09:38 PM | Permalink
The core of the "Living Legacy" band is back. Doing Chicago means we obviously have to have a strong horn section. And, after rehearsal last night, it appears that we do. Phil West is anchoring them on sax. Cornell Kinderknecht is back with more great woodwinds. The horn section is really working on learning their parts, and they're good...they sound much tighter than we did at this point in the Fogelberg rehearsals.
Somebody associated with Spring Valley knows a lot of the members of Chicago, and has been able to secure some memorabilia --signed pictures such-- that we'll be auctioning off during the show to raise additional money. We ended up raising just over $ 2,500 last time. I see no reason why we can't exceed that this go around.
I have a set list, I just don't have it with me tonight. So, check back here in the next few days, and I'll update this entry...
I'll be singing at least the following:
Eagles:
Lying Eyes
Best of My Love
Desperado
Chicago:
Saturday in the Park
Make Me Smile
Color My World
Dialogue (the Peter Cetera part)
I may well be singing on some other stuff too. We'll see. I'll be doing background on just about everything, and playing acoustic guitar through out. (Really pumped about being able to play "Beginnings," and all the Eagles stuff...which I already know...)
I've already blogged my love for the band Chicago. I suppose I now need to write something about the Eagles too. Stay tuned.
The one thing I can tell you is that the horns sound GREAT so far. And the Eagles harmonies are dead-on.
So, it's going to be a GREAT, GREAT show. Any of you who were at the Fogelberg show know just how fantastic it was. This has all the makings of being yet another magical night.
Make plans to attend now. You won't want to miss it.
--30--
Living Legacy Video Clips (See and Hear the Magical
Night
Jul/01/2006 10:22 PM | Permalink
"Living Legacy: A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg" took place at Spring Valley UMC in Dallas, Texas back on March 31, 2006. The free concert benefitted UMCOR, and the crowd that night raised more than $2,000 dollars for this worthy cause. There's lot's more about this show on here on this blog.
Now, on to the clips. Click on each link below to open a window for each clip. They are each about ten minutes long, and will stream, not download:
Clip One
This clip shows you the tightness of the band first off --as they do "Intimidation"-- and the skill of Cornell on woodwinds. The string/brass section sounds especially good here. The band continues to sound fine on "Love Gone By," as do the background vocals. Paul Escamilla steps up to do the lead vocals, and Rusty and I provide some nice harmony, on "Illinois." I test the upper range of my vocal range on "Same Old Lang Syne" and Phil West nails the sax solo at the end. One of my oldest friends, Frank Rahm, was our keyboard player, and he does a fine job throughout but especially shines here. Listen also for really fine bass-work of Paul Simonsen...he was really quite fine throughout the show. The clip finishes with the great song "Heart Hotels," with John Fleming on the lead vocals. Notice how great the percussion is with Kevin Holland, and what a great drummer Michael Sheehan is.
Clip Two
The whole King Family Joins in on "Only the Heart My Know." A song I personally wanted in the show, was "Old Tennessee," and Rusty helps out nicely with the harmonies. The whole band rocks out to "Power of Gold," and Fred Wratislaw's sax is featured on "Rhythm of the Rain."
Clip Three
The start of the second act. Again, the incredible tightness of the band can be heard on "Country Claire" and "Forever Jung," with Cornell K leading the way on woodwinds. I'm quite impressed by the way Netherlands turned out. Kudos to Rusty for some really great arranging. Rusty takes to the lead on "Longer" with Barbara Clark's trumpet, Lori Joswiak's french horn, and the strings of the Zimring's sound just like the record. John does the lead vocals on "Hard to Say." Then, comes "The Last Nail," a song I have personally dreamed of performing with a band for perhaps 25 years...it was very, very cool.
Clip Four
Rusty and I really wanted to do these next two back to back, as a tribute to Fogelberg's first great CD. I do "To the Morning," which I wrote about in an blog entry some months back as being one of my alltime favorite songs....what a kick to play it. Then, Rusty takes over for "Stars," and I provide the backing vox. Ann Willett does a great lead vocal on "Run for the Roses," and the harmonies are great too. Note Barry's great slide guitar on this one too. Rusty finishes with "Leader of the Band." What you see in the midst of this video are shots of our band members and their Dads....
Clip Five
Cornell again provides some great woodwinds on "Missing You," and the band again ROCKS. "The Reach" was perhaps a favorite of the entire band....maybe because almost everyone gets to play...the horn/string section...Barry on the banjo...even Ann with the Ship's Bell! And it sound great.
And, finally, we end the show with "Gambler" and are pleased to know that the whole crowd knows each and every word. I kept trying to feed them the lines, and they laughed, because they were already singing!! I've included credits for the entire band at the very end.
--30--
Spring Valley Coffeehouse
Jun/22/2006 06:40 AM | Permalink
Spring
Valley Coffeehouse
In all the Mavs excitement, I need to remind you about the gig this Friday. I'll be returning to Spring Valley UMC for their second coffeehouse. You may remember that SVUMC was the site of the incredible Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show a few months back.
This time, I'll be headlining the show, and playing my own stuff. Josh Wilson, who happens to be both the son and nephew of several of my high school friends (I feel old), will open. We've gotten a little press in the Morning News, and that never hurts. And we'd love to see all of you.
Here's the scoop:
Spring Valley Coffeehouse
7700 Spring Valley Road
June 23 at 7 p.m. in Wesley Hall.
972-233-7671 or visit www.svumc.org
In all the Mavs excitement, I need to remind you about the gig this Friday. I'll be returning to Spring Valley UMC for their second coffeehouse. You may remember that SVUMC was the site of the incredible Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show a few months back.
This time, I'll be headlining the show, and playing my own stuff. Josh Wilson, who happens to be both the son and nephew of several of my high school friends (I feel old), will open. We've gotten a little press in the Morning News, and that never hurts. And we'd love to see all of you.
Here's the scoop:
Spring Valley Coffeehouse
7700 Spring Valley Road
June 23 at 7 p.m. in Wesley Hall.
972-233-7671 or visit www.svumc.org
--30--
In The Music Room
May/23/2006 09:54 PM | Permalink
Had a great
time at the Wildflower Festival on Friday. It was fun
to be the kick-off set for the Acoustic Cafe....good
to see a lot of music friends out there.
A great Dallas songwriter named Randy Tredway has created an online radio show that he calls "In the Music Room." Randy invites musicians in to the studio for five songs sets, and conversation that usually ends up making for a nice 30-minute-or-so show.
Randy invited me down to record a show a few weeks back, and he let me know over the weekend that you can listen to it now.
You can find the website for "In the Music Room" here. Just scroll down until you see my name and picture, and click on the name to hear the whole show. (and while you're there check out some of the other shows too...)
Or, you can click here to go directly to the show.
Hope you enjoy it...and many thanks to Randy for making it possible.
(ps: there's a two minute song sung by Randy's cohost, Helen, at the beginning of the show...EF)
A great Dallas songwriter named Randy Tredway has created an online radio show that he calls "In the Music Room." Randy invites musicians in to the studio for five songs sets, and conversation that usually ends up making for a nice 30-minute-or-so show.
Randy invited me down to record a show a few weeks back, and he let me know over the weekend that you can listen to it now.
You can find the website for "In the Music Room" here. Just scroll down until you see my name and picture, and click on the name to hear the whole show. (and while you're there check out some of the other shows too...)
Or, you can click here to go directly to the show.
Hope you enjoy it...and many thanks to Randy for making it possible.
(ps: there's a two minute song sung by Randy's cohost, Helen, at the beginning of the show...EF)
--30--
Wildflower Music and Artis Festival Gig Friday
May/15/2006 10:00 PM | Permalink
One of the
great Spring festivals here in the Dallas area is
the Wildflower Music and Arts
Festival. I'll be kicking off
the festival, as the first act on the Acoustic
Cafe Stage this Friday:
Wildflower Festival (How to get there)
Acoustic Cafe Stage (Map of the festival grounds)
6 pm, Friday, May 19th
I'm really pleased to be playing the Acoustic Cafe Stage with members of the Dallas Songwriters Association, and really pleased to be a part of Wildflower. One of the great singer-songwriters competitions in our area takes place at Wildflower each year, and the festival is one of the biggest and best in our North Texas area. In fact, if you've always wanted to hear Kerrville-like performers, but have never made it down to the "the ranch," you can get much the same experience (sans the rain, mud, sweat, and heat...) at Wildflower on the Singer-Songwriter stage in the Eisemann Center.
My set Friday will be very short. (Please hear this...) So, if you're coming out just to hear me, please be sure and be there right at 6 pm. And if you can be there at six, it'll be a great kick-off to the festival. The Acoustic Cafe is right next to the Eisenmann Center (here's the map).
Hope to see you then....
Wildflower Festival (How to get there)
Acoustic Cafe Stage (Map of the festival grounds)
6 pm, Friday, May 19th
I'm really pleased to be playing the Acoustic Cafe Stage with members of the Dallas Songwriters Association, and really pleased to be a part of Wildflower. One of the great singer-songwriters competitions in our area takes place at Wildflower each year, and the festival is one of the biggest and best in our North Texas area. In fact, if you've always wanted to hear Kerrville-like performers, but have never made it down to the "the ranch," you can get much the same experience (sans the rain, mud, sweat, and heat...) at Wildflower on the Singer-Songwriter stage in the Eisemann Center.
My set Friday will be very short. (Please hear this...) So, if you're coming out just to hear me, please be sure and be there right at 6 pm. And if you can be there at six, it'll be a great kick-off to the festival. The Acoustic Cafe is right next to the Eisenmann Center (here's the map).
Hope to see you then....
--30--
Return to Dunn Bros. in Addison: May 12th
May/05/2006 10:05 PM | Permalink
This Friday,
May 12th, I'll be playing a solo show at
Dunn Bros. Coffee
in
Addison:
May 12th, 8 pm- ?
Dunn Bros. Coffee
3725 Belt Line Road
972-406-9711
The Dunn Bros. website describe their place this way:
Dunn Bros Coffee is a coffee company dedicated to providing freshly roasted coffee,
freshly brewed coffee, and great tasting bakery products in a real coffee house atmosphere.
Here's a map
Come out, hang out, and listen (or request) you favorite songs.
May 12th, 8 pm- ?
Dunn Bros. Coffee
3725 Belt Line Road
972-406-9711
The Dunn Bros. website describe their place this way:
Dunn Bros Coffee is a coffee company dedicated to providing freshly roasted coffee,
freshly brewed coffee, and great tasting bakery products in a real coffee house atmosphere.
Here's a map
Come out, hang out, and listen (or request) you favorite songs.
--30--
NDSM Benefit Show
May/02/2006 10:06 PM | Permalink
One of my
favorite shows the last few years has been the
benefit show for North Dallas Shared
Ministry . The past few years,
it's been held at another local church in the
area. This Friday, it will be at
our church.
I'm pleased to let you know that I'll be playing with my friends, Rick O'Connor and Bruce Hathaway. We've played some really fine shows in the past, but haven't had the chance to play together for a while now. (You can hear some of our previous show clips here).
Also playing that night will be "Jack and the Catdaddies."
Suggested admission is $10/person.
Here are the show details:
NDSM Benefit Show
Friday, May 5, 7 pm
Northaven UMC
11211 Preston Road
Last year, we raised over $2,000 for this great organization, and I hope we can top that total this year. As with last year, I will plan to donate 30 percent of all CDs sold that night straight to NDSM.
Hope to see you there!
I'm pleased to let you know that I'll be playing with my friends, Rick O'Connor and Bruce Hathaway. We've played some really fine shows in the past, but haven't had the chance to play together for a while now. (You can hear some of our previous show clips here).
Also playing that night will be "Jack and the Catdaddies."
Suggested admission is $10/person.
Here are the show details:
NDSM Benefit Show
Friday, May 5, 7 pm
Northaven UMC
11211 Preston Road
Last year, we raised over $2,000 for this great organization, and I hope we can top that total this year. As with last year, I will plan to donate 30 percent of all CDs sold that night straight to NDSM.
Hope to see you there!
--30--
MySpace.com
Apr/27/2006 10:12 PM | Permalink
Seem like
everybody's doing it...so, so have I.
I have a page on MySpace.com.
I pause to reflect that this perhaps marks the exact moment in MySpace.com history when it is officially no longer "hip."
Be that as it may, I'd love for you to stop by and download the songs. And if you are also among the many trying to be hip and trendy too, please feel free to add me to your Myspace "friends."
You can find my myspace page here.
I have a page on MySpace.com.
I pause to reflect that this perhaps marks the exact moment in MySpace.com history when it is officially no longer "hip."
Be that as it may, I'd love for you to stop by and download the songs. And if you are also among the many trying to be hip and trendy too, please feel free to add me to your Myspace "friends."
You can find my myspace page here.
--30--
Digital Music
Apr/21/2006 10:18 PM | Permalink
Apple's iTunes
is far and
away the best. It's seven times more money per
song sale than anyone else. Rhapsody is next best,
it's often around 10 cents a song, which is a lot
less than iTunes. Sometimes it's even less, which
I can't explain, really....it must be something in
their pricing plan. MusicMatch and MusicNet (the
only other two I've had sales with) are next...and
they're even LOWER.
Bottom line is this: if you have a choice of who to buy from, it makes a HUGE, positive, financial difference to the artist if you choose iTunes.
The other thing I'm able to see in these sales is which songs are the most popular.
Hands down, the most popular song, is "Mom Went Bungie Jumping."
Boy, this is a shocker. Wouldn't have guessed it. But I guess the facts don't lie....I mean, it's been downloaded ten times more than any other song!!!
Numero Two-o is "Voices." Again, didn't see that coming. That wouldn't have been my guess for number two.
Number three is "I Will Sing," which I guess I would have assumed would be number one.
Number four is "The Birches of Moscow," followed closely by "Sequoyah."
Neither of these last two surprise me. All the other songs are all about even after that.
But, the clear answer here is that two songs that I would have never expected to be the first and second best-sellers, are.
Go figure.
Thanks again to CDBaby for making all of this possible.
328 in sales is pretty nice, it seems to me. For some perspective, however, I've just remembered that "Prairie Chapel Road" has been downloaded over 3,000 times from my website, since last August...and all for free!!!
Jeez, if I'd sold all those downloads via iTunes? I'd be able to afford to put the new CD out....proving that I may know how to write songs, but I'm not too hot on the business side.
Bottom line is this: if you have a choice of who to buy from, it makes a HUGE, positive, financial difference to the artist if you choose iTunes.
The other thing I'm able to see in these sales is which songs are the most popular.
Hands down, the most popular song, is "Mom Went Bungie Jumping."
Boy, this is a shocker. Wouldn't have guessed it. But I guess the facts don't lie....I mean, it's been downloaded ten times more than any other song!!!
Numero Two-o is "Voices." Again, didn't see that coming. That wouldn't have been my guess for number two.
Number three is "I Will Sing," which I guess I would have assumed would be number one.
Number four is "The Birches of Moscow," followed closely by "Sequoyah."
Neither of these last two surprise me. All the other songs are all about even after that.
But, the clear answer here is that two songs that I would have never expected to be the first and second best-sellers, are.
Go figure.
Thanks again to CDBaby for making all of this possible.
328 in sales is pretty nice, it seems to me. For some perspective, however, I've just remembered that "Prairie Chapel Road" has been downloaded over 3,000 times from my website, since last August...and all for free!!!
Jeez, if I'd sold all those downloads via iTunes? I'd be able to afford to put the new CD out....proving that I may know how to write songs, but I'm not too hot on the business side.
--30--
Bleeding Purple Podcast
Apr/15/2006 10:30 PM | Permalink
Leif Hanson
is a podcaster who has created an interesting
religious-based podcast called "Bleeding
Purple Podcast."
And old internet friend (meaning: I've known him virtually for many years, not that he's a geezer) sent him a copy of "Purple Land," and he liked it enough to use it in a promo for his show...
Hansen's site describes the "Bleeding Purple Podcast" as "Liberally Conserving the Best of Blue and Red Spirituality"
You can read about/listen to his use of Purple Land here.
And old internet friend (meaning: I've known him virtually for many years, not that he's a geezer) sent him a copy of "Purple Land," and he liked it enough to use it in a promo for his show...
Hansen's site describes the "Bleeding Purple Podcast" as "Liberally Conserving the Best of Blue and Red Spirituality"
You can read about/listen to his use of Purple Land here.
--30--
Deep Ellum Festival Pics
Apr/11/2006 10:33 PM | Permalink
Here's a shot of us early in the hour:
This was the "Texas Singersongwriter Stage" and as you can see it was at the corner of Malcom X and Main Streets. It was incredibly windy that morning, and this was the first set of the day. The set was sponsored by my friends at the Dallas Songwriter's Association. We probably had 20 or so folks who stopped to listen, which, for that time of the morning, was not bad at all....
Later in the hour, since I have my hat on.
Finished the set, then jumped the car and flew to Tom Bean for Beanstock. I hope to post Beanstock pics too, along with some thoughts about that great festival.
But, it's not often you get to play two festivals in one day!
--30--
No Tribute Show Tonight: April 1st (No, this is not a
joke...)
Apr/01/2006 07:51 AM | Permalink
Last night at
the Dan Fogelberg tribute show, it came to our
attention that the Dallas Morning News made an error
as to the date of the show. Even though they were
sent our standard press release, last week they
announced that the show is tonight; April, 1 2006.
Unfortunately, the show was last night. My
understanding is that they were sent a correction
early this week, but we are not clear as to whether
the it ever ran or not...
Sooo...if you've just returned from Spring Valley, thinking you were going to attend an April 1st show, this is not a joke, nor was it intentional in any way.
And, speaking for all of us involved with the show, we regret that the Dallas Morning News made this error, and apologize for any inconvenience.
Sooo...if you've just returned from Spring Valley, thinking you were going to attend an April 1st show, this is not a joke, nor was it intentional in any way.
And, speaking for all of us involved with the show, we regret that the Dallas Morning News made this error, and apologize for any inconvenience.
--30--
A Magical Night
Mar/31/2006 11:45 PM | Permalink
Wow.
I'm speechless.
It was a truly wonderful, wonderful night. The Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show went really, really well. All those rehearsals paid off, the band really came together and was TIGHT. The instrumental stuff sounded good. The vocal stuff sounded good. From our perspective on stage at least, the sound mix was really good. And many of you told us the same during intermission...
I'm speechless.
It was a truly wonderful, wonderful night. The Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show went really, really well. All those rehearsals paid off, the band really came together and was TIGHT. The instrumental stuff sounded good. The vocal stuff sounded good. From our perspective on stage at least, the sound mix was really good. And many of you told us the same during intermission...
Last Living Legacy Lookahead (Come to the show, and
I'll stop all aliterations...)
Mar/30/2006 07:52 AM | Permalink
Just got back
from our Thursday night dress rehearsal for the Dan
Fogelberg Tribute Show tomorrow night.
If you missed my blog about it a month ago, click here.
I can now report to you my fears. After Monday's rehearsal, I was really worried. We were stumbling through almost all our parts. The sound was terrible. We had lots of feedback/mic problems. We were not tight as all as a band. Folks were frustrated.
But I can report to you that all of those got worked through tonight. And, if we sound tomorrow night like we did tonight, it's going to be an awesome show....truly wonderful. Please, please come....if you're a Dan Fogelberg fan, you won't want to miss this!!!
Here's the details again:
Living Legacy: A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg
Friday, March 31st 7pm
Spring Valley United Methodist Church
7700 Spring Valley Road
Dallas, TX
We'll do two complete sets with a short intermission in the middle. There is no charge for admission, but an offering will be taken for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Please tell your friends....it's going to be a great night.
If you missed my blog about it a month ago, click here.
I can now report to you my fears. After Monday's rehearsal, I was really worried. We were stumbling through almost all our parts. The sound was terrible. We had lots of feedback/mic problems. We were not tight as all as a band. Folks were frustrated.
But I can report to you that all of those got worked through tonight. And, if we sound tomorrow night like we did tonight, it's going to be an awesome show....truly wonderful. Please, please come....if you're a Dan Fogelberg fan, you won't want to miss this!!!
Here's the details again:
Living Legacy: A Tribute to the Music of Dan Fogelberg
Friday, March 31st 7pm
Spring Valley United Methodist Church
7700 Spring Valley Road
Dallas, TX
We'll do two complete sets with a short intermission in the middle. There is no charge for admission, but an offering will be taken for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Please tell your friends....it's going to be a great night.
--30--
Show Tonight in Fort Worth
Mar/10/2006 08:00 AM | Permalink
Haven't
blogged the past few days, mostly because of being
very busy but also from being somewhat sick. It's
just allergies.
Allergies get me pretty bad once or twice each Spring, and this is one of those weeks. What they get in me most of the time is my throat....they seize up my throat so I can't talk and can't sing.
I'm somewhat better today, and am going to work real hard all day to get even better by nightfall.
All this is to say, I have a show tonight in Fort Worth, and despite how bad it's been this week, I am planning to make it.
So, today, please send your prayers, happy thoughts, and magic tonic elixir recipes my way.
And here's the show info:
March 10, 2006, 8 pm
Artistic Blends Cafe, Fort Worth
5298 Trail Lake Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76133
(817) 292-4744
(The old Wedgewood Theater...)
I'll be playing the "Coffeehouse stage. Artistic Blends is a wonderful mixture of entertainment, and the arts wrapped in a classic gourmet coffeehouse. The elegant décor and fine art, theater and entertainment make Artistic Blends a place like nowhere else. Come and see for yourself! Get a map.
Allergies get me pretty bad once or twice each Spring, and this is one of those weeks. What they get in me most of the time is my throat....they seize up my throat so I can't talk and can't sing.
I'm somewhat better today, and am going to work real hard all day to get even better by nightfall.
All this is to say, I have a show tonight in Fort Worth, and despite how bad it's been this week, I am planning to make it.
So, today, please send your prayers, happy thoughts, and magic tonic elixir recipes my way.
And here's the show info:
March 10, 2006, 8 pm
Artistic Blends Cafe, Fort Worth
5298 Trail Lake Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76133
(817) 292-4744
(The old Wedgewood Theater...)
I'll be playing the "Coffeehouse stage. Artistic Blends is a wonderful mixture of entertainment, and the arts wrapped in a classic gourmet coffeehouse. The elegant décor and fine art, theater and entertainment make Artistic Blends a place like nowhere else. Come and see for yourself! Get a map.
--30--
March Music News
Mar/03/2006 08:10 AM | Permalink
Upcoming Shows:
(As always, more info, maps, etc, are always available at the "Shows" link at my website ...)
Artist Blends Cafe, Fort Worth: March 10, 8 pm
I'll be playing all evening here at the "Coffeehouse Stage." This will be a classic solo show, and I'll break out all your old favorite Eric songs. Since it's over in FW, it may be a tad far for some folks...but please tell you friends who may live close!
Here's what the Artistic Blends Website has to say about itself:
"Artistic Blends is a wonderful mixture of entertainment, and the arts wrapped in a classic gourmet coffeehouse. The elegant décor and fine art, theater and entertainment make Artistic Blends a place like nowhere else. Come and see for yourself!"
Living Legacy: A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg: March 31, 7 pm (Spring Valley
UMC)
This is a show I'm very excited about. As many of you know, I am a huge Dan Fogelberg fan from waaay back. I used to joke that I could easily be reincarnated as him because I already knew all his songs. However, I've met a friend, Rusty King, who knows even more Fogelberg songs than I do!! Rusty has assembled an amazing group of musicians...more than twenty of them....who will all gather to play two sets of Fogelberg music. The show is a benefit for UMCOR.
There will be five of us trading off on lead vocals....four guitarists....a small string section....a small brass section...bass, drums, percussion...I mean it's going to be amazing. So, if you're wondering about our ability to actually pull off such production, never fear....a lot of the songs will sound just like the record.
Among other folks, the evening will feature Cornell Kinderknecht on flutes and woodwinds (Playing on much of the "Tim Weisberg" parts...) Cornell was recently nominted by TexasMusic.com for Musician of the Year.
Mark your calendar now. And stop by my blog and read the long entry about Dan Fogelberg that I wrote there recently....it talks more about my love for Dan, the set list, and the songs I'll be singing lead on, and more.
The rehearsals have been fun. The show will be a lot of fun too.
When EF Talks Blog:
Speaking of my blog....have you visited there lately? I've been blogging quite a bit, and it's a really easy way to keep up with what's going on with me, or to hear my thoughts about music, religion, politics, etc...everything you're not "supposed" to talk about.
You can get there directly by clicking here. Or, you can always find it by going through the website link.
Visit the blog often...I think you'll like what you read there. And please be sure to leave me some "comments."
That's it for now. I'll post a reminder with more information about the "Living Legacy" show as it draws closer. I'll also be playing Beanstock in April, and the NDSM Benefit in May, along with some other shows still in other words....stay tuned.
Hope everyone's world is peaceful and fulfilling,
Eric Folkerth
--30--
Living Legacy Update
Feb/24/2006 04:45 PM | Permalink
Living
Legacy: A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg
March 31st, 7 pm
Wesley Hall of Spring Valley UMC, Dallas
I also have a correction. I said there'd be something like fifteen or so musicians. Rusty King now tells me now it's definitely more like twenty to thirty.
It's going to be a BIG production.
The hardest thing, for those of us diehard fans involved with this show, is trying to figure out what songs to cut. Our original list was waaay too long for one show. So, we've been cutting, and here's what the show looks like now:
Set List for "A Living Legacy: Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show
(still subject to change/revision)
Twin's Theme
InTimidation
Love Gone By
Part of the Plan
Illinois
Same Old Lang Syne
Heart Hotels
Wysteria
Only the Heart May Know
Old Tennessee
Power of Gold
Rhythm of the Rain
Tell Me To My Face
(intermission)
Country Claire
Forever Jung
Netherlands
Longer
Hard to Say
The Last Nail
To the Morning
Stars
Run for the Roses
Leader of the Band
Missing You
The Reach
There's a Place in the World for a Gambler
As those of you who are also serious Fogelberg fans know, lots of these songs have lots of lavish production. And you you may be asking yourself, "how will they pull that off?!"
But this is what I'm trying to get across to you: we'll have twenty to thirty musicians that night!...horns, strings, percussion, flutes, etc....it's pretty amazing. That's why we're having these rehearsals...because there are going to be a lot of moving parts.
My friend, Paul Escamillia, and I will provide occasional between-song-banter, about Dan and about our beneficiary group, UMCOR .
Keep you posted as more info. becomes available....put it down in your Blackberry now.
March 31st, 7 pm
Wesley Hall of Spring Valley UMC, Dallas
I also have a correction. I said there'd be something like fifteen or so musicians. Rusty King now tells me now it's definitely more like twenty to thirty.
It's going to be a BIG production.
The hardest thing, for those of us diehard fans involved with this show, is trying to figure out what songs to cut. Our original list was waaay too long for one show. So, we've been cutting, and here's what the show looks like now:
Set List for "A Living Legacy: Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show
(still subject to change/revision)
Twin's Theme
InTimidation
Love Gone By
Part of the Plan
Illinois
Same Old Lang Syne
Heart Hotels
Wysteria
Only the Heart May Know
Old Tennessee
Power of Gold
Rhythm of the Rain
Tell Me To My Face
(intermission)
Country Claire
Forever Jung
Netherlands
Longer
Hard to Say
The Last Nail
To the Morning
Stars
Run for the Roses
Leader of the Band
Missing You
The Reach
There's a Place in the World for a Gambler
As those of you who are also serious Fogelberg fans know, lots of these songs have lots of lavish production. And you you may be asking yourself, "how will they pull that off?!"
But this is what I'm trying to get across to you: we'll have twenty to thirty musicians that night!...horns, strings, percussion, flutes, etc....it's pretty amazing. That's why we're having these rehearsals...because there are going to be a lot of moving parts.
My friend, Paul Escamillia, and I will provide occasional between-song-banter, about Dan and about our beneficiary group, UMCOR .
Keep you posted as more info. becomes available....put it down in your Blackberry now.
--30--
Getting Real: Billy Jonas in Concert This Wednesday
Oct/18/2005 07:54 AM | Permalink
Getting
Real: Billy Jonas in Concert This Wednesday
My good friend, Billy Jonas, is here in Dallas this week. He's staying with us while he does a couple of shows in Plano schools early this week.
But, He'll be playing a house concert Wednesday night at my friend's Paul and Terrie's house. If you never seen Billy, you won't want to miss this show. If you have seen him, you know you'll want to be there.
Billy is an amazing live performer, and an incredible spirit.
Here's the email Paul Brown sent out about this show:
Date and Time stuff goes here -- $12 donation at the door
3402 Summer Solstice, Rowlett, Texas (214-923-9551 -- Paul)
(Magnolia Springs Housing Development)
Just east of Rowlett Road off of Miller Food and drink contributions welcome
Billy Jonas is a multi-layered, percussion-driven, tribal-rhythm, urban-harmony, and folk music maestro. Or as Billy describes it himself, "industrial re-percussion...junkadelic folk music". Confused? You won’t be for long! He is also one of the cleverest writers we know, and a damned fine guitarist as well, besides just being an all-around nice guy! His songs will get under your skin, into your head, and straight to your heart, till you can’t help but sing (and bang) along…. Not to be missed!
Check out Billy's website too.
Hope to see you all there,
Eric
My good friend, Billy Jonas, is here in Dallas this week. He's staying with us while he does a couple of shows in Plano schools early this week.
But, He'll be playing a house concert Wednesday night at my friend's Paul and Terrie's house. If you never seen Billy, you won't want to miss this show. If you have seen him, you know you'll want to be there.
Billy is an amazing live performer, and an incredible spirit.
Here's the email Paul Brown sent out about this show:
Date and Time stuff goes here -- $12 donation at the door
3402 Summer Solstice, Rowlett, Texas (214-923-9551 -- Paul)
(Magnolia Springs Housing Development)
Just east of Rowlett Road off of Miller Food and drink contributions welcome
Billy Jonas is a multi-layered, percussion-driven, tribal-rhythm, urban-harmony, and folk music maestro. Or as Billy describes it himself, "industrial re-percussion...junkadelic folk music". Confused? You won’t be for long! He is also one of the cleverest writers we know, and a damned fine guitarist as well, besides just being an all-around nice guy! His songs will get under your skin, into your head, and straight to your heart, till you can’t help but sing (and bang) along…. Not to be missed!
Check out Billy's website too.
Hope to see you all there,
Eric
Nodding Dog Gig Friday
Sep/23/2005 07:53 AM | Permalink
Nodding
Dog Gig Friday
I'll be playing at the Nodding Dog Friday night. It's a great coffeehouse, in the Bishop Arts section of Oak Cliff. From what we can tell, this may be the last dry night for a week, so come out to have coffee, eat great snacks, and hear great music.
The details:
Eric Folkerth at Nodding Dog Coffee Co.
Friday, September 23
7:30- 9:30
Nodding Dog Coffee Company
500 North Bishop Ave.
Dallas, TX 75208
Phone: 214-941-1166
Hope to see you all there!
Eric Folkerth
I'll be playing at the Nodding Dog Friday night. It's a great coffeehouse, in the Bishop Arts section of Oak Cliff. From what we can tell, this may be the last dry night for a week, so come out to have coffee, eat great snacks, and hear great music.
The details:
Eric Folkerth at Nodding Dog Coffee Co.
Friday, September 23
7:30- 9:30
Nodding Dog Coffee Company
500 North Bishop Ave.
Dallas, TX 75208
Phone: 214-941-1166
Hope to see you all there!
Eric Folkerth
The Brits Go Mad for "Prairie Chapel Road" (Well not
really. But it was used in a BBC radio clip...)
Aug/25/2005 07:44 AM | Permalink
Thanks to
Madaleine, from the Kerrchat list, for the catch of
this one...
Apparently, my new song, "Prairie Chapel Road," written in honor of Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey, made it into a BBC Radio clip the other night...or, at least a clip of the song made it into the clip of the story.
Listen here.
Stream here.
This seems to be a clip from the live performance during last Friday's prayer vigil with the military famlies and vets. You can learn more about that trip to Crawford here.
As of this writing, Prairie Chapel Road has been downloaded/streamed almost 1800 times this past week. Someone told me that there was a video clip of me playing that aired on both Nightline and CNN...but I didn't see either one.
Pretty wild stuff.
Hoping to get back down there for either Friday or Saturday, and play the song for more folks...I'll keep all yall posted....
Apparently, my new song, "Prairie Chapel Road," written in honor of Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey, made it into a BBC Radio clip the other night...or, at least a clip of the song made it into the clip of the story.
Listen here.
Stream here.
This seems to be a clip from the live performance during last Friday's prayer vigil with the military famlies and vets. You can learn more about that trip to Crawford here.
As of this writing, Prairie Chapel Road has been downloaded/streamed almost 1800 times this past week. Someone told me that there was a video clip of me playing that aired on both Nightline and CNN...but I didn't see either one.
Pretty wild stuff.
Hoping to get back down there for either Friday or Saturday, and play the song for more folks...I'll keep all yall posted....
Gloria Dei's Obituary: I'm Interviewed by the DMN and
offer my opinions
Aug/04/2005 07:40 AM | Permalink
Last week,
you may remember how I lamented the passing of Gloria Dei Nights
Coffeehouse. Well, today the
Dallas Morning News has run a story about it, and
I get quoted throughout. (Along with my good
friend, Annie
Benjamin). You can
find it here. (subscription
required...) It's not often that the Morning News
covers this kind of story, and covers it well, but
I think they did a good job here.
But the great thing about blogs is that if you're in a news story like this, you can actually add to or correct what you intended to say! Actually, in this case, Christy Robinson did quite a good job on the story. And, she seemed genuinely interested in giving some column inches to other folk music stories in the future. So that's encouraging. But I thought I'd comment a little more on things I said that didn't make it into the story. (for sheer lack of space, I'm sure...)
At one point, she asked my why I think coffeehouses have such a hard time "making it." As you can see in the story, I mentioned the difficulty in getting the word out among competing entertainment options in Dallas. But I want to expand on that point here....
To me, it's awfully hard to get the word out about coffeehouse venues, when they are usually volunteer groups that rarely have significant advertising budgets. Additionally, they're also competing against summer musicals, baseball, football, basketball, racing, soccer, Six Flags, the rodeo, museums, movies, and so on, and so on, and so on. I mean, you could make the argument, given the size and breadth of our metropolitan area, that we're among the most "entertained" folks in the nation. If coffeehouses DO get mentioned at all in the papers, it's usually because they've booked some HUGE act.
She DID use what I then said after that....namely, that coffeehouses, it seems to me, also have to achieve a breakpoint balance of both committed volunteers and committed fans.
Take Uncle Calvin's, for example. It has both. It has a hugely committed and passionately faithful core of volunteers. It also has an audience that knows where they are, how to find them, and how to find out what show they're putting on. It takes a long time to achieve this level.
All of this got reduced down in the story to a line or two, but she basically got the gist of it, I suppose.
But there were two more points that didn't make it. One was subtle, and I didn't really push it much. It was that the local media itself could do more to encourage and publicize shows at coffeehouses. Like I said, I didn't push this point much since, paradoxically, she was interviewing me for a story ABOUT a local coffeehouse. (Albeit, an extinct one...)
The final point I made that didn't make it into the story was a point about how paradoxical it was for Gloria Dei to be closing now, when the Morning News itself had recently criticized music venues for being too loud and too obnoxious. Just a week ago, Thor Christiansen wrote a scathing review of a show at the Gypsy Tea Room. But his critique wasn't about the act. It was about the FANS. It was also really about the venue itself, and how it doesn't lend itself to an audience who actually LISTENS to a singer-songwriter. And singer-songwriters are the kind of folks that the GTR is booking a lot of the time.
In response to Thor's review, my good friend Michael Terry, one of the driving forces behind the great Uncle Calvin's, wrote in to the letters to the editor about the whole issue. (scroll down until you find "For louts, sounds of silence") In case, you can't find his comments, his basic point was that when this happens, much of the blame can be laid on how the evening is set up. If a venue is mainly in business to sell alcohol, then the crowd's gonna get progressively louder. And, I would add, if they don't have any place to SIT (as is the case at GTR) then they'll just mill around like it's a sorority mixer and not a show.
Michael ended his letter by reminding the readers that music fans have other options. He mentioned coffehouses, he mentioned Poor David's. And, of course, he also mentioned Uncle Calvin's.
Anyway, so I referred to all this in my interview for this story. But it didn't make it in. Such is the editing process, I suppose.
So I guess the final point to make is this:
It's very sad that Gloria Dei is shutting down, but it's equally sad that music fans don't realize that they don't HAVE to support loud, obnoxious venues, where you can't hear the acts.
Like the airlines tell you when you fly, "You have a choice of venues when you listen to music."
It's just a matter of getting informed enough so that you realize that.
But the great thing about blogs is that if you're in a news story like this, you can actually add to or correct what you intended to say! Actually, in this case, Christy Robinson did quite a good job on the story. And, she seemed genuinely interested in giving some column inches to other folk music stories in the future. So that's encouraging. But I thought I'd comment a little more on things I said that didn't make it into the story. (for sheer lack of space, I'm sure...)
At one point, she asked my why I think coffeehouses have such a hard time "making it." As you can see in the story, I mentioned the difficulty in getting the word out among competing entertainment options in Dallas. But I want to expand on that point here....
To me, it's awfully hard to get the word out about coffeehouse venues, when they are usually volunteer groups that rarely have significant advertising budgets. Additionally, they're also competing against summer musicals, baseball, football, basketball, racing, soccer, Six Flags, the rodeo, museums, movies, and so on, and so on, and so on. I mean, you could make the argument, given the size and breadth of our metropolitan area, that we're among the most "entertained" folks in the nation. If coffeehouses DO get mentioned at all in the papers, it's usually because they've booked some HUGE act.
She DID use what I then said after that....namely, that coffeehouses, it seems to me, also have to achieve a breakpoint balance of both committed volunteers and committed fans.
Take Uncle Calvin's, for example. It has both. It has a hugely committed and passionately faithful core of volunteers. It also has an audience that knows where they are, how to find them, and how to find out what show they're putting on. It takes a long time to achieve this level.
All of this got reduced down in the story to a line or two, but she basically got the gist of it, I suppose.
But there were two more points that didn't make it. One was subtle, and I didn't really push it much. It was that the local media itself could do more to encourage and publicize shows at coffeehouses. Like I said, I didn't push this point much since, paradoxically, she was interviewing me for a story ABOUT a local coffeehouse. (Albeit, an extinct one...)
The final point I made that didn't make it into the story was a point about how paradoxical it was for Gloria Dei to be closing now, when the Morning News itself had recently criticized music venues for being too loud and too obnoxious. Just a week ago, Thor Christiansen wrote a scathing review of a show at the Gypsy Tea Room. But his critique wasn't about the act. It was about the FANS. It was also really about the venue itself, and how it doesn't lend itself to an audience who actually LISTENS to a singer-songwriter. And singer-songwriters are the kind of folks that the GTR is booking a lot of the time.
In response to Thor's review, my good friend Michael Terry, one of the driving forces behind the great Uncle Calvin's, wrote in to the letters to the editor about the whole issue. (scroll down until you find "For louts, sounds of silence") In case, you can't find his comments, his basic point was that when this happens, much of the blame can be laid on how the evening is set up. If a venue is mainly in business to sell alcohol, then the crowd's gonna get progressively louder. And, I would add, if they don't have any place to SIT (as is the case at GTR) then they'll just mill around like it's a sorority mixer and not a show.
Michael ended his letter by reminding the readers that music fans have other options. He mentioned coffehouses, he mentioned Poor David's. And, of course, he also mentioned Uncle Calvin's.
Anyway, so I referred to all this in my interview for this story. But it didn't make it in. Such is the editing process, I suppose.
So I guess the final point to make is this:
It's very sad that Gloria Dei is shutting down, but it's equally sad that music fans don't realize that they don't HAVE to support loud, obnoxious venues, where you can't hear the acts.
Like the airlines tell you when you fly, "You have a choice of venues when you listen to music."
It's just a matter of getting informed enough so that you realize that.
Music, Politics, Religion, Life (Sort of like this
blog, except it's audio from my appearance on radio)
Jul/29/2005 07:30 AM | Permalink
Music,
Politics, Religion, Life (Sort of like this blog,
except it's audio from my appearance on radio)
You may remember that two Friday's ago, I was on a radio show called "A Lawyer and a Cop." It's hosted by --you guessed it-- a lawyer and a cop. It airs every Friday morning on KNON radio here in Dallas. I've got some audio of my appearance on the show and thought I'd post it for your listening enjoyment...
The main reason I was on the show was to play my song, "The Don't Shop," for one of the cohosts, Arnaldo Rivera (the cop). The lawyer, Charles Geilich, thought it'd be funny. ('cause of the line about cops at the shop, I suppose...)
Anyway, once they had me there, the discussion turned to more serious things like terrorism and Islam.
So, here you go:
Part One: Stream/Download.
I get introduced, play "The Don't Shop," and banter with the hosts.
Part Two: Stream/Download.
Back from a break, we talk about Islam, terrorism, religion, and anything else that floats into our heads at the moment.
It was a fun radio appearance. Really the first time I've connected my clergy role with my folk music role on the radio. Kind of a mind-bender at 7 am on a Friday. But overall, I thought it was GREAT interview.
Thanks, Charles, Arnaldo, and all the great KNON folks.
BTW, Charles is the "Charles" who got me and Dennise great Maverick's tickets earlier this year. And the main reason I mention this now is so you'll read this cool blog entry from a while back.
You may remember that two Friday's ago, I was on a radio show called "A Lawyer and a Cop." It's hosted by --you guessed it-- a lawyer and a cop. It airs every Friday morning on KNON radio here in Dallas. I've got some audio of my appearance on the show and thought I'd post it for your listening enjoyment...
The main reason I was on the show was to play my song, "The Don't Shop," for one of the cohosts, Arnaldo Rivera (the cop). The lawyer, Charles Geilich, thought it'd be funny. ('cause of the line about cops at the shop, I suppose...)
Anyway, once they had me there, the discussion turned to more serious things like terrorism and Islam.
So, here you go:
Part One: Stream/Download.
I get introduced, play "The Don't Shop," and banter with the hosts.
Part Two: Stream/Download.
Back from a break, we talk about Islam, terrorism, religion, and anything else that floats into our heads at the moment.
It was a fun radio appearance. Really the first time I've connected my clergy role with my folk music role on the radio. Kind of a mind-bender at 7 am on a Friday. But overall, I thought it was GREAT interview.
Thanks, Charles, Arnaldo, and all the great KNON folks.
BTW, Charles is the "Charles" who got me and Dennise great Maverick's tickets earlier this year. And the main reason I mention this now is so you'll read this cool blog entry from a while back.
Death of a Coffee House: Sad News About Gloria Dei
Nights
Jul/28/2005 07:25 AM | Permalink
Got some
incredibly sad news this am about Gloria Dei Nights
Coffeehouse. Looks like they're folding up shop for
good. I had several really great shows there over the
past few years....they always had appreciative crowds
and crowds that LISTENED...which is something often
lacking at coffee houses...
You can hear what it was like here. You can see what it was like here and here. Dang, I'm gonna miss those guys. Possible one of the best shows that Rick, Bruce and I played was there (check out the sound clips)
Here's the note they (Jimmy) sent out to their fans and patrons:
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, Gloria Dei Nights Coffee Haus Concert Series is officially closed. We wish to thank all of the great performers who have graced our stage and shared their talents and passion for music. Over our five year run, we have given away thousands of dollars to various charities such as Good Samaritan Food Pantry of Garland, New Beginnings and Casitas del Rey. We have helped nurture new talent in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, helped extended the voice of established
singer/songwriters from around the country and made a lot of great friends along the way.
To all of the people who came out in support of this labor of love and it's mission as an outreach to the community and surrounding area, we extend our gracious love and thanks. Last but not least, we wish to thank the humble,dedicated, long lasting, cheerful, hard working volunteers that without their help, the show would not have gone on. Brad Wright, sound engineer extraordinaire; Mark Moore, culinary chef and master coffee brewer; Terry Reininger, princess of tax collections and hostess supreme; Dave Welker, stage and sound reinforcement; Ray Dodd, promotions, master of recordings, stage and sound; Mrs. Becci, greeter, collector and bottle washer; Melody Dodd, mailings, promotions and dessert coordinator; Jenell Wright, the coffee lady and promoter of Fair Trade. And to the many un-named volunteers that were unsuspectingly recruited to fill in at the last minute, we thank you.
Extreme thanks to the many area coffee house venues and house concerts that helped us along the way. Please visit Uncle Calvins Coffee House Concert Series, Acoustic Tours, Bonedoc's House Concerts, Jefferson Freedom Café, Open Door Coffee House, Dallas Folk Music Society and Radio Wayne @ www.radiowayne.com. Bill Nash, thank you.
We sincerely hope that everyone that experienced Gloria Dei Nights, came away a better person for it. We know we did. And that's da' truth, Sha.
Foot note:
Where are they now:
Brad Wright, teaches wind surfing on the North Sea coast of Norway.
Mark Moore, joined a band of gypsies living in Austin, while studying to become a nun.
Terry Reininger, is a clarinet soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Dave Welker, plays accordion with the Chinese blues band The Honey Dues.
Ray Dodd, is serving 10 to 20 hot dogs an hour at the Ball Park in Arlington.
Mrs. Becci, went on to become head curator at the Ball of Warn knitting museum.
Melody Dodd, was elected Governor of Texas in a run off election against Willy Nelson.
Jenell Wright, founded the highly successful Fair Trade coffee house chain, FairBucks, that eventually ran that other coffee house chain out of business.
As for myself, Jimmy d.; history would suggest that I became a famous play write on Broadway. The truth is, I went back to alligator hunting down in Cocodrie, Louisiana after the legendary alligator man of Point-au-Chene, Dovie Naquin, died in the Spring of 2005."
You can hear what it was like here. You can see what it was like here and here. Dang, I'm gonna miss those guys. Possible one of the best shows that Rick, Bruce and I played was there (check out the sound clips)
Here's the note they (Jimmy) sent out to their fans and patrons:
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, Gloria Dei Nights Coffee Haus Concert Series is officially closed. We wish to thank all of the great performers who have graced our stage and shared their talents and passion for music. Over our five year run, we have given away thousands of dollars to various charities such as Good Samaritan Food Pantry of Garland, New Beginnings and Casitas del Rey. We have helped nurture new talent in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, helped extended the voice of established
singer/songwriters from around the country and made a lot of great friends along the way.
To all of the people who came out in support of this labor of love and it's mission as an outreach to the community and surrounding area, we extend our gracious love and thanks. Last but not least, we wish to thank the humble,dedicated, long lasting, cheerful, hard working volunteers that without their help, the show would not have gone on. Brad Wright, sound engineer extraordinaire; Mark Moore, culinary chef and master coffee brewer; Terry Reininger, princess of tax collections and hostess supreme; Dave Welker, stage and sound reinforcement; Ray Dodd, promotions, master of recordings, stage and sound; Mrs. Becci, greeter, collector and bottle washer; Melody Dodd, mailings, promotions and dessert coordinator; Jenell Wright, the coffee lady and promoter of Fair Trade. And to the many un-named volunteers that were unsuspectingly recruited to fill in at the last minute, we thank you.
Extreme thanks to the many area coffee house venues and house concerts that helped us along the way. Please visit Uncle Calvins Coffee House Concert Series, Acoustic Tours, Bonedoc's House Concerts, Jefferson Freedom Café, Open Door Coffee House, Dallas Folk Music Society and Radio Wayne @ www.radiowayne.com. Bill Nash, thank you.
We sincerely hope that everyone that experienced Gloria Dei Nights, came away a better person for it. We know we did. And that's da' truth, Sha.
Foot note:
Where are they now:
Brad Wright, teaches wind surfing on the North Sea coast of Norway.
Mark Moore, joined a band of gypsies living in Austin, while studying to become a nun.
Terry Reininger, is a clarinet soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Dave Welker, plays accordion with the Chinese blues band The Honey Dues.
Ray Dodd, is serving 10 to 20 hot dogs an hour at the Ball Park in Arlington.
Mrs. Becci, went on to become head curator at the Ball of Warn knitting museum.
Melody Dodd, was elected Governor of Texas in a run off election against Willy Nelson.
Jenell Wright, founded the highly successful Fair Trade coffee house chain, FairBucks, that eventually ran that other coffee house chain out of business.
As for myself, Jimmy d.; history would suggest that I became a famous play write on Broadway. The truth is, I went back to alligator hunting down in Cocodrie, Louisiana after the legendary alligator man of Point-au-Chene, Dovie Naquin, died in the Spring of 2005."
One More Day
Jul/25/2005 07:24 AM | Permalink
One
More Day
So, I've really appreciated all the incredible support I had back during my minor skin cancer scare. As I told you later, all is well. (or at least that's what I assume the doctor will well me at my check up in two weeks...)
The whole event got my songwriting juices going....
I sat down a couple of weeks ago, and wrote down some lyrics. Got some music for it now too. And wanted to share the demo with you. As always, keep in mind this is a DEMO. There's lots of mistakes....so many that I'll probably re-record it in a few days.
I wrote these lyrics in those "in between days." You know, those days between a medical test and the results. Given my Dad's melanoma a couple years back, the mind starts to race and you worry about what the tests might show. But I asked myself a question:
What song would I write no matter what the the results show?
The result is a new song called "One More Day...
You can download it here.
You can stream it here.
Either way, thanks for the support....
And, thanks to all those who came out to the Dunn Bros show last Friday! We had fun. Several of you who read this blog and keep up with my email reminders showed up...some of you who hadn't been to a show in several years. it was a nice reminder that you're really still out there and really still listening in.
Thanks for the reminder, and thanks for being there.
So, I've really appreciated all the incredible support I had back during my minor skin cancer scare. As I told you later, all is well. (or at least that's what I assume the doctor will well me at my check up in two weeks...)
The whole event got my songwriting juices going....
I sat down a couple of weeks ago, and wrote down some lyrics. Got some music for it now too. And wanted to share the demo with you. As always, keep in mind this is a DEMO. There's lots of mistakes....so many that I'll probably re-record it in a few days.
I wrote these lyrics in those "in between days." You know, those days between a medical test and the results. Given my Dad's melanoma a couple years back, the mind starts to race and you worry about what the tests might show. But I asked myself a question:
What song would I write no matter what the the results show?
The result is a new song called "One More Day...
You can download it here.
You can stream it here.
Either way, thanks for the support....
And, thanks to all those who came out to the Dunn Bros show last Friday! We had fun. Several of you who read this blog and keep up with my email reminders showed up...some of you who hadn't been to a show in several years. it was a nice reminder that you're really still out there and really still listening in.
Thanks for the reminder, and thanks for being there.
Dunn Bross Coffee Show: I'm play Friday, come on by
Jul/22/2005 07:22 AM | Permalink
Here's a
reminder about Friday's gig:
Where: Dunn Bros Coffee, Addison
When: July 22, 8 until late.
3725 Belt Line Road
Addison, Texas 75001
Phone: (972)406-9711
You can get a map here.
This will be my second time at Dunn Bros in Addison. It's a nice little coffeehouse tucked away near the end of restaurant row...the perfect place to hang out after your big meal somewhere else. I'll play from 8 pm until they kick me out.
Of special note, I'm gonna try out a new song I've been writing, that was inspired by my recent cancer scare. (That actually sounds kind of morbid to me, as I read it. Trust me, the song's not...)
Hope to see some of you out and about Friday!
Where: Dunn Bros Coffee, Addison
When: July 22, 8 until late.
3725 Belt Line Road
Addison, Texas 75001
Phone: (972)406-9711
You can get a map here.
This will be my second time at Dunn Bros in Addison. It's a nice little coffeehouse tucked away near the end of restaurant row...the perfect place to hang out after your big meal somewhere else. I'll play from 8 pm until they kick me out.
Of special note, I'm gonna try out a new song I've been writing, that was inspired by my recent cancer scare. (That actually sounds kind of morbid to me, as I read it. Trust me, the song's not...)
Hope to see some of you out and about Friday!
A Lawyer and a Cop (Sounds like a bad joke, but it's
really a great radio show)
Jul/13/2005 07:20 AM | Permalink
I'll be
joining hosts Charles Geilich and Arnaldo Rivera for
their radio show, A Lawyer and a Cop," this coming
Friday morning on KNON here in Dallas. I'll
be performing "The
Don't Shop" live and joining
them for in studio banter.
Tune in while you're getting ready for, or on the way, to work.
When: Friday, July 15, 7-8 am
Where: KNON, 89.3 in Dallas
Check it out.
Posted: Wed - July 13, 2005 at 10:55 AM
Tune in while you're getting ready for, or on the way, to work.
When: Friday, July 15, 7-8 am
Where: KNON, 89.3 in Dallas
Check it out.
Posted: Wed - July 13, 2005 at 10:55 AM
Picalalooza: Richard Ruane's Kerrville pics are cool
Jun/21/2005 07:18 AM | Permalink
New Folk
Finalist Richard Ruane has posted a lot of shots from
the Kerrville Folk Festival. As you're reading
my
summary , it might be nice to
also check out
these pics .
Of note are perhaps the only 360 panorama pictures ever taken at Kerrville. Here's the second one.
In my entry, I spoke about the river of water that flowed down the road one day, and Richard has the photographic evidence. In this picture , you can see Lana and Anthony from Camp Dallas, and the outskirts of greater Camp Nashbilll.
Check them out.
Of note are perhaps the only 360 panorama pictures ever taken at Kerrville. Here's the second one.
In my entry, I spoke about the river of water that flowed down the road one day, and Richard has the photographic evidence. In this picture , you can see Lana and Anthony from Camp Dallas, and the outskirts of greater Camp Nashbilll.
Check them out.
Kerrville 2005: Looong ramblings about this year's
festival
Jun/10/2005 05:40 PM | Permalink
Several of you wrote me in May to ask if I'd be doing
this again, so I will. Gratifying to know someone's
actually reading. But the thing I need to make
abundandly clear is that these are MY thoughts about
what I experienced. Please don't write me to say
"hey, you didn't mention the cool circle at (fill in
the blank) on Tuesday night." Because if I wasn't
there, I'm not gonna write about it. However, if I
misspell or simply MISS a name,
feel free to write
me
and fill in the blanks...
Lastly, a disclaimer. Ask anyone who goes to Kerrville every year, and they'll tell you that it's virtually certain that each year you'll meet somebody new you never met before. Some of these folks you "meet" are actually established artists who've been around for years, but for some reason, your paths have never crossed.
I call these moments my "Columbus moments." Because, even though Columbus really didn't "discover" anything, it was at least new to him. Sure, there's a little hubris in this, but it's also the way it feels to me. If it's new a discovery for ME, that's why I write about it. And, since I know lots of you enjoy discovering new folks too, that's just and added reason to write. So basically, if you already know some of the folks that I'm just now "discovering," then just enjoy my new enjoyment rather than waste your time writing me about it.
Finally, before we begin, if you're interested in catching up on last year's thoughts first, you can find them here. If you have no idea what Kerrville is, you might want to start here for some ideas from the Breadman's site. Neil Eckstein put together a really great video in 2004 that you can download. (But it's a HUGE file...) I'll mention several camps in this post, and there's an ancient and much revered map from the arvchives of the Campnashbill what will help you see where everything is...usually.
Day One (Thursday)
Picked up Jay Mankita on my way through Austin. Jay had spent the night with Rona (?) and she wasn't coming out to the ranch until later, so I gave him a ride in the Prius . It was great to catch up with Jay. We talked about
families, music, religion, etc. Talked about the perils of long-term debt. Please keep Jay and his girlfriend, Susan, in your thoughts and prayers these next few days. He actually had to leave the ranch on Wednesday, because he got a call that Susan's has experienced some problems with her pregnancy. Let's hope it all turns out OK...
It was easy to drop Jay off, since he always camps at Camp Nashville, which is right next to where I always camp: Camp NashBILL . Bill Nash was the first person to ever invite me to come to Kerrville. And over the years, it's been a great honor to be associated with his camp. Even when I'm not....er....camping. Yes, that's right, I was actually a hotel wimp this year. Found a cheap rate for $200/week, and so I didn't even go through the
charade of putting up a tent. Figured someone else could use the space.
Sure enough, there were a LOT of Nashbillians out this year: Bill, Weird Harold, Paul Brown (who brought Terri and eventually Terri's son, Brian...), Tom Noe, Linda Silas. Teresa and Paul both put up their own canopies this year, and so "Greater Camp Nashbill" was born. A couple of years ago, our camp picked up some other members by virtue of an email list that Paul and I are a part of. It's broadened our reach and made us
intrastate. So, Melanie came from Baltimore. Kellie came from Milwakee. Judi drove out from Austin. And Teresa brought some friends named Tina and David. Ross and Sharon made it out the second week, just before I left! So, didn't get to spend much time. Tom Noe put up his telescope . We missed Steve "Iron Butt" McGraw.
(Hurry back, Steve...)
Melanie wrote up her own reflections on this year's festival, and I thought you might like to read them too .
The other great thing this year? No teepees in the lower meadow. Won't complain about them now, but damn glad they were gone.
With the expanded land area of greater camp Nashbill, came other new features. Like Kerrsidillias. Teresa and Melanie made them one night (at least one night that I know of...) for all the musicians that came by. Nothing like free Quesadillas with your music.
It was great to get there Thursday, after all traditional camps had already been set-up. And, as I learned the hard way a couple of years ago, it's great to leave before the last day, so that the illusion of permanence is not shattered by the reality of the tear down.
I like to imagine that after I leave, everybody just stays out there all year.... It's a comforting delusion,
somehow.
And so it was great to see dozens of friendly faces, saying "hey" as Jay and I got in Thursday.
This year, I made the decision not to run from song circle to song circle, like a chicken with my head cut off. In year's past, I've done that, and it's made for some really crazy, and not very fulfilling, nights. You can make yourself sick with
the feeling that you're missing something crucial in some circle "just over there." And you're probably right, actually. But it's also probably true that by the time you get there, the water will already be under the bridge.
So, I decided early on that I'd just park one or two places each night, and let it be what it will be. And I have to say, that was very GOOD decision.
First night, I played a couple of rounds at Nashbill before making my way up to Kamp Kantagree. This was one of my two favorite places to play this festival. That's the camp where Steve Brooks , Joe and Bev Angel , Austin Kessler , Jenny Reynolds and Kerry Polk , and many others hang out. Juliet Wyers showed up later in the week, along with Todd and Meg Hoke . Jeez.....a bunch of good friends camp here. Todd and Meg will soon be moving to Asheville. We'd planned to sit in a circle one last time before he left, but somehow it didn't happen. (sigh...)
At about 2 am, I got into a circle with Steve , Ken Gaines , Andrew McKnight , and Butch Morgan . It was a nice, small group, and we kept it going until about 4:30
Day Two (Friday)
Back at camp by about 10 am for the Rouse Breakfast. One of the great sorrows hanging over the entire festival this year was the death of Bruce Rouse . So, this first breakfast morning was a little awkward in a number of ways. It felt to me that everyone felt Bruce's absence. It was a big hole, and there's no way to fill it.
As usual, a lot of the New Folk Finalists were camping with them: Erik Balkey , Beth Wood , Rob Hinkal , David Morreale , Liz Carlise , Dave Stoddard , Mike Morris , Amy Martin , and probably a bunch more I am forgetting. (If you'd like to remind me of who all was else there, email me....)
Friday at Ballad Tree, Jonathan Byrd was the host, and he did an amazing new song, called "The Cocaine Kid." I can't even really describe it to you lyrically, except to say that it was a amazing and was sort one huge metaphor about the Bush presidency and the present day. Greg Klyma was SOMEHOW able to memorize all the words and sing along with him. I'm not sure which was more amazing....the Jonathan wrote it, or that Greg memorized all those words.
After Ballad Tree, I stopped by Camp Dallas, or whatever they're calling it these days. Played a little background music while dinner was being prepared. Great to see all my friends there: Jim, Lana, Stephanie, Jason, and Anthony.
Friday night, was back at Kamp Kantagree. Apparently, it's so named because the members can't agree on just about anything, including how you spell "Kamp Kantagree." The circle that night included Steve Brooks , Andrew McKnight , Mike Morris (and his friend, an incredible fiddle player named Heather Mike...), Dave Stoddard , Rob Hinkal , Carrie Colvin , and ???. (name missing...)
Day Three (Saturday)
A much larger crowd at the Rouse Breakfast. Lindsey Lee, Bruce's son-in-law, assumed the role of emcee each morning, and did a GREAT job. He's posted some pictures of that first weekend's breakfasts here . I'm sure he'll probably post more later, and I'll keep you posted if he does....
Noon brought the first of the two New Folk rounds. I'll post my thoughts about New Folk here, even though it's a Saturday/Sunday event. As happens every year, there was a very good crop of finalists. The winners were: Dave Stoddard , Erik Balkey , Beth Wood , Jack Harris , Randy Browning , and Andy Corwin . I got a HUGE whoppin' headache about halfway through this first round, and found my way back over to the Rouse's Camp, where I was aided by Nancy Hafner and the miracle of Aleve . So, I actually missed all of Randy and Jack's sets (they were back-to-back). As it was, I'm proud to say I picked three out of six of the winners this year...up from last year's abismal one out of six....but down from my alltime high of 5 of 6 a few years back.
I was REALLY pleased that Erik Balkey won. He's such a good guy, works hard, and writes good songs. He deserved it...but I thought that last year too. I was supposed to give him a ride to Dallas yesterday, so he could attend a friend's wedding, but he couldn't get a return flight back in time for his New Folk slot on Sunday.
Showed me a lot about him, though, that he worked hard to try to still honor his committment to his friend. Also glad to see Beth Wood win. She's living in the Dallas area, and she and I were also finalists at a the Fifth Street Festival in Fort Worth last Fall. Does anybody else think that Beth's voice is a wonderful combination
of Shawn Colvin and Susan Werner? I hear that lot when I listen to her new CD .
Another real Columbus moment was Dave Stoddard , and it was great to get to know him a little. He's got fantastic songs, that are funny and smart. Reminds me of a cross between Randy Newman's humor and Cliff Eberhardt's voice and guitar. But his songs are all his own, and they are damn good. Among the crowd that I was sitting around, he was the hands-down favorite to be a finalist. I was hanging out with him just before the announcement Sunday night, and I think he was still a little surprised, even though a lot of folks were telling him he was probably a winner. I'd not met Andy Corwin before, but it was great to hear his fun songs. His song about cowboys and ballerinas is actually moreautobiographical than you'd think. The other interesting thing I just now noticed while surfing is that Andy has really good taste when it comes to website design .
From what John William Davis told me, four of six of these finalists were unanimous. If that's true, that's pretty amazing. Every year, there are a lot of folks who don't win, but who have some really fine music worth paying attention to. Among them this year, and in no particular order:
Dave Murphy : I really liked his song about the Chesapeak. I thought it was well written. And I like a lot of his other
stuff.
Justin Roth : Thought the man was a shoe-in. Shows you what I know. GREAT guitar player and performer.
Mike Morris : Good God, this man makes me tired, watching him play!!! He's got amazing technique, and really powerful lyrics....just try to keep up. Enjoyed hearing more of him at several circles.
Rob Hinkal : Ditto for him. Great player and great lyrics. Enjoyed being with him around song circles too.
Karen Mal : Thought this woman was shoe-in too. Just don't get it. She's a fantastic musician, and I loved her song about being three. Around campfires she was paying a beautiful song about a sailor and the sea too.
Michael Bowers : I met Michael on my very first trip to Kerrville, around Bill's campfire. One of the song he played that night, "Jackson Marvin Beauragard," was his New Folk song this year. I LOVE that song. Michael's a great guy, and just happens to now be married to great songwriter named Siobhan Quinn.
Dave Morreale : I loved his stuff, especially his song about angels and the dirt. Dave's a real nice guy and was also a finalist last year. He's recently married and he and his wife are looking for a good house in Baltimore, if you know of any. Enjoyed playing with him around campfires.
Gary Serber: If you liked Michael Hedges , you'll love Gary Serber. He was absolutely amazing, and had the tough task of following perhaps one of the worst performances in New Folk history. This may sound harsh, and I don't like to be harsh, but it was BAAAD....not song-wise, but attitude and stage-presence. I won't mention the guy's name, but it was horrible.
So, Gary got to follow this overly chatty guy, and just came about and started playing away. I saw people leaning in from where ever they were seated, to get a glimpse of his technique. I also later overheard the folks at the CD table saying that they'd sold of out Gary's CDs. I think a lot of people wondered if an instrumentalist could win or not.
The fact that he didn't probably doesn't answer the question defitively, but he's an amazing talent.
Saturday night's show was cut short, due to rain. Freebo and Jim Photoglo did a nice set, and it was great to hear how they sound together. They've been doing a lot of touring together. Eric Schwartz had the crowd in stiches, per usual. But then, he slowed it down and played a beautiful song that he'd written for a time when his mother had been sick, and finally finished this year, inspired by Rachel Bissex and her story.
And right after he got done playing that song, in the midst of his next one, the sky started crying. It was a moment, for those paying attention. Most everyone called it a night, and there were not many circles. I crashed and slept an unheard of eight
and a half hours!!! Shouldn't be allowed...
Day Four (Sunday)
Back at the Rouse's for breakfast again. This day, May 29th, was Dennise's and my 12th Wedding Anniversary. So, I took some personal liberty, and called her on the phone, just before I played at the breakfast. Everyone yelled out a happy anniversary to her, and I played a song I wrote for our ten-year anniversary. Interestingly, Dave Stoddard and I figured up that he and his wife were also married on the same day. That's right...not just DATE, but DAY. (They got hitched in the am, we in the pm...)
Dave held the phone while I played over the line for Dennise. I know she hated not being able to come this year, but maybe she'll make it again next year. The new judge job has been pretty busy for her.
Sunday-day brought more New Folk greatness. But I wrote about that a few paragraphs back. Sunday afternoon, there was a HUGE storm. I rode it out at my favorite storm-shelter camp: Camp Coho. Coho is a great place to ride out a storm, because you can usually see it coming long before it gets there. You can watch it move across the pasture, just beyond the festival grounds, and see the rain sweep in. Two of three Malvini were there (Gina Forsythe had not yet arrived...) Michael, Kendra, Woody, Joyce, Alan, Gary, and all the other usual Cohoites were there. Jonathan Byrd also showed up. Stashed my guitar in the cab of Nick Annis' new camper, parked next to Coho.
After the storm, I went across Sudden Creek to see how the Nashbillians had fared. Interestingly, there was not much water in Sudden Creek, but there was a RIVER of water flowing down the road. People were putting flip-flops in, because they float, and having races. The water must have been ten inches deep at one point. Later in the week (Tuesday?) somebody came and put some gravel down, so the road wouldn't totaly wash out.
Before the storm, I'd been up at Ballad Tree, and played "The Don't Shop ," with both Freebo , and Karl Werne from the great group "Big Wide Grin " sitting in. I'll count "BWG" as my own personal favorite Columbus moment this festival. They were awesome. Great three-part harmonies and fun and meaningful songs. Karl was telling me what a great time they'd all had at the festival. It was mutual for everyone else.
Because of the storms, mainstage got started a little late. My own personal highlight of the evening was to see my very good friend, Bill Nash , accompanying Josh White Jr . It was a great moment, and Bill did a fantastic job on both guitar and vocals.
Sunday night, I went to Singkerrnicity. It was a great circle. David Lamotte and Annie Wenz were there. So were camp regulars like Megan McLaughlin , Joyce Woodson , and Jim Savarino . As the evening went on, the Singkerrnicity folks had a really funny coronation ceremony for Andy Corwin , when he arrived back at camp. Made him a customized ballerina tiara....which is only REALLY funny if you heard his New Folk entry. Later, Randy Browning, another New Folk Winner, also stopped by for a time. There were many others there too....it was a pretty big circle, and I called it a night early, because of what was on schedule for the next morning.
Day Five (Monday)
Monday was Memorial Day in the truest sense at Kerrville. In the morning, there was a three-hour tribute to Bruce Rouse at the Threadgill stage The evening brought a tribute to Rachel Bissex on the mainstage. It was appropriate that it worked out that way, because Bruce was king of the mornings, and Rachel was queen of the late-night song circles.
Bruce's family asked me to be a co-host for this event, with Bruce's son-in-law, Lindsey Lee. I have to say, it was a great honor to be part of it. Basically, it was one long Rouse House Bagel Breakfast. A whos-who of performers got up early, and played one song each in honor of Bruce. In between, Lindsey and myself did our best to emcee. I'm sure there will eventually be some pictures of this event posted somewhere, so check back here to find an updated link. There were far too many great moments to catalogue them all. However, I was particularly touched by Eric Schwartz's "Phone call from Bruce," which was truly a "you had to be there" moment.
As some of you will remember, I read some poems at Bruce's Memorial service. If you're interested, you can find my comments about that service here . At his Kerrville concert, I re-read the one called "Life Goes On," by Joyce Grenfell.
"If I should go before the rest of you
Break not a flower
Nor inscribe a stone
Nor when I am gone
Speak in a Sunday voice
But be the usual selves
That I have known
Weep if you must
Parting is hell
But life goes on
So .... sing as well
Joyce Grenfell 1910-1979"
After that, I played "I Will Sing ," and the crowd sang along.
Many, many artist spoke of the kindness of Bruce and Liz through the years. It seemed to be a really healing event for everyone.
I know the family is extremely greatful that Kerrville (Dalis, et al) made it possible for it to happen.
At Ballad Tree that day, I continued the Memorial Day theme in my own way, with some personal remembrances of Rachel Bissex.
I told the story of how, when Rachel was through town a few years ago, she came into the studio where I was recording my still-as-yet-unreleased second CD. She put down some background vocals for two songs. In return, I lent her a sound system for a gig she had in Fort Worth, and was her roadie that night. It was big couple of weeks for Rachel. She had several important gigs that week in Texas.
When we got to the studio, it turns out that the recording engineer had a cold....only he hadn't told anyone. Turns out, Rachel ended up getting his cold. She could have been really pissed at me for that. I would have been. But she was generous and gracious to a fault. And nobody who knows her would be surprised by that. So, in honor of Rachel, and having told that story of her generosity, I played "Free My Hands ," one of the two songs she sang background on for me.
That night was a memorial concert in her honor, which was a whos who of her good musican friends. The Malvina's opened, with a great original version of "Starting Over ." Annie Wenz , Mare Lennon and Amelia Spicer did a great "Dancing with My Mother ."
The big voice of Stephanie Corby was perfect for "Oh Jackson ." Carrie Cooper led a great version of "Royal Blues." There were many other highpoints of the show, too many to mention....it was all REAL good. Tom PR had told me that morning, at Bruce's event, that everyone was pretty nervous about the show. They were worried about doing well, but more than that they were worried about even being able to make it through the songs. They had lyric sheets printed out, and had even assigned back up singers, in case somebody couldn't make it through a song. I told Tom not to worry about it too much, because here's the thing: if you can make it through something like that WITHOUT breaking up a little, what does THAT say?!! The emotion was just a natural response to how everyone was feeling. So, when voices broke a little, all it did was remind us of how all our hearts were a little broken too.
Kristen Dewitt did led an amazing verison of "Here Now ," with the entire group of performers behind her, singing the chorus. Her performance was incredible, and I know it was hard on her, but she sang with a STRONG voice...in fact, that's what I remember thinking at the time..."Wow, she's a strong woman up there..." Didn't get the chance to tell her that later.
So, "Here Now " was an incredibly life-affirming song, and I though
Lastly, a disclaimer. Ask anyone who goes to Kerrville every year, and they'll tell you that it's virtually certain that each year you'll meet somebody new you never met before. Some of these folks you "meet" are actually established artists who've been around for years, but for some reason, your paths have never crossed.
I call these moments my "Columbus moments." Because, even though Columbus really didn't "discover" anything, it was at least new to him. Sure, there's a little hubris in this, but it's also the way it feels to me. If it's new a discovery for ME, that's why I write about it. And, since I know lots of you enjoy discovering new folks too, that's just and added reason to write. So basically, if you already know some of the folks that I'm just now "discovering," then just enjoy my new enjoyment rather than waste your time writing me about it.
Finally, before we begin, if you're interested in catching up on last year's thoughts first, you can find them here. If you have no idea what Kerrville is, you might want to start here for some ideas from the Breadman's site. Neil Eckstein put together a really great video in 2004 that you can download. (But it's a HUGE file...) I'll mention several camps in this post, and there's an ancient and much revered map from the arvchives of the Campnashbill what will help you see where everything is...usually.
Day One (Thursday)
Picked up Jay Mankita on my way through Austin. Jay had spent the night with Rona (?) and she wasn't coming out to the ranch until later, so I gave him a ride in the Prius . It was great to catch up with Jay. We talked about
families, music, religion, etc. Talked about the perils of long-term debt. Please keep Jay and his girlfriend, Susan, in your thoughts and prayers these next few days. He actually had to leave the ranch on Wednesday, because he got a call that Susan's has experienced some problems with her pregnancy. Let's hope it all turns out OK...
It was easy to drop Jay off, since he always camps at Camp Nashville, which is right next to where I always camp: Camp NashBILL . Bill Nash was the first person to ever invite me to come to Kerrville. And over the years, it's been a great honor to be associated with his camp. Even when I'm not....er....camping. Yes, that's right, I was actually a hotel wimp this year. Found a cheap rate for $200/week, and so I didn't even go through the
charade of putting up a tent. Figured someone else could use the space.
Sure enough, there were a LOT of Nashbillians out this year: Bill, Weird Harold, Paul Brown (who brought Terri and eventually Terri's son, Brian...), Tom Noe, Linda Silas. Teresa and Paul both put up their own canopies this year, and so "Greater Camp Nashbill" was born. A couple of years ago, our camp picked up some other members by virtue of an email list that Paul and I are a part of. It's broadened our reach and made us
intrastate. So, Melanie came from Baltimore. Kellie came from Milwakee. Judi drove out from Austin. And Teresa brought some friends named Tina and David. Ross and Sharon made it out the second week, just before I left! So, didn't get to spend much time. Tom Noe put up his telescope . We missed Steve "Iron Butt" McGraw.
(Hurry back, Steve...)
Melanie wrote up her own reflections on this year's festival, and I thought you might like to read them too .
The other great thing this year? No teepees in the lower meadow. Won't complain about them now, but damn glad they were gone.
With the expanded land area of greater camp Nashbill, came other new features. Like Kerrsidillias. Teresa and Melanie made them one night (at least one night that I know of...) for all the musicians that came by. Nothing like free Quesadillas with your music.
It was great to get there Thursday, after all traditional camps had already been set-up. And, as I learned the hard way a couple of years ago, it's great to leave before the last day, so that the illusion of permanence is not shattered by the reality of the tear down.
I like to imagine that after I leave, everybody just stays out there all year....
It's a comforting delusion,
somehow.
And so it was great to see dozens of friendly faces, saying "hey" as Jay and I got in Thursday.
This year, I made the decision not to run from song circle to song circle, like a chicken with my head cut off. In year's past, I've done that, and it's made for some really crazy, and not very fulfilling, nights. You can make yourself sick with
the feeling that you're missing something crucial in some circle "just over there." And you're probably right, actually. But it's also probably true that by the time you get there, the water will already be under the bridge.
So, I decided early on that I'd just park one or two places each night, and let it be what it will be. And I have to say, that was very GOOD decision.
First night, I played a couple of rounds at Nashbill before making my way up to Kamp Kantagree. This was one of my two favorite places to play this festival. That's the camp where Steve Brooks , Joe and Bev Angel , Austin Kessler , Jenny Reynolds and Kerry Polk , and many others hang out. Juliet Wyers showed up later in the week, along with Todd and Meg Hoke . Jeez.....a bunch of good friends camp here. Todd and Meg will soon be moving to Asheville. We'd planned to sit in a circle one last time before he left, but somehow it didn't happen. (sigh...)
At about 2 am, I got into a circle with Steve , Ken Gaines , Andrew McKnight , and Butch Morgan . It was a nice, small group, and we kept it going until about 4:30
Day Two (Friday)
Back at camp by about 10 am for the Rouse Breakfast. One of the great sorrows hanging over the entire festival this year was the death of Bruce Rouse . So, this first breakfast morning was a little awkward in a number of ways. It felt to me that everyone felt Bruce's absence. It was a big hole, and there's no way to fill it.
As usual, a lot of the New Folk Finalists were camping with them: Erik Balkey , Beth Wood , Rob Hinkal , David Morreale , Liz Carlise , Dave Stoddard , Mike Morris , Amy Martin , and probably a bunch more I am forgetting. (If you'd like to remind me of who all was else there, email me....)
Friday at Ballad Tree, Jonathan Byrd was the host, and he did an amazing new song, called "The Cocaine Kid." I can't even really describe it to you lyrically, except to say that it was a amazing and was sort one huge metaphor about the Bush presidency and the present day. Greg Klyma was SOMEHOW able to memorize all the words and sing along with him. I'm not sure which was more amazing....the Jonathan wrote it, or that Greg memorized all those words.
After Ballad Tree, I stopped by Camp Dallas, or whatever they're calling it these days. Played a little background music while dinner was being prepared. Great to see all my friends there: Jim, Lana, Stephanie, Jason, and Anthony.
Friday night, was back at Kamp Kantagree. Apparently, it's so named because the members can't agree on just about anything, including how you spell "Kamp Kantagree." The circle that night included Steve Brooks , Andrew McKnight , Mike Morris (and his friend, an incredible fiddle player named Heather Mike...), Dave Stoddard , Rob Hinkal , Carrie Colvin , and ???. (name missing...)
Day Three (Saturday)
A much larger crowd at the Rouse Breakfast. Lindsey Lee, Bruce's son-in-law, assumed the role of emcee each morning, and did a GREAT job. He's posted some pictures of that first weekend's breakfasts here . I'm sure he'll probably post more later, and I'll keep you posted if he does....
Noon brought the first of the two New Folk rounds. I'll post my thoughts about New Folk here, even though it's a Saturday/Sunday event. As happens every year, there was a very good crop of finalists. The winners were: Dave Stoddard , Erik Balkey , Beth Wood , Jack Harris , Randy Browning , and Andy Corwin . I got a HUGE whoppin' headache about halfway through this first round, and found my way back over to the Rouse's Camp, where I was aided by Nancy Hafner and the miracle of Aleve . So, I actually missed all of Randy and Jack's sets (they were back-to-back). As it was, I'm proud to say I picked three out of six of the winners this year...up from last year's abismal one out of six....but down from my alltime high of 5 of 6 a few years back.
I was REALLY pleased that Erik Balkey won. He's such a good guy, works hard, and writes good songs. He deserved it...but I thought that last year too. I was supposed to give him a ride to Dallas yesterday, so he could attend a friend's wedding, but he couldn't get a return flight back in time for his New Folk slot on Sunday.
Showed me a lot about him, though, that he worked hard to try to still honor his committment to his friend. Also glad to see Beth Wood win. She's living in the Dallas area, and she and I were also finalists at a the Fifth Street Festival in Fort Worth last Fall. Does anybody else think that Beth's voice is a wonderful combination
of Shawn Colvin and Susan Werner? I hear that lot when I listen to her new CD .
Another real Columbus moment was Dave Stoddard , and it was great to get to know him a little. He's got fantastic songs, that are funny and smart. Reminds me of a cross between Randy Newman's humor and Cliff Eberhardt's voice and guitar. But his songs are all his own, and they are damn good. Among the crowd that I was sitting around, he was the hands-down favorite to be a finalist. I was hanging out with him just before the announcement Sunday night, and I think he was still a little surprised, even though a lot of folks were telling him he was probably a winner. I'd not met Andy Corwin before, but it was great to hear his fun songs. His song about cowboys and ballerinas is actually moreautobiographical than you'd think. The other interesting thing I just now noticed while surfing is that Andy has really good taste when it comes to website design .
From what John William Davis told me, four of six of these finalists were unanimous. If that's true, that's pretty amazing. Every year, there are a lot of folks who don't win, but who have some really fine music worth paying attention to. Among them this year, and in no particular order:
Dave Murphy : I really liked his song about the Chesapeak. I thought it was well written. And I like a lot of his other
stuff.
Justin Roth : Thought the man was a shoe-in. Shows you what I know. GREAT guitar player and performer.
Mike Morris : Good God, this man makes me tired, watching him play!!! He's got amazing technique, and really powerful lyrics....just try to keep up. Enjoyed hearing more of him at several circles.
Rob Hinkal : Ditto for him. Great player and great lyrics. Enjoyed being with him around song circles too.
Karen Mal : Thought this woman was shoe-in too. Just don't get it. She's a fantastic musician, and I loved her song about being three. Around campfires she was paying a beautiful song about a sailor and the sea too.
Michael Bowers : I met Michael on my very first trip to Kerrville, around Bill's campfire. One of the song he played that night, "Jackson Marvin Beauragard," was his New Folk song this year. I LOVE that song. Michael's a great guy, and just happens to now be married to great songwriter named Siobhan Quinn.
Dave Morreale : I loved his stuff, especially his song about angels and the dirt. Dave's a real nice guy and was also a finalist last year. He's recently married and he and his wife are looking for a good house in Baltimore, if you know of any. Enjoyed playing with him around campfires.
Gary Serber: If you liked Michael Hedges , you'll love Gary Serber. He was absolutely amazing, and had the tough task of following perhaps one of the worst performances in New Folk history. This may sound harsh, and I don't like to be harsh, but it was BAAAD....not song-wise, but attitude and stage-presence. I won't mention the guy's name, but it was horrible.
So, Gary got to follow this overly chatty guy, and just came about and started playing away. I saw people leaning in from where ever they were seated, to get a glimpse of his technique. I also later overheard the folks at the CD table saying that they'd sold of out Gary's CDs. I think a lot of people wondered if an instrumentalist could win or not.
The fact that he didn't probably doesn't answer the question defitively, but he's an amazing talent.
Saturday night's show was cut short, due to rain. Freebo and Jim Photoglo did a nice set, and it was great to hear how they sound together. They've been doing a lot of touring together. Eric Schwartz had the crowd in stiches, per usual. But then, he slowed it down and played a beautiful song that he'd written for a time when his mother had been sick, and finally finished this year, inspired by Rachel Bissex and her story.
And right after he got done playing that song, in the midst of his next one, the sky started crying. It was a moment, for those paying attention. Most everyone called it a night, and there were not many circles. I crashed and slept an unheard of eight
and a half hours!!! Shouldn't be allowed...
Day Four (Sunday)
Back at the Rouse's for breakfast again. This day, May 29th, was Dennise's and my 12th Wedding Anniversary. So, I took some personal liberty, and called her on the phone, just before I played at the breakfast. Everyone yelled out a happy anniversary to her, and I played a song I wrote for our ten-year anniversary. Interestingly, Dave Stoddard and I figured up that he and his wife were also married on the same day. That's right...not just DATE, but DAY. (They got hitched in the am, we in the pm...)
Dave held the phone while I played over the line for Dennise. I know she hated not being able to come this year, but maybe she'll make it again next year. The new judge job has been pretty busy for her.
Sunday-day brought more New Folk greatness. But I wrote about that a few paragraphs back. Sunday afternoon, there was a HUGE storm. I rode it out at my favorite storm-shelter camp: Camp Coho. Coho is a great place to ride out a storm, because you can usually see it coming long before it gets there. You can watch it move across the pasture, just beyond the festival grounds, and see the rain sweep in. Two of three Malvini were there (Gina Forsythe had not yet arrived...) Michael, Kendra, Woody, Joyce, Alan, Gary, and all the other usual Cohoites were there. Jonathan Byrd also showed up. Stashed my guitar in the cab of Nick Annis' new camper, parked next to Coho.
After the storm, I went across Sudden Creek to see how the Nashbillians had fared. Interestingly, there was not much water in Sudden Creek, but there was a RIVER of water flowing down the road. People were putting flip-flops in, because they float, and having races. The water must have been ten inches deep at one point. Later in the week (Tuesday?) somebody came and put some gravel down, so the road wouldn't totaly wash out.
Before the storm, I'd been up at Ballad Tree, and played "The Don't Shop ," with both Freebo , and Karl Werne from the great group "Big Wide Grin " sitting in. I'll count "BWG" as my own personal favorite Columbus moment this festival. They were awesome. Great three-part harmonies and fun and meaningful songs. Karl was telling me what a great time they'd all had at the festival. It was mutual for everyone else.
Because of the storms, mainstage got started a little late. My own personal highlight of the evening was to see my very good friend, Bill Nash , accompanying Josh White Jr . It was a great moment, and Bill did a fantastic job on both guitar and vocals.
Sunday night, I went to Singkerrnicity. It was a great circle. David Lamotte and Annie Wenz were there. So were camp regulars like Megan McLaughlin , Joyce Woodson , and Jim Savarino . As the evening went on, the Singkerrnicity folks had a really funny coronation ceremony for Andy Corwin , when he arrived back at camp. Made him a customized ballerina tiara....which is only REALLY funny if you heard his New Folk entry. Later, Randy Browning, another New Folk Winner, also stopped by for a time. There were many others there too....it was a pretty big circle, and I called it a night early, because of what was on schedule for the next morning.
Day Five (Monday)
Monday was Memorial Day in the truest sense at Kerrville. In the morning, there was a three-hour tribute to Bruce Rouse at the Threadgill stage The evening brought a tribute to Rachel Bissex on the mainstage. It was appropriate that it worked out that way, because Bruce was king of the mornings, and Rachel was queen of the late-night song circles.
Bruce's family asked me to be a co-host for this event, with Bruce's son-in-law, Lindsey Lee. I have to say, it was a great honor to be part of it. Basically, it was one long Rouse House Bagel Breakfast. A whos-who of performers got up early, and played one song each in honor of Bruce. In between, Lindsey and myself did our best to emcee. I'm sure there will eventually be some pictures of this event posted somewhere, so check back here to find an updated link. There were far too many great moments to catalogue them all. However, I was particularly touched by Eric Schwartz's "Phone call from Bruce," which was truly a "you had to be there" moment.
As some of you will remember, I read some poems at Bruce's Memorial service. If you're interested, you can find my comments about that service here . At his Kerrville concert, I re-read the one called "Life Goes On," by Joyce Grenfell.
"If I should go before the rest of you
Break not a flower
Nor inscribe a stone
Nor when I am gone
Speak in a Sunday voice
But be the usual selves
That I have known
Weep if you must
Parting is hell
But life goes on
So .... sing as well
Joyce Grenfell 1910-1979"
After that, I played "I Will Sing ," and the crowd sang along.
Many, many artist spoke of the kindness of Bruce and Liz through the years. It seemed to be a really healing event for everyone.
I know the family is extremely greatful that Kerrville (Dalis, et al) made it possible for it to happen.
At Ballad Tree that day, I continued the Memorial Day theme in my own way, with some personal remembrances of Rachel Bissex.
I told the story of how, when Rachel was through town a few years ago, she came into the studio where I was recording my still-as-yet-unreleased second CD. She put down some background vocals for two songs. In return, I lent her a sound system for a gig she had in Fort Worth, and was her roadie that night. It was big couple of weeks for Rachel. She had several important gigs that week in Texas.
When we got to the studio, it turns out that the recording engineer had a cold....only he hadn't told anyone. Turns out, Rachel ended up getting his cold. She could have been really pissed at me for that. I would have been. But she was generous and gracious to a fault. And nobody who knows her would be surprised by that. So, in honor of Rachel, and having told that story of her generosity, I played "Free My Hands ," one of the two songs she sang background on for me.
That night was a memorial concert in her honor, which was a whos who of her good musican friends. The Malvina's opened, with a great original version of "Starting Over ." Annie Wenz , Mare Lennon and Amelia Spicer did a great "Dancing with My Mother ."
The big voice of Stephanie Corby was perfect for "Oh Jackson ." Carrie Cooper led a great version of "Royal Blues." There were many other highpoints of the show, too many to mention....it was all REAL good. Tom PR had told me that morning, at Bruce's event, that everyone was pretty nervous about the show. They were worried about doing well, but more than that they were worried about even being able to make it through the songs. They had lyric sheets printed out, and had even assigned back up singers, in case somebody couldn't make it through a song. I told Tom not to worry about it too much, because here's the thing: if you can make it through something like that WITHOUT breaking up a little, what does THAT say?!! The emotion was just a natural response to how everyone was feeling. So, when voices broke a little, all it did was remind us of how all our hearts were a little broken too.
Kristen Dewitt did led an amazing verison of "Here Now ," with the entire group of performers behind her, singing the chorus. Her performance was incredible, and I know it was hard on her, but she sang with a STRONG voice...in fact, that's what I remember thinking at the time..."Wow, she's a strong woman up there..." Didn't get the chance to tell her that later.
So, "Here Now " was an incredibly life-affirming song, and I though