$50,000!!!

Mar/11/2009 09:56 AM

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... (Read the rest. Click here)

Final Show Reminder

Mar/06/2009 07:22 AM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

James Taylor Carole King Tribute Show: March 7th

Feb/26/2009 08:57 PM

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!!!

Comments

Connections Band Spring/Summer Schedule

Feb/01/2009 09:46 PM

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.

(Read the rest. Click here)

Ishmael and Isaac Video

Jan/01/2009 09:17 AM

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.

(Read the rest. Click here)

Dan Fogelberg Tribute November 15th

Nov/09/2008 04:12 PM

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...
(Read the rest. Click here)

Doobies Brothers and Elton John: October 4th

Oct/02/2008 06:42 AM

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...) (Read the rest. Click here)

The New Website is Here! The New Website is Here! We're SOMEBODY!!!!

Aug/06/2008 08:02 AM

Hey Everybody:

I've got fun music news about Connections Band for you:
1) Our website is now official
2) We want your vote for your favorite songs
3) We're calling it $40K
4) Upcoming Shows (Read the rest. Click here)

Connections Band this Sunday: Tribute to Carole King and James Taylor

Jul/24/2008 08:42 AM

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 (Read the rest. Click here)

The Declaration

Jul/08/2008 05:42 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

Stone of Sisyphus

Jun/17/2008 08:45 AM

What if I told you that today you have a chance to buy one of the most anticipated CDs of all-time? What if I told you that some folks have waited fifteen years for its release, and that it's being released this very day? What if I told you that one rock critic called this mysterious CD the greatest unreleased CD of all time?

Well, it's all true.
The CD is "The Stone of Sisyphus," it's by rock legends, Chicago, and it's on your local CD store shelves today. The story of "Stone," in some ways, mirrors the Greek legend it's named for. (Read the rest. Click here)

Connections Band at FUMCR Reminder

Jun/09/2008 06:31 PM

A reminder that Connections Band rides again this coming Friday night:

Connections Band
Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago
Friday, June 13 7 pm

FUMC Richardson
503 N Central Expy
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 235-8385
www.fumcr.com

(Read the rest. Click here)

Connections Fall Schedule

May/28/2008 08:26 AM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

$7,100 and a Gratitude Beyond Measure

May/26/2008 08:41 AM

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.... (Read the rest. Click here)

Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show This Friday at LLUMC

Apr/29/2008 08:56 AM

A reminder that Connections Band will be in concert this Friday night at Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas.

Here are the details: (Read the rest. Click here)

What Connections Band Did During My Blog Vacation

Apr/25/2008 06:28 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

No Show Saturday

Nov/08/2007 07:01 AM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

The Newest Super Cool Website Thingy...

Oct/22/2007 09:04 PM

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... (Read the rest. Click here)

Back to Dunn Bros

Oct/19/2007 10:09 AM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

Carole King/James Taylor Show Reminder

Sep/20/2007 10:31 PM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

September Music News (07)

Sep/07/2007 11:20 PM

Several fun things going on musically this month... (Read the rest. Click here)

This Could be the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

Aug/19/2007 11:30 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

Connections Clips and Pics

Aug/03/2007 11:14 PM

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....) (Read the rest. Click here)

Data Errata

Jul/25/2007 08:02 AM

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!!! (Read the rest. Click here)

Digital Download Data

Jul/20/2007 07:48 AM

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 yoursel (Read the rest. Click here)

"Connecting" to Nothing But Nets (thanks, Walnut Hill!)

Jul/18/2007 05:44 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

Sequoyah Unplugged: A Songwriter Retreat, August 17-19

Jul/10/2007 11:26 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

Kerrville 2007

May/28/2007 09:43 PM

Earlier this weekend, I wrote about how I'm going to miss Kerrville this year, for the first time in many years. I also wrote about how, in other years, I've written an extensive blog about the Kerrville experience.

Well, it hit me that while I can't write my own blog this year, I can share with you the thoughts of others, via emails folks send to the famous "Kerrchat" email list. Brian the Breadman often does this on his great site, "It Can Be This Way Always." And I'm certainly not trying to take anything away from that. But I'm here, I'm feeling disconnected, and feeling the need to do something. And, what I do best is to turn each entry into a linkapolooza...a plethora of links, straight to these artists, in case you need to discover some great new music. (Read the rest. Click here)

Out of Place

May/25/2007 10:46 AM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show at Custer Road

Apr/18/2007 07:28 AM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

A Conversation About Art and Soul

Apr/02/2007 07:34 AM

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... (Read the rest. Click here)

My New Baby: A Santa Cruz Guitar, OMPW

Mar/23/2007 08:09 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

$4,000

Feb/28/2007 06:03 PM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

Eagles/Chicago Show Reminder: This Friday

Feb/22/2007 01:56 AM

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? (Read the rest. Click here)

Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show. Feb. 23 7 pm

Feb/12/2007 08:00 AM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

Top iPod/iTunes Songs: 2006

Dec/21/2006 07:41 PM

As if you're interested... (Read the rest. Click here)

Two Christmas Songs for You

Dec/09/2006 06:39 PM

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.

Comments

New Gigs: Another Tribute Show, and Songwriters in the Round

Sep/26/2006 11:43 PM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

Eagles/Chicago Tribute Show Update

Sep/14/2006 10:55 PM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

A Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago (An Upcoming Show)

Aug/15/2006 09:38 PM

We're back at it again, and we just don't know when to quit. There is another "tribute show" in the works, and it's going to be as good, maybe even better, than the Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show.

It's a tribute to the music of the Eagles and Chicago. Yes, it's not exactly a perfect blend of styles. But they're bands that we who are in charge of thinking up this show love, and so that's how it worked out.

Here are the details:

A Tribute to the Eagles and Chicago
To Benefit UMCOR
7 pm September 16, 2006
Spring Valley United Methodist Church

We have started rehearsals, and based on what I hear so far I am very excited... (Read the rest. Click here)

Living Legacy Video Clips (See and Hear the Magical Night

Jul/01/2006 10:22 PM

For some months now, off an on, you've been hearing me rave about the Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show "Living Legacy" that I was so fortunate to be a part of back in March.

I have finally got some video of that night, and have digitized it for your computer watching/listening pleasure. The clips are hosted on youtube.com.

You should know that this recording was done from the live, ambient-room mix, not as a direct feed from a mixer board. This means that, at times, it will seem to be out of balance....even though it was balanced in the room. But, actually, for the most part, it turned out quite well.

I've also found that it really sounds MUCH better if you can listen through headphones. You can crank it loud and you'll find that the mix sounds pretty good. (I THINK this is because it's uncompressed audio and that that tends to mix better the louder you can stand it. At any rate, it's noticeably better via headphones and LOUD...)

A reminder about the show: (Read the rest. Click here)

Spring Valley Coffeehouse

Jun/22/2006 06:40 AM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

In The Music Room

May/23/2006 09:54 PM

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)

--30--

(Read the rest. Click here)

Wildflower Music and Artis Festival Gig Friday

May/15/2006 10:00 PM

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....

--30--

(Read the rest. Click here)

Return to Dunn Bros. in Addison: May 12th

May/05/2006 10:05 PM

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.

--30--

(Read the rest. Click here)

NDSM Benefit Show

May/02/2006 10:06 PM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

MySpace.com

Apr/27/2006 10:12 PM

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.

--30--

(Read the rest. Click here)

Digital Music

Apr/21/2006 10:18 PM

For the first time in months, I bothered to log on to my digital music sales account with CDBaby, just for kicks, and to see how the sales have been going. CDBaby has a great deal for independent musicians, to help them get their stuff into some of the major online music stores. I can't remember when the last time I check up on digital sales was...maybe six months ago? Maybe longer? Who knows? They just transfer the money straight into my bank account, and it's never that much really, so I don't keep up with it regularly.

Anyway, it was a little shocking, really. It shows that I've had 328 online sales of my songs!! That's surprisingly good. I was really stunned. Figured, if I was lucky, it'd be in and around a hundred.

Before you become seriously impressed by this, you should probably know that the highest paying online retailer (iTunes) gives you 70 cents a song. And the rest go down from there, significantly.

So, if you're interested in which services actually seem to be most "financially friendly" to the indie artist, here's how it looks to me, based on my sales:

(Read the rest. Click here)

Bleeding Purple Podcast

Apr/15/2006 10:30 PM

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.

--30--

(Read the rest. Click here)

Deep Ellum Festival Pics

Apr/11/2006 10:33 PM

Randy Treadway took a couple of shots of our "round" at the Deep Ellum Festival Saturday...
(Read the rest. Click here)

No Tribute Show Tonight: April 1st (No, this is not a joke...)

Apr/01/2006 07:51 AM

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. (Read the rest. Click here)

A Magical Night

Mar/31/2006 11:45 PM

A Magical Night

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...

Speaking of you....you showed up! Approximately 250 of you showed up!! And you stayed! You stayed through intermission and through every last night of "Gambler." (What fun it was to have all 250 of you singing along with us at the end! And thanks for the generous applause)

At this point, we know that we have at least raised $2,500 for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. This money will help UMCOR respond quickly to the next natural disaster or global conflict that arises. Thanks for your generosity.

Well, there is a lot more to say about this show. I'm still up on cloud nine. I think everybody in the band is. I am told that there are at least two sets of pictures from the night (digital ones) and I'll post some as soon as I can get my hands of them.

And when I have the pictures to help me tell the story, I'll post a more detailed description of the show, the songs, and what the whole evening was like.

But for now,
...to Dan Fogelberg who inspired us all
...to all you who came
...to all you who gave so generously
...to all the dozens of great volunteers, and staff, at Spring Valley
...to our really kickin' 20-member band
...and especially to my friend, Rusty King,

thank you!

--30--

(Read the rest. Click here)

Last Living Legacy Lookahead (Come to the show, and I'll stop all aliterations...)

Mar/30/2006 07:52 AM

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:

(Read the rest. Click here)

Show Tonight in Fort Worth

Mar/10/2006 08:00 AM

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: (Read the rest. Click here)

March Music News

Mar/03/2006 08:10 AM

Hola Amigos/as:

It's been quite a while since I've written you with any music news. Some of you have been kind enough to check in on me, see how things are going, and ask when I'll be playing again. I'm gratified for this, and for you telling me how much you miss the live shows. Soo....as it happens, I'll be playing again a couple of times very soon, and they should be really good shows.
Make a note now: (Read the rest. Click here)

Living Legacy Update

Feb/24/2006 04:45 PM

We had another rehearsal yesterday for the Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show. In case you missed it, I blogged last week about Dan Fogelberg, and one of the things I mentioned is an upcoming tribute show to Dan which I am privileged to be a part of.

Here are the details again: (Read the rest. Click here)

Getting Real: Billy Jonas in Concert This Wednesday

Oct/18/2005 07:54 AM

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.

billyjonas

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

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

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

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....

Gloria Dei's Obituary: I'm Interviewed by the DMN and offer my opinions

Aug/04/2005 07:40 AM

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...)

08-04-2005.NGR_04Gloria.GQQ1LG1O3.1

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

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.

Death of a Coffee House: Sad News About Gloria Dei Nights

Jul/28/2005 07:25 AM

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."

One More Day

Jul/25/2005 07:24 AM

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.

Dunn Bross Coffee Show: I'm play Friday, come on by

Jul/22/2005 07:22 AM

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!

A Lawyer and a Cop (Sounds like a bad joke, but it's really a great radio show)

Jul/13/2005 07:20 AM

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

Picalalooza: Richard Ruane's Kerrville pics are cool

Jun/21/2005 07:18 AM

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.

Kerrville 2005: Looong ramblings about this year's festival

Jun/10/2005 05:40 PM

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 the show had ended on a high, hopeful note. In fact, I thought the show was over. But then, Eric Schwartz and some others took the stage, and did "In White Light ." And I, and just about everyone else there in the whole theater, lost it. I found myself in the midst of a surprising river of tears. As I wrote after Rachel died , this was the song that really got me after her death. How Eric made it through that song, I will never know....especially the last verse.
I saw him right afterwards, and asked him how he did it, and he really didn't have an answer.

About 2/3rds of the crowd left the theater after this. I confess, I did too. I didn't hear a word of Modern Man , or anything else from the stage that night.

As I mentioned before, there is a CD in the works to honor Rachel and to help provide for the education of her two kids. They were both there Monday night, and I got a chance to meet both of them briefly, and tell them what everyone else was, I am sure, telling them, "Your Mom was a wonderful person...."

If you'd like to get a copy of the CD, please go here. I hope you'll order one here , not only to help out her kids, but also because it will surely be filled with great, great music.

That night, I found myself back at Singkerrnicity. A great song circle there. Adam and Kris were there, along with Andrew McKnight . Later Juliet Wyers stopped by, as did Sean Altman . But, I have to confess that I was pretty worn out from the long day.

When the circle started to break up, I decided to head to bed. On the way out of the ranch, I passed a great road circle. I THINK it was that night, anyway. I THINK it was Tom PR, Ellis Paul , Vance Gilbert , and Big Wide Grin. But it might have been another night....it's all starting to run together. I knew I needed sleep when I found myself telling people that "I only ate three hours last night." So, I said "hi" briefly at Kantagree, and headed in to bed after a LOONG day.

Day Six (Tuesday)
I slept until noon the next day. Yes, that's right, noon. It's one of the prime advantages of having a hotel room. You close those blinds, and you can sleep as long as you want. Did a little laundry. Played some solitare. Watched a little TV. Slept a little more. You can try and make me feel as guilty about it as you want, but the great feeling of good sleep far outweighs my feelings of guilt.

The show that night featured Tret Fure , Rachel Garlin , Joe Jencks , and John Davis Williams . They have the commonality of having all been winners at the South Florida Folk Festival . Tret and Rachel were winners back in 2004, when I was also a finalist. That's when I first met both of them. It was a great show. I'd never heard Joe before, and was nice to get to know his music. Of course, John William brought the house down "The Yankees are Coming" song.

That night, I started out at NashBILL, with Bill, Juliet Wyers, David Morreale, and Kathy Hussey . Kathy was another Columbus moment for me this year. Somehow, I had missed her New Folk win a couple of years ago. (I'm pretty sure it was while we were on our ten-year anniversary trip...). Man! I love her songs! I love the way the plays a guitar too....really nice technique. Great to get to know her.

After a while, I wandered over to NashVILLE, just next door, where another nice circle was underway. There was nice group there, including Peter Yarrow , Steve Seskin , Ellen Bukstel , Richard Berrman , Dave Morreale, Jay Makita, and Green. We played around a couple of times. And because Peter Yarrow was there, I made a point to play "Purple Land ." When the circle broke, up, he very kindly came over to say he'd liked it quite a bit. The circle actually broke up because yet another big storm was on the way.

I made it back to town just before it hit town. In town, we got HUGE winds, torrential rains, and hail that came in at a 45 degree angle. I have to confess, I have NEVER seen hail fly out of the sky like that....it was like someone was throwing it at the side of my car. It hailed for ten minutes. I assumed that the storm was also pelting the ranch, but the next day everyone swore it hadn't hailed there at all. Guess the Gods of Kerr were taking their revenge on this hotel slacker.

Day Seven (Wednesday)
I mainly stayed through Wednesday to see the Malvina's that night. They shared the stage with Carla Ulbrich , who was her usual funny, entertaining self. I thought the Malvina's show was GREAT. I heard some folks complaining that the sound from their one omni-mic in the middle of the stage didn't carry very well. From where I was sitting, it was not a problem. To me, they had GREAT energy and stage presence, and the one mic added to the energy of the night. I'm so very proud of them!!! I can remember back a few years ago, when Lisa Markely and Beth Cahill both came to the Starbucks Songwriter group we used to have. Beth also played mando on my first CD . So, it's wonderful to see them doing so well.

The great thing about their act is that each of them is a very different songwriter. So, they get this amazing blend of songs to perform that keeps you guessing and interested.

That night, I started out at "Camp Jews Don't Camp," to say "hey" to Ellen Bukstel and the Breadman . Jeez, did I miss them last year!! I played "Ember Afterglow " for them, which is a song I wrote after the SFFF in 2004. During that festival, I had hung out each night at their campfire there, or as I liked to call it the "Camp Jews Don't Camp" home office. So, now at the Kerrville branch, a year and half later, I played them the song. It was inspired by that visit to South Florida, but it's also a song that's really about Kerrville, and anywhere that has great song circles.

Ellen was there, along with Kathy Hussey, Rachel Garlin, some woman whose name I don't recall, and a killer guitar player who just sort of wandered out of nowhere. (He said he lives in Dallas, but is from Canada...)

Since it was my last night, I did a little wandering, and ended up back at Singkerrnicity again. There was another GREAT circle, including Erik Balkey, Kathy Hussey, David Morreale, Steve Brooks, Dave Stoddard, Andy Corwin, Mike Morris, along with his
friend named Heather Mike. (That's right, Heather Mike, and Mike...), and Jim Savarino . It was a great circle. And since so many folks were there, it gave me a chance to tell everyone goodbye before I left the next morning.

I wandered by Coho, but all the lights were already out. Somehow, I didn't manage to get by Coho and play at all. I'm not quite sure how that happened....although I did end up there for dinner a couple of nights, and played a few songs then. Had a similar conversations with Lisa Markely and Carrie Cooper , at differing moments during the week, in which we wondered how it is we see each other more at the ranch than we do back at home...go figure. I also didn't get the chance to play at Camp Stupid this year. Again, not quite sure how that happened either! As I passed Stupid, on my way out the gate that night, I saw that Amelia Spicer, Justin Roth, Stephanie Corby, Cyd Cassone , Johnsmith , and Ken Gaines were having a GREAT circle all to themselves.

I love leaving the ranch with that kind of last glimpse. It helps me with the thought that all those folks just sort of stay there, until the next time I see them again.

KerrCoda:
Got home safely on Thursday afternoon. Took the backroads home, which took me past Enchanted Rock , and within shouting distance of Mason, Texas , where I once lived for a year. As per the Breadman's sacred instructions , I still have my wrist band on and have gotten several funny looks about it. Not that I care.

One thing that kept my Kerrville buzz going was a picnic with the Dallas Songwriter's Association on Saturday. Just a day after I got back, Maria and I drove out to Rancho Frijole in East Texas (near Wills Point) for an afternoon of food and music. The place was started by Kerrville fan, Lyn Been . And she's really putting together a really nice little place, that would be perfect for a small, perhaps more regional festival. It was nice to meet everyone. I'm embarrassed to say that although I've been a member for several years, this was the first DSA event I've ever attended. But it was a nice "Coda" to my Kerrville experience.

Now, as I finally finish this blog entry, the last week of the festival is beginning. I know that in my head. But in my heart, I like to live with my comfortable delusion that everyone else is still down there. All the Nashbillians are there, with lit votive candles, and Kerrsidillias. Coho is there, waiting out the next big storm. Breadman is passing out a new loaf....honey wheat, I think. Singkerrnicity is still greeting Andy Corwin like a conquering King (or at least Princess...). Every morning, the Rouse family is giving me fresh coffee, and Ronnie Cox is still offering for anyone who wants to play his gorgeous guitar. All the great songwriters at Kantagree are gathering for a mid-afternoon circle. The Camp Dallas friends are giving me more free beer than I deserve. And Stupid? Well, Stupid is still stupid. And it wouldn't be the same without them.

My wrist band is still on my wrist. But all of this is there, in my heart. And that's right where I like to keep it.

--30--

This is Crabcake, calling Frito Pie (Melanie's reflections on Camp Nashbill and Kerrville 05)

Jun/09/2005 07:16 AM

(With apologies to Rachel Garlin for the lyric adaptation...)
melanie

Greetings fellow campers!

(And this includes you whose "tents" come with indoor plumbing and room keys...)

It's almost exactly a week since my flight touched down at Reagan National, bringing me home from Kerrville. It already feels like worlds away (sigh). It seems to get harder to leave every year... as if you couldn't tell by all my machinations to buy a couple extra days this year.

I'm still thanking my fine friends at Midwest Airlines for allowing me to re-book and stay on the ranch through Friday. I love those lazy weekdays and sundowns at Threadgill, not to mention being able to spend several hours campfiring and still be asleep by 1.

It also bought me a few more exciting weather events (woohoo)... Judi, we did get that powerful storm early Wednesday, but we had enough advance warning to batten down the hatches, and Camp Nashbill survived pretty well. I managed to sleep through most of it, despite Eric's early morning call to my cell to make sure the ranch was still in one piece, as he watched the hail flying past his hotel room window at a 45 degree angle. I think Kerrville (the town) got hit worse than the campground. (And I apparently have some SERIOUS ear plugs.)

Driving home from work this evening through a wicked thunderstorm, I was thinking about this year's festival (funny, that) and all the things for which I am so grateful... for my lovely and accommodating "landlady" Teresa, who gave me and my teeny tent such a comfortable home on the outskirts of Greater Camp Nashbill, and who is so much fun to share kerr-linary adventures with (I think Kerrsadillas need to become a regular feature at Nashbill) ... for
Judi's excellent guiding skills getting me to the top of Enchanted Rock, and the great conversation there that was as inspiring as the view ... for my private performance of my favorite Eric Folkerth song, and for Eric's strong shoulder when Schwartz brought us all into the White Light at the end of the Rachel Bissex tribute ... for hours and hours (and hours and hours) of amazing conversation with Weird, who never laughed at me even when I started to sound like some unfortunate offspring of Donald Duck and a guinea pig, and for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of riding in the Weirdmobile (sorry to hear it's not feeling well), and for the AWESOME hot showers I was able to take courtesy of his generosity and the Motel 6 ... for our brave Kerrvirgins Tina and Daniel, it was fun to see
the experience through their eyes and remember my "first time" ... for Paul and Terrie and Brian being so smart to take my suggestion of lunch at Mamacita's, and then generously inviting me along (yum!), and Brian especially for giving me hope for future generations of Kerrverts ... for Kellie's always fun company and excellent tip about Kenny White (he's got about six new fans in Baltimore and I'm still passing the disc around) ... for Linda bringing the spirit of Dave Carter to the Nashbill song circle nightly (I'm still singing about Tiffany slippers going click-clack), and bringing the stars closer for us through Tom's fabulous 'scope ... for Joseph's good humor despite our sometimes relentless teasing, and his impromptu songwriting skills (I really think we had something going with "Lonesome, Hungry, and Blue"), and
for stopping by on his way to school every morning even when we made him late ... for Paul P.'s ever-so-droll contributions to the breakfast club, and his tasty flapjacks ... for Ross and Sharon bringing new life to our camp at the beginning of weekend two, and for Ross' fantastic "put the man together" song (I'm singing that one when I'm not singing "Phantom Doll") ... for all the gifted writers and players who dropped by to share their music around our candle campfire (JP, Sofia of the beautiful voice, Juliet, John and DJ, Joe J., Bruce, Jenni Mansfield, Michael and Siobhan, Tracie, Noah from Kansas, my homegirl SONiA, so many others) ... and of course, what can I say about our host, with his big heart, gentle spirit, way cool $129 guitar, and Mainstage guitar solo that made me cry? Bill, I am just so grateful you are you, and that I am blessed to count you my friend.

And then there were all those talented New Folk performers (did anyone else notice that if you bought Disc 2 of the New Folk set you got 4 of the 6 winning performances? Handy – and economical), another great line-up at Mainstage (Sherpas, Lowen & Navarro, Kenny White. Photoglo and Freebo, Adam & Kris, Modern Man, and Schwarz among my favorites this year), the incredibly moving Rachel Bissex tribute, and some great weeknights up at Threadgill. The South Florida and New Song showcases were both chock full of wonderful
writers, especially new (to me) faces like Joe Jencks, DevonSproule, and Tret Fure. My overall favorite performance was one I would have missed had I gone home as scheduled – Carla Ulbrich and the Malvinas. What a lively, funny, moving evening of music!
Let's hear it for the women!

I'm doing all I can to keep the Kerrville energy going as long as possible... I ran into SONiA and Terry at the San Antonio airport on Friday and they invited me to a gig in Baltimore the next night, so I got on the phone first thing Saturday morning to round up some friends for that one. It ended up being quite a party! This Sunday I'm taking a friend to see Ellis Paul (her first time) at my favorite coffeehouse in Virginia. I spent the last two nights working on a very fun project, creating a Kerrville Kompilation CD for my friend Cathy, who was *thisclose* to coming along this year but couldn't make it happen (and is already regretting it). I'm hoping the artists will forgive me the somewhat unauthorized copying of no more than one song each, given that the end goal is that Cathwill spend lots of money going to see them and buying their discs either here or at KFF next year.

It was quite a project pulling out all the CD's I've collected over four years of festivals, choosing the songs, and (most fun of all) writing "liner notes" telling her a bit about each performer. Lots of reminiscing along the way...

And do I even need to say that the wristband is still firmly in place?

Wishing I was still under Texas skies, and missing all of you,

Melanie

NDSM Beneft (Turned out to be a great night)

May/21/2005 07:15 AM

Jeez, it's hot. This is very bad sign for the rest of the summer, and a VERY bad sign for what it will be like, down at The Ranch next week. Oh well, it is what it is....is will be what it will be...

Maria and I went out to the Wildflower Festival today to see the songwriter competition. It was great. Got to see a lot of friends, and sit inside the airconditioned auditorium for a while.

I wanted to write about the North Dallas Shared Ministry Benefit, because it was really a great night. It was the same line-up as last year's show. But, thankfully, I didn't have to follow the amazing Rhett Butler. That guy is absolutely incredible on the guitar. He's sort of in the Michael Hedges universe of players, and has a fantastic sound....

So, this year Jack and the Catdaddies played first. I was second, and Rhett closed the show. I offered to put 30 percent of all my CD sales that night back to NDSM. That came to $80 bucks!

All in all, we raised over $2,000 for NDSM that night! Very cool. And it couldn't have been for a more worthy cause. NDSM is one of the finest non-profits in Dallas that serve the poor. Some folks are thrown off by the name "North Dallas," because North Dallas has such a reputation as a wealthy part of town....and it most certainly is. But within that area are thousands and thousands of poor folks who are underserved by social service agencies. NDSM fills a much needed hole.

Also had a great time at the Northaven Church "Feast of Friendship" last weekend. Over 250 folks showed up...a HUGE crowd. Big picnic on the lawn...burgers, hot dogs, etc... The main event of the evening was tours of Northaven's new building, but Jack and the Catdaddies came through with some great music, and I closed the show. Great to play for the hometown crowd.

--30--

MarchGigs05

Mar/08/2005 07:12 AM

March Gigs

Thanks to all those who came out to my show last Friday night at Dunn Bros. Coffee, in Addison. Thanks especially to the friends (you know who you are, who were there early....and those who stayed late!)

Looks like I've picked up another coffee house gig next weekend. I'll be playing at the Nodding Dog Coffee Co in Oak Cliff. You can get all the details here.

Nodding Dog is a great coffee house in the burgeoning "Bishop Arts District" of Oak Cliff, a nicely revitalized area of shops and restaurants. My friend Lisa Markely plays at Nodding Dog a lot, and it was recently named one of Dallas' best coffee houses. I hope you'll make plans now, and come by. All the details (maps, address, phone, weblink, etc...) can be found here.

--30--

Eric Folkerth...