ON AND OFF OF MASS AVE

2011-03-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

'On and Off' Showcase 03/08/11!

2010-10-21T18:06:00.007-04:00

SAVE THE DATE for the next On and Off event at Club Passim! It will be on March 8, 2011 and will include another batch of incredible local musicians. So far... Dennis Brennan! Honorary local, Margaret Glaspy! Mark Erelli! and Jess Tardy! Backed by Billy Beard on drums! Zachariah Hickman on bass! and Mark Erelli in guitar! Guests are inevitable and surprises in store.

We can't wait!

Farewell, Austin!

2010-05-27T18:33:00.015-04:00

I am leaving Austin a few days from today. I wish I were the 13 year-old girl who once wrote endlessly about her experiences and the meanings she found in them. I am not, but I miss that freedom.

While I am certain that Austin is not the city for me, I do not regret the move in the least. I had no hesitation when I arrived to town. I had already gone through and subscribed to all the local club listings. I had my favorite spots scoped out from visits to town in the past years, and I was quick to take recommendations from friends. I completely understand why people in Austin are SO proud to live here.

My favorite place to see music in Austin is undoubtedly the Continental Club. Everything is red inside. I love the chic but dive-y. I love Sarah, the hot, tattooed waitress that rolls her eyes at customers when they block the service station.

The first night I was officially out to take in some Austin music, was on a Sunday. I went to Momo's to see Warren Hood. He is quite the talent. Momo's has a sweet patio where you can see and hear the music pretty well, too. A friend said that the Sunday night thing to do was to head over to the Continental afterward for Heybale! (the exclamation is part of the name.)

It was already after 11, but I am so glad that I went. I can sum up the why with these two words: Redd Volkaert. He, along with all the band members in Heybale! are incredible. I have gone out to see Redd play several times since coming to town. I will let the links provide more related info.

Another spot for great Austin music is the Saxon Pub. The first thing I noticed was how nice the room sounds. I went on a Monday night to hear Matt the Electrician. Matt and his band put on a great show. It is a weekly residency that I wish I would have gone out for a few more times before leaving town. I tried again but I did not know he was out on a tour. I ended up staying to hear Bob Schneider. What a scene! The chicks dig Bob. He is a good songwriter. perhaps a little too pop to move me, but solidly good.

I went to see Randy Weeks on a few occasions. My new pal, Killer, told me to check him out. I like him a lot. He has great songs, a cool voice and he is fun to see play live. In certain songs he reminded me of Jimmy Ryan. I think it was his vocal style in some of his songs. You will probably appreciate Weeks at least as much as I do. Lucinda Williams covered his song, "Can't Let Go," on Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.

Tonight I went out to the Continental for the last time (while living in TX) to see Planet Casper, then to Stubb's for the Coveters.

I had never heard of Robyn Ludwick until I saw her perform with Casper. I reminded myself of her name again and again so that I could come home and find out more about her music. This discovery was the highlight, since I was not feeling much connective energy from the Coveters. Maybe I needed to give them more than three songs... or maybe it just isn't my thing.

Goodnight, Austin.

xo

Critical Music

2010-05-17T13:32:00.009-04:00

*Critical Hang 2009

I have a new blog. Critical Music is the place to find out what music happenings are top notch (according to me.)

There is a calendar associated with the blog that will help keep track of it all. Everyone always says they want me to do this... but now that I am, make use, people!

Much love from Austin... then Arizona... then home to Somerville in July.

xo

1800 Mass Ave

2010-04-18T22:32:00.020-04:00

Friends know that I ended up in Cambridge because my beloved brother moved there from where we grew up; in the land of the saguaro. I was nineteen, and I have called the Boston area home until recently, at 32.

You also know that I am a lover/writer of poems. The one I am adding to this entry is appropriate to this blog since it is in praise of Mass Ave, though the sentiment predates a time where my passion was for the music you will find there.

This poem was written only a couple of months before I moved to Austin. Maybe it can be a little view into my head before I made the leap.
~

1800 Massachusetts Avenue (#23)

Mister Van Growling was a small bear of a man.
Who wore his steps on the sidewalks smooth
From the Starbucks store at Packard’s Corner
To his room overlooking Massachusetts Avenue
In Porter Square- where he read his poems aloud
While standing on a milk crate below ground in the Subway.
Van Growling did not hesitate departing our desert city home.
He would see me disappear from the car’s rear window-
As he escaped my body sank to the ground and wept him farewell.
I followed Growling to Cambridge where he would push me in to snow piles
All along the Avenue, with a sinister howl that was all too familiar.
I visited Van Growling at the building at 1800 Massachusetts Avenue,
Time and time again he would come down the steps
Wearing his brown Carhartt jacket and a smile for his sister.
Do not send mail, my brother, the elusive Van Growling no longer resides here.
I am standing across the way, raising my gaze to his window-
Struggling to keep my body from sinking to the ground, wishing he did still.
He sits atop a hill in Dolores Park; his smile is for San Francisco.
His sister is a New Englander, at least for now-
Tomorrow Massachusetts Avenue waits for us with just fallen snow.

Raise Your Voices

2010-04-09T11:16:00.013-04:00

hadestown: make plans to go

*photo by Paul Janovitz

I had his profile tattooed on the back of my right shoulder before leaving Boston for Austin... the least you can do is vote for the TIM GEARAN band in this poll:

Off the Avenue

2010-04-06T12:03:00.017-04:00

*photo by Jon Strymish

This one is coming to you from my new home in (south) Austin, Texas.

I sit here with a cup of some of the best coffee I have ever tasted and I am still surprised to be here and not in Camberville/Sombridge making plans to have margaritas with you tonight.

I have been out a few times in Austin, and so far I have found that the food and cocktails alone have justified the move. (!)

Now because you are dying to know... the live music here is fine. There are a lot of places to find it, and in just a tiny fraction of time, I have seen a handful of genius players at work.

I think anyone who treasures the musicians along Mass Ave like I do will agree that it is not just that it is a talented songwriter/player community. It is this along with who they are; people that if I were the weight of a sack of (red bliss) potatoes, I would run and jump into their arms when I see them. I would climb them like the oak trees that they are. (inspired by the famous words of Jess Tardy, "I'd like to climb him like a tree.") They are friends to love.

You never move to a new city and expect that you will find a replacement for everything you left behind. My psychotic loyalty is your assurance. I cannot imagine sinking down into the refuge of a place so beloved to me as the Lizard Lounge is, and seeing anything like a Dinty Child sitting among the SA setup, tuning up one of the dozen instruments they use up there.

In case I am unclear, I am happy and loving my new city. I am satisfied with having found a true love in the Cambridge music scene. There is not an equivalent to be discovered Anywhere on the planet, at least not for me. I did not move to Austin specifically to hear more/better/different music, I came here to discover more of me.

You who know me know this: my passion for what I love does not run out or stop functioning. I am in it. I will admit, and appear silly (because I am) and tell you that when I think about having cutoff my musical access to Tim Gearan and Duke Levine, I instantly plummet into stubborn, silent weeping. Rose P is not going to sit here and play her new song for me either, is she. So in the meantime, I just text Sean Staples. Because he oversees it all for me, and will undoubtedly text me back.

I need a warm-up for this Oaxaca blend coffee, and to get back to living in this fabulous new town I am in.

::n.a.s::

p.s.
Advice on making this happen is welcome:

"I was just thinking that you need live feed cameras at all the rooms in Sombridge so you can monitor all the musical happenings from your command central position. I picture a bank of monitors and speakers, with a continuous supply of margaritas. Of course you would want to pay the cover to these needy musicians, so you would have direct deposit to their accounts. We at least HAVE to get you a live feed of the Anais show next week (and Sub Rosa, and Kev, and Hayride, and, and, and.)" ~Dinty Child, Facebook

Oh Hear Us

2010-02-18T09:54:00.016-05:00

I have posted yet another video from the 2007 film project benefit at Club Passim.

This video is an incredibly gorgeous version of Jennifer Kimball 's, Eternal Father. Rose Polenzani lends her sweet voice to the mix, while Duke Levine stands heroically by, on electric.

The song is from Jennifer's last record, Oh Hear Us, released in 2006. The first verse comes from the hymn Eternal Father and the second from Our God Our Help in Ages Past.

I can't say how much I miss Jennifer and her music here around the Avenue. She and the family are due to return from Ireland in June. Until then we have a few YouTube videos to tide us over.

Eternal father strong to save
Whose arm does bind the restless wave
Who biddst the mighty ocean deep
Its own apointed limits keep
Oh hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea

Time, like an ever-rolling stream
Bears all its children soon away
To fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening of the day
Oh, hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril here with me

Oh let the darkness shine as light
Make endless nightime to be bright
When fear and sorrows all have passed
Then face to face well meet at last
Be still when tears are wiped from men
Whose eyes shall never weep again,
weep again, weep again.

Dark Eyes Shining Darkly

2010-01-21T12:41:00.011-05:00

Only a handful of songs have ever effected me like "Your Fonder Heart." When I first heard the song, my eyes welled, heart swelled, my head whirled and I lifted off the ground... like how a great song can make you soar.

Why? Though I never know the exact thing about art that shifts my being, I imagine that with this song it has a lot to do with glowing energy that enters the room when Anaïs plays it, the visually striking language she uses along with its moving sentiment, and her disarming delivery. I was captured by that rawness in her style of singing and playing from the second I saw her take the stage at a Club Passim Campfire festival.

When I first began taking the camera out to shows, I shot a lot of my favorite artists around town with no specific focus regarding the On and Off Mass Ave project. I have been having a ball uploading some of that footage and sharing with the people. Here are the lyrics to the song along with the video I shot at Club Passim at the CD release for The Brightness in 2007.

Your Fonder Heart

come out, come on, come outside
don’t you hide your handsome face from me
I want to see you half-lit in the half-light
laughing with the whites of your dark eyes
shining
darkly

way over yonder I’m waiting and wondering
wither your fonder heart lies

come out, the streets are breathing
heaving green to red to green
come with your nicotine and wine
tambourine keeping time
come and find me in the evening

way over yonder I’m waiting and wondering
wither your fonder heart lies
way over yonder I’m waiting and wondering
whether your fonder heart lies

come out, come inspired
you will not come to harm
if I cannot take you for a liar or a lover
I’ll take you for my brother in arms

way over yonder I’m waiting and wondering
wither you fonder heart lies
way over yonder I’m waiting and wondering
whether your fonder heart lies

Christmastime All Year

2009-12-21T14:33:00.010-05:00

My housemates really wanted a Christmas tree- but I repeatedly complained that I didn't, and added that I would be the only one at home for the Holidays this year.

My Christmas spirit has been snuffed, I am not going to lie. It seems we wait to experience magic on one day, to give to those we cherish, to sing of joy and thanks, then to overshadow religion with commercialism. I know, it can be a fun tradition.

I celebrate everyday- everything that I love is loved and enjoyed with all of my soul. I raise my glass, my spirits soar and it is the most wonderful time of the year every time.

The video below made me a little swoon-y, admittedly. So fine, Mary Flo, you can move your lovely little Christmas tree to the living room when you go home for Christmas.

Thanks to Rose, Rose, Laura, Matt and Jen
for making another thing for me to love.

Sean Staples: Joy Comes Back

2009-12-08T09:48:00.013-05:00

Friends of Sean Staples gathered to celebrate his 40th Birthday last night in Cambridge.

As we waited to surprise Sean at Atwood's, Matt Smith told me of a time where Sean played solo gigs in town, long before I would become so endeared to him, his voice and songs.

Dwelling on the opposite side of the Charles, I missed seeing Sean with the Vinal Avenue String Band, and when he played Jesus in Jesus Has Two Mommies. But it was not long after that I found one of my favorite local musicians in him.

It was among the chaos and delight that is Session Americana when I first noticed the glittery brilliance (that's right) that Sean exudes when he plays songs. He sings so quietly about love lost, as abruptly about cocaine- ridiculously in his element in a group of natural artists like Session.

I always hope that he knows the value of his existence in the community. All the stages I watch him perform on with his bands or while accompanying other songwriters, it would not be as great- we would not love it as hard without Sean.

Sean was one of the first people we interviewed for the OAOMA film project. He spent hours telling us about his history in the scene, and through him I have gained a wealth of knowledge about the people and places that make up my prized association- living among their songs and sounds. Invigorating and restful, live music is home... Sean Staples is a major piece of the puzzle.

As I looked around the bar at the Birthday celebration, I felt so grateful to be among Sean's family, band-mates and friends alike. With the help of Atwood's staff, the crowd rallied together for a reunion-style group photo. I watched everyone gathering around Sean and the world looked so beautiful right then.

A hard day, a hard month- but I am reminded how JOY COMES BACK.

Here is Paula Gearan's fuzzy iPhone video of Tim, Lou Ulrich, and Sean performing Sean's song, Joy Comes Back.

Happy Birthday, Sean!!!! (dec 5)

"If I Could Hit You"

2009-11-01T10:13:00.013-05:00

Hello, November.

I am sitting at the kitchen table at our house in Somerville... black coffee beside me, on the stereo Peter Mulvey is singing "Dynamite Bill." What a likable day.

Last night I uploaded two more videos to the film project YouTube channel. This one is Rose Polenzani singing her song, "If I Could Hit You," with Session Americana. The song is on the record she made with Session, WHEN THE RIVER MEETS THE SEA.

Also! Announcing Critical Hang 2010. Together with my friends Yukon and Colleen, I am planning the next big party. Brian Schwartz calls me a "community organizer," I like that.

And I love this:

"You Awaken My Highest Hopes"

2009-10-24T12:04:00.009-04:00

It is a rainy day in Boston, what better thing to do than watch these mesmerizing artists sing their sweet songs? This one is Rose Polenzani's "Highest Hopes."

The song was inspired by a trip Rose took to NYC with our fabulous friend Cindy Howes. Above is a photo of Cindy awakening our Highest Hopes at one of our famous family dinners last year.

Next is Meg Hutchinson performing her song "I'd Like To Know." I think this is going to tear you up, but in a good way... one of Meg's many talents.

Enjoy!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2009-10-23T08:58:00.007-04:00

The MAGNIFICENT tellers of my soul, Tim Gearan and Duke Levine.

"In Between the River and the Sea"

2009-10-22T16:47:00.008-04:00

Continuing my sincere celebration of the performers who took part in the film benefit we held at Club Passim just about two years, I give you this new video from our YouTube channel.

The evening of October 25th, 2007, was a spectacular concert of the stars of my live-music-loving eyes/ears. They just so happen to be incredibly generous as well, they all agreed to play this event without hesitation or compensation.

I have love letters and songs to sing for you all. (though the eventual completion of the project will have to be the only forthcoming evidence.)

In praise of you, my friends.

"You Could Do Alright For a Song"

2009-10-21T12:11:00.012-04:00

It is coming up on the anniversary of the benefit that Club Passim generously hosted for our film project. It will be two years on October 25! It is hard for me to believe that so much time has passed, yet I am grateful for all of the learning and experiences that I have gained in just that time.

Along with my friend Brian Schwartz, I filmed interviews with our friend Matt Smith, Manager of Club Passim, and beloved singer-songwriters, Jennifer Kimball and Sean Staples.

Lacking financial resources and free time, the project has been on the dreaded back burner for too long.

The good news is that during these past years, my LOVE of LOCAL, INDEPENDENT artists has only been nurtured a zillion times over by witnessing hundreds of live shows in our adored, musical neighborhood. A (very long) film exists in complete form in this head of mine. And if you are thinking that might not be sufficient, I agree.

My experiences have shaped my ideas a lot since we began filming, and so that means that there is still A LOT OF WORK to be done. More interviewing of course, but most importantly, I am dreaming of a session where I gather a few up-and-coming artists with some serious live music fans, to talk about this extraordinary community we are living in, ON FILM. A long table, a big circle, whatever. A few cameras, and a lot of admiration for all the guts that were spilled at places like Toad, the Burren, the Lizard Lounge, Atwood's, Club Passim... and so many other bars and listening rooms we have witnessed over the years.

Let's face it, some of our favorite musicians end up going out-of-pocket on gigs, or not getting paid, of getting paid $15 bucks for playing 4 hours of music. Some people earn a living at it, and some laugh at the idea of that ever happening- but most everyone is playing because of what they get out of playing music with their friends, their community. For fun.

The next videos I am posting to my channel are of two of my favorite musicians and people on the planet. Jennifer Kimball's work has been wowing the masses for a good long time. I will go and watch her perform any chance I get. I have said to many friends, no matter how sad a song it is, Jennifer Kimball cheers me up.

And if you know me, or read any previous posts on this blog, you will know how I feel about Tim Gearan. This video is Tim and Duke Levine performing one of my favorite of Tim's songs, "Little Hollywood." Enjoy!

Like a Miracle

2009-10-19T17:25:00.011-04:00

My incredibly gifted friend, Rose Polenzani, wrote a song in appreciation of her local music community. The song is "Like a Miracle," and the community she sings about is the very same one that you will see me praise everywhere this world will let me.

Rose has a rare ability to lock-in continuous moments of stupendous vocal glory and then pair it with moving, unanticipated lyrics. As a songwriter, these things alone make her great. She has an emotional voice- I mean, every word she sings seems like she is experiencing it that second, living it, telling you fresh out of the pit of her stomach. When artists that I love are doing what they love, and simply for that reason, I think it is easy to hear, see and feel that.

When I first had the idea to begin making a film that would celebrate Cambridge/Somerville musicians, it was watching Rose's performances that sealed the deal for me. I knew I wanted to document the pure joy and gratitude that I felt at being a witness to such an extraordinary group of artists. Rose is most often a common link among the musicians who make this area as notably brilliant as any other in the country to see live music.

The video I am putting up today is another from the benefit we had for our project. It is Rose performing Like a Miracle with several other local songwriters who are celebrated everywhere. Featuring Duke Levine, Dinty Child, Tim Gearan, Jennifer Kimball, Anne Heaton and Brian Webb.

If you are interested in the project I hope you will visit www.myspace.com/project952
or email me at folkfilmproject at gmail.com.

"Someone sings a song, it's a miracle."

A Little Tenderness

2009-10-05T12:43:00.014-04:00

Last night my little gang of usual conspirators were off somewhere else and I had no thoughts about who to rally for usual Sunday shenanigans. Our tradition is to meet at the Burren in Davis Square for the front room Americana session and a few pints of Guinness.

From the Burren I sometimes head over to Precinct for the Sea Monsters, but last night I wanted to see another band at the Highland Kitchen. So I found myself a free agent and absolutely confused about what directions my legs should go. There was a brilliant moon, and it said that I could not be at home. I am a great listener when I want to be.

I walked out of the house at quarter of eight to head down to the square. I passed a music store, where lingerers peered wantonly through the glass, then Johnny D's, where the sound of the blues jam made Holland Street a lively, lovely scene. Next up was a street musician pouring out his soul for people frolicking outside the ice cream store or sitting around in the square with friends.

I was kicking down the street joyfully, smiling. I love this town, and the songs I heard and the ones in my head... like "all I need is lovin' you and music, music, music..." and "we've come to the place where everything is music, everything is music, let it play."

I stepped into the Burren and heard the sound of my Sunday around me- the boys playing songs that I never tire of hearing, and seeing the faces that I expect to see surrounding them.

When it was over I knew these neighborhood friends would be heading to the Precinct, but I walked out unsure and solemnly aware that the night's events were more unclear than they'd ever been. So I started down Highland Avenue toward the Highland Kitchen, not so sure I would actually walk through the doors once I got there after twenty minutes of walking.

Every other moment I considered turning back and landing home. I stopped in front of the armory and thought how pretty it looked at night... lingered by the gates of the "Little Sisters of the Poor," a home for needy elderly... but I eventually continued on.

I did it, I walked in- and then my heart leapt at the sight of my friends Chris and Jenny. Chris has been away on tour for a long time, and having friends in the room after a weary walk was a godsend. Chris had been in a session with Laura Cortese at Hi-N-Dry earlier, so they all mosied to the HK afterward. Pure delight for me to see everybody there.

They went home after a drink, and I stayed it out. I'll wall-lean until the bitter end as my ears grab eagerly for the sound of Duke Levine on electric guitar. I am everyday more impressed at my own swooning abilities- nobody does it better.

I left. I walked a block or so in the direction of the square, then yes, I went back again. (it may have been the moon edging me on, the way it knew to do.) I stepped into the crowded side of the bar and asked for a glass of water, then I took up a conversation with a friendly writer sitting nearby... then after telling him that I could not decide whether or not go to the Precinct for the end of the Sea Monsters show... we were in his car, on our way there. He came in with me, then I lost him.

But I found everyone else that I had left back at the Burren, I heard some sweet music, and after another offer of a ride- I wound up with Ruth at the Tavern At the End of the World.

I am making my way foggily through this day, listening to Otis Redding. I am thinking that last night when I was weary, the universe showed me a little tenderness.

Thanks to all of you who are inside of the places that I will always want to go to. You are sure a tender bunch.

Walking Me Home

2009-09-29T17:08:00.008-04:00

*photo by Paul Janovitz

Friends are always asking me how I can stay out so late every night, because I have not asked myself, I always say something to the effect of, "I don't know."

Maybe part of it is that I believe that the second set is always better... and because the last song will be the part that comes to me in my dreams at night, and the moment of a night that lives among my nostalgic sentiments.

A few weeks ago I went to Toad on a Monday night. This has been part of my life for only a few years, where some people started the tradition fifteen years ago. But on this night, I had been there for many hours and was just exhausted- tearfully so. I walked out at the set break around midnight, and began my usual walk from Porter Square to Davis. I got halfway up Orchard Street, and without hesitation, I turned around and quickly walked back to Toad. The band was just finding their way back to the tiny stage, and I settled in again as if I had never left.

This is just one example of a time where I have started home and then returned to the music.

Last night I walked home from Toad around 2am with a couple of friends who lived near me. I felt calm and aware that I would be doing this particular walk from a Monday night Tim Gearan show, for the last time. As I walked the last stretch alone, all the memories flooded back to me. Snow storm nights, and rainy nights like last night- A heart full of love for Tim's songs, and a pure adrenaline rush from experiencing his band.

There is something invigorating about that walk. I am not a lonely woman walking home from a bar in the middle of the night on a Monday. I am someone who LIVES. I take it all in- the feeling is unmatchable, and irreplaceable. Along the way home at night, the streets are pretty quiet, and all the places where I watch people scramble from in the daylight are left unmoving and in waiting. In that quiet the horns from the Tim Gearan Band stretch out of the dark, the rain beats in time, in the distance the car wheels pass over rough terain, and that is Timmy's voice. The music is always playing, it is always mine.

So it really isn't gone is it... so why are my eyes full of tears?

Monday night, I could never forget you.

You Can Help

2009-09-09T13:12:00.008-04:00

If you are a part of the Cambridge or Somerville music/film community or if you just love it, YOU CAN HELP US BRING THIS DOCUMENTARY TO THE PUBLIC.

In the next weeks I will be putting up footage of the Incredible artists who generously donated their talent to our benefit at Club Passim nearly 2 years ago. If you enjoy these awesome artists and their songs, consider giving to the cause!

You can either make a donation, or give your time and energy. We need talented film editors and much more. Email me at folkfilmproject@gmail.com to find out what you might do.

Donors write and send checks to DER, with our names or the project name in the memo line. (On And Off Of Mass Ave) Make sure you include your address so they can send an acknowledgment letter.

Cynthia Close
Executive Director
Documentary Educational Resources
101 Morse Street
Watertown MA 02472
www.der.org

Thanks again to everyone who attended our event, or who participated as an artist. We love you all and that is why this film should see the light of day.

The first video is of our friend Chris O'brien. Antje Duvekot sings, and Lyle Brewer plays electric guitar.

Meghan Says...

2009-09-04T14:49:00.012-04:00

Meghan says that "it is the end of an era around here."

It was a just a few months ago that I wrote how beloved the Tim Gearan Band is to the local fan community, and how there is no place like Monday night at Toad. Will we ever know such an epic residency like this again? (The band will be playing at Atwood's going forward... good news if you were not attached to the Friday night version of Tim's band.)

In the remaining weeks look for me at Toad as I record memories from the regulars that helped to create the energy and magic over the years. This piece will be available to view at the Deli Magazine website, probably at the end of September.

In other News...

This weekend is the incredible Club Passim Campfire Festival in Harvard Square. Tickets are offered at a lower price this year, so if you're around, it's well worth the $10. I will be there all weekend, either at the merch table or enjoying the music.

AND

I have made a little fan page for The Giant Kings on Facebook, please join. Check out this fabulously fun band twice this month at the Lizard Lounge! I have started a poem about them- that's how cool I think they are. (Duke Levine, Kevin Barry, Chris Cote... COME ON) Maybe I will post it here when I am done.

:kiss kiss:
*Check out this blog for more photos by David Griffin.

Mia Dyson: Through This Town

2009-07-23T11:51:00.007-04:00

Check out my little article about fab Australian songstress, Mia Dyson over at Not Your Average Folk.

Best Birthday Ever

2009-07-17T13:15:00.006-04:00

Nobody could have ever made me believe that I would grow to be this lucky, this... loved. I am certain that I have the greatest family of friends imaginable.

A month ago I envisioned myself going to hear live music on my birthday, not too long after that there was an entire show of my favorite local musicians playing a show at a truly great bar in honor of it.

Susan Scotti is the force behind this highly anticipated (at least by me) event happening on July 28th at Atwood's Tavern in Cambridge. Susan is a diamond.

Here is the place to RSVP and get more info. The music is for everyone, so I hope that you will come.

Peter.

2009-05-22T15:45:00.020-04:00

Peter Mulvey tells some of my favorite stories. Many he will sing, and others he will simply state- whatever way he chooses, you will surely laugh, and you will go away with something greatly bizarre or hysterical to tell your friends.

This is my blog, so I am allowed to gush. I LOVE PETER, Peter's songs, deep voice, and way of being. If you see a live Peter Mulvey show, and you have even a little bit of passion in you, he will take your world and turn it upside down. One Mulvey-loving friend has fantasized about him reading the Yellow Pages aloud to her, and another has a tattoo of his likeness on her arm.

Here is a man who impresses to astonishment, yet can't help but promote his artist friends more than he has ever promoted himself. He doesn't stop at that, he will endear you to places you have never seen, and perhaps never will. Peter reveals it all through his own experience, and that experience always seems touched with the magical.

He is no secret in this life, and I have no special news to share.

It is just Peter.

Border Nights

2009-05-04T17:27:00.012-04:00

Going to see favorite musicians at Club Passim is one of the best things about living in the Boston area.

Ten years ago, after dinner at the Border Cafe, I walked past the window of the club and saw a stage and a roomful of audience. The restaurant is across the alley from Passim. It did not take me long to find my way through the doors and into the world of live acoustic music. Now I am at the Border a few nights a week after shows (and usually after helping stack chairs). The Border is among my home sweet homes.

I could not begin the count the times where I have taken refuge here on long Campfire festival days... the people I have met, the stories, the insane laughter, and OH, that glorious country music that always reminds me of my childhood home of Tucson, Arizona. If you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band... or any number of Dixie Chicks songs.

This post is a note of affection for my favorite local margarita haven. When I am there, I am with my beloved pals from the world of Passim... I currently recommend the Patron margarita.

Hello Spring

2009-04-14T13:16:00.004-04:00

I have been looking at everything around me in great detail lately. I imagine that is partly because I carry my camera around with me all the time, and partly because everything is suddenly more lit up, the way spring will.

Last night at Toad, the guy sitting next to me at the bar wanted to know what I was writing about it my notepad. I told him that I was taking notes for an article, and though I had been moments before, at that time I was writing about an old obsession I had with a musician in the room.

He said he had a lot of ideas, and was creative, but that he could not write well. I asked him how he knew that. He looked surprised, but I think I saw something in his eyes, a little bit of untapped talent, perhaps. Everyone's story is worth something, maybe I will get to read his someday.

You say Potato, I say Cayamo

2009-03-18T03:08:00.042-04:00

Before Cayamo, if asked to go on a cruise- actually live on a boat for a week, no would be my simple response. Only for the love of Patty Griffin did I jump at the chance to go out to sea, facing the worst of my childhood imaginings.

Some of my male cousins have tattoos of the praying-hands of Jesus, or rose covered crucifixes- I have a little kite tattoo on the back of my neck. The kite represents a song of Patty's, from her record, Impossible Dream. (My grandma loved the Virgin Mary, my mom loved Elvis- like them, I am lovingly devout.)

Cayamo is an event put on by Sixthman. I like what it says on their website about their goal, Our mission is to connect passionate music lovers with the artists and bands they love as well as the ones they have yet to discover. Our goal is to break down walls between our artists, fans, and partners to invent unique experiences that cater to our community's infinite affinities.

Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin were among other headliners returning to Cayamo after the 2008 debut. Having seen countless killer shows, and having visited several beautiful beaches last year, I could find no reason not to return to do it again. I was joined by some of music-loving friends, and it did not get old to spend day after day watching great musicians perform their songs. (and getting to order every single desert off the dinner menu every night)

I did not discover any new artists, but I did get to see Darrell Scott for the first time. I had heard good things, and I knew I was very late to the table when it came to hearing his work. From what I understand, Darrell was a choice of Buddy Miller's for Cayamo- though Buddy himself did not make it on the boat due to a recent medical setback. I only heard a few songs from Scott in-between attending other shows going on at the same time, but I am definitely going to try to see him when he gets back to the Boston area again. (also, if we get Buddy and Darrell on Cayamo 2010, that would be grand.)

It seems among my companions, Kathleen Edwards was a favorite. I am a fan from years back, but getting to see her do 3 shows in a week, is still a thrill. It may just be how I am when I like something, but I like her songs so much, that every time she plays, it is like hearing her for the first time. I imagine that even very talented artists can find it difficult to set themselves apart from their contemporaries, a girl with a guitar is not a rare creature. She has a distinctive voice, and to-the-point lyrics. Kathleen is the best at rocking out, while still getting hold of you in an intimate way. Yeah, special. When we heard that Kathleen was coming on Cayamo, I asked my friend Gilly, what are they going to do next, give us all a million dollars?

Probably the best thing about a vacation like this, is seeing how many people there are who listen to songwriters, and not just pop music icons. The kind of fans who clap for banjo solos, who listen intently to the quietest songs. Fans who know the release dates of a dozen new albums- and who read all the liner notes. We stand together in lines as if there were a new Star Wars movie coming out. The wait is part of the song.

Barns and Pastures

2009-03-13T15:27:00.025-04:00

As if the individual players in these musical collaborations were not cool enough, you can also marvel at the creativity that goes into what I have heard from them lately. I like Barn Star and Pastures of Plenty.

As I have said before, Zack Hickman is a master at bringing new sounds to old ones, and using the brilliance that already exists here among us in the Boston music scene, to do it.

Put Mark Erelli on stage in a suit, and immediately start fanning yourself- the man's voice alone, could make a proud man cry. If you get a chance to see Mark and Zack together, I think, DO. (not difficult these days, since Zack played on and produced Mark's latest record, the two have played together frequently.) I am a fan of the two men, and I hope for another chance to see them with the rest of this incarnation of Barn Star, Taylor Armerding and Charlie Rose, soon.

The show was at Toad, the house was full, and all of it embodied what I cherish about local music- seeing the musician and fan community rally for the love of song.

Alastair Moock has been putting his Pastures hootenanny together for nearly ten years. This time the gig was at Club Passim. (and on the night before the folk venue started serving wine and beer for the first time in fifty years! This alone makes for a memorable night.)

The audience had the pleasure of hearing and seeing Sarah Borges, Sean Staples, Laura Cortese, Nic Gareiss, Michael Dinallo and Paul Kochanski in action- with Pastures, the lineup is always this good. Moock's site reads, "the list of guests over the years reads like a who's who of New England folk and roots musicians." Some past players include Lori McKenna, Kris Delmhorst, Meg Hutchinson, and Tim Gearan... *swoons*

I am going to talk about Sean Staples, since that is what I tend to do... in general. Staples is, of course, "a prominent member of the Boston area roots music scene," as it says in his bio on the Session Americana website, but alongside prominent, should be beloved. (and not just to me, though I am likely near the top of the list of his biggest fans.) It is not just his smooth, lonesome sounding voice, or his killer mandolin solos, but the man has a presence that is sweetly missed when not among the players at his regular gigs.

At the Pastures show, Sean did a song that he heard a line cook do in Ireland. I want to thank Alastair for making it possible to hear it, and for giving me a sweet peck on the cheek, without even knowing how much I love to be kissed hello.

Bon Voyage, Darling

2009-02-02T15:21:00.008-05:00

Our much adored friend Darlington has chased a dream to London, England. We miss her everyday, and await a joyous reunion.

I met D at Club Passim, where she was working when Cindy Howes and I drank too much Charles Shaw white wine at the Passim Christmas auction. But Ah, that Darlington she is a lovely sight to behold. (sober or not)

This video was captured at my apartment in Somerville, in Rose's little office. Friends gathered to say goodbye to Darlington... while she apparently had not a clue that this montage was being created in her honor.

She wore a smashing outfit that consisted of a delicate bit of lingerie with coordinating accessories.

xoxo

You Had To Be There

2009-01-28T16:28:00.026-05:00

I have missed maybe two nights of Session Americana's ongoing Lizard Lounge residency, in the last couple of years.

SA is: Billy Beard on drums, Jon Bistline on (mostly) bass, Jim Fitting on harmonica, Sean Staples on (mostly) mandolin, Ry Cavanaugh on (mostly) guitar, and Dinty Child on (mostly) any old thing. They all sing. (loyal, adoring shout-out to former bass player, Kimon Kirk.)

The band is described on their website as, "a suitcase drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: this format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all-star cast of characters seated around the table."

If only these words painted the scene in the slightest- if only mine could. That is how you feel when you come the Lizard on a Tuesday night for the first time, when you go to tell someone about the show, but there is no way of telling. That is why, with Session Americana, you had to be there.

There are musical fiascos, inappropriate inside jokes, curious covers, and more beer replenishment than you will ever see on one little table, ever. You can do anything you want, just don't talk/laugh loudly during the quiet songs. (if you are anywhere close to me, don't make noise during ANY song) The band (mostly Ry) does not invite it, and will give you a good talking to.

Thankfully they don't play year-round, it helps to keep my record in-tact. The earth pulls me there even when I am sure I am taking time away... the earth, or my heart. The Session players know how to make you sing out joyfully and still break your heart. Brokenhearted is on my list of to-do, this and every Tuesday night in Cambridge.

Session Americana

Anne, Antje, and One Longfellow Square

2008-11-30T03:05:00.011-05:00

Even after my throat started aching from the laughter and chatter, I kept right on going. I am now safely home at 2am.

Tonight I went to Portland, Maine for a concert at One Longfellow Square. I joined my friends, Ellen, Anne, Frank, and Antje for a gig. It was a tight fit in Antje's car with just the necessary instruments, though I am grateful that we made the occasion festive by traveling together.

Running an hour late for sound check, we eventually arrived to Portland in great spirits. I felt the beginnings of what might turn into some much needed holiday cheer. The venue was well above average in the singer-songwriter scheme of things, I would say. We pulled up in front to unload, and saw posters from previous bills, along with an impressive blown-up one of Antje. (I was quite happy that Sam Amidon was among the posters, he is a current favorite among us at 952.) The outside trees were lighted turquoise, and decorated with spheres in white. I have a fondness for great lighting, and it only got better once inside the building. It was an active yet calming environment. There were candles lit, unique light fixtures, and flowing drapes throughout the space. It made for some lovely photos.

We set up the merch while the very kind staff at One Longfellow showed us the menus for the Thai restaurant across the street. I enjoyed some scrumptious drunken noodles with shrimp and a beer, as Anne took the stage for her set. She did an awesome (unplanned) version of her song, Underdog, that seemed to delight the already praise-worthy audience. At the intermission a handsome, perhaps too-young man, walked right up to her and said, "I think I am in love with you," in a serious tone that I was slightly unnearved by. You might call it sweet.

Antje's set was very satisfying, it had been a while since I had seen her play. I can earnestly say that I expect her upcoming release to be among the best of 2009. I have a feeling that her choice of Richard Shindell as producer is right-on for the new songs. In-love looks ridiculously good on Antje- and sounds great to the ears.

The audience cleared out and our tired pack lounged about the venue for a while. Frank and Ellen entertained with some amazing/hilarious Jewish-New Yoker accents. When Ellen gets to being silly, that is my favorite time. The ride home became such the drowsy laugh-in, I could not even mind taking the last shift as driver... (I am pretty sure this whole entry is going to need a rewrite!)

ON AND OFF OF MASS AVE: the film

2008-11-28T10:38:00.029-05:00

Years ago, while attending Vermont College, I began writing about favorite songwriters. This was my effort to keep focused on school when my heart and free time were so clearly devoted to experiencing local music.

Sitting at Toad one night, I looked around me and I knew there needed to be a preservation of the music community that I was so attached to. So much had already come and gone, and I had missed a lot of it. Still, I drew on the unending magic of the Somerville/Cambridge songwriter scene, I visualized capturing it in a way that documented a little of what had been, and what is living and thriving here today. That is how (along with my roommate, Brian Schwartz) I came to shoot tape after tape of video footage, and why people are still eagerly awaiting this film... we all want to capture our beloved corner of paradise.

It is the way you might fall for anything- one minute you are encountering someone or something, and next you are all swoons and devotion. I got to know local music as it lent itself to me. I connected the dots, then after putting myself in front of every dinky stage around, I discovered a community of artists who generously give their talent to one another, night after night, song after song. Many of them have been playing music together for decades, others are just discovering each other's music. To be able to take part in this as an audience, and often times a friend, is something I will never take for granted.

In fact, most of the recorded music I listen to from day to day is by local musicians- I own a lot of music that is great and that I love, only, nine out of ten times I simply put on the music of people who play around me. I could listen to Timmy Gearan any night of the week, and there's a good chance that if Sean Staples, Jimmy Ryan, or Duke Levine are out playing somewhere, I will want to be there. Same goes for the glorious ladies, whose voices can stop any fool in their tracks. It might be Lori McKenna, playing a half-secret show, or the magnificent Jennifer Kimball, lending back vocals that will make you shake your head in wonder- I am always shaking my head in wonder it seems...

*photo credit, Jon Strymish

Brief

2008-11-22T10:28:00.018-05:00

There are usually fresh flowers at our apartment in Somerville, we have Jess to thank for that. Most of the time we leave them in a vase long beyond their moment of glory- like the ones sitting in front of me at this very second... wounded, deep purple, and yellow centered. They continue to die with rugged elegance.

Returning from the grocery store is Brian, (home from Obama-working in Iowa! and now unemployed.) tosses the latest issue of Vanity Fair on the table- it has a delectable photo of Kate Winslet on the cover, and promises that she will "bare all." He rips pieces of sourdough off a fresh loaf of Iggy's, and he shows me, with delighted, raised eyebrows, a brick of Presidente brie cheese...

Brian's bread, Jess's campanella flowers- (and Rose's ukulele songs, though away for the weekend) There has been so much shared food and shared life here, I can hardly ever feel sad.
~

Music = Life

2008-11-21T13:47:00.058-05:00

Some time a ago, I caught something- it was bad. Always a music lover, it was inevitable that my condition would either sustain itself or grow uncontrollably. My natural obsessive nature made it very likely that this mostly healthy sickness would be at the center of my current existence.

That is where I find myself today, at 31- In absolute love with local music, out five nights a week, at least, purely devoted. When not out seeing Tim Gearan at Toad, Atwood's, or the Burren... if not at the Lizard Lounge for Session Americana... I am privileged to be seeing my favorite musicians and musician friends play at Club Passim and other venues around town.

Of all the sprouting incarnations in town, I must say my favorite is definitely Sub Rosa, a "secret society of friends and strangers" at the Lizard Lounge. Hosted by the deliciously talented Rose Polenzani, Sub Rosa is an ever-changing musical performance of originals and covers by Rose's community of songwriters and players, with one guest stranger chosen to play a couple of songs and be interviewed by Rose. One of the things I love most about Sub Rosa, is that there is very little, if any, rehearsing. When there is magic, and there often is, it is real and it is unforgettable. (here is a video from youtube, for your enjoyment.)

Speaking of the songwriter community and of musician friends, last night I went to see Chris O'Brien at Atwood's. Chris is currently at work on his second record, after much success surrounding his first full release, Lighthouse, in 2007. Chris was a Finalist on "A Prairie Home Companion" for the People In Their Twenties Talent Contest, and was the 2007 New Artist of the Year on WUMB.

I was really loving Chris last night, though he is already a high-energy performer, he came into himself even more with the cast of players who accompanied him on stage. If you have ever seen Josh Ritter with his band, you will probably remember the mustached bass player, Zack Hickman. This man has unstoppable momentum, and a sharp, elegant style made all his own- and well, he is ridiculously awesome at everything he does. Also playing, newer to Josh's band, guitarist, Austin Nevins. Austin is among my most beloved local players and he's someone you just want to be around for his humor and for his very essence. These two have a dynamic onstage chemistry that makes for an always impressive sound. Charlie Rose played banjo, and Mike Piehl was on drums- you could not go wrong. It was a blast.

At home in Somerville

2008-11-18T15:23:00.013-05:00

In the late nineties I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. A humble brunette from the desert city of Tucson, Arizona... I was traumatized by the brilliantly-preppy reality that were the Harvard University students walking past my Mass Ave window in alien discussion.

In my never-swam-in-the-sea mind, I saw my retail-bound future as tragic, yet somehow I felt hopeful and inspired living among the chic New English... girls with painfully-short nails, and academically-handsome guys who rowed and played chess daily.

I stayed long enough to feel inadequate, but eventually made home in a half dozen other Boston neighborhoods. I found a diverse refuge in Jamaica Plain, a narrow-halled, mothball-smelling paradise in the Fenway, and even lived with a female construction worker in a South End brownstone. She collected toy novelties... ever see a cardboard, life-sized Shirley Temple in a window that overlooked Columbas Avenue? That's the place.

Today I live in what we lovingly call "952." Davis Square, Somerville.