Preview: The 2010-2011 Season
October 9, 2010
Cheryl Wheeler
Cheryl Wheeler has to be seen to be appreciated. Nothing you read and nothing you hear
from her album prepares you for how good a performer she is.
From her albums you can tell that she is a gifted songwriter with a beautiful voice.
From other people's comments about her you can learn that she is a natural story teller
with a fantastic sense of humor. But until you see her in person, you never really believe
what you've been told about her. Besides, almost half of the songs she does
during her shows haven't been recorded!
More at...
www.cherylwheeler.com
November 13, 2010
The Kennedys
The folk-rocking husband/wife team of Pete and Maura Kennedy have created a cohesive,
often infectious and sometimes poignant song cycle inspired by dreams: the dreams that
come in the night, and dreams of a better world. (5 stars)
–
Mike Regenstreif, Montreal Gazette
More at...
www.kennedysmusic.com
December 11, 2010
Phil Ochs Night
The songs of Phil Ochs and songs by those inspired by him.
To keep his music alive, and to recognize
contemporary musicians who perform their own songs with the same spirit that motivated Phil Ochs,
his sister Sonny began organizing "Phil Ochs Song Nights" in 1983.
Featuring...
John Flynn
www.johnflynn.net
Joe Jencks
www.joejencks.com
Magpie
www.magpiemusic.com
Nancy Tucker
www.nancytucker
Pat Wiktor
patwictor.com
January 8, 2011
Guy Davis
With each new release, the clothes of an old bluesman
fit Guy Davis more and more comfortably. By now the
blues are completely a part of who he is…. Perhaps the
best thing about Davis is that he never tries to be
something he's not; there's no fake Southern accent.
–
Barnes & Noble / All Music Guide
More at...
www.guydavis.com
February 12, 2011
Tom Chapin
The younger brother of the late Harry Chapin, singer/songwriter Tom Chapin carried on his
sibling's legacy, becoming a popular children's entertainer. The son of jazz drummer Jim Chapin,
he was born in New York City in 1945; he and his brothers performed music together regularly
during their adolescence, later earning acclaim on the Greenwich Village club circuit.
In 1979, he released Mother Earth, the first of his many children's recordings; in the years
to follow, Chapin moved back and forth between music
for adults and kids, and for five years also hosted the children's TV series Make a Wish.
–
Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
More at...
www.myspace.com/tomchapin
March 12, 2011
Seamus Kennedy
A friend once told me that if you look up the "world's funniest man" in the dictionary, they
have a picture of Seamus Kennedy!
Well that may be true but there's more then humor to a Seamus Kennedy show.
There is a deep respect for heritage and culture, even when it is often delivered through irreverent
humor. His stories and his songs all have an underlying thread of love and respect for Irish and
American culture and for life's lessons. That underlying thread and his "honed to perfection" music
and humor skills have made Seamus Kennedy a maestro among Irish troubadours.
–
Jed Marum, The Ceili
More at...
mcnote.com/seamus/
April 9, 2011 (double bill)
Priscilla Herdman with guitarist Max Cohen
Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen
Priscilla Herdman made a stunning debut with The Water Lily (1977). Through all her varied
recordings over the years she
has established herself as an insightful songfinder and a singer of uncommon
range, depth and clarity. The combination of her beautiful voice and careful
choice of meaningful songs make her a uniquely powerful performer.
More at...
www.priscillaherdman.com
Steve Gillette has penned tunes for Garth Brooks, Linda Ronstadt and
Jiminy Cricket and it's easy to hear why these disparate artists look his way. His sense of love is
immensely personal, engagingly familial, and sweetly generational.
- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post
Cindy Mangsen combines a magnificent smoky voice with pure intelligence - in choosing
songs, in writing songs, and understanding what she sings.
- Rich Warren, Sing Out Magazine
More at...
www.compassrosemusic.com/
May 14, 2011
John McCutcheon
His songs sing of the nation’s heritage. His words channel the conscience of our people into streams of
poetry and melody. He writes about subjects small and great, from a child’s haircut to freedom and
human dignity – issues equally eternal and enduring.
Think of McCutcheon as an incarnation of
Pete Seeger and Mr. Rogers, Will Rogers and Bruce Springsteen, and above all Everyman, righteously
passionate and impishly playful, blessed with gifts as a songwriter, historian, musician and
storyteller that have won him praise in Australia as “the most overwhelming folk performer in the
English language,” from a Russian critic as “the most versatile and compelling performer this
reviewer has ever seen,” and from Johnny Cash as “the most impressive
instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.
More at...
www.folkmusic.com