tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24594448748104876442023-11-15T06:53:44.889-08:00The Scene--Music and Events in The Chippewa ValleyJenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-217983945838396882015-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:002015-05-16T13:26:07.970-07:00Music Heals<style>
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“Hello.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My name is
Jennifer and I’m a recovering drug addict and alcoholic.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve been clean and sober for 24 years but my sobriety
doesn’t erase my past or change that essential part of who I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it’s a guiding principle in my life
and has affected the majority of my decisions. </div>
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You might be wondering, after reading these first four
sentences, what in tarnation this has to do with music in the Chippewa
Valley?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I beg your indulgence and ask
that you continue to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This blog is
important to me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the decisions I made in recovery from addiction and
after my release from prison was my choice of professions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a licensed mental health therapist
specializing in addictions. Most people know
me as “Jennifer Hazen,” a name I originally took on Facebook to avoid “dual
relationships” with my clients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The name
Jennifer Hazen took on a life of its own and now I accept it as much as I do my
legal name.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So let me start this blog again:</div>
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“Hello.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My name is
Jennifer Coyne and I’m a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. I also sing in
some bands and I’m writing to ask you for your help.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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I work at a small, community-based, non-profit counseling
center in Menomonie, Wisconsin called <a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a> is known, primarily, for its residential
drug treatment center but we also offer outpatient mental health services, and we are
moving into an integrated model treating both addictions and mental health in
our residential program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a> sits on the corner of 21<sup>st</sup> Street and
3<sup>rd</sup> Avenue, behind Mayo/Red Cedar Hospital. It’s been there for over
35 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an old house and tens of
thousands of addicts and alcoholics have walked through its doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Run-down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The linoleum is
battered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are white trails in the
carpeting marking foot-traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has 5
bathrooms for 16 residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
stifling hot in the summer and in the winter, in some areas of the house, you
can see your breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been
attempts at renovation, but in reality the building is just tired and, frankly,
is limited in size relative to need.</div>
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I started my career at <a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor</a> and worked there for almost 6
years until moving forward in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
November of 2013 I got a call from the director, Jill Gamez, offering me a
job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all honesty, I had no intention
of accepting the offer, but I thought I’d meet with her and hear her out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I got there she showed me the plans for
a new building. I was riveted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like my
clients, I’d spent my career in battered, tired offices with faded carpet and
stained industrial furniture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea
of working in an aesthetically pleasing environment was a new concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And providing our clients a place equipped
with luxuries like bathrooms, temperature-controlled rooms, an exercise room,
an art room, a garden and comfortable furniture was revolutionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And doing this all while doubling our
capacity and keeping the costs of treatment affordable is unheard of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, Arbor Place is the area’s most
inexpensive treatment center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me
give you an example: Hazelden, an illustrious treatment center in Minnesota, is
approximately $28,000 for a 28-day stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Closer to home the costs range from $10,000 to $17,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arbor Place is approximately $6000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Jill’s vision is to keep our costs
affordable, despite the new building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
accepted the job and started back at Arbor in January of 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see I, too, have a vision for our new
center: The infusion of music into treatment.</div>
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I avoided music for almost 13 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d decided music was a “trigger.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believed that music brought flashbacks of
my drug-using.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That changed one
day when, in my undergraduate program, after a long day of work my then
13-year-old-son, Toby, invited me into his room to listen to some music.
Frankly, I didn’t want to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
tired. I had no interest in his teeny-bopper music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, wanting to be a good mother and be
involved in his enthusiasms, I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
played me Big N Rich and System Of A Down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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I was electrified. </div>
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In that moment I understood it wasn’t all music that evoked
memories of my drug-using past, just certain songs and genres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dove into music, saddened by its absence
from my life and desperate to make up for lost time.</div>
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I believe music is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is important for our quality of life and
important for the quality of our mental health. It walks as partner with us
through our fears, joys, heartaches and triumphs, echoing, reflecting and
comforting us in our life’s journey. It alters our perspective, lifts us up in
times of need and, quite literally, changes the way our synapses fire. Music is
valuable and must be a psychological need, since we’ve been making music since
the dawn of time.</div>
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Unfortunately, too many musicians succumb to the myth of
“sex and drugs and rock and roll” as a path to creativity and happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we lose talented musicians all the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not just talking about Jimmy
Morrison or Amy Winehouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m talking
about people close to home, close to our families and to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of them are out there as I write,
slowing killing themselves with their sweet, deadly poison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know who they are. We see them. We regretfully shake our heads. Perhaps we’ll turn
to our friend saying something like, “S/he’s got so much talent, too bad….”</div>
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Many people come to treatment with nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No money, no clothes, nowhere to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve burned their bridges and have no one
to turn to for support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve pawned
their TVs, their phones, their microwaves and their guitars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want <a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a> to be prepared for
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly many will—and do—come to
<a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor</a> with their instruments, but I want one of the intake questions to be, “Do
you play an instrument?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, you are
welcome to bring it in and if you don’t have one, we’ve got one you can use.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve already developed my own music therapy group, now used
at two area treatment centers, but I want more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want to make our new <a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a> the place our local musicians can go
when they’ve had too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they
wake up and say, “I can’t do this anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s killing me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to stop.”
I want them to know that <a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a> is where they can come to get clean and
sober and reacquaint themselves with their craft--their passion--without drugs
and alcohol.</div>
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.</div>
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As an addict I did terrible things and went to
terrible places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand how
addiction steals our very essence: it steals our morals, our integrity, our passion, our creativity, our
honesty—it steals everything that is good, right and real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, as a recovering addict, I know that
there’s always hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can restore and
remake ourselves in recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know,
because I did it and I’ve seen countless others who have also done it.</div>
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Now here’s where I’m busting myself out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fronting myself off. I’ve worked hard at
keeping my professional life separate from my private life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boundaries have been blurring over the
past year and that’s OK, because I’m merging Jennifer Hazen and Jennifer Coyne,
starting with this blog, in the interest of my passions: Music and helping
people recovering from addiction. </div>
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And here’s where you come in:</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve initiated a <a href="http://gofundme.com/u7hqs8">GoFundMe </a>Campaign to buy musical equipment
for the new building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like a PA
system, microphones, amps, a bass, guitars—electric and acoustic--drums and
other percussion instruments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to
start daily drum circles and weekly recovery jams (read about the efficacy of drum circles in recovery ><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447805/">here</a><).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to, eventually, have some basic
recording equipment and, perhaps in years to come, put out some <a href="http://www.arborplaceinc.com/">Arbor Place</a>
recovery CDs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want music available to
all our clients in whatever form suits them best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal is $6000 by July 11<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will also be accepting donations of
musical equipment and MP3 players, all of which will stay in-house, for use by
current clients.</div>
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July 11<sup>th</sup> is the date of our grand opening celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is open to everyone and there will be live
music from noon to 5:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/EclecticBarnBoys?fref=ts">The Eclectic Barn Boys</a> with Randy Sinz, Gregg Wheeler and
Johnny Lynch will be playing from 12-1:30</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-and-the-Lost-Boys/301732003361478?fref=ts">Jenny and the Lost Boys</a> with Jennifer Hazen, Jim Phillips,
David Jones and John LeBrun will be playing from 1:30-3:00 </div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JennyandtheJetsLiveBandKaraoke?fref=ts">Jenny and the Jets</a> will host an open jam for anyone who
wants to get up on stage from 3:00-5:00.</div>
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And there's a rumor that local singer-songwriter, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yata.peinovich?fref=ts">Yata</a>, will make a special appearance. </div>
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Please donate money to my cause by clicking <a href="http://gofundme.com/u7hqs8">>here<</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a good cause and your money—and your
trust—will be used wisely and to an honorable purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to donate equipment you can email
me at <a href="mailto:jentoblues101@gmail.com">jentoblues101@gmail.com</a> and
I can arrange pick up times.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And please, please, please come to our opening celebration
on July 11<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be posting
more about it on this blog and on Facebook.</div>
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Thank you so much for reading.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Jennifer Hazen Coyne.<br />
<br />
You can read more about the power of music to help heal addiction:<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-22352918">Healing Power Of Music--BBC</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1718831/listening-music-releases-same-brain-chemicals-food-drugs-sex">Music As Drug</a><br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/01/16/169551061/who-needs-drugs-when-you-ve-got-musical-ecstasy">Who Needs Drugs When You've Got Music? NPR</a></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-8434660526998484872014-05-10T22:43:00.000-07:002014-05-11T14:18:09.982-07:00The Sue Orfield Show<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e3649492-e9bd-9f7d-68d6-c0da70e1f96d" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-sue-orfield-band.html">written</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">written</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/acoustihoo.html">written</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">written</a> <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a>. I’m writing her again and will most definitely write her in the future. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many
musicians have a “day job.” They need one, because making a living
playing music is hard, unpredictable and often grueling. Talent in
itself isn’t sufficient. There’s tons and tons of talented, brilliant
musicians and artists in this world and while some will rise to the
public consciousness through pure luck, most will remain unrecognized
and unappreciated. Partly because they don’t or won’t put in the hard
work. This is not Sue. Not only is <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a> talented and prolific,
but she’s the hardest working musician I know. And she’s the best. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sue
is a smart woman. Sue is flexible. Sue is responsible. She’s
punctual, grounded, assertive and a quick learner. Sue could be
successful in a variety of venues. She could settle down, work her 9-5
and collect a paycheck, living contentedly with Randy, getting a solid 8
hours of sleep. But she chooses to chase her passion: Music. And we’re
darned fortunate, because we’re reaping the benefits of her hard work.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Her
most recent project takes us to the next level. The project is the
brainchild of Donna Berry the Development Director of <a href="http://www.cvctv.org/">Chippewa Valley Community Television </a>(CVCTV). Donna, like me, is a fan of the local
music scene. Donna not only recognized Sue’s talent, but also all those
other qualities needed to make a great idea solid. She teamed up with Production Manager Aaron Rigby, Rick and Maryann Wold of <a href="http://studio-one.us/">Studio One Teleproductions</a> and Alex Kolb of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EauClaireSteadi">Eau Claire Steadi</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesostv">The Sue Orfield Show</a> was born.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesostv">The Sue Orfield Show</a> airs on <a href="http://www.cvctv.org/">Chippewa Valley Community Television</a> on
Saturday nights at 8:00 PM on cable channels 993 and 994 or via digital
tuner 93-13 and 98-14. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The show repeats at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2055104891" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">8:00 pm Thursday</span></span>
on 993, It streams live at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2055104892" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">8:00 pm Saturday</span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and if that’s all too confusing for you (it
certainly is for me) or if you miss a show never fear, you can catch it
anytime on your computer. Just go <a href="http://www.cvctv.org/video/">here</a>. A new episode will air the first Saturday of the month. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m
really hoping you’ve already heard about the show, but if you haven’t,
let me fill you in. The show is hosted by <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a> and each show
features a musical guest or guest from the Chippewa Valley and upper
Midwest. To date there have been six featured guests. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/eddie.beavers.7?fref=ts">Eddie Beavers</a> is a Nashville refugee with a renegade’s heart, now living in
the Chippewa Valley. He sings old-style country and blues as only a
hard-living man can--with soul and conviction. The show is beautifully
filmed and captures Eddie’s musical style and his loveable bad-boy
personality.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Greg
Gilbertson is a reclusive family man. His musical genius occasionally
flashes across the Chippewa Valley like a meteor. And, like a meteor,
if you’re not at the right place at the right time, looking in the right
direction you’ll miss him. Sue has captured him in all his original
glory.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Mike Malone Jazz Trio is comprised of three gifted young men: </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.malonedrum.com/">Mike Malone</a> on drums, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jordan.jenkins.108?fref=ts">Jordan Jenkins</a> on bass, and Josh Gallagher on piano. Young and passionate, they're all still in college and while I haven't caught the trio I've seen Josh Gallagher sit in with Sue in other venues and I'm looking forward to seeing The Sue Orfield Show's episode featuring them.<span class=""></span></span><br />
<div class="_3hi clearfix">
<div class="_1yr">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="_2oy"></span> <span class=""></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="http://www.themichaelramboproject.com/">The Michael Rambo Project</a> is a 5-piece band offering a little bit of rock, a
healthy dose of jazz-funk fusion and a ton of Soul. Michael’s music is
influenced by the 70s and 80s and while he looks to be in his mid 30s,
he attracts young, vital and versatile musicians into his fold. His songs are a
reflection of his faith and is accessible to people of all beliefs.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SoftlyDear">Softly, Dear</a> is local 5-piece indie-band. This is a wonderfully multi-faceted
group of young musicians and singer-songwriters, all from the Eau Claire
area. Their music is fresh and interesting and their lyrics approach
poetry: “I’m digging for colors by my fingernails find only black/the
wings on my feet are matched by the weight on my back.” Watch this
band, it’s going to go places.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
very first taping was with <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/eggplant-heroes.html">Eggplant Heroes</a>. The last music show taped by CVCTV in front of a live audience was years ago and most of the current team hadn't worked on this type of project before. I’ve been pleased to be in the audience for three of
the five shows and have watched with pleasure the progression of this
show. The first set was, to the layman's eye, a controlled chaos of wires and cameras. Many of the
production team are volunteers,some in their teens, and it’s shocking to see how young many of
them are and even more shocking to see how professional they are.
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nonetheless, having The Heroes as the first taping was overly ambitious
for a couple of reasons. First off, it’s a 7-man band. That’s a lot
of sound to handle for a pilot. Second off, there’s Joel
Pace. One of Joel’s charms is he has a hard time keeping still. And he
likes to climb. The camera-people just weren’t equipped to follow him
around the studio, nor was the lighting. Sue told me later that the set
just looked too messy and in the end they decided to scrap the first
taping. But it wasn’t a wash, because the team learned and adapted.
Sue called Evan Middlesworth, owner of <a href="http://www.pinehollowaudio.com/">Pine Hollow Audio</a>, in to run the sound, the team figured out
how to make the set look cleaner and, when it came for the second taping
of Eggplant Heroes, Joel showed admirable restraint and--for the most
part--stayed in place. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The finished product of these tapings, of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesostv">The Sue Orfield Shows</a> are amazing. Professional. Remarkable. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesostv">The Sue Orfield Show </a>IS the Chippewa Valley and it is a gem. A treasure.
And it needs our help. Funding for <a href="http://www.cvctv.org/">Chippewa Valley Community Television</a> has been cut drastically in the past few years and the show needs our
help to keep on air. There is an <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-sue-orfield-show--2">Indigogo Campaign</a> to raise $9000 for
the production and airing of this show. The <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-sue-orfield-show--2">campaign</a> launched on
Monday, May 5th and has already raised just over $2000. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Music
adds color and texture and meaning to our lives. It reflects our
emotions and our personal experiences. It gives words to our inner
thoughts. Our local musicians add to our quality of life and the value
of our community. And <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesostv">The Sue Orfield Show</a> spotlights us. Elevates us.
Showcases the talent of the Chippewa Valley in all its glory. This is
us. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ll be donating a small part of my paycheck to support the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesostv">Sue Orfield Show</a> until it reaches its goal, because I believe in Sue, I believe in the show and I believe in the Chippewa Valley. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope you will too.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tune in. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Watch Sue. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Watch our people. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Listen, enjoy and revel.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And be a part of it. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-sue-orfield-show--2">Please donate</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Listen to Sue talking about her show on WEAU <a href="http://www.weau.com/video?videoid=2839560">here</a> and <a href="http://www.weau.com/video?videoid=2839562">here</a>.</span></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-33907024360855604742014-04-20T18:04:00.000-07:002014-04-23T19:30:29.182-07:00Trisis <style type="text/css"><!--
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In March I had the pleasure of seeing
<a href="http://www.3sisters1voice.com/">Trisis</a> at Chippewa Fall's Heyde Center. Trisis is a trio of sisters
who sing the songs of their grandparents and great-grandparents.
Focusing on the 1920s, '30s and 40s they are retro-postmodernist.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I heard about them from David Gee of
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Deep-Water-Reunion/38319497534">Deepwater Reunion</a>, a popular blues band. He “discovered” Trisis
and took them under his wing. He first saw them years ago when doing
a benefit for The House Of The Dove, a hospice center in Marshfield,
Wisconsin. David was the MC of the show at the Heyde Center and he
said, “The amount of work they do is phenomenal. They are the
hardest working people I've ever met in my life.” They have been
singing publicly for about two and a half years and have done over
200 shows. Why is this remarkable? Let me introduce you to these
young women.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Their names are Jessica, Jackie and
Jasmine and they are 17-, 14- and 10-years-old. They are accompanied
by their father on the guitar and that, combined with their
voices-as-instrument, is more than sufficient. They entered the stage
in black and beige polka-dotted, below-the-knees dresses with ruffled
bodices, pearls and black button-up sweaters. They had bows in their
hair. The two older girls curled their hair while Jasmine—the
youngest— French braided hers. The combination of youth and their
clothing might conjure the word “cute,” but it wasn't. It was
“right.” Their first song was a rousing version of “Choo-Choo
Ch'boogie” a song first recorded in 1946.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next was “Sugartime,” a tune
recorded in the '50s. They took a break as Jessica explained how they
came to be singing these songs. She said her grandmother introduced
them to vinyl and her first thought was, “You can get music out of
these big black discs?” She explained that she soon fell in love
with both vinyl and the music. They then launched into Ruth Etting's
“March Winds and April Showers,” during which Jessica did a solo
in a true 1930s style voice and I flashed back to my youth, watching
old black-and-white musicals.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have to admit that when I heard about
<a href="http://www.3sisters1voice.com/">Trisis</a> I expected soaring soprano harmonies—kind of Peter, Paul and
Mary-like—but these gals' voices are deep and rich, embodying their
chosen musical era. They are also tightly choreographed, with
synchronized hand and body movements that reflect the lyrics.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other songs that evening included Patsy
Cline's “I Fall To Pieces” sung by Jackie and Jessica, “After
You've Gone” (1918), “Am I Blue” (1929), Elvis' “Can't Help
Falling In Love With You,” “Java Jive” (1941), Hank Williams'
“Your Cheating Heart,” “It's A Sin To Tell A Lie” (1936),
“Fever,” The Andrews Sisters' “Rum and Coca-Cola” (1945)
['our grandmother made us sing this one'] “Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy”
(1941), and “White Cliffs Of Dover.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They also sang songs written by their
father, David: “Since You're No Longer Here,” “When I'm Not
With You” written for their mother, Khristy ('my heart begins to
scheming/without rhyme or reason'), a train song I really liked but
didn't get the name of ('tour the nation/fascination/ride the
train'), a song in French—with the help of Google Translate—titled
“Cage En Fare,” and “Good Time Charlie.” David's songwriting
is pitch-perfect, perfectly matches his daughters' sensibilities and
fits right in with the mood.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Some of my favorite moments was when
10-year-old Jasmine sang Patsy Cline's “Blue.” She was amazing.
Jackie did a fabulous job with country-boogie song, “Cow-Cow
Boogie” (1942) and I lovedlovedloved the way Jessica cupped her
hands to her mouth reproducing the sound of a trumpet. The three
sisters sang “Hey Good Looking” charmingly and were unabashedly
camp.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They wrapped up the night with
“Sincerely” (1954), “Hit The Road Jack” (1960) and finally,
invited David Gee as Louis Armstrong back onto the stage for the
finale, “Wonderful World.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
These gals are young. These gals are talented. And they're
passionate—there's no question they love what they do. And they're
lucky to have parents who understand how important it is to let
children chase their passions. It's my understanding that David and Khristy are not typical “stage parents,” they support and
encourage but do not live vicariously off their daughters nor are
they making their daughters live their own, unfulfilled dreams. David
Gee confided that he has to encourage them to take breaks—they just
want to sing all the time. I talked to Jessica, Jackie and Jasmine
briefly after the concert. They told me they find their music on
Pandora or use suggestions given them by their grandmother and when I
asked them what they want others to know about them Jessica said,
“We're regular girls who want to bring joy to other people.” If
the show at the Heyde Center is any indication, that's exactly what
Trisis is doing. And they're doing it darn well.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You can find out more about these
amazing young sisters, see some Youtube clips and purchase their CDs here:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
http://www.3sisters1voice.com/<br />
Or like them on > <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trisis-three-sisters-one-voice/109267082577007?ref=stream">Facebook</a><<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Find them. Listen
to them. Catch them live. Support them. You'll be pleased you did.</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-57606475108395745352014-01-26T16:52:00.000-08:002014-01-27T04:39:23.900-08:00The Sue Orfield Band<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a>.
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Friday night.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a>. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I could almost end this blog now,
because if you're reading you've probably already seen Sue in one or
all of her bands and you've experienced the magic. But I'm a gal of
many words and while I won't do <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">The Sue Orfield Band</a> (SOB) justice,
I'm going to go ahead and give it a whirl. And because I've written
about her before, <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/acoustihoo.html">here</a>, <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">here</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">here</a>, I run the risk of repeating
myself but I don't mind and I hope you won't either. And here's an
added caveat: I'm heavily, blindly and passionately biased. I love
Sue and I love her music.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As previously stated, I'm a lyrics gal.
Words are the way I define, relate and make sense of my world.
Don't get me wrong: I enjoy instrumental solos, but unless they're
attached to lyrics and the emotions those lyrics evoke I can't easily
ascribe emotion to purely instrumental music. Or so I thought, before
I met Sue and her music. I'd love to get into her head. She seems to
hear the world differently, like her relationship with music is
tangible. It's almost as if a note is a syllable, a musical phrase a
clause, a musical stanza a paragraph, and each song is a chapter in
Sue's story. And can she write a story. What initially made Sue's
music assessable to me was her obvious generosity of spirit when
onstage. She's the opposite of a spoiled Diva. She radiates
goodwill, patience, happiness and passion, and it was these qualities
that encouraged me to step out of my musical comfort zone and listen
to her music in a different way. But enough singing the praises of
Sue (for now) and let me move on to the rest of the band.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">Sue Orfield Band</a> is composed of Sue
with her saxophone, her honey Randy Sinz on electric bass, Dave
Schrader on drums and Mike Schlenker on lead electric guitar. (I wrote about Dave when he sat in with <a href="http://mojolemon.com/">Mojo Lemon</a>. You can read about that <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/12/mojo-lemon.html">here</a>.)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">They
have three CDs out: “Bonk” "Now Let Us Sing" and their most recent, “Fight The Good
Fight.” Sue has an earlier CD with another incarnation of <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">SOB</a>
titled, “Nobody's Looking.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">People who tend to arrive to events
fashionably late will miss out on good seats at a Sue Orfield event.
I got to <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a> a few minutes early and was darn fortunate to find a
place to plant myself. SOB kicked the show off to an enthusiastic
audience with an Orfield original, “Sway.” Mike Schlenker was
all tall and aloof in his denim button-down collared shirt with an
American flag on the back and matching American flag guitar. His
playing is effortless and while he's usually pretty straight-faced, I
caught him having fun several times. Randy was distinguished and
smiling on his bass and Dave kept enthusiastic time behind his
drums—though he was hard to see back there, he made his presence
known. While I was able to write down a lot of the songs, I was too
busy dancing and won't be able to offer blow-by-blows of the action.
Suffice it to say that this band puts on a great show.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Other songs played Friday night
include: “Same Kind of Crazy” and “Wild Me” Delbert
McClinton songs, sung by Randy, Steve Goodman's “City Of New
Orleans” sung by Dave, what I believe is a Mike Schlenker original,
sung by him called—I think, “Good Work If You Can Get It” and
a beautiful instrumental originally by The Youngbloods titled
“Darkness, Darkness.” Randy sang “Unchain My Heart” and a
Jimmy Rogers' song, “T For Texas” and the band performed the
Harlem Globetrotters' theme song and the song from the Andy Griffith
show. There were more Sue originals: “Inner Pippy” was dedicated
to the family of Sue's first music student in Eau Claire who donated
an alto Buescher sax to the band. Sue introduced two new songs,
“Hope For The Girls” and “Mesa's Boogie.” She also performed
“Herd of Rubies” and “Two Cats Named Bob.” (FYI, both Mesa's
Boogie and Two Cats are about....cats.)
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My personal highlights were when the
band invited <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/randy-sinz-john-lynch-and-gregg-wheeler.html">Gregg Wheeler</a> and his harmonica onstage to accompany
Randy as he sang a gorgeous song by Greg Gilbertson, a Chippewa Falls
native, titled “The Gold.” I wrote about this song <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">here</a>.
It gets better every time I hear it. And it rocked when Gregg
Wheeler jammed on his harmonica to one of my personal favorites,
Sue's “Atomic A Go-Go.” You haven't heard harmonica playing
until you've listened to Gregg.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Later another local guitar player, <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/lucas-fischer.html">Luke Fisher,</a> was invited up and he sang his original cover of Cash's
“Folsom Blues” and his own song, “5 AM.” They also sang
happy birthday to <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/eggplant-heroes.html">Olaf Lind</a>, another musician. Both Olaf and Luke
join Randy and Sue to make up the band, <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a>.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">All in all, it was well worth braving
the snow and cold to hit this event. If you missed it, you can
redeem yourself and catch Sue with <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">Catya's Trio</a> at <a href="http://www.fromthevineftv.com/">From The Vine</a> on
February 14<sup>th</sup> and with Code Blue (<a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya's</a> 5- piece blues
band) at <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a> on February 21<sup>st</sup>. Be there, I
guarantee you'll love it!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can buy SOB's CDs <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Music.html">here</a>. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-61767589525276993152014-01-19T16:49:00.003-08:002014-01-21T04:56:09.690-08:00Peter Phippen and Rahbi Crawford at The Center<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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Last night I went to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> to
listen to <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter Phippen</a> on his flutes and Rahbi Crawford on her
singing bowls. It was something I would not have experienced had it not been
for this blog and I was honored to be invited.
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> is a big, beautiful stone
house between Eau Claire and Altoona on highway 12. Built in 1937 it
has been a home to two families. Opening in October 2013, today it
is a wellness retreat: “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> is dedicated to supporting
people in wholeness of body, mind and spirit, regardless of religious
orientation.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center </a>is the brainchild of Anita
and her husband Scott. Anita is from Minnesota and Scott from
Colorado and they met in Seminary in Colorado. He was a United
Methodist Pastor for 20 years, which meant he and his family moved
every 4-6 years. They have children and wanted something more stable
and wandered back to Anita's roots here in the Midwest. Anita first
opened <a href="http://www.bridgecreekcottage.com/directions.html">The Bridge Creek Cottage</a>, a crafting house in Augusta, then
she and her husband opened <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a>. Though it's only been
operating for 3 months, it appears to have found a following. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> offers pottery classes and art therapy classes, Positive
Living sessions, reiki, yoga, meditation, family therapy, life
coaching, ayruveda, Jungian therapy, spiritual direction and a garden
club.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Scott gave me a tour before the show
and told me, “It's all about the spirit and all [religious]
traditions yearn toward that spirit. At The Center we honor all those
traditions.” He went on to say that the dictum of The United
Methodist Church is “Open hearts, open minds, open doors,” and
that their work at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> is an extension of this.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I arrived there were only a few
people and while <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> still feels and looks like a (very nice
and well-appointed) house, the atmosphere was hushed, almost
reverent. I caught one man in a dark side-room checking his cell and
found myself glad I'd left my phone in the car, thinking that
electronics had no place here. As more people wandered in the mood
lightened and I saw a lot of cell phones. No one was chastised or
struck by lightening. Scott and Anita were warm and welcoming and
appeared pleased with the upbeat, friendly bustle of their guests.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This concert--<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a>'s first--was held in their yoga and
mediation area, a round-ish, cork-floored room overlooking Otter
Creek. It was dark and snowy, but I'm willing to bet that in the day
the view is breathtaking. Guests were encouraged to take their shoes
off so as not to damage the cork. The room was light and open with
walls of large windows. The lighting was comprehensive without being
intrusive and the room had a clean, natural, spartan feel accented by
their “teak tree.” The tree is a graceful piece of teak,
standing about 3 feet high with naturally branching shelves on which
are placed symbols from all the primary religious traditions. There
was seating for 49 people with rows of chairs set out in a
semi-circle and cushions with Mexican blankets in the front on the
floor all facing the teak tree. In front of the tree were Rahbi Crawford's crystal bowls and <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter Phippen</a>'s flutes. Every seat was
full. I nabbed a place on the floor, off to the side so I could see
both the audience and the show.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Scott came to the front of the room and
talked briefly about <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> and said that this was their first
concert and he was pleased and excited to have <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a> and Rahbi. He
also said that a couple of people had called and said they would
be late and he was trying to wait for them. He then introduced Rahbi
and Peter who, gracious and smiling, entered the room and spoke
briefly of their work.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a> is a grammy nominated flautist,
known mostly for his work with Native American flutes, though he has
flutes from around the world. Rahbi is a “sound healer” and she spoke of how the vibrations from her singing bowls correspond with
our chakras—our body's energy centers. She went on to explain that
the sound and the vibrations allows relaxation conducive for
reprogramming our body, helping it let go of stress. She said that
our bodies have memories of past injuries and pain and that sound
therapy heals by allowing our body to let those memories go. She
talked of her delight in working with <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a> because his flutes “play
between the notes” enhancing the healing power of the sound.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The realization that this was not going
to be like other shows started creeping up on me. I've heard <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a>'s
music. It's wonderfully calm and ambient. It encourages your mind to
float into the blue world of Inbetween. <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a> and Rahbi hadn't even
started and I knew I was going to be lying down. I took a quick look
around the room. Some people had grabbed blankets off the shelves
and were all relaxed in their chairs, but I was the only one on the
floor.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I watched as <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a> sat cross-legged on
the floor, microphone close to his mouth. He appeared composed and
serene, all in black, his long, dark hair loose around his shoulders
and brushed back from his face. His flutes were laid out on either
side of him in velvet-lined cases. They are basic--primitive--and
some are over 200 hundred years old. The woods shine with a veneer
of age and use. He later let me hold them and some are crooked and
heavy, others are almost magically light. They are all treasured.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.rahbicrawford.com/"><br /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rahbi stepped into the circle of her
quartz-crystal singing bowls and knelt. The big bowls are made of
opaque crystalline glass and range from a foot to two feet high, all
with different diameters. There were 10 of them. There were also 3
smaller, clear-glassed bowls and a pyramid composed of 8 crystal
rods, 4 on the base forming the shape of a square and 4 rods standing
on each corner of the square, reaching up and meeting in a peak. She
only used the pyramid once, but the sound was both delicate and
powerful. For the most part Rahbi used the big bowls. After some
casual and very natural discussion about what the first song might
be, they began.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I sat cross-legged on the floor
watching them.<a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm"> Peter</a> was in his element. His face was unlined as he
breathed music into his flute, eyes closed, feeling the sound. He
told me later that this music represents who he really is, how he is
at home with his wife and his grandchildren. While he is a “rock n
roll god” (my words, not his) in his local, commercial musical
endeavors this is who he's matured into. This music is what is
important. He spoke excitedly about his musical union with Rahbi,
about how she is willing to travel with him to spread their music.
He spoke of his gratitude to The Center for allowing him to come and
share his music.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rahbi is probably in her mid-50s and
has short, dark hair, and glasses. Tall, slender and strong she wore
a long nehru-collared tunic and dark pants. She knelt amongst her
bowls, gracefully turning on her knees or twisting her body to reach
the next note. She worked the bowls with little, rubber-headed
mallots, sometimes flicking her wrist for a gentle “gooong” other
times running the mallot-heads around the rim to sustain the note.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This was not music I could observe; it
was music I had to feel. I unfolded the blanket I was sitting on and
lay down. Closing my eyes I let the music wash over my body.
Tendrils of flute flickered through my brain in soft ululations and
gentle whistle-whispers. Ripples of bowl lapped at my consciousness
as I drifted in the space between notes. At the end of that first song there was nary a
rustle as the sound of the last note hovered in the air, slowly
dissipating. Peter opened his eyes, signaling it was over and the
room burst into applause. I looked around and saw another woman
lying on the floor and smiled. I felt sorry for the other 47 people
bound to their chairs.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The music continued for 3 hours.
Between songs I would lever up, grab my little black reporter's book
and scribble a note: “The Dreaming Tree.” “Egyptian Kawala
flute, late 19<sup>th</sup> century.” “Animal sounds.” “A
storm.” “Almost like playing 2 flutes at the same time.”
“Haunting-happy.” “Nature epitomized.” “Skillful use of the
microphone.” “Using his breath as music.” “Crown chakra.”
“Heart chakra, Japanese flute, 1920s.” “Native American
flute.” “Bindu chakra.” But as I left <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a> I knew there
was no way I would be able to piece my little words into a written
description of the music from Saturday night. Because this isn't music
you hear, it's music you experience. It left me feeling energized
and rejuvenated.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a>'s new CD, “Sacred Spaces” was
just released and can be ordered <a href="http://promotionmusicrecords.bandcamp.com/%20">here</a>. Rahbi joins <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/index.htm">Peter</a> on this recording. If this is your
way, if this is your music, you have to get the CD and enter in to this music with them. You should also check out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterEc">The Center</a>. You just
might find yourself.<br />
<br />
To read more about Peter Phippen as Rock n Roll god, click <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/crystal-and-commotion.html">here</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/stage-fright-4-last-waltz.html">here</a>. </div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-32780615325156286152014-01-12T14:23:00.000-08:002014-01-13T05:33:33.304-08:00AcoustiHoo <style type="text/css"><!--
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<span style="font-size: large;">The polar vortex lifted on Thursday and
by Friday the night air was positively balmy. A whole raft of
cabin-fevered sub-zero refugees eschewed the snow and hit <a href="http://www.fromthevineftv.com/">From TheVine</a> to see <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a>. We were amply rewarded.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a> is a 4-piece ensemble and
I've written about each of its members at least once. And I will
probably write about each of its members again. And again. And
again. Full self disclosure: I've got a huge bias toward this band.
I'm a fan. I also have a social relationship with some of the
band-members. In my defense, the relationships developed because of
their music, not vice versa. I don't know if this lends credibility
to the blog, but I doubt anyone who hit <a href="http://www.fromthevineftv.com/">From The Vine</a> for AcoustiHoo
would disagree with my assessment of the band.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The band members include <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a> on
tenor sax, Randy Sinz on upright bass, Olaf Lind on violin, and Lucas
Fischer on guitar. Superlatives will be added later.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">They shook off the residual
vortex-chill with “Sweet Georgia Brown,” a lively
country-Hee-Haw-like jig that set Olaf's violin-strings a-smokin'.
They followed up with “2:15,” a <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a> original which
started out with a lovely violin solo. The intertwining of the sax
and violin caused my chest to swell with inchoate nostalgia—a
longing to return to a place I'd never been. The next song was
“Kansas City” featuring Luke, who kicked the number off with a
down-low-and-dirty blues intro. You haven't really heard this
classic song until you've experienced Luke's version. Olaf's violin
enhances it with a Kentucky-Mountain-Justified feel. Next up was “Az
Du Furst Avek,” a traditional Klezmer tune in which Luke's solo
evoked the feel of old-world gypsy music.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Are you getting it? Klezmer. Classic
blues. 1920-era pop-songs. Originals. And that was just the first
four songs. Next Sue called for “My Heart Belongs To Daddy.”
They have a set list, but Sue once confided that she's not very good
at sticking to it. Consequently there was a tiny pause, during which
she said, “You'll pick it up.” And they did. She blew Cole
Porter's song like the May West-sultry, old-time jazzy tune it was
meant to be. If her soul had a mirror, it would be the music coming
out of her saxophone. Luke cooled us down with one of his originals,
“Close,” a slow, sweet love-ballad and Olaf and Sue harmonized on
“Ashoken Farewell” a Jay Ungar tune that left me remembering a
childhood I'd never had.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Randy, all dapper behind his bass in a
black beret, called the next song: “Fever.” I love, love, love
the way Randy sings this song. It's new to their repertoire and
there's no question that it's a love song between him and Sue. In
the song he sings, “My heart burns for Sue,” and Sue's saxophone
lets us know her heart burns for Randy.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Looking around <a href="http://www.fromthevineftv.com/">From The Vine</a> over the
break I saw that it was standing room only. The establishment is
owned and operated by Kathy Nuenke and has been open about 2 and a
half years. It's long and open, and the lighting is perfect—low,
without being dim. There's a bar running down one side and two- and
four- top tables. The musicians are set up the middle of the place,
in a living-room-style set- up with couches and deep, comfortable
chairs. Behind the musicians is a half-wall and there's a darker,
more secluded area in the back. It's a great place for music: avid
fans can sit comfortably in a front row seat, music fans who prefer
to socialize can sit at the tables in the bar area and lovers can
cuddle in a dark corner. The service is fabulous; attentive without
being overly friendly. They know you're here to see music or
appreciate their wine or catch up with your friends, not to make new
best friends with the staff. As soon as you come in you get a glass
of water and it's easy to find a waitress when needed. They stock
over 80 different wines and Kathy is always changing her stock. She
offers wines by flight (I didn't know what this was and had to google
it: tastings of multiple wines, which allow tasters to get a feel for
breadth or depth of the selection), monthly wine tastings and wine
and painting classes. I don't drink so I try to support local music
venues by ordering food. I thought this would be a challenge in a
wine room and was tickled to see <a href="http://www.fromthevineftv.com/">From The Vine</a> offers <a href="http://legacychocolates.com/">Legacy Chocolate</a> truffles. They've also added snack mixes and a
cheese-and-crackers plate. I spoke to Kathy, briefly, and while I
can count the number of times I've been there on both hands, she
remembered me. This wine room is a solid music venue and offers great service
with great music.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a>'s second set offered a
couple of pleasant surprises. After Luke's cover of Tom Waits' “Make
It Rain,” Sue called Gregg Wheeler with his harmonica to the stage
to accompany the band on one of Randy's originals, “Desert Blue.”
Randy's voice-as-instrument is wonderful and Gregg's harmonica was
about as smooth as it gets. Gregg stayed on stage for another of
Sue's originals and there was some fun call-and-response between his
harp and Sue's sax. Olaf put down his violin in favor of the
mandolin. After Gregg sat down the band launched into another
Sue Orfield original, “Can't Shake The Sadness,” all forlorn and
noble, with a classic violin-solo and delicate harmonic interplay
between Luke and Olaf. Sue stood back, listening, an appreciative
smile on her face. Olaf then performed his original “Caravans,”
a lively tune with an old-world feel. I understand they're working
on a music video for this song. Luke performed another original, “5
AM Blues,” all smooth, romantic and slow rhythm & blues-y.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Then <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a>, my very best friend in the
whole world, was asked onto the stage where she performed one of her
originals, “I Like It.” Though it was unrehearsed, there was an
ease and enjoyment on that is only seen when really good
musicians play together.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The next number was “Bouf Chonsko”
a Macedonian folk song. I spelled it phonetically and know it's
wrong. I call it “The Clapping Song.” It starts up
slow and every time around they speed it up just a little bit until
they're playing faster then we can clap. So fun. Another Sue
original, “Cut From Terry's Cloth” was next. The final number
was Luke's amazing version of Donovan's “Season Of The Witch.” Luke
played his guitar like a mandolin, Olaf played his mandolin like a
guitar and Randy tried to play his upright like a violin and did a
great job of playing it like a guitar. Sue's saxophone tied the
whole song together and as the last note died away the audience leapt
up in a spontaneous standing ovation. It was a magical night that left us all wanting more. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're reading this blog
you must be a music fan. Believe me when I tell you that if you
haven't seen <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a> you're missing out. Big time. Check them
out—you can find their self-titled CD on their <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">website</a>, look them up on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AcoustiHOO">Facebook</a> or catch them live. You won't be disappointed. Promise.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read more about Sue and Randy as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TwoRivers123">Two Rivers</a>
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read more about Sue, Randy and
Catya in <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya's Trio</a> <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read more about Gregg Wheeler in Stage Fright and Randy, John and Gregg
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/randy-sinz-john-lynch-and-gregg-wheeler.html">here</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/stage-fright-4-last-waltz.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read more about Olaf and Luke in <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/">Eggplant Heroes</a>
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/eggplant-heroes.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read more about Luke as a solo act <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/lucas-fischer.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-27187956961973420542014-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:002014-01-13T05:33:50.230-08:00Crystal and the Commotion <style type="text/css"><!--
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saturday night I braved the cold and
drove the 3 miles to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Zone-Sports-Bar/117896234938470">Red Zone</a> to see <a href="http://www.crystalandthecommotion.com/">Crystal and the Commotion</a>.
The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Zone-Sports-Bar/117896234938470">Red Zone</a> is owned by Randy Kuhnert and sits off old 53 in Hallie
along the access road. The building used to house various failed
Mexican restaurants and the barhas been open for about 4 years. The Red Zone
is a party bar and during the summer you find it by following the
glitter of chrome bouncing off the Harleys in the parking
lot. Randy used to be my mechanic and I remember spotting him at
various music events before he opened the bar. He wasn't watching
the music, he was watching the audience. Unlike many area bars
hosting live music, part of Randy's vision for the bar included
bands. There was plenty of leather at The Red Zone on Saturday night,
but it also appears to be a destination—or at least a stop-off
point—for snowmobilers too.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The band's <a href="http://www.crystalandthecommotion.com/">website</a> describes them this
way:
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“<b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crystal-The-Commotion/494007860656673">Crystal and The Commotion</a> is one of the hardest working, high energy groups
in the state of Wisconsin. Featuring vocalist Crystal Dolivo. Peter
Phippen, former Airkraft bassist and 2010 Grammy Nominated artist.
Guitarist Scott Milz and Drummer Michael Hucek. From Street dances to
Corporate events and Casinos to Clubs, you can expect great music
from the 60's 70's 80's 90's and today.”</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">An
apt description.</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">They
kicked off the night with with a lively version of “Walking On
Sunshine.” Peter and Scott stepped out from behind their
microphones and walked into the audience with their cordless bass and
electric guitar. Crystal's mic is also cordless and she made sure we
knew that the whole bar would be her stage. Other songs in the first
set included:Pat Benatar's “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Alanis
Morrisette's “Hand In My Pocket,” Lambert's “Mama's Broken
Heart,” Sugarland's “Stuck Like Glue,” Bob Seger's “Old Time
Rock & Roll” Christina Aguilera's “Beautiful,” Cindy
Lauper's “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” Nancy Sinatra's “These
Boots,” Lorde's “Royals and Poison's “Talk Dirty To Me.”
Highlights of the first set were when Crystal totally hammed it up on
“I Will Survive” and when she and Peter did a great version of
June and Johnny's “Jackson.” But my favorite was when Scott
Milz, the guitar player, sang the straightest version of “Sweet
Caroline” I've heard in 20 years. No kidding, there wasn't even a
whiff of irony and—oddly—it worked.</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Crystal
is a bundle of energy and demands audience participation. She
wanders the bar, microphone in hand, singing directly to people and
encourages them to sing refrains with her. Her eye-contact is
frequent and direct and she doesn't miss a thing. She sees who's
coming in, who's leaving, who's engaged and who isn't and she'll call
out greetings between verses without missing a beat. She's a 5-foot,
blond, bundle of energy as she dances, poses and postures. During
her band mates' solos she wanders around, touching bases with the
audience and Saturday night she hoola-hooped with a couple of her
friends. She's just 22 years old, but she works the bar like a
professional and she's got that 90s “girl band” voice. </span></span></b></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/">Peter Phippen</a> looks like he's having a great time playing rock-&-roll, bass
player god. His face is set in a half-smile, half-sneer and he
closes his eyes. In the second set he was smile-snarling with eyes
closed and his mic got knocked over into the drum set. No one
noticed (except me). Crystal was singing and turned to the drummer,
Michael Hucek, and saw the mic. Peter was still jamming with his
eyes shut. Crystal didn't blink and—still singing—righted it and
turned the mic toward Peter, just in time for him to come in with his
back up vocals. (You can read more about Peter <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/stage-fright-4-last-waltz.html">here</a>.)</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Scott
Milz is straight-faced and earnest. He's got a good, true voice and
is a great guitarist. He watches Crystal closely, like he's not sure
what she's going to do next, but he doesn't seem worried. He just
wants to be on top of things. </span></span></b></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
drummer, Michael “Slant” Hucek, sits behind his kit like a king,
orchestrating it all with a satisfied look on his face. If he's
irritated with Crystal's antics, he takes it in stride like an
indulgent uncle. </span></span></b></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Another
highlight of Saturday night's show featured Scott and Michael. The
band played Black Sabbath's “Paranoid” and the audience liked it
so much that Scott and Michael did an impromptu version of “War
Pigs.” They were in their element—not playing for the audience,
but for themselves-and for a moment we were all transported back to
1970.</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #191919;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
is a working band. They're fast-paced, diving into the next song
almost before the last note of the previous song has settled.
There's no need to clap because there's no room for applause between
numbers. They're about giving the audience and the person who hired
them bang for the buck. Slick and professional, they advertise as a
high energy band and they deliver.</span></span></b></span></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-61710590688415570612014-01-01T12:09:00.000-08:002014-01-01T13:07:58.920-08:00Randy Sinz, John Lynch and Gregg Wheeler<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><style type="text/css"><!--
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jean and Charlie live across the street
and two houses down from me. They're my aunt and uncle. For years
we've been “giving” each other live music as gifts. This
Christmas their present was Randy Sinz, Gregg Wheeler and John Lynch.
On Sunday I hopped into my little Beetle, putted down the street,
picked up Jean and Charlie and we headed to <a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> for dinner and
music.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've seen this trio three times, all at
<a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a>. The first time was last summer, out on the deck and—if
I remember correctly—it was a spur of the moment thing. Randy was
asked to fill in for a last minute cancellation. He invited two old
friends to play with him. I knew their music would appeal to Jean
and Charlie and when I saw they were playing the weekend after
Christmas I heaved a sigh of relief: Here were two presents I
wouldn't have to cruise the mall for.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> is pretty formal. The room
is elegant, with cloth-covered tables, candles, ornate winter-themed
decorations and twinkly lights draped around windows that offer a
bird's eye view of the river. The atmosphere is hushed and I feel
like I need to don my best table manners. The music on Sunday night,
on the other hand, was just the opposite. Relaxed and casual, these
three men made us feel like we were all kicking back on a summer
porch. Three old friends, comfortable with each other and the music
and pleased to be sharing that music with their friends, the
audience.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've written about Randy Sinz before.
He and his partner, <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a>, are staples in the local music scene
and we are darned blessed to have them. He plays with <a href="http://www.radadada.net/RadaDada/Home.html">Rada Dada</a>, <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">TwoRivers</a>, <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">The Sue Orfield Band</a>, <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya's Trio</a>, <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Code Blue</a>, <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a>,
and Ranger Rudy and the Swingin' Wingtips. You can read about him
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">here</a> and I'll write more about Randy and his other bands in the
future. He's known locally for his work on the electric and upright
bass, but he's equally good on the guitar and has a fine voice.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Gregg Wheeler hit my music radar last
year when he played during <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a>'s CD release party at The
Stone's Throw. He's an artist on the harmonica and he totally blew
me away. Jean and Charlie were at that gig too and after Gregg left
the stage Charlie told Gregg that he'd always wanted to play the
harmonica. I'll be darned if Gregg didn't reach into his front shirt
pocket, pull out his harp and give it to Charlie. Charlie was
delighted and while he hasn't started blowing, he insists he will
learn when he retires. Earlier this winter Gregg and Aunt Jean ran
into each other at a funeral and discovered they had family and
friends in common. Gregg arranged to play at the assisted living home
where Jean's mother lives. Since then, Gregg has been
emotionally-adopted into my family's music-favorites. He also plays
guitar and sings. Gregg has a relatively low music-profile, but this
will be the third time I've mentioned him in my blogs. You can read
more about Gregg <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-rivers.html">here</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/stage-fright-4-last-waltz.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not as familiar with John Lynch.
Back in the day he played with The Better Half. He also plays with Ranger Rudy and the Swingin'
Wingtips. He used to play with The Memories, but said he stopped in
1988. He was married with a new child and he decided to leave the
road. The Memories are still together and still gigging. John plays
the guitar and writes and he offered a sample of some of his
originals at <a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> on Sunday night.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There is no consolidated set list.
They take turns calling the next song, working in rounds and for the
most part, the guy calling the song also sings it. Most of the songs
are familiar to all three, but it's not unusual for one of the guys
to bring a song that they haven't played together. John started it
off with Charlie Pride's “Is Anybody Going To San Antone.” John
and Randy played acoustic guitar and Gregg alternated between his
electric guitar and harmonica. Gregg commandeered a tray stand and
had his aluminum harmonica case open in front of him and throughout
the night he seamlessly switched between instruments. He followed
the Pride song with Merle Haggard's “That's The Way Love Goes,”
and Randy picked up his fretless acoustic/electric bass and countered
with a rousing version of Hank Williams' “Jambalaya.” John chose
a hilarious song by David Tanner titled, </span><span style="font-size: large;">“Effingham:”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">She's gone to
Effingham yeah she took the Effing kids<br /> and hit the Effing
road<br /> in her Effing mini van<br /> and now I'm sitting here
alone<br /> and I don't Effing understand<br /> why my baby's Effing gone
to Effingham”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This song brought out a
bout of silliness from Randy and John and while Gregg tried to bring
it back with George Jones' “Tall Tall Trees,” Randy acted drunk
and sang a parody of “Green Green Grass Of Home” and John
answered with his parody, “Blue Hairs Driving In My Lane.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Part of the fun of this
trio is the twinkle in John's eye when he's being outrageous. He's a
wonderful songwriter, too, and he sampled some of his originals
Sunday night. “Outkicked Your Coverage” is a lively song he
wrote offering fatherly advise after meeting his son's girlfriend:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “You've outkicked your
coverage</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> You're way over your head</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> That little filly you've
been seeing is a full-grown thoroughbred</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> You've outkicked your
coverage</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Don't take it personally</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> On a scale of 1 to 10,
she's about a 23.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The song “Bad Day Of
Fishing” is a sweet song, written about his father after he
retired:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> “Tells the fish 'this
is your lucky day'</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Then tosses it back to
swim away</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> When he goes home at the
end of the day</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> He'll dream about the one
that got away</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> A bad day of fishing
still beats </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> A good day at work.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“They're Bailing Out Wallstreet”
sounds a protest to today's politics:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“They're bailing out wallstreet</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What about mainstreet</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Don't forget about the man with the
calluses on his hands</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">He's trying to make ends meet</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ain't living on Easy Street</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It's time to take a stand and be the
conscience of this land.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And then there's the “Cookies”
song: “Homemade cookies sure make the coffee taste better!” I
gotta tell you, this man sure likes cookies.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Randy sang “Crazy Arms” for
Charlie, “Ain't No Sunshine” for Jean and “Unchain My Heart”
(now known as “The Bag Of Beans Song”) for me. He also sang
Santana's “Evil Ways,” Gary Stewart's “Empty Glass” and a
song his father, Jerry Sinz also a musician in the band, <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/wiki/index.php/Jerry_Sinz_%26_his_Dairyland_Ranch_Hands">The Dairyland Ranch Hands</a>, sang called “Candy
Kisses.”
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Other songs included George Strait's
“Amarillo By Morning,” The Casino's “Then You Can Tell Me
Good-Bye,” Buck Owens' “Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy,” and
Mark Chesnutt's “Rolling With The Flow,” and “Wagon Wheel”
all sung by Gregg. During Marvin Rainwater's “Gotta Find Me A
Bluebird” Gregg got the audience whistling. He also did one of his
standards—and my favorite—Marty Robbins' “Devil Woman.” I
love watching Gregg. He feels the lyrics. I admitted later on that
I kind of crush on him when he sings and plays the harmonica.
There's such earnestness and feeling.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The three musicians met in high school
and have been playing with each other, off and on, since then. Their
level of comfort, their communal approach, and laid-back style works
wonderfully and brings us back to a simpler time. Over one of the breaks John Lynch said, “Some people
load up their golf clubs in the car, we load up our instruments. I'm
just thankful that places like <a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> let us come out and do
this.” They will be playing every other month at <a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> and I
can't imagine a more pleasant way to wile away a cold, winter Sunday
evening.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I offer a nod to another Chippewa Valley Music blog, <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/">Freaks and Geeks</a>. The Dairyland Ranch Hands link goes to his site.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-25763093403415705792013-12-22T10:04:00.000-08:002013-12-22T12:21:08.259-08:00JFT Party Band<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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--> <a href="http://volumeone.org/">Volume One</a> calls <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a> “The
Chippewa Valley's roughest bar,” and that's where I headed Friday
night. I get why it has that reputation in Eau Claire, but <a href="http://volumeone.org/">Volume One</a>
wasn't shadowing me when I was younger. The cops didn't cruise
through the bar, not even once. There were no fist fights. There
were no cat fights. No one grabbed my ass or my breasts. The
bathroom was small and clean and no one tried to bust in as I sat on
the can. The only come-on I got was a couple of come-hither winks
from a sweet, 60-something guy with no teeth who was having a hard
time keeping his balance on the barstool. And the only person I saw
doing a table dance was John Nielson playing his guitar.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you're the kind of musician who
likes to maintain physical separation from the audience, don't gig at
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you're the kind of guitar player who
looses the rhythm when enthusiastic women try to hug you in the
middle of your solo, don't gig at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you're the kind of mandolin player
who's gonna act all scared about the equipment when drunk women try
to grab the microphone, don't gig at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you're the kind of bass player who
cowers when 6 foot, 3 inch-tall, long-haired 60's throwbacks yell
good naturedly-- “How about some fuckin' Whitesnake!” don't gig
at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you're the kind of drummer who can't
keep the beat when gals climb through the maze of equipment and sit
on your lap, don't gig at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place.</a>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
All this and more happened Friday
night. The <a href="http://www.jftpartyband.com/">JFT Party Band</a> is exactly the kind of band to gig at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">MyPlace</a>. And, good god, was it fun. I went to write about the band and
realized there was no way I could separate the band from the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a>
experience. I doubt I'm going to give either of them their fair due,
but I'll try. First let me introduce the band.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I remember when <a href="http://www.jftpartyband.com/">JFT</a> was first starting
out. It was a Karoke band. They'd pass out lists of their songs and
encourage people to get on stage and sing with them. “<a href="http://www.jftpartyband.com/">JFT</a>” stood
for John (Nielsen—rhythm acoustic guitar), Frank (Aragona—lead
electric guitar) and Tony (Campbell—electric bass). John was a new
guitar player and he told me last night that he'd been singing Karoke
and someone put a guitar in his hands.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Today Dave Schoenrock is on bass and
back up vocals and he also plays with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pheromones/47478332764">The Pheromones</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Frank Aragona is on lead electric
guitar and vocals. I wrote about him way back in 2009 when he was in
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2009/02/electric-range.html">The Electric Range</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Caleb Horne plays the mandolin (and
occasionally acoustic guitar—and just about every other stringed
instrument ever made) and also gigs with <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/">Eggplant Heroes</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesandburgers?ref=stream">TheSand Burgers</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Bill Cooney works the drums in both
this band and <a href="http://fm-down.com/">FM Down</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
John Nielsen is the front man and also
plays the cordless acoustic 12-string guitar (the cordless part is
important). It's John who's responsible for the over-all feel of
this band. He lights up when the music starts; this is his juice—his
elixir—and he savors every moment.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If someone put a gun to my head and
told me to find one word to describe this band it would be:
high-spirited, good-natured and energizing. (Yeah, yeah, that's more
than one word, but I'm the one writing, so I get to do that. And
besides, the gun thing was rhetorical.) These guys are exactly as
billed: a party band. And they have so much fun!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They warmed up the audience with a
rousing rendition of “Sympathy For The Devil” sung by Frank
Aragona. Frank was in a red plaid fedora, red-tinged sunglasses,
tight black tee-shirt and black skinny jeans. Ordinarily he seems
quiet and diffident, but put him in front of a microphone and he
morphs into Rock-N-Roll-Guitar-God. No shit. He wails and postures
and riffs and kicks. And he sings to—sometimes acts out—the
lyrics. So he's singing and John Nielsen gets the strobes and the
smoke machine going and we've got rock-n-roll paradise by the
dashboard lights.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The next song was “Copperhead Road”
sung by John Nielsen. It was about 9:30 and most of the audience
wasn't quite lubricated enough, while others were heading toward
over-served. The band was bopping and grinning, all kinetic energy,
but it didn't really get rolling until the third song, “Brown-Eyed
Girl.” And here's the thing, by the third song this band owned the
audience. I've seen more seasoned bands who don't get the audience
up and on its feet until the second set.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dancing is a challenge at My Place.
There's really no delineation between the “stage” (Stage? What
stage?) and the dance floor, which is also the main thoroughfare
through the bar, with music on one side and barstools on the other.
There's about 4 feet between the bar stools and the instruments. But
this didn't stop anyone, including the musicians, who frequently left
their area to join the dancers, instruments in hand. This is music
up-close and personal with no boundaries between musicians and fans.
This band loves the audience and I believe it was that undisguised
appreciation for the audience that kept the ambience safe and fun. I
didn't see one flinch, one eye-roll, one superior look, or one
knee-jerk recoil.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The crazier the atmosphere, the tighter
the band got. Their second set was musically the best as they leaned
into the insanity. They played Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here”
with a guitar-god solo from Frank. They then launched into “I'm A
Believer” and Steve Bateman from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesandburgers?ref=stream">The Sand Burgers</a> joined the stage
with his harmonica. You can catch Steve at a lot of live local
gigs—he's always being called to the stage by other musicians.
Other songs included Petty's “Mary Jane's Last Dance,” “Sweet
Caroline,” “Good Hearted Woman,” “I Fight Authority,”
“Can't You See,” “Too Hard To Handle” and “Bad, Bad, Leroy
Brown.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They loved the blond gal, all sequins
and studded belt who repeatedly hoisted and rearranged her
considerable bosom, as she leaned over and sang into Dave's mic.
John gave her a tambourine and grinned appreciatively as she sang to
“Can't You See.” She didn't even need the mic.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There was a lanky, gamboling Native
American kid with long, inky-black hair and celestial smile—all coy
grace and peyote-toes. He air-danced his fingers along Frank's
shoulder and arm then up the neck of his guitar and Frank turned into
the boy, letting those fingers flick the air around him and his
instrument.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There was a tall, blond, long-haired hippie-man
with holed jeans and a scary-jubilant dance-style. When he got too
enthusiastic he, too, got handed the tambourine and was encouraged to
enter in, settling him down and letting him do what he really wanted,
which was enter into the music.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then there was the drummer girl.
She walked in and immediately started dancing and fan-flirting with
the band. Next thing we knew, she wended her way through mic stands
and electric cords and speakers and sat on Bill Cooney's lap. He
didn't blink. I assumed they knew each other, but found out later
he'd never met her before. He put his arm around her, she rested her
head on his shoulder, and he played one-handed for a while, then
handed her a drumstick. Priceless.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
John Nielsen climbed up on a (heavy and
very sturdy) table, dancing and singing, then bounded outside and
played his guitar on the sidewalk. Frank wandered into audience
territory and played his guitar over his head and behind his back,
Dave bee-bopped and he too wandered into the audience to meet Caleb
and John in a triangular jam. Steve played some dynamic rock-n-roll
harmonica and Caleb some rock-n-roll mandolin. Bill laid back on his
drums, a small smile on his face, eyes all aware and appreciative.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In the third set they invited others up
to the stage, including my friend, John LeBrun, drummer for <a href="http://www.amblues.com/">David Jones and the Jones Tones</a> ( read about The Jones Tones <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/david-jones-and-jonestones.html">here</a>) and Code Blue, <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Cayta's</a> 5-piece blues band (read more about Catya <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">here</a>).
He's also played with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aljulsonandlarrypast">Larry Past</a>, G String Theory and Layne Yost's
bands. John is never happier than when behind a drum set but he told
me later that he was a little nervous because Bill Cooney is so good.
He had no reason to be nervous—he was great. Bill sat next to me
as John played a couple of songs including “Honkey Tonk Woman”
that John Nielsen totally hammed up on vocals and Steve Bateman
nailed on the harmonica. They also played “Cover Of The Rolling
Stone,” “You Really Got Me,” “Any Way You Want It” and
“Long Haired County Boy.” They invited a gal named Judy onto the
stage and she sang “Purple Rain” and “Bad Moon Rising.” She
had a great time and the band was engaged and gracious. John said
later, “It's so fun to play with such great musicians. I can just
kick back and enjoy it.” He claimed he's not a natural musician,
but I say he's a natural-born performer. They ended the night with
Led Zeppelin's “Whole Lotta Love.” Perfect.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've been in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Place-Bar/186255798089025">My Place</a> before and last night someone told me, “There's always an edge, an underlying
promise of violence at that place.” I get it, but it wasn't there Friday
night. Music, charms and soothing the savage-ness. That's what The <a href="http://www.jftpartyband.com/">JFT Party Band</a> did on Friday night.</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-15863502835306186192013-12-18T08:21:00.000-08:002013-12-19T17:41:19.171-08:00Mojo Lemon<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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--> Monday was Mojo Night. <a href="http://www.chippewavalleyblues.com/">The ChippewaValley Blues Society</a> met at <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a> Monday night for a quarterly
meeting and hired one of the Chippewa Valley's most accomplished
blues bands to play after the meeting: a Christmas gift from CVBS to
the public.
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I first caught <a href="http://mojolemon.com/home.html">Mojo Lemon</a> in 2008 at
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Snout-Saloon/121246214556509">The Snout Saloon</a> in Chippewa Falls. I was still testing the live-
music-waters. For many going out to see live music is a social
event, a reason to gather with friends, catch up, firm up new social
connections and nurse old ones. And I get that. But it's
not why I go to live music events. I go for the music. Period. And
because of this I typically go alone.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don't want to try and hold a
conversation—the music's too loud. I don't want to do the whole
collectivist, “Are you having a good time? Do you want to leave?”
thing. Don't expect me to get into a conversation about work, or
kids, or politics, or Neil Degrasse Tyson, or relationships. We can
do that while eating, taking a walk, grabbing a cup of coffee or just
hanging out. But not during live music.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don't mind going to live music with
like-minded people. We might occasionally look at each other and
say, “That was a rocking drum solo!” or “Oh no! He broke a
string.” or “Gwad, that brought tears to my eyes!” Or perhaps
we can dance. Dancing is good.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So in 2008 I was at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Snout-Saloon/121246214556509">The Snout</a> because I'd heard
this was a good band. I was still self-conscious about being a
single, sober woman, going out to the bars alone. Have you been to
The Snout? It's one of Chippewa Falls' best dive bars. It's got
that edge. That vague promise of out-of-control-ness. That
interesting mix of citizens and street denizens. My kind of bar. To
my knowledge The Snout is perfectly safe, but still. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So I'm alone, a
bit self conscious and then there's <a href="http://mojolemon.com/home.html">Mojo</a>. Some might find it unremarkable to walk into a dive bar and
discover superior music, but it was a shock to me. Mojo Lemon
consists of three core musicians:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Josh Entzminger plays guitar and sings
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Will Chopper works the keys and sings,
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Terry Demars jams on bass and vocals</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That night at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Snout-Saloon/121246214556509">The Snout</a> Big Jay
Introwitz was on drums. Jason (Jay) is fun to watch. He floats
behind the drumset—all Zen-like—and appears to channel his muse
from the collective aether. And he's got a great voice. On Monday
night Dave Schrader held the drumsticks. Dave is totally present.
He plays in various other local bands including <a href="http://www.radadada.net/RadaDada/Home.html">Rada Dada</a>, <a href="http://dixieandthedreamers.com/">Dixie And The Dreamers</a>, and <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">The Sue Orfield Band.</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My first impression of <a href="http://mojolemon.com/home.html">Mojo Lemon</a> in
2008 was that they were too good. I kid you not. It was obvious
that they were superb musicians and it felt like each member was in
his own music-bubble. I've written that I believe each band is
like a living organism with the individuals interacting to create a bigger whole. And, for me, part of that whole—that
synergy—involves offering a glimpse into each member's
personality. Way back in 2008 Will Chopper bobbed behind the
keyboard, Jason Introwitz floated behind the drums, Terry Demars
jammed behind his bass and Josh Entzminger let loose behind his
guitar. All skillful, all talented and, except for some playful
back-and-forth between Josh and Will, there was little interaction
with each other or with the audience. The coolest thing about
following bands is watching them grow.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
On Monday night at <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a>, <a href="http://mojolemon.com/home.html">Mojo Lemon</a> owned the stage and the audience.
<a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a> mounted a backdrop of red covering the windows and added a
sparkly-white Christmas tree. Josh's guitar was red. They played a
two hour gig and were polished, accomplished, tight, fun and interactive. They
rocked—or is it bluzed?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was having a great time dancing and can't
offer a complete set list, but here are some highlights:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They kicked off the night with Luther
Allison's “It's A Blues Thing.” The perfect song to get the
house warmed up and bouncing in their seats. The second number was a
jump blues number, first recorded in 1945 titled “Caldonia” featuring
Josh on guitar. They played Muddy Waters and Freddy King's “Woman
Across the Water” which features cool, complex tempo-and-beat
change-ups. Josh sang a very convincing Elmore James song, “The
Sky Is Crying” and Dave started the next song with a rolling drum
solo. I'm not sure what that song was (I was dancing) but it morphed
into a verse of “Big Boss Man” and out again. Josh sang BB
King's “You Upset Me,” Terry sang what I think was Blind Lemon's
“See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” and “Seventh Son.” Will's
keyboards offered a perfect bridge between R&B and the blues and
he sang one of my favorites, Barbara George's “I Know You Don't
Love Me No More.” The final song was an amazing rendition of Jimi
Hendrix's “Voodoo Child.” The music was really, really loud (I
bring earplugs—a live-music necessity), but the sound was sharp and
clear.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In 2008 I couldn't imagine <a href="http://mojolemon.com/home.html">Mojo Lemon</a>
getting better, but they have.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Terry Demars' voice is bluesy-rough
with a touch of street that gives his songs of loss and masculine
sorrow an authentic edge. Today it's stronger and true and has grown
into an instrument all of its own. And his stance behind the
microphone is bigger. He owns his lyrics. The only way I really
know music—good or bad—is intuitively, but it feels like Terry's
bass playing is surer, more confident, and Monday night I saw him
kicking back and really enjoying his band-mates' performances. Terry
now looks and feels like a quintessential blues-man.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dave Schrader didn't miss a beat and
there's no question why he's in demand. I think drummers are
the unsung heros of the music-world. They are essential—the
musical foundation—and their job is paradoxical: when they play
well they fade into the background, allowing the other musicians to
shine in the spotlight. When they don't do well, the whole thing is
screwed. Dave was excellent.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Will Chopper is a consummate performer.
His enjoyment is obvious as his notes intertwine with the other
instruments, giving this band a unique sound. He be-bops and grins
as he plays and sometimes I think that if he could take his keyboards
out into the audience and dance he would. Some of the most fun
moments in their show is when he and Josh trade riffs—a lively and
boisterous musical conversation.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And there's Josh. His guitar playing
is physical. It looks like he is literally pulling the music out
with his feet—stealing from some elemental place at the earth's
core—pushing it through his body and out through his fingers and
into the guitar. He's an amazing talent. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This band really
showed off their skillful versatility in “Voodoo Child.”
It was mostly instrumental and Will and Josh took us through a
history of great rock and roll styles. Will's organ reminded us of
Emerson Lake and Palmer, and the Josh went into a Clapton-like riff.
And of course Josh's pristine and muscular guitar totally channeled
Mr. Hendrix himself.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://mojolemon.com/home.html">Mojo Lemon</a> will be playing at The Snout
this Saturday (12/21/13). If your a blues fan—or just enjoy good
music—and you haven't caught them, you gotta go. If you have
caught them I know you'll want to see them again. You can see their
gig schedule <a href="http://mojolemon.com/schedule.html">here</a>.</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-85137210263544016172013-12-07T12:01:00.003-08:002013-12-07T15:00:48.338-08:00Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra's Swinging Into The Holidays<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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--> On Friday morning I got a Facebook
email from a friend: “<a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/Welcome.html">CV Jazz Orchestra</a> show tonight at the State.
7:30. Good bunch, tons of talent, enjoyable show. You might get a
kick out of it and find an article.” My plans for the evening were
still up in the air. Billy Krause was at the Local Store, G-String
Theory with Noel Hanson was at the House of Rock, and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/two-frets-up.html">Two Frets Up</a>
were playing in Mondovi. <a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/Welcome.html"> CVJO</a>'s gig was on my radar—a dim, vague
blip—but I tend toward the more informal venues (that's a
highfaluting of saying I like bars) and don't really consider myself
a Jazz Girl. But I also like mixing it up. And the realization that
I wouldn't typically go to the event if I didn't have this blog
propelled me out to The State Theater to see “The Chippewa Valley
Jazz Orchestra Presents Swinging Into The Holidays.” I'm so glad I
did.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/Welcome.html">CVJO</a> was conceived in 2009 when a bunch
of musicians were hanging out at the Joynt, talking. Geoff Peterson
(drums) told me, “We wanted to play the music we love in a venue
where people wanted to hear us.” He added that the core group
consist of Josh Gallagher (piano), Jeff Reitz (alto sax, clarinet,
bass sax and flute), Jayson Collins (alto sax), Sue Orfield (tenor
sax), and Jeff Walk (trumpet). Today <a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/Welcome.html">CVJO</a> is eighteen musicians
strong. Its members' ages range from age 18 to 60+. Some are college
students, others are teachers and business-owners and they all love
their music.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is their second Christmas season
at <a href="http://www.eauclairearts.com/">The State Theater</a> and this year they changed things up and added <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/wiki/index.php/Adrian_Klenz">AdrianKlenz</a> as their Master Of Ceremonies. Barry Hitt (who, by the way, is
so goofy he's hip) agreed that they needed a front man so he could
concentrate on just being the musical director. I don't know how the
show felt without an official Master Of Ceremonies, but having Adrian
up there gave Swinging Into The Holidays a variety show-feel. Sort
of like the holiday TV specials I used to watch as a child.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There were 13 musicians on stage. Front
and center-right was a three-tiered horn section. On the top, back
row were 5 trumpets: Jeff Walk; Sean Hanson; Kris Bergh; and Rich
Morgan of <a href="http://www.morganmusiconline.com/">Morgan Music</a>. 5 trombones graced the middle tier: Tom Carlson; Doug
Shoemaker; Bill Halgren; and Eric Olson. The saxophones were on the
ground floor: Max Palzewicz; <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a>; Theresa Soules; Jay Collins;
and Jeff Reitz, "instrument guy" at <a href="http://www.schmittmusic.com/stores/eau-claire.php">Schmitt Music</a>. Back and to the right of the horns was Geoff
Peterson on drums and slightly in front of the drums, next to the
horns was Emily Watkins on guitar. On the other side of the drum kit
was Eric Thompson with his upright bass and bookending the ensemble
was Josh Gallagher on the grand piano.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Most of the musicians sported some kind
of holiday attire. Some wore Santa hats and others wore “ugly
sweaters,” bow ties and Christmas ties. Some of the horns had red
or green muters, and one of the trombones (I think it was Doug
Shoemaker's) was green and was decorated with a rim of tinsel. Adrian
was front and to the left and he also sang, accompanied in some of
the songs by Cathy Reitz.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Adrian was handsome in black suit coat
and a red tie and he kicked off the show with “Sleigh Ride.” The
next song was “Mr Grinch” and in the middle of the song Jeff
Reitz put down his horn, grabbed his bag and left the stage, all
Grinch-like. After the piano solo he reentered wearing a bright red
hunting cap and blowing his bass sax. If you've never seen a bass
sax believe me when I tell you that this is one big-ass horn. Jeff
was very Grinchy and this song set a happy, playful mood that
persisted through the show. And then there was Barry Hitt.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Barry was introduced after “Grinch”
and he was filled with the Miles-Davis-Christmas Spirit. He entered
in red pants, a Santa hat, a tinsel-boa necklace and a psychedelic
green and red dashiki with a big snow-flake-like design on the back.
As the director, he had his back to the audience for most of the
performance—dashiki snow-flake prominently displayed—and he kept
time with a cute little butt-swing. He was a total dork and totally
cool.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The next song was “O Holy Night”
and Jeff Walk wailed big-time on his trumpet. Adrian was joined on
stage by Cathy Rietz (she's married to The Grinch) and they did a
fun, hammy version of “Baby It's Cold Outside.” Cathy has a
great voice and obviously loves singing. The trombones took the lead
on “God Rest Ye Merry Trombones” and Adrian sang “The Christmas
Song” followed by Andrew Neesley's version of “Winter
Wonderland” which featured a solo by what looked to be the youngest
member on trumpet. He nailed it. The first set ended with a lovely
rendition of “Adeste Fidelis” and featured some rocking improv
solos by Sue Orfield and Jeff Reitz on saxes and Josh Gallagher on
piano. All the other musicians seemed to enjoy listening to the
solos as much as the audience.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cathy kicked off the second half of the
show, singing a big-band-jazzy-style medley of “Here Comes Santa
Claus” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” Her energy and joy
revived us after the intermission. Tom Carlson brought his trombone
front and center and led us through “Christmas Time Is Here.”
This was followed by Auld Lang Syne, which started out traditionally
then bumped up to a swinging song. Cathy returned to the stage and
sang “I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” and Eric Olson's bass
trombone blew us away with a fun, playful version of “Jingle
Bells.” The show started its wind-down with Adrian singing a
soulful version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The last song was an instrumental,
“Yo! Tannenbaum,” (punctuation added by yours truly) which
started slow, all wobbly horns, then snapped into a jazzy, raucous,
fun finale. One of the things I liked about this show, these
musicians, was the combination of professionalism and comfort. They
were laid-back, relaxed, having fun doing the thing they like to do
best. I'd never seen a jazz orchestra in action and last night blew
up my preconceptions of a removed and stuffy event for cultural
snobs. I'm sold.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.eauclairearts.com/">The State Theater</a> seats 1,098. 152
people showed up for this year's show, down from 160 last year—which
is understandable considering the North Pole-like weather we're
having. But here's the thing: This was a great show and it deserved
a bigger audience. This brings me back to my oft-repeated plaint
that we just don't get the hidden wealth of the Chippewa Valley. In
an era of “fiscal responsibility” that chips away funding for
the arts, we have passionate, talented musicians whose only desire is
to be heard and appreciated. <a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/Events.html">The Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra</a>'s
next gig is February 15<sup>th</sup> at <a href="http://www.eauclairearts.com/">The State Theater</a> and it will feature
<a href="http://www.trombonilla.com/home.html">Luis Bonilla</a>, Charles Mingus' lead trombone player, along with a
variety of high school students. How cool is that? If I had a
honey, I'd demand he take me to this for Valentine's Day and I'll
probably go anyway, honey or not. You should too. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Show your support and "Like" The Chippewa Valley Orchestra on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CVJazzOrchestra">Facebook</a>. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Again, <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/">Freaks and Geeks'</a> burgeoning <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page">Music Wiki</a> was helpful with this blog.</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-36496385124046901192013-11-30T13:57:00.003-08:002013-11-30T21:29:14.776-08:00Stage Fright 4. The Last Waltz<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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--> The Last Waltz: Arguably the best
rock-concert-film in rock n roll history, directed by Martin
Scorsese.
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
On Thanksgiving, 1976 The Band put on
its “farewell concert appearance” at the Winterland Ballroom in
San Francisco. It was a free-for-all-musical-jam and a ton of great
musicians came to honor The Band's departure from the road. In the
past 30 years this concert has been recreated across the United
States in California, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania and Minneapolis.
Last Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving, <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">Pizza Plus</a> hosted the Chippewa Valley's very own Last
Waltz—or “Stage Fright 4” featuring local musicians. And it was
good.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is Stage Fright's fourth year and
the brain-child of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RhythmPosse">The Rhythm Posse</a>, “a funky rhythm and blues
band” consisting of Billy Angell on keyboards, Lucas Fischer on
lead guitar, Levi Felling on drums and Jeremy Holt on bass guitar.
Because the original configuration had a piano and a keyboard, Eric
Pierson of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Last-Open-Road/112882124192">Last Open Road</a> joins them yearly for this production. The
Posse+Pierson forms the core of the performance—The Band—and each
year different musicians are tapped to assume the role of their
famous counterparts.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I headed to <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">The Plus</a> early, ate pizza
(thanks Jean and Charlie!) and watched as the people trickled in.
This was Stage Fright's first year at <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">The Plus</a>. Previous hosts
include <a href="http://www.house-of-rock.com/">The House Of Rock</a> and The Stone's Throw. This was, by far,
the best venue to date. And, because <a href="http://pizzapluseauclaire.com/">The Plus</a> is a restaurant, it
was the first “all-ages” show. I was delighted to see teenagers
in the audience. The show started at 9:00 and by 8:30 it was
standing-room only. There was a $5 cover and the proceeds were
donated to <a href="http://www.fmpfoodbank.org/">Feed My People</a>. More about that later.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had my little black reporters'
notebook. When the music began I strategically settled in (read:
cross-legged on the floor, right in front of the stage—old hippies
don't die, they just fade and tatter like their blue-jeans), to enjoy
and take notes. And I took a load of notes. I wrote down each song,
each musician and added my personal thoughts and observations. My
original intention was to give a blow-by-blow but, as cool as the
event was, that would just be tedious for both of us. Instead I'm
going to list the musicians and the parts they played and write about
some of my personal, subjective highlights from the concert. I'm
also going to link to as many as these musicians as possible: They
donated their time, asking for no other payment except a lively,
appreciative and engaged audience. They brought passion and energy to
the event and deserve so much more credit than this little blog
could ever offer.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This year began differently from
Frights 1-3 and really touched me. When my son, Toby, was younger
part of our Thanksgiving tradition was to listen to Arlo Guthrie's
“Alice's Restaurant.” Toby is spending Thanksgiving with family
in Alaska, but I still got a piece of that family tradition when <a href="http://www.nickfoytik.com/#">Nick Foytik</a> kicked off the whole thing with a rousing rendition of the
song. Arlo was not part of The Last Waltz, but he's appropriate to
include because it's of the era and a Thanksgiving song. I don't
know if you're familiar with it, but if you give it a listen you'll
better appreciate the idea of covering it live. “Alice's
Restaurant” is a story-song that starts with a Thanksgiving dinner
“that couldn't be beat” cooked by Alice, leading to the arrest
and conviction for littering and creating a public nuisance and then
to the Vietnam draft. It goes for 25 minutes and Nick pulled it off
beautifully. At the end of the song the whole audience was singing
the refrain. Thank you, <a href="http://www.nickfoytik.com/#">Nick Foytik</a>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I would be remiss if I didn't toss in a
big shout out to graphic designer, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amyrschmitzVisualArtist">Amy Schmitz</a>, Nick's partner and the owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmysCustomDesigns">Amy's Custom Designs</a> for this year's Stage Fright's poster.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RhythmPosse"><br /></a>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RhythmPosse">Rhythm Posse</a> and the King Harvest Horns
took the stage and the show began.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There's nothing better than a good horn
section and The King Harvest Horns rocked. They consist of <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a> on sax, <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/wiki/index.php/Dave_Burki">Dave Burki</a> on trumpet, <a href="https://myspace.com/jaysoncollins">Jayson Collins</a> on baritone
sax, and Tom Carlson on trombone. Jayson, Tom and Dave play with <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">TheSue Orfield Band</a> (SOB) and <a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/Welcome.html">The Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra</a> (CVJO).
They didn't play every song but, like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RhythmPosse">Rhythm Posse</a>, were there for
the entire event, bopping on and off the stage. Their skill and
enthusiasm made the show. I gotta say it again: There's nothing
better than a good horn section.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Roger Dinardi played The Last Waltz
Theme on a cool synthesizer-thingy. I really liked his set-up; it's
all packed away in an old-style travel-trunk with attached fold-up
legs. He was accompanied on guitar by a young man (I didn't get his
name, but am happy to add it if you know it).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Posse-Band took it away with “Up
On Cripple Creek” and “The Shape I'm In,” getting the audience
all revved up. There was a pause as the band called to the audience
for “Ronny Hawkins.” My heart sank just a little, because I was
looking forward to this particular song. Just when it looked like it
wasn't going to happen, <a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/">Peter Phippin</a> strode through the crowd and
onto the stage. Dressed all in black, long hair pulled into a pony
tail he grabbed the mic and started belting “Who Do You Love,”
all big, snarly, charisma-y and rock n roll-ego. And, like Ronny in
the original, he left the stage before the last note, and was gone.
A one-shot-Hawkins/<a href="http://www.peterphippen.com/">Phippen</a> injection. Like cocaine, it left me
yearning for more.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Will Chopper from <a href="http://mojolemon.com/">Mojo Lemon</a>, all
dappered-up in hat and suit coat owned the keyboards as Dr. John on
“Such A Night.” Paired with Tom Carlson on Trombone, the song
had a raucous, old-timey feel that got me bopping.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next up was B Squat Woody as Neil Young
singing “Helpless” with back-up vocals by <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a> as Joni Mitchell.
Catya fans know her primarily for her blues singing and might not
realize she has a 3-octive-range that lets her voice soar into the
hemisphere. The sound was a little spotty, but Catya nailed it,
nonetheless. B Squat Woody is a member of <a href="http://www.bigriverradiowave.com/#/the-riverbenders/4548154065">The Riverbenders</a> which
hosts a local variety show in Alma, Wisconsin called <a href="http://www.bigriverradiowave.com/#">The Big RiverRadio Wave</a>. You can hear them on Wisconsin Public Radio or go to the
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigRiverTheater">Big River Theater</a> in Alma and catch them live. Word is they have The
Best Christmas Show Ever going on tonight and that it will be aired
on WPR later. I think it's very, very cool that he agreed to take
time from his Thanksgiving holiday to participate in our show.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Caleb Horne,
mandolin-player-extrordinaire joined The Posse-Band and Harvest Horns
on “Rag Mama Rag” and Megan Hashbarger, Kateri Farrell and Koryna
Flores took the stage for vocals on “The Weight.” They looked
nervous at first and seemed to have a hard time hearing themselves on
the monitors, but quickly warmed up and did a great job.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/lucas-fischer.html">Lucas Fischer</a> took the vocals on one of
my personal favorites, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
Luke's voice is tremendous and he did an amazing job.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After the intermission <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/wiki/index.php/Billy_Krause">Billy Krause</a>
mounted the stage as Neil Diamond singing “Dry Your Eyes.” The
casting for this song couldn't have been better. Billy is a
singer-songwriter, well-known in the area for his poignant lyrics and
gentle folk-style. “Dry Your Eyes” could have been one of
Billy's and, in my humble opinion, he did it better than Neil Diamond
ever did.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a> took the stage as Joni Mitchell,
singing “Coyote.” Again, fabulous casting. <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a>'s style is
perfect for Joni's complex phrasing and chord changes. I got a kick
out of watching her: at the beginning of the song she couldn't hear
herself in the monitor and made a series of hand gestures to the
sound-man, Ben White, asking for correction without missing a strum.
<a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">A consummate professional.</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Another favorite moment was when Gregg
Wheeler played Paul Butterfield. Gregg Wheeler is an unassuming, laid
back kind of musician whose tastes tend toward old country classics
and lonely-sweet harmonica-playing. He was astounding Wednesday
night, belting out “Mystery Train” and jamming out on the
harmonica. He stayed on stage and accompanied Muddy Waters on
“Mannish Boy.” Terry Demars of <a href="http://mojolemon.com/">Mojo Lemon</a> was a fabulous mannish
boy and Terry sang his heart out. Mike Schlenker of <a href="http://eauclairesoundsystems.com/">Speed Of Sound</a>
rocked the house with his virtuoso guitar-playing as Eric Clapton on
“Further On Up The Road.” <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lizzydianemusic"> Lizzy Diane</a> was all long-hair, blue
eye shadow and lusty-70s-style dress as Emmy Lou Harris. Caleb Horne
leaped back up on stage with his mandolin and they sang “Evangeline.”
Lizzie is a skilled songwriter in her own right with a unique style.
Definitely<a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/lizzydiane"> check her out</a>. <a href="http://www.brianbethke.com/">Brian Bethke</a>, another local
singer-songwriter was an excellent Van Morrison and sounded more Van
than Van when he sang “Caravan.” There were cool little touches,
homages to the original, throughout the show and Brian's was when he
reproduced Van Morrison's odd leg-kicks on stage. Fun and funny.
One of the things that appealled to me most about this show is
that—unlike the original—no one took themselves too seriously and
everyone on stage was having fun.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The show signaled the wind-down when
local thespian, Nic Sielaff, took the stage for the irreverent “Loud
Prayer.” Then Wisconsin's very own <a href="http://www.wisconsinacademy.org/content/current-poet-laureate">Poet Laureate, Max Garland </a>took
the stage as the music-world's bard, Bob Dylan. Again, amazing
casting. Max played an electric guitar and sang “Forever Young.”
Time slowed down. Scanning the audience I saw people of a certain
age, swaying and singing along to an anthem of days gone by:
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“May your hands always be busy <br />
May
your feet always be swift<br />
May you have a strong foundation <br />
When
the winds of changes shift<br />
May your heart always be joyful <br />
And
may your song always be sung<br />
May you stay forever young.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I found it profoundly moving.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally, the whole crew mounted the
stage for the final song, Dylan's “I Shall Be Released.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was an incredible night. Yes, the
sound was a little muddy. Yes it was a bit crowded. Yes, there were
some blunders. Yes, there aren't enough women on stage (although
Faith Ulwelling from <a href="http://leftwingbourbon.com/">Left Wing Bourbon</a> was Muddy Waters last year and
The Rhythm Posse seems more than willing to continue with
gender-bending).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And yes, it was fabulous. Here's the
thing; these musicians and this event increase our quality of life in
the Chippewa Valley throughout the year. They're from all faucets of
the musical-spectrum: classically-trained Jazz horns; folk
singer-songwriters; blues; country; funk; bluegrass; a grammy nominated
flautist. Young and old, seasoned and new, their talent is
remarkable, as is their willingness to share that talent. I can't
imagine living in a world without live music and I'm so very grateful
to all the musicians in the Chippewa Valley for their gift of music.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was such a pleasure to see Billy
Angell behind his keyboard, grinning like a demon at the scene he'd
created. He told me later that he's able to back out of a lot of
planning in the past couple of years and that Lucas Fischer played a
major role in putting 2013 together. And I gotta stress this: all
the musicians did it for free. The $5.00 cover charge went to <a href="http://www.fmpfoodbank.org/">Feed My People</a> and the unofficial word is that they (we!) raised over $900
for that charity. As Billy pointed out, there are a lot of Last
Waltz's around the country, many of them demanding a ticket price of
$20 or more. And those musicians are paid. I'll bet our musicians
have the most fun.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As Eric Pierson said, “This is the
single greatest musical cross-pollination of the year.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other mentions include:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.mikeobrienphoto.com/">Mike O'Brien</a>, photographer. For
pictures of Stage Fright 4, click ><a href="http://www.mikeobrienphoto.com/Music/Last-Waltz-2013/34543426_sk5Rdx#%21i=2937023724&k=9km2rz5">here</a><</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.dmisound.com/">DMI Sound</a>: These guys work their asses
off for music in the Chippewa Valley. You'll find them mixing sound
for <a href="http://www.eauclairearts.com/">The State Theater</a>, <a href="http://volumeone.org/sites/concerts">Volume One's Sounds Like Summer ConcertSeries</a>, <a href="http://www.bluesonthechippewa.com/">Blues On The Chippewa</a> and <a href="http://www.chippewavalleyblues.com/tnb-main/">Tuesday Night Blues</a>. They rock.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.eightfootsquid.com/">Eight-Foot Squid</a> has a full recording of
Stage Fright 4 ><a href="http://eauclairestagefright.bandcamp.com/album/stage-fright-2013">here</a><</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally, I'm going to include a link to
another Chippewa Valley Music Blog, <a href="http://www.freaksandgeeks.org/">Freaks and Geeks</a>. I've used some of his musician bios as links in this blog. We're getting
the word out!</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-92210990366979089922013-11-24T21:15:00.002-08:002014-01-19T13:26:27.705-08:00Two Frets Up<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<i><b>quaintrelle:</b></i><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>(n) a woman who emphasizes a life
of passion, expressed through personal style, leisurely pastimes,
charm and cultivation of life's pleasures.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A friend posted this word and its
definition on my Facebook page, saying it describes me. I'm not
there yet, but I definitely want to be a quaintrelle when I grow up.
Or maybe when I retire, 'cause it might take retirement to make me
feel grown up.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anyway.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My 9-year-old niece, Josie, is visiting
from Iowa. She's learning to play the ukelele (just like her
favorite aunt) and I'd planned to take her to the Uke Klub at Pizza
Plus, but I totally screwed up the dates and planned for her arrival
the week after the uke club meets. (See what I mean about not being
a grown up?) So, I'm thinking, <i>“What can I do with Josie that
will be cool and interesting?”</i> She's from Des Moines, which is
a pretty cosmopolitan town. And with our typical
20-degree-late-fall-weather, sampling Wisconsin's outdoor wonders
is limited. It didn't take me long to realize the question's a
no-brainer. Live music. What else?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I met Josie and her mother at Albert
Lea at noon today and snatched her up. We arrived at my little
blond-brick, ranch-style home in Chippewa Falls just after 3:00. At
5:30 we picked up my aunt Jean and the Three Js—Jen, Jean, and
Josie—headed to <a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> for my two favorite things: Food and
music.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> was dressed in its Christmas
Finery. As we tooled up the driveway and into the parking lot I told
Josie, “Now this is a <i>Wisconsin</i> restaurant.” It was all
twinkly lights, apple-red Santas and glittery gold and silver.
Perfect for a 9-year-old's sensibilities. Walking into the dining
room we were greeted by the sweet sounds of a violin and mellow
guitar-picking. We grabbed a table close to the music and moved the
chairs around so Josie could see the musicians.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was a duo, a guy and a gal. They
were sitting on stools, he with a guitar, she a violin, just
finishing up a Merle Haggard tune. They are an interesting pair: he
in ball-cap, work boots and jeans; she in black slacks, white blouse,
matching hair and low heels. He holds his guitar like it's a part of
him—all casual comfort—she sits strait in her chair, violin
tucked under her chin in a classic pose, feet barely touching the
lower brace of her stool. His voice is rough and melodic, her voice
is higher and sweet. He has a thumb-pick, she a bow. They're
opposites and it works.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They call themselves <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Frets-Up/395301883898909?ref=profile">Two Frets Up</a>. His
name is Larry Radle and hers is Andrea Christopherson.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As we settled in Larry turned to us and
asked Josie if she knew “Wagon Wheel” and if she wanted to get up
and sing with them. She did not know “Wagon Wheel” and did not
want to get up and sing. But the interaction was interesting and
turned out to be typical of his style. After “Wagon Wheel”
Andrea sang an old Jim Reeves song, “Welcome To My World.” She
told me later that her father was a self-taught fiddle player and her
early influences were old country songs. She started playing violin
when she was 10-years-old.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They also sang Zach Brown's “Highway
20 Ride,” Garth Brooks “Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old,”
Buffet's “Margaritaville,” Pure Prairie League's “Amie”
(Josie knew that song, but didn't sing it), Merle Haggard's “Silver
Wings,” Poco's “Honky Tonk Downstairs” Jerry Jeff Walker's “Mr
Bojangles,” Eagles' “Lyin' Eyes,” Bellamy Brothers' “Redneck
Girl,” Don Williams' “You're My Best Friend,” The Casinos'
“Then You Can Tell Me Good Bye.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For the most part Andrea
harmonized with Larry. He's got interesting phrasing, pulling up
lyrics from the next stanza into the current one (there's got to be a
word for that, but I can't find it) giving familiar songs a
nice, unexpected twist. Andrea did sing lead and did a beautiful
job with Tom Paxton's “The Last Thing On My Mind.” And she played
“Ashokan Farewell,” a contemporary instrumental tune modeled
after a Scottish lament, with such a sense of loss and longing that
an audience member asked that she play it again. She did. She
also did a great job on Elizabeth Cotton's “Freight Train.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They eventually took a break and I got
a chance to chat with them. Andrea was born and raised in Eau Claire
and has been playing in bands for decades. Currently she's in a
bluegrass band called <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/wi/blugrass/">River City Ramblers</a> and she used to play with
Drywood Creek. She said that while it's better today, there still
aren't enough female instrumentalists out there. It's still a guy's
game (my words, not hers).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Larry is relatively new to the
area. He and his wife of 44 years, Myra, moved here from Illinois
when he retired 7 years ago. He has family here and today Myra and
Larry have 4 horses, 30 sheep and 12 chickens. He mentioned this in
one of his chats between songs. He was a professional musician and
opened for the likes of Tommy James but in 1986 he laid his guitar
down. He says he got burned out. His wife said the smoky bars and
lifestyle was killing him. For over 20 years he played for his dogs
(“They always think what you're playing is good”) and that was
it. On New Year's Eve, 2011 he and Andrea met and she convinced him
to pick up his guitar and venture out into the music world again.
They've been playing together for 14 months.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Layne Yost was in the audience and
while I chatted with Andrea, Myra and Larry, he agreed to keep the
audience engaged and sing a couple of songs. Layne's got a John
Denver voice, all sweet, pure and true. He's a delight to listen to.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Josie was tired and we didn't stay for
the second set. Driving home I thought about the nature of
quaintrelle-ism and I asked Josie if she'd ever seen live music
before.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Yeah, I went to a Justin Bieber
concert once.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I laughed. “Did you like it?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I guess so, except he was two hours
late. We heard on the news later he was eating pizza and riding
bumper cars.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jean and I groaned appropriately.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“So, which one did you like better?
Justin Bieber? Or Two Frets Up?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I liked tonight better.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“If Justin Beiber had been on time,
do you think you would like him better?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“No. Probably not. Except he flew.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“He flew?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Yeah, he flew on stage when he was
singing. That was pretty cool.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The thing I like about live music
is that when it's good it makes me fly. Larry and Andrea did not
have wires attached and did not fly around Fanny Hill's dining room.
But tonight I did, just a little, and I think Josie's
quaintrelle-training is off to a resounding start.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-47411012451405820792013-11-13T20:05:00.003-08:002013-11-14T07:04:11.328-08:00Lost Jim and Robbi <style type="text/css"><!--
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The promise of live blues again drew me
to the <a href="http://www.uueauclaire.com/">Unitarian Universalist</a> church. Last night<a href="http://www.lostjim.com/"> Lost Jim Ohlschmidt </a>and his
wife Robbi played and it was good.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The couple is from Minnesota and
traveled to Eau Claire on a cold Tuesday night at the request of our
<a href="http://www.chippewavalleyblues.com/">Blues Society</a>. The stage setting was simple: two chairs; two guitars
and four microphones—two for vocals and two for the instruments.
Jim brought two guitars. One was a sleek, smooth, big bodied, burnished
red affair with fancy sound holes. The other was smaller, with a
filigree design, battered and well worn. The varnish and paint was
worn away beneath the strings. Lost Jim's fingers must have brushed
it thousands—tens of thousands—of times when using his
thumb-pick. It was a pure, acoustic, unplugged show.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.lostjim.com/">Lost Jim</a> came out alone and played two
original instrumentals from his new CD, “<i><a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/Search/bG9zdCBqaW0gb2hsc2NobWlkdA%3d%3d/0">Old Box New Tunes</a></i>,”
warming the audience up, empty chair beside him. A couple of things
were immediately obvious: this was not going to be a
stand-up-and-dance kind of night; and this guy was good. I prepared
to sit back and let the music soothe me. The first tune was "Maggie And Trouble." The second song titled "Avalon
Postcard." Then his wife came onto the stage carrying her violin.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
These two are everyday people. You see
them shopping at the local grocery store, walking in the park, in the
middle row of pews at church, sitting on the bleachers at the little
league game. They're quiet and pleasant and polite. Lost Jim
struggles with a slight stutter and Robbi's smile is crooked. They
got up on stage, picked up their instruments and played them in the
same quiet, matter-of-fact way she might bake a pie for dinner or he
might jump-start a car during a cold Minnesota winter (or perhaps
he bakes and she's the mechanic, but you know what I mean). There
is nothing about them that screams “special” or “talented,” nothing particularly extraordinary about the way they look or how they
present themselves. But their music is extraordinary. Quiet and
unpretentious, they warmed the cold Tuesday night.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.lostjim.com/">Lost Jim</a> likes old blues. Country
blues. He likes Mississippi John Hurt. He likes Blind Blake and Big
Bill Broonzy. He sang "Payday," a “song older than dirt.” He sang
"Salty Dog" a “cultural high-water mark” for the blues and admitted
he still doesn't know what a salty dog is. He told a few jokes:
What's the difference between a banjo player and a savings bond? The
savings bond eventually matures and earns money. He gave us a bit of
history explaining that Mississippi John was born in 1892 and his
tune "Creole Belle" was adapted from a piano rag and talked about
Casey Jones, the famous engineer before singing Hurt's "Casey Jones."
He cracked dryly that Blind Lemon Jefferson “asks the question that
every blues man wonders: "Will A Matchbox Hold My Clothes?” And that
Poppa Charlie Jackson sings about “the essential, fundamental topic
of country blues” before launching into "Shake That Thing."</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
During all this Robbi, his wife, sat on her chair, smiling slightly, tapping her bow against her fiddle,
adding quiet percussion. She soloed on it too. She's got a
madonna-like smile and pacific demeanor, but I suspect this woman
knows how to let loose. This suspicion was partially confirmed when
she sang her first song. It was a gorgeous rendition of Patsy
Cline's "Never No More." Deep and rich, her voice rang out true
and strong. In the second set she sang a Kitty Wells song, "Just
One More Time" and again, nailed it. She also plays bluegrass in a Minnesota-based band called "<a href="http://www.heylonesome.com/">Hey Lonesome</a>," but tonight her violin melded beautifully
with her husband's guitar giving these blues just the right feel. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.lostjim.com/">Lost Jim</a> also sang some originals. "You're The One" is a beautiful love song: “Roll like the
river/shine like the sun/go on tell everybody baby/you're the
one...pretty as a daisy/wild as a dandelion/like flowers in the
meadow baby/you're looking mighty fine.” My favorite original was
titled "Railroad Blues." He explained that he likes train songs, was thinking of how Mississippi John Hurt might sing one
and had Bo Diddley's "Hand Jive" buzzing in his head for
about a month. Finally he picked up his guitar, slowed the tune
down and wrote a song from the perspective of someone who got left
behind at the train station: “Think about a month ago/your bags are
packed your ready to go/leave me with a mule to ride/and an empty
feeling down deep inside....I got no letter I got no news/all I got's
these railroad blues.” And Robbi's violin made sad, quiet train
sounds.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
These two bring us back to a time when
making music was a natural cultural extension of life, when family
music-making was a way to communicate and bond and entertain. They
bring us back to a time before the radio and TV dragged us from our
front porch and into the living room. On Tuesday night, their
music dragged me away from my computer and onto a church pew. And it
was worth it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You can buy some of <a href="http://www.lostjim.com/">Lost Jim Ohlschmidt's</a> CDs on <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/Search/bG9zdCBqaW0gb2hsc2NobWlkdA%3d%3d/0">CDBaby</a>. I've linked to his website and there's contact information there including his email address: <a href="mailto:lostjim.ohlschmidt@gmail.com" target="_blank">lostjim.ohlschmidt@gmail.com.</a><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br /></div>
If you share Jim's passion for old-time blues, you'll want his CDs. </div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-84796627916737998822013-11-10T09:12:00.002-08:002013-11-10T11:11:21.175-08:00Lucas Fischer<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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--> Last night was a busy music night and I
didn't go out with thoughts of writing.
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My bad.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I started with the <a href="http://www.leadertelegram.com/">Leader Telegram</a>'s
<a href="http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_456d4210-37b1-11e3-8360-001a4bcf887a.html">Warm The Children</a> benefit at <a href="http://www.whiskeysgrill.com/">Whiskey's</a>, under the radio tower in Eau
Claire. <a href="http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_456d4210-37b1-11e3-8360-001a4bcf887a.html">“Warm The Children, entering its 20th year...continues through Dec. 24. The newspaper accepts donations to buy warm clothing, then lines up volunteer shoppers to accompany disadvantagedfamilies to shop for children’s clothing. One-hundred percent of donations go for clothing, said Mike Carlson, director of circulation and marketing for the newspaper and Warm the Children coordinator.”</a> The benefit was organized by Dave Shoenrock and Dave
Showed-And-Rocked last night. I'm not going to write a lot about
it—like I said, my intention was to just enjoy myself—but the
cause is worth mentioning and the music was great. I left early but
I did see the following bands:
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/G-String-Theory-Eau-Claire/181055015409779">G-String Theory</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RhythmPosse">Rhythm Posse</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.jftpartyband.com/">JFT Party Band</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pheromones/47478332764">The Pheromones</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'll be writing about these bands, but
not today. I missed <a href="http://bigdeeks.com/">The Big Deeks</a>, <a href="http://fm-down.com/">FMDown</a> and
<a href="http://www.rockwithphoenix.com/">Phoenix</a>. So much music, so little time. All the musicians donated
their time to <a href="http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_456d4210-37b1-11e3-8360-001a4bcf887a.html">Warm The Children</a> and a great time was had by all. (A note about <a href="http://www.whiskeysgrill.com/">Whiskey's</a>: It's one of the few area bar/restaurants set up to play live music.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After leaving <a href="http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_456d4210-37b1-11e3-8360-001a4bcf887a.html">Warm The Children</a> I
headed to the <a href="http://www.jamessheeleyhouse.com/">Sheeley House</a> to catch Lucas Fischer's solo act.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I first met Luke when he was teamed
with <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a> and I've watched him with interest. This guy keeps
getting better. He works at <a href="http://www.schmittmusic.com/stores/eau-claire.php">Schmitt Music</a> and plays in various bands
including Code Blue with <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a>, <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/">Eggplant Heroes</a>, <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a> and
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RhythmPosse">Rhythm Posse</a>. (Yep, Luke played at Warm The Children, then packed
his guitars and zipped to Chippewa.) I'd seen Luke with these bands,
but didn't catch him solo until last night. (Read more about <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">Catya</a> and <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/eggplant-heroes.html">Eggplant Heroes</a>.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Luke is a major talent. In his
mid-20s, he's open and friendly and quick to smile. Luke's parents,
Debbie and Mike, are both music enthusiasts and Mike is on the board
of the <a href="http://www.chippewavalleyblues.com/">Chippewa Valley Blues Society</a>. I get the impression that Luke
was weaned on music. Though he's one of the best guitar players in
the area, he's humble and genuinely grateful when complimented. He
has sleepy eyes that hint an old soul and his music heightens this
notion. His voice is raspy-sophisticated and I disagree with the
oft-heard Tom Waits comparison. I get why people say it, but I think
it's more the juxtaposition of an old voice coming out of young man
than of Luke sounding like Mr Waits. And while I know Luke will
wince when he reads this, I love the way his eyes roll-up, almost
orgasmic-like, when he sings. He was born for music; it is an
essential part of him and I love seeing that displayed on stage.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I came in a little late and was, quite
frankly, tired. My plan was to stay for a couple of songs and head
for bed. But Luke's music kept me longer than intended. I didn't
plan to write him, but I found myself pulling out my little notebook
and jotting notes. I love it when someone takes an old song and
makes it new, puts their own spin on it--their own
interpretation--and Luke is a master. He does a great
version of the blues standard, <u>Kansas City</u>, as well as Tom Waits' <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjSXwdj8IFA&noredirect=1"><u>Make It Rain</u></a>
and Johnny Cash's <u>Folsom Blues</u>.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'd heard him cover those songs before and I
was delighted to hear more of his repertoire. Talk about original.
He played an acoustic-percussion version of <u>All Along The Watchtower</u>
that—mysteriously and seamlessly—melded into <u>No Woman No Cry</u>.
I'm not sure why it worked. The only thing I can figure is that he
reggaed-down Watchtower and rocked-up No Woman. And it really did
work.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other songs played last night were <u>Jane
Says</u> by Jane's Addiction, Van Morrison's <u>Crazy Love</u>, Tool's <u>Pushit</u>,
Marshal Tucker's <u>Can't You See</u>, Hank Williams' <u>Jambalaya</u>, Elvis' <u>Blue
Suede Shoes</u>, Dylan's <u>Tangled Up In Blue </u>and finally The Grateful
Dead's <u>Jack Straw</u>. I'm an old Deadhead and always perk up when I
hear them covered. Mostly I hear <u>Friend Of The Devil</u> and had never
heard anyone do <u>Jack Straw</u>. Last night Luke nailed it, putting his
unique edge to it. He also did two originals.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpXDc1nBLgE&noredirect=1">Poor Man's Ridge</a> is a fast-paced bluesy
song about revisiting a childhood spot and partying like a teenager. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MApOhqb_grM&noredirect=1"> 5AM</a> is a slow, floaty—almost jazzy—song about how quickly time
flies in new love. (Click the links to hear Luke and his originals in <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya</a>'s band, Code Blue.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I said Lucas Fischer is a major
talent I meant it. I've been watching him now for about four years
and each time I see him he gets better. And he's only in his 20s. I
can only imagine the music he'll be playing in another 10 years.
</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-58764246906021799032013-11-03T15:32:00.002-08:002013-11-03T19:23:26.729-08:00Two Rivers<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The <a href="http://www.vfwclub305.com/">VFW</a> might seem like an unlikely
place to catch live music, but that's where I was yesterday for most
of the afternoon. I went because <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/Sue_Orfields_Website/Home.html">Sue Orfield</a> and Randy Sinz were
playing and ended up enjoying myself so much I stayed after the music
ended.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sue and Randy play together with
various different bands: <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/">AcoustiHoo</a>; <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Catya's Trio</a>; <a href="http://www.catya.net/">Code Blue</a>; <a href="http://www.sueorfieldband.com/Sue_Orfield_Band/Home.html">The Sue Orfield Band</a>; and <a href="http://www.radadada.net/RadaDada/Home.html">Rada Dada</a> but when it's the only the two of them
booked, they call themselves Two Rivers. To make things just a little
more confusing, they rarely play alone as Two Rivers because they
frequently have friends sitting in with them. And this was so last
night when Gregg Wheeler joined them. Gregg is a tall, slim,
cowboy-booted harmonica player. He also plays guitar and sings. But
before I get into the music, let me fill you in on the venue and the
reason these three were playing.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There was a benefit yesterday for a
person with cancer. I'm not personally acquainted with the person
and won't put the name in this blog—it's not my place. It's my
impression that while there were many family and friends at the
benefit, there were also a lot of people like me there, people who
like music and were more than happy to donate for a noble cause. I
can only imagine how strange it must have been and I know I would
have been both overwhelmingly grateful and really uncomfortable had
it been me. Enough said.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I will say that it was the most
well-organized benefit I've ever been to. There was a huge amount of
donated items: a long table-full of baked goods; original art;
baskets from a ton of local and East Coast businesses; official
Packers memorabilia; handmade jewelry; a handsome cookie jar from
<a href="http://caradori-pottery.com/">Caradori Pottery</a>...there were $2 raffles, $3 raffles and $5 raffles.
There were paint stick-raffles and 50/50 raffles. There were chair
massages and live music. Ahhh, the music.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sue, Randy and Gregg volunteered their
time for this event and it was oh-so pleasant. Sue's sax playing is
diverse and when she's in Two Rivers she also plays the keyboard and
even sings an occasional harmony. Randy, for the most part, puts
down his bass in favor of the guitar and yesterday he and Gregg took
turns singing.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've already revealed my bias for Sue
and Randy in <a href="http://jenniferruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/catyas-trio.html">this</a> blog. I love their talent. I love their music. I
love Sue's passion and generosity of spirit and Randy's voice and
professionalism. I love Sue's originals and Randy's choice of covers.
I love Sue's versatility and Randy's stature on stage. And I love
the people they share their stage with, like Gregg Wheeler.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gregg's an unassuming man. I get the
impression that he's a kind, hardworking man who loves to play music.
The way he plays the harmonica is somehow closer to art than music. I
know, I know, music is art, but there's a difference between a really
good musician and a musical artist and—in my very subjective
opinion—Gregg's playing is artistic. He pulls notes out of the
harmonica in a way I've never heard. His tastes tend toward
old-style country songs—probably the songs he heard around the
house growing up—and he's well-suited for them.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Together they played a variety of
songs, opening with an instrumental version of <u>Cupid</u>, followed by
Buck Owen's <u>Think of Me When You're Lonely</u>, Allison Kraus's <u>Outside
Looking In</u>, Sue's original <u>Atomic A-Go-Go</u>—a lively instrumental and
one of my very favorites because I know every note and can clap
along—<u>On Broadway</u>, James Taylor's<u> Steamroller</u>, Leonard Cohen's
<u>Hallelujah</u>, and Gershwin's <u>Summertime</u>, to name a few. Gregg played
my favorite of his songs, Marty Robbin's <u>Devil Woman</u>. He presents it
with a thin veneer of irony, covering some real emotion. When he
sings, “Devil Woman/let go of my arms” I get the impression he's
had his own Devil Woman hanging on, refusing to let go somewhere in
his past.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then there's the song <u>The Gold</u>,
written by Chippewa Falls native, Greg Gilbertson. This is a
beautiful-sad love song: “<span class=""></span><span class="">I am a drunk old man hung over in a midnight bar/
I talk too much about how things were back before the war/
Now I only drink the strongest stuff I find/
Honey, I’m the whisky, You’re the wine</span>.” There's a yearning in this song that touches the heart. And Randy's voice is perfect for it. I hope to hear more of Mr. Gilbertson's work in the future.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'll be writing more about Sue, Randy
and the musicians they play with in the future. This Wednesday
(11/6/13) they'll be at <a href="http://fannyhill.com/">Fanny Hill</a> as Two Rivers. Their other gigs
are listed below.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As you can see, there's plenty of
opportunity to catch them, and no excuse not to:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nov.
6, Two Rivers at Fanny Hill in Eau Claire, WI. 5:30-8:30pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nov.
15, Rada Dada at Sammy's Pub in Eau Claire, WI. 8:30pm-midnight.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nov.
21, Two Rivers at Foster Cheese Haus in Foster, WI.5:30-8:30pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nov.
27, Stage Fright IV at Pizza Plus in Eau Claire, WI. 8pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nov.
30, Left Wing Bourbon at The Thirsty Catfish (Benefit for The Humane
Society) in Durand, WI. 8pm - midnight.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
4, Two Rivers at Fanny Hill in Eau Claire, WI. 5:30-8:30pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
6, Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra at the State Theater in Eau Claire,
WI. 7:30pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
7, The Sue Orfield Band at Gelly's in Stockholm, WI. 8-11pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
14, Soul Tribute at The Heyde Center For The Arts in Chippewa Falls,
WI. 7:30pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
19,Two Rivers at Foster Cheese Haus in Foster, WI. 5:30-8:30pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
27, The Butanes at The Minnesota Music Cafe in St. Paul, MN. 9pm.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dec.
31, Rada Dada at The Masonic Temple in Eau Claire, WI. 8pm.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-29445952718171765422013-10-27T20:19:00.001-07:002013-10-28T05:05:44.933-07:00Eggplant Heroes<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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--> Last night I ambled over to<a href="http://www.theacoustic.com/eauclaire/home.shtml"> TheAcoustic Cafe</a> in downtown Eau Claire to get me an <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/the-band/">Eggplant Heroes</a>
fix. If you're into acoustic music with a strong folk influence and
are—like me—lyrics-driven, <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/the-band/">Eggplant Heroes</a> is the band for you.
The band was launched by <a href="http://www.uwec.edu/English/about/max_garland.htm">Max Garland</a>, <a href="http://www.uwec.edu/English/about/bernard_duyfhuizen.htm">Duffy Duyfhuizen</a>, <a href="https://www.uwec.edu/English/about/joel_pace.htm">Joel Pace</a> (pronounced: Patch-A)
and <a href="http://acoustihoo.com/olaf-lind-violinmandolin">Olaf Lind</a>, but has since added other musicians including Dan Zerr
on bass, Lucas Fisher on electric guitar and, less frequently of
late, Caleb Horne on mandolin.
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'm as much about the personality of
the band as the music. It doesn't matter how accomplished the
musician, if I'm not able to catch a glimpse of the person behind the
instrument I'm not interested. I'm sure music-purists would call me
a philistine, but if I'm going out to see live music, it's as much
about the musicians as the music. If I want music for music's sake,
I'll plug into my iPod. So let me tell you a little about these men.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.uwec.edu/English/about/bernard_duyfhuizen.htm">Duffy Duyfhuizen</a> is the Associate Dean
in UW-Eau Claire's College of Arts and Sciences. If you've been
reading this blog, you'll also recognize him as the rhythm guitar
player for David Jones and The Jones Tones. He sings more with
Eggplant, occasionally plays his harmonica and has a seemingly
unending repertoire of amazing songs.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.uwec.edu/English/about/joel_pace.htm">Joel Pace</a> was playing a gig with his
alternate band, Irie Sol, and so was not present last night, but his
voice-as-instrument is breathtaking and he also plays the trumpet and
various percussives. Joel is a professor in the literature
department at UW-Eau Claire and, I've heard tell, has a Piped
Piper-like effect on his students. If you view this brief <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v98sMdK06as&noredirect=1">Youtube</a>
clip of him describing one of his classes I think you'll understand
why.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.uwec.edu/English/about/max_garland.htm">Max Garland</a> is, again, a professor at
UWEC. And he's <a href="http://www.wisconsinacademy.org/content/current-poet-laureate">Wisconsin's Poet Laureate</a>. No kidding. Max plays
lead guitar, writes songs and sings. Max will also, appropriately,
play Bob Dylan in this year's Fright Night (I'll be writing about
this event).
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://acoustihoo.com/olaf-lind-violinmandolin"><br /></a>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://acoustihoo.com/olaf-lind-violinmandolin">Olaf Lind</a> is a classically trained
Violin player, lived in London as a child and studied at Michigan's
prestigious Interlochen Center For The Arts. He's the quiet one,
unassuming with eyes downcast, standing in the corner, but when he
solos it's easy to picture him as that quintessential orchestral
violinist in a black tuxedo letting loose on Mozart, hair flying, bow
dancing over the strings, unerringly finding the right note.
Sometimes I'm surprised by tears by the sweetness of the notes coaxed
out of his instrument. He also plays the electric mandolin.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It's important to know about these men,
because it is obvious that their passions influenced both their their
music and their careers as illustrated in the songs on their CD
titled, <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/the-album/"><u>After This Time</u></a>. The fourth track on the CD is <u>Orphan
Child</u> and Duffy sings a passage from Charlotte Bronte's <u>Jane
Eyre</u>, seamlessly transforming Bronte's words into a traditional
folk song, all atmospheric and melancholic. In <u>Nick's
Postscript</u>, the sixth track, Joel sings from Fitzgerald's <u>The
Great Gatsby</u>, full of hope and energy.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
While Duffy and Joel's focus in these
two songs is to celebrate the work of other great writers, Max uses
his word-talent to paint emotion-pictures: “Snow on the rooftop/snow in my soul/snow in my heart about an inch or so/ can't build
much of a man out of snow/can't stop a woman/when she's ready to
go.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other songs on the CD include, Duffy's <u>Sometimes</u>, a sweet love song: “But I know in the morning/ the
sun is going to rise/and this old world keeps right on turning/every time I look into your eyes.” And Joel's <u>Via Canzone</u> about his father's homeland, “14 hours a day mending shoes/all
across the salty seas/not a life we choose/sewing and polishing
memories.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/the-album/">CD</a> is packed with beautiful,
haunting and sometimes funny music. You can hear <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/the-album/"><u>After This Time</u></a> in its
entirety on the Eggplant Heroes' <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/">website</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Last night <a href="http://www.eggplantheroes.com/">The Eggplant Heroes</a> played a
mix of originals, standards and covers. Max likes songs gently reminiscent of his childhood faith and The Heroes graced us with <u>I Saw
The Light</u>, <u>This Little Light of Mine</u>, <u>Jesus On The
Mainline</u>, and <u>I'll Fly Away</u>. Max also recited one of his
poems, <u>Memories of Pentecost</u>, about his Uncle John an old
time Southern Preacher and followed up with <u>Walking in Jerusalem,
(Just Like John</u>).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dan Zerr plays bass and sang Tom Waits' <u>Jersey Girl</u>, Lyle Lovett's <u>Flyswatter Blues</u>, and Natalie Merchant's <u>Homeland</u>. Dan has a
great voice and can sing both a deep bass and a high falsetto (though
not at the same time). He's also a songwriter and I was a bit
disappointed that I didn't hear his <u>Disappearing Middle-Class
Blues</u>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Halfway through the gig, Luke Fischer
showed up with his electric guitar. This is one of the cool things
about the band: the make-up of the band changes from gig to gig,
depending on the members' availability. Each member adds their own
brand of texture and depth, so when a member or two isn't there, the
band isn't incomplete, just different.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Luke Fischer is a heck of a guitar
player and I once heard Max say he's still looking for a song Luke
can't play. Luke and Olaf jammed on Hendrix's <u>Little Wing</u>, all
lonely and whimsical and Olaf's mandolin was wonderfully
Hendrix-like. When Dan traded his bass for a guitar to play Orlean's <u>Reach A Little Bit Higher</u> Luke played the bass-line on his
electric guitar. Duffy sang Pat Donahue's <u>Drowning In You</u> and
their music was so full, so soulful that I felt like I was drowning
in it. They also played Dylan, The Band, John Prine, Hal David, Old
Crow Medicine Show, John Hiatt and, of course, some of their
originals.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As they played I looked around the
room. I saw college students, retirees and families—some with
teens and some with tots—and I was struck by the inclusiveness of
this venue and of this band. Like I said, I like bands with
personality, bands whose musicians allow us a glimpse of who they
are. Bands are like living organisms and each member adds to the
dynamic of the whole. It shows not just in the music, but how they
interact with each other. The words that best describe this band,
this organism are: Talent; Respect; Communication; Relationship.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They play at the <a href="http://www.theacoustic.com/eauclaire/home.shtml">Acoustic</a> on the last
Saturday of each month. While you never know who will show up, you
can be sure the music will be wonderful.</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-25293601786792695992013-10-19T16:38:00.000-07:002013-10-19T16:38:00.683-07:00Irie Sol <style type="text/css"><!--
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I first saw this band about seven years
ago. I was on a date and the two of us stumbled into<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mousetrap-Tavern/103113687515?rf=192229840788784"> The Mousetrap</a>
just to see what was up. Man, were we surprised. Tucked behind a
long wall opposite the bar were 13 musicians, all singing, jamming and bopping
around—mostly vertically—on a handkerchief-sized stage. Four wind
instruments (including a tuba!), bass, two guitars, a keyboard,
drums, various percussives. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A veritable smorgasbord of instruments.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And a smorgasbord of men of all shapes, sizes, styles
and colors.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And, damn, were they good! Their music
is a fusion of reggae, hip-hop, rock, ska, and jazz with sizzling
originals and original covers. Believe me when I tell you they blow
the roof off the joint. Really.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I gotta admit, I was startled. Totally
bemused. I mean, I'd just gotten used to Eau Claire's whitebread,
pick-up truck, gun-toting, camouflage-blaze-orange-and-baseball
cap-wearing culture. Add to this that downtown Eau Claire was still
in its empty, 'Salem's Lot phase, complete with Karen Carpenter muzak
blaring onto barren streets from hidden speakers and perhaps you can
imagine my befuddlement. And I was still new to the Chippewa
Valley's music scene. I didn't comprehend the talent we have here.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Irie Sol is the realization of Chris
“Junior” William's dream and, as their <a href="http://www.iriesol.org/">website</a> says:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“...out of the Twin Cities with a
musical blend that reflects diverse band members–who hail from
Kingston, Jamaica; Nova Scotia, Canada; Providence, RI; Detroit, MI;
Minneapolis, MN; and the Chippewa Valley of Wisconsin–Irie Sol
delivers authentic Jamaican chat/DJing and soaring, soulful melodies
backed by blazing bebop horns, wailing guitar, and tight drum and
bass.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Their self-description is accurate, but
just doesn't do them justice.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Last Friday I revisited The Mousetrap
to catch Irie Sol. The band wasn't as full as in other shows—only
9 musicians onstage—but they did not disappoint. I try to go to
all their local gigs and this is how much I like them: I was supposed
to head to Iowa Friday night, but decided to leave early Saturday
morning instead. Just so I could catch them. I wasn't able to stay
for both sets, but I did hear some of my favorites including one of
their originals, “Lies.” Their covers are as diverse as their
band and include songs from The Stray Cats, Michael Jackson, Lynyrd
Skynard (with their own Jamaican flare), and Bill Withers.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The whole band is interesting. Chris is
tall, brown and beautiful with long, waist-length dreads and lilting
Jamaican accent. He sings and mostly plays percussion, but I've seen
him pick up other instruments as need or whim dictates. And he makes
a point of personally touching bases with the audience. A really good
guy.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They appear to have a special
super-drummers store, because the faces hidden back behind all those
other bodies change frequently, but the quality of the drumming is always superb. My
favorite Irie Sol drummer story goes like this:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'd heard word that Mario Dawson—one
of their drummers—played in the Obama Whitehouse. About a year
later he joined them at what is now EveryBuddy's Bar in downtown
Chippewa (I kid you not, they also play at The Snout) and over the
break I approached Mario and asked him about the rumor. It was not a
rumor. Mario explained that he knows Kanye West (I believe he said
he was raised with Kanye in Chicago) and played behind him at the
Whitehouse. I was blown away. Here was a guy who'd played for our
President now playing for us in downtown Chippewa Falls, population
16-thousand-and-something.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Joel Pace is one of the frontmen. He's
stylish, typically in black and red, sporting a fedora and cool retro
sideburns. He's a show in himself as he croons so pretty into the
microphone, break-dances with the audience, matches the drummer with his own brand of mouth-percussion (I can't really explain, you just have to see it) plays his trumpet on the
bar, always smiling and never still. One of my favorite songs is
their original, “Senorita Linda,” sung by Joel in what
appears to be flawless Spanish (he also does an astonishing Spanish
version of Hendrix's “Little Wing” with another band, but I'll
save my praises for another blog). He loves performing and his joy
is obvious.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lars Nelson is a Seattle-grunge-Cobain
throwback. Cool, aloof and sexy in flannel with long-ish hair and a
powerful voice, he'll leave the stage as he sings to dance with his
fans. He's also an awesome songwriter.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
These men are Irie Sol's core. Their
heart. The keyboard player, Kurt, and guitar player, Gregory, have
both been with the group for a while, but part of the band's charm is
that you never know who will be on stage, but you always know the
show will be good.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I do feel obliged to offer a warning:
Because the musicians come from all over, the band usually starts
later than advertised, and—unless they're playing at Phoenix
Park--they rarely play during “grown-up” hours. And their last
set is usually the best. But don't let this stop you. Check out
their <a href="http://www.iriesol.org/">website</a>, join their fanpage on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iriesol">Facebook</a> and mark your calendar
when they announce their next gig. The guy I was dating when I first
discovered this band didn't last, but I've become a full-fledged Irie
Sol fan and I bet you will too. Just make sure you take a nap before
you go so you can stay for the whole show.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You can also take a little bit of Irie home with you. Here's a link to their CD titled "<a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/IrieSol">Solstice</a>." </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They've also just released an album (yes, you read right: an ALBUM) titled "<a href="http://www.iriesol.org/buy-our-music/">Irie Sol: Live In Nashville".</a> Clicking the link will take you right to their website. If you're not old-school enough to have a turntable the album comes with a digital download card.</div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-56774457723665162702013-10-09T19:17:00.001-07:002013-10-29T05:51:45.090-07:00David Jones and the Jones Tones <style type="text/css"><!--
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Tuesday night found me sitting in a
church pew, bopping like crazy and jamming out to the blues. I was,
of all places, at the Unitarian Universalist Church to catch <a href="http://www.amblues.com/">David Jones and the Jones Tones</a> play a gig. Here's some background.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Chippewa Valley is fortunate to
have <a href="http://www.chippewavalleyblues.com/">The Chippewa Valley Blues Society</a> (CVBS), a group of volunteers
who are dedicated to bringing the blues to our area. They organize
the Tuesday Night Blues, a free summer concert series held in Owen
Park in Eau Claire from May to August. The music is funded by annual
membership dues ($10 for an individual membership, $15 for a family
membership), underwriting by local businesses and donations from the
audience. Because of their hard work local musicians are paid a fair
price for their music, the Chippewa Valley gets excellent music,
enhancing the intrinsic value of the Chippewa Valley and our quality
of life. For many the beginning of summer is marked by the Tuesday
Night Blues concert series. And, because I have a day job, I'm
delighted by the grown up hours: 6:30-8:30. But as nice as it is to
start the summer with the blues, I sang the blues—for real—during
the winter months. Wisconsin winters are hard on me: cold; dark;
isolating. And though I lever myself off my red couch on the weekends
to get my music fix, the winter weeknights drag on and on and on.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It seems that the board of directors at
the CVBS felt the same way, because—for the second year-- they've
extended the Tuesday Night Blues into the winter months. And the
<a href="http://www.uueauclaire.com/">Unitarian Universalist Society</a> on Farwell Street in downtown Eau
Claire have donated their space. It's only once a month but, for me,
the second Tuesday of the month is a beacon of light in a cold
Wisconsin landscape and I look forward to The Tuesday Night Blues,
Unplugged. Last night was the first concert of the winter series and
that's why I was bopping in a pew, listening to the blues.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
David Jones has been playing the
Chippewa Valley since the 1990s and has been playing music, period,
for most his life. His band, David Jones and the Jonestones consist
of David Jones on lead guitar, Duffy Duffenhausen on rhythm guitar
and harmonica, John LeBrun on drums and <a href="http://catya.net/">Cayta</a> on bass. Yes, I know I
wrote about Catya last week, but this band is how I met her and was
my introduction to the local music scene.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was sometime in the early 2000's. I
was new to Myspace--which should help date things—and I got a
friend's request from a guy I didn't know. I was new to the internet
and still suspicious of social networking sites. I didn't want to
accept but he was local and I didn't want him to see me on the
streets and think, “Hey, there's the bitch who rejected my friend's
request!” So I clicked the “accept” button and promptly forgot
about it. About a week later I got an email from a friend in
Louisiana asking who my new Myspace friend was and if I'd read his
blog. I hadn't. First thing I discovered was that he was a
musician, which explained his friend's request. The second thing I
discovered was that he's a great writer. I hadn't seen live music
since my last Dead Concert in 1991. I didn't have friends interested
in live music and I hadn't been in a bar since 1994. But my curiosity
was piqued, so I checked his gig schedule and hauled myself out that
very weekend to see David Jones and the Jonestones at the Sheeley
House. Over the break I introduced myself to David as his new
Myspace friend. He and the band were friendly and welcoming, which
helped allay my discomfort about being a sober woman, alone in a bar.
And I was hooked. I started hitting their gigs regularly.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Because of the economy, bars aren't as
willing to shell-out for a full band. But the Chippewa Valley is now
used to live music. The bars now rely on open mics and two-person
acts, so the Jonestones aren't playing as a full band as much as they
used to but their hiatus did not affect their performance. David
plays a mix of genres, from country to reggae to folk. In honor of
the first Tuesday Night Unplugged he mostly played the blues, and
those songs that weren't strict blues were presented as such, which
was A-OK with me—I love genre-switching. And I'd missed The
Jones Tones.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A couple of genre-switching examples
happened in the first set with Big River (written by Johnny Cash, but
as blues as blues can be) and Shame, Shame, Shame by Jimmy Reed. In
the middle of the first set David invited Tom Carlson and his
trombone up to the stage. Tom was recently spotted playing behind <a href="http://www.sueorfield.com/">SueOrfield</a> and<a href="http://www.ellenwhyte.com/index.htm"> Ellen Whyte</a> and is a member of the <a href="http://www.chippewajazz.org/">Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra</a>. You'll be able to catch him with CVJO Friday night and if I didn't already have plans I'd certainly go because on Tuesday Tom rocked the house. His horn added a raucous, old-timey
feel reminiscent to New Orleans-style blues and he came equipped with
his Wa-wa plunger. Near the end of the first set he and Catya blew
the house away with Bobby Blue Bland's “Trouble” and David closed
with one of his originals, “AM Blues,” a song that always gets me
moving.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
David got serious in the second set,
offering up “Easy Wind” by the Dead, “Sitting On Top Of The
World” by Doc Watson, “Left Me With A Broken Heart” by Rodney
Earl and the Broadcasters and two Howling Wolf songs. My absolute
favorite was when Duffy pulled out his harmonica during Hendrix's
“Redhouse,” and blew an amazing, goosebumpy solo. It's fun to
watch this band, their enjoyment is obvious and seeing John LeBrun on
drums just makes me happy (even when he's drumming the blues) because
of his joy. And though the bass is not Catya's first instrument of
choice, she's really, really good. Tom Carlson was again invited up
to the stage in the second set and a great time was had by all.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
David sings with a clear, sweet,
baritone and John LeBrun said afterwards that David has a knack of
pulling the best out of other musicians. He also has a knack of
pulling out the best in his audience. I look forward to seeing more
of David Jones and the Jones Tones.<br />
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Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-74068633636541018962013-10-05T19:51:00.001-07:002013-10-29T05:53:20.274-07:00Catya's Trio
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It's been years since I've visited this
blog.
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It's not that I haven't been supporting
local live music.
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It's not that I haven't felt the urge
to write these past 4 years.
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And it's not that I haven't seen
musicians worthy of writing.
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I stopped because I wanted only to
write about music that inspires me. And this became difficult
because I've become friendly with some of those musicians and was
afraid that, somehow, writing a blog-review would muddy the
friendship-waters. And I was worried that my personal relationship
would color my objectivity. Years have gone by, friendships have
solidified and, with time and perspective, I now feel that I can
honestly and without prejudice write about friends. Today I cruised
to Foster's Cheese Haus in Foster, Wisconsin to listen to Catya's
Trio play an increasingly rare gig. I was as captivated today as I was
when I first saw them 5 years ago.
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I met Catya as The Jones Tones' bass
player. We were at the Sheeley House in Chippewa Falls when David
Jones and his band played that venue regularly. David gave Catya the
stage at the end of the second set and she blew the house away with
her song of forbidden love, “Kiss Me Like You Mean It.” Her
voice soared over the crowd and stilled beer-loosened tongues: she
had a story to tell and we listened. I found myself holding my
breath as her voice sailed up and up and exhaling as it plummeted,
all low and sultry. I was electrified. She sang my lonely heart.
She sang secret love-dreams that I—a stable, middle-aged woman—was
loath to acknowledge. Though I'd never heard the song before, I
knew it. And it ended with a wonderful little twist, like some of my
favorite novels. This is one of Catya's talents: her original songs
are emotionally familiar. They are complex and accessible, smart and
simple. They echo unspoken desires and feelings. They are courageous
in their honesty and—again like a great novel—they let the
listener fill in the spaces: “...Kiss me like you mean it/show me
the hunger in your eyes/and when it's late/late at night/won't you
think of me sometimes.”</div>
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“Kiss Me Like You Mean It” is the
title track of Catya's new CD and while it's a great song, it's not
the only great song on the disc. All the tracks are gripping; Catya
tips her hat to the classic blues form but brings her own brand of
originality with intricate lyrics and unexpected musical turns. Her
music stands alone. It needs no decoration to prop it up, nothing
else to reinforce it. And so it is the richest icing on an
incredible cake when she is joined—both live and on some of the
tracks on the CD—by Sue Orfield and Randy Sinz.
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Anyone familiar with our local music
scene knows Sue Orfield and her partner Randy Sinz. These two
musicians are prolific and Sue's original music is awesome. One of
my dirty little secrets is that I'm a lyrics gal; I just didn't “get”
purely instrumental music. Sue changed that. She first captured me
with her generosity of spirit--clearly displayed on stage, then her
energy and obvious joy, then her skill and talent on the saxophone
and finally for her songwriting. I know, I know, I got it backwards,
but we all learn in our own ways. She has three original CDs:
“Boink,” “Nobody's Looking” and her newest CD's title track
“Fight The Good Fight” written in honor of a friend who died of cancer.
I recommend all of them. My favorite songs are “Sway,” “After
The Fall” “Two Cats Named Bob” “Brass Monkey” “Slide Over
Baby” and “Deja Blue.”
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Randy is a music veteran and has been
playing locally for more years than I've been in the Midwest. He's
in a bunch of bands, including Rada-Dada (accompanied by Sue), Ranger
Rudy and Swinging Wingtips, and most recently (though they've been
playing together for decades) with Gregg Wheeler and John Lynch as a
yet-unnamed trio. Randy's voice is pure, strong and true, and he is
skilled on both the upright and electric bass. Both Sue and Randy
host a monthly, unofficial open mic for local musicians at Foster's
Cheese Haus as Two Rivers.</div>
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This afternoon I waltzed into Foster's
Cheese Haus, a venue that might seat 60 people, and settled into a
chair not 10 feet from where these three musicians, Catya, Sue and
Randy, worked their spell.
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I gratefully succumbed to their magic
as Catya sang two originals: “Good Coffee Or Good Beer” a
generous and bittersweet ode to her past marriage (“You left me a
fool/but that don't change my mind/that time I spent with you/was
something so fine”) and “Just Can't Stop,” a song of
unrequited love (“Ain't it a wonder/isn't it strange/lightening and
thunder/it never rains”) as well as various covers by the likes of
Theresa James and Billie Holliday.
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I wasn't raised in the Midwest. I'm
not really from anywhere. But I came to the heartland from the East
Coast which is where I caught my live-music jones. And I know that
if this trio were based in New York or Washington DC or Maryland
they'd be demanding $50 a ticket. And they'd pack the house. It is
my observation that we in the Chippewa Valley take good live music
for granted. We don't know—really <i>know—</i><span style="font-style: normal;">the
talent we have here. My only regret for this afternoon is that I
didn't get there in time to catch the first set. Go see Catya's
Trio. And don't make the same mistake I did: see the whole show.</span><br />
You can buy Catya's CD at
<a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/catya3" target="_Blank"> </a></div>
<a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/catya3">CDbaby</a>!
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<a href="http://catya.net/"><span style="font-style: normal;">catya.net</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://sueorfieldband.com/"><span style="font-style: normal;">sueorfieldband.com</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://fostercheesehaus.com/"><span style="font-style: normal;">fostercheesehaus.com</span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://amblues.com/">amblues.com</a> </span></div>
Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-4949959859877104552009-02-16T05:19:00.000-08:002023-06-17T08:01:26.232-07:00The Electric RangeIt's been over a month since I posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been out and about, seeing live music, and with each band I see, I feel more guilty about not writing about them. I like doing this, I like approaching band members with my little yellow pad and pen, asking questions, finding out more about them. Unfortunately, I know I can't continue to do this if I don't follow through with what I say I'm doing, which is writing this blog, and my discomfort has reached a tipping point. It's time to come clean.<br /><br />I've been trying to analyze why I'm having a hard time keeping this blog up and have settled on two explanations:<br /><br />1)I've backed myself into a corner and posting felt like a class paper; I'm notorious for procrastination with classwork, and will often write blogs instead. In this instance, I'm SUPPOSED to be writing blogs so I've resorted to reading copious amounts of fiction.<br /><br />2)The original concept was that I would be as unbiased as possible, writing about each band from a remove, finding the best in them, reporting on that, even if they really didn't trip my trigger.<br /><br />Then I saw The Electric Range and all thoughts of unbiased writing went out the window. You see, I'm not a musician, can't read music, am totally unschooled and don't know a flat from a whole note. What interests me is personality, the band's presence on stage and how they interact with the audience: I dig the entertainment factor. I work as a counselor. I'm a people-watcher. I'm attuned to the way people meet the world. It's utterly fascinating to me. And The Electric Range offers just about everything I could want in a band.<br /><br />The first time I saw them was at the Sheeley House on New Year's Eve. I came with Dwight Dario, a man I'd met several years ago, and whom I'd been casually dating. He's a professional musician—a drummer—and produces events in The Cities. Dwight hit the music scene in the early '70s, making a name for himself playing with Greg Brown, Patrick Hazel and Bo Ramsey. He didn't crash and burn behind drugs and sex and rock 'n' roll, understanding how valuable consistency and reliability are in his field and has since produced events for big names like The Stones, Lyle Lovett and Big N Rich (to name a few), and travels internationally as a drummer with Big George Jackson's blues band.<br /><br />I was a bit nervous about bringing him: I'd never seen these guys and had only Gary Schmaltz's assurance that Jeff White, the band's front man, was “good.” Gary, a DJ at WHYS radio, hadn't yet steered me wrong, but still, this was lil ol' Chippewa Falls...<br /><br />I needn't have worried; The Electric Range rocked and Dwight thoroughly enjoyed himself and was even asked to sit in on the drums for James Ignacio while James blew his sax. Dwight's left-handed and James right-handed, but the song went off without a hitch.<br /><br />So I was pretty excited when, on January 16th, I headed for Jensen's Bar in Chippewa to catch them again, and they didn't disappoint.<br /><br />Here's the thing: this band is FUN! Jeff plays acoustic guitar, is tall and slender, sports a kind-of ratty cowboy hat and greets the audience with adorable dimples and smile full of mischief. He's energetic, rocking and bouncing on stage; he likes what he's doing and is not ashamed to let you know it.<br /><br />In direct contrast is Frank Aragona, the electric guitar player. Frank is slender, preferring more formal attire, with a craggy, stone-like face and a black, round-brimmed hat. And oh-my-god can he play. His stage presence is riveting; he reminds me of a wind-up doll, playing the guitar with his whole body: a guitar player's version of the moon-walk. He's totally influenced by the great jam bands of the '70s and can play a solo with the best. He plays behind his back, with his teeth, and—at one point—ran the neck of his axe, strings down, against a speaker...and it was good!<br /><br />James Ignacio plays the drums, adding a raucous, almost-out-of-control feel, grinning with delight.<br /><br />And Tony Campbell, laid back and pony-tailed, stays in the background, playing his bass, grinning at the other's antics.<br /><br />And there were antics. James, as mentioned earlier, plays the sax, and at one point he put down the sticks, grabbed his horn and wandered the bar, flirting, putting his head against an older woman's breast as he blew his solo. James is irrepressible and his good-natured delight adds to the dynamic. Frank also stepped off the stage, solo-ing on Sympathy for the Devil, a song he introduced as “One of the best rock pieces ever written.”<br /><br />They played The Hollies, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty, The Beatle, Ricky Skaggs, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Goodman, The Cure, The Police, Johnny Cash and Dylan, and while their covers rock, their originals are just as good. Jeff's innate mischievousness shows itself most on his original songs, like “All I've Been Thinking of Lately is You,” and he makes the covers his own, adding unusual instruments: on SOS he played the slide whistle, and at one point blew his harmonica into an old telephone receiver rigged up as a microphone. He also played the Thereman, a black box, about the size of three stacked paperback books, with antennae sticking out. He didn't touch the Theremin, just held his hands close the antennae, producing a weird, atmospheric sound during Helter Skelter and Whole Lot of Love. Very, very cool.<br /><br />But, as I mentioned earlier, it wasn't just about the music, it was also their interaction with the audience and their personalities. One thing I really like about these guys is how much the like the women in their lives. Frank's stone-face lit up when his girlfriend walked in, giving her a big kiss without missing a note and his music got even better in her presence. His face shone with pride when she got up and started dancing. James and Jeff obviously adore their wives (Jeff just got married, like two days ago, in Costa Rica), shamelessly singing love songs to them, cuddling and kissing between sets. I just think that's sooooo cool. Over all they emanate a contagious enthusiasm and love-of-life that's reflected in their music.<br /><br />This was like, the fourth time, they'd all played as The Electric Range. Jeff and James play together regularly as The Sidekicks, and Jeff just cut a CD. They can usually be found at The Sheeley House's open mic on Tuesday nights. James has a blog titled Weekly Doses in which he posts a new song every week; a labor of love, illustrating his dedication to his craft.<br /><br />Tony plays with blues Captain Walleye and the Nightcrawlers and a new band called Quadrant 4 whose first gig is at Sheri's Chippewa Club in Durand on February 27th.<br /><br />Frank also plays with Convicted, The Blues Incident with Gary Dupree and The Danger Band.<br /><br />The Electric Range attracts some cool people, adding to the good time. I met a woman named Kitty who is also trying to promote local music on her blog. John Nielson introduced himself and as we talked I found that not only is he a guitar player, but is himself a patron of local musicians and he and his wife throw a Summer Strummers party every July that sounds like one big jam. I was pleased to be invited. He can also be found at The Sheeley House's open mic and plays more formal gigs there, at Glenloch in Chippewa and at other area pubs.<br /><br />Finally, Jensen's Bar and Grill was a pleasant surprise. Located in downtown Chippewa, it has changed hands at least three times since I've been in the area, and I hope this time the place is a success. The bartenders are open, friendly and welcoming and after paying for my first club soda and lime I got the rest of my non-alcoholic drinks for free. There is a coffee pot at the end of the bar open for anyone who wants got grab a cup, the clientele was fun, and the space was great for live music. I couldn't help but giggle at the poster on the wall advertising “Buckets of Bacon” from 6:00 to 9:00 AM. Only in Wisconsin.<br /><br />In short, these guys rock; they're at the top of my favorite local music list. Catch them: you won't be disappointed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Links:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.jeffwhitemusic.com/music.htm">http://www.jeffwhitemusic.com/music.htm</a><br /><br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/jeffwhitemusicsite">www.myspace.com/jeffwhitemusicsite</a></span><br /><br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/musicofthesidekicks">www.myspace.com/musicofthesidekicks</a></span><br /><br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/jamesignacio">www.myspace.com/jamesignacio</a></span><br /><a href="http://weeklydoses.blogspot.com/"><br />http://weeklydoses.blogspot.com</a><br /><br /><a href="http://nielsenmusic.blogspot.com/">http://nielsenmusic.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/chippewavalleymusic@blogspot.com">chippewavalleymusic@blogspot.com</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thesheeleyhouse.com/">http://www.thesheeleyhouse.com/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-67242926920316689742009-01-19T17:01:00.000-08:002009-01-19T17:33:43.127-08:00Open Mic At Sheri's Chippewa Club<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Music</span><br /><br />On Sunday, January 11 my friend, Catya, and I headed to Sheri's Chippewa Club for their Blues Open Mic. Yeah, yeah, I know, three bands in one weekend is a bit excessive, as evidenced by my tardiness in blog posts; typical all-or-nothing addict behavior. Catya isn't a regular participant, but had heard that some of her friends from The Bear Creek Band and The Love Buzzards Blues Band would be playing and, having written some new material, she wanted to try it out live. I was pretty excited; I know Catya's work from Davy Jones and the Jones Tones, and always love it when she takes the lead with them, playing a couple of her original songs. She has a trio and plays with Sue Orfield, but I've yet to catch her in either of those bands. Sunday night I was finally going to get a bigger dose of her.<br /><br />It took a while but finally she hit the stage, with Tim Caswell on lead guitar and keyboards, Rich Sickels on drums--both of The Love Buzzards Blues Band, Adam on harp, and a guy named Mark on bass. Catya brought her bass but said she always ended up playing it and this time wanted to play guitar; she was grateful for Mark's presence. What can I say? They rocked.<br /><br />The first time up they did four of her songs: That's What You Do To Me; Just Can't Stop; How You Get To Me, and her most recent, Fickle Wind. These are professional musicians and their impromptu performance did not disappoint. As with Downers Grove, I understood that playing was the end to the means and the audience almost unnecessary; they played with controlled joy—simply for the pleasure of it all. Even the bass player—previously sitting in the corner of the stage—perked up, standing, becoming more engaged.<br /><br />Tim stood, tall and straight, fingers dancing along the neck of his guitar, Rich—looking like a pirate with a temporary eye-patch and black curls falling over his forehead—made the drums in front of him appear small as he attacked them with enthusiastic vigor, and Adam blew harp like a demon. Catya's voice was true and strong and her songs amazing. I could write more—much more—about Catya, but my bias for my friend would be too obvious. Suffice it to say that even if she hadn't become my friend, I would still be in awe of her talent.<br /><br />Catya sat through the next set, catching up on musical affairs with her friend Rich Sickel (at one point they asked me for a piece of paper so he could write down a newly-conceived lyric) as a different arrangement of musicians took the stage. Harmonica player, Adam, lead the group through songs like Tom Waits' “Temptation,” Old Crow Medicine Show's “Rock Me Mama” and Robert Johnson's classic, “Sweet Home Chicago.” Then Catya, Rich, and Tim took the stage again, accompanied by Dan Callan, head of the Bear Creek Band—who had been running the sound system—on electronic keyboard and the organ. Rick, on drums, led off with Junior Wells' “Messing With The Kid,” Tim followed, belting out Sonny Boy Williamson's “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” striking familiar chords with me as I remembered deceased Grateful Dead drummer, Pigpen, and Catya ended the set with one of my favorites, her original song, “If We Never Kissed.”<br /><br />My bedtime on work nights is usually about 9:30 and I didn't get home until 11:30. I was tired the next day, but have no regrets breaking my bedtime rule that Sunday. It was—most definitely—worth it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Venue </span><br /><br />Sheri's Chippewa Club, in downtown Durand, is a great place for music. The space is loosely divided in half, with the bar and pool table on one side, and the stage area on the other. There are tables and comfortable couches for music aficionados and cameras aimed at the stage stream images live to televisions scattered throughout the bar. I just think this is sooo cool! They offer a blues open mic on second Sundays, a country open mic on third Sundays and they stream shows live over the internet (check out the bottom of this entry for the link). The stage is plenty big, equipped with an organ, and while I know nothing about this stuff, their sound-system looks pretty comprehensive. On top of all this, they serve fabulous burgers and when you go there, you've gotta try their “Chippewa Chips.” This bar is most definitely a labor of love, created by music lovers for music lovers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recovery Note</span><br /><br />I would never have come here when I was doing dope: too much focus on music and not nearly enough on getting drunk or high. This was my first visit to Sheri's and don't know what it's like other nights, but it felt pretty darn solid and safe, challenging my recovery not one iota. That said, it is a bar.<br /><br />Next up: Jeff White and The Electric Range<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Links</span><br /><br />Catya<br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/catyasbands">www.myspace.com/catyasbands</a></span><br /><br /><br />The Bear Creek Band<br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/tbcb2007">www.myspace.com/tbcb2007</a></span><br /><br />Bear Creek Dan<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/bearcreekband">www.myspace.com/bearcreekband</a><br /><br />The Love Buzzards Blues Band<br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/lovebuzzardsbluesband">www.myspace.com/lovebuzzardsbluesband</a></span><br /><br />Sheri's Chippewa Club<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/sharischippewaclub">www.myspace.com/sharischippewaclub</a><br /><br />Sheris' Webstream Site:<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.sherischippewaclub.com">www.sherischippewaclub.com</a><br /><br />Davy Jones and the Jones Tones<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/bmajorproductions">www.myspace.com/bmajorproductions</a>Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-8775250109051974312009-01-19T10:49:00.000-08:002009-01-19T11:17:54.291-08:00Downers Grove<meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 3.0 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The Music</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My first thought was, “Oh my god, they're babies!” </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After saying good bye to our friends at the Acoustic, Jacq and I headed for The Snout in Chippewa Falls to check out Downers Grove. We headed for the back of the bar, finding seats close to the band. My initial response was soon corrected, for while the bass and keyboard player look pretty young, it's apparent that the drummer has some maturity. And they certainly don't play like kids. Their style is kind of jazzy-funk with lots of instrumental pieces and a waa-waa guitar.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Drummer Mark Krohberger plays with a single-minded intensity, and while Jacq thinks he looks like Silent Bob, with his brown eyes, dark hair, and baseball cap, to me he looked like he could be playing for Cake, fitting well with their aura of blue-collar, salt-of-the-earth-ness. He is also the lead singer, belting out both cover tunes and originals—again with intensity—shining-on both Chippewa hecklers and a fickle sound system.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I met guitar player John Nietz at The Mousetrap where he cued me in to tonight's gig, and while he admitted to having a cold then, he didn't act sick Friday night. He played with classic garage/jam-band style complete with floaty riffs. John, along with Dan Sebern, bass player on The Mark Joseph Project, also plays with Bill and Dan's Excellent Adventure. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Leaning close to my ear Jacq said, of Brandon Hertz, keyboard player, “He's so Ray Manzarek! Even his facial expressions are like his!” Jacq is younger than I by about six years, and I was a bit embarrassed that she knew what The Doors' keyboard player's name and what he looked like and I didn't. I guess my teenage Dead Worship years were a bit single-minded. Still, I think I know a good keyboard player when I see one (Donna Godchaux rocked!), and Brandon struck me as very good. Brandon is also a DJ for local radio station WHYS, hosting “The Extended Set” Wednesdays from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The bass player looks like the youngest member of the band, but thought of Matt Seymour's age were soon eclipsed by his superb playing. I'm a tyro in musical knowledge, but I don't ever remember seeing a bass player playing like a lead-guitar before. His hands looked huge as his fingers spanned the frets and his face angelic as he stared into space, channeling the music muse through his body and out his fingers. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As mentioned before, a lot of their music is orignal heavy on the instrumental; I particularly liked the song, Silent Sounds: “It kills me when you walk away....” They also covered other songs, most notably the Chili Peppers', “Falling Into Grace.” And they neatly diverted the Chippewa Falls hecklers' cries of “Free Bird!” with a nice rendition of Pink Floyd's “Dark Side of the Moon.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The Venue and Audience</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Snout is one of those townie places where people plop down at the bar for “just a couple” and end up staying for decades. The audience didn't appear to be overjoyed with the live music scene and it was here that I really clicked into what musicians do: they're driven. They play because that's where their passion lies and sometimes it is simply enough to play. An appreciative audience—while wonderful—isn't necessary. I understood perfectly: I write 'cause that's what I do. If people read then that's great, if they like what I write then that's wonderful, but I would still write without these elements. This is what I saw with Downers Grove.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Recovery Note</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;">The Snout is a hard-drinking bar and unless you really want to catch a specific band for specific reasons, it's probably best avoided in early recovery.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Links:</span>
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<br />Downers Grove
<br /><span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/downersgroveec">www.myspace.com/downersgroveec</a></span>
<br />or:
<br /><a href="http://downersgrove@gmail.com/">downersgrove@gmail.com</a>
<br />
<br />Drummer Mark Kronberger<span class="userInfo"><span class="vanity"></span></span>
<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/175098123"><span class="userInfo"><span class="vanity">www.myspace.com/175098123</span></span></a>
<br />
<br />WHYS Radio, 96.3 FM
<br /><a href="http://www.whysradio.org/">http://www.whysradio.org/</a>
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<br /></p> Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-77065204832814489152009-01-11T11:46:00.000-08:002009-01-11T12:01:55.521-08:00The Rongstads<meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 3.0 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The Music</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Friday evening found me at a table at the Acoustic Cafe listening to the Rongstad Family. Tony and Matt, a father and son duo, sat side by side onstage, comfortable with both each other and the audience as Tony, the patriarch, strummed his guitar and the tones of Matt's smooth, mellow saxophone filled the room. I know Matt through his work Irie Sol, an amazing local band; both Matt and Irie rock, and if you haven't caught them yet, you are soooo missing out. At the very least, you should check out their CD, titled, “Solstice” on CD Baby or iTunes. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Most of the songs were originals, written by Tony; beautiful acoustic tunes in classic folk tradition, transformed into dreamy melodies as the strains of Matt's sax rode the air. Other songs included the traditional ballad, “May The Circle Be Unbroken,” Dylan's “Don't Think Twice,” and songs by Glen Hansard. During one of the original songs my friend, Catya, nudged me; “He's playing a baritone guitar; you're going to want to note this.” I'm not a musician or musically trained and was glad she was there to explain the rich sound that guitar offered. Matt switch up between three saxophones, playing his “Baby Sax,” or soprano sax, during Hansard's “When Your Mind's Made Up” and the flute for “The Water is Wide.” The connection between Matt and Tony is apparent, but it isn't just about the music: it's about family, love and mutual respect. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This connection was again apparent when Kari Rongstad took the stage. Her choice of music was edgier—girl-style—singing John Prine's “Angel From Montgomery,” and Taylor Swift's “Romeo Save Me.” My two favorites were Joan Osborne's “What If God Was One Of Us” and Warren Zevon's “Don't Let Us Get Sick,” the latter of which she sang with her friend and guitarist, John Picket. Kari's performance was a bit tentative at first, but as she gained confidence her voice rang with maturity and authenticity. Through it all was her father, tending the equipment, his pride very evident.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The Venue and Audience</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Acoustic Cafe lives up to its name, regularly hosting live local music. I don't know if it was the music, my mood, the tiny Christmas lights and local art decorating the walls and windows, or being with good friends that graced The Acoustic with a hint of magic Friday night, but I had a spectacular time. The audience was attentive and respectful, consisting of a mix of hip teenagers, well-dressed 30- and 40-something adults, and endearingly scruffy collegiate-types. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Recovery Note</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While The Acoustic serves beer it is not a “drinking venue.” If I were still drinking and shooting dope I would avoid The Acoustic like the plague because it just isn't the kind of place that promotes wretched excess. I am constantly reminded of how good it is, today, to be clean and sober, for I know nights like Friday just wouldn't be possible if I were not. I highly recommend The Acoustic Cafe for those in recovery and who are, like me, live music fans.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tony, Matt, and Kari's show ended at 10:00 PM, and my friend Jackie and I then headed to The Snout in Chippewa Falls to see Downers Grove. I'll write that up later....talk about extremes!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></p>Links:
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<br />Acoustic Cafe: <span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/acousticcafeeauclaire">www.myspace.com/acousticcafeeauclaire</a></span>
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<br />Matt Rongstad: <span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/matthewrongstad">www.myspace.com/matthewrongstad</a></span>
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<br />Tony Rongstad: <span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/tonyrongstad">www.myspace.com/tonyrongstad</a></span>
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<br />Kari Rongstad: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/karikariwee">www.myspace.com/karikariwee</a>
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<br />Irie Sol: <span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/iriesolreggae">www.myspace.com/iriesolreggae</a></span>
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<br />Catya: <span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/catyasbands">www.myspace.com/catyasbands</a></span> Jenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459444874810487644.post-56971007421648783072009-01-09T08:13:00.000-08:002009-01-10T08:00:04.308-08:00The Mark Joseph Project<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Music and Musicians</span><br /><br />I'm not at my best on weeknights but, finding myself with a rare Friday off, I decided to break my 9:30 PM bedtime rule and last night ambled down to The Mousetrap, in Eau Claire, to check out some live music. The Mark Joseph Project was highly recommended by my friend and WHYS DJ, Gary Schmaltz, and though I was tired—just coming off of work and only staying for the first set—I'm glad I caught them.<br /><br />This four-member band plays a mix of funk, blues, and reggae, covering songs like: “Going Down The Road Feelin' Bad” a traditional song revived by The Grateful Dead; Mark Knopfler's ballad, “Shangri-La”; Willie Dixon's “Hoochie Coochie Man” ala Muddy Waters; Bob Marley, and a healthy sprinkling of original songs. The Mark Joseph Project is mostly composed of members of Down Lo, a band with some international recognition and a popular local following, reported to be “on hiatus.” But they just can't stop, ending the set with a Down Lo reggae/hip-hop fusion classic, “In Our World.”<br /><br />Mark Joseph Grundhoefer's strong lead was reminiscent of the classic '80s “hair jam-band” guitar solos. With his long, unruly hair, humorous, knowing eyes and cool on-stage presence he casually worked the audience, maintaining professional distance while letting us in on the secret that is The Mark Joseph Project.<br /><br />Bass player, Dan Sebern, rumored to double as a bartender at the Mousetrap, looked cool and comfortable, his great mop of curls making him appear even taller than he is as he riffed off Mark Joseph's lead. Retiring near the end of the set, Dan gracefully yielded his position on-stage to veteran Down Lo bass player, Ryan Nielsen, who finished off the set. <br /><br />Drummer Beau Brantner, dark and intense, never missed a beat. I've often felt that drummers are musical “unsung heroes,” being the glue holding the music together but often unappreciated—indeed, even unnoticed—by the unschooled. This certainly described me, until I dated a drummer, and I'm now constantly amazed by the dexterity and energy drummers extend with little accolades from the fans. Like Dan, he was also with The Ultimate Frisbee Orchestra and currently plays in Bill and Dan's Excellent Adventure.<br /><br />Last—but certainly not least—on keyboard is another Down Lo member, Will Nissen, who occasionally stood from his keyboard and grabbed his saxophone. Will exudes energy and while there is no question that all these musicians are passionate about their work, I got the impression that Will really enjoyed putting it out there. I love keyboards, feeling they add complexity and texture to any song, and Will did not disappoint; my only complaint is that I did not hear enough of him. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />The Venue and Audience</span><br /><br />For those who've yet to visit The Mousetrap, it will feel oddly familiar to<span style="font-style:italic;">~ahem~</span>people of a certain age. It is long and narrow with pool tables in the back and a rear door leading to an outdoor smoking area with heat lamps and a TV set. The stage is an afterthought, divided from the bar by a partial wall, and if you want to really enjoy the music you have to stand, which will also force you to boogie a bit. It feels, to me, like a throw-back to the bars of the '70s and '80s, with an occasional Dead song on the juke, adorable young hippie chicks, happy in patchouli, and dread-locked guys in tie-dye who have no qualms greeting each other with enthusiastic hugs. There's no doubt that The Mousetrap is a place I would have lived in had I been in the area during my twenties. While The Mark Joseph Project audience and the denizens of The Mousetrap are younger, I wouldn't let that stop 40+ music enthusiasts from checking it out; the bar has a robust local music scene, and the audience is welcoming and friendly; they're much more likely to hug than to bite.<br /><br />Finally, for those, like me, in recovery I have to add a warning: the drinking/drug culture is pretty overt and if you're just cleaning up and jonesing for live music, you would be better served checking out the local coffee shops or theaters.<br /><br />All in all, it was a great show, and I'll definitely go see The Mark Joseph Project again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Links:</span><br /><br />Down Lo: www.myspace.com/downlotunes <br /><br />Guitarist and producer Mark Joseph Grundhoefer: www.myspace.com/mjgpro <br /><br />Downer's Grove: www.myspace.com/downersgroveec <br /><br />The Mousetrap: www.myspace.com/mousetrapec <br /><br />Gary Schmaltz, AKA Poppa Bear: www.myspace.com/poppabeardj <br /><br />WHYS Radio, 96.3: www.myspace.com/whysradio<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">*Editor's Note*</span><br /><br />My thanks to Beau Brantner, Drummer Extraordinaire, who wrote and corrected me on some bogus facts: I used the word "Ultimate" instead of "Excellent" when citing "Bill and Dan's Excellent Adventure," and improperly stated that Beau and Dan also played with Downers Grove. Beau wrote: "I also am not a member of Downer's Grove, although have sat in on percussion a couple of occasions and both Dan and I are good friends of the band."<br /><br />My bad. <br /><br />Beau went on to say that The Mark Joseph Project, "has only performed these 2 occasions (at the Mousetrap) and has never formally practiced. Also, what was performed last night was the Eau Claire form of the project and performs in different incarnations with Mark being the only consistent member in different locations. FYI - On Down Lo's MySpace is the schedule of shows."<br /><br />Wow! They've never practiced as the MJP? <br /><br />I hate getting facts wrong, though it's sure to happen again. If you see something incorrect, please, please write me at: jentoblues101@gmail.com<br /><br />Tomorrow I'll be writing about Matt, Tony and Kari Rongstad at the Acoustic Cafe, and Downers Grove at The Snout.<br /><br />Catch you later!<br /><br />JenJenniferruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11923115526954690364noreply@blogger.com0