Hello all– sorry it’s been so long since the last post, but I now have health issues and been pre-occupied by that. Been a rough fall/early winter… but now on to our regularly scheduled program.
First– the last full service record store in the Washington, DC area, Melody Records, located just north of Dupont Circle on Connecticut Avenue, is closing down. I’m sure the economic meltdown played its role in the owners’ decision, but there are undoubtedly other factors too: on line ordering, whether for digital or physical artifacts, the growth of “big box” stores, and the overall switch from physical to digital distribution of cultural works of all sorts. I’m sad about this, I much prefer physical CD’s to digital anything. I like to hold a tangible object– to appreciate cover graphics, read liner notes and see the full credits. It is not the same to read that stuff off of a screen.
Call me a curmudgeon, or a fossil, or anything else, but I feel really strongly about this.
New venues: Three new music venues have opened recently in the Washington DC area– The Fillmore in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, U Street Music Hall on the U street corridor in Washington, DC, and The Hamilton in old downtown Washington at the intersection of 14th and F Streets NW. I am not happy about the Fillmore, even though it is about a 20 minute walk from my home and therefor convenient. The original deal for that location was to have Virginia’s Birchmere establish a second location. I was really looking forward to that. But somehow that arrangement fell through and a deal was made with Live Nation, owners of the Fillmore chain of nightclubs. I remain upset by this. Downtown Silver Spring already has many chain businesses and does not need any more. I would have preferred to see a locally owned business get that prime spot on Colesville Road. Also– Live Nation recently merged with or bought “Ticketmaster,” creating a semi-monopolistic situation. I am not pleased with either the way this deal was done or its outcome.
I attended a show featuring Afrobeat band Chopteeth at the U street Music Hall. It’s underground and has a distinctive, if small, menu– must try the Vietnames style hot dogs– think they called ‘em “pho dogs.” There are few seats (if any, can’t remember), so if the crowd isn’t too thick, there is plenty of room for dancing– and with a lively band like Chopteeth, that’s important.
I have not been to The Hamilton yet, but it has a Metro accessible location and is featuring local and national acts.
Brief bits: Legendary British folk-rockers Fairport Convention celebrate their 45th anniversary this year!! The 2012 edition of their annual festival, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, should be really special… Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior announced her own two day festival, “Stepping Stones,” which will be held May 5 and 6 In Bewcastle, North Cumbria, England. Prior will perform, along with The Carnival Band, Spiers & Boden, Whapweasel, and others. Looks like a really good event!
Closer to home — The Vi-Kings, a band dedicated to the best of the mid and late 1960′s, will be at the Quarry House in downtown Silver Spring this very Saturday– festivities begin at 9:30 P.M. February 9 the 9:30 Club (Washington, DC) will be hosting The Rebirth Brass Band and Funk Ark for a night of funky grooves… The WAMMIES (Washington Area Music Awards) will be held Feb. 19 at the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA… On January 28 Artisphere in Arlington, VA will present a fine triple bill of Elikeh (Afro-pop), Alma Tropicalia (Brazilian psychedelia), and The Bellevederes (soul). Should be a great party night!
OK– that’s it for this installment. Next up– Highlights of 2011! See you then.
Peace– Ken.
Every year the Smithsonian Institution puts on a two week “folklife festival.” Generally there are three areas of concentration, which usually (but not always) include a country, state, and occupation.
Oh yes, the event runs for approximately two weeks and is held on “The Mall” in Washington, DC.
No “state” was focused on this year, but the festival staff did an outstanding job of producing a program on Rhythm & Blues” called “Rhythm & Blues: Tell It Like It Is.”
This program included a special one time concert by Martha Reeves (Martha & the Vendellas) as well as daily shows by The Funk Brothers, Stax Music Academy, The Dixie Cups, Fred Wesley & The New JB’s, The Jewels, Sonny Til’s Orioles, and others.
Enjoyed ‘em all. The teenagers from the Stax Music Academy were amazing– they’re studying the art of soul music as practiced by the likes of Otis Redding and Booker T & the MG’s. And what can you say about The Funk Brothers– the guys who played behind so many old Motown hits– what a tight band!! The Dixie Cups– absolutely delightful– great harmonizing and such spunk and energy– I’m getting homesick for New Orleans and I’ve never even been there !! The New JB”s– what a hot band !!
And now for something a little different– The Garifuna Collective featuring Umalali. A perfect blend of acoustic and electric sounds. Three female vocalists along with lead guitar, electric bass, acoustic guitar, and two percussionists. If I’ve got this right, the “band” is from Belize and the vocalists are from several different Central American countries. Lively stuff indeed- sounded a bit African to me. Tasty lead guitar licks from Sam Harris.
And finally– this has nothing to do with the Smithsonian fest, but FRESHLYGROUND from South Africa put on a fantastic show at The Black Cat (Washington, DC). What absolutely uplifting stuff! If you like Paul Simon’s more SA influenced works, Johnny Clegg’s old band JULUKA, or even British folk-rock, check these guys out!
Coming up in the Washington DC area– in no particular order– Irish folk band DERVISH in Arlington, VA on July 28. Arlington, VA’s own Margot MacDonald — who can remind me of anyone from the late Sandy Denny to Grace Slick to Joni Mitchell, will be at the Wheaton Triangle Stage (Wheaton, MD) on July 15. Chaise Lounge– how can I describe them– well, cabaret jazz is the best label I can come up with for now — eh– labels don’t matter– they’re a great band. Check ‘em out at IOTA (Arlington, VA) on either August 28 or September 25.
On a different note altogether– so many great summer festivals in England: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, a huge bash organized by The Levellers called “Beautiful Days,” , and one I
never knew about until just recently called Rhythm Festival. All three of those events offer a wide variety of folk, folk-rock, rock, and more and are just the tip of the iceberg for what England offers from late May through early September. Wish I could go over for the entire summer period!! There are at least several great events going on every weekend, it seems.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer– see you again soon!!
Peace– Ken.
Hello boys and girls!! it’s been suggested that I post more often– will try to comply, but life has been very strange recently– really good and really bad. Fortunately, the music’s been great!!
Best performances I’ve seen recently: Taj Mahal and his trio at the 9:30 Club (Washington, DC), The Cuban Cowboys at ARTISPHERE (Arlington, VA), Rhodes Tavern Troubadours and The Grandsons at the Takoma Park Municipal Auditorium (Takoma Park, MD), The Underscore Orchestra at New Deal Cafe (Greenbelt, MD) three funky folk dance bands at CONTRASTOCK (Glen Echo, MD) and the legendary NEIL INNES (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Grimms, “Robin’s minstrel” in MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, The Rutles, solo work) at Jammin Java (Vienna, VA).
I’m really proud to say that I’ve now seen Neil Innes twice! What a treat! His solo live show includes songs and spoken bits, and he plays piano, ukelele, and guitar. I liked it all, even the anecdotes about life in the rock music biz years ago. If you’ve never heard Innes’ solo work, the closest comparison I can come to is American singer/songwriter Randy Newman– both men write great pop songs with edgy humor. Newman’s have more of a bluesy, old time jazz flavor, while Innes show a strong influence of English music hall.
Innes has released two CD’s of his “best bits” from radio programs, as well as “Works in Progress, a collection of recently written songs.
For more information on Innes and his recordings, go to: www.innesbookofrecords.com. I believe Innes also has his own Facebook page.
Ever wondered what Santana jamming with The Ventures (with a little bit o’ twang) might sound like? The Cuban Cowboys, from San Francisco, answer that profound musical question. Surf guitar meets rocked up Latin rhythms! Outstanding lead guitar work and drumming– great for dancing! For more info on the band, go to: www.cubancowboys.com– you’ll be glad you did!!
This installment is long enough– don’t mean to write to write a novel here– Next time I’ll tell you about CONTRASTOCK and The Underscore Orchestra (portland, OR).
I’ll Just close by saying that all fans of Irish folk music in the Washington, DC area should book their tickets now for the July 28 appearance of DERVISH at ARTISPHERE.
Just search for “Artisphere” and that should get you to the right link.
See everyone next time!!
As we all know, the Borders chain filed for bankruptcy and has closed a number of stores around the country. Two in Washington, DC have shut their doors but I must admit I’m not entirely convinced that the problems were the result of customers preferring digital artifacts to physical ones. I’m sure the declining economy played a role, but greedy landlords probably kept upping the rent. Also– the two DC locations– 18th and L Streets NW and upper Wisconsin avenue (Chevy Chase) really did have light foot traffic on weekends.
The remaining DC area stores are in a northern VA mall and in downtown Silver Spring. Those locations DO have good weekend foot traffic. Gotta put up with lots of kids, and there can long lines at the cashier area, but at least those two locations have survived.
Of course there were big sales at the locations which were closing, and I availed myself of the opportunity to get things I might have passed up at higher prices.
Among those were Steely Dan, Big Star, and ’60s British rock box sets, and individual CD’s by Joe Jackson, Mark Knopfler, ELO, Rodney Dillard, Big
Bad Voodoo Daddy, Tom Jones, Joan As Police Woman, Medieval Babes, Danny Barnes, and a collaboration featuring Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn. also picked up a CD featuring reggae versions of all the songs from SGT PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. A gimmick? Could be– but the CD has a really nice version of “She’s Leaving Home” featuring a good female vocalist. The actual CD title is: Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band.” Also got “Playing For Change Live”– been curious about this ever since I heard a track on the house sound system at a concert somewhere.
Have not had time to listen to all of those yet, but I’ll say that ELO created great pop music (borrowing from almost every musical style of the past , say, 50-75 years, and that I really enjoy Joe Jackson’s pop/jazzier side as opposed to the more raw rock stuff. He creates great melodies, writes clever lyrics, and has a decent voice. That’s good enough for me. (Jackson did the soundtrack for the TUCKER film– would like to get a CD of that– enjoyed the music– and the film itself is really good.
Anyone who’se known me for a long time knows that I am a big fan of English folk-rock ( Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Albion Band, Richard Thompson, Home Service, Billy Bragg, etc etc) and will not be surprised to learn that I’ve made six pilgrimages to Oxfordshire, England to attend Fairport Convention’s annual festival. Last time was in 2008– great music, great people, lousy weather.
But the line-up this year includes a reunited Home Service, legendary Irish folk rockers Horslips, The Blockheads, The Urban Folk Quartet, Blair Dunlop (son of Ashley Hutchings. If there is anyone reading this who doesn’t know, Hutchings was a founding member of Fairport and Steeleye Span, and led all of the various incarnations of the Albion Band), Steve Tilston, young Scots folk band The Shee, Richard Digance, Hayseed Dixie, UB40, and FAIRPORT CONVENTION along with several other acts I’ve not heard but who sound interesting (at least from the descriptions I’ve read).
So yep, I’m thinking of kissing 2-3,000 dollars goodbye and taking a trip across the ocean. Anyone else interested? For more details, go to: www.fairportconvention.com (you’ll be glad you did– as the saying goes “a splendid time is guaranteed for all.” ) Oh– 2011 festival dates are: August 11, 12 and 13.
I’m learning a lot more about the Israeli music scene– even discovered a band called Havurat Atomic who soiund like The Decemberists singing in Hebrew !! Yes, really !!
But my typing finger is getting tired, so well get to that next time.
See you then!!
The description in THE EXPRESS stated that Fern Knight was a “medieval drone” band. Naturally I was intrigued by that phrase and visited the group’s web site to see if I could learn more.
Sampled a few tracks and liked what I heard– first impressions made think of Steeleye Span, mid period Genesis, Jefferson Airplane, and Loreena McKennitt– ok but that was just after hearing a few excerpts of studio stuff.
The incarnation of Fern Knight which did a 30 minute set at COMET PING PONG ( 5037Connecticut Avenue, Washington, DC) was a six piece, and included a violinist, harp/bass player, vocalist/cellist, drummer with conventional kit, and a flautist.
(and that is harp as in the stringed instrument, not the one properly termed “harmonica.”).
All of the material was original, and came from the group’s latest CD “Castings.”
The melodies definitely echoed English folk ballads, and lead vocalist Margaret Ayre’s smooth soprano reminded me both of Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior, and Renaisssance’s Annie Haslam. The group’s instrumental arrangements, with their dense textures and complex rhythms, came more from the “progressive rock” school. But the “prog” elements were kept under control– there were no 15 minute “jams” or meandering solos.
I have not listened to Fern Knight’s’ CD’s yet, so I’m writing this from memory and notes. (and hoping that the memories and notes are accurate).
In any case, I think Fern Knight has created a blend of folk and progressive rock that no one else has really tried yet.
I look forward to hearing more from them soon and think it would be a real gas if they created some new treatments of traditional folk songs or tunes.
For more info on Fern Knight visit: http://www.fernknight.com
UPCOMING…
The 9:30 Club (Washington, DC) will be hosting several shows of interest to folk/folk-rock/roots music fans over the next month or so.
Up first on Monday, February 21, is a double bill of Taj Mahal and Los Lobos. On Thursday, February 24 Galactic from New Orleans takes the stage with their special guests Cyril Neville (The Neville Brothers) and Corey Henry (Rebirth Brass Band). That Galactic line-up was fantastic the last time they were in town, so I’m really looking forward to seeing them again. Opening for Galactic will be the High and Mighty Brass Band.
And in March– what could be more appropriate for the St. Patrick’s Day period than a show by punk-folk pioneers THE POGUES. The first night has already sold out, but there may still be tickets left for the second night– Wednesday, March 9.
For details on these and other 9:30 Club shows, go to: http://www.930.com
More Irish music??– check out these
forthcoming events:
Sunspot Concerts will be presenting Grada’s great vocalist Nicola Joyce at The Lyceum in Alexandria, VA on March 5. http://ww.sunspotpro.com
Susan McKeown will bring her great voice and songs to the SIXTH & I Synagogue (Washington, DC) on April 2.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for the next installment!!
Caught the 2010 edition of the Washington DC Revels Xmas show last Sunday and had a great time.
This year’s show focuses on rural England and features The Mellstock Band, who play authentic period instruments (including the “serpent”).
Music, dancing, spoken word bits, costumes– a colorful show indeed. One of the strongest ‘spoken word’ performers was Danny Pushkin as Parson Mayhold. He really captured what a figure of authority might have been like in an English village 1-200 years ago.
“Revels” continues this weekend with performances today, Saturday, and Sunday. For more information, go to: revelsdc.org or call their office at: 301 587 3835.
The “Revels” shows take place at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC.
And for a more contemporary take on English folk/roots, check out BELLOWHEAD, an eleven member folk orchestra complete with full brass section! Their new CD “Hedonism” (Navigator) includes wild new renditions of “A Begging I Will Go” and “New York Girls.”
Have to see these guys live– wonder if there’s any chance of a U.S. tour?
The 18th annual Jewish Folk Arts Festival was held yesterday at the Jewish Community Center in Rockville, Maryland.
I saw that The Fabrangen Fiddlers would be appearing, and since I had not seen them in some time, decided to go.
The Fiddlers were one of the first klezmer revival bands, but their brand of klezmer was fused with bluegrass!!
Yesterday David Shneyer (vocals, guitar), Alan Oresky (violin, mandolin), Theo Stone (electric bass), Frank Sparber (clarinet), and Larry Robinson (mandola, banjo) showed they’ve still got it!!
And although others have attempted to blend klezmer with bluegrass, The Fabrangen Fiddlers are still the most comfortable with that particular combination. Vocalist Jessi Roemer guested with the group for one song, and fit in really well. I’d love to see them work with her some more. Percussionist Aaron Shneyer
joined in on dumbek for the closing tune, and gave it a little middle eastern flavor.
I was impressed with the University of Maryland’s Kol Sasson choir, but only heard one song– would like to hear more of them.
David Julian Gray, clarinetist and leader of the Klezentricity trio is an outstanding player.
Pianist Jon Simon brought a hint of New Orleans jazz and a lot of George Gershwin to his unique interpretations of traditional Jewish tunes.
News & Notes
All of my friends in the UK, take note: Maddy Prior & the Carnival Band will be touring in December. Check the Park Records web site for details.
Black Prairie, an acoustic folk/bluegrass band featuring several members of The Decemberists, is planning their second album. I saw the group at IOTA (Arlington, VA) last month and was really impressed. The stuff was definitely rooted in bluegrass, but other flavors, such as gyspy and klezmer, spiced up the blend. For their encore, the group stepped off the stage and played with the audience standing around them– no mikes!! Now that was cool! (Wish I had film of it!).
GALACTIC returns to the 9:30 Club FEB 24!! With CYRIL NEVILLE!! And COREY HENRY (Rebirth Brass Band). I saw them several moths ago and they were fantastic!
Nov. 11 Psych/pop band Os Mutantes from Brazil put on a great show Nov. 11 at the 9:30 Club. I first heard a recording of theirs over thirty years ago, and never thought I’d get to see them live. I’ve now seen them twice, and the current line-up, which includes founding member Sergio Dias and long time drummer Dinho Leme is fantastic!
If you’ve never heard Os Mutantes, imagine a blend of prime Jefferson Airplane and Sgt. Pepper era Beatles with a Brazilian flavor. A lot of their songs are in Portuguese, and some pieces have a folk-ish flavor– they sound like what might be rocked up Brazilian folk dance tunes.
Really enjoyed Brain Wilson’s album of George Gershwin tunes. Turns out that Gershwin was a major influence on Wilson.
That’s it for this installment…
Come back soon.
ARTISPHERE is a new arts venue in Arlington, Virgina, and it’s just a few blocks from the Rosslyn “Metro” station. ARTISPHERE opened just a few weeks ago, and not everything is ready yet (there will be a restaurant, for instance).
But I can tell you the place has a great auditorium and a spacious ball room.
Punk/klezmer outfit GOLEM (New York, NY) played an 11 PM show at ARTISPHERE Saturday night, and the ball room there was a perfect spot for that high energy band. Plenty of room for dancing, and there is no question– Golem is a “dance” band. By the end of the show, most of the audience was on the dance floor doing everything from what looked like traditional eastern European/Jewish folk dance to moves that were probably improvised on the spot.
There were hot solos from accordionist Annette Ezekiel Kogan, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, and the substitute violinst (didn’t catch his name, but he fit in as if he’d be with the group from the beginning).
Golem has released two CD’s. For more info on the band, go to: golemrocks.com
Artisphere will be hosting many more bands in the future; coming up soon are: Swing band King Teddy (Nov. 17) and Red Baraat, a “Bollywood” brass and percussion band from New York City (Nov. 20).
For more information on ARTISPERE and everything going on there, go to: www.artisphere.com
Tonight I ‘ll be going to “An Evening With Richard Thompson” at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Full band. Looking forward to hearing Thompson’s new material. Report to follow.
Halloween weekend in London? There are great events at the Cecil Sharp House on Halloween weekend this year and I’m mighty tempted to
throw caution to the winds and head across the pond for the 10th time!!
October 30: Special concert/event with Shirley Collins, new folk/fusion band Trembling Bells and gritty Scots singer songwriter Alisdair Roberts (hope I spelled his name correctly).
On Halloween itself, Sunday the 31st, there will be an all day “music fair” with live bands, morris dancers, and more. Some of the new folk/folk-rock bands, such as Galley Beggar (enjoyed their debut CD– reminded me of “Liege & Lief” era Fairport Convention and early Steeleye Span) will be there and it would be a great opportunity to see bands that are not likely to tour the U.S. (not to mention finding out what Halloween in London will be like!).
I am really excited about all the energy that is coming out of the English folk/folk-rock scene right now– so many new bands– I look forward to hearing them all– whether via recordings, live, or both!
Just finished a batch of reviews for the next issue of SING OUT! Tim Hart & Friends (CD re-issue), Dr. John, Old Blind Dogs, Jim Moray, Blowzabella, Ray Cooper, Trembling Bells, the book ELECTRIC EDEN, and more.
That’s it for this installment– see you all again soon!
The diversity of musical talent in the Washington, DC area (and environs) was showcased at the Takoma Park Folk Festival (Sept. 12) and the H Street Festival (Sept. 18).
The Takoma Park Folk Festival, held in the town of Takoma Park, Maryland, jut outside of Washington, DC, has now been running for over thirty years. It’s a community based event, featuring performers (mostly) from the immediate Washington, DC area. There are plenty of booths for community and political groups, along with food and craft vendors., and admission to the event is free.
It’s impossible to see all of the acts one would like to see at the TPFF, since undoubtedly two artists one is interested in will be scheduled for the same time slot.
But I still managed to catch full sets by a number of good bands.
We’ll start at the beginning with The Rock River Gypsies, who started the day off with a lively blend of bluegrass and psychedelic pop. Imagine a twangy Jefferson Airplane and you’ve got the right idea. The Rock River Gypsies can be found on “My Space.”
Continuing in the “twangy” vein was the “Americana” folk-rock duo of Beth Rinaldo and Tom Holland. Nice vocal harmonies and tasty lead guitar work. Rinaldo and Holland were backed by electric bass, drums, and piano. Rinaldo and Holland recently issued a CD called “Edge of the World” which includes a great interpretation of the traditional song “Cold Rain And Snow.” Would love to hear them do more adaptations of traditional songs. Rinaldo and Holland have a “My Space” page.
Then I traveled south (metaphorically speaking) to catch the Brazilian/Argentinian vocal /instrumental group Cantare. Really nice jazz flavored stuff that actually had a Mediterranean flavor. Excellent lead singer from Argentina with deft instrumental support on piano, accordion, percussion, accoustic guitar, and electric bass. Each piece was introduced with a brief explanation of its origins, and since the songs were either in Portuguese or Spanish, I appreciated that. Cantare have already released several CD’s and are working on a new one. www.cantaremusic.com
Afro-pop band Elikeh, led by singer-guitarist Massama Dogo from Togo , played a great set of dance music. Dogo himself is a passionate singer, and since I saw them last year, the group has added a snazzy three piece horn section, so their full lime-up now includes: vocals, guitar, lead guitar, electric bass, drum kit, percussion, keyboards, two saxes and trumpet. I recommend Elikeh’s new CD “Adje! Adje” released by Azalea City. www.elikeh.com
It was tough to choose a final act to catch that day, but I would up with Anna Mwalalagho from Kenya and was not disappointed. Mwalagho is the former lead singer from Chopteeth, and she’s now got her own band, a tight, energetic unit that was great fun to dance to. Mwalagho herself is quite a dynamo on stage. “Ukweli” (The Truth) is the title of Mwalagho’s debut CD. www.annamwalagho.com
My friends in the UK will be amused to learn that I also watched members of the Foggy Bottom Morris Men teaching Americans the basics of morris dancing. There are basically two parts to this old English tradition: hitting sticks with your hands, and foot movements. All of that must be co-ordinated. Could I learn to do that ?? Hm…
The H Street NE neighborhood of Washington, DC is due east of the UNION STATION train station and is, at this point, a sort of urban frontier. It’s the kind of place that has better days, and is no the way back up. For the past several years, neighborhood organizations have sponsored a one day street festival, and this was the first time I attended.
My main motivation was to see Alma Tropicalia, a local band inspired by the “tropicalia” (think tropical psychedelia) movement of the 1970′s. Os Mutantes from Brazil were leaders of that movement, and Alma Tropicalia covers a number of their songs. Alma Tropicalia has got the style down perfectly and as far as I know, there are no other bands in the Washington, DC area dedicated to this genre. I enjoyed Alma Tropicalia’s set (they have a great lead singer in Ana Isabel Delgado) and look forward to catching more of their gigs. They are working on a debut album and have a “My Space” page.
Also caught a set by Billy Woodward & the Senders whose blend of “Merseybeat” and country twang reminded me a little bit of English pub rock master Nick Lowe. Would like to see more of them, too.
One of the new businesses to open in the H Street NE corridor is a restaurant/pub called THE STAR AND SHAMROCK. They serve Jewish AND Irish food!! An idea whose time has definitely come!! If you’re craving “shepherd’s pie” or corned beef on rye, or both (and why not), then this is the place for you!
What’s next for “The Electric Shire?”– Takoma Park Street Festival October 3, and then RICHARD THOMPSON on October 19 at the 9:30 Club!!
