Upcoming Events
| March 3 (Sat), 2012 |
See the HOUSE CONCERTS page for full details. |
| March 8 (Thu), 2012 |
See the HOUSE CONCERTS page for full details. |
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7:00 pm Brink Lounge $14 in advance
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Jan Krist and Jim Bizer hail from Detroit, justly famous as Motown, but home to myriad musical influences. They met and made music together while still in their teens. On their own they have each garnered acclaim as songwriters and performers. They formed various musical alliances, helping to found such acts as The Biddies, The Yellow Room Gang and Floyd King & the Bushwackers. As a duo, Jim & Jan add another dimension to their diverse musical spectrum. Intricately layered instrumental parts and stunning vocal harmonies are just part of the magic. At the heart is the profound respect and playful interaction Jan and Jim bring to each other's songs, the spark of two remarkable artists working and playing together. It's a special kind of communion between them and their audience that transcends what is and tries to catch a glimpse of what may be. "...a writer whose gift as a songwriter equals - if not surpasses her vocal gifts. She has an uncanny way of cutting to the heart of a topic and providing the listener with food for thought." So writes Image Journal about Jan Krist. Winner of multiple Detroit Music Awards and a New Folk finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival (TX), Jan is a fearless and compassionate artist, with a sharp wit and an outlook that swings from sincere to satirical. Jim Bizer is both on-the-money and off- the-wall. Against a musical kaleidoscope of jazz, blues, reggae and god-knows- what-else; he sings about faith, rivers, subatomic particles and a few things you've probably never heard before in a song. Poignant and quirky, hilarious and heartfelt, Jim's songs are both beautiful and startling. Not to mention award- winning: he's a three-time Kerrville New Folk finalist and the Grand Prize winner of the 2002 Great American Song contest. |
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7:00 pm Brink Lounge $14 in advance
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Charlie Parr's albums have received critical acclaim and have sold well into the thousands. He’s toured the UK, Ireland and Scotland countless times, as well as pert near every nook and cranny of the United States. He was a guest musician on A Prairie Home Companion (April 2004), starred in Travis Wilkerson’s independent film, Who Killed Cock Robin? Charlie is continually expanding his touring schedule and promoting his latest CD, Jubilee, which is available at www.charlieparr.com and fine record shops. "Parr’s music cannot be absorbed in one hearing or even several. There’s just too much far-from-simple human reality going on. The songs take their power from their cumulative effect, which comes in the eventual recognition that chunks of coal mined by genius shine like diamonds." "...Charlie Parr captures the intense sound of the folk music of America’s frozen north. His raw voice, lightning finger picking and plaintive but wry songs have made him one of the most important contemporary protagonists of the American folk tradition." |
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7:00 pm Brink Lounge $15 in advance
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with opening set by Beth Wood Storyhill is a folk duo that brings infectious melodies, smart story songs and heartbreaking harmonies together in one perfect package. Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson grew up and started performing together as teenagers, while living in Bozeman, Montana. In support of the new CD, Storyhill is now touring across the country. They will also host two songwriter festivals in Montana and Minnesota--Storyhill Fest and Storyhill Fest Midwest. Both events draw fans from across the country for weekends of live music in scenic outdoor settings. Featuring some of their favorite artists that they have met in their travels, they have brought in such artists as Antje Duvekot, Danny Schmidt, and Anais Mitchell. In addition to their work with the duo, Chris and John continue their separate pursuits in Montana and Minnesota. Chris produces recordings at Basecamp Recording, a studio he built just outside of Bozeman. John works as a producer in Minneapolis and continues to play with Alva Star.
“The Weather Inside,” Beth’s eighth studio release, is a case study in contrast. A coming-of-age statement record from a veteran artist, Beth’s latest work embraces strength and tenderness, the polished and the well-worn, the broken and the hopeful heart. Produced by Billy Crockett at Blue Rock Studio in Wimberley, TX, “The Weather Inside” delves deep into Beth’s creative reserves and delivers a strong collection of songs and performances to remember. |
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7:00 pm Brink Lounge
$14 in advance
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Michael Cooney learned his music from hundreds of people, well-known and unknown. He credits Pete Seeger and Sam Hinton for his interest in traditional folk music and the history behind the songs, and also for his wanting to "help others to feel what I feel when I hear this great old stuff." He credits Sam, and his old travelling partner, Grady Tuck (now deceased) for his relaxed ("Perry Como school of folk music") performing style. Michael has been helping others to experience the beauty, power and humor of old and new songs for over 35 years, in countless halls, clubs, coffeehouses, etc., in the US, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain and Europe. He has performed, lectured or done residencies at hundreds of US and Canadian colleges and schools of all levels. He has performed at most of the major North American folk festivals (some many times), including The National Folk Festival, Smithsonian, Newport, Mariposa, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Monterey, Berkeley, San Diego, Hudson River Revival, Old Songs. He has been a performer and mc at the Philadelphia Folk Festival semi-regularly since 1966 and for 15 the last 21 years. "...No two concerts are the same. His set list might include everything from a Robin Hood ballad to Hoagy Carmichael, with gems of the folk and blues tradition in between. After an evening of Michael's delightfully simple entertainment you'll wonder why you ever invested in a television." "Few singers can convey the sheer fun of singing as skillfully as Michael Cooney... His style is personal, happy, easygoing. Like Pete Seeger, he can turn a whole auditorium into a living room." Lou and Peter Berryman hardly need an introduction in Madison! Theirs is the typical story: boy meets girl in high school, they play in folk bands, they marry and move to Canada for five years, move back, divorce and form a fresh guitar/accordion duo producing songs that are being sung by amateurs and professionals all over the world. OK, perhaps it's not typical. But then there is very little that is conventional about Lou and Peter Berryman. Lou and Peter Berryman have spread their music through 12 recordings and hundreds of performances on both coasts, the Midwest, Texas and Canada. They win new fans everywhere they go. And the old fans? They keep coming to hear the new songs and to watch the astonished reaction of the folks hearing this delightful duo for the first time. When it comes to being funny, I think I've spent the first thirty years trying to be as funny as Tom Lehrer and the last part will be trying to be as funny as the Berrymans. They don't come any funnier than that. Lou & Peter Berryman! Long may they wave! Their song "A Chat with your Mother" is one of the great American folksongs of the 20th century. |
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