Finally found my camera cord and was able to upload pictures from the past month, including a few from some great concerts I saw up in Iowa City. They are kind of “artsy” because I didn’t want to use a flash and distract the performers. (clicking on any of the pix should take you to them in flickr if you want to see them bigger)

Here’s Melissa Ferrick. She plays FAST.

Here is Coyote Grace backing her up. I met Joe at Song School and he let me borrow his guitar during one of the campground song circles. It was fun to meet Ingrid and see them play together.

Here’s a wide shot of all of them playing together on Melissa’s song “Heartbeat” Apparently this was the first time they played together and afterward made it part of the show each night.

One of Ferron at the Women’s Music Festival.

Kim Char keeping the crowd entertained while the power went out. (city wide, and they found a generator so they could keep going)

Patrice Pike at the Women’s Music Festival.

And finally, here’s one of me with Dar Williams after her concert. Is it just me or do we both have one eye more squinty than the other? That obviously means something for my musical career. heh heh.

A friend just pointed me in Catherine Feeny’s direction, and I’m sure glad he did. His first suggestion was the beautiful I Still Don’t Believe You, but since I’ve still got colors on the brain from being in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (two more weekends of performances to go!) I of course had to check out Mr. Blue. I love the light and playful feeling in both the song and the video – all the balloons make me happy!

Feed and email readers may need to come to the blog to see the video

You may have already heard Mr. Blue on The OC, Running With Scissors or a documentary on NY guerrilla artist Stuart Ross.

The Philadephia-born singer-songwriter is currently based out of England, but it comes as no surprise to me that Catherine seriously got into songwriting at that place so many of my other favorites got their start these days: The Hotel Cafe.

Find out more about Catherine on her website or her MySpace.
Get her album Hurricane Glass (which includes both I Still Don’t Believe You and Mr. Blue) on or on Amazon.

And in other music news from the world of female singer-songwriters:

- Jessie Baylin has a new website to go with her new album Firesight, which is is getting great reviews.

- Dar Williams has a new album coming out in September! From her website:

Dar Williams will release her first album of original material in over three years, PROMISED LAND, in September. With clean, driving production by Brad Wood (Pete Yorn, Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins), the album features 12 songs that showcase Dar’s signature wide range of stories and social themes on songs including “It’s Alright,” “The Easy Way,” and “Buzzer.” Dar also does a cover of “Midnight Radio” from the acclaimed rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as a cover of the Fountains of Wayne song “Troubled Times.” Lending support on the album are such renowned artists as Suzanne Vega, Marshall Crenshaw, and Gary Louris (of the Jayhawks). Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new release!

- Catie Curtis also has a new album coming out in September:

Hooray for music!

Well, I feel bad for not posting this sooner, but better late than never eh? The Institute for Musical Arts is holding a fundraising auction on eBay. They need $150,000 to complete a state-of-the-art recording studio at their campus in Goshen, MA. The auction has been going on since March 8th, but there is still time to bid on stuff like:

March 28-April 6
Melissa Ferrick guitar
Baumgardner #2 (galley & autographed poster)
Gwen Stefani Harajuku Girl doll
Sevendust/Caitlin Kalafus auto drumsticks
Allison Miller gift set #2 (autographed sticks, autographed publicity photo; autographed copy of Modern Drummer)
Linda Kavars/Kate Millett signed poster
Peter Kitchell art

April 5-April 14
Ann Hackler T-shirt
David Bowie autographed leather jacket
Dar Williams Huss and Dalton guitar
Stefani & Dorsey autographed CD gift set
Diana Jones autographed CDs
Fanny framed/signed photo

Just what is this place you’d be supporting with your auction bids? Here’s some info from their ‘about’ page:

The institute has a nonprofit status of 501(c)3 with a mission to support women and girls in music and music-related businesses. Rooted in the legacy of progressive equal rights movements, IMA’s development is guided by the visions, needs and concerns of women from a diversity of backgrounds and has grown from the need to nourish ourselves and each other.

The 25-acre estate on which IMA is located features a house and several barns all built in the early 1800′s. The largest barn has been converted into a recording, performance and teaching facility. The space accommodates a multitude of artistic endeavors and has a seating capacity of 200, a recording chamber that could hold an orchestra, and housing for up to 25 people. In addition to its summer camps, IMA offers year-round programming in support of its nonprofit mission which, unless otherwise noted, are open to the public.

Go straight to the eBay auction, or first check out the auction page on their website for more details about all the items, and while you are there click around and check out what an awesome institution they have to support music!

So the Dar party was great fun! Many of the people who showed up were fairly new to Dar, and I think actually seeing her on screen was the next best introduction to seeing her live.

The DVD started off with Dar talking about Woodstock (where the concert was filmed) and performing in general and how there seemed to be something amazing and perfect about every night on tour – like adding a song to the set list out of the blue, and having someone come up to her afterwards saying that they’d driven 400 miles to hear that particular song. Then she did a solo set, and a set with the band.

I love hearing Dar’s stories about the songs, it adds a even more depth and understanding to the lyrics. I got goosebumps a few times because I was hearing the songs on a new level. It was also fun to hear some new stories or insights she had gained about a song, and then try to guess which one she was talking about before she started playing.

There was a brand new song called “The Easy Way” that she said was about her life as a musician and how she’d had several chances during her career to take an easy way out, but stuck to her principles and did it her way. I think that’s why people connect to Dar so powerfully, she’s very real and honest and herself.

If you’re interested in the Dar Williams: Live at Bearsville Theatre DVD, you can pre-order the full version with 16 songs, music videos and behind the scenes footage on MusicSpace.com. I definitely recommend it!

And now I’d like to take a moment to thank the people who made this event possible!

Provided by Razor and Tie, Dar’s record label:
1) Dar Tour Poster
2) Sampler CD
3) 45 minute Live at Bearsville preview DVD
4) “Cool As I Am” button
5) Coupons to get a discount off the full length DVD

Provided by me (oh, that’s cheezy, I didn’t mean to thank myself, just list stuff):
1) Mini lemon-poppyseed muffins
2) Chocolate chip cookies (the dough was actually made by my friend B, so all I had to do was mix in the chips and bake!)
3) Carrot sticks & celery & ranch dressing
4) Mandarine-Tangerine Mint Iced Tea
5) A few original tunes after the show

Provided by Goj:
1) Two bags of super tasty cheesy popcorn
2) Ginger ale

Provided by Tommy:
1) House cleaning
2) Furniture moving
3) Picture taking
4) Amazon herb tea

Provided by Gilberto:
1) Projector setting up
2) House cleaning
3) Furniture moving
4) Picture taking

Provided by the Library:
1) A projector!

Provided by Everyone Who Came:
1) Listening ears
2) Smiling faces
3) Good times!

P.S. Speaking of divinely orchestrated things – I’d told people I might do a couple of my own songs at the end, but after the amazing show, I was starting to chicken out. RIGHT at that moment someone called me out of the blue to say how much she liked my songs and wished I would play out more because they really touched her. (The last time she’d seen me play was a couple years ago at an open mic.) It was exactly what I needed to hear, because ever since Dar made such a huge difference in my life, I’ve been hoping that I might someday be able to give something like it back to the world. I think I’ve been holding back waiting to get “good enough”, but I’m also starting to think that you get better by DOING, not waiting for someone to tell you “ok, you’re now officially let out of the house” type of thing. And hey, if I can’t play for my friends, who else?

Whoo-hoo! Just had to share – I was selected to host the Dar Williams DVD party I mentioned a few posts back (towards the end of the post)! I’m very excited and honored.

I’ll be showing it in the afternoon on October 7th. If you’re local – (you know who you are) and want to come, let me know and I’ll send you an invite. I’ll provide some snacks and maybe even play a few tunes myself after the screening, should be fun times!

If you’re a far off friend, I shall report on the event with pictures and such after it happens, which will also be fun!

I haven’t forgotten those other reviews I’ve promised from my week of music. It just occurred to me that I don’t have to post them in order of when they happened, that might help me crank them out faster…

So this is very cool – Someone over at Dar Williams’ record label Razor & Tie noticed that I wrote a post about her and sent me a link to a online clip from her new DVD that’s coming out in October.

(Feed and email readers may need to come to the actual blog to see the video)

Isn’t she adorable? It’s been a while since my last Dar concert and I’d forgotten that cute little bouncy thing she does when she plays.

I’m still very excited that they sent the link for this directly to me. I mean, it was probably some type of form (“send this video out to all people who blog about Dar”), but they did bother to figure out my email address and my name and put that in the email. So I feel super special and like I’ve had a mild brush with fame or something… “Dar’s people know about me!” heh heh. And they did not specifically say “Please write about this”, rather something to the effect of: “I hope you like it, and by the way, there’s an embed link.” And really, how could I not share?!

The song Cool As I Am was originally on her second CD, Mortal City, and it looks like she’ll be performing stuff from all her albums plus a new song called “The Easy Way”. From just this one clip my excited anticipation levels have officially amped up for the DVD release. I’m looking forward to seeing it on a bigger screen and with more than my silly little computer speakers, because I like it already, so it’s only going to be better. Hooray!

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I can probably credit much of the beginning of my love of singer songwriter music to Dar Williams. I think the other portion of credit goes to a whole bunch of fabulous ladies at Lilith Fair in Atlanta, including Sarah McLachlan, but that’s a whole other entry!

I was first introduced to Dar’s music by this boy I had a crush on in college. He was from the East coast and had heard her out there. He could play guitar, which was probably a big factor in my initial attraction to him. Dar’s song Iowa was of course a big hit at our little college in the cornfields and we often requested that he play it (although he once changed the words from “I’ve never found a way to say I love you” to “I’ve never found a way to say I like you” in subtle hint that I was not quite his type – ouch. He really did try to let me down gently, and I have him to thank for several song inspirations and the Dar introduction, so it’s all good).

College was also where I started learning to play guitar myself. darwilliams.net had a super nice tab/chords page and much of Dar’s music was simple enough for me to play. Some of her less easy stuff was the big motivating factor to finally learn some B minor chords.

After college I had a brief stint of living in Boulder, Co. While I was in Robb’s Music Store I saw a black and white poster printed on blue paper for a Dar concert at the Boulder Theater. I was broke, my roomies didn’t want to go and I had beg one of my co-workers to at least come in a little early since no one would swap shifts with me at the juice bar. I got there just in time and ended up sitting in the very, very back of the theater. It was totally worth it. I soaked up every minute, every note, I was in pure bliss, including the opening set by Catie Curtis.

When the show was over the theater emptied out pretty fast, but a few people were hanging out in the lobby looking like they expected her to come out, so I bought a CD and my very first guitar case sticker that said “We Find Magic Everywhere” (line from The Christians and the Pagans) and then patiently bummed around, even after several people gave up. Sure enough, Dar eventually came out. I was shocked at how small she was physically, compared to how much she radiated on stage. When I got to her at the table, all I could do was put my hand over my heart and say “Thank you!” and pray that she understood even one fraction of the gratitude I was feeling. I can still remember how she signed the lyric booklet of Out There Live on the white space of the picture of her arm.

This the email I sent to one of my friends after that first concert:

Wed, 17 Oct 2001. I just got back from a Dar Williams concert and it was AWESOME!!!! I love getting to see these powerful women perform, it’s so inspiring. Any good performance reminds me that I want to offer something to the world too, and hearing someone with similar experiences, issues, desires or feelings makes me feel that my voice is valid, and could actually inspire as well. Woosh! Too many things rushing through me right now.

The desire to create and connect, the frustration of knowing I don’t have the technical skills to communicate what’s on the inside to the fullest extent, the pure happy high of being in the presence of an amazing artist…

Sigh!

I’m still working on those technical skills, but in the meantime this blog lets me, in my little way, contribute to the sharing of some pretty inspiring voices with the world.

The thing that got me thinking about Dar Williams in particular tonight was this contest they are running right now for people to host pre-screenings of her new live concert DVD. People who host screenings and then put up photos/reviews of the event are entered to win a guitar signed by Dar. OH. MY. SHEESH. How exciting would that be? (I’d probably write an entry about it on par with Ingrid Michealson’s excitement at being featured on Zach Braff’s MySpace page.)

I already sent in my questionnaire. Fingers crossed. If nothing else I am very looking forward to when the DVD is available for purchase. Dar is very fun to watch live – she tells the most amazing stories, and it’s fabulous to see how her imagination works!

If you are new to Dar, I definitely recommend you check her out:
Official Site
Fan Site
MySpace
Dar on iTunes
Dar on Amazon

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Just found this cool list on Amazon of Dar’s top picks for albums she thinks her fans might enjoy. There’s a wide variety of artists included, some I know and some I don’t: Don McLean, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Jane Siberry, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Brahms, Suzanne Vega, Cheryl Wheeler. Dar gives a line or two about why the particular album she is highlighting was inspirational to her music or career or childhood. Seems like pretty much every female folk artist is going to be influenced at least at little by Joni Mitchell, and for good reason, (I remember the first time I heard Joni Mitchell I almost gave up the idea of writing songs altogether. Here’s someone who already said everything I’ve ever felt and so much of it before I was even born! What’s left?) but it’s kinda neat to have Brahms thrown in there too.

I always love finding out the influences of my favorite artists. It just goes to show that no one creates in a vacuum, and quite often I’ll discover some new favorite musicians!

I got to see Ana Egge open for Dar Williams in NYC back when Dar was releasing The Beauty of the Rain (2003). Since then I keep hearing good stuff about her through other musician’s blogs, and now her MySpace page.

She just won the Mountain Stage New Song Songwriting Competition in NYC so she will advance to the International Phase on Sept 22 as a part of NYC’s River To River Festival. Congrats Ana!

You can listen to song samples and buy tracks at her online music store – all the proceeds go directly to Ana, which is so great for an independent musician.

PS – I just checked out the service she uses for her music store: indieKazoo. Seems like a super cool way to sell your mp3′s. Tracks play on any device, and the artist gets to keep all the proceeds! Very nice!