Piano Rock-Pop Trio True Margrit

San Francisco based piano-pop trio True Margrit is fronted by singer-songwriter and piano-player Margrit Eichler.  Backed by Gary Hobish on bass and Andrew Bacon on drums, Margrit delivers her intelligent, upbeat songs with just enough pop flavor to be head-boppingly catchy, and just enough indie quirk to keep your ears on their toes.  Their newest album, The Juggler’s Progress, is the fifth release for the band that has been described as “Aimee Mann & Ben Folds meet the Decemberists for speed Scrabble.”

I first got a glimpse of True Margrit on my friend Nusi’s blog.  Check out the video Nusi took of them performing Opposite Man at Dolores Park Cafe in San Francisco.  So much passion and energy!  That’s a band who knows how to have fun and put on a good show!

But I have to admit, with so much music coming at me all the time, I kind of lost track of True Margrit until Nusi connected us again on the Lyrical Venus Facebook Page.  Just in the nick of time too, because they are about to embark on a tour of the Southwest for the rest of the month in a few days, which probably would have made an interview a little trickier to coordinate, and I happened to have an open slot this week.  I love it when things work out like that!

The band just released their first video for The Juggler’s Progress last week.  It is for the song Syllable and it captures more of that passion, fun, intelligence, funkiness, rockin’, catchy spirit that equals True Margrit.

If you’re reading elsewhere, you may need to come to the blog to see the video

Pillow fight anyone?  Piano stand made of books?  How cool is that?!

Well, I’m thinking you can add at least a little to your own coolness quotient by befriending the band online, here are a few places where you can do that:

http://truemargrit.com/
http://www.facebook.com/truemargrit
http://twitter.com/truemargrit

Their website also has links to all their other social media sites, and you can order special CD packages there that include things like original artwork by Margrit, or a drumhead that was used in the making of the album.

And of course, if you tune in to Lyrical Venus on KRUU-LP 100.1 FM this Tuesday, March 9th from 9-10am Central you will get your weekly dose of female singer-songwriters, which includes Margrit calling around 9:30!

Singer-Songwriter Laura Meyer

Laura Meyer lists New York City as her base, but between moving often while growing up and her extensive touring, it seems that this independent artist is also an independent spirit, able to find beauty wherever she lands.  Her latest album, Miles From Nowhere, supports that idea, capturing slices of the traveling life from New Orleans to Colorado, Carolina and back to New York, with plenty of other places in-between!  Painting word pictures with a shimmering, smokey voice, Laura supports her little road vignettes with deft finger-picking and crunchy blues riffs in turn, providing as much of a trip for your ears as your imagination.

Winner of numerous songwriting honors, Laura has played in every sort of venue, from tiny coffee houses to huge outdoor festivals - including the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, which I’ve attended the past two years!  We must have been there at the same time and I didn’t realize it.

Between all of Laura’s traveling and my love of live music, I’m betting we’ll end up in the same place sometime again in the future, and I’ll be sure not to miss seeing her.  In the meantime, there’s always YouTube!

Here is Laura performing her song The Ocean at WSCA 106.1 FM in New Hampshire. (Another low-power community station, rock on!)

If you’re reading elsewhere, you may need to come to the blog to see the video

And of course info, photos, blogs, songs and purchase info can be found on Laura’s site: http://www.laurameyer.net

You can also connect with her through MySpace, Facebook and Twitter for starters.  (other social sites are listed on her webpage.)

Finally, don’t forget to tune in to Lyrical Venus on KRUU-LP 100.1 FM this Tuesday, March 2nd from 9-10am Central for your weekly dose of female singer-songwriters!  Laura will be calling around 9:30.

Singer-Songwriter Bess Rogers

Bess Rogers was a name that came up a lot when I was getting to know several other guests I’ve had on Lyrical Venus.  It got me thinking that if all these great people liked Bess I probably would too.  I kept meaning to check out her site, and not quite managing to get there.  Then a few months ago I found out from one of Allie Moss‘ updates that the two of them had teamed up to offer a free download from each of their new EP’s.  They don’t call ‘em hooks for nothing people!  One listen to Bess’ song I Don’t Worry and I was hooked.

I’m not the only one either - whether it’s for touring, backup, podcasting, YouTube shorts or television performances, her talents are in high demand with people like Allie Moss, Allison Weiss, Ingrid Michaelson and Jenny Owen Youngs, to name a few.

Bess’ Travel Back EP takes the listener on a trip through a rich, varied aural landscape. In less than 20 minutes you can go from rip-roarin’, foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’ rockers like Everything to Lose, to the stripped down, bittersweet, vocal showcaser Yellowbird and back to tapping your toes again with I Don’t Worry.  And then if you’re like me, you’ll go back to the beginning of the album and hit play again!

Check out this video of Bess performing I Don’t Worry live with a band at Rockwood Music Hall on November 28, 2009:

If you’re reading elsewhere, you may need to come to the blog to see the video

I have a feeling Bess’ name is going to keep popping up a lot more for years to come, I don’t see how anything could hold her down!

Don’t be like me, now that you are in the know, get yourself to Bess’ sites right away for tour information, song samples, photos, videos and to buy her albums:

www.bessrogers.com
www.myspace.com/bessrogers
www.twitter.com/bessrogers
www.bessblog.tumblr.com
http://www.facebook.com/bessrogersmusic

Tune in to Lyrical Venus Radio Tuesday February 16th from 9-10am Central for your weekly dose of great music by female singer-songwriters!  KRUU-LP 100.1 FM in town, kruufm.com online anywhere!  Interview with Bess starts at 9:30.

P.S. Have I mentioned before that Lyrical Venus has a Facebook Page, Tumblr and Twitter too?  Let’s connect!

Singer-Songwriter Ellis

The last time Ellis was in town and on Lyrical Venus was November 2008, so it’s been a little while since Fairfielders have seen or heard her in person. But if you’ve been following her on Facebook or Twitter you know she has been keeping plenty busy, working on a new album with a producer in New York, showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival and even learning to ski!

That is one of the things I love about Ellis - she gives herself challenges to learn and try new things and then she dives in and does them!  In this inspiring introduction to her song Close to You at a concert in Wisconsin, Ellis talks about her goal to try one new thing every year as a strategy to stay young and flexible in her outlook:

And here is Close to You itself:

I know I always leave an Ellis concert inspired, uplifted and with my heart blown open in an amazing way.  I’m excited to see her this weekend and maybe hear some of the songs going on her upcoming CD, Right On Time, set for release in September 2010.  There are some preview clips up on ellis-music.com, as well as a page where you can pre-order the album to help with the recording costs and receive the album this summer in advance of the official release.

I recommend taking a peek at that pre-order page whether you are planning to pre-order or not, because it has some of the cutest rewards and drawings for each donation level. (You can even click on the pictures to see them bigger.)  If you’ve ever been to an Ellis show, you can imagine what a ring-tone of her laugh (one of the things you get for donating $100 or more) might be like for your phone!

Get your tickets for Ellis’ show at  Cafe Paradiso on February 13th, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the heart, and her previous shows there have sold out!

Ellis will be calling in to Lyrical Venus Radio Tuesday February 9th!  Tune in to KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town, kruufm.com online anywhere from 9-10am Central time.  We’ll start off with 1/2 an hour of tunes and then Ellis will call around 9:30!

Singer-Songwriter Yael Meyer

I know I’ve said it a million times before, but I LOVE THE INTERNET!  Last week I interviewed Allison Weiss on the Lyrical Venus Radio Hour.  She tweeted a link to the station where people can listen in from around the world.  One of Allison’s fans in The Netherlands tuned in, and afterward tweeted to me that I might like Yael Meyer.  A couple of song listens on her site and few emails with Yael later and I had an interview set up for this week!

To put it another way: a phone call between someone in Georgia and someone in Iowa was heard by someone in The Netherlands who then connected the Iowa person to someone in Los Angeles.  All in a matter of hours.  My mind is still blown.

So a big thank you goes out to @TimKro for tuning in from across the ocean and for introducing me to Yael!  And now I shall introduce her to you, dear readers!

A dancer and singer since childhood in her native Chile, Yael received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music at the age of 19.  It was there that she gained a deeper appreciation of the power of music and its ability to make a positive difference in the world.

Currently residing in L.A., Yael released her new Heartbeat EP just a couple months ago.  A beautiful blend of folk, pop and electronica, the delicate, delightful songs on Heartbeat will tickle your ears and put a smile on your heart. They are definitely making a positive difference in MY world!

Check out this video on the making of Heartbeat, featuring the song Shed Their Fear.  Along with the  guitar and piano that one might expect on a singer-songwriter album, you can see that Heartbeat includes horns, ukulele and glockenspiel (the same model I got for my birthday!).  The rich mix of instruments never overpower, but rather provide a luxurious fluffy bed of sound for Yael’s silky vocals.

If you like Shed Their Fear, you can get it for free by signing up to Yael’s email list, which you can do right here from Lyrical Venus by clicking the “get it now” button and entering your email in this widget!  Fancy!

Now go check your email and get your download!  Easy peasy right?

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

If one song isn’t enough, you can listen to more on Yael’s website:

http://www.yaelmeyermusic.com/

Then you can go be friends:

http://www.facebook.com/yaelmeyermusic

http://www.myspace.com/yaelmeyer

Yael is doing a lovely series of video podcasts on her YouTube channel, sharing a song a week.  So far they are all collaborations with some of her friends:

http://www.youtube.com/user/yaelmeyermusic

If you are on Twitter, don’t forget to follow Yael, you never know who she might introduce you to!
http://twitter.com/yaelmusic

Last but not least, join me Tuesday, February 2nd for an interview with Yael! Tune in to KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town or at http://kruufm.com online from 9-10am Central for the full hour of Lyrical Venus. Yael will be calling in at 9:30. That’s right, join me Tuesday, February 2nd for an interview with Yael! Tune in to KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town, http://kruufm.com online.

(My Wordpress is SERIOUSLY messed up folks! It’s double posting my sentence about twitter at the end but cutting out the stuff about where to tune in to the interview. Attempts to fix have sometimes ended up in blending this post and Allison’s post below into one big post?!?! What the heck??? Maybe it will show up alright in the feed readers but for now it’s freaking me out, I’ve tried over 20 times and I’m exhausted, so I’m going to have to leave it like this and hope it works itself out somehow… or that a slightly fresher brain in the morning can figure it out.)

Last but not least, join me Tuesday, February 2nd for an interview with Yael! Tune in to KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town or at http://kruufm.com online from 9-10am Central for the full hour of Lyrical Venus. Yael will be calling in at 9:30.

Singer-Songwriter Allison Weiss

I first discovered Georgia songwriter Allison Weiss when she went on a mini Pacific Northwest tour with Lauren Zettler.  They created daily Breakfast Updates on YouTube about their morning meals, the previous day’s adventures and that night’s venue information (provided in a convenient text overlay).  The videos were funny and charming, so before even hearing any of her music I thought Allison was pretty cool.

Allison’s MySpace says that her music sounds like “Your saddest memories sung to the tune of your happiest”, and I think that is a pretty apt description.  If you separated the lyrics from the music you’d probably get a very different feeling from each.  Put together as they are though, the bittersweet, upbeat pop gems have you tapping your feet while feeling that little tug on your heart that happens when you remember something sad or the longing that comes with a crush.

My respect for Allison grew even more when I found out that she was a staunch Do-It-Yourselfer with a firm grasp on the whole social networking scene.  Having built a loyal following through a grassroots approach, Allison seems poised for years of making the music she wants to share with the world.  Take for example, her Kickstarter project to raise funds for recording a new EP.  She set a goal of raising $2,000 in two months, met that goal in 10 hours, and went on to receive enough donations by the end of the two months to record a full length album!  Talk about supportive fans!

That album, Allison Weiss Was Right All Along, was released November 2009 and it is her 6th release, 3rd studio album, and first full-length.  She seems to book mini-tours as often as she has breaks between school, so keep an eye on her website for when she might be coming near you.

By day, Allison is a student majoring in graphic design, and those design skills come in handy for her tour posters, websites and music videos.  Check out this stop motion video she produced, edited, directed and shot for her song I’m Ready:

So are you sold?  Thought so!  Now I’m betting you’ll want to connect with Allison online, try these links for starters.  From any one of them you can eventually get to a place to listen to and buy her music, although her official site is probably the most direct path:

http://allisonw.com/

http://twitter.com/allisonweiss

http://www.facebook.com/allisonweissmusic

http://www.myspace.com/allisonweiss

http://www.youtube.com/amlingisrad

Don’t forget to tune in to Lyrical Venus Radio on Tuesday January 26th at 9am Central for a live interview with Allison!  KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town, kruufm.com online anywhere!  Allison will be calling in from about 9-9:30 Central Time and then we’ll have a half hour of more great music.

Photo by Shervin Lainez. www.shervinfoto.com

Singer-Songwriter Jan Smith

I’m pretty sure that almost every time I’ve seen Jan Smith play live, she makes me cry.  In a cathartic, “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” sort of way.  She is just so real and raw that the notes creep in to my heart and force it open.  The poetry reminds me to breathe deep.  Her voice floats, soars, hovers, cracks, and tumbles over words in ways I don’t always expect, but have me hanging on to every syllable.

Needless to say, I was really excited to find out Jan is coming back to Fairfield for a few shows, and also that she’s working on a new album due out this spring!

Raised in New Orleans in a family of artists, Jan currently calls California home, but she recorded her first solo album, Bowling Night, in Iowa.  The tracks are fairly sparse, mostly voice and guitar with a few other Americana and Folk appropriate instruments weaving the aural tapestry a little richer on occasion.   It’s the sort of album that would likely be enjoyed by fans of Gillian Welch and Nick Drake.

Judging from the preview tracks on Jan’s website, her next album 14 Stories will not disappoint people who loved Bowling Night.  You can also find audio files and lyrics from Bowling Night on her site.

For lucky Fairfielders, you have three chances to hear Jan live this weekend.  She has two concerts at Revelations Bookstore, one on Friday the 22nd and one on Sunday the 23rd, and a house concert with limited space on Sunday the 24th.  Here are some details from her site:

• 22nd, Friday - Revelations Bookstore, Fairfield, Iowa - 8-9:30PM - $5 donation - 16yrs and under no charge, jan will singing and playing, pre-selling the new cd, cavorting with poets, jugglers, mystery guests…call Revelations 641-472-6733 to confirm in case of Weather!
• 23rd, Saturday - Revelations Bookstore, Fairfield, Iowa - 8-9:30PM - $5 donation - 16yrs and under no charge, jan will singing and playing lots of songs she didn’t do yesterday, pre-selling the new cd, gambolling about with poets, jugglers, mystery guests…call Revelations 641-472-6733 to confirm in case of Weather!
• 24th, Sunday - House Concert and Potluck Lunch at Sallee and Richard’s Place - Call the miraculous Sallee to reserve a seat 641-919-5223. Space is limited, please confirm your reservation. Details: 12:30 - 2 Lunch, 2-3:30 Music, Poetry, and Merriment!

If you’re not in Fairfield, you can of course check out Jan’s website, for audio files, lyrics, pictures, and to buy Bowling Night and/or pre-order 14 Stories.

Last but not least, tune in to KRUU for an interview with Jan on Tuesday, January 19th! (That’s my birthday! )  Show starts at 9am, Jan will be on from 9:30 to 10am.  KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town, kruufm.com online anywhere!

Sending love to my past self

The fabulous people over at Musician’s Wages are asking a question of musician bloggers today:  “If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?”

I admit, I wasn’t exactly sure how to participate at first.  On this blog which is more about other musicians?  On my MySpace music blog, which is more about my own music, but I know isn’t the ideal place to even be blogging?  On my tumblr?  I seem to have split up all these different but related areas surrounding music, probably because I’m still a little afraid to admit that I’m making music of my own, along with appreciating and sharing music made by others.

But then I realized that my one piece of advice really applies to it all.

Dear Self in 1999,

I know you’ve only had an email address for a couple of years now and you can’t begin to imagine the tools and websites that are going to be developed for connecting, sharing and making music in the next ten years.  I know you’ve only had glimmers of an idea to pick up a guitar.  You won’t believe me if I tell you that in 2007 you’ll start a blog about women musicians and a radio show where you interview them ON THE PHONE less than a year after that.  (I know, I know, you hate talking on the phone!)  I could give you lots of advice about how you should practice, practice, practice your own music.  That you should go ahead and buy some domains and start off with Wordpress so you don’t have to switch to it later.  That you should learn more about sound engineering, sight-reading and music theory.  But I think all those things will come in their proper time if you can get this one thing down, so pay attention.

Please realize that the world is full of people who have their own subjective opinions, but they will often express those opinions as objective facts.

Don’t be afraid to just try things out and form your OWN opinions.  Just because you’re not as experienced in one form or another as these people expressing their opinions as fact does not mean that you don’t have your own taste, your own ear, your own things to say and your own things that resonate with you.  There’s no right or wrong, good or bad music, just different kinds of music and the people who enjoy it or don’t.  Their opinions do not invalidate yours.  This is true whether you are listening to music, sharing it with others or making it yourself.  Don’t let differing opinions keep you from your joy, whatever that joy may be in the moment.  There is room enough in the world for all those opinions!

Your fear of rocking the boat or looking foolish, your need to please, your perfectionism (the I-can’t-do-this-perfectly-so-why-even-try attitude) these are the things that will hold you back from even starting to practice, from writing, from grabbing domain names and starting a radio show for months after you come up with the concept and have been blogging it instead (not that you shouldn’t be blogging - you should, you’ll love it!).  Learn to be OK with not being perfect.  After all, the only way to get better at something is to do it, so you sure won’t be perfect at first.

Share joyfully, be brave, make friends who support your endeavors, stay away from the negative people, the critics and the downers.  They have enough of an audience, they don’t need your help and will get along just fine without you.  And you’ll get to where you want to be a lot faster without them.

Love,

Heather in 2009

Singer-Songwriter Kristi Martel

Avant-garde songwriter and piano diva Kristi Martel has recently recorded demos for her next full-length CD, Sacred Whore. From her website: “The work is more jazz and soul, and focuses on the universal in our human experience and our need for inner and world peace.”  The stripped-down demos certainly don’t feel like anything is missing - Kristi’s beautiful voice and vibrant piano fill the space of the stories perfectly.

Longtime readers of Lyrical Venus may remember Kristi from my interview with her about a year and a half ago.  She was coming through town for maybe her third or fourth time or so, but it was the first time in several years since her previous show, so it was nice to catch up with her.  I’m looking forward to hearing what has been happening in Kristi’s world since then.

Here is one little preview of work from the Sacred Whore Demos.  It’s called Gutter Mouth, and was performed at YMCA Theatre Cambridge MA, on October 23, 2008.

Find out more about Kristi and her projects on her website, MySpace or by following her Twitter!

Join me Tuesday from 9-10am Central for a few more holiday songs on Lyrical Venus and then the interview with Kristi! KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town, kruufm.com online anywhere in the world! Kristi will be calling around 9:30 Central.

Tis the season for free downloads, holiday songs and holiday samplers! I’ll be adding to this post as I find more stuff, so check back, but if you want to know the minute I do, follow my tumblr, I use that for quickie posts every day or two (lots of great music videos there too).

1) Lovely album from Vanguard Records.

Not really holiday music per say, but a REALLY fantastic mix of some great artists. Consider it a present for yourself that’s easy to pass on to friends too! All you need to do is enter your email address and you get it for free: http://vanguardrecords.com/downloads/Holiday/ I think it’s available till Dec 31st.

2) Indie Holiday Compilation from Indiecater
A fresh batch of seasonal songs by indie artists. You can listen to it streaming online, or buy the high quality downloads and support independent music!
http://www.indiecater.com/an-indiecater-christmas-2009/

3) Sounds Like Snow by Be Still
The amazing and talented Lauren Zettler and Cameron Mizell started a little side project called Be Still and they just came out with a Christmas album.  You can hear the original title track on Lauren’s blog.  You can stream the whole album and download a lush, lovely version of Silent Night on Cameron’s site.  For the download go to the music page and scroll down to the Silent Night track.  (Right click for PC, Control click for Mac and save.)  While you’re there, you might want to check out some of Cameron’s other excellent download offerings!  He produced Lauren’s last EP and many other great albums.

4) Alternate Cut of  Thanks for the Roses (Merry Christmas) from Antje Duvekot
One of the four ladies from the Winterbloom: Traditions Rearranged project, Antje Duvekot is offering an alternate cut of the original song that she contributed called Thanks for the Roses (Merry Christmas) on her website in exchange for signing up for her email list.  Be sure also to check out the whole Winterbloom EP, because it really is fantastic.  Also here is my post for the interview with Anne Heaton about the project.

5) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas from Susan Werner
Susan Werner recently did this song as an encore for her show at the Tin Angel, in Philly, PA on December 12th and is offering it as a free download on her website.