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THE CANTRELLS
Friday, November 16, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
Al and Emily Cantrell put a pop spin on acoustic folk and bluegrass, with detours into Celtic, western swing and Americana. Chosen by Robert Redford to appear playing fiddle tunes in his hit movie A River Runs Through It, The Cantrells cast a magical spell with Emily's soaring vocals and Al's spirited fiddling and dazzling mandolin. Robert K. Oermann of the Nashville TENNESSEAN says, "She sings like an angel, he plays like the devil." This trip to Otherlands is actually a return home for Emily Cantrell, who was born in Memphis and graduated from Memphis State University with a degree in English. She joined forces with Al Ehlers in Colorado, and they married in 1985. They have 3 CDs to their credit, along with appearances at numerous folk festivals and on National Public Radio's "Mountain Stage" and "Riders Radio Theater." Bela Fleck has deemed them the "best vocal duo since Roy Rogers and Dale Evans."
GEOFF MULDAUR
Friday, October 5, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
One of the great voices and musical forces to emerge from the folk, blues and folk-rock scenes centered in Cambridge and Woodstock, Geoff Muldaur is back.
Following a series of highly influential recordings and tours with acclaimed artists including the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, then-wife Maria Muldaur, blues legend Paul Butterfield and guitar wizard Amos Garrett, Muldaur temporarily left the stage for a working sabbatical. He continued, however, to hone his craft, albeit while flying beneath "radar." He produced albums for the likes of Lenny Pickett and the Borneo Horns and the Richard Greene String Quartet. He composed scores for film and television, garnering an Emmy in the process. And his definitive recording of "Brazil" provided the seed for and was featured in Terry Gilliam's film of the same title.
There is no opening act.
MAMA wishes to thank Yarbrough's Music Store for sponsoring this concert. Be sure to visit them at their new location, 6122 Macon, in the old Wal-Mart shopping center at the intersection of I-40 and Sycamore View.
And, MAMA thanks Ramada Inn Midtown for providing accommodations for Geoff.
Ramada Inn - Midtown, 1837 Union Ave at McLean Ave., Memphis, TN 38104, (901) 278-4100, (901) 272-3810 (fax).At Ramada Inn, expect nothing less than our personal best.
BROOKS WILLIAMS
Saturday October 20, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis. How can so much sound come out of just one man and one guitar? Audiences often ask this question after a Brooks Williams concert. The answer lies in the way Williams learned to play guitar, by listening to rock records. "I had no idea they were overdubbing two or three different guitar parts," he says. "I figured what I was hearing was one guitarist playing all the parts at one time on one guitar! That's what I tried to copy." Whatever its origins, Brooks Williams' sound is huge. He flatpicks, fingerpicks, plays slide, and rocks full-tilt, all in the course of one song. The first music that Williams understood, growing up in Statesboro, Georgia, was the blues. Then at 17, he moved to the Boston area to attend college, and there found his first folk influences. Blues roots in a folk environment - combined with the instrumental virtuosity that Williams found in jazz musicians such as Pat Metheny - created the basis for Brooks Williams, the guitarist. Add to those skills a wonderful songwriting and singing ability, and you have Brooks Williams, the complete performer. Williams has put out a CD every year since 1989, each one taking him in a slightly different direction and showcasing his growth as an artist. The Village Voice says, "Stop. Look. And above all listen as Brooks Williams whomps his way through percussive, string-bending blues. Then wait for him to switch from slide to quieter explorations of longing and night fears, indecision and stormy weather."
BRYAN BOWERS
Friday, November 2, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis. hr size = 5 width =100% color="green"> FRED STARNER
Saturday, September 8, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
"Hobo Minstrel" seems an odd title for a man with a Ph.D. in economics, but that's how Fred Starner bills himself. After he sings a few songs, however, accompanying himself on 12-string guitar and 5-string banjo, you'll see the appropriateness of the title. Starner views his mission as helping to keep traditional hobo culture alive, and he is quick to point out that the terms hobo and bum are not synonymous. Hobos are not necessarily homeless, nor are they mentally unstable, substance abusers, or criminals, he says. Instead, they are dissenters. They have abandoned (at least temporarily) the American lifestyle of "getting and spending" in favor of a purer existence. Starner traces his interest in hobo culture to his childhood when hobos would frequently stop at his house. His mother would give them soup, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and 15 cents.
A Pete Seeger concert sparked Starner's interest in folk music while he was studying at Oberlin College in Ohio. It was an epiphany, he says, impressing upon him the power of music to entertain, to educate, and to incite, all at the same time. Ten years later, in 1969, he was performing with Pete Seeger, and he has continued to perform at coffeehouses, schools, retirement homes, folk festivals, and workshops throughout the U.S. ever since. Come along and ride the rails in story and song as Fred Starner celebrates hobo life.
Mike and Christie McKaskle, a folk duo from Nashville, will open for Fred at 8:00.
MAMA wishes to thank Yarbrough's Music Store for sponsoring this concert. Be sure to visit them at their new location, 6122 Macon, in the old Wal-Mart shopping center at the intersection of I-40 and Sycamore View.
RICHARD JOHNSTON AND WILLIAM LEE ELLIS
Saturday, August 18, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
MAMA presents a double bill - Richard Johnston and William Lee Ellis together for one memorable show. Most Memphis blues fans know Richard Johnston as this year's winner of the International Blues Talent Competition; William Lee Ellis is better known locally as Bill Ellis, music critic for The Commercial Appeal. What fans of both these outstanding talents may not know, however, is the connection between the two. But wait. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Richard Johnston first heard the blues as a college student when his roommate incessantly played Robert Johnson tapes. Johnston tried to imitate them on guitar, but he found that he couldn't play "Malted Milk" with a standard tuning. "Tuning my guitar to open G," says Johnston, "literally changed my life forever." Shortly thereafter, he moved to Japan to study, but soon he was playing country blues at local pubs and ended up dropping out of college to become a full-time entertainer. Enter William Lee Ellis. Ellis was writing for The Japan Times (he hadn't yet made it to the CA), and when he met Johnston, he knew that here was a talent on the rise.
Ellis certainly had the background to recognize talent when he heard it. His father was a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and as a teenager Ellis began playing guitar with his father at bluegrass festivals. He went on to study classical guitar at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, where he received a Master of Music degree in performance. He began exploring country blues guitar, and co-founded the Midnight Steppers, a Delta jug band/rockabilly group that performed at regional festivals and on national radio and TV.
Fast forward to 1997. Ellis, now writing for The Commercial Appeal, encourages Richard Johnston to return to the states to perform in Memphis. He debuts at the first Bluestock Festival, and Ellis introduces him to the North Mississippi blues style of Junior Kimbrough's Juke Joint. Johnston becomes front man for the house band at the Juke Joint, and the rest is history. Johnston now performs at blues festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe and has a CD in the works. William Lee Ellis makes occasional club appearances and released his third CD, "The Full Catastrophe" to rave reviews in 1999.
Together, Richard Johnston and William Lee Ellis will treat the MAMA audience to an unparalleled evening of traditional style acoustic music. Ellis does the first set, Johnston the second, and if we're lucky, they'll do a set together.
Mama wishes to thank Mark Novarese and Xanadu Music and Books for underwriting this concert.
SID SELVIDGE
Saturday, July 28, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
Memphians who love music love Sid Selvidge. An acoustic artist in the blues, gospel, and folk traditions, his unmistakable tenor voice has been heard from the stage for more than thirty years. Although best known and loved for his solo performances, Selvidge was also part of Mud Boy and the Neutrons in the 70s, along with Jim Dickinson, Jim Crosthwait, and Lee Baker. In 1992, he performed at Carnegie Hall with his son Steve in a program entitled “The Family Tradition.” In 1993, he released his 6th CD, Twice-Told Tales, as part of Elektra/Nonesuch Records’ American Explorer series. Rave reviews followed. Sing Out! wrote, “Selvidge achieves a powerful intensity that is downright scary.” Guitar Player said, “ His rhythmic fingerpicking and emotional slide playing dance around his soulful voice.” All of these well-hewn words simply echo what Memphians already knew — Sid Selvidge is a Memphis treasure. He passes on to us the Delta blues traditions and musical craft that he learned straight from the masters: Furry Lewis, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Mississippi John Hurt. After paying those early dues, Selvidge is a bit more comfortable now as senior producer of the syndicated radio show, Beale Street Caravan, and his performances are not as frequent as they once were — all the more reason not to miss this one!
Kenny Hayes will open at 8:00.
SPENCER BOHREN
Sunday, June 24 3 pm House Concert for MAMA members only. Reservations are required. $15.
Born to sing in church--that's what people thought when he started singing gospel harmonies at age 8, but when he picked up a guitar during the 60s, he became a student of the blues. Dr. John lured him to New Orleans, where he found a spiritual and musical home. An enduring respect for the American South underlies his music-- traditional folk, blues, and gospel as well as original pieces--all delivered in his warm resonant voice, with a stunning mastery of vintage instruments (especially the lapsteel guitar) and interspersed with spellbinding storytelling. If you heard Spencer's first MAMA concert at Otherlands last June, you know what a great concert this will be!
The New Orleans Times-Picayune recently rated Spencer Bohren's Carry the Word "Best CD of 2000 by a Louisiana Artist." In addition, popular radio show A Prairie Home Companion has invited Spencer to perform twice this year--in February and in May. The man is on a roll! Check out spencerbohren.com
Anna Hogan is offering her midtown home for our first 2001 house concert. Seats are limited and must be reserved in advance by emailing Judy Kitts at EMail MAMA or phoning our MAMA hotline 276-1010. House concerts are a special benefit for MAMA members--featuring a light Louisiana buffet catered by Just Catering, an intimate setting, and people who share your love of music. To join MAMA or renew your membership, send your $10 check to MAMA, 593 S. Cooper St., Memphis TN 38l04.
MAMA is indebted to Anna Hogan for her generous hospitality and to Ann Barnes of Just Catering ( 362-7477) for providing a delicious array of food.
CHUCK BRODSKY
Friday, June 15, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
You’ve probably heard his road rage song, “Blow ‘em Away,” on the radio. Or you might have heard David Wilcox cover it on his 1996 live CD, or on any number of compilation CDs in which it has been included. Chuck Brodsky himself has put out four CDs since his debut in 1995, his latest being Last of the Old Time. Numerous appearances at festivals such as the Kerrville Folk Festival and the Winnipeg Folk Festival and on nationally syndicated radio programs Mountain Stage and Acoustic Café have cemented his place among the best singer-songwriters performing today. “I would place him in the Dylan-Guthrie-Prine league without question,” says Tony McAuley of BBC Belfast. “His lyrics are drawn from the lives of everyday people and his acoustic guitar playing is quite amazing.”
The characters that populate Brodsky’s story-songs are treated with a combination of compassion and dark humor that have become his signature. He knows what all great writers know—that the best stories lie in the smallest details of the lives of everyday people. Baseball stories are his specialty, and he writes about his heroes: Fred “Bonehead” Merkle, Dick Allen, Max Patkin, Moe Berg. He has six songs in the Sound Recording Library of the Baseball Hall of Fame. One day, Brodsky says, he’ll have enough baseball songs for an album. “I’m not trying to write pop songs,” he continues. “I’d be happy just being a storyteller.”
Singer songwriter Matt Blake opened for Chuck at 8:00.
MAMA wishes to thank Yarbrough's Music Store for underwriting this concert. Be sure to visit them at their new location, 6122 Macon, in the old Wal-Mart shopping center at the intersection of I-40 and Sycamore View.
And, MAMA thanks Ramada Inn Midtown for providing accommodations for Chuck Brodsky.
Ramada Inn - Midtown, 1837 Union Ave at McLean Ave., Memphis, TN 38104, (901) 278-4100, (901) 272-3810 (fax).At Ramada Inn, expect nothing less than our personal best.
DON CONOSCENTI
Friday, May, 18, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
One of the most respected artists in acoustic music today, Don Conoscenti is not only a talented singer-songwriter but also a literal one-man band. His performances blend his dynamic tenor vocals with virtuoso work on 6- and 12- string and acoustic steel guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, percussion, flute, recorder, mandolin, banjo, didgeridoo, and harmonica. Conoscenti's music combines folk, blues, jazz, and roots rock. His signature style uses partial and multiple capos as an alternative to open tuning. You must hear it to believe it. Conoscenti has been touring and playing music for 25 years. He has performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival and numerous other folk festivals across the country, Nashville's Bluebird Café, Austin's Cactus Café, The Troubadour in L.A., and has been featured on the syndicated radio show Acoustic Café. Following a 1999 performance at the Kennedy Center, he was added to the archives of the Library of Congress as a folk revivalist. His sixth CD, Mysterious Light, released in 1999, climbed into the top 20 albums played by folk and acoustic DJs worldwide. His seventh, Paradox of Grace, has just been released this month. Much in demand as a session player, he has accompanied David Wilcox, Catie Curtis, Tom Paxton, Ellis Paul, and Pierce Pettis, among others. Creative Loafing declares him “heading toward guitar-hero status,” and Tom Paxton explains, “He's one of these guitarists who could play a hundred notes to the bar but just plays the right ones instead. It's called music.”
MAMA wishes to thank Yarbrough's Music Store for sponsoring this concert. Be sure to visit them at their new location, 6122 Macon, in the old Wal-Mart shopping center at the intersection of I-40 and Sycamore View
ANDY AND LARKIN COHEN
Saturday April 28, 2001, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
When Larkin Bryant and Andy Cohen joined forces (i.e., got married) about four years ago, a unique musical fusion was created in Memphis that has delighted audiences at festivals and concerts throughout the United States and Canada. Both Larkin and Andy brought to this musical union quite a bit of history. In the sixties, Larkin played guitar and sang folk music in Memphis coffeehouses, but in the seventies, she fell in love with the dulcimer. She pioneered a harp-like finger-picking style, coaxing more music out of three strings than anyone thought possible. In fact, she has become the most respected figure in the dulcimer world. Her instruction manual, Larkin's Dulcimer Book, published in 1982 and now in its 20th printing, has sold over 80,000
copies. She has made two recordings, Deep Like a River and Lark in the Twilight.
Andy, a veteran country blues player and fingerstyle guitar virtuoso, learned his craft traveling and playing with older blues and gospel players. He relocated to Memphis from Ohio when he and Larkin married. Together, they're quite different than either is alone. They play about a dozen instruments and are an amazing compendium of old-time music: rags, ballads, blues, and gospel. Larkin's warm, intimate performance style, coupled with Andy's fingerpicking virtuosity and encyclopedic knowledge of the blues, will create for you the perfect evening's entertainment.
Larkin will be performing the first set and Andy will join her for the second set.
Mark Allen, local spanish guitarist, opened at 8:00 P.M.
MAMA wishes to thank Yarbrough's Music Store for sponsoring this concert. Be sure to visit them at their new location, 6122 Macon, in the old Wal-Mart shopping center at the intersection of I-40 and Sycamore View
RICHARD LEO JOHNSON
Saturday, March 24, 2001 7:30 PM, at Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper, Memphis.
It’s not exactly jazz, and it’s not exactly blues or folk or rock — a concert by Richard Leo Johnson is an intense musical excursion unlike any you’ve ever taken before. Essentially self-taught, Johnson started his career after winning an Arkansas “Hot Licks” contest for guitarists, bassists, drummers, and keyboard players. Since then an ever-widening audience has come under the spell of his improvisational acoustic performances. He has been referred to as a “one-man guitar orchestra,” “an intuitive genius,” and “Paganini in blue jeans.” He numbers among his few guitar influences Leo Kottke and John McLaughlin; jazz lovers will also hear jarring chords reminiscent of Thelonius Monk and improvisational excursions influenced by pianist Keith Jarrett. But don’t think that with knowledge of these artists, you’ve pegged Richard Leo Johnson, for he is a true original. Having devised approximately thirty alternate guitar tunings, Johnson creates sounds on the guitar that leave even the most knowledgeable musician wondering, “How’d he do that?” “I have almost no theoretical knowledge of chords and scales,” he says. “Having chosen the scenic route over the expedient route, I’ve spent millions of hours practicing, and found something I think of as my own.” Johnson explains his experimental sound as “blocks of chords moving parallel to one another.” He adds, “I like the idea of things moving in waves of sound,” because “a linear melody is not a real interesting thing to me.”
Richard will not be heard on Darel Snodgrass's Friday Live Lunch on WKNO FM.
Philip Jaynes, Memphis acoustic guitarist, is opening at 7:30..
MAMA thanks our primary underwriter--Yarbrough's Music Store--for underwriting this concert.
MARTIN SIMPSON
Saturday, February 10, 2001 7:30 PM at Strings and Things 1555 Madison, Memphis.
"One of the finest fingerpickers and slide players of our time" (Guitar Player), "unparalleled technique...subtly complex style" (Columbus Guardian), " arguably the finest finger-style acoustic guitarist on the planet"(Chicago Tribune). With recommendations like that, you're likely to attend a Martin Simpson concert with high expectations, and you won't be disappointed. Simpson's instantly recognizable style moves effortlessly from traditional Elizabethan ballads and eloquent Celtic airs to Mississippi Delta blues, reflecting the wide musical influences that played a part in his early development. His poetic guitar phrasings will hold you spellbound from the first chord to the last arpeggio. If you've never heard Simpson and are wondering whether to take a chance on this event, don't wonder long. A MAMA concert with Martin Simpson is a guaranteed sellout.
Learn more about Martin Simpson at his home page martinsimpsom.com
MAMA wishes to thank Dr. Nancy Chase and D'Addario Strings for underwriting the Martin Simpson concert and Strings and Things for offering their concert space.
Copyright January 2001, Memphis Acoustic Music Association.
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