Tag Archive for folk music

A Pleasant(s) Evening

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

Second post is dipping into the archives, to a very special show which took place on January 7, 2011. Boston public radio station WUMB threw a grand retirement part for long time folk DJ Dick Pleasants with just a few of his favorite musicians. Taking place in  the beautiful Sanders Theater at Harvard University in Cambridge MA, this was a show not to be missed.

The line up included: Antje Duvekot, Ellis Paul, Buskin & Batteau, Tom Rush, Patty Larkin, Jonatha Brooke, Lori McKenna, Jonathan Edwards, Brother Sun, Kate Taylor. This was a line up of folk royalty, no doubt. Add some of the accompanying musicians like Don Conoscenti, Stuart Shuman, Taylor Armerding, Radoslav Lorkovic, Marshal Rosenberg and more, plus a video cameo from Christine Lavin, and, well, it was a pretty special night. Hosted by Dave Palmater, each performer had 3 songs to play to a very full house, and not a note was misplaced. Makes me feel very lucky to live geographically close enough to have been able to take in this show. Now, if only I had sprung for the concert DVD that they were selling that night!

It was a special privilege for me to help document the evening through photos, and I am pleased to share them. Here’s where you’ll find the album. Enjoy!

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Kicking off the blog with my first show of 2012!

Posted on March 11, 2012 by

Carolann Solebello

Welcome to my new photo gallery blog! My goal is to post photos both around when they are taken, and from my archives. You can see by the navigation that this should cover many possible subjects!

I’m kicking this off with the first show I got to see in 2012, back in February. I was most eager to catch a concert as my last one had been Dar Williams on December 3, 2011. That was a long gap between shows for me! There’s nothing like live music.

Carolann Solebello was the opener for this concert at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin, MA. A founding member of the fabulous trio, Red Molly, Carolann is now forging her own solo career. These days, she’s supporting a terrific new album called Threshold. Her entire set was composed of songs from Threshold, including one of my favorites, “Someone Else’s Dream.” I know she won some new fans that night as she was in great voice and the songs are so strong.

Tracy GrammerFollowing Carolann was Tracy Grammer, accompanied by Jim Henry. The latest collection that Tracy has released is called Little Blue Egg, perhaps the final collection of songs with the late Dave Carter. This is a wonderful treat, to have more of his music out here. He passed much too young, and we can only wonder what additional musical treasures he would have created. Luckily, he has a tireless and ardent beacon for his legacy in Tracy, who is a solid songwriter in her own right. Since I usually see Tracy at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where we are either drowning or melting depending on the weather gods for any given year, it was nice to see her put on a ‘regular’ show in a relaxed, indoor setting, complete with storytelling. I was delighted to hear one of my favorites, Gyspy Rose, as well as the story behind it, where Dave originally wanted Tracy to flip the gender of the song and sing it from her perspective. Tracy wouldn’t do this until after Dave’s passing. Now, having the two different readings of the song presents a very interesting and enjoyable contrast.

The concert was a beautiful evening of music, and I am glad I was able to kick off my year with these fine ladies (and a very talented gentleman)!

By the way, for anyone looking to help, Tracy has a goal of selling 100,000 copies of Little Blue Egg, a very large number for an indie acoustic release. Let’s make it happen!

Oh yes, and there are photos! Check ’em out, if you’d like. Thanks and please do check back for new blog additions.

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