semifreelife: spite an die-vill LOL

Saturday, January 16, 2016

spite an die-vill LOL

Last night we returned to our music venue of choice for the winter season- Fogartyville - a community peace center (yes, you can tell who runs this place- old hippies) that doubles as an art gallery and music venue along with hosting contra dances and lectures and various other activities that one might use a community center to host. We have seen a number of concerts here - Roy Book Binder was the first and then a terrific Irish band called Full Set for St Patrick's Day last year, and - well - most recently the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. Prior posts have covered the concerts.

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2015/02/phils-new-home.html

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2015/03/friends-visit.html

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2015/11/i-promise.html

Last night we saw a group named after a lost water feature between Manhattan and the Bronx... and its name is spelled out for pronunciation in the post title but it is actually spelled in an old dutch way Spuyten Duyvil...

Spuyten Duyvil /ˈspaɪtən ˈdaɪvəl/ is an upper middle class neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. It is bounded on the north by Riverdale, on the east by Kingsbridge, on the south by the Harlem River, and on the west by the Hudson River, although some consider it to be the southernmost part of Riverdale.

from the NY Public Library site: Dating back to the 17th century, the name Spuyten Duyvil originates from the Dutch settlers who gave the name to the creek that flowed around what is today the Marble Hill neighborhood. The creek has since been filled in, but the name stuck, with several theories about its origin. Washington Irving refers to the origin of the name in his book, Knickerbocker History. According to him, a Dutch trumpeter vowed to swim the turbulent waters of (then) Spuyten Duyvil Creek where it met the Hudson during the British attack on New Amsterdam in the 1660s "en spijt den Duyvil," or in "spite of the devil." John McNamara also refers to this story in his book McNamara's Old Bronx. "Popular legend has it that a messenger was dispatched from Fort Amsterdam to the Bronx mainland for reinforcements, but high tides and treacherous current swept him away and he lost his life. It was the Spite of the Devil that prevented the messenger from completing his mission." More likely, however, according to McNamara, "is a 1647 reference to a gushing fountain of fresh water that poured into the creek. The Hollanders called it the Devil's Spout "Spuit den Duyvil'...Later the name was anglicized to Spitting Devil and, sometimes, Spouting Devil."

But back to our evening- we started out at the nearby Blue Rooster for an early pre concert dinner. This place is known for down home southern style cooking- fried chicken, catfish, greens, meatloaf etc... We had a very good meal there which included many of the items listed above- (all photos below from their website)

Well sated, we headed down the alley to Fogartyville. Here is some background from the group's website -

Seeing a Spuyten Duyvil (pronounced "SPITE-en DIE+vul") show for the first time is like "throwing a cherry bomb into a lake" (Rich Warren, WFMT). It wakes you up. Their brand of original and traditional American Roots music blends Olde Time, Blues, 2nd Line, Bluegrass, and Folk Rock with a pinch of Punk Rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Lead by song-writing couple, Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this six piece powerhouse brings barn burning energy to venues throughout the East Coast and Midwest.

It’s an exciting time for the Hudson Valley based band. They have just released their third full length CD, "The Social Music Hour Vol 1". A love letter to the Anthology of American Folk Music, the project features lyrically relevant, known but not worn out, open for suggestion songs that thrives with re-interpretation. Familiar, forgotten words find new meaning in this historically informed but thoroughly contemporary treatment. Old wood, plaster, real spaces, vintage guitars and hot tubes are captured in warm, analog tones by studio designer and engineer Jim Keller (Willie Nelson, Nellie McKay). Recorded by the full band (no click, no net), the tracks burst with life, joy and vitality. "Those masters of high-octane Americana, Spuyten Duyvil, have achieved a breakthrough on their new CD, "The Social Music Hour Vol, 1." - John Platt, WFUV

My review of the show was - "loved some songs - tepid on others." They certainly were high energy and there were two numbers I really LOVED both written by Beth Kaufman- one called "Bitter" and the other called "Trouble On" both worth downloading! She has a terrific voice for low down blues and that is genre of these two songs, but I found her a bit too "country" on many of the other numbers- with the tiniest bit of twang and with that trademark country catch in the voice especially when in the higher ranges. Overall a very nice evening and since we love this venue - well worth the time and effort to see them.. Every one of the musicians was wonderfully talented on his chosen instrument. You can find more details about the band on their website .

http://www.spuytenduyvilmusic.com/

here are a few photos from their website first - then my less than stellar photos from the concert-

a few photos of the venue and the band-

the current art exhibit is on Attica Prison-

the place still has Christmas style lights up- LOL - maybe they will keep them all year- it is a wire "tree" and won't need to be discarded-

the merch table (a briefcase full of CDs)

the band's instruments (on break)

the band in action-

and a short clip on video-

so as I said - a couple of songs I loved and will look for to download and a fun evening out with friends John & Barb. (BTW - Phil and John & Barb had all seen/heard this group at Folkstage before last night's concert)

Here are some of the upcoming acts- we have tickets for Runa, Mark Erelli, Aztec Two Step, and the terrific Doug MacLeod (who we saw/heard last summer at SPACE)