another dinner, another show

So the highlight of the mother's day weekend was definitely the Mondiale dinner at the Gage.  Billed as a version of Oregon Pinot Camp, we of course immediately signed up for the dinner...

literally every course was amazing- could not pick a favorite - or even two LOL

reception wines -eight to start and eight with dinner - so lots of things - many new- to try!

A lovely meal and good to catch up with some  friends we haven't seen since last fall- like John & Stephanie and Mon & Beth and meet some new folks through the Mondiale- our dining companions Natalia & Adrian were delightful!

The night before we had attended a FolkStage concert at WFMT - a duo from DC who recently relocated to Texas (???) - she had a terrific voice but was over dramatic with a lot of mugging for the live audience that the radio listeners could certainly not understand.  There was a lot of dean air time (they didn't have any fill in for the between songs tuning etc... ) which seemed kind of strange - I wondered what the listeners who were hearing it live on FMT thought. Not a horrible concert but not a good one either. 

the weekend was also the Chicago spring planting weekend (Mother's Day is the traditional weekend for putting in the annuals) so the deck is now decked out with the annuals for the summer - will add a few tomato plants once Memorial Day rolls around (a fool's errand to do it earlier)

yes I know they are over planted - they can be thinned out as they grow- I like the instant gratification of lots and lots of color! LOL

mighty long way

So yes it is- a mighty long way from here to there- an hour to get to Fitzgerald's a music venue in Berwyn.  Kind of liked the place - hated the location. Kind of like the concert - sort of hated some of the crowd... the guy's from Texas so I guess asshole followers are a part of the package -

Tom Russell the guy we heard/saw in concert last night has a terrific voice- you could listen to for hours - power and beauty - it is commanding.  However the patter was LOL a "chaotic mess" which he repeated no less than ten times LOL because it was in a review of one of his recordings.  Clearly he took it to heart or maybe he was just trying to live up to it.....

It seems like if you knew him not onstage he would be a really funny guy naturally with a quirky view of the way life works but last night he seemed kind of pissy- not in an aggressive way just in a peevish way.... since i never saw/heard him before I have nothing to compare it to (and he did say he was in a strange mood last night) but I guess I thought he'd be more charismatic. He has led an interesting life and clearly has a breadth of knowledge that would lead to lots of amazing conversations I am sure... too bad I am unlikely to meet him in person.

Best line of the night- go back to the merch table and buy something - "we'll be there later to listen to to your stories" LOL (which would be the part of life I would pull my hair out with...)

Thomas George "Tom" Russell (born March 5, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Americana music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, rock, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many of his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Johnny Cash, The Texas Tornados, k.d. lang, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, The Sir Douglas Quintet, Jason Boland, Nanci Griffith, Katy Moffatt, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Sailcat, Iris Dement, Dave Alvin, Suzy Bogguss, and Brian Burns.

In addition to his music, Russell is also a painter and author. He has published a book of songwriting quotes (co-edited with Sylvia Tyson), a detective novel (in Scandinavia), and a book of letters with Charles Bukowski. His recent works include two books from Bangtail Press: 120 Songs of Tom Russell, and Blue Horse/Red Desert - The Art of Tom Russell, a book of selected paintings.

In 2016 a new book of Tom Russell essays was published: Ceremonies of the Horsemen. The essays, originally published in Ranch & Reata Magazine, are centered on the American West and include an essay on Johnny Cash for which Russell won a 2015 ASCAP AWARD for music journalism. (wikipedia)

Anyway - I am unlikely to get back to seriously GU Berwyn anytime soon - I mean jeez the guy could have played at Martyr's next door FGS - I mean the people from Wisconsin came on a bus anyway so they don't care where it drops them off....

I feel like I could get to really like this guy but it might need a harmonic convergence to get us to that point. And here's the thing- he doesn't care if I ever get there LOL and that is why I feel like I might end up liking him ("no one smarter than a person who agrees with you" as my mother in law says) LOL

he this incredibly talented side man from Milan, Italy - who had a terrific guitar pickin style and could actually sing passable bluesy stuff...

so this afternoon we are off to PDX for a weekend of fun and frivolity with S & S- stay tuned !

admirable man

Tonight we heard one of the good guys perform... good on so many levels - a consummate musician and songwriter as well as a fabulous storyteller and homespun comedian... he also has an outstanding command of both history AND folk music roots and history... a true Renaissance man... OH and I forgot to mention his community service LOL... I don't know exactly what the boy scout list of positive traits is but I think he must meet all of them LOL

from the program for tonight- (photo above from the Internet)

you can see this bizarre stage he was playing on- with all kinds of glitzy background LOL he said this might be the first glam-folk concert in history LOL

wikipedia has this to say about him- (excerpted)

John McCutcheon (born August 14, 1952) is an American folk music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 34 albums since the 1970s. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and jawharp.  

McCutcheon was born to Roman Catholic parents in Wausau, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of Saint John's University in Minnesota. While in his 20s, he travelled to Appalachia and learned from some of the legendary greats of traditional folk music, such as Roscoe Holcomb, I.D. Stamper, and Tommy Hunter. His vast repertoire also includes songs from contemporary writers like Si Kahn, as well as a large body of his own music.

When McCutcheon became a father in the early 1980s he found most children's music "unmusical and condescending", and sought to change the situation by releasing a children's album, Howjadoo, in 1983. Originally, he had only intended to do one childrens' record, but the popularity of this first effort led to the production of several additional children's albums.

Much of his work, however, continues to focus on writing politically and socially conscious songs for adult audiences. In his performances, McCutcheon often introduces his music with a story, and has become known as a storyteller. He has made multiple appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He is married to children's author and storyteller, Carmen Agra Deedy.

McCutcheon's music has, since the 1990s, increasingly evolved into heartland rock-influenced ballads, while he still occasionally performs purer folk music, particularly when playing the dulcimer.

A very nice evening - worth the trek an hour north to hear him again... none of us getting any younger (boohoo) so we try to take advantage while we can... we last saw him on December 6, 2015 (15 months ago at Craftsman House) my glowing review is included in this post-

and to almost catch up- last night we heard John McCutcheon- an amazing talent who can apparently play any instrument you put in front of him as well as tell you stories, sing songs he wrote and at the same time tell you incredible music history from his font of musicologist's knowledge -

guitar (of both twelve and six string variety LOL)

 fiddle-

 auto harp-

 hammered dulcimer (he's a master!)

banjo-

 keyboards-

we laughed - we cried - and we laughed while crying- he's that kind of artist... the venue is extremely intimate- kind of a semi house concert style- and is easily reached from our winter home so we will be back in the new year for other concerts!

sadly he did not return to this more convenient venue but was playing in the Straz Center a huge complex in downtown Tampa (albeit in a intimate venue there called the Jaeb Theater) - hope he finds his way home to Craftsman House again next year - we will be there if he does!

stay tuned for more fun and games as the Salzburgers gather over the next week for a reunion of the 1970 trip... 47 years and counting- Jean arrives on Thursday...