Acoustic Americana Music Guide, Dec 3 to 8 UPDATE, + upcoming HOLIDAY events…

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(We missed a bunch of things in the Dec 2 edition, so those have been added here, the “SHOW-OF-THE WEEK” News Features have been UPDATED, and many events have been ADDED.)
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Egads, it’s December. At least finding inspirational interludes – musical respites - in your holiday dashing-about is simplified, with the Guide’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks to humbly assist you. Plus, you’ll find a bit o’ news, and lots more…
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Tied to the Tracks
ACOUSTIC AMERICANA
MUSIC GUIDE
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DECEMBER 3 to 8, + upcoming HOLIDAY events, 2010
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“QUICKIE ACCESS:” “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” PICKS, & THIS WEEK’S NEWS…
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1) “Show-Of-The-Week” Picks, December 3rd through 5th
2) Join the All Star Lineup, Caroling for Shut-Ins, this Sunday
3) Enjoy Live Music While Buying Your Holiday Junk (er, Gifts)…
4) Plan Now – December 11th Offers an Amazing Array of Shows
5) Out-of-Town Holiday Guests? Where to Take ’Em for Music
6) December’s Origins and our “Poem of the Month”
7) December 7th – a Day of Enduring Relevance
8) “Own Chrifmaf Dire in the Moaning” (Yes, we meant to spell it that way…)
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Here are these feature stories…
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1) “Show of-the-Week picks,” December 3rd through 5th
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The first weekend of December arrives with an exceptionally rich offering of acoustic music. And the days leading to it aren’t bad. It’s all here (though we’re sure to add more, as additional shows are announced).
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Friday, December 3rd’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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* 7:30 pm RONNY COX, stellar singer-songwriter & famous actor, plays the Sherman Oaks Presbyterian Church concert series, in Sherman Oaks.
* 7:30 pm “RUMPELSTILTSKIN” with puppets, as the old German folk / fairy tale is presented by “Tears of Joy” at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles; good event for children.
* 8 pm BORDER RADIO – KELLY McCUNE & her all-star band – return to the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
* 9:30 pm KEN O'MALLEY brings his authentic and original Irish music on 6 & 12 string, with his powerful vocals, to the Cock N Bull Pub, Santa Monica.
* 10 pm-midnight Rick Shea performs at The Press in Claremont.
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Saturday, December 4th’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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* 1-3 pm “THE SKIRBALL AT THE AMERICANA AT BRAND'S HANUKKAH CELEBRATION” at The Americana at Brand in Glendale.
* 3 & 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings AARON SALA to the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Whittier.
* 7 pm Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg, award -winning Santa-Barbara-based songwriters, bring their Americana music to the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
* 7 pm DOUG MacLEOD the great blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, plays Lucille’s BBQ in Long Beach.
* 7:30 pm MOSCOW NIGHTS play the “Ojai Concert Series” in Matilija Auditorium, Ojai.
* 8 pm “AMERICANA MUSIC CONCERT” with Peter Feldmann, Tom Lee, & David West, at Presidio Chapel in Santa Barbara.
* 8 pm SUSIE GLAZE & HILONESOME plus SHAUN CROMWELL play the California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) Center for Folk Music in Encino
* 8 pm Musica Angelica presents a program of “World Champs” of baroque music, in “Feste Italiane,” at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena. (Sat, Dec 4 at 8 pm at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Sun, Dec 5, at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.)
* 8 pm JAMES LEE STANLEY at Boulevard Music, Culver City.
* 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings AARON SALA to the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Whittier.
* 8 pm RICARDO LEMVO & MAKINA LOCA play the Grand Annex in San Pedro.
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Plus, an “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” FOR ARTISTS:
10:30 am-1 pm WORKSHOP: “SONGWRITING... Get Real!” presented by Los Angeles Women in Music (LAWIM) with Gold & Platinum Songwriter Harriet Schock, at Institute in Hollywood 90028. RSVP by 6 pm, Dec 3 to 213-243-6440 or info@lawim.com
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Sunday, December 5th’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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* 11 am-4 pm “DOWN HOME HANUKKAH Family Festival” with THE WITCHER BROTHERS, Peter Himmelman, & KINETIC THEORY CIRCUS THEATRE at the Skirball Cultural Center, atop Sepulveda Pass in L.A.
* 12:45 & 3 pm PETER HIMMELMAN plays the Skirball Cultural Center atop Sepulveda Pass, L.A.
* 2 pm annual “COWBOY CHRISTMAS CONCERT” with THE SONS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN and JENNIFER LIND in the Wells Fargo Theatre at the Autry National Center (Autry Museum) Griffith Park, L.A.
* 3 pm PETER HIMMELMAN plays the Skirball Cultural Center atop Sepulveda Pass, L.A.
* 3 pm Musica Angelica presents a program of “World Champs” of baroque music, in “Feste Italiane,” at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica. (Sat, Dec 4 at 8 pm at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Sun, Dec 5, at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.)
* 4 pm "KEN O'MALLEY'S TWELVE DAYS OF AN IRISH CHRISTMAS" benefit show at Glendale First United Methodist Church in Glendale is a benefit for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.
* 4 pm 29th annual “LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY CAROLING” for shut-ins, at four senior care centers and a restaurant, with many top award-winning musicians and stars of film, TV, and stage, all in the West San Fernando Valley.
* 7 pm “ALICE COLTRANE TRIBUTE” with a host of all-star musicians paying tribute to jazz legend Alice Coltrane at the “UCLA Live” series in Royce Hall, on the campus in Westwood.
* 7 pm “Randy Sparks & Friends” plus Jennifer Lind opening, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
* 7 pm THE DITTY BOPS return for “one very special show” at McCabe’s, Santa Monica.
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2) JOIN THE ALL STAR LINEUP, CAROLING for shut-inS, THIS SUNDAY
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Many top award-winning musicians and stars of film, TV, and stage will take part in the 29th annual “LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY CAROLING” for shut-ins. All will be there, in the words of event founder VINCENT LEINEN, “to bring happiness and / or enlightenment to the elderly, to care-givers, and to participants in the event itself during the holiday season.” And you are invited to take part.
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There’s QUITE a lineup in this show, and the Guide’s editor was honored (and flattered) to see his bio listed among all the big stars in the event’s press release. Here are just a few who are taking part:
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Carl Verheyen, acclaimed guitarist for Supertramp, who just completed their “70-10 Greatest Hits World Tour;” Florence LaRue, six-time Grammy winning singer and original member of the acclaimed musical group The 5th Dimension; Alan O'Day, pop singer-songwriter of #1 hit “Under Cover Angel,” and writer of Helen Reddy’s #1 hit “Angie Baby” and The Righteous Brothers’ #3 hit “Rock and Roll Heaven;” Charlene Capetillo, mezzo soprano, L.A. Opera (six seasons); Lisa Haley, fiddle player extraordinaire, 2008 Grammy nominee for “Best Zydeco or Cajun Album,” played in films “Beverly Hillbillies,” “Man in the Moon,” and “Rhythm of Life,” played with Brian Setzer, Randy Newman, and Lyle Lovett; Gina Eckstine, performed with Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr., Bill Cosby, and her father, bop-big band leader and ballad singer Billy Eckstine; Prescott Niles, bassist for rock group The Knack, whose “My Sharona” was #1 Billboard single of 1979, and he played on George Harrison’s “Shanghai Surprise” album; Raquel Sandler, soloist with The Boston Pops; Alex Delzoppo, original member of Sweetwater, the band that opened at Woodstock and became the first subject of VH1’s “Behind the Music;” Angela Michael, featured singer on Rod Stewart's "Fly Me To The Moon" CD; Aydiee-Vaughn Dunson, multi-talented actress, singer and actor from “Everybody Hates Chris,” “My Wife & Kids,” “Boston Legal,” and more; Bonnie Ruth Janofsky, award winning composer, songwriter, pianist, and drummer; Craig Lincoln & Sabrina Schneppat, winners of “Traditional Singing” contest at the 2010 Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival; Chelani Tiong, soprano-soloist, Southern California Children’s Chorus; Don Peake, inducted into the Musicians' Hall of Fame in Nashville in 2007, lead guitarist for The Everly Brothers, and the guitar he used on Marvin Gaye’s legendary recording “Let’s Get it On’’ is in the permanent collection of icon guitars displayed at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; Don Sweeney, famed drummer, bandleader, concert producer, and author of the book “Backstage at The Tonight Show;” Garret Swayne, distinguished singer-song writer; Ginger de Paris, jazz tap, cabaret, and Broadway dancer and singer; Jack Maeby, keyboardist, composer, and music producer, Carly Simon, Etta James, Dr. John, Aaron Neville, Solomon Burke, Buster Poindexter, The Chambers Brothers, Odetta, Cornell Dupree, Bernard Purdie, Barbara Morrison, Virgil Jones, Charles Owens, Benny Powell, Marc Ribot, Otis Rush, Don Covay, and Otis Blackwell; Jim & Jeff Thiel, comedy twin actors from “Teen Angel,” “Murphy Brown,” “Pearl” and movie “Inspector Gadget;” Johnny Knight, who’s performed with Little Richard, the Beach Boys, and the Coasters, and recorded with James Burton, Glen Campbell, and the Raelettes (Ray Charles); Kevin Jones, keyboardist for Ozzy Osbourne; Lana Henry, internationally acclaimed star in the beauty pageant industry and classically trained singer; Linda Breakstone, former political editor of KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV, multiple Emmy, Golden Mike, and Press Club writing award winner, nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes; Larry Wines, songwriter, music industry consultant, journalist, and Guide editor; Mike Pinera, guitarist, singer, songwriter, recording artist, producer from the Alice Cooper Band, Blues Image, and Iron Butterfly; Miriam Hernandez, member of the ABC 7 Eyewitness News team in L.A.; Nolan Porter, legendary R&B performer/recording artist; Patrick Ridolfi, tenor soloist has performed with Three Tenors at Dodger Stadium, Placido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Luciano Pavarotti, Franco Zeffirelli, Tracy Ullman, and sang for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in Rome; Patricia Zappa, singer/author of “My Brother was a Mother: A Zappa Family Album;” Ron Whitaker, drummer & founding member of the ’70s punk/Goth band Voo Doo Church; Sheree “Sheryl” Green-Adams, original Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeer; Sheri Pedigo, actress and recording artist, Billy Davis, Jr. and Marilyn McCoo of The Fifth Dimension, Stephen Housden (of The Little River Band), recently opened for Randy Travis; Robbyn Kirmsse, singing voice of the Rachel Ray show, toured with Joe Walsh & The James Gang, featured on “Society of Singers Great Voices” CD, with Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion, performed with Macy Gray, Vonda Shephard, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Brian McKnight, Billy Preston, Melissa Etheridge (Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston wedding), Stevie Wonder, and Slash; MANY other musicians, and YOU, if you register with Vincent and come out to participate!
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Vincent says, “Many of the residents in these homes don’t have their health or their families. We all need to be reminded that it’s important to feel blessed and happy with what we already have in life, and less concerned with what we don’t have. The Holiday Caroling Festivities event is a very fulfilling opportunity to share joy, happiness, and holiday spirit with the elderly residents and their care-givers, while enhancing one’s own perspective or appreciation of life, health, and family. This includes the large-scale, must-attend holiday event (estimated 200 participants) in Los Angeles. This enjoyable and rewarding community service project is open to entertainers, singers and musicians of all talent levels and ages.”
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Vincent continues, “It is a very fulfilling opportunity to give and to receive joy, happiness, and holiday spirit to and from the elderly residents, care-givers, and participants, while enhancing one’s own perspective or appreciation of life, health, and family. Bottom line: Everyone greatly benefits from the festivities.”
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A full media blitz promoting these events includes the campaign with major Los Angeles metro-area radio, television, and newspaper outlets, local church bulletins and more, all to promote the festivities and overall theme during the holiday season.
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Vincent’s invitation to the arts community contains an element of urgency: “All effort given to support, promote, and participate in this heart-warming activity would be especially appreciated, since your contribution and presence would greatly enhance the festivities for all involved. Please RSVP ASAP!”
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Vincent does this across America, every year. Here in L.A., it happens this year at four senior care centers, then culminates in a dinner for the carolers in a restaurant, all in the West San Fernando Valley. And that’s just the L.A. edition. Vincent hits the road to take it to 18 cities.
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So, what motivates Vincent to travel across America for the month of December, as the perennial driving force and field general of seventeen MORE “Holiday Caroling” events for shut-ins? To him, it’s simple: “Together, we have the power to make a difference and to make the world a better place!”
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The L.A. edition is an “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” for artists. And it happens at 4 pm this Sunday, December 5.
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So many artists participate that an RSVP is needed so you CAN take part. You can get more details at www.ReachfortheStars.com/caroling and you can reach Vincent at 818-342-9336.
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3) Enjoy Live Music While Buying Your Holiday Junk (er, Gifts)…
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We first offered this last year, and it proved so popular we’re doing it again.
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It’s The Age-Old Dilemma. They’re a couple. She’s addicted to recreational shopping, and he’d rather have a root canal than be dragged along. The Guide offers a solution. Beginning this week, there are events where merchants offer live music and other pleasant amenities to lure shoppers. It happens for one night in Santa Monica, Claremont and Venice, and there’s more as the month gets closer to Christmas. See the times and dates in the Guide for complete listings, and here’s what to look for.
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Wednesday, December 1st; every Wednesday:
* 5-8 pm “CLAREMONT WEDNESDAY GREEN MARKET” featuring live acoustic music inside and outside the Packing House in Claremont, plus shopping.
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Thursday, December 2nd (TONIGHT ONLY):
* 5-10 pm 16th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” in Griffith Park, holds the “Kick-Off Preview Bike Night,” 5-10 pm (Light Display Hours). Okay, so there are no shops along the festival route, but there’s plenty nearby.
* 6-9 pm “SAN PEDRO’S FIRST THURSDAY ARTWALK,” this month with a holiday theme in and around the galleries and shops.
* 8 pm “PRE HOLIDAY WINE TASTING” at Café Cordiale in Sherman Oaks (beginning at 8).
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Friday, December 3rd (TONIGHT ONLY, plus recurring Friday events):
* 5-9 pm Annual “MONTANA AVENUE HOLIDAY WALK” from 7th-17th St, along Montana Av, in Santa Monica,; it’s a very big deal on the West side.
* 11 am-5 pm “FREE FRIDAYS” (every Friday) at the LONG BEACH MUSEUM OF ART in Long Beach, gives you a chance to shop at the museum store and enjoy the exhibits.
* 5:30-10 pm “MONROVIA FAMILY FESTIVAL” (every Friday) offers a four-block street fair in old downtown Monrovia, always with live acoustic music in several places, and a variety of shops open ~ free parking, free event.
* 5:30-9 pm “ART WALK” in Claremont, (first Friday, every month) with live music, and this month with a Holiday theme.
* 7 pm “FIRST FRIDAYS ON ABBOT KINNEY ART WALK” (first Friday, every month) with art and music all along the boulevard in Venice, this month with a Holiday theme.
* 8-10 pm monthly “FIRST FRIDAY” show, with different recording artist guests each month, hosted by SEVERIN BROWNE and the FIRST FRIDAY BAND – this month with a holiday theme – at Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood.
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Saturday, December 4th (TONIGHT ONLY):
* 5 pm annual “PARADE OF LIGHTS & WINTER FESTIVAL” in Norco, where western music happens, and the parade begins at 5 pm; Festival immediately follows Parade, at Nellie Weaver Hall, on Sixth St in Norco. Event includes the lighted parade, entertainment, Santa, snow, food, shopping opportunities and more. For info, call the Norco Dep’t of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, 951-270-5632. More at www.norco.ca.us. Free.
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Sunday, December 5th (TODAY ONLY):
* 1-3 pm 30th annual “Holiday Spirit of San Pedro Parade” includes the Los Angeles Police Emerald Band complete with bagpipes, kit & kilt; parade route begins at 5th St & Pacific Av, San Pedro 90731. San Pedro has plenty of shopping.
* 2 pm annual “COWBOY CHRISTMAS CONCERT” with THE SONS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN and JENNIFER LIND in the Wells Fargo Theatre at the Autry National Center (Autry Museum) Griffith Park, L.A. Come early and you can shop in the Museum Store.
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Other recurring events that offer similar possibilities are:
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Wednesday, every Wednesday:
* 7-9:30 pm Weekly “WINE & SONG” series hosted by award-winning songwriter BRAD COLERICK always with great musical guests at Firefly Bistro, 1009 El Centro St, South Pasadena 91030; 626-441-2443; www.eatatfirefly.com; (its original venue closed, but the series is still going strong, just up the street, and there are nearby shops.)
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Thursday, every Thursday:
* 11 am-2 pm “VAN NUYS FARMER'S MARKET” with live music performances, in the Van Nuys Civic Center behind the Los Angeles City Hall annex building and in front of the City Library in Van Nuys.
* 11:30 am-3 pm weekly “7+FIG FARMERS MARKET” at 7th & Figuroa, downtown L.A.; held on the beautifully landscaped upper plaza, above California Pizza Kitchen. Certified Gourmet Farmers Market, open-air, with vendors, lunches, produce, kettle korn, fresh flowers, honey, fresh breads, tamales, olives, dried fruits, nuts, crepes, crafts, and live music (varies each week). Entertainment is free.
* 7-10 pm “POCKET GOLDBERG & FRIENDS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE” at Arnie’s Café & Ristorante Italiano in Sherman Oaks. Shop nearby, then go for dinner and the music.
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Every night:
December 2 through 30:
* 5-10 pm 16th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” in Griffith Park, offers walking every night, bikes some nights, cars some nights, shuttle buses every night. Light display hours are 5-10 pm, and people begin lining-up for the bus tour earlier than that. (Okay, so there are no shops along the festival route, but there’s plenty nearby.)
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There are these and, no doubt, similar events are happening elsewhere for the next few weeks. As we learn of more shopping-with-escape-hatch events with live acoustic music, we’ll let you know.
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Beyond that? Well, there’s that always-wonderful holiday gift idea: give a fine CD to your music loving friends! And please buy it from the artist at a gig or from your local RECORD STORE.
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4) Plan Now – December 11th Offers AN Amazing Array of Shows
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For starters, the Guide has named five events that night as “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks…
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* 7 pm THE TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS, top award-winning Western group, tour their brand-new CD, "Blaze Across the West," at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
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* 7 pm JOEL RAFAEL plays the Folk Music Center in Claremont. He’s a fine songwriter and such a distinctive vocalist that Norah Guthrie has given him original WOODY GUTHRIE lyrics for which he has written music and recorded.
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* 7 pm “KEN O'MALLEY'S TWELVE DAYS OF AN IRISH CHRISTMAS” show at Yucca Valley United Methodist Church in Yucca Valley.
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* 7:30 pm BAYOU SECO plays the “SongTree” concert series in Goleta.
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* 8 & 10 pm DAN HICKS & THE HOT LICKS present "HOLIDAZE IN HICKSVILLE" - CD release concert for the upcoming “Crazy For Christmas” album, at McCabe’s in Santa Monica.
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* 8 pm CHRIS STUART & BACKCOUNTRY bring their splendid West Coast bluegrass to Boulevard Music in Culver City.
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* 8 pm RONNY COX plays the “Caltech Folk Music Society” series on the Caltech campus in Pasadena.
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* 8 pm SLIGO RAGS plays the Fret House in Covina.
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* 8 pm AL STEWART plays The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.
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Y’know, concert tix make great gifts…
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5) OUT-OF-TOWN HOLIDAY GUESTS? WHERE TO TAKE ’EM FOR MUSIC
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Okay, if they’re here December 11, the problem solves itself, given the rich offerings of music that night, all over L.A. But what if they’re here closer to Christmas, when most venues reduce their offerings or simply take a hiatus? One venue comes to the rescue.
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The charming little 49-seat Coffee Gallery Backstage concert hall, and its free-show counterpart, the Coffee Gallery Front Stage, continue their abundance of offerings nearly every night, right through the holiday season.
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The Backstage presents top-notch professional entertainers – usually touring musicians, or the best L.A.-based pros while they’re home from the road for the holidays. In a typical week, you can catch an act that plays big venues everywhere else, and often, you can see them on the Backstage for a fraction of the ticket price of a big venue. All seats are within twenty feet of the stage, and the dramatic use of stage lighting and really, really good sound consistently earn honors as “Best Intimate Acoustic Venue in L.A.” in both FolkWorks’ annual “Top Ten / Best of the Year” and in the Guide.
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Meanwhile, the Front Stage is a free venue, a potpourri that often attracts talented locals – including pros who want to “test drive” their new songs for an audience before making additions to their road show set lists. For example, BILL BURNETT (The Backboners) just played a free night-before-Thanksgiving show.
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The place is a genuine arts mecca. And the “gallery” part of the name is legit, since the coffee house doubles (triples?) as an exhibition space for shows by select painters or other visual artists, and the featured artist changes each month. Renowned painter Donna Barnes Roberts teaches watercolor classes there, as well.
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The Guide features write-ups of all the Backstage shows, and there’s something happening nearly every night. Plus, our “Recurring Events” links for each day let you know the general scheme of things on the Front Stage – when there isn’t a special show for us to report in any given day’s “Today-Only” events.
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It’s best to make reservations for Backstage shows, because they sometimes sell-out. The venue offers a waiting list when that happens, so take that option when it’s all there is (good chance it will get you in). Make Backstage reservations at 626-794-2424. Current info is available at www.coffeegallery.com.
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The Backstage offers a few dinner shows each month, and there are potlucks, sometimes in conjunction with shows, sometimes to celebrate holidays or events of significance in the local arts community.
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Whatever else is happening, the Coffee Gallery offers plenty of coffee drinks and more. The apple pie is wonderful, topped with locally-made Fosselman’s Ice Cream, and Mama Julie’s tasty chili, soups, salads, or sandwiches are sometimes available in the evening, if the lunch rush didn’t eat them all. Before you subject yourself to a fast food drive-through on the way there, call the harried barrista to see what’s available, at 626-398-7917.
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Backstage entrepreneur, booker, Ice House founder and show biz legend Bob Stane himself runs the sound and the recently upgraded lights. That’s characteristic, despite the fact that the musicians on stage are probably Grammy, music Oscar, music Emmy, or Juno Award winners or nominees. And the folks with coveted honors aren’t all on stage here. In 2009, the Folk Alliance FAR West bestowed Bob with its “Ambassador Award,” the organization’s highest non-musician honor. The choice itself was acclaimed.
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Bob often says of shows in the Coffee Gallery Backstage, “Your out-of-town guests will go home talking about their experience here. And if you found this place while you were ashore from a cruise ship” – sometimes he substitutes, “while you were wandering a back street in a European arts district” – “you’d go home and tell all your friends.”
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As unblushingly self-promoting as that sounds, he has the testimonials to back it up, including those of a loyal cadre of artists who always plan their tours to perform there. So, if you’re tired of your guests talking about Branson or Austin or Nashville, take them to the Coffee Gallery, and show them the best of L.A.’s acoustic music scene. It’s likely there’s a show there, whatever night you pick.
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6) December’s Origins and our “Poem of the Month”
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We’ve been including tidbits like these for a long time, as the first of each month rolls around. But too many people miss ’em there, so we’re promoting this to a News Feature, starting this month.
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It’s DECEMBER,
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…and WINTER arrives on the 21st. (As if you can tell the difference in Southern California.)
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The name of the last month of the year comes from the Latin word, “decem,” which means tenth. December was the tenth month of the ancient Roman calendar.
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December brings two joyous holidays – Hanukkah and Christmas.
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Hanukkah, the “Festival of Lights,” is a multi-day celebration in the Jewish tradition, with gifts, the lighting of the candles of the menorah, and special traditions like the dreidel, notably commemorated in the song by Don McLean of “American Pie” fame.
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Christmas is celebrated in most of the Christian world on December 25, though there is no credible evidence that Jesus was born then, or even born in the winter. December 25th was designated as Christmas Day by the Roman Emperor Constantine, to rob the thunder from the largest competing “new” religion, Mithraism, and its holiday, the Day of the Feast of Mithra. That tactic of moving-in on other people’s holidays would prevail for the next thousand years, as the Catholic Church spread Christianity throughout Europe by co-opting various pagan holidays and re-designating them as the special days of various Catholic Saints – whose canonization proliferated in direct proportion to the number of pagan feast days that needed to become Catholic Holy Days.
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While all the history is fascinating, we’re advocates that everyone can enjoy the central messages of Hanukkah and Christmas ~ peace on earth, good will to all people.
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December’s Poem-of-the-month:
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Merry Christmas

We was whistlin', we was singin' on a winter afternoon;
The hobble chains and fryin' pans was jinglin' to the tune.
Fer we knew the day was Christmas and the line camp was in sight,
No, it wasn't much to look at but it suited us all right.

We onpacked and we onsaddled, then we turned our hosses out;
We cooked lots of beef and biscuits and we made the coffee stout.
We et all we could swaller, then we set and took a smoke,
And we shore did work our memory out to find a bran new joke.

No, it wasn't like the Christmas like the folks have nowadays—
They are livin' more in comfort, and they've sorter changed their ways—
But I sorter wish, old pardner, we could brush the years away,
And be jest as young and happy, as we was that Christmas Day.

- Bruce Kiskaddon, 1933
(and if you enjoyed that, get acquainted with www.cowboypoetry.com)
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7) December 7th – a Day of Enduring Relevance
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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, which fell that year on a Sunday, the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet and numerous US Navy and US Army Air Corps airfields in and around Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, in the Territory of Hawaii, were jolted awake around 7 am. It was a surprise attack by aircraft carrier-based torpedo bomber, high-altitude and dive bomber, and fighter aircraft of the Empire of Imperial Japan.
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Until that moment, the US had been the only major world power that remained a nation at peace, even as World War II raged in Europe, Asia, and Africa. President Roosevelt’s speech to Congress on December 8 would forever brand December 7th as the “Day of Infamy.”
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The Japanese air attack sunk all the fleet’s battleships, except one that was bombed in a dry dock. But it missed the US Navy’s three aircraft carriers, which were at sea. In all, 18 ships were sunk or heavily damaged, over 200 planes were destroyed, and the attack claimed over 3,700 casualties, with many survivors badly burned. The attack was a horrific shock to all Americans.
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It galvanized a reticent American people and catapulted the US into the war on the Allied side, alongside embattled Britain. Other allies included the Free French forces in exile, together with Canada, Australia and New Zealand, partisans from and resistance forces in many occupied nations, and the Soviet Union. The Soviets had been aligned with Hitler until they experienced their own equivalent of Pearl Harbor in a massive Nazi invasion of Russia. Leadership of the Allied war effort soon passed to the Americans.
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It was America’s industrial might and unbombed factories that employed “Rosie the Riviter” to build the “arsenal of democracy” and the ships, planes, tanks, and everything else that was needed to supply US troops and all the Allied forces. Thus, America led the hard struggle against Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Fascist Italy in Europe, and the simultaneous war in the Pacific against an Imperial Japan that had already conquered much of China and Southeast Asia and Korea.
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We all know the eventual outcomes in 1945, but we should all remember that it very well might have gone the other way. The days of early 1942 were bleak. The US Navy – left with little more than a handful of submarines and just three aircraft carriers in the Pacific, could have failed against the mighty Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway. And the Americans and their Allies could have failed in North Africa, or in Italy. The B-17 and B-24 bomber crews suffered two-and-half years of horrific loses conducting daylight bombing missions in the skies over Europe, and nearly did fail, before winning crucial dominance of the skies. On D-Day at Normandy, or on the Pacific islands of Iwo Jima and Tarawa and Okinawa, the Americans and the Allies could have failed.
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But ordinary people became extraordinary in those times. A now-vanished American industrial capacity enabled the Americans of that time to persevere, and to prevail. How ironic that America’s industrial base and its “live better – work union” jobs have been lost, almost completely shipped to cheap labor markets in other parts of the world. Americans must now buy poorly-made goods from nations of former and potential new adversaries, and nations rescued by American forces from subjugation by Nazi or Imperial Japanese conquerors.
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Would the world have so many free nations today, were it not for the shock of Pearl Harbor, and the cascade of events and revelations and technological innovations that followed it? Would air travel – and complaining about its invasive security screening and unreasonable baggage fees and delays and absence of real food – be routine? Would medical technology have advanced so far, even if access to it is still controlled by insurance industry fat cats and priced beyond the reach of far too many Americans?
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Would the movement for racial equality have become urgent, without the segregated armed services of World War II, and the casting aside of those cruelly archaic barriers by President Truman, who saw its injustice as he presided over the end of that war?
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Would we still live in a world of separate “white music” and “colored music” were it not for the wartime demand for live music and dance bands, by troops on their way to uncertain fates overseas, or home on leave, or finally home from war and ready to catch up on lost years of youthful frolic? Interestingly enough, it was the demand for live music – especially the Big Bands – that pioneered racial integration in America, even if black band members (and in some places, Latino band members) could not share hotels and restaurants with their white band mates.
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But the struggle that defined despotism vs. democracy was experienced in common. Without the shared struggle necessitated by Pearl Harbor, would society have realized that tolerating prejudices denies opportunity not only to the object of discrimination, but to the entire society, when society is denied the contribution of all who wish to make it? Could America today have elected a black president without those lessons?
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Much of our modern world has its roots in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor and what happened there in the early morning hours of December 7th, 1941. The date should always stand, not as one of infamy, but as one of reckoning. It’s a day to recognize that it is always up to us, in each generation, in every time, to determine whether we are committed to achieving good without the need to suffer horrors yet again.
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One must fervently hope that America’s most important export remains the fulfillment of the human spirit as free will, with the utter rejection of the yoke and the jackboot, and rejection of any willingness to be slave or master.
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And here at home, we must reject the modern corollary, the co-opting of America’s military – its blood and treasure – to enrich and enable corrupt regimes and America’s own bloated military-industrial complex that would produce and sell all guns and no butter. All of it requires constant vigil, at home and abroad.
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In our time, we felt a shock akin to Pearl Harbor visited upon us on 9-11, though our government’s response to that attack, through two administrations, has hardly been comparable – particularly in the wholly contrived justification for an invasion of Iraq. Nonetheless – or perhaps especially, in light of modern history – December 7th is as appropriate as Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day to remember the struggles, the losses, the sacrifices, the nobility as well as the greed and the exploitation, the high aspirations and the simplest desires, all the things that can and do enable us, that inspire us, that give us the boundless opportunities and the inherited need to build a better and more equitable society for each other, and a better and more just world for all who dwell in it.
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8) “OWN CHRIFMAF DIRE IN THE MOANING” (Yes, we meant to spell it that way)
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Okay, there’s a long tradition of slurred rock lyrics. But that’s not where we’re going. We’re taking issue with mangled Classical Christmas lyrics.
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Somewhere in the antiquity of the mid-twentieth century, somebody decided that “excelsis deo” should be pronounced “egg shell cease day-oooh.” Sheesh.
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If you want an omelet, you can break eggshells. And keep them off the stage.
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We know that John Fogarty sang his “Bad Moon Rising” with such a slur that people thought he was singing “There’s a bathroom on the right,” instead of “There’s a bad moon on the rise.” And we know that he sometimes does sing it that way now, as an inside joke.
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But we’re talking Handel’s “Messiah” here, and we want to see a cessation to the egg shells. Those egg shells are the Latin equivalent of singing “On Christmas Day in the Morning” as – well, you can read the title.
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And that “day-oooh” stuff. Every time someone sings it that way, I want to sing a call-and-response chorus of “Daylight come and we want to go home.”
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It’s bad enough that stupid people in politics make up or amalgamate words, then celebrate their ignorance by repeatedly tweeting them to their flocks. It’s inexcusable that mangled lyrics in one of the world’s great pieces of music have been tolerated so long. Stop it. If you’re singing “The Messiah” this Holiday season, stand up for correct pronunciation: it’s “Glor-i-a [“i” pronounced as long “e”] in ec-cell-sis Deo” [all short vowels] – okay?
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RECENT NEWS FEATURES (in the past 30 days):
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November 24 edition’s News Features are available at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/11/acoustic-americana-music-guide-nov-24.html
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The topics are…
1) “Show-Of-The-Week” Picks, Wednesday & Thanksgiving Day…
2) This Weekend’s “Show-of-the-Week” Picks, November 26-28
3) End of Nov / First Days of Dec: “Shows-of-the-Week,” Nov 29-Dec 5
4) In Yo’ Face (Book)…
5) Image vs. Substance in Cultureless Pop Culture…
6) John McCutcheon to Play Smothers Theatre in January
7) KPFK Adds a New “Public Radio Int’l” Show – Is More Possible?
8) New Holiday Comedy to Debut at Long Beach’s Found Theatre
9) Hollywood Master Chorale Offers Interfaith Holiday “Feast”
* (Our regular feature, “We’d Like You to Meet…” was combined with News Feature #6.)
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November 19 edition’s News Features are available at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/11/acoustic-americana-music-guide-nov-19.html
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The topics are…
1) Workshop: “How To Work The Media,” for Artists & Presenters, Sat, Nov 20
2) Weekend “Show-of-the-Week” Picks, Friday-Sunday, Nov 19-21…
3) This Weekend’s Festival Scene…
4) The Guide’s “Guide” – How to Have A Marvelous Sunday…
5) 2011 “National Folk Festival” Is Worth $10-15 Million
6) “The Most Celebrated Theater In La County” Has A Music Series
7) Google’s Mistakes Have Nearly Caused Wars – The Shooting Kind
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November 17 edition’s News Features (repeats of part of the Nov 11 edition, after the weekend events happened) are available at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/11/acoustic-americana-music-guide-mid-week.html
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The topics are…
1) “How to Work the Media” Workshop – returning, November 20
2) Mike + Ruthy (from The Mammals): CD Release Tour Hits So Cal
3) Caltech Folk Music Society Announces Winter Season Shows
4) Change – and a Comment – for “L.A. County Holiday Celebration”
5) “Red Horse” – Touring Trio, and #1 CD by Top Songwriters
Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka & Lucy Kaplansky
6) NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS Are Still at it, in Various Ensembles
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November 11 edition’s News Features are available at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/11/acoustic-americana-music-guide-nov-11.html
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The topics are…
1) Weekend “Show-of-the-Week” Picks, Friday-Sunday, Nov 12-14…
2) This Weekend’s Festival Scene: A Saturday of Fun Choices…
3) SHERYL CROW to Play Free Show in L.A., November 16
4) Mike + Ruthy (from The Mammals): CD Release Tour Hits So Cal
5) Acoustic Eidolon Returns for Three Shows this Weekend
6) Caltech Folk Music Society Announces Winter Season Shows
7) Change – and a Comment – for “L.A. County Holiday Celebration”
8) “Red Horse” – Touring Trio, and #1 CD by Top Songwriters
Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka & Lucy Kaplansky
9) NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS Are Still at it, in Various Ensembles
10) “How to Work the Media” Workshop – returning, November 20
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===
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November 5 edition’s News Features are available at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/11/acoustic-americana-music-guide-nov-5-to.html
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The topics are…
1) Weekend “Show-of-the-Week” Picks, Friday - Sunday, Nov 5-7…
2) This Weekend’s Southern Cal Festivals, Friday - Sunday…
3) Renowned Storyteller, Battling Deadly Disease, Does Book Signing Of His Life’s Work, with Readings; a Triumph of Community, Sunday, Nov 7
4) Free Weekly Series with Recording Stars Makes Move to SFV
5) Tix Alert: Tom Paxton to Play L.A. in January
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===
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THE LATEST FULL EDITION of the Acoustic Americana Music Guide is always available at
www.acousticmusic.net or at
www.acousticamericana.blogspot.com or by links from the News-only edition at www.nodepression.com/profile/TiedtotheTracks
or by following any of MANY links on the web to get to one of those sites.
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Entire contents copyright (c) © 2010, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
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Updated Friday, Dec 3. All “recurring events” are included in this edition through November 30, with MANY additional listings of upcoming events through the rest of 2010 and into 2011.
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Each weekly edition is designed to be useful not just for the current week, but well beyond. Each edition focuses on ALL THINGS ACOUSTIC for a span of a week or so – AND adds MORE events to those days’ listings than we had the previous week – PLUS, it’s updated with more events, farther into the future, as we learn of them.
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Now, here’s what’s happening…
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3
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(1) Friday’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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* 7 pm DOUG MacLEOD the great blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, plays Lucille’s BBQ in Long Beach.
* 7:30 pm RONNY COX, stellar singer-songwriter & famous actor, plays the Sherman Oaks Presbyterian Church concert series, in Sherman Oaks.
* 7:30 pm “RUMPELSTILTSKIN” with puppets, as the old German folk / fairy tale is presented by “Tears of Joy” at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles; good event for children.
* 8 pm BORDER RADIO – KELLY McCUNE & her all-star band – return to the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
* 9:30 pm KEN O'MALLEY brings his authentic and original Irish music on 6 & 12 string, with his powerful vocals, to the Cock N Bull Pub, Santa Monica.
* 10 pm-midnight Rick Shea performs at The Press in Claremont.
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See the complete listings below for all the details.
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(2) Friday’s RADIO & TV SHOWS
~ that feature live performance-interviews with acoustic musicians, and selected other acoustic music shows (mostly on-line, simulcast from radio stations elsewhere) are listed, in all their abundance, at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/fridays-radio-web-radio-tv-acoustic.html
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(3) Friday’s “BEST OUT-OF-TOWN EVENTS”
~ beyond the region covered by the Guide’s usual listings:
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None reported.
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(4) Friday’s LOCAL FESTIVALS:
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. See event listings below for more.
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(5a) Friday’s TODAY-AND-TONIGHT-ONLY
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events:
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. This year’s annual event has nights for pedestrians and bicycles, horseback riders, and more, in addition to the run of nights when only cars make the trip to view the park’s annual light displays. Come see this magnificent display of lights that’s been a tradition for 13 years.
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Schedule for what conveyances are allowed when (including your feet):
> Dec 4-17 are “Vehicle Free Nights,” no cars allowed - you can walk, jog, run, bike, stroll, crawl…anything, except drive.
> Dec 9-30 on Mon, Tue, Wed, & Thurs only - “Horse Enthusiasts” nights, when you can see the lights on horseback.
> Dec 18-30: “Drive through” nights to see the Griffith Park Festival of lights from the comforts of your warm car.
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Exit the Golden State Fwy (I-5) at Los Feliz. Go west on Los Feliz and turn right onto Crystal Springs Dr. Proceed to the entrance of the Light Festival. To view the Light Festival by foot on the walking path, park at the L.A. Zoo’s big parking lot. More info at www.ladwp.com. Free.
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Fri, Dec 3:
5-9 pm annual “MONTANA AVENUE HOLIDAY WALK” is Santa Monica’s “much-anticipated evening of complimentary Holiday treats and festive family fun,” a stroll amongst twinkly holiday lights along ten blocks of boutiques, from 7th-17th St, along Montana Av, in Santa Monica. Info, www.MontanaAve.com. You can taste food from the award winning restaurants, visit with Santa Claus, and enjoy live music. The Montana Avenue merchants share cookies, warm cider and tasty treats. Free.
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Fri, Dec 3, every Fri:
5:30-10 pm “MONROVIA FAMILY FESTIVAL” along Myrtle Av, in old downtown Monrovia. It’s year-round and weekly, a street festival and farmers market, that’s been running 17 years. There’s a Holiday theme all month long. KATTYWOMPUS STRING BAND plays 8-10 pm at 412 S Myrtle Av; contact Jennifer Ranger, 877-365-5744. RON ELY does authentic and original maritime songs most weeks, usually at Myrtle Av & Colorado or Myrtle Av and Lemon Av, on the North end of the festival. Artist’s info, www.myrecordlabel.net/ronely. There’s lots of other music throughout old town Monrovia, several acoustic performers each week – singer-songwriters, duos or bands – plus specialty vendors, lots of food, and local merchants. Event is large during the summer when it includes a carnival (rock climbing wall, balloon man, bubble man, petting zoo, pony rides, etc.) It scales-down from 4 blocks to 2 blocks during winter months, following the Christmas holidays. Myrtle Av exit, N of 210 Fwy, free parking, free event.
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Fri, Dec 3, first Fri, every month:
7 pm “FIRST FRIDAYS ON ABBOT KINNEY ART WALK” with art and music all the boulevard, including Altered Space Gallery, 1221 Abbot Kinney Bl, Venice 90291; 310-452-8121; www.alteredspacegallery.com. Free.
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Fri, Dec 3; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm DOUG MacLEOD the great blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, plays Lucille’s BBQ, 7411 Carson St, Long Beach; 562-938-7427; www.lucillesbbq.com. More at www.doug-macleod.com
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Fri, Dec 3; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7:30 pm RONNY COX, stellar singer-songwriter & famous actor, plays the Sherman Oaks Presbyterian Church concert series, at 4445 Noble Av, Sherman Oaks; 818-788-3330; www.shermanoakspc.org. More at www.ronnycox.com
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RONNY COX is a famous screen and TV actor who played Woody Guthrie’s sidekick in “Bound for Glory,” and he’s known to millions from his first film role, which included playing the “Dueling Banjos” guitar part in “Deliverance.” More recently, Ronny Cox played slithery corporate snakes in “RoboCop” and “Total Recall.” He’s played the President of the United States 20-some times, and had the recurring role as the Senator who kept trying to shutdown TV‘s “Stargate.” Ronny is a fine songwriter and folk singer who earned “Listener Favorite” honors on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks.” He charms crowds with self-teasing humor, tart progressive insight, and a lulling Southwestern folk sound. His repertoire is a smart mix of witty ditties, bluesy swing tunes, heart-on-sleeve Romances, and real-life anthems. Ronny’s newest CD, "Songs... with Repercussions" was reviewed in FolkWorks (www.folkworks.org/content/view/36151/167) by the Guide’s editor, en-route to its reaching # 1 on the Folk DJ playlist, and finishing as # 48 for the entire year. Ronny’s all-star accompanists – award-winning musicians in their own rights – join him for this performance. They are Austin-based KAREN MAL on mandolin, and RADOSLAV LORKOVIC on accordion and keyboards. More at www.ronnycox.com.
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Fri, Dec 3; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick; good event for children:
7:30 pm “RUMPELSTILTSKIN” with puppets, as the old German folk / fairy tale is presented by “Tears of Joy” at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, 10361 W Pico Bl, L.A. 90064; info & tix, www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com; 310-0286-0553.
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Jacob and Wilhelm, the Brothers Grimm, collected many old folk / fairy tales. Much as the Lomax’s would do a hundred years later with American folk song, the brothers sought, heard and wrote down the old tales, enhancing the excitement of the story lines and characters. The brothers published three books of these stories between 1812 and 1822. Tears of Joy theatre company performs the play here, one night only, with bunraku style puppets. More at www.tojt.com
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Fri, Dec 3; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm BORDER RADIO at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”).
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Remember those great days of radio from across the border, when the music was great, and the people who programmed it understood that listeners’ musical sensibilities were most attuned to hearing music that was good, rather than easy to pigeon-hole in a narrowly-defined genre? Well, that’s the premise of this band.
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KELLY McCUNE & her all-star band evoke the days when radio had you anticipating each song, especially if you could hear it during those halcyon days of mega-mega-wattage radio from across the border. They mix Southwestern folk, Appalachian bluegrass, strong instrumentals, and Kelly’s marvelous vocals. They were a festival favorite before taking a three-year hiatus, and they’re back as wonderful as ever, with new originals that shine alongside their previous favorites.
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A well-loved acoustic band, they began playing in the Los Angeles area in 2000. Then there was a hiatus of a few years. They’ve been making a return to their stomping grounds at the Coffee Gallery Backstage every few months since this past spring, when they reformed the band. They’re as good as ever, ready to resume their place on the festival circuit, and ready to charm you with their handwritten songs, soulful folk and bluegrass style, tinged with cowboy swing, all backed up with some serious instrumental prowess.
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Border Radio is KELLY McCUNE on sweet lead vocals, Mike Stromberg on dobro and guitar, movie soundtrack fave Mark Indictor on smokin' fiddle, and Robert Staron on bass.
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There’s more at www.border-radio.com, on Facebook, and on MySpace at www.myspace.com/kellymccuneborderradio, Tix, $18.
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Fri, Dec 3:
8 pm Shawn Jones plus BOBBY BLUEHOUSE opening at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia 91006; 626-447-9349; www.arcadiabluesclub.com. Shawn Jones at 10:30 pm, Bobby Bluehouse at 8. More at http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=4175624&s=93914888. Tix, $15.
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Fri, Dec 3:
8 pm JACKSH*T & FRIENDS perform "A Very Sh*tty Christmas," which is, says the venue, the group’s “Yuletide Extravaganza, featuring those three wise men from Cotochtan, plus their special friends,” at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl (Pico at 31st), Santa Monica 90405; www.mccabes.com; 310-828-4403; tix, 310-828-4497. This runs two nights, Dec 3 & 4.
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Fri, Dec 3, first Fri, every month:
8-10 pm monthly “FIRST FRIDAY” show, with different recording artist guests each month, hosted by SEVERIN BROWNE – this month with a holiday theme – at Kulak's Woodshed, 5230-1/2 Laurel Canyon Bl, North Hollywood; 818-766-9913; live simulcast at www.kulakswoodshed.com - named for “Best Web Simulcast” in “The Best of 2008 / Top Ten” in FolkWorks, at www.folkworks.org/content/view/35788/166. The series features performing guests (one or more recording artists) and the “First Friday Band,” with SEVERIN BROWNE, MIKE BISCH, DAVID STONE, JEFF KOSSACK, AARON WOLFSON, ALEX DEL ZOPPO and GARY POPENOE. All artists donate their performances; venue is supported by donations, and asks $10 per attendee in lieu of a cover charge.
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Fri, Dec 3; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
9:30 pm KEN O'MALLEY brings his authentic and original Irish music on 6 and 12 string, with his powerful vocals, to the Cock N Bull Pub, 2947 Lincoln Bl, Santa Monica 90405; 310-399-9696; www.cocknbullbritishpub.com. More at www.kenomalley.com
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"O'Malley, from Dublin, is a rare talent." — Sean Canniffe, The Irish Herald, San Francisco.
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"The star is O'Malley's voice . . . which effortlessly spans the range from sentimental ballads to aggressive Irish folk, rock and everywhere in between." — Dave Soyars, The Irish Herald.
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"Dust-free and polished to perfection, each song is performed with authenticity, and the care one might use when handling a valuable family heirloom" — Lisa Elaine Scott, Music Connection Magazine.
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Fri, Dec 3; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
10 pm-midnight Rick Shea performs at The Press, 129 Harvard Av, Claremont 91711. He’s a longtime roots-Americana Southern Cal favorite, a top-notch musician.
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(5b) Friday’s RECURRING
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events.
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THERE ARE 31 (geez, Thirty-One!) ADDITIONAL EVENTS, TODAY & TONIGHT!
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Included are today & tonight’s weekly and monthly residencies, series, showcases, workshops, open mics and other acoustic music events that are scheduled in advance to happen today and tonight, from northern Santa Barbara County to south Orange County, from downtown L.A. to the valleys to the Inland Empire, from the desert to the sea.
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/friday-first-friday-every-month-in-2010.html
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4
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(1a) Saturday’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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* 1-3 pm “THE SKIRBALL AT THE AMERICANA AT BRAND'S HANUKKAH CELEBRATION” at The Americana at Brand in Glendale.
* 3 & 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings AARON SALA to the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Whittier.
* 7 pm Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg, award -winning Santa-Barbara-based songwriters, bring their Americana music to the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
* 7 pm DOUG MacLEOD the great blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, plays Lucille’s BBQ in Long Beach.
* 7:30 pm MOSCOW NIGHTS play the “Ojai Concert Series” in Matilija Auditorium, Ojai.
* 8 pm “AMERICANA MUSIC CONCERT” with Peter Feldmann, Tom Lee, & David West, at Presidio Chapel in Santa Barbara.
* 8 pm SUSIE GLAZE & HILONESOME plus SHAUN CROMWELL play the California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) Center for Folk Music in Encino
* 8 pm Musica Angelica presents a program of “World Champs” of baroque music, in “Feste Italiane,” at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena. (Sat, Dec 4 at 8 pm at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Sun, Dec 5, at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.)
* 8 pm JAMES LEE STANLEY at Boulevard Music, Culver City.
* 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings AARON SALA to the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Whittier.
* 8 pm RICARDO LEMVO & MAKINA LOCA play the Grand Annex in San Pedro.
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(1b) “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” FOR ARTISTS:
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10:30 am-1 pm WORKSHOP: “SONGWRITING... Get Real!” presented by Los Angeles Women in Music (LAWIM) with Gold & Platinum Songwriter Harriet Schock, at Institute in Hollywood 90028. RSVP by 6 pm, Dec 3 to 213-243-6440 or info@lawim.com
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See the complete listings below for all the details.
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(2) Saturday’s RADIO & TV SHOWS
~ that feature live performance-interviews with acoustic musicians, and selected other acoustic music shows (mostly on-line, simulcast from radio stations elsewhere) are listed, in all their abundance, at
.
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/saturdays-radio-web-radio-tv-acoustic.html
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(3) Saturday’s “BEST OUT-OF-TOWN EVENTS”
~ beyond the region covered by the Guide’s usual listings:
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Sat, Dec 4, in San Diego:
7 pm ROBIN HENKEL & ALLEN SINGER play the “San Diego Folk Heritage” series in Templars Hall, Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway (San Diego); 858-566-4040; www.sdfolkheritage.org. More at www.robinhenkel.com and www.allensinger.com
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(4) Saturday’s LOCAL FESTIVALS:
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
1-3 pm “THE SKIRBALL AT THE AMERICANA AT BRAND'S HANUKKAH CELEBRATION” at The Americana at Brand, 889 Americana Way, Glendale 91210. FREE admission. The Skirball Cultural Center journeys to The Americana at Brand for a holiday-themed, family-friendly afternoon. Live music, balloon art, face painting, and handcraft your own beeswax Hanukkah candle. Info, directions and parking information at www.americanaatbrand.com.
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FREE on-site parking; street parking strictly prohibited, or take Metro Rapid Bus 761.
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. See event listings below for more.
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(5a) Saturday’s TODAY-AND-TONIGHT-ONLY
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events:
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Sat, Dec 4; festival:
9 am-2 pm annual “HOLIDAY SNOW FESTIVAL” at Arcadia Community Center, 375 Campus Dr, Arcadia 91007; 626-574-5113; www.ci.arcadia.ca.us. Features live music, holiday entertainment, crafts, “trolley train” rides, dual sled runs and two snow play areas. Carl’s Jr food available 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Event info, 626-574-5113. Free parking and shuttle service from Santa Anita Race Track (enter Gate 4). Free event.
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Dec 4, an “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” FOR ARTISTS:
10:30 am-1 pm WORKSHOP: “SONGWRITING... Get Real!” presented by Los Angeles Women in Music (LAWIM) with Gold & Platinum Songwriter Harriet Schock, at Institute, Room P-150, 1655 N McCadden Pl, Hollywood 90028. Info, 213-243-6440 or info@lawim.com
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“Command your craft and create emotional impact,” says Harriet Schock, as she demonstrates with examples and hands-on exercises how the “personal” song can be universal, how “truthful” does not necessarily mean factual and how to command the craft to create emotional impact with the truth. This applies to the music as well as the lyrics. Bring your best crafted personal song on CD (including lyric sheet). Songs will be played and critiqued on a first come first serve basis, so be sure to arrive early. She will accommodate as many as possible. OR, if you don't have a song ready for critique, be there with your ears and notepad ready.
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Includes a drawing for a FREE 1/2 hour PERSONAL SONG CONSULTATION with Harriet.
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HARRIET SCHOCK has written music and songs for the last three Henry Jaglom films, “Going Shopping,” “Hollywood Dreams” and his current film, “Irene In Time,” in which Schock plays Sandi Fuse, a singer/songwriter making an album with Irene. Harriet’s entire band is on camera performing the songs. Karen Black’s play, “Missouri Waltz” was written around five of Schock’s songs and has recently played in L.A. and Macon, Georgia. Harriet acted most of 2010 in the world premiere Henry Jaglom play, “45 Minutes from Broadway,” in which Schock created the role of Sally Brooks. She later was featured in the film, which is currently in post production.
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Schock's songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as Smokey Robinson, Roberta Flack, Helen Reddy, Lee Greenwood, Johnny Mathis, Nancy Wilson, Manfred Mann, Carl Anderson, Jeannie Kendall, David Pomeranz, Jannel Rap, Rebecca Parris, The New Supremes, Vesica Pisces, Big Wide Grin, and the Little Mermaid.
+
Her feature film and TV song credits include "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking," "Delta Force II," ABC's "The Secret Garden," Motown's "The Last Dragon" and "The Real Life Adventures of Santa Claus."
+
Harriet teaches songwriting privately, in classes and online around the world. She wrote the book, Becoming Remarkable, for Songwriters and Those Who Love Songs.
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More at www.harrietschock.com
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LIMITED SEATING, reservations required & must be paid in advance. RSVP by 6 pm, Dec 3. $15 LAWIM members, $25 general public.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 & 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings AARON SALA at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org.
+
AARON SALA was such a hit when he last played this series a few years ago that they’ve been trying to get him back ever since. He played then NATALIE ALI & BARRY KIMOKEA, in the ensemble that’s been recognized as “The Three Tenors of Hawaii.” This time, Aaron does a solo show.
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The annual series brings seven shows for its 2010-2011 season. Tix, including new “facilities surcharges,” $48.
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Sat, Dec 4:
6 pm-midnight “Los Angeles Blues Society 2nd Annual Holiday Pot-Luck Party & Open Blues Jam” at VFW Post 1944, 16157 Gale Av, Industry. Bring food, friends & your music gear. Host band is Rebellious Blues Dogs. Drums & bass rig provided. Event is in “the large hall,” with “Plenty of room for dancing.” A “Toys for Tots” collection is featured.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg, award -winning Santa-Barbara-based songwriters, bring their Americana music to the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com.
+
Award -winning songwriters Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg bring considerable musical history and talent to their show--their styles are different, but together they make for an evening of great Americana music.
+
Generally performing as solo artists, Maverick Magazine in Britain says about Kate, “Wallace’s music waxes a rich artful beauty of which only the most accomplished are capable.. She proves herself to be an exquisite exponent of her craft.” while Doug --who plays everything from mandolin, guitar and fiddle to accordion, drums and steel guitar, “plays like lightning, sings like thunder” according to the Boston Globe. Each is a New Folk Finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival and both have had long successful careers as touring singer/songwriters. They perform everything from contemporary folk and blues to bluegrass, country and other assorted roots Americana music, and compliment each other beautifully.
+
Each artist spends much of the year traveling, teaching and recording/ playing. This will be their second appearance at The Coffee Gallery Backstage. Kate has a brand-new CD called “Ruby Slippers” and Doug has just released his newest project, “A Moment, a Lifetime.” More information on each artist is available at www.katewallace.com and www.dougclegg.net
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In addition to their solo efforts as artists, they both do a considerable amount of studio work on other artists’ projects and they book the popular Trinity Backstage acoustic music concert series in Santa Barbara www.trinitybackstage.com, every 4th Saturday of the month. Tix, $20.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm DOUG MacLEOD the great blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, plays Lucille’s BBQ, 7411 Carson St, Long Beach; 562-938-7427; www.lucillesbbq.com. More at www.doug-macleod.com
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm SUSIE GLAZE & HILONESOME plus SHAUN CROMWELL play the California Traditional Music Society (CTMS) Center for Folk Music, 16953 Ventura Bl, Encino; 818-817-7756; www.ctmsfolkmusic.org. Co-produced with Paniolo Productions, www.panioloproductions.com.
+
SUSIE GLAZE & HILONESOME play "Appalachia to Bluegrass Americana Folk Fusion" and they won the Just Plain Folks award for Best Roots Album (with 70,000 people voting, worldwide). They have performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks,” on “Bluegrass Etc,” and other shows. Larry Wines, in his annual “Best of/Top Ten” feature for FolkWorks, named them among the best live acoustic bands in L.A. in 2008 (www.folkworks.org/content/view/35788/166). They’ll deliver a very folky version of their bluegrass originals and album material. Boulevard Music booker Gary Mandell says of Susie, “Her superb voice complimented by her band’s tasteful backup are a perfect fit.” (Gary was named in FolkWorks among the “Best of 2008 / Top Ten” most underappreciated people of the L.A. acoustic scene.) More at www.susieglaze.com
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SHAUN CROMWELL is a bluesman who was born in the unlikely blues incubator of Detroit (Royal Oak, Michigan, actually) and he lived there for many years. In Detroit he rocked in various jam-type groups, studied jazz and played in groups where he could play swing music. Shaun will tell you that he moved to Los Angeles because he no longer cared for snow and ice. Once here, Shaun took to, as he says, “finger picking his guitar and coming up with half-assed arrangements of traditional tunes.” He adds, “Too lazy to actually memorize a piece of music,” Shaun likes to perform his songs in an "improvised" fashion, resulting in slightly different versions each time he plays / sings them. While Shaun's primary influences on the guitar tend toward the Mississippi John Hurt, Ry Cooder, and Rev. Gary Davis ilk, his overall sound is one borne out of his varied musical influences garnered over a lifetime. More at www.shauncromwell.com
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Sat, Dec 4, in San Diego:
7 pm ROBIN HENKEL & ALLEN SINGER play the “San Diego Folk Heritage” series in Templars Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway (San Diego); 858-566-4040; www.sdfolkheritage.org. More at www.robinhenkel.com and www.allensinger.com
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7:30 pm MOSCOW NIGHTS play the “Ojai Concert Series” in Matilija Auditorium, 703 El Paseo Rd, Ojai; tix & info, 805-646-8907; www.ptgo.org. They are amazing, having delighted audiences all over the world. More at www.russianfolk.com
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Sat, Dec 4, in Santa Barbara; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “AMERICANA MUSIC CONCERT” with Peter Feldmann, Tom Lee, & David West, at Presidio Chapel, 123 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara.
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PETER FELDMANN tells us, “After having a great show there in early September, we're looking forward to setting back country music 75 years once again! New material and old favorites, played on guitars, banjos, mandolins with string bass in a wonderful acoustic setting, right in downtown Santa Barbara, with plenty of nearby parking.”
+
FELDMANN, LEE, & WEST present material covering a wide span of country music history and styles, from the original Carter Family, the Delmore Brothers, to Jimmie Rodgers and the bluegrass music of Bill Monroe. The songs and tunes are performed in a variety of combinations, featuring bass, mandolins, banjos, and guitars in an all-acoustic setting.
+
PETER FELDMANN, long a musical mainstay in Santa Barbara and Southern California will be joined by guitarist / banjoist David West and bassist Tom Lee for a program of acoustic country music. Their repertoire ranges from early blues and ballads, old time fiddle tunes, country heart songs to bluegrass classics. Peter is the recipient of the Topanga Banjo/Fiddle organizations 2008 Music Legend Award.
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DAVID WEST has produced over sixty albums as a staff producer for CMH records in Los Angeles, and many more as a freelance producer through his Play Ball! Musical Services and Studio "Z" based in Santa Barbara, CA. As a session guitarist, (acoustic and electric), bassist (upright and electric), banjoist (5-string) and mandolinist, he has appeared on hundreds of albums, TV shows and commercials plus many film sound tracks. His early career was spent on the road as an accompanist touring the US and Europe and has, for the last fifteen years been primarily a studio musician. He still occasionally tours, backing up some of his favorite musicians, including Peter Lewis (Moby Grape), Chris Hillman (Byrds, Flying Burrito Bros.), and Nashville/California songwriter Kate Wallace. For a more complete bio and additional discography visit www.davidwest.com
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TOM LEE's music ranges far and wide, from traditional jazz to country, Hawaiian, and bluegrass standards. As a skilled bassist, Tom has toured with the Drifters, the Bluegrass Cardinals, and other musical groups. His vocal harmonies add richness to the group's duo and trio arrangements. He is also the director of the Song Tree Music Series, a popular concert forum in Goleta, bringing lots of great music to the area.
+
Advance tix, $15. Cosponsored by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (Trust members $12). Tix on sale at the SB Trust Office, 123 E. Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara. Tickets online at www.bluegrasswest.com/tickets.htm. If available, tickets will be sold on the day of the event when the doors open at 7:30 pm.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm Musica Angelica presents a program of “World Champs” of baroque music, in “Feste Italiane,” with music director Martin Haselbock performing on organ in Vivaldi double concerto for violin and organ; plus "anti Diva" Maria Jette performing as soloist, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E Colorado Bl, Pasadena 91103. Info & tix orders, 310-458-4504 or www.musicaangelica.org.
+
It’s works by works by Vivaldi, Pergolisi, Caldara and Bembo.
+
“The orchestra just returned in October from a 17 day tour of South America,” says Laura Spino, Managing Director. “We performed at the most prestigious concert halls in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janiero, Santiago, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and I can honestly say we’re playing better than ever. Reviews often hailed us as ‘virtuosic’ and ‘dramatic’. We are truly looking forward to sharing our excellence once again with our audiences throughout Los Angeles.”
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The program for “Feste Italiane” is -
Sinfonia Concertante for two violins and strings (Caldera)
Concerto Grosso in d minor from Estro Armonico, Op. 3, No.11 (Vivaldi)
Salve Regina for soprano and orchestra
(Pergolesi)
Concerto Grosso in a minor from Estro Armonico, Op. 3 No. 8
(Vivaldi)
Per il Natale for soprano and orchestra
(Bemba)
Double Concerto for violin and organ in d minor
(Vivaldi)
Laudate pueri Dominum for soprano and orchestra (Vivaldi)
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Vivaldi’s Double Concerto for violin and organ in d minor will feature Musica Angelica’s concertmaster for Feste Italiane, Cynthia Roberts, and Martin Haselböck on organ. Organists’ Review recently described Haselböck’s performance on organ as “a superbly accomplished presentation…This is music of the very highest order played by a virtuoso.”
+
Two performances: Sat, Dec 4 at 8 pm at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Sun, Dec 5, at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica. Tickets range from $15 (student price) to $55.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm JAMES LEE STANLEY at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City; www.boulevardmusic.com; 310-398-2583. Venue’s web site has a helpful local dining guide. More info later, or check www.jamesleestanley.com. Tix go on sale Nov 20; $15.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings AARON SALA at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org. Shows at 3 & 8 pm; see 3 pm listing for details.
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Sat, Dec 4:
8 pm Chris Duarte plus BOBBY BLUEHOUSE opening at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia 91006; 626-447-9349; www.arcadiabluesclub.com.
+
Shawn Jones at 10:30 pm, Bobby Bluehouse at 8. More at http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=4175625&s=93914888.
Chris Duarte at 10:30, Bobby Bluehouse at 8. Tix, $20.
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Sat, Dec 4:
8 pm JACKSH*T & FRIENDS perform "A Very Sh*tty Christmas," which is, says the venue, the group’s “Yuletide Extravaganza, featuring those three wise men from Cochtotan, plus their special friends,” at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl (Pico at 31st), Santa Monica 90405; www.mccabes.com; 310-828-4403; tix, 310-828-4497. This runs two nights, Dec 3 & 4.
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Sat, Dec 4:
8 pm GRANT LANGSTON & THE SUPERMODELS play the weekly “Ranch Party” show at EB's Wine Bar, inside Farmers Market at Fairfax and 3rd, L.A.  Free, all ages.
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Sat, Dec 4; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm RICARDO LEMVO & MAKINA LOCA continue the series of Latin-theme bookings at the Grand Annex, 434 W 6th St, San Pedro; 310-833-6362; www.grandvision.org. More at www.makinaloca.com
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Sat, Dec 4, first Sat every month:
8-10 pm monthly “JUKE JOINT GANG” does its Holiday show at the venue named in FolkWorks as co-winner for “Best Free (no cover) Acoustic Music Venue,” The Talking Stick, 1411c Lincoln Bl, Venice 92091; www.thetalkingstick.net. This monthly event is specifically cited as a reason for the venue’s 2008 co-win in FolkWorks. It’s an evening of fine acoustic roots music, with four acts, each playing a 30-min set. Hosted by 2009 Kerrville Folk Festival “New Folk Award” winner ERNEST TROOST, sometimes with LAUREN ADAMS, who have each performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks.” Venue has coffeehouse fare, good sandwiches, salads, soup. No cover. No shopping here, but there is nearby.
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(5b) Saturday’s RECURRING
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events.
+
THERE ARE 29 (wow, Twenty-Nine!) ADDITIONAL EVENTS, TODAY & TONIGHT!
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Included are today & tonight’s weekly and monthly residencies, series, showcases, workshops, open mics and other acoustic music events that are scheduled in advance to happen today and tonight, from northern Santa Barbara County to south Orange County, from downtown L.A. to the valleys to the Inland Empire, from the desert to the sea.
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/saturday-first-saturday-every-month-in.html
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+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5
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WALT DISNEY was born on this day in 1901 as Walter Elias Disney, in Chicago, Illinois. Much of his own body of work as a pioneer cartoon animator and later, as a documentary filmmaker and aficionado of traditional Americana roots music, is hard to find today. Fortunately, the major films made during his tenure are easy to find – and happily, they provide a revealing contrast with much of the modern productions of the Disney corporate empire.
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(1) Sunday’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
+
* 11 am-4 pm “DOWN HOME HANUKKAH Family Festival” with THE WITCHER BROTHERS, Peter Himmelman, & KINETIC THEORY CIRCUS THEATRE at the Skirball Cultural Center, atop Sepulveda Pass in L.A.
* 12:45 & 3 pm PETER HIMMELMAN plays the Skirball Cultural Center atop Sepulveda Pass, L.A.
* 2 pm annual “COWBOY CHRISTMAS CONCERT” with THE SONS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN and JENNIFER LIND in the Wells Fargo Theatre at the Autry National Center (Autry Museum) Griffith Park, L.A.
* 3 pm PETER HIMMELMAN plays the Skirball Cultural Center atop Sepulveda Pass, L.A.
* 3 pm Musica Angelica presents a program of “World Champs” of baroque music, in “Feste Italiane,” at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica. (Sat, Dec 4 at 8 pm at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Sun, Dec 5, at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.)
* 4 pm "KEN O'MALLEY'S TWELVE DAYS OF AN IRISH CHRISTMAS" benefit show at Glendale First United Methodist Church in Glendale is a benefit for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.
* 4 pm 29th annual “LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY CAROLING” for shut-ins, at four senior care centers and a restaurant, with many top award-winning musicians and stars of film, TV, and stage, all in the West San Fernando Valley.
* 7 pm “ALICE COLTRANE TRIBUTE” with a host of all-star musicians paying tribute to jazz legend Alice Coltrane at the “UCLA Live” series in Royce Hall, on the campus in Westwood.
* 7 pm “Randy Sparks & Friends” plus Jennifer Lind opening, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena.
* 7 pm THE DITTY BOPS return for “one very special show” at McCabe’s, Santa Monica.
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See the complete listings below for all the details.
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(2) Sunday’s RADIO & TV SHOWS
~ that feature live performance-interviews with acoustic musicians, and selected other acoustic music shows (mostly on-line, simulcast from radio stations elsewhere) are listed, in all their abundance, at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/sundays-radio-web-radio-tv-acoustic.html
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(3) Sunday’s “BEST OUT-OF-TOWN EVENTS”
~ beyond the region covered by the Guide’s usual listings:
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None reported.
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(4) Sunday’s LOCAL FESTIVALS:
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
11 am-4 pm “DOWN HOME HANUKKAH Family Festival” with THE WITCHER BROTHERS, Peter Himmelman, & KINETIC THEORY CIRCUS THEATRE at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A. 90049; 310-440-4500; www.skirball.org. Celebrate American folk art and roots music traditions at the Down Home Hanukkah festival, featuring live performances, including all-star bluegrass, country blues and Western Swing from THE WITCHER BROTHERS, and 12:45 & 3 pm performances by folk star Peter Himmelman, plus the dynamic Kinetic Theory Circus Theatre, and arts and crafts projects for all ages, woodworking and quilting demonstrations, and tasty Hanukkah treats.
+
Getting THE WITCHER BROTHERS band back together isn’t easy, because the members are in demand for tours with their other bands. Noted for their powerfully energetic instrumental solos, tight 3-part harmonies, and heartfelt original material by guitarist TONY RECUPIDO, there’s still no question that they deliver one hot show. They’ll bring their fine repertoire of traditional and contemporary bluegrass, original compositions and bluegrass gospel. The band features top fiddler GABE WITCHER, a member of the PUNCH BROTHERS with CHRIS THILE, and MICHAEL WITCHER, that hot Dobro player from MISSY RAINES & THE NEW HIP (who had their radio debut a few years back on “Tied to the Tracks”). It’s an chance to catch these masters of the mandolin, bass, banjo, fiddle and guitar, and an increasingly rare reappearance of the group playing together.
+
The Skirball says, “Families of all backgrounds cordially invited.” This is a wonderful place to visit, if you don’t already know that. Learn more and purchase/reserve tickets in advance at the venue’s website. Will-Call and doors open at 11 am.
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. See event listings below for more.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
.
(5a) Sunday’s TODAY-AND-TONIGHT-ONLY
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events:
.
.
Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
11 am-4 pm “DOWN HOME HANUKKAH Family Festival” with THE WITCHER BROTHERS, Peter Himmelman, & KINETIC THEORY CIRCUS THEATRE at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A. 90049; 310-440-4500; www.skirball.org. Celebrate American folk art and roots music traditions at the Down Home Hanukkah festival, featuring live performances, including all-star bluegrass, country blues and Western Swing from THE WITCHER BROTHERS, and 12:45 & 3 pm performances by folk star Peter Himmelman, plus the dynamic Kinetic Theory Circus Theatre, and arts and crafts projects for all ages, woodworking and quilting demonstrations, and tasty Hanukkah treats.
+
Getting THE WITCHER BROTHERS band back together isn’t easy, because the members are in demand for tours with their other bands. Noted for their powerfully energetic instrumental solos, tight 3-part harmonies, and heartfelt original material by guitarist TONY RECUPIDO, there’s still no question that they deliver one hot show. They’ll bring their fine repertoire of traditional and contemporary bluegrass, original compositions and bluegrass gospel. The band features top fiddler GABE WITCHER, a member of the PUNCH BROTHERS with CHRIS THILE, and MICHAEL WITCHER, that hot Dobro player from MISSY RAINES & THE NEW HIP (who had their radio debut a few years back on “Tied to the Tracks”). It’s an chance to catch these masters of the mandolin, bass, banjo, fiddle and guitar, and an increasingly rare reappearance of the group playing together.
+
The Skirball says, “Families of all backgrounds cordially invited.” This is a wonderful place to visit, if you don’t already know that. Learn more and purchase/reserve tickets in advance at the venue’s website. Will-Call and doors open at 11 am.
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
12:45 & 3 pm PETER HIMMELMAN plays the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A.; 310-440-4578; www.skirball.org. More at www.peterhimmelman.com. (Shows at 12:45 & 3 pm.) For more, see 11 am “Today’s Festivals” listing for “DOWN HOME HANUKKAH Family Festival.”
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Sun, Dec 5:
1-3 pm 30th annual “Holiday Spirit of San Pedro Parade” includes the Los Angeles Police Emerald Band complete with bagpipes, kit & kilt; parade route begins at 5th St & Pacific Av, San Pedro 90731.
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
2 pm annual “COWBOY CHRISTMAS CONCERT” with THE SONS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN and JENNIFER LIND in the Wells Fargo Theatre at the Autry National Center / Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, L.A. 90027; 323-667-2000; www.theautry.org. Tix, $15 for Autry or WMA members, $20 gen'l admission.
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 pm PETER HIMMELMAN plays the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A.; 310-440-4578; www.skirball.org. More at www.peterhimmelman.com. (Shows at 12:45 & 3 pm.) For more, see 11 am “Today’s Festivals” listing for “DOWN HOME HANUKKAH Family Festival.”
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 pm Musica Angelica presents a program of “World Champs” of baroque music, in “Feste Italiane,” with music director Martin Haselbock performing on organ in Vivaldi double concerto for violin and organ; plus "anti Diva" Maria Jette performing as soloist, at First Presbyterian Church, 1220 Second St, Santa Monica 90402. Info & tix orders, 310-458-4504 or www.musicaangelica.org.
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It’s works by works by Vivaldi, Pergolisi, Caldara and Bembo.
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“The orchestra just returned in October from a 17 day tour of South America,” says Laura Spino, Managing Director. “We performed at the most prestigious concert halls in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janiero, Santiago, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and I can honestly say we’re playing better than ever. Reviews often hailed us as ‘virtuosic’ and ‘dramatic’. We are truly looking forward to sharing our excellence once again with our audiences throughout Los Angeles.”
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The program for “Feste Italiane” is -
Sinfonia Concertante for two violins and strings (Caldera)
Concerto Grosso in d minor from Estro Armonico, Op. 3, No.11 (Vivaldi)
Salve Regina for soprano and orchestra
(Pergolesi)
Concerto Grosso in a minor from Estro Armonico, Op. 3 No. 8
(Vivaldi)
Per il Natale for soprano and orchestra
(Bemba)
Double Concerto for violin and organ in d minor
(Vivaldi)
Laudate pueri Dominum for soprano and orchestra (Vivaldi)
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Vivaldi’s Double Concerto for violin and organ in d minor will feature Musica Angelica’s concertmaster for Feste Italiane, Cynthia Roberts, and Martin Haselböck on organ. Organists’ Review recently described Haselböck’s performance on organ as “a superbly accomplished presentation…This is music of the very highest order played by a virtuoso.”
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Two performances: Sat, Dec 4 at 8 pm at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Sun, Dec 5, at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica. Tickets range from $15 (student price) to $55.
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
4 pm "KEN O'MALLEY'S TWELVE DAYS OF AN IRISH CHRISTMAS" benefit show at Glendale First United Methodist Church, 134 N Kenwood, Glendale. Advance tix, chris@kenomalley.com or 818-389-8512.
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"O'Malley, from Dublin, is a rare talent." — Sean Canniffe, The Irish Herald, San Francisco.
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"The star is O'Malley's voice . . . which effortlessly spans the range from sentimental ballads to aggressive Irish folk, rock and everywhere in between." — Dave Soyars, The Irish Herald.
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"Dust-free and polished to perfection, each song is performed with authenticity, and the care one might use when handling a valuable family heirloom" — Lisa Elaine Scott, Music Connection Magazine.
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Tix $20, or $50 for the entire family/household. It’s a benefit for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.
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Sun, Dec 5; an “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” for Artists:
4 pm 29th annual “LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY CAROLING” for shut-ins, at four senior care centers and a restaurant, all in the West San Fernando Valley.
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This event always brings out many top award winning musicians and stars of film, TV, and stage, who are all there, in the words of event founder VINCENT LEINEN, “to bring happiness and/or enlightenment to the elderly, to care-givers, and to participants in the event itself during the holiday season. He adds, Together we have the power to make a difference and to make the world a better place!”
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See this week’s New Features for the complete story.
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So many artists take part that an RSVP is needed so you CAN take part. You can get more details at www.ReachfortheStars.com/caroling and you can reach Vincent at 818-342-9336.
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm “ALICE COLTRANE TRIBUTE” with a host of all-star musicians, to pay tribute to jazz legend Alice Coltrane at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, Westwood; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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It’s appropriate this is at UCLA, the site of ALICE COLTRANE’s historic 1976 recording “Transfiguration.” Led by KYP MALONE (TV on the Radio, Rain Machine) and co-curated by famed record producer IAN BRENNAN, the night will feature inspirational and improvisatory music via mini sets and onstage collaborations from legendary saxophonist PHAROAH SANDERS, guitarist NELS CLINE (Wilco), acclaimed Dutch free-improvisation drummer HAN BENNINK, free jazz saxophonist DANIEL CARTER, and others. Lineup subject to change. Tix, $28-48 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm “Randy Sparks & Friends” plus Jennifer Lind opening, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”).
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Randy Sparks, the founder of the uber-famous folk revival group The New Christy Minstrels, does from time-to-time reassemble as many of the alumni as will fit on one stage. Not that it’s always the same group. When your members have included the likes of BARRY McGUIRE (famous for his banned-on-the-radio ’60s anthem, “Eve of Destruction”), and KENNY ROGERS (pre FIRST EDITION), and an underage pre-Emmy and Peabody Award-winning TRACY NEWMAN, and so many more who graduated to lead or star in their own bands or groups or as solo folk or rock acts, you could craft an entire season of “Where Are They Now?” just tracking-down former band members.
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Randy Sparks is himself quite a character. For Randy, the presumed radicalism of the ’60s often takes the form these days of comedic ditties from a decidedly conservative perspective; some are blatant in their “politically incorrect” expressions. Perhaps some of that can be explained when you know he was the best-known protégé of the late BURL IVES, and he cared for Ives in his final declining months. Ives was the Disney-movie-favorite folksinger who famously (or infamously) cooperated with HUAC – the House Un-American Activities Committee – during the McCarthy Era.
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Randy Sparks is a complex guy. He is devoted to his music charity. He still gets ’60s folk revival-era Baby Boomers singing along with big smiles, when he plays the group’s classics instead of his own newer material. And he is possessed with the artist’s penchant for a certain measure of disorganization, telling us, “I'm generally communicating with media people at the last minute, but this time I'm early,” as, for the first time ever, he sends us info a full three to four months (gasp) in advance.
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His smaller show, is a reprise (with who-knows-who-will-sign-on-at-the-last-minute-to-perform) as “Randy Sparks & Friends” on December 5 at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, no doubt owing to his ancient and continuing association with Bob Stane, pre-dating Bob’s years running the Ice House as a combination folk music haven / comedy shop.
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Those wanting to experience a (perhaps) larger cast, officially bearing the name of The New Christy Minstrels, can get tickets for their show at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center on January 9, 2011.
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In typically Randy Sparks fashion, he adds, “I suppose I ought to mention The McCallum Theater in Palm Desert on the 16th of January, also.”
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But what of the storied New Christy Minstrels -? Randy tells us, “My restored group is phenomenal these days. We have not been in concert anywhere that we haven't been asked back, and that’s gratifying. I'm 77 years old and likely couldn't get a job at Burger King, but I'm still gainfully employed, albeit we all work for a non-profit organization these days: The ‘New Christy Minstrels Foundation.’ Our goal is to give back to the schools; we NEVER charge schools for our performances.”
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He continues, “Our concert at Cerritos is a return visit. We were there on a Sunday afternoon in November of 2007, and we sold EVERY seat. We're looking to repeat that accomplishment, and we're already pretty far along, as all of the main floor $60 seats are gone. Half the house has already been sold, and we have [three] months to go. We are very quietly big business these days. We had 19 concerts in the month of October alone. What recession?”
+
Randy Sparks & Friends is, he says, “a lesser offering, and we'll be holding court at Bob Stane's place on the 5th of December.”
+
Lesser offering? Randy undoes that notion rather quickly. He says, “That's the day that Jennifer Lind, our new superstar (she is one of the ladies in the NCM, but also has an ongoing career as a soloist, and has the BEST self-produced CD that I have EVER heard!)”
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Randy points out that Jennifer Lind is opening for The Sons Of San Joaquin at The Gene Autry Theater that same day, in the afternoon.
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At this evening’s show in Altadena, Randy tells us, “Becky Jo [BENSON] and I may join Jennifer onstage for a couple of songs. The '& Friends' part of my smaller group consists of Becky Jo Benson, Jennifer, & Chuck Cole. We're unrestricted at Bob's [Coffee Gallery Backstage] showroom, so our program is wildly entertaining and great fun for me. I'm able to sing my best stuff: ‘Sluts With Tattoos,’ ‘The Man In The Moon Mooned Me,’ and ‘The Only Thing More Ferocious Than A Polar Bear Is A Bi-Polar Bear.’ Of course, we also perform the songs that the people come to hear.”
+
We did mention Randy’s “politically incorrect” songs.
+
As for the audiences Randy draws – with both his “& Friends” show and his NCM reunion productions – he says, “They are most kind to us wherever we work, and it's thrilling to actually be in demand.”
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There’s more at www.thenewchristyminstrels.com. Check venue’s website for tix $.
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Sun, Dec 5; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm THE DITTY BOPS return for “one very special show” at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl (Pico at 31st), Santa Monica 90405; www.mccabes.com; 310-828-4403; tix, 310-828-4497.
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(5b) Sunday’s RECURRING
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events.
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THERE ARE 38 (egads, Thirty-Eight!) ADDITIONAL EVENTS, TODAY & TONIGHT!
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Included are today & tonight’s weekly and monthly residencies, series, showcases, workshops, open mics and other acoustic music events that are scheduled in advance to happen today and tonight, from northern Santa Barbara County to south Orange County, from downtown L.A. to the valleys to the Inland Empire, from the desert to the sea.
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/sunday-first-sunday-every-month-in-2010.html
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 6
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ALFRED JOYCE KILMER was born on this day in 1886. His book, “Trees and Other Poems,” was published in 1914 and made him a landmark poet. Its title piece, “Trees,” had a melody added to it and it can still be found in the repertoire of musicians, worldwide. Its sentiment and simple philosophy predated the modern environmental movement by 57 years, and still remain compelling. Kilmer never had the opportunity to enjoy his global fame. He was killed in a battle as a soldier in World War I near the village of Seringens, France.
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(1) Monday’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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8 pm “The GRAMMY Museum Presents Road Stories - The Musicians” with Don Peake, Ellis Hall, Ray Pizzi, Leland Sklar, & Jonathan 'Sugarfoot' Moffett, moderated by Lenny Kalikoat, at the Grammy Museum in L.A.
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See the complete listings below for all the details.
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(2) Monday’s RADIO & TV SHOWS
~ that feature live performance-interviews with acoustic musicians, and selected other acoustic music shows (mostly on-line, simulcast from radio stations elsewhere) are listed, in all their abundance, at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/mondays-radio-web-radio-tv-acoustic.html
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(3) Monday’s “BEST OUT-OF-TOWN EVENTS”
~ beyond the region covered by the Guide’s usual listings:
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Check back later.
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(4) Monday’s LOCAL FESTIVALS:
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. See event listings below for more.
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(5a) Monday’s TODAY-AND-TONIGHT-ONLY
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events:
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Mon, Dec 6; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “The GRAMMY Museum Presents Road Stories - The Musicians” with Don Peake, Ellis Hall, Ray Pizzi, Leland Sklar, & Jonathan 'Sugarfoot' Moffett, moderated by Lenny Kalikoat, at the Grammy Museum’s Clive Davis Sound Stage, 800 W Olympic Bl, L.A. 90015; 213-765-6803; www.grammymuseum.org.
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Five of the great studio musicians who have recorded and performed with the most famous artists of our time share a lifetime of memories together. The group includes Don Peake (guitar- Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Jackson Five, etc.) Ellis Hall (keyboards & vocals – Ray Charles, Kenny G, Stevie Wonder, etc.) Ray Pizzi (wind instruments –Frank Zappa, Madonna, James Brown, etc.) Leland Sklar (bass- Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Phil Collins, etc.) and Jonathan 'Sugarfoot' Moffett (drums - The Jacksons, Madonna, Elton John, etc.). Lenny Kalikow, editor & publisher of the industry newsletter, “New On The Charts,” moderates the event. To RSVP, email programs@grammymuseum.org. Seating reservations are first come, first served.
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(5b) Monday’s RECURRING
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events.
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THERE ARE 22 (Twenty-two!) ADDITIONAL EVENTS, TODAY & TONIGHT!
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Included are today & tonight’s weekly and monthly residencies, series, showcases, workshops, open mics and other acoustic music events that are scheduled in advance to happen today and tonight, from northern Santa Barbara County to south Orange County, from downtown L.A. to the valleys to the Inland Empire, from the desert to the sea.
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/monday-first-monday-every-month-in-2010.html
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7
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On this day in 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the US Constitution.
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On this day in 1941, which fell that year on a Sunday, the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet and numerous US Navy and US Army Air Corps airfields in and around Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, were attacked by aircraft carrier-based torpedo bomber, high-altitude and dive bomber, and fighter aircraft of the Empire of Imperial Japan. See this week’s News Features for a perspective on what that means to us in today’s world.
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(1) Tuesday’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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8 pm TERESA TUDURY plus THE SHRUGGERS at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena.
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See the complete listings below for all the details.
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(2) Tuesday’s RADIO & TV SHOWS
~ that feature live performance-interviews with acoustic musicians, and selected other acoustic music shows (mostly on-line, simulcast from radio stations elsewhere) are listed, in all their abundance, at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/tuesdays-radio-web-radio-tv-acoustic.html
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(3) Tuesday’s “BEST OUT-OF-TOWN EVENTS”
~ beyond the region covered by the Guide’s usual listings:
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Check back later.
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(4) Tuesday’s LOCAL FESTIVALS:
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. See event listings below for more.
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(5a) Tuesday’s TODAY-AND-TONIGHT-ONLY
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events:
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Tue, Dec 7; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm TERESA TUDURY plus THE SHRUGGERS at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”). Hold on to your seats as Teresa Tudury takes you on a musical journey of wild and powerful songs and stories from the depths of her incredibly rich and inspiring repertoire.
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TERESA TUDURY is an absolute original. From her San Francisco roots to the Greek Islands to New York and LA, she wakes up the music scene. Teresa creates a loyal following and rave reviews wherever she performs. Our world is richer with such a rare talent in our midst.
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Bob Stane says: “Teresa is the funniest person singing on our stage. Other acts should come in and pay just to watch her comic stage craft.”
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“Part chanteuse, part comedian, part bona fide pop artist…and a voice that could stop a war.” —Buzz Weekly.
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“Picture a cross between Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt musically, and toss-in the most side-splitting stage patter imaginable, and you have Ms. Tudury.” —Johnny Angel, LA Weekly.
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“I think ‘Cheering Your Little Ass On’ is the greatest song ever written.”—Charles Perry, Rolling Stone and L.A. Times.
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"Leonard Cohen meets Bessie Smith " – Fan, overheard at a "Teresa" concert.
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PLUS, a jazz treat with THE SHRUGGERS, a newly-minted trio making waves in the L.A. Jazz scene. Bob Stane says, “Tiruviluamala plays the keys as if they were on fire, only to be contained by his cool, soft musical nature. Furthermore, the dynamic playing of the saxophone and guitar holds interesting, as Earnest's golden alto models the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, while Fisk's guitar imitates that of John Coltrane. Freely passing from groove to groove and always ready to improvise, these guys have done their homework and are out to prove it! In the beginning they found themselves recording each jam session, trying desperately to capture each unique musical moment. One take, one smile inducing listen back, and it was on to the next track. Peter Fisk is the late comer in the group. He spent the last 6 years of his musical career studying classical guitar, only to discover that jazz improvisation was his true passion. Nakul Tiruviluamala is also a classically trained musician, who worked regularly with saxophonist and keyboardist, Joey Earnest. Nakul brings a unique use of classical phrasing to his jazz playing, which is very deep in the blues. Earnest is, by all means, a front man. Very clever in his ideas to rearticulate old standards, Earnest is capable of producing sounds on his saxophone that have possibly never been attained.”
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Tix, $18.
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(ADDED MONDAY, DEC 6) Tue, Dec 7:
8 pm JOYCE WOODSON, RAY DOYLE, BRITTA LEE SHAIN, and DALE LaDUKE perform at BETH FITCHET WOOD'S "SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE" at the Marine Room Tavern, 214 Ocean Av, Laguna Beach; 949-494-3027.
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JOYCE WOODSON is a bona fide western music star.
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BRITTA tells us, "My CD, 'Between The River And The Road,' is getting airplay all over the U.S. and in Australia, Canada, Israel and the Netherlands! I'll be performing an upbeat 4-song set. My good friend Dale La Duke will accompany me on accordion and keys and then perform his own set."
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"Laguna Beach’s Marine Room Tavern is a “tell-it-like-it-is” neighborhood bar complete with straight-shooting bartenders, oversized marine life ominously stuffed-and-mounted on the walls and a pack of crusty surf dogs hunched over barstools playing online poker in the corner. The bar is owned and operated by local councilman Kelly Boyd ...and caters to those who like their music live and their drinks straight up."
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(5b) Tuesday’s RECURRING
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events.
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THERE ARE 29 (wow, Twenty-nine!) ADDITIONAL EVENTS, TODAY & TONIGHT!
+
Included are today & tonight’s weekly and monthly residencies, series, showcases, workshops, open mics and other acoustic music events that are scheduled in advance to happen today and tonight, from northern Santa Barbara County to south Orange County, from downtown L.A. to the valleys to the Inland Empire, from the desert to the sea.
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/tuesday-first-tuesday-every-month-in.html
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8
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(1) Wednesday’s “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” picks:
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* 8 pm “Celtic Tenors Holiday Show” mixes Christmas cheer with seasonal and spiritual favorites in a performance at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.
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See the complete listings below for all the details.
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(2) Wednesday’s RADIO & TV SHOWS
~ that feature live performance-interviews with acoustic musicians, and selected other acoustic music shows (mostly on-line, simulcast from radio stations elsewhere) are listed, in all their abundance, at
.
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/wednesdays-radio-web-radio-tv-acoustic.html
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(3) Wednesday’s “BEST OUT-OF-TOWN EVENTS”
~ beyond the region covered by the Guide’s usual listings:
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Check back later.
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(4) Wednesday’s LOCAL FESTIVALS:
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. See event listings below for more.
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(5a) Wednesday’s TODAY-AND-TONIGHT-ONLY
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events:
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Wed, Dec 8; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “Celtic Tenors Holiday Show” mixes Christmas cheer with seasonal and spiritual favorites in a performance at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Dr, Cerritos; info, 562-916-8501; 800-300-4345; tix, 562-467-8818 or 562 467 8839 or www.cerritoscenter.com.
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The Celtic Tenors garnered an Echo award for their self-titled debut album, which went Platinum and landed on Billboard's top 10 chart.
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(5b) Wednesday’s RECURRING
“LOS ANGELES AREA ACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCES” and related events.
+
THERE ARE 31 (wow, Thirty-One!) ADDITIONAL EVENTS, TODAY & TONIGHT!
+
Included are today & tonight’s weekly and monthly residencies, series, showcases, workshops, open mics and other acoustic music events that are scheduled in advance to happen today and tonight, from northern Santa Barbara County to south Orange County, from downtown L.A. to the valleys to the Inland Empire, from the desert to the sea.
.
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/07/wednesday-second-wednesday-every-month.html
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BEYOND THE CURRENT EDITION…
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Coming up, through the remainder of autumn, the coming winter, and waaaay into next year…
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(6) EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS / UPCOMING EVENTS / BUY TIX NOW
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(Updated December 1 - Check back frequently for more.)
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HELP KEEP THE GUIDE GOING! Send us $25 and get great goodies in return! Find out WHAT you get, and more, at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/support-guide-and-get-some-great-dvds.html )
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UPCOMING SHOWS – GET TIX EARLY…
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December:
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Dec 2–Dec 30:
5-10 pm (Light Display Hours) 15th annual “LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER GRIFFITH PARK LIGHT FESTIVAL” on Crystal Springs Drive, in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. This year’s annual event has nights for pedestrians and bicycles, horseback riders, and more, in addition to the run of nights when only cars make the trip to view the park’s annual light displays. Come see this magnificent display of lights that’s been a tradition for 13 years.
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Schedule for what conveyances are allowed when (including your feet):
> Dec 4-17 are “Vehicle Free Nights,” no cars allowed - you can walk, jog, run, bike, stroll, crawl…anything, except drive.
> Dec 9-30 on Mon, Tue, Wed, & Thurs only - “Horse Enthusiasts” nights, when you can see the lights on horseback.
> Dec 18-30: “Drive through” nights to see the Griffith Park Festival of lights from the comforts of your warm car.
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Exit the Golden State Fwy (I-5) at Los Feliz. Go west on Los Feliz and turn right onto Crystal Springs Dr. Proceed to the entrance of the Light Festival. To view the Light Festival by foot on the walking path, park at the L.A. Zoo’s big parking lot. More info at www.ladwp.com. Free.
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Thu, Dec 9; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm STEPHANIE BETTMAN & LUKE HALPIN play their “Farewell to California” show, before moving to Colorado, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”).
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They present, as venue impresario Bob stane says, “An original and extraordinary fiddle & guitar show.”
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And the critics love ‘em:
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“That Stephanie Bettman has reached a level comparable to others like Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez and Alison Krauss so quickly it’s a bit uncanny.” –Country Jukebox, Germany
“Bettman jams it up like few others as she leads an ensemble with great imagination.” – Maverick Magazine, UK.
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Stephanie Bettman is a singer-songwriter-fiddler extraordinaire and has been generating a buzz in bluegrass-country circles with inevitable comparisons to Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris. Her partner, multi-instrumentalist, Luke Halpin, is an awesome talent in his own right. Named by Larry Wines in Folkworks Magazine as one of LA’s Top Ten Female Singer Songwriters, Stephanie’s songs are sometimes sad, sometimes sassy but always stunning. Together she and Luke have been winners in many local and national competitions including:
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* Grand Prize Winners in the 2008 So Cal Live Acoustic Music Competition.
* Winners in the 2007 Topanga Banjo / Fiddle contest.
* Folk Works Top Ten Los Angeles based female singer-songwriters of 2008.
* Music Connection’s Top Twenty-Five New Music Critiques of 2008.
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Inspired by the likes of Sam Bush, Tony Rice, and Mark O’Conner, Luke’s perfectly blended harmonies and his instrumental expertise together with Stephanie’s artistry and performance make for a dynamic entertaining experience. One thing’s for sure, if Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin are on the bill, you are in for an unforgettable performance that will have you hooked from the first fiddle line to the last sweet harmony.
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Yes, they will journey back from Colorado from time to time, but this is their official farewell to SoCal show. Tix, $15.
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Fri, Dec 10; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm AL STEWART plays the Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University, 24255 PCH, Malibu; 310-506-4522; www.pepperdine.edu/cfa. He’s famous for those great songs, “Time Passages” and “Year of the Cat,” and he gets to L.A. only once every couple of years… More at www.alstewart.com
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Fri, Dec 10; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
ANAIS MITCHELL & THE HADESTOWN ORCHESTRA and their “folk opera” makes its McCabe's debut, plus opening act NeeMA, at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl (Pico at 31st), Santa Monica 90405; www.mccabes.com; 310-828-4403; tix, 310-828-4497. Anais Mitchell is presenting the music of Hadestown featuring Thao Nguyen, Sean Hayes, John Elliott, and the Hadestown Orchestra/Michael Chorney sextet. Opening the evening is NEeMA, the Canadian chanteuse and protege of Leonard Cohen, who produced her debut.
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Fri, Dec 10; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm MOJACAR FLAMENCO plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com.
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Fri, Dec 10:
8 pm Joe Walla plus BOBBY BLUEHOUSE opening at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia 91006; 626-447-9349; www.arcadiabluesclub.com. Joe Walla at 10:30, Bobby Bluehouse at 8. More at http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=4175626&s=93914888. Tix, $10.
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Sat, Dec 11, a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm THE TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS, top award-winning Western group, touring their brand-new CD, "Blaze Across the West," at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”).
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The group launched their career at this world-famous little venue, and any time they return, it’s a celebration for those who saw their first show, and for those on stage.
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If the real west is a state of mind, it should surprise no one that not a herd of Texans, but rather a Southern-California-based outfit, THE TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS, are the current holders of the top awards bestowed by both entities who recognize the best in Western music. The Tumbleweed’s growing fan base will be happy to know the sophomore CD is set for release on Saturday, November 13 (as of the Guide’s October press time).
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The group won top honors from both the Academy of Western Artists and the Western Music Association following release of their debut album in 2008. Even before arrival of the new CD, the group is currently nominated for the 2010 Western Music Association "Outstanding Entertainer-Group Award" of 2010. With no Grammy specifically for western music, those are the top honors in the genre.
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They’ve been performing the material from their brand-new “Blaze Across the West” album for the past few months, including their new originals when they headlined the “National Day of the Cowboy & Cowgirl” this summer, which set attendance records at the Autry Museum in L.A.’s Griffith Park.
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To simply call this group a charming throwback to the SONS OF THE PIONEERS (complete with matching outfits) denies the originality the Tumbleweeds inject. Sure, they began as a tribute to that classic cowboy group. But they’ve grown their own identity. Among those who celebrate their music and performance? "Great Harmony, creative arrangements, keeping the tradition alive!" raves “RANGER DOUG” (aka DOUGLAS B. GREEN), of the Grammy-winning RIDERS IN THE SKY.
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Band members “TUMBLEWEED ROB” WOLFSKILL, “BIG CADE” PARENTI, CHRIS ACUFF and “BABYFACE” R.J. MILLS, are accompanied on the new CD by featured players JEAN SUDBURY on fiddle and “SMOKIN’ DAN” DUNGAN on bass.
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The group’s second album is being released both as a CD and digital download. The physical CD is available at www.thetumblingtumbleweeds.com, and on www.CDBaby.com, and digital download is available on iTunes and CDBaby.
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The new album includes five of their original tunes, “The Mighty Santa Fe,” ”Lazin’ Down the Trail,” “Sleepin’ on a Mountain,” “California,” and “So Now You’ve Gone,” each co-written and arranged by the group. As with their debut album, The quartet of Tumbling Tumbleweeds vocalists (and practitioners of fancy footwork) are accompanied on the recorded tracks by Sudbury on fiddle and Dungan on bass. In addition, the album features some notable musical guests.
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TUMBLEWEED ROB says, “We… wanted to go for a more lavish sound on this album and we are thrilled to have some of our friends in the western music world join us on this recording to add to our sound.”
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The result of these collaborations has produced the swing tune, “The Mighty Santa Fe,” featuring the group’s western music pal RIC STEINKE of OPEN RANGE on steel guitar; “Sleepin’ on a Mountain,” featuring “Harmonicowboy” GARY ALLEGRETTO on harmonica (he’s up for a “Grammy consideration”); “California,” a rollicking ranchera-styled homage to the group’s home state, featuring “conjunto norteno” style accordion master OTONO LUJAN of LOS POCHOS. And there’s a medley of swing classics, “You’re Getting Tired of Me” and “You Waited Too Long,” connected with an original Tumbleweeds tune, “So Now You’ve Gone,” making up the album’s “Lost Love Medley” and featuring Steinke once more on steel guitar.
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“We feel strongly about continuing to present the classic songs of the West that folks have come to expect from us,” asserts TUMBLEWEED ROB. He says the group wants to, “share our own thoughts and feelings about what the West means to us. That’s why we included a selection of both classic and original songs on this album.” Tix price, tba.
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm JOEL RAFAEL plays the Folk Music Center, 220 Yale Av, Claremont; 909-624-2928; www.folkmusiccenter.com. He’s a fine songwriter and such a distinctive vocalist that Norah Guthrie has given him original WOODY GUTHRIE lyrics for which he has written music and recorded. He always delivers a fine show.
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Sat, Dec 11, in Yucca Valley; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm "KEN O'MALLEY'S TWELVE DAYS OF AN IRISH CHRISTMAS" show at Yucca Valley United Methodist Church 57273 Onaga Trail, Yucca Valley. Advance tix, chris@kenomalley.com or 818-389-8512.
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"O'Malley, from Dublin, is a rare talent." — Sean Canniffe, The Irish Herald, San Francisco.
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"The star is O'Malley's voice . . . which effortlessly spans the range from sentimental ballads to aggressive Irish folk, rock and everywhere in between." — Dave Soyars, The Irish Herald.
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"Dust-free and polished to perfection, each song is performed with authenticity, and the care one might use when handling a valuable family heirloom" — Lisa Elaine Scott, Music Connection Magazine.
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Tix $15.
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7:30 pm BAYOU SECO plays the “SongTree” concert series at 820 N Fairview Av, Goleta; 805-403-2639. Show and series info, www.songtree.org. More at www.bayouseco.com
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 & 10 pm DAN HICKS & THE HOT LICKS present "HOLIDAZE IN HICKSVILLE" - CD release concert for the upcoming “Crazy For Christmas” album, at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl (Pico at 31st), Santa Monica 90405; www.mccabes.com; 310-828-4403; tix, 310-828-4497. This band is an-star outfit, with standout fiddler RICHARD CHON (SONS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN, SADDLE CATS), songs that were hits, and more that should’ve been. Highly musical, highly entertaining, even before we hear their “Hicksville” take on Holiday material. More at www.danhicks.net. Tix, $26.50.
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm CHRIS STUART & BACKCOUNTRY bring their splendid West Coast bluegrass to Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City; www.boulevardmusic.com; 310-398-2583. Venue’s website has a helpful local dining guide.
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With a repertoire of classics and fine originals by Chris Stuart and banjo master JANET BEAZLEY, it’s no wonder they play a far-flung circuit of bluegrass festivals. Remember to request “50 Naked Pentecostals in a Pontiac.” It’s based on a true story that coulda come right out of Keith Olbermann’s “Oddball” feature. More at www.chrisstuart.com
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm RONNY COX plays the “Caltech Folk Music Society” series at the CALTECH FOLK MUSIC SOCIETY series in Beckman Institute Auditorium (“Little Beckman”) on the campus, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; 626-395-4652, or toll-free 888-2CALTECH (1-888-222-5832). More on the Caltech Folk Music Series at www.folkmusic.caltech.edu - and check-out other music on campus at Caltech Presents / Caltech Public Events series at www.events.caltech.edu.
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RONNY COX is a famous screen and TV actor who played Woody Guthrie’s sidekick in “Bound for Glory,” and he’s known to millions from his first film role, which included playing the “Dueling Banjos” guitar part in “Deliverance.” More recently, Ronny Cox played slithery corporate snakes in “RoboCop” and “Total Recall.” He’s played the President of the United States 20-some times, and had the recurring role as the Senator who kept trying to shutdown TV‘s “Stargate.” Ronny is a fine songwriter and folk singer who earned “Listener Favorite” honors on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks.” He charms crowds with self-teasing humor, tart progressive insight, and a lulling Southwestern folk sound. His repertoire is a smart mix of witty ditties, bluesy swing tunes, heart-on-sleeve Romances, and real-life anthems. Ronny’s newest CD, "Songs... with Repercussions" was reviewed in FolkWorks (www.folkworks.org/content/view/36151/167) by the Guide’s editor, en-route to its reaching # 1 on the Folk DJ playlist, and finishing as # 48 for the entire year. Ronny’s all-star accompanists – award-winning musicians in their own rights – join him for this performance. They are Austin-based KAREN MAL on mandolin, and RADOSLAV LORKOVIC on accordion and keyboards. More at www.ronnycox.com.
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The campus ticket office handles the Folk Music Society’s advance tickets, takes credit cards, and is open Noon-5 pm, Mon-Fri; their number is 626-395-4652. As the date gets close, this will likely sell-out. Tickets are $15, $5 for children and Caltech students.
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm SLIGO RAGS plays the Fret House, 309 N Citrus, Covina; 626-339-7020; www.frethouse.com. They’ve won awards individually and collectively, and oft been acclaimed as the best Celtic band in Southern California – and even the purists enjoy their delivery of Irish and Celtic music with a decidedly bluegrass attitude. Larry Wines named them among the “Best of 2008 / Top Ten” acoustic bands in L.A.
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Sat, Dec 11; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick, in South OC:
8 pm AL STEWART plays The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano; 949-496-8927; www.thecoachhouse.com. He’s famous for those great songs, “Time Passages” and “Year of the Cat,” and he gets to L.A. only once every couple of years… More at www.alstewart.com
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Sat, Dec 11:
8 pm Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers plus BOBBY BLUEHOUSE opening at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia 91006; 626-447-9349; www.arcadiabluesclub.com. Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers at 10:30, Bobby Bluehouse at 8. Tix, $20.
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Sun, Dec 12; an “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” FOR ARTISTS:
1 pm WORKSHOP WITH JEFF LINSKY, at the Fret House, 309 N Citrus, Covina; 626-339-7020; www.frethouse.com. Plus, he does a concert here tonight at 8 that’s a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick. More at www.jefflinsky.com
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Sun, Dec 12; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
2 pm JIM CURRY PRESENTS “A JOHN DENVER CHRISTMAS” is a matinee at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com. This will sell-out, so make reservations early, or take your chances with the waiting list. Jim Curry was the singing voice of the late John Denver in the movie, “Take Me Home, the John Denver Story.” He did this show here last year and it was marvelous.
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Sun, Dec 12, in Redlands; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 pm "KEN O'MALLEY'S TWELVE DAYS OF AN IRISH CHRISTMAS" show at the Fox Theatre 123 Cajon St., Redlands; www.foxeventcenter.com.
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"O'Malley, from Dublin, is a rare talent." — Sean Canniffe, The Irish Herald, San Francisco.
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"The star is O'Malley's voice . . . which effortlessly spans the range from sentimental ballads to aggressive Irish folk, rock and everywhere in between." — Dave Soyars, The Irish Herald.
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"Dust-free and polished to perfection, each song is performed with authenticity, and the care one might use when handling a valuable family heirloom" — Lisa Elaine Scott, Music Connection Magazine.
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Advance tix, chris@kenomalley.com or 818-389-8512. Tix $15.
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Sun, Dec 12; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
5 pm LEROY THOMAS & THE ZYDECO ROADRUNNERS perform for the “Cajun-Zydeco Dance Series” at the Golden Sails Hotel, in the PCH Club, 6285 E Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach.
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Sun, Dec 12; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm JEFF LINSKY performs at the Fret House, 309 N Citrus, Covina; 626-339-7020; www.frethouse.com. Plus, he does a workshop here today at 1 pm that’s an “EVENT-OF-THE-WEEK” FOR ARTISTS (see listing). More at www.jefflinsky.com.
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Mon, Dec 13; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm KRIS COLT & THE BLACK ROSE BAND plus JOHN ANDREW PARKS play the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com. More at www.kriscolt.com and www.johnandrewparks.com
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Mon & Tue, Dec 13 & 14; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm "FREE COFFEE & DOUGHNUTS - SONGS FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION(S), 1929 / 2010" at Neighborhood Unitarian Church, 301 N Orange Grove Bl, Pasadena 91103. Tix, $35 & $27.
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Tue, Dec 14; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm LED ZEPAGAIN plays an “All Acoustic Show” at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com. They’re one of the top Led Zep tribute bands in the country, they’ve played many large venues, and if you’ve never heard “Stairway to Heaven” done acoustically, that alone is worth the price of admission to see them in L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room.
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Tue, Dec 14; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm AARON SALĀ plays the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org. This promises to be a fine show in a very fine venue for music.
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Thu, Dec 16; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm SALTY SUITES, the uber-talented trio ensemble of Scott Gates, Chuck Hailes, & Chelsea Williams, play the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com.
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Thu, Dec 16; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick in San Diego:
8 pm LOS LOBOS play the Belly Up Tavern, 143 S Cedros Av, Solano Beach (San Diego); 858-481-9022; www.bellyup.com. The best L.A. garage band that ever made it big still mixes acoustic and electric tunes and maintains their musical roots in a variety of places, including Southwestern Folk. More at www.loslobos.org
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Thu, Dec 16; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick in San Diego:
8 pm JOEL RAFAEL with LEON RUSSELL and GREGORY PAGE play 4th and B, 345 B St, San Diego 92101; 619-231-4343; www.4thandbevents.com. More at www.joelrafael.com
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Fri, Dec 17; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick, in Santa Barbara:
8 pm BELA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES bring their “Christmas Show” to UCSB Campbell Hall, on the campus in Santa Barbara; tix & info, 805-893-3535; www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu. One of the world’s best and most innovative banjo players and his ensemble can take you just about anywhere, musically. More at www.flecktones.com
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Fri, Dec 17; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm CLIFF WAGNER & THE OLD #7 play the Grand Annex, 434 W 6th St, San Pedro; 310-833-6362; www.grandvision.org. They’ve brought their rolickin’ bluegrass-and-beyond music to national TV and plenty of other places, and this is a homecoming for them, back to the venue they helped open a few years ago. Expect some holoday-flavored tunes. More at www.oldnumber7.net
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Fri, Dec 17; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “SONGS FROM THE DAYS OF THE BYRDS AND BEYOND,” with ex-BYRDS JOHN YORK & Billy Darnell, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”).
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They just did this show here, a couple months back, and created such a buzz that venue impresario Bob Stane had to find a way to bring them back. Hence, a second rare chance to see two former members of the legendary folk-rock band, The Byrds.
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JOHN YORK played bass for blues legend Lightin' Hopkins. Over the years, as a performing singer-songwriter, John has been a constant musical creative force in support of acts like The Mamas & the Papas, Dr. John, Johnny Rivers, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Sir Douglas Quintet, & Rolling Stones keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. Recently, John completed a new solo album, “Fanfare For 2,” and another CD, “West Coast Revelation,” a collaboration with rock legend Kim Fowley.
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Billy Darnell joins John on stage. A veteran performer, Billy was with John in a later Byrds band with Gene Clark. He has also played guitar for The Everly Brothers, Dr. John and Doug Kershaw.
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The show is filled with familiar Byrds tunes for sing-along, fine original songs and great interpretations of songs from the era, and, adds Bob Stane, “The best music this side of Bob Dylan and The Band. Come join us for an evening of great artistry and entertainment.” Tix, $15.
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Fri, Dec 17; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
10 pm KEN O'MALLEY brings his marvelous voice, masterful guitar, and authentic and original Irish songs to the Auld Dubliner, 71 S Pine Av, Long Beach 90802; 562-437-8300; www.aulddubliner.com. More at www.kenomalley.com
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Sat, Dec 18; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm THE WITCHER BROTHERS, perhaps the top bluegrass / newgrass act to develop from West Coast roots, performs at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City; www.boulevardmusic.com; 310-398-2583.
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Getting this band back together isn’t easy, because its members are in demand for tours with their other bands. Noted for their powerfully energetic instrumental solos, tight 3-part harmonies, and heartfelt original material by guitarist TONY RECUPIDO, there’s still no question that THE WITCHER BROTHERS deliver one hot show. They’ll bring their fine repertoire of traditional and contemporary bluegrass, original compositions and bluegrass gospel. The band features top fiddler GABE WITCHER, a member of the PUNCH BROTHERS with CHRIS THILE, and MICHAEL WITCHER, that hot Dobro player from MISSY RAINES & THE NEW HIP (who had their radio debut a few years back on “Tied to the Tracks”). It’s an evening with masters of the mandolin, bass, banjo, fiddle and guitar, and a rare reappearance of the group playing together.
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Venue’s website has a helpful local dining guide. This will surely sell-out. Tix go on sale Dec 4; $15.
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Sat, Dec 18; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm BELA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES bring their “Christmas Show” to the Orpheum Theatre, 842 South Broadway, L.A.; tix & info, 213-749-5171; www.laorpheum.com. One of the world’s best and most innovative banjo players and his ensemble can take you just about anywhere, musically. More at www.flecktones.com
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Sat, Dec 18; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm THE DUO TONES, the surf guitar duo of pioneering stars PAUL JOHNSON & GIL ORR, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com.
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Sat, Dec 18; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm LOS LOBOS with LOS FABULOCOS at The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano; 949-496-8927; www.thecoachhouse.com. LOS LOBOS is still the best L.A. garage band that ever made it big, and they still mix acoustic and electric tunes and maintain their musical roots in a variety of places, including Southwestern Folk. More at www.loslobos.org
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Sat, Dec 18, in Ventura County; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm Special “HOLIDAY SHOW” featuring Songmakers MERLIN & DEBBIE SNIDER, JIM ST. OURS, GEMINI, SOUTH COAST, DAN LEVITT, DESERT WIND TRIO, KG, JACK ZIGRAY, MIKE DAVIS, & STAN CADRANEL, at the “Camarillo Café Concert Series,” at Camarillo Community Center, 1605 E Burnley St (NE corner, Carmen & Burnley), Camarillo; info, WhatsHappening@CamarilloCafe.com or 805-523-2682; website, www.CamarilloCafe.com. Sponsored by Pleasant Valley Recreation & Parks District. Produced by Gary & Kathy Lynch.
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For those unfamiliar with these strong roots-Americana musicians, all Ventura County-based, it’s more than worth the drive over the hills to Camarillo – especially to see so many of these folks performing in the same line-up.
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The personnel in the groups is:
Merlin and Debbie Snider, and Jim St. Ours, performing as themselves.
Gemini – the duo of Bruce Farwell & Renata Decher
South Coast – the band centered on Don Truby & Jean Pickard, probably joined by Dan Levitt, Mike & Sue Davis, who are also performing
Desert Wind Trio – the band of Bob Kroll, Kay Conroy & Ann Howitt
KG – the band of Gary Lynch, Kathy Lynch & Patty Quintana
More at www.songmakers.org
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Sat, Dec 18, in San Diego:
7:30 pm DAVID ARKENSTONE & FRIENDS play the AMSD Concert Series, 4650 Mansfield St, San Diego; 619-303-8176; www.amsd.com. More at www.davidarkenstone.com
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 pm RENAISSANCE brings their multiple-award-winning A Capella voices for a Holiday-themed matinee at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424, info, www.coffeegallery.com
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm ”A Small Circle of Friends celebrate Phil Ochs' 70th Birthday” with ROSS ALTMAN, LEN CHANDLER, CAROLYN HESTER, DRAYFUS GRAYSON, NEIL HARTMAN, & EVA SCHERB, at The Found Theatre, 599 Long Beach Bl, Long Beach; 562-433-3363; www.foundtheatre.org. This’ll sell-out, without question, so don’t dawdle getting your tickets.
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm Murry Hammond plus Murry Hammond at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena 91001; reservations 626-794-2424; venue phone 626-398-7917; info www.coffeegallery.com. (“the venue named in FolkWorks as L.A.’s best intimate acoustic listening room venue”).
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Alexa Woodward is a banjo-playing singer-songwriter whose last album charted in the top 200 college radio charts in the United States and was played on numerous National Public Radio programs. She’s been likened to Sufjan Stevens, Judy Garland, and Neko Case. Her songs have been aired on national television in the US and in Australia (Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and feature documentary "Twilight in Forks" in the US and “The Wall” in Australia). She received acclaim as a semifinalist in New York's largest songwriting contest, Jezebel Music's “Williamsburg Live Songwriter Competition.”
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Alexa Woodward’s haunting banjo songs blend her southern roots with the urban folk sounds of Boston and New York. With a distinctive banjo playing style and lyrics that carry the listener into stories of raw human experience, Woodward is well received by audiences across the US – having played over thirty states – and in Scandinavia.
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She’s been celebrated in the local media: "Woodward’s songs are like mountain music with an MFA... [she] impresses both in concert and on disc, making her someone for Americana connoisseurs to keep an eye on." – Michael Berrick, LA Weekly
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More at www.myspace.com/alexawoodward and www.alexawoodward.org
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Plus,
Murry Hammond, practitioner of railroad and train songs.
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"I wonder which came first for Murry Hammond, his fascination with trains or his love of country music. Locomotives have inspired scores of country and western songs from ‘Waiting for a Train’ to ‘Let the Train Blow the Whistle,’ which have made them metaphors for loneliness, wanderlust, death, freedom, imprisonment, and so on and so forth. Possibly only zombies have more allegorical potential. Hammond's day-job band, the Old 97s, is named after a train song (‘Wreck of the Old 97’), and his first album as a solo artist, ‘I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way,’ is a collection of originals and mostly covers that employ trains as vehicles for a spiritual journey, casting life's tribulations (the death of his father, the hard times in the Old 97s) as treacherous mountain passes and arduous treks along miles of tracks until it reaches a heavenly destination. It can be heavy listening, but Hammond's ear for odd, droning soundscapes, his fondness for shuffling brushed-snare beats, and his liberal take on old songs lend it a sense of real discovery." – Stephen M. Deusner, February 20, 2009, in Pitchfork.com.
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You can hear Murry Hammond at www.old97s.com . Tix, $15.
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm annual “BOULEVARD MUSIC FREE HOLIDAY SHOW” at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City; www.boulevardmusic.com; 310-398-2583. It’s a fun-filled evening as staff, music teachers, families and friends congregate for “the one evening” when the music store and concert venue transforms into “the house of schmooze,” as proprietor Gary Mandell says. Gary promises and surprises and repeatedly mentions free cookies, along with something called “Kathy’s Kholesterol Krunch.” Venue’s website has a helpful local dining guide, but save room for the free cookies. Free event.
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7:30 pm SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK play the Broad Theatre at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St, Santa Monica; 310-434-3200; www.thebroadstage.com. More at www.sweethoney.com
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm DAVID LINDLEY plus TOULOUSE ENGELHARDT & KK MARTIN playing together, at The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano; 949-496-8927; www.thecoachhouse.com
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Sun, Dec 19; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm LOS LOBOS play the House Of Blues, 8430 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood 90069; 323-848-5100; www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/sunsetstrip. LOS LOBOS is still the best L.A. garage band that ever made it big, and they still mix acoustic and electric tunes and maintain their musical roots in a variety of places, including Southwestern Folk. More at www.loslobos.org
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Mon, Dec 20; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA play the Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Av, downtown L.A.; 323-850-2000; www.musiccenter.org/wdch. More at www.blindboys.com
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Mon, Dec 20; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm JOHN KAYE & FRIENDS, with Rich Niego & Iain Ashley Hersey, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; reservations, 626-794-2424; info, www.coffeegallery.com. The lead guitar from STEPPENWOLF with his stellar musician buddies… wow.
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Tue, Dec 21; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7 pm SCOTT GATES & NATHAN McEUEN play the “BLUEGRASS AT THE BRAEMAR” series sponsored by the Bluegrass Association of Southern California (BASC) at Braemar Country Club, 4001 Reseda Bl, Tarzana; 818-705-8870.
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Fri, Dec 24; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3-6 pm 51st Annual “L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION” brings 23 music and dance groups to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, downtown L.A. 90012, for a free live performance. Attend free or catch it on KCET TV broadcast channel 28, or check your local cable listings (or www.kcet.org) and it’s live on radio on KPFK 90.7 FM. Info, www.HolidayCelebration.org; hotline, 213-972-3099.
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For half a century, it’s been an annual big deal for indie musicians, youth performance troupes, and seasoned touring pros fresh off the road and home for the holidays. The musicians and dancers are from across L.A. County – one of the few times each year that the local talent pool is showcased in a major media event – and the broadcast of the show has been nominated for an Emmy. For many years through this year, a condensed version of the previous year’s show airs nationally on PBS (that’ll change when KCET goes indie on January 1). The performance is produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and lighting, sound, sets and broadcast sound and visual images are first-rate, even if the hosts are always an uneven mix of seasoned mic jockeys and embarrassingly awkward anointed “celebrities.”
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But it’s what’s on stage that matters. Since 1964, the program “honors the spirit of many cultures and holiday traditions through music, song and dance.” In recent years, the lineup has included notable folk-Americana artists like Grammy-nominee Lisa Haley & the Zydecats and bluegrass and blues acts. Some years are more “folky” than others, and some feature more acoustic renaissance singer-songwriters and bands than other years. There are always acts that can be called “world folk.”
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Acts performing this year are:
(* denotes first-time participants in the show)
Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers
Antics PeRformances
Christian's Community Center Cathedral Choir
Colburn Children’s Choir
Elliot Deutsch Big Band *
Gabriella Axelrad Education Foundation *
Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles
Halau O Lilinoe *
Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble
Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy
Loch and Key *
Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Young Men’s Ensemble *
L.A. City Elementary School Music Association Women’s Chorale *
Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez
Mr. Vallenato *
NDM Bollywood *
Pacifico Dance Company
Palmdale High School Choral Union
Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles
Salvation Army Tabernacle Children’s Chorus
Santa Monica Chorus *
South Bay Children’s Chorus
Young Angels Choir
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The show runs 3-6 pm, and it’s free, but you can’t just show up and expect to get in. No, we don’t know why this year’s show is cut back from the usual six hours to just three. It’s still a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick, because this is free and the Dorothy Chandler is a wonderful place to enjoy live music – even if, unlike past years, we don’t see Grammy noms and winners in the lineup. Still, we are certain if you want to get into the Music Center to see it live, you’ll need to get there earlier than you think.
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This year, wristbands are required for entry. Limit is one wristband per person. They’re available free at the site, first-come, first-served, starting at 11:30 am. Expect a very long line early, mostly because of the sprinkling of children’s performing troupes in which parents want to see their kids on stage. Once you have your wristband, you “do not have to wait in line.” There is a second chance to get in, though it will involve uncertainty and requires waiting in a different line: producers say, “When all wristbands have been distributed, standbys will be tracked in order of arrival and admitted if seats are vacated.” Doors open at 2:30 pm.
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The Guide suggest this: get in line early to get your wristband at 11:30, then ride the Red Line subway to the ice rink in Pershing Square; rent skates (cheap) and take a few turns on the ice; then walk through the subway station and out the other end to grab a bite at Grand Central Market (a landmark since 1917); catch the subway back before the 2:30 door opening at the Music Center. You’ll escape the elbowing crowds in the suburban shopping malls and make a fun day of it downtown.
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Now, for our comment. It’s needed, because politicians are, once again, seeking to exploit the contributions of artists to the community.
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We’re supposed to tell you that the Holiday Celebration is “a gift from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors” – but we are revolted by the idea that the media is asked to help a bunch of self-aggrandizing politicians pat themselves on the back. The five-member Board of Supervisors are, after all, the same crowd who routinely names public buildings after themselves, every time a multimillion-dollar facility is constructed using taxpayers’ money. In one case, a large new five-story courthouse bears the name of a sitting County Supervisor – and contains a “family museum” to his sireage and offspring, housed in a marble-floored-and-columned space paid for by the people.
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So, we’d like to know how it is that sitting politicians are allowed to give themselves, at taxpayer expense, the daily presence – and advantage at election time – of important public facilities, individually named and dedicated to themselves?
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Shouldn’t THAT kind of thing be a genuine honor, one reserved for, like, after they’re dead, or least retired, and only IF the honoree’s career had gone unblemished? Examples abound of office-holders leaving a bad smell, so why should ANY sitting politician be given the ego trip of any tax-supported monument to him or her self?
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But this is a piece about a holiday show, so we’ll be charitable and not rant further – now that you have the picture on what the politicians wanted us to tell you about “their gift to you” – without their noting that the participating acts perform for free.
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Parking for the annual holiday show is free in the Music Center parking garage (a big deal where parking is usually $7 a half-hour). There will be free entertainment on the Music Center Plaza outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion before the show, starting at 12:30 pm. Beginning at 3, the Holiday Celebration will be screened live on the JumboTron in the Music Center Plaza, where folding chairs are available for those who can’t get inside. The big Christmas tree towers above the plaza, so it’s a nice setting if the weather is pleasant, even if you don’t get inside.
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Wed, Dec 29; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm Rick Shea performs at Café 322, 322 W Sierra Madre Bl, Sierra Madre 91024. He’s a longtime roots-Americana Southern Cal favorite, a top-notch musician.
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Fri, Dec 31:
“New Years EVE” with blues bands Corey Stevens, Bobby Bluehouse, Dave Melton, Howard Deere, Walter Thompson and Friends, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia 91006; 626-447-9349; www.arcadiabluesclub.com. Venue is now taking reservations for this annual “New Years Eve / Fan Appreciation Night” music party. Advance tix are only $20.
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2011 ~
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January
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Fri, Jan 7, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm JOHN McCUTCHEON at the Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu. Tickets are now on sale at 310-506-4522 or www.arts.pepperdine.edu.
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Johnny Cash called him, "The most impressive instrumentalist I've ever heard."
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The Washington Post wrote, "He has an uncanny ability to breathe new life into the familiar. His storytelling has the richness of fine literature."
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Tonight, you’ll have a chance to find out why. IF you took the Guide;s advice in November, and didn’t delay getting tickets.
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Multiple Grammy nominee, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and storyteller John McCutcheon is America's balladeer. He sings of the nation's heritage, channeling the conscience of our people into streams of poetry and melody. He writes about subjects both small and great, from a child's haircut to human dignity – issues eternal and enduring. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, including guitar, banjo, autoharp, and, most notably, the beautiful hammer dulcimer. He’s been at it so long his website is www.folkmusic.com
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No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young John's bedroom. But it didn't seem to do much good. Seems that after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball – he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher, John had "found his voice" thanks to a cheap, mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.
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From such inauspicious beginnings, McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers.
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His latest, two-CD, album, “Untold” (2009, Appalseed Productions), showcases his double-barreled talents as both a singer-songwriter-instrumental virtuoso and a world-class storyteller. The set's first CD was recorded live at the 2008 “National Storytelling Festival” in Jonesborough, TN. The second CD, says his label, “features some of the most compelling and popular songwriting of McCutcheon's career.”
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McCutcheon's songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His 30 recordings have won every imaginable honor, including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced over 20 albums for other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works.
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His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. His commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.
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Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota's St. John's University, this Wisconsin native literally "headed for the hills," forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square-dance halls.
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His apprenticeship to many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music imbedded in him not only a love of homemade music but a sense of community and, as he says, “rootedness.” The resulting music, whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs, has the profound mark of place, family, and strength. With it is McCutcheon’s storytelling, in a style that’s been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor.
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The Washington Post described McCutcheon as folk music's "Rustic Renaissance Man." The Dallas Morning News says, "Calling John McCutcheon a 'folksinger' is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player..."
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Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theatres, McCutcheon is equally at home in an elementary school auditorium, on a festival stage, or at a farm rally. He’s been called “a whirlwind of energy, packing five lifetimes into one.”
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In the past few years alone he has headlined at over a dozen different festivals in North America, including repeated performances at the National Storytelling Festival, recorded an original composition for Virginia Public Television involving over 500 musicians, toured Australia for the sixth time, toured Chile in support of a women's health initiative, appeared in a Woody Guthrie tribute concert in New York City, given a featured concert at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, taught performance art skills at a North Carolina college, given symphony pops concerts across America, served as president of the fastest-growing local in the Musicians Union, and performed a special concert at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This is all in his "spare time." His "real job," he's quick to point out, is father to two grown sons.
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McCutcheon feels most at home performing live. It’s brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest multi-generational audiences of any contemporary folk musician. McCutcheon takes the stage to produce what critics describe as "little feats of magic," "breathtaking in their ease and grace...," "like a conversation with an illuminating old friend."
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Tickets went on sale in November at 310-506-4522 or www.arts.pepperdine.edu. Tix are $25 gen’l or $10 for full-time Pepperdine students.
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Sun, Jan 9, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
The New Christy Minstrels reunite to play the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Dr, Cerritos; info, 562-916-8501; 800-300-4345; tix, 562-467-8818; www.cerritoscenter.com. Tix now available, and going fast.
+
Randy Sparks, the founder of the uber-famous folk revival group The New Christy Minstrels, does from time-to-time reassemble as many of the alumni as will fit on one stage. Not that it’s always the same group. When your members have included the likes of BARRY McGUIRE (famous for his banned-on-the-radio ’60s anthem, “Eve of Destruction”), and KENNY ROGERS (pre FIRST EDITION), and an underage TRACY NEWMAN, and so many more who graduated to lead or star in their own bands or groups or as solo folk or rock acts, you could craft an entire season of “Where Are They Now?” just tracking-down former band members.
+
Randy Sparks is himself quite a character. For Randy, the presumed radicalism of the ’60s often takes the form these days of comedic ditties from a decidedly conservative perspective; some are blatant in their “politically incorrect” expressions. Perhaps some of that can be explained when you know he was the best-known protégé of the late BURL IVES, and he cared for Ives in his final declining months. Ives was the Disney-movie-favorite folksinger who famously (or infamously) cooperated with HUAC – the House Un-American Activities Committee – during the McCarthy Era.
+
Randy Sparks is a complex guy. He is devoted to his music charity. He still gets ’60s folk revival-era Baby Boomers singing along with big smiles, when he plays the group’s classics instead of his own newer material. And he is possessed with the artist’s penchant for a certain measure of disorganization, telling us, “I'm generally communicating with media people at the last minute, but this time I'm early,” as, for the first time ever, he sends us info a full three to four months (gasp) in advance.
+
In typically Randy Sparks fashion, he adds, “I suppose I ought to mention The McCallum Theater in Palm Desert on the 16th of January, also.”
+
But what of the storied New Christy Minstrels -? Randy tells us, “My restored group is phenomenal these days. We have not been in concert anywhere that we haven't been asked back, and that’s gratifying. I'm 77 years old and likely couldn't get a job at Burger King, but I'm still gainfully employed, albeit we all work for a non-profit organization these days: The ‘New Christy Minstrels Foundation.’ Our goal is to give back to the schools; we NEVER charge schools for our performances.”
+
He continues, “Our concert at Cerritos is a return visit. We were there on a Sunday afternoon in November of 2007, and we sold EVERY seat. We're looking to repeat that accomplishment, and we're already pretty far along, as all of the main floor $60 seats are gone. Half the house has already been sold, and we have [three] months to go. We are very quietly big business these days. We had 19 concerts in the month of October alone. What recession?”
+
In addition to this full group show, Randy is out there from with what he calls Randy Sparks & Friends, which he says, is “a lesser offering.”
+
We have an idea that the “lesser offering” has a decidedly different character. He noted, in advance of the “& Friends” show on December 5, “We're unrestricted at Bob's [Coffee Gallery Backstage] showroom, so our program [there] is wildly entertaining and great fun for me. I'm able to sing my best stuff: ‘Sluts With Tattoos,’ ‘The Man In The Moon Mooned Me,’ and ‘The Only Thing More Ferocious Than A Polar Bear Is A Bi-Polar Bear.’ Of course, we also perform the songs that the people come to hear.”
+
We did mention Randy’s “politically incorrect” songs.
+
As for the audiences Randy draws with both his “& Friends” show and his NCM reunion productions, he says, “They are most kind to us wherever we work, and it's thrilling to actually be in demand.”
+
As for the audiences Randy Sparks draws with both his “& Friends” show and his New Christy Minstrels reunion productions, he says, “They are most kind to us wherever we work, and it's thrilling to actually be in demand.”
+
There’s more at www.thenewchristyminstrels.com.
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Wed, Jan 12, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7:30 pm MURIEL ANDERSON & TIERRA NEGRA play the “Acoustic Voices” series at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org. Tix, $20; seniors & students, $15.
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Wed, Jan 12. 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
Round Mountain “New Mexico's two-man singing folk orchestra” play the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Dr, Cerritos; info, 562-916-8501; 800-300-4345; tix, 562-467-8818; www.cerritoscenter.com. They don’t often get to Southern Cal, and they always impress and make fans when they do. More at www.roundmountainmusic.com & www.myspace.com/roundmountainmusic
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Fri, Jan 14, 2011:
7:30 pm DOYLE DYKES plays the Grace First Presbyterian Church concert series, at 3955 Studebaker Rd, Long Beach; 562-420-3393.
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Sat, Jan 15, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 & 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings THE MAKAHA SONS at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org.
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These guys make an annual trip to play this series, where they are known for delivering “mirth, mayhem, and magical harmonies.”
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The annual series brings seven shows for its 2010-2011 season. Tix, including new “facilities surcharges,” $48.
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Sat, Jan 15, 2011:
8 pm JEFF LARSON & FRIENDS play “Russ and Julie's House Concert” series in Oak Park (in the Agoura Hills/Westlake Village area); Reservations get directions at 818-707-2179.
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Sat, Jan 15, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings THE MAKAHA SONS at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org. Shows at 3 & 8 pm. See 3 pm listing for details.
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Sin, Jan 16, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
The New Christy Minstrels reunite to play the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert. Tix now available, and going fast. Info, www.thenewchristyminstrels.com.
+
Randy Sparks, the founder of the uber-famous folk revival group The New Christy Minstrels, does from time-to-time reassemble as many of the alumni as will fit on one stage. Not that it’s always the same group. When your members have included the likes of BARRY McGUIRE (famous for his banned-on-the-radio ’60s anthem, “Eve of Destruction”), and KENNY ROGERS (pre FIRST EDITION), and an underage TRACY NEWMAN, and so many more who graduated to lead or star in their own bands or groups or as solo folk or rock acts, you could craft an entire season of “Where Are They Now?” just tracking-down former band members.
+
Randy Sparks is himself quite a character. For Randy, the presumed radicalism of the ’60s often takes the form these days of comedic ditties from a decidedly conservative perspective; some are blatant in their “politically incorrect” expressions. Perhaps some of that can be explained when you know he was the best-known protégé of the late BURL IVES, and he cared for Ives in his final declining months. Ives was the Disney-movie-favorite folksinger who famously (or infamously) cooperated with HUAC – the House Un-American Activities Committee – during the McCarthy Era.
+
Randy Sparks is a complex guy. He is devoted to his music charity. He still gets ’60s folk revival-era Baby Boomers singing along with big smiles, when he plays the group’s classics instead of his own newer material. And he is possessed with the artist’s penchant for a certain measure of disorganization, telling us, “I'm generally communicating with media people at the last minute, but this time I'm early,” as, for the first time ever, he sends us info a full three to four months (gasp) in advance.
+
But what of the storied New Christy Minstrels -? Randy tells us, “My restored group is phenomenal these days. We have not been in concert anywhere that we haven't been asked back, and that’s gratifying. I'm 77 years old and likely couldn't get a job at Burger King, but I'm still gainfully employed, albeit we all work for a non-profit organization these days: The ‘New Christy Minstrels Foundation.’ Our goal is to give back to the schools; we NEVER charge schools for our performances.”
+
He continues, “Our concert at Cerritos is a return visit. We were there on a Sunday afternoon in November of 2007, and we sold EVERY seat. We're looking to repeat that accomplishment, and we're already pretty far along, as all of the main floor $60 seats are gone. Half the house has already been sold, and we have [three] months to go. We are very quietly big business these days. We had 19 concerts in the month of October alone. What recession?”
+
In addition to this full group show, Randy is out there from with what he calls Randy Sparks & Friends, which he says, is “a lesser offering.”
+
We have an idea that the “lesser offering” has a decidedly different character. He noted, in advance of the “& Friends” show on December 5, “We're unrestricted at Bob's [Coffee Gallery Backstage] showroom, so our program [there] is wildly entertaining and great fun for me. I'm able to sing my best stuff: ‘Sluts With Tattoos,’ ‘The Man In The Moon Mooned Me,’ and ‘The Only Thing More Ferocious Than A Polar Bear Is A Bi-Polar Bear.’ Of course, we also perform the songs that the people come to hear.”
+
We did mention Randy’s “politically incorrect” songs.
+
As for the audiences Randy draws with both his “& Friends” show and his NCM reunion productions, he says, “They are most kind to us wherever we work, and it's thrilling to actually be in demand.”
+
As for the audiences Randy Sparks draws with both his “& Friends” show and his New Christy Minstrels reunion productions, he says, “They are most kind to us wherever we work, and it's thrilling to actually be in demand.”
.
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Fri & Sat, Jan 21 & 22; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
TOM PAXTON, the legendary folk star, plays two nights at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl (Pico at 31st), Santa Monica 90405; www.mccabes.com; 310-828-4403; tix, 310-828-4497.
+
THIS WILL SELL-OUT VERY EARLY, SO GET TIX RIGHT AWAY.
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Sat, Jan 22, 2011:
8 pm “WALLACE SHAWN: REAL WORLD, FAKE WORLD, DREAM WORLD” is a spoken word performance at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
+
Writer and actor Wallace Shawn delivers a reading and interpretation from his most recent work, alongside an offering of excerpts from the works of writers and thinkers he admires. Known to stage and film audiences as an extraordinary character actor, Shawn is an Obie Award-winning playwright and best-selling author. His celebrated works include “The Designated Mourner,” and “The Fever,” along with the poignant film “My Dinner with Andre,” which Shawn co-wrote. His most recent work, “Essays,” released in 2009, is a highly personal, often self-deprecating collection of Shawn’s perspective on life, politics, morality and the power of art. Tix, $28-48 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sun, Jan 23, 2011:
3:30 pm CLAREMONT TRIO with NOKUTHULA NGWENYAMA, viola, plays the “SUNDAYS WITH COLEMAN” 107th season (2010-2011), presented by the Coleman Chamber Music Association in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; series info 626-793-4191; www.colemanchambermusic.org. Season subscription (6 concerts) $108-$234; single-event tix $24-45.
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Fri-Sun, Jan 28-30, 2011:
“CEAIT FESTIVAL ~ ‘IANNIS XENAKIS: NOW & TOMORROW’” at REDCAT, The Roy & Edna Disney CalArts Theater, at the L.A. Music Center, 631 W 2nd St (at Hope St), inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, downtown L.A. 90012; www.redcat.org; 213-237-2800; www.redcat.org/sites/redcat.org/files/REDCAT_Fall10_Brochure.pdf.
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This is described as “Three scintillating concerts by the legendary pioneer of music and architecture and composers he inspired.”
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Sat, Jan 29; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm KATY MOFFATT plays the CALTECH FOLK MUSIC SOCIETY series in Beckman Institute Auditorium (“Little Beckman”) on the campus, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; 626-395-4652, or toll-free 888-2CALTECH (1-888-222-5832). More on the Caltech Folk Music Series at www.folkmusic.caltech.edu - and check-out other music on campus at Caltech Presents / Caltech Public Events series at www.events.caltech.edu.
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KATY MOFFATT is a genuine folk star who plays too seldom in L.A. Though she lives in Southern Cal, she’s constantly on the festival and prestigious-venue circuit, performing all over the world. She’s been called both “America's Queen of the West” and praised as one of the originators of country rock. Katy got her start on the road as an opener for blues legend MUDDY WATERS, and she’s been the subject of a major feature story in the Wall Street Journal (how many musicians get ink there?) She continues to be a most formidable vocal powerhouse, plus a masterful guitarist and finger-picking phenom. With over 15 albums to her credit, Katy sings classic acoustic country rock songs of fractured love, plus country blues, western classics and originals, and heartfelt ballads. She’s performed live, multiple times, on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks” and debuted an album there. Her newest CD, "Cowboy Girl," on Western Jubilee/Shanachie, has received rave reviews.
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The campus ticket office handles the Folk Music Society’s advance tickets, takes credit cards, and is open Noon-5 pm, Mon-Fri; their number is 626-395-4652. As the date gets close, this will likely sell-out. Tickets are $15, $5 for children and Caltech students.
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February:
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Thu, Feb 10, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “THE ONION EDITORS” bring their satirical spoken word to UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Deadpan satire and journalistic skill collide in the phenomenon that is “The Onion.” Founded in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the “fake news” newspaper is the notable precursor to such biting, faux-news programs as "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." Last year, “The Onion News Network,” an online send-up of 24-hour cable TV news, was named a Peabody Award winner and praised as “hilarious, trenchant and not infrequently hard to distinguish from the real thing.” In their UCLA Live debut, current Onion editor JOE RANDAZZO and fellow staffers present a multimedia discussion on the state of media, politics and pop culture, as they offer insight into how the paper’s culture-skewering stories and hilarious headlines are created. Tix, $28-48 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Feb 11, 2011:
8 pm DANIEL HOPE & JEFFREY KAHANE at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Britain's versatile violinist DANIEL HOPE, the youngest person ever to perform as part of the prestigious BEAUX ARTS TRIO, is joined on piano by JEFFREY KAHANE, music director of the LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. The duo appears for a stirring performance of Brahms’ Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78, Regenlied, O. Messiaen’s Théme et Variations, Schulhoff’s Sonata No. 2, Sz. 76 and Franck’s Sonata in A Major.
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DANIEL HOPE is one of the most sought-after violin soloists in music today and has been described by The New York Times as “...a violinist of probing intellect and commanding style.”
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JEFFREY KAHANE is a multitalented conductor and pianist who made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1983 and regularly appears as a soloist with leading orchestras around the world. Tix, $28-58 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sat, Feb 12, 2011:
8 pm “COLEMAN ORCHESTRA CONCERTS” brings the COLBURN SCHOOL ORCHESTRA, SIR NEVILLE MARRINER, conductor, to Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S St John St, Pasadena 91105. Program is Ravel’s “Suite from Ma Mer l’Oye (Mother Goose);” Korngold’s “Violin Concerto;” Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra.” Info, 213-621-2200 or www.colburnschool.edu. Tix, $10, gen’l admission.
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Sat, Feb 19, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm MAYA ANGELOU at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Inspiring poet, feminist, author, actress, director and activist Maya Angelou is one of the most recognizable and beloved names in contemporary American literature and one of the most powerful voices in American culture. Her work is vigorous, elegant and wields the power to blur racial and socioeconomic lines. Angelou’s influential “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is a classic that transcends generations. Her prolific career includes a litany of best-selling works of poetry and prose, and this appearance is a rare chance to celebrate this extraordinary woman in her own notable presence.
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Angelou recited her original poetry at President Bill Clinton’s Inauguration in 1993. Not since John F. Kennedy took office in 1961 was a poet invited to take part. (Kennedy chose Carl Sandberg.) President Barack Obama revived the tradition again at his Inauguration in 2009 (the poet was Elizabeth Alexander, though most people remember that ARETHA FRANKLIN sang, and JOHN WILLIAMS conducted ITZHAK PERLMAN, YO-YO MA, GABRIELA MONTERO, & ANTHONY McGILL). Tix, $33-63 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sun, Feb 20, 2011:
3:30 pm BORODIN QUARTET plays the “SUNDAYS WITH COLEMAN” 107th season (2010-2011), presented by the Coleman Chamber Music Association in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; series info 626-793-4191; www.colemanchambermusic.org. Season subscription (6 concerts) $108-$234; single-event tix $24-45.
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Wed, Feb 23:
8 pm JOHN WATERS: “THIS FILTHY WORLD GOES HOLLYWOOD,” plus opening act ELVIS PERKINS, is an evening of music and one-man theatre at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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As a screenwriter, director, artist, actor, and all-around filth elder, John Waters has become a rotten renaissance man of unprecedented cultural influence. Not only was his movie “Hairspray” turned into a wildly successful Tony Award-winning musical, his recently published memoir, “Role Models,” has been called “alarmingly refined.”
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Waters’ one-man vaudeville act, “This Filthy World Goes Hollywood,” sends up show business, the art world, and his own lunatic career in a rapid-fire performance. Dynamic modern-rock recording artist ELVIS PERKINS opens the show with a solo set, and actor MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER hosts as the evening’s emcee. Tix, $28-48 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sat, Feb 26; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “WOODY GUTHRIE TRIBUTE,” the new show by COUNTRY JOE McDONALD (Country Joe & the Fish) at the CALTECH FOLK MUSIC SOCIETY series in Beckman Institute Auditorium (“Little Beckman”) on the campus, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; 626-395-4652, or toll-free 888-2CALTECH (1-888-222-5832). More on the Caltech Folk Music Series at www.folkmusic.caltech.edu - and check-out other music on campus at Caltech Presents / Caltech Public Events series at www.events.caltech.edu.
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COUNTRY JOE McDONALD has been touring his “TRIBUTE TO WOODY GUTHRIE” for the past few years to strong audience acclaim. In his highly-entertaining tribute, Country Joe deftly conveys the charm, talent, and social and political consciousness of the legendary folksinger from Oklahoma. It helps to know that McDonald’s father, Worden, shared Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl roots with Guthrie in the ‘20s & ‘30s. Country Joe opens the tribute with a moving performance of Woody’s best-known tune, “This Land is Your Land,” and takes the audience through a journey of 13 Woody Guthrie songs, all in a strong clear voice that doesn’t mimic Guthrie’s style, but conveys the emotion and energy that defines Guthrie. More at www.countryjoe.com.
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The campus ticket office handles the Folk Music Society’s advance tickets, takes credit cards, and is open Noon-5 pm, Mon-Fri; their number is 626-395-4652. As the date gets close, this will likely sell-out. Tickets are $20, $5 for children and Caltech students.
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Sun, Feb 27, 2011:
2 pm WOVEN IMAGE plays the Grace First Presbyterian Church concert series, at 3955 Studebaker Rd, Long Beach; 562-420-3393.
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March:
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Wed, Mar 2, 2011:
7 pm “CLASSICAL KALEIDOSCOPE CONCERT SERIES” continues its 6th season tonight with special guest LESLIE GILBERT-LURIE and other performing musicians (tba) in the Cay Mortenson Auditorium at Arcadia Public Library, 20 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia 91006; www.library.ci.arcadia.ca.us; 626-821-5567. Series has one remaining Wednesday night concert, April 20, at 7 pm. Info on this program and the series, 626-821-5569.
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This is a free series, no reservations, but seating is limited to the first 150 people in line to enter. Doors at 6:30 pm.
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Fri, Mar 4, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm NOEL PAUL STOOKEY (of Peter, Paul & Mary) plays McCabe's, 3101 W Pico Bl, Santa Monica; 310-828-4403 or 310-828-4497; www.mccabes.com
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Sat, Mar 12:
2:30 pm “SHAMROCK TALES” celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with stories and crafts of the Emerald Isle, in the Cay Mortenson Auditorium at Arcadia Public Library, 20 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia 91006; www.library.ci.arcadia.ca.us; 626-821-5567. Info on this program, 626-821-5566. All ages, free.
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Mar 12, 2011:
“Irish Center’s Annual St Patrick's Celebration” at the Hilton Hotel in Glendale. More info to come, or check www.irishcenter.org.
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Sat, Mar 19, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
11 am & 2 pm DAN ZANES & FRIENDS make their annual return for two shows at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Don’t dismiss this as a kids’ show. He has a CD that won a Grammy and got airplay on radio’s “Tied to the Trtacks.”
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UCLA Live series favorite Dan Zanes and his band perform exuberant, handmade music for enthusiastic crowds of kids and kids at heart. Filled with irresistible grooves drawn from a wealth of musical traditions, Zanes, his Brooklyn-based band and his surprising and eccentric special guests, create a rollicking Woodstock for kids, including American traditional songs, dance classics, and smart, inventive originals. The audience is invited to sing along with gusto before things heat up and ultimately evolve into an all-ages dance party. Tix, $18-28 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sun, Mar 20, 2011:
3:30 pm SCHUMANN TRIO plays the “SUNDAYS WITH COLEMAN” 107th season (2010-2011), presented by the Coleman Chamber Music Association in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; series info 626-793-4191; www.colemanchambermusic.org. Season subscription (6 concerts) $108-$234; single-event tix $24-45.
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Sat, Mar 23, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
7:30 pm SLIGO RAGS plays the Grace First Presbyterian Church concert series, at 3955 Studebaker Rd, Long Beach; 562-420-3393.
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Sat, Mar 26:
2:30-4 pm “TOLKIEN DAY” celebrates with live music, readings and more, in the Cay Mortenson Auditorium at Arcadia Public Library, 20 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia 91006; www.library.ci.arcadia.ca.us; 626-821-5567. Info on this program, 626-821-5566. The L.A.-based “Tolkein Society” presents this afternoon of dramatic readings, musical interludes and costumed characters from “The Hobbit,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and other works by J.R.R. Tolkien. All ages, free.
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April:
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Sat, Apr 2, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
2 pm BILL FRISELL TRIO: “SELECTED WORKS OF BUSTER KEATON” plays the first of two different shows today at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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The matinee is family-friendly, and the show tonight takes a different focus. Incomparable guitarist BILL FRISELL, along with his bandmates TONY SCHERR and KENNY WOLLESEN, create a live score to the Buster Keaton classics “Go West,” “The High Sign,” and “One Week.” Rediscover the timeless charm of Keaton’s magic, as re-imagined with live music, in an afternoon of film and music the whole family can enjoy. The trio plays another show here tonight at 8 pm, with an adult focus; it, too is a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick. See listing. Tix, $18-28 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sat, Apr 2, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 & 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings Grammy winners GEORGE, MOSES & KEOKI KAHUMOKU at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org.
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The three Kahumokus bring a triple dose of great guitar. They’ve won Grammys among the three of them, run a renowned music camp for slack key guitar and ukulele, plus recorded for GEORGE WINSTON’s respected Dancing Cat label. George & Keoki have played the series before, but getting Moses here to perform on one of his rare trips to the Mainland is extra special.
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The annual series brings seven shows for its 2010-2011 season. Tix, including new “facilities surcharges,” $48.
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Sat, Apr 2, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm BILL FRISELL TRIO: “SELECTED WORKS OF BUSTER KEATON, JIM WOODRING AND BILL MORRISON” is the second of Frisell’s two different shows today at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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The show tonight takes a different focus, unlike today’s family-friendly matinee. Geniuses collide as iconic guitarist BILL FRISELL and his bandmates TONY SCHERR and KENNY WOLLESEN play original compositions to a truly fantastic collection of visuals that includes classic slapstick comedy from a trio of Buster Keaton classics, the bold illustrations of Seattle animator JIM WOODRING and selections from avant-garde filmmaker BILL MORRISON’s “The Mesmerist.” Frisell’s trio sets this eclectic footage to music with a thrilling live score. The trio plays a matinee here at 11 am today, with a different focus and cheaper tix, intended for families; it, too is a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick. See listing. Tix, $28-43 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sat, Apr 2, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm RONNY COX & JACK WILLIAMS play “Russ and Julie's House Concert” series in Oak Park (in the Agoura Hills/Westlake Village area); Reservations get directions at 818-707-2179.
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Sat, Apr 2, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings Grammy winners GEORGE, MOSES & KEOKI KAHUMOKU at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; www.shannoncenter.org; 562-907-4203. Shows at 3 & 8 pm. See 3 pm listing for details.
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Fri-Sun, Apr 8-10, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
“ARLO GUTHRIE - A WEEKEND OF GUTHRIE IN REDLANDS” is a festival, venue tba. Info, www.BodieHouse.com.
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Fri, Apr 8, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm ARLO GUTHRIE & FRIENDS at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Son of the illustrious WOODY GUTHRIE and current patriarch of folk music’s most notable family, Arlo Guthrie returns to UCLA Live for an evening of American music tinged with humor, warmth and his endearing and often meandering storytelling style. Guthrie shares timeless tales and unforgettable classic songs as he carries on the Guthrie family legacy. With his singular voice as both a singer-songwriter and social commentator, he has maintained a dedicated fan base that spans the globe. His artistic ventures leave lasting impressions of hope and inspiration, and his inimitable musical ingenuity leaps to new creative heights as he perseveres through the times. Tix, $33-58 ($15 for UCLA students) (310) 825-2101, www.uclalive.org.
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Sun, Apr 10, 2011:
3:30 pm REBEL plays the “SUNDAYS WITH COLEMAN” 107th season (2010-2011), presented by the Coleman Chamber Music Association in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium, 322 S Michigan Av, Pasadena; series info 626-793-4191; www.colemanchambermusic.org. Season subscription (6 concerts) $108-$234; single-event tix $24-45.
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Apr 14, 2011:
CANCELLED: Poet SEAMUS HEANEY’S spoken word engagement at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101. Event cancelled due to Visa issues. Full refunds or exchanges are available at the point of purchase to patrons who purchased tickets to this event during UCLA Live’s subscription-sales window.
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Apr 15, 2011, in Washington State:
7:30-10 pm RED HORSE - ELIZA GILKYSON, JOHN GORKA & LUCY KAPLANSKY – play the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St, SE, Olympia WA; 360-753-8586; www.washingtoncenter.org. More at www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Horse/100743976643456. Check out the #1 folk album of October 2010, “Red Horse,” at www.redhouserecords.com
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Apr 16, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm JOHN FLYNN & JOHN WORT HANNAM play the “Bodie House Music Series at the Thousand Oaks Library,” at Grant R. Brimhall Library, 1401 E Janss Rd, Thousand Oaks 91362; 818-621-8309; info, www.BodieHouse.com. Canadian singer-songwriter JOHN WORT HANNAM took L.A. by storm when he toured a number of local venue in October, 2009. At home in the Great White North, he’s won just about every acoustic music award there is.
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Wed, Apr 20, 2011:
7 pm “CLASSICAL KALEIDOSCOPE CONCERT SERIES” concludes its 6th season tonight with special guests RAYNOR CARROLL & AFRICAN AMERICAN DRUMMING and other performing musicians (tba) in the Cay Mortenson Auditorium at Arcadia Public Library, 20 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia 91006; www.library.ci.arcadia.ca.us; 626-821-5567. Info on this program and the series, 626-821-5569.
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This is a free series, no reservations, but seating is limited to the first 150 people in line to enter. Doors at 6:30 pm.
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Sat, Apr 23, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
2 pm CHRISTOPH BULL performs a stirring BACH ORGAN RECITAL for UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Bull is a UCLA Live favorite. This is a delightful afternoon of classical music on Royce Hall’s glorious Skinner organ from acclaimed organist Christoph Bull, known for his energizing and often eclectic musical interpretation of organ repertoire. Bull will perform a thrilling and ethereal program of Bach on the UCLA campus treasure, which is known as one of the country’s great musical devices of its kind. Tix, $23/28/33 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sat, Apr 23, 2011:
8 pm BILLY COLLINS and KAY RYAN, two former U.S. Poet Laureates in a spoken word event, at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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The two Poet Laureates share the stage for an evening of readings from their acclaimed work and Q&A with the audience.
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BILLY COLLINS, winner of the 2004 inaugural Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry, served as America’s Poet Laureate from 2001-2003. Beloved for his ironic style, Collins is one of the top-selling modern poets and author of nine collections including “Questions about Angels”,” The Art of Drowning,” and “The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems.”
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KAY RYAN, California native and UCLA alumna, was U.S. Poet Laureate from 2008-2010 and is revered for her complex and rueful style. Her work includes “The Jam Jar Lifeboat & Other Novelties Exposed,” a delightful collection inspired by stories from “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!,” as well as “Flamingo Watching”, a finalist for both the Lamont Poetry Selection and the Lenore Marshall Prize. In 2004, Ryan was awarded The Ruth Lilly Prize—the Poetry Foundation’s highest honor.
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In conjunction with this event and April’s National Poetry Month, UCLA Live will launch a poetry-writing contest for the Los Angeles community, with winning submissions to be read onstage in Royce Hall. More details will be available closer to the event. Tix, $28-53.
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May:
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Thu, May 12, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
8 pm PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND and THE DEL MCCOURY BAND in a stellar double-bill at UCLA Live, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, on the UCLA campus at Royce Dr between Westwood Bl and Hilgard Av, West L.A.; www.uclalive.org; info 310-825-4401; UCLA ticket office 310-825-2101.
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Two pillars of American music from two distinct lineages come together for an unforgettable evening to celebrate the glory of tradition and the power of newfound collaboration. Starting as a sideman for the legendary “father of bluegrass” Bill Monroe nearly 50 years ago, McCoury has broadened the audience for the genre. During that same period, the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band has defined the tradition of New Orleans jazz. Now, they have converged to record and perform an unforgettable mix of bluegrass and traditional jazz. Each band will play individual sets, followed by a soul-stirring joint finale. Tix, $38-63 ($15 for UCLA students).
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Sat, May 21, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
3 & 8 pm “ALOHA CONCERT SERIES” brings THE BROTHERS CAZIMERO at the Ruth Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus at Whittier College, 6760 Painter Av, Whittier; 562-907-4203; www.shannoncenter.org.
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ROBERT & ROLAND, being brothers, naturally perform as THE BROTHERS CAZIMERO. The venue tells us, “No group has made more of a contribution to Hawaiian music then they have, and the season wouldn’t be complete without them. Every season they put on a different show and they never cease to amaze.”
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This closes the annual series of seven shows for the 2010-2011 season; contact them regarding discounts for buying tix to next season’s entire series. Tix, for today, including new “facilities surcharges,” $48.
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May 22, 2011; a “SHOW-OF-THE-WEEK” pick:
“L.A. ACOUSTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL” returns after a year of hiatus, with ELLIS PAUL, ELIZA GILKYSON, JIMMY LaFAVE, SARAH LEE GUTHRIE & JOHNNY IRION. This year, it’s a one-day event at the Broad Stage Theatre at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St, Santa Monica; 310-434-3200; www.thebroadstage.com; www.events.smc.edu. Even before we knew the lineup, we were comfortable recommending it as a “Show-of-the-Week” pick, given the talent that Renee Bodie booked the first year, and the fact that this is a MUCH more manageable venue where costs can be contained and ticket prices should be kept to reasonable limits. The festival is a benefit for the nonprofit California Acoustic Music Project.
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More info:
LA Acoustic Music Festival, www.laacousticmusicfestival.com
California Acoustic Music Project, www.californiaacousticmusicproject.org
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June:
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Jun 5-10, 2011, in New Orleans:
Annual “NEW ORLEANS TRAD JAZZ CAMP” for all enthusiasts of traditional and New Orleans-style jazz. The first discount price-break deadline for registration is Oct 31, 2010.
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Jun 12-16, 2011:
22nd annual “NORTH AMERICAN JAMES JOYCE CONFERENCE” at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, and at Caltech in Pasadena. This event takes place in a different locale each year, and this year, Southern Cal fans of James Joyce have it right here at home. Info, www.joyceconference2011.com.
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(7) MORE STUFF >>>>>>> Other News, Resources, etc…
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Our frequently updated VENUE DIRECTORY is available at http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/04/venue-directory-from-tied-to-tracks_16.html
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HELP KEEP THE GUIDE GOING! Send us $25 and get great goodies in return! Find out WHAT you can get, and more, at
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Updated editions bring more (always more -- as we have time to organize all of it).
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We do all we can to bring you news and notices of all the many, many, acoustic music events in and around Los Angeles.
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Plus, we tell you about RADIO SHOWS with acoustic music, focusing on those with live acoustic performances. (They’re available mostly on the web, of course, since we are in acoustic-music-radio-deprived Los Angeles.)
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And, we bring news and reviews of the many acoustic music FESTIVALS near and far, hither and yon, here, there and everywhere! With you help, we’ll keep doing it!
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In FOLKWORKS: you can check out Larry Wines’ most recent “SOMEWHERE OUT THERE” column in every issue, available free online at www.folkworks.org
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RADIO NEWS: the return from hiatus of the syndicated TIED TO THE TRACKS radio show is delayed, due to the producer / host’s ongoing recovery from eye surgeries. (At least he has time to listen to all those submitted CDs that arrive daily!) We’ll keep you posted.
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NEED TO KNOW MORE about the GUIDE and its companion, THE ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC NEWS,
or
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR GIG FOR INCLUSION?
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Our “stuff ya wanna know “ (FAQs) page is available at
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2009/10/guide-faqs-and-more.html
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Questions? Comments? Contact us at tiedtothetracks@hotmail.com
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The editor continues to readapt to the computer following his eye surgeries, and is once again able to read - even if he sees everything like it’s in a funhouse mirror…
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PLEASE HELP!
Submit your gigs in our format! Otherwise, it takes many, many, MANY hours just to convert what you send into listings we can use, and we may not be able to unscrew the inscrutable in time to include your gig. Look at ANY write-up in the Guide, and follow the format you see there!
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WANT TO HELP KEEP THE GUIDE GOING? Send us $25 and get great goodies in return! Find out WHAT you can get, and more, at
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http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2010/03/support-guide-and-get-some-great-dvds.html )
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THE LATEST EDITION OF THE GUIDE, the News, current events, “heads up” notices to buy tix for upcoming events, and more – is available 24/7 (& frequently updated!) at ~
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www.acousticmusic.net or at
www.acousticamericana.blogspot.com or by links from the News-only edition at www.nodepression.com/profile/TiedtotheTracks
or by following any of many links on the web to get to one of those sites.
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Entire contents copyright (c) © 2010, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
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