Jimmy LaFave
The attraction of singer/songwriter Jimmy LaFave's music lies in his voice and vision that strikes responsive chords at the heart of folk, blues and American roots rock & roll. His discography includes 8 critically acclaimed cd's. He is also a
founder and partner in Austin based Music Road Records.
Jimmy has devoted most of his life to making music, beginning as a young boy in Texas, first learning to play the drums and then moving to the guitar. Jimmy's family moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma when he was in high school, and he began his career as a singer-songwriter and never looked back. There he crafted his sound, a combination of his experiences among authentic songwriters from the tradition of Woody Guthrie. Though he has lived in Austin since 1986, Oklahoma remains a major inspiration to him and his music.
Since his move back to his home state of Texas, he has become highly respected in the Austin music scene and beyond. He has toured extensively through the U.S. and Europe, gaining a reputation for his unique voice and combination of haunting ballads and rock and roll. After being invited by Nora Guthrie to appear at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Tribute to Woody Guthrie, he has continued to devote much time and energy to celebrating the spirit and music of Woody. He was a major force in getting the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival off the ground as well as the Ribbon of Highway Endless Skyway tour, a tribute show that includes a number of folk musicians from around the country. Jimmy also pays tribute to another major influence of his, Bob Dylan, with his many recordings of Dylan's songs. Dave Marsh writes, "No one, not a single singer, has ever sung Dylan with as much grace and insight as Jimmy LaFave." His live performances are not only filled with his original songs, but also those of other fellow songwriters.
His new label Music Road Records released a collection of songs "Favorites" from Jimmy's back catalog in May, and he is currently working on a new cd due out on Music Road in 2011.
Website
Facebook
Sam Baker
Sam Baker is a man of few words. They are however, always beautifully chosen, and fully wrought. He places them as one would place the plants and objects in a Zen Garden, for maximum consideration. He is complicated. His website, which you must explore, is stark: black, white, and shades of gray. Baker is a man who has had to turn inward, to relearn the use of his body and brain after a Peruvian train bombing that almost killed him in 1986. It took years to heal, to reconnect. The road back was impossible, arduous, but it opened up new vistas for Sam in art, poetry, music. He put his first CD Mercy out in 2004, the first in a trilogy of compelling song paintings with sparse instrumentation and poetic delivery. It was followed by Pretty World in 2007, and Cotton in 2009. All three albums are subtitled, in order of release: "Everyone is at the mercy of another one's dreams," "How Beautiful are these days," and "Talk about forgiveness."
Sam Baker approaches life with an amazingly positive attitude considering what he has been through. From his website, "Everything is a gift at this point," he declares. "I went through the anger and the bitterness deeply. But that energy didn't get me anywhere. It's toxic. And ultimately, I did come to a point where these days are beautiful. Because they are so short and so quick to pass. And that's all weve got no matter what we hold in our hands, drive around in, put in the bank, or shower ourselves with. All we've got is this one breath," he concludes. "And then, if were lucky, we have the next breath." -Jessie Scott, Music Fog
Slaid Cleaves
When Slaid Cleaves moved from Portland, Maine, to Austin, Texas, at the tail end of 1991, he landed on South Lamar Boulevard, a few blocks from the legendarily seedy Horseshoe Lounge. But as he points out on his new live album, It was many years of drivin by before I worked up the courage to come in through the door.
Maybe his New Englanders reserve got the better of him; one thing most Texans do not fear is walking into a bar. But curiosity and, no doubt, the lure of stories contained within eventually won out, and in 2000, Slaid wound up releasing Horseshoe Lounge, an ode to the 46-year-old beer joint, on his breakout CD Broke Down.
And now, 20 years after his Southwest migration, he's releasing his first live album - a double disc, no less, titled Sorrow & Smoke: Live at the Horseshoe Lounge , on Music Road Records.
" I thought, How can I make a live record special?" Slaid explains. Well, it has to be in a special place. Sorrow & Smoke fully conveys the spirit of an intimate yet jovial crowd: Clinking beer bottles. Laughter. Sing-alongs. Good-natured heckling. The give and take, this sort of conversation I have with the audience, he says. And of course, the self-deprecating humor that leavens the singers stories of people struggling to make sense of their lives.
If youve never been to "the Shoe" or seen Slaid Cleaves perform, listen to Sorrow & Smoke and youll get the picture. Loud and clear.
Kevin Welch
His songs span the width and breath of the Americana landscape, stretching, meshing, melding and coalesce the forms until they all breakdown into porridge, that when you attempt to describe it might sound horrible, but tastes so good. Bob Gottlieb
Kevin Welch grew up in Oklahoma. He had already toured as a teenager with several bands before he moved to Nashville in 1978 to work as a songwriter. Singers like Soloman Burke, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Linda Ronstadt were using his material. At the same time he was very active in local clubs, performing with John Scott Sherrill and the Wolves in Cheap Clothing, The Roosters, and finally his own band The Overtones. His popularity grew and in 1988 he signed a record contract with Warner Brothers.
In 1990 the album Kevin Welch was recorded and two years later Western Beat. Both albums received rave reviews.
In Europe he is known mainly for his hit Something About You (contained in Western Beat) which was used as background music in Tuborgs commercials.
In 2004 Welch teamed up with fellow Dead Reckoning artists Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplin to product You Cant Save Everybody. The trio followed this up with Lost John Dean in 2006, to general acclaim. Lost John Dean reached number one on the Americana charts, and resulted in nominations for several awards including Duo/Group. The group traveled to Australia 10 times, as well as Europe and the UK, Canada, and all over the United States.
In the spring of 2008 Welch left Nashville for the hills outside of Austin, Texas. In early 2010 he then joined with friends and colleagues Jimmy LaFave, Sam Baker, and Slaid Cleaves at the start-up (and up-start) label Music Road Records, and self-produced his first solo record in 8 years, A Patch of Blue Sky.
Welch currently is touring, though while off the road he teaches songwriting workshops at his home in Wimberely, Texas
Malcolm Holcombe
Years ago, following Malcolm Holcombe's career could be as unnerving and high-wire suspenseful as his riveting live performances. His brilliance was obvious to a core of fans and some attentive music journalists, but so were the self-destructive tendencies that floated around this mercurial man like wraiths. We worried at times that wed have to add Holcombe to the What Might Have Been pantheon with Hank Williams, Jaco Pastorius and Charlie Parker. We imagined talking about Holcombe in the past tense to the too many whod never been able to hear his shockingly truthful and affecting voice.
By the grace of God, however, there is no past tense in Holcombe's life and career, just a very vibrant present and a widening sense of tomorrow's possibilities. He is many years sober, performing worldwide and happily married to a woman who manages his schedule and keeps his inner garden clear for the work. He retains his quirky, fascinating character, and he writes in spasms of energy and clarity, producing visions that hover between earthy solidity and rustic mysticism. He plays with rhythmic pounce and sings with psychological fire. And if the songs on his new album To Drink The Rain are a good indication, he's working from a place of joy and balance.
Gretchen Peters
Gretchen Peters musical career has grown like a Virginia creeper: new leaves spreading in one direction first, then another, then another still. The result is lush and impressive, though it didn't get that way all at once.
Peters has the sort of creative impulse that inevitably finds the fertile spots, which is a wonderful thing from the standpoints of quality and longevity, even if it can be a little unpredictable. Circus Girl: The Best of Gretchen Peters is a welcome chance, then, to retrace how her songs have grown and keep growing from their roots in her singular storytelling gifts. In other words, it's a chance to take in the full effect thus far.
John Fullbright
"...it's pretty clear that John Fullbright is one of the most talented young guns out there. Sometimes I think the art of songcraftusing characters, story, language, melody to create something lastingis a vanishing art, practised only by old fogies like me. It's good to see a 21 year-old stepping into this tradition and keeping it fresh and alive." Slaid Cleaves
Although still in his early twenties, Okemah, Oklahoma native John Fullbright sings like hes been around for years. Firmly rooted in a variety of American musical styles, including folk, country, blues, bluegrass, and jazz, John is beginning a musical journey that is sure to delight listeners from coast to coast. Already he has the ringing endorsements of many great musicians, including fellow Oklahomans Jimmy Webb, Kevin Welch, and Tom Skinner. Other notable singer/songwriters who have recommended him include Ray Bonneville, Greg Trooper, Dan Navarro, Steve Poltz, Darden Smith, Will Sexton and Michael Fracasso. Equally skilled on guitar, harmonica, piano and accordion, John understands best that its called playing music for a reason. Thats why you can find him at the music festival campgrounds late at night picking out songs from mentors such as Townes Van Zandt, Hoyt Axton and Leonard Cohen, along with his own unique songs that belie his young age.
Recording 'Live at the Blue Door'
After playing in Oklahoma singer/songwriter Mike McClure's band for a year, John has become the most talked about young musician in Oklahoma, playing solo and bringing the house down wherever he goes.
Prior to the 2009 Folk Alliance conference in Memphis, John recorded a live CD at the Blue Door in Oklahoma City, recorded and produced by Oklahoma singer/songwriter and producer Travis Linville. Featuring his own songs as well as a stellar version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Live At The Blue Door is a wonderful calling card for John Fullbright, and the release promises to get him into the conversation as one of the best emerging artists in American music today.
Ray Bonneville
Ray Bonneville is a Canadian born, Austin based singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player, who is known for his loose, darkly funky vibe (All Music Guide).
His Red House release Goin By Feel was named one of the best CDs of 2008 by DownBeat Magazine and featured the Americana hit I Am the Big Easy, which was #1 most played song on folk radio that year and won the Folk Alliance Award for Song of the Year. The tune was a powerful tribute to the resilience of New Orleans, where Ray lived for half a decade and picked up his take your time attitude toward music. Noted for having one of the sexiest guitar styles around (Acoustic Guitar), Ray is a unique player and has performed with such blues luminaries as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Robert Cray. He has quickly become a fixture in the Americana scene since moving to Texas, becoming one of the go-to session players for artists like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Mary Gauthier and Eliza Gilkyson.
Following the success of his digital single Mississippi (about the flooding of the Mississippi River), Ray releases his new full-length album Bad Mans Blood . Like this summers single, the new songs have a down and dirty quality, capturing the hardships of every day life. Born in French Canada and raised in the United States, he writes from his experience as an immigrant, Vietnam War vet, taxi driver and bush pilot, drawing inspiration from the many places he has called homeMontreal, New Orleans, Colorado, Arkansas, Alaska, Boston, Seattle and Paris, France. Honing his songwriting craft for the last 35 years, Rays gritty storytelling and deep-grooving blues style has won him much critical attention. In 1999, Ray won the prestigious Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for his third album Gust of Wind. His fourth release, Rough Luck, was also nominated for the coveted award. With his 2004 Red House debut Roll It Down , Ray made himself a name for himself in the US, garnering rave reviews from DownBeat and No Depression. Since then, his star has been on the rise, with his award-winning release Goin By Feel, his folk-charting cover of Bob Dylans song It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (featured on A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on His 70th Birthday ) and now, with his new album Bad Mans Blood .
Will Kimbrough
Will Kimbrough is hungry. The youthful singer, songwriter, award-winning guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, performer and bandleader has a voracious appetite for every aspect of music. Born and raised in the deep south of the Alabama Gulf Coast, he ingested eclectic FM radio sounds and the music of nearby New Orleans. In his quest to develop his musical capacities to their fullest, Will Kimbrough has become a modern-day Renaissance Man.
Kimbrough’s body of work reflects a lifetime of performing, writing and collaborating from more angles than Da Vinci’s protractor. True to his search for universal truths, his profound musical knowledge and expert creations reflect years of learning the intricacies of folk, blues, gospel, country, rock’n’roll, punk rock and jazz.
Songwriter Rendezvous 2011 Schedule.pdf
Jimmy LaFave Songwriter Rendezvous copyright © 2011 |e |musicroadrecords_msn.com
