In addition to guitar and fiddle playing, I here's what's been in my CD player recently:
David Wilcox has been a favorite of mine ever since I saw him open for Christine Lavin in 1989. I was amazed by the sounds he got out of his guitar using open tunings. His lyrics are well crafted and stirring. I have everything he's done (both videos and all CDs). David plays Olson Guitars (excellent choice). Into the Mystery is his latest from the studio. Palms Playhouse is a concert recorded by a fan, available for free trading via the David Wilcox email list. It is a wonderful concert. See David Wilcox' site for more information. I recorded the Towne Crier concert, and it's still in the mastering stage as I write this. It was a great concert.
Beged Kefet is a group of amazingly talented folk who perform Jewish music. They have been performing together for over 18 years. This group of Cantors and Rabbis add a modern folk touch to original, traditional and cover tunes. They are a sheer delight to my ears! Their third album, One Little Dot is available now, and having heard stories over the last two years of the work on its creation, I'm delighted to finally hear the final product. It's a wonderful collection of songs, beautifully performed.
Buskin and Batteau are a duo that was popular in the 80s, but unfortunately for us, stopped playing together in the 90's. These incredibly talented guys make you laugh and cry with exquisite songwriting and performances. They played a few reunion concerts in early 2003 but they have no web presence at this time and it looks like the reunion was short lived. If anyone knows differently, please send me feedback.
Ah, Christine Lavin. Where to begin. She's so funny, so talented, so devoted to using her celebrity to helping others. I was introduced to her stuff in the mid-eighties. I still love her music. The versions of her songs on the two Tribute volumes (done by others) were a great introduction to several of these artists, some of whom I'd never heard prior to getting this set as a gift from my husband.
Mary Chapin Carpenter has such a silky voice! I first heard her around 1986 in the Washington DC area, opening for Christine Lavin. I love her lyrics, and I love singing along with so many of her songs. She usually sings in keys I can sing in, but every now and then she sings even lower than I do.
Cheryl Wheeler is another one I've been following a long time. I first heard her on a great radio folk show in the Washington DC area back in the mid-eighties. She has such a soulful voice, her stories are great, and she's an Olson player, too.
Safam has been a favorite of mine ever since I first heard them perform live when I was at college. Robbie Solomon has creative energy running through every facet of his being-he plays, sings, composes, and writes beautifully and with such polish and focus. These words are not doing justice to how I feel about his music and voice. I actually had the opportunity to work with him a little when I was a senior in college, teaching the Sunday school choir at his temple when he was away on Safam gigs. He once told me that writing music didn't just come to him, that it required work. He sure makes it sounds easy by the way he performs, but then all people who are great at what they do make it look easy! And after all these years, he and Safam keep getting even better. In Spite of It All reminds us to think positive even when things aren't going well.
David Roth is a singer-songwriter that has been around a while, but I just found out about him recently. He's got several albums but so far I've only heard the first two and I love them. He knows how to get to the heart of the matter.
Last modified: November 5, 2003
You may safely ignore anything below this line.