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Archive for the Folk Alliance Conference 2008 Category
The seaport city of Boston, rich in musical tradition and heritage, has a legacy of turning out notable songwriters and musicians dating back generations. If you’re a follower of that long-standing tradition (or you happen to be one of the lucky ones who live there and get to experience it on a regular basis), you might have occasioned to stumble into places like Club Passim or The Middle East without expectation only to stumble back out deeply impressed with what you’ve just seen. This legacy has given root to Meg Hutchinson, a songwriter whose angelic voice, extraordinary lyricism and powerful delivery keeps us singing long after the music has. Ms. Hutchinson, who instantly won me over at this year’s Folk Alliance Conference, has released a new album entitled Come Up Full on Red House Records this year which, it is to be hoped, will help continue to garner her much-deserved accolades and gain a foothold of new fans.
Coming from a creative writing background helps to bolster the warmth layered throughout these twelve songs. It is a document of a woman who appears to have traveled around herself to become whole again, finding in her footsteps pieces of her personal mystery. It is a journey that this listener was able to relate to on a deep level of consciousness, making a connection in the desire to recover from the disasters laid upon us — the desire to find extraordinary beauty from ordinary things. On “Home”, she gives us reasons to count our many blessings; on the songs “Whole Bird” and “Seeing Stars”, she delights in the ironic dichotomies of what brings people together. Crit Harmon’s production values don’t ever become overbearing; they allow us to listen to and enjoy the songs in the simple way it seems they were always intended to be heard.
With Come Up Full, Ms. Hutchinson has catapulted into an upper echelon of songwriters. Seeing her placed along side names like Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant or Patty Griffin seems more than reasonable, ones for whom legacies and longevities seem pre-destined.
In spite of the many accolades laid upon Ms. Hutchinson and her work in this article, the simple fact that I can’t ignore is how drawn into the album I have become and, further, how I hope that others will begin to recognize her singularity as performer and songwriter.
Listen to Meg Hutchinson - “Home”
Listen to Meg Hutchinson - “Seeing Stars”
You can purchase Come Up Full
The field of American songwriting, at least the kind we like to remember, never seems to grow too crowded. There’s always room for one more, particularly if the delivery and style can be likened to a heritage of memorable works. I remember being dragged to Joel Plaskett’s hotel room the second night of Folk Alliance 2008 where an impromptu songwriter’s circle had formed. I had this sense that I was smack in the middle of some of the best songwriters going — Colin Gilmore, Peter Case, Cory Branan, Adam Levy, Rose Cousins — and I was told to pay special attention to a woman named Rachel Ries. When we walked in, everyone was sitting on beds or floor or chairs, probably 15 people crammed into a small hotel room, and within a few minutes, Rachel began playing the song I’m featuring today, “Hands To Water”. — More after the jump –
I think it must be damning on the soul to never recognize the potential for greatness that lies just under the surface of each of us. I mean, we toil endlessly at these jobs, these relationships, these goals we set for ourselves, and some of us never figure out how good we really are at what we are until the years have slipped by us. Anthony da Costa is in no danger of being struck by this curse. At the tender age of 17, da Costa has quietly made a name for himself throughout the Northeastern U.S. playing coffee shops, bars, schools, and music festivals big & small. As an observer, I’m struck by the casual observation that da Costa’s songwriting and performing is wise far beyond his years, and I’m definitely not alone. His appearances at the 2008 Folk Alliance reassured those familiar with his resume while earning him a large audience of new fans.
People are quick to make comparisons between da Costa and Conor Oberst because of the relative ages in which the two began their songwriting and performing careers. I think that the comparisons pretty much end there; where Bright Eyes is the posterized emotionally distraught poetic anti-hero of disaffected youth, da Costa’s poetry and passions lack the relative bleakness of Bright Eyes, offering the protagonist in his songs hope. In da Costa’s world, our hero’s emotional reactions to what is happening will always leave him a real chance at achieving the life and love he seeks. On his latest CD, Typical American Tragedy, we are offered a clean window into da Costa’s exceptionally complex understandings of love and hope, an unflinchingly moving portrait of a love we’re often curious how da Costa could know about at so young an age.
Regardless of why or how, the combination of spare arrangements and consistently solid songwriting place his current achievements in a class with some of our greatest American songwriters. One has to believe, upon hearing his work, that Tragedy is only the beginning for da Costa on a long string of accomplishments as a performer. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited to see where the future leads or more fortunate to have seen him so close to the beginnings. I sincerely hope and believe that ten years from now, we will all still be talking about Anthony da Costa.
Anthony da Costa - Ain’t Much of a Soldier
You can purchase Typical American Tragedy (CD or MP3’s) from CD Baby by clicking here. 
Hailing from the music-rich town of Halifax, Nova Scotia, songwriter Joel Plaskett has been through multiple incarnations as a songwriter and a performer. As a member of ’90s alt-rock band Thrush Hermit, Plaskett first came to Memphis to record the band’s Elektra Records release, Sweet Homewrecker, at the original Easley Recording Services. Returning to Memphis proved to be a bittersweet yet joyous homecoming for Plaskett; Easley Recording Services burned down a few years ago, but Plaskett had the good fortune to record a couple of tracks at Doug Easley’s newly-built (and just opening) recording studio while he was in town for the Folk Alliance 2008.
Joel’s newest album, La De Da is full of quirky songwriting gems and gently skewed observations that provoke conversation as they invoke singalongs. This song, “Love This Town”, was enamored by everyone who heard it at Folk Alliance 2008 including your author. Enjoy.
Joel Plaskett - “Love This Town”
You can purchase La De Da from CD Baby (CD or MP3) by clicking here.
So much exceptional music, so many pictures, so many wonderful people to see and hear, it’s hard to highlight them all. Here’s a few memorable moments while I finish cooking up reviews for you.
A.J. Roach, Graham Weber and Cory Branan
Peter Case, Cory Branan and Colin Gilmore during an impromptu songwriter’s circle in Joel Plaskett’s room.
Rachel Ries and Ariel Bolles singing flanked by Cory Branan and Colin Gilmore.
Ana Egge, Adam Levy and Nels Andrews
Idgy Vaughn and Will Sexton
A.J. Roach, Rachel Ries and a delirious Cory Branan
Teenie Hodges and Susan Marshall
We’re not sure what happened here, but we checked his pulse and the chicken was still alive as of this writing.
I was sure I needed to get my eyes checked when I read that folk-pop legends Chad & Jeremy would be appearing at the Folk Alliance Conference this year. I was stunned. “THE Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde? Could it be? ‘Distant Shores’? ‘A Summer Song’? No!” Before the thoughts could be completely formulated, I was told that yes, in fact, they would be attending and I could rest assured I would be surprised.
Even 40 years later, it’s as if time stood still when you hear them. These guys were so good, it made everyone in the audience fahrklempt. If you love indie pop or folk pop, you owe it to yourself to see Chad & Jeremy performing live in a city near you, and here’s the proof.
Listen to Chad & Jeremy - A Summer Song
You can purchase Chad & Jeremy’s Greatest Hits
I really want to share a video with you to help you fully understand and embrace the classic American songwriting style and unencumbered delivery of songwriter Graham Weber, one of many young up-and-coming folk artists whose presence at Folk Alliance 2008 is everywhere. However, the obviously purposefully overpriced and spotty internet service at the Downtown Marriott (along with the cold water in the bathroom sinks and other cost-cutting signs of Marriott’s unhinged corporate greed which are not the fault of the Folk Alliance) prevent me from sharing. For now, check out this song from Weber’s newest album, The Door To The Morning.
Graham Weber will be appearing tonight at Otherlands in Memphis as part of a stellar lineup including Cory Branan, Colin Gilmore, and John August. Showtime is 7:00pm. Click here for more details.
Young, highly original, depth-laden songwriters, including John Elliott and Raina Rose (above) are everywhere at Folk Alliance 2008.
There is a good natured sense of community everywhere you turn at the Folk Alliance Conference. The first thing you notice is the lack of artifice or self-consciousness present in performers here compared to other music conferences of its kind. Critics of folk music and its followers tend to focus on how it lacks the trappings of celebrity, youth and glamor that they believe is a necessary ingredient to the creation of great music. One look around this group of musicians of all ages, levels of success in the music industry and senses of style who have traveled from all over the world to be in Memphis cause such criticisms to grow meaningless. Youth is well represented here, and the dynamics of the performers whom I witnessed on opening night have the kind of talent that overshadow the bloated world of hipster saddlebags searching for an identity in music that lacks this level skill or foundation seen here.
If you’re reading and will want to remember who the emerging artists are, you should start a list which includes the consistently notable Cory Branan, 17-year-old wunderkind Anthony da Costa, the belle of Portland and Austin Ms. Raina Rose, and a young songwriter named John Elliott whose gripping stream-of-consciousness songwriting is the most compelling thing I’ve heard since Bright Eyes himself.
I’ll keep giving updates on a daily basis, but here’s some photos from the first night to give you an idea.
Betty Soo and Will Sexton
Giant Bear
John Elliott, Anthony Da Costa and Raina Rose
John Elliott, Raina Rose and Anthony Da Costa
Cory Branan
You can view all the photos from Folk Alliance 2008 as they are added by clicking here.
Well, festival day one is less than 24 hours away. I’m barely awake right now, having been working on a documentary for the National Civil Rights Museum this weekend, and I’ve started to go through my inbox of Folk Alliance information. If you’re a fan of folk music, names like Belle & Sebastian, Peter, Bjorn and John, Loney, Dear, Joanna Newsom, or Devendra Banhart, you couldn’t help but be familiar with the artists whose influences are whispered into theirs. Dotted in amongst those showcasing are a younger generation of up and coming performers whose advance word-of-mouth has me excited — folks like Raina Rose, Anthony da Costa and Colin Spring are names that weren’t immediately familiar to me, but in their company are folks such as legendary songwriter and storyteller James Lee Stanley, Belfast poet and songwriter Andy White and Britain’s legendary folk-pop troubadours Chad and Jeremy, whose music serves as an inspiration and a blueprint for the modern folk-pop experience.
The window of opportunity for master musicians and legends of the craft to come together with a forward-moving, fast-coming younger generation of folk artists closes a little bit more each year. I hope you’ll be able to come and enjoy some of the wonderful performances, spend one-on-one time with these folks and enjoy the great music.
The 2008 Folk Alliance Conference will be taking place here in Memphis from February 20th thru the 24th, and I hope you’re planning on attending. Last year’s attendees are making a splash everywhere, from movie soundtracks (attendees Alvin Youngblood Hart and Carolina Chocolate Drops are featured in the soundtrack to the movie The Great Debaters) to concert venues and festivals around the world. Of all the music conferences happening in the U.S. today, none is more vibrant, exciting, eclectic, or more reflective of the wide reaches of creative power than the Folk Alliance conference.
This month, Loudersoft will be highlighting songs by artists who will be attending the festival. Stay Tuned.
