Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse 1st Quarter 2012
Transcript of Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse 1st Quarter 2012
MAR. 23 • THE WAYMORES
MAR. 30 • STACEY EARLE & MARK STUART
MAR. 2 • MARY GAUTHIER with TANIA ELIZABETH
“There’s freedom in knowing that you don’t have to know it all,” says, “which is why to me, a song should end with a question, not an answer.” It might seem that after six groundbreaking
albums of original songs, more than a dozen years of recording and touring around the world, a harvest of music industry awards, and covers of her songs by a roster of great artists – that Mary Gauthier (say it: go-shay) should have a handle on some of the big answers. Yet with each new album, with each new cycle of songs that illuminate her soul, with each old and new set of characters and life changes she introduces, Mary is always ending up with more questions. Where do her people come from and where do they go? How can they find shelter from the storm? What is the truth?
Opening: Cary Cooper. Mary Gauthier says, “Cary’s new CD has captured me, …and the songs now sit in my heart like old friends.”
Originally from England, Zoe Lewis is now based out of the Provincetown area of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She can aptly be described as equal parts trouba-dour, vaudevillian, storyteller, singer- songwriter, and piece of
work! She is a band in a body… playing jazz, jump jive, Latin grooves, swing, acoustic funk and folk originals on guitar, piano, harmonica, ukulele, penny whistle, accordion, spoons and human trumpet! She’s traveled all over the globe picking up world-beat grooves and stories along the way; jumping box cars, riding on freight boats and even playing with an elephant orchestra in Thailand. Her music is upbeat, high-energy, and a delight for all… as it pokes fun at modern society and praises the rambling delights of childhood, secret worlds, and wandering love. Zoe Lewis will entertain you in a way you have never ex-perienced and she will leave you wanting more.
Opening: The Wahooligans. David Hendley, John Smith and Dirje Smith bring a mix of old-time vaudeville instrumentation, costumes, and jokes with New Age sensibility.
MAR. 16 • ZOE LEWIS
Tom Kimmel, Sally Bar-ris and Don Henry have written songs for the stars & garnered praise for their solo works, yet what’s most exciting about The Waymores is the magic
they make onstage. They are three of Nashville’s finest singer-songwriters. Don Henry has writ-ten songs for Ray Charles, Conway Twitty, Kathy Mattea, BJ Thomas and others. His song Where’ve You Been won Song of the Year from the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, Nashville Songwriters Association Inter-national and the Grammy Award. Sally Barris‘ songs have been recorded by Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Keith Urban and others. Tom Kimmel’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker and others. He is also a storyteller, published poet and actor. The Waymores offer up harmonies, humor and world class songs that blend retro pop, old school country and contemporary folk.
Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart have the music gene in their DNA. Stacey (sister of Steve Earle) and Mark (nephew of Marty Stuart) grew up sur-rounded by many of Nashville’s
greats. They are musical soul mates, as well as husband and wife. Individually they are great musicians and songwriters, but together they are better. Her voice (reminiscent of Iris Dement) blends with his high tenor in a way that retains their own distinctiveness while enhancing the other. Their unique sound draws on an eclectic mix of folk, blues, pop, country, and rock. They are engaging performers who capture your atten-tion from the moment they walk on stage. Their show is intimate… as if you are an old friend, sitting in their living room. They pull out all the stops with clever guitar interplay, well-crafted songwriting, humorous storytelling, sweet har-monies and an obvious love of the music.
Opening: Kevin Higgins. Kevin writes songs, from deep in his soul, about the human experi-ence… stories that are eloquent, evocative and true.
1982-2012 • OUR 30th YEAR! • www.unclecalvins.org • 214-363-0044 Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse ♫ 1st Quarter 2012
JAN. 6 • THE STEEL WHEELS / RUBY JANE
FEB. 3 • JOE CROOKSTON / A.J. ROACH
FEB. 24 • TOM MCDERMOTT / GEORGE GAGLIARDI
The Steel Wheels are truly an Americana band, rooted in musi-cal styles that explore the territories between blues and bluegrass,
old-time sing-alongs and foot-stompin’ fiddle tunes. They are subtle innovators who respect the past but whistle their own tunes, layering in rich textures and decidedly modern energy to forge a new sound. 2010 was a breakout year for The Steel Wheels culminating with five nominations from The Independent Music Awards including Nothing You Can’t Lose taking top honors as “Best Country Song”. The four-piece band is based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where lead singer and primary songwriter Trent Wagler has been a scene staple for nearly a decade. He is joined by multi-instrumentalist Jay Lapp, bassist Brian Dickel, and fiddler Eric Brubaker.
16-year-old Ruby Jane is the real deal. Born in Dal-las, she is a fiddler, singer, songwriter, and multi-instru-mentalist bandleader of “The Ruby Jane Show,” showcas-
ing her distinctive Americana mix of country, jazz, bluegrass, and blues. With deep familial and cultural ties to Mississippi where she lived for her first 12 years, she now resides in Austin. In 2005, Ruby Jane became the youngest invited fiddler in history to play the Grand Ole Opry, at the tender age of 10. Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel discovered Ruby while looking for a young fiddle player for his play A Ride With Bob. This led to Ruby touring nationally with both Asleep At The Wheel and Willie Nelson in his “Family Band,” and appearing on the Willie and the Wheel performance on Austin City Limits.
JAN. 13 • WILLIE PORTER ($16/18)
Puremusic.com says, “Willy Porter is perhaps best known as a down-tuned six string wonder, but as a singer and a writer, and as a showman, he merits equal regard.” Having toured with artists
as diverse as Jeff Beck and Tori Amos, Porter capitalizes on his experience as a seasoned live performer on his newest recording, How To Rob A Bank. He offers a rich blend of salt and sugar with tracks that move easily from rough-hewn electric edges into soulful irony with equal aplomb. Each song is a fresh cross-pollination of styles, genres and musical forms. World-renowned guitarist Greg Koch had this to say about Porter’s new disc: “you get the same feeling listening to it as you do from one of his solo gigs...that you are in the presence of greatness.” He is joined tonight by frequent collaborator Mai Bloomfield on cello.
Opening: Mai Bloomfield. A lead vocalist, cel-list, and songwriter for the band Raining Jane, now getting well-deserved recognition for her solo work.
JAN. 27 • RED MOLLY
The dynamic female trio that began as a happy ac-cident around a campsite (at the 2004 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival) is now drawing invitations from renowned historic national
events like Merlefest, and is winning over audi-ences around the country. Spurred onward by an ever-growing and devoted fanbase, and the desire to tour farther from home, Red Molly is at the start of a new and exciting musical chap-ter. Carolann Solebello left the group in 2010 to spend more time with family and pursue solo opportunities. Remaining founding members Laurie MacAllister (bass, banjo) and Abbie Gardner (dobro, guitar) welcome the newest “Molly,” Austin-based singer/songwriter Molly Venter, to fill out their lush, distinctive three-part harmonies. The three women have quickly nailed the essence of the Red Molly sound, while hint-ing at inspiring new musical possibilities in the months of touring that lie ahead. They will be bringing us songs from their outstanding new CD, called The Light In The Sky.
Opening: Raina Rose. Sharing with you her beautifully twisted, yet refreshingly optimistic perspective on the world.
JAN. 20 • TOM PRASADA-RAO AND CARY COOPER
Tom Prasada-Rao is a singer-songwriter of breathtaking vision. His voice belies his musicianship and his extraordinary songs. From Rishi’s Garden with its homage to Ravi Shankar to the
groove of Sleeping Beauty, Tom’s music is melodic, ambitious, and reverent. Since the fall of 2007 Tom has been on hiatus from tour-ing – staying home, producing records, raising two stepdaughters, and walking one rather large Golden Doodle named Thurman. In addition to producing, he’s a teacher, currently at White Rock Montessori in Dallas, formerly of The University of Virginia’s Young Writer’s Workshops - where he created the songwriting curriculum and taught for eight years. He moved to Texas in 2003 and is married to singer-songwriter Cary Cooper.
Cary Cooper has been working. And it’s showing in every career move she makes. Cary picked up the ukelele in the summer of 2010 and it blew open the door to a brand new batch of songs that are featured on her new CD, Pink Umbrella. Produced by Jagoda & husband Tom Prasada-Rao, the album is light and whimsical in nature, reflecting what makes Cary stand out in a crowd. For the bulk of her career as a performing songwriter, Cary has toured with her husband, first as the duo, The Dreamsicles, and more recently as solo artists sharing shows. 2011 marks the year that Cary will begin to tour primarily as her own solo act. You won’t want to miss this rising star.
Born Texan, rooted in the musical soil of his grandmother’s opera career, twisted by his uncle’s tall tales, and nourished on the Irish lore of his father’s birthplace, Tom McDermott travels the US as a
storyteller, guitarist, percussionist, and virtuoso ukulelist at festivals, conferences, and schools. A John Henry Faulk Award winner and author with Pelican Publishing, Tom accompanies his original stories, adapted folktales, myths, and Texas lore with humor, participation, and music (on guitars, ukuleles, drums, theremin, and hurdy-gurdy) to create an unparalleled experience for listeners of all ages. An award-winning storyteller and speaker. He has several recordings and several published books for children and adults. Tom is a resident of Ft Worth.
George Gagliardi has written over 800 songs, some published and several recorded by Cynthia Clawson, including George’s My Finest Hour, the title cut on her Grammy nominated album. He’s involved in Dallas theater in a variety of capaci-ties -- as pianist, guitarist, composer, arranger and musical director. Several of his original musical productions have been produced at the Pocket Sandwich Theater, with Rodney Dobbs as book writer and co-lyricist – including Dues and Don’t of Dating and Stars and Spies Forever. His latest CD is Songs Unsung… Until Now, was recorded in January of 2011.
Haven’t seen Joe Crookston per-form?? You’ll be glad you did. In 1987, The Kent State Folk Festi-val changed his life. After hearing Harvey Reid and the Horseflies at the festival, Joe sold his electric
guitar, bought a steel string and never looked back. He’s a fiddler and a pretty darn good per-colating clawhammer banjo player to boot. He has performed throughout the US, at Folk Festi-vals, Coffeehouses, venues. There is not a navel gazing break-up song to be found anywhere. His audience rapport, musicianship and playful stage presence is intense, mesmerizing, and unforget-tably dynamic. Fall Down as the Rain, not sur-prisingly, was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as a 2004 “TOP-12-Do-It-Yourself” independent recording, was featured on National Public Radio’s “All Songs Considered”.
Now splitting his time between New York City and Edinburgh, Scotland, A. J. Roach was born and raised in the deep hollows of mountainous Scott County, Virginia – the cultural and geo-graphical epicenter of America’s Appalachian Mountain Range, and the birthplace of American country music. Best known from his relentless touring schedule, A. J. has traveled well over one million miles and performed in more than a doz-en countries since the release of his first album in 2003. At the forefront of the new troubadour movement, A. J.’s performances are so powerful that it is not uncommon for audience members to be moved to tears by his poetic lyrics and pow-erful voice. A. J.’s songs have been featured in several U.S. television shows and feature-length films, and have drawn comparisons to Townes Van Zandt, Vic Chesnutt and Will Oldham.
FEB. 10 • BETTYSOO
Not much about BettySoo isn’t surprising. People are surprised just to see her take the stage. Plain-faced, petite (clocking in at exactly 5 feet), and frankly, people don’t have any idea what
to expect – they certainly don’t expect such a large voice and moving songs. Her first studio efforts (Let Me Love You, 2005; Little Tiny Se-crets, 2007, Never the Pretty Girl EP, 2007) were well received by critics, earning praise locally and nationally – even securing her performance opportunities overseas. And she’s not slowing down any time soon. Since their release, she has earned multiple songwriting awards (including Kerrville New Folk, Wildflower Festival, and Big Top Chautauqua Songwriter of the Year) and has proven herself a strong, engaging, often hilarious live performer. With Heat Sin Water Skin, BettySoo adds some welcome edge and grit to the heartbreaker ballads and bell-pure vocals she’s come to be known for.
Opening: Nicolette Good. The 2011 Readers’ Pick for best musician in San Antonio Magazine, and featured on Troubadour TX.
FEB. 17 • EMILY ELBERT / LIZ LONGLEY
Dallas native Emily Elbert stud-ied piano as a child before moving on to guitar when she was 14. She is a young performer, with an old soul. She easily moves throughout
the genres of jazz, pop, soul and folk. Her songs feature strong melodies, straight-to-the-heart vocals, and intricate guitar work. Emily spent the past four years at Berklee College of Music, and during that time has played hundreds of shows across America and as far away as Scotland, Puerto Rico, Saint-Barthélemy, Peru, Italy, Spain, Israel, Turkey and Greece. She was selected as one of the Top Ten College Women, 2010, by Glamour Magazine and has won songwriting awards such as Mountain Stage/New Song and Scotland’s Burnsong International. She is cur-rently working on her third CD, a full-band live album, due in early 2012.
Nashville-based Liz Longley is a Berklee College of Music graduate, quickly moving up in the world of singer-songwriters. Her ability to write well-crafted songs earned her a win in the BMI John Lennon Songwrit-ing Competition, as well as the International Acoustic Music Awards. She has opened for the likes of Livingston Taylor, Nanci Griffith, Lori McKenna, Jonathan Edwards and Shawn Colvin. John Meyer says her music is “gorgeous, just gorgeous”. She has recently been added to the rotation on Sirius XM’s Coffeehouse Chan-nel. Her writing style is poetic… her songs are personal and emotionally engaging… her highly textured vocals will stop you in your tracks. Longley describes herself as a “folk-pop singer-songwriter who likes to do a bit of jazz, blues, and some scatting if I get the chance.’’
MAR. 9 • 3 PENNY ACRE / THE HONEY DEWDROPS
3 Penny Acre is a musical col-laboration between three up and coming songwriters: Bayard Blain, Bernice Hembree, and Bryan Hembree. Fans and crit-ics have quickly identified their unique, Ozark-inspired sound as
distinct, yet universally appealing. Listeners in all corners have begun to appreciate their atten-tion to lyrics, harmony, and carefully crafted
acoustic arrangements steeped in roots music traditions but with a focus on fresh, new songs. The songs are beautiful and longing, yet at times anti-nostalgic, resisting the temptation to “gold wash” the tough history of the people and places they portray.
Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish, The Honey Dew-drops, make their home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, Virginia. The couple has been playing music in some capacity for over 15 years, but honed in on their natural duet abilities 7 years ago when they met for the first time in college. It was their love of folk music that brought them together and has since taken them out on the road to tour fulltime as the award-winning duet they are today. Writing and singing in the veins of folk and old country music, the Dewdrops entwine harmony singing with tight instrumentation and craft songs that are simple and fine-tuned. Theirs are new songs from the southern mountains that ring with originality.
♫ ♫
Calv
in’s Q
uick
Calen
dar •
1st Q
uarter 2
01
2
Jan. 6 STEEL W
HEELS / RUBY JANE
Jan. 13 W
ILLY PORTER ($16/18)
Opening: Mai Bloom
field
Jan. 20 TOM
PRASADA-RAO
AND CARY COOPER
Jan. 27 RED M
OLLY
Opening: Raina Rose
Feb. 3 JOE CROOKSTON / A.J. ROACH
Feb. 10 BETTY SOO
Opening: Nicolette Good
Feb. 17 EM
ILY ELBERT / LIZ LONGLEY
Feb. 24 TOM
MCDERM
OTT /
GEORGE GAGLIARDI
Mar. 2
MARY GAUTHIER
W
ITH TANIA ELIZABETH
Opening: Cary Cooper
Mar. 9
3 PENNY ACRE /
HONEY DEWDROPS
Mar. 16 ZOE LEW
IS
Opening: The Wahooligans
Mar. 23 THE W
AYMORES
Mar. 30
STACEY EARLE & MARK STUART
Opening: Kevin Higgins
COM
ING
UP N
EXT QU
ARTER...
April 13 LUCY KAPLANSKY ($16/18)
Opening: Megan Burtt
Apr. 20 ELLIS PAUL / VANCE GILBERT
($21/25)
Apr. 27 THE REFUGEES
May 4
JOHNSMITH
Opening: Irene Kelly
May 11
GRACE PETTIS /
BILLY CROCKETT ($18/22)
With: Dirje Sm
ith
June 15 SARA HICKMAN ($20/25)
Opening: 2-Bit Palom
ino
Well, another year has gone by, and there have
been so many highlights throughout the year that
it’s difficult to sum
marize. D
espite the difficult
times, or perhaps because of it, m
any of you are still com
ing out on Friday nights to support live music,
and for that we are grateful, as are the perform
ers we engage
and charities that we support. O
ur average attendance is up 9%
over last year, and revenues have gone up as well, w
hich m
eans that we’ll again have a nice bucket of m
oney to disperse to our various charities after the first of the year (w
e’ll give you those details in the next quarterly schedule). A
rtistically, we
are proud as always to have brought you full range, from
the big nam
es to the brand-new (31 of our 86 artists w
ere making
their Calvin’s debuts). It’s been a good year, thanks to your
support.A
s 2012 rolls around, we’re already into our 30th year of
business, and you can look forward to another great year
of artists and a few surprises along the w
ay. We’re already
planning our big 30th anniversary celebration for the month
of Novem
ber, and we can’t w
ait to tell you about that. Mean-
while, w
e’ve got a full slate of 13 shows planned for this first
quarter, including the Calvin’s debuts of such great artists as
Mary G
authier, Willy Porter, Joe C
rookston, Honey D
ew-
drops, and Ruby Jane, as well as return visits from
Red Molly,
BettySoo, Emily Elbert, 3 Penny A
cre, and Stacy Earle & M
ark Stuart – just to nam
e a few. We hope you’ll join us!
Calvin’s sez...
Map
Coffeehouse
To Dow
ntown D
allas
Take the Central E
xp. service Rd. south from
Walnut H
ill Lane to G
len Am
erica, or take NorthP
ark Exit 3 north from
Park Lane
Central (75)
Loop 12 (Northw
est Hw
y)
Glen A
merica
NorthPark
PresbyterianC
hurch
Walnut H
ill Lane
NorthP
ark Ctr.
75
NorthPark Center
Apartments
Park Lane
Greenville Avenue
I-635 (LBJ)
Sch
edu
le / New
sletter
1st QUARTER 2012
Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse
A non-profit volunteer organization sponsored by:
NorthPark Presbyterian C
hurch9555 N
. Central Expressw
ayD
allas, Texas 75231-5001
tick
ets
& a
dmis
sion
Adva
nce
ticke
ts a
vaila
ble
at th
e co
ffeeh
ouse
, or
onl
ine
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ww
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leca
lvin
s.org
Gen
eral
adm
issio
n on
ly. E
arly
adm
issio
n is
incl
uded
with
th
e fir
st 3
0 tic
kets
sold
per
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. No
tabl
e re
serv
atio
ns.
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lar a
dult
adm
issi
on is
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in a
dvan
ce,
(unt
il 2
pm o
n th
e da
y of
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show
) or $
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t the
doo
r.
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ptio
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ticul
ar s
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hedu
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ult p
rice,
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ess
othe
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le C
alvi
n’s
is lo
cate
d at
Nor
thPa
rk P
resb
yter
ian
Chu
rch
9555
N. C
entr
al E
xpre
ssw
ay •
Dal
las,
TX
752
31-5
001
abou
t ca
lvin
’s
Unc
le C
alvi
n’s
is a
sm
oke
and
alco
hol-f
ree
venu
e.
cont
act
Web
site
: w
ww
.unc
leca
lvin
s.org
Ph
one:
214
-363
-004
4 •
Em
ail:
info
@un
clec
alvi
ns.o
rg
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orm
ance
sD
oors
Ope
n at
7:3
0 pm
. Per
form
ance
s sta
rt a
t 8:0
0 p.
m.
food
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rink
Del
icio
us c
offee
s, te
as, j
uice
s, sn
acks
& d
esse
rts
are
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labl
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r pur
chas
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