Leo Rondeau & Dynamite Tales

Leo Rondeau & Dynamite Tales
7:00 PM Tuesday, December 7, 2010

We have had some pretty interesting trips into old time music, experienced sublime traditional and progressive bluegrass, witnessed amazing modern and traditional folk music of all stripes, we have tasted some great blues, and lately some have been on sort of a streak of outstanding early county music shows.

Here comes another one, from Austin, Texas:

From the Austin Week

 

Exclusive Interview: Leo Rondeau

 

Back from tour, Rondeau returns to the Hole in the Wall

By David S. Lewis

The willowy dancer, her dust-blonde hair spilling out underneath the shapeless brown cowboy hat, two-stepping nearly so gracefully as she ducked the amorous advances of her partner, her eyes half-lidded, listening; behind her, on the stage, a young man, his narrow face chiseled from Badlands rock, his sharp features testament to his Native American lineage, his even-toned voice almost matter-of-factly delivering the lyrics:

‘On my way I saw a cavalcade
and a mob at odds with the world
I heard clams clamoring for all of her attention
But I couldn’t take my eyes off the pearl’

The mournful lyrics, a request for reunion with a old flame, belied the energetic stomp of the tune. The singer, Leo Rondeau, fresh off a three-month national tour, has returned to Austin, where he has lived and worked as a musician for six years.
Rondeau is a rarity in Austin, or anywhere, for that matter. He writes his own songs…and makes a living doing it. Now returned, he retakes his throne as the Monday house act at The Hole in the Wall. Continue reading “Leo Rondeau & Dynamite Tales”

Brenn Hill~Cowboy Singer/Songwriter

Singer/Songwriter Brenn Hill doesn’t just sing about the American West, he reveals its heart to anyone who will take the time to listen. His most recent release “Equine” (2010), clearly defines what might be his most profound work to date, as well as a mirror of his growth as an artist over the last ten years. Its broad theme of horses, the cowboy’s working partner, is but a pathway into and through his own personal journey. No longer just the observer or narrator of our Western story, but its strongest interpreter, life’s trials and tribulations are also his raw material. Faith, trust and love are his guide.

“Overall, I want a listener to know that my music isn’t about me,” explains Hill. “It’s how I make my living and not a vehicle for stardom. My goal is to present a valid story about people, places, and events that are song-worthy. If I can challenge someone’s perspective, or offer a new one on a classic theme or issue, I’ve achieved my goal. I feel a deep sense of purpose with my music and am honored to have the opportunity that I have. I deeply appreciate my listeners. The greatest compliments I receive come directly from those that listen to my music. When a song touches them so profoundly that they tell me, “that song changed my life,” or, “that song got me through a hard time,” or, “that song’s about me,” then I know I got it right. No amount of money or recognition could mean more than that.”

Born into a 6th generation of a family anchored to the West and raised in Utah, Brenn and his music revisit the many stories that come from the land with a fresh, contemporary and personal twist. Home for the Hill’s is Hooper, a rural community in Northern Utah where Brenn resides with his wife, three children and a cavvy of horses. “Time in the saddle is my payoff for the hard miles on the road, the gut-full of showbiz, and the time away from loved ones,” says Brenn. “Horses bring me purpose in life. They provide a foundation and theme for my music and are an endless fountain of inspiration. In a way, horses write a lot of my songs, especially since they are an integral part of my connection to the land. They reveal my character. They’re constant teachers with endless patience and capacity, and likewise, provide an endless bank of inspiration that I can draw from.

 

Mike Beck

Mike Beck is well-known for his memorable ballads that capture old California, and the cowboy way of life. He has performed in numerous foreign countries, and throughout the United States. Mike recently returned from doing some shows in Norway and Sweden.

Two of Mike Beck’s songs were listed in the “13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Time” in the April 2009 issue of Western Horseman Magazine (“In Old California” – a song about Jo Mora – and “Don’t Tell Me.”) His song, “Patrick” was listed as one of “The Top 15 Roadworthy Cowboy Songs” in the July 2008 issue of Cowboys & Indians Magazine. His song, “Amanda Come Home” was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition, and is dedicated to all of the women who served in Iraq. In the Spring 2010 edition of The Cowboy Way, Bill Reynolds writes, “His love of the ways of the vaquero and the Pacific Slope region of the West comes through his songs in superb guitar work.”

Born and raised in Monterey County, California, at age 13, Mike Beck went to the Monterey Pop Festival and liked what he heard. He picked up a guitar and never looked back. Since that time, he has been composing and performing a wide array of folk, rock and Americana music. Mike’s songs reflect his life as a professional musician and a working cowboy in Montana and Carmel Valley near Big Sur.

According to Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, “Mike Beck plays the guitar like a Byrd. His strings do things that mine could never do. They obey the slightest finger-touch commands like a fine Reining Horse.”

Beck is riding high after being recognized by Western Horseman magazine in a recent article naming “The 13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Times” along with songs written by luminaries such as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Allison Moorer, Lucinda Williams and Ian Tyson.

“I had two songs on that list, which was kind of cool,” said Beck. “to be alongside some of the other people on that list, like Tom Russell, Ian Tyson. I thought, that’s nice company. That was nice of them to say that.”

Visit Mike Beck online http://www.mikebeck.com

(I found this rather amazing video on YouTube, posted by pagenmaestro; with the notes here below the video. – bill)

I met Mike Beck right after this performance in Austin, Texas, in June of 2004, when he delivered among other originals a gripping solo performance of “Old Man,” a song about one of the resin jaws he met while cowboying in Montana. We stood outside in the humid night heat and, along with horseman Magne Hellesjo of Norway, talked music and horses, and shared some cold beers. A year or so later the three of us convened again at Magne’s farm in Norway where, between horse clinics, Mike joined me and other members of Poisoned Red Berries in the recording of my first produced studio album. Mike’s been working with his band, The Bohemian Saints, for a few years now, playing mainly in California with occasional tours. Mike Beck has also just released a beautiful solo album of songs, called “Free”. If you like the sound of “Old Man,” check out the new solo album. Mike’s songs offer a unique perspective on life, opening on a wisdom earned genuinely through a life of horse whispering, work with Ian Tyson and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Beck’s own take on the old ways of the cowboy life in America. Learn more about Mike and his music at http://www.mikebeck.com

 

Note: If anyone objects to this video presentation due to copyright infringement, please make contact and it will be promptly removed. DL

The Gillette Brothers

Gillette BrothersGuy and Pipp Gillette, from their home in Crockett Texas, are once again on their way to a series of appearances in California, and they will make a stop for a show in Winnemucca on August 7.

Guy and Pipp appeared at a sold out show in Winnemucca last December, and they were a huge hit.  They perform a mix of traditional cowboy songs, and songs reflecting the Celtic roots, country blues, minstrel and medicine show songs that influenced cowboy music. For me it is always worth the price of admission just to watch and hear Guy play the rhythm bones, musical bones they make from cow ribs.

They have played at major events and venues around the country including: The 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC, The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV, The Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in Monterey, CA, The Santa Clarita Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in Santa Clarita, CA, The Willow Tree Festival in Gordon, NE, The Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering in Prescott, AZ; The Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, GA; The National Arboretum in Washington, DC, The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, and The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, The Museum of South Texas in Edinburgh Texas.

In August 2005, the Gillette Brothers traveled to Japan representing the State of Texas at the World Expo – Aichi/Nagoya, performing their music at the US Pavilion. In October 2008, the Gillette Brothers toured Somerset, England for two weeks, performing in village halls and the Bridgewater Arts Center.

They have demonstrated chuckwagon cooking at the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City; the Ranching Heritage Museum in Lubbock, Texas; The Museum of South Texas in Edinburgh Texas; Dalton Days in Longview, Texas; and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia.

Their cooking has been spotlighted in Persimmon Hill, the magazine of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum; The National Cowboy Hall of Fame Cookbook by B. Byron Price; A Taste of Texas Ranching by Tom Bryant and Joel Bernstein; and the Spirit of the West: Cooking for Ranch House & Range by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs.

The Gillette Brothers were recipients of the 2009 AMERICAN COWBOY CULTURE AWARD for western music from the NATIONAL COWBOY SYMPOSIUM & CELEBRATION. They were awarded the 2003 and the 1998 Will Rogers Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Advancement of Contemporary Cowboy Music Best Duo/Group by The Academy of Western Artists. They have also received the National Cowboy Symposium’s American Cowboy Culture Chuck Wagon Award.

The Gillette Brothers run The Camp St. Cafe & Store in Crockett, Texas a live music venue, much like the Martin Hotel, that has featured some of the top performers in the country.

They were also instrumental in getting a life-sized statue of Blues Legend Lightnin’ Hopkins erected in Crockett.

Roy Book Binder

Roy Book Binder at the Martin 2008
Roy Book Binder at the Martin 2008

Blues Legend Plays The Martin Hotel

The great Roy Book Binder is set to play a concert at the Martin Hotel on Saturday, July 10th. Something of a national treasure, Book Binder plays blues in the Piedmont style, a very old East Coast tradition based on ragtime and multi-part gospel guitar techniques.

Besides being a musical giant with unexceeded technique, Book Binder is known as a crowd-pleasing entertainer with deft comic timing, an encyclopedic knowledge of American roots music history, and an inexhaustible supply of tales collected over a lifetime of traveling and performing with greats like Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Rock Bottom, Fats Kaplin, Doc Watson, Bonnie Raitt, and Ray Charles.

Book Binder emerged alongside pal Dave van Ronk in the New York City coffeehouse scene of the mid-60s, the beginning of the so-called “folk revival.” And, his repertoire includes “Bookaroo” songs, played in a folk style reminiscent of Rambling Jack Elliot, the New York City surgeon’s son who was Woody Guthrie’s hand-picked protege.

Book Binder’s real bailiwick, though, is blues in the East Coast or “Piedmont” style, named for the plateau that stretches from Richmond, Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia. The style evolved in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, when ragtime, parlor, and gospel guitar players like Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, and Reverend Gary Davis began applying polyphonic finger-picking technique to the blues. Book Binder perfected his Piedmont technique as Davis’s protégé, working as the blind virtuoso’s driver and side-man during the late 1960s.

Book Binder has recorded seven albums, most in a “hillbilly” blues style that includes plenty of colorful banter between the tracks. Often, the stories and jokes stretch back to Book Binder’s formative years on the road with the Reverend Davis. Though based on old-time techniques, his songs sound fresh and relevant, often featuring original lyrics re-spun to reflect contemporary themes.

Book Binder continues to perform solo shows around the world, with more than 30 shows left this year alone. He also teaches at MerleFest and the Fur Peace School, and keeps an entertaining travel “blog” on his website, RoyBookBinder.com.

So, if you’re in town over the weekend, don’t miss the chance to see one of the great bluesmen of all time, up close and personal, right here in Winnemucca. The show starts at 7 PM on Saturday, July 10th, at the Martin Hotel on Railroad Street.

Ray Bonneville ~ Slow Burning Blues

$15 TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT THE MARTIN HOTEL, NATURE’S CORNER, AND GLOBAL COFFEE.

Ray Bonneville is a roaming blues poet, inspired by the road and the many other places he has called home—New Orleans, Colorado, Arkansas, Alaska, Boston, Seattle and Paris, France.  Born in Canada and raised in the United States, Bonneville has lived all over.  No place, however, has been more influential than New Orleans.

In the streets and clubs of New Orleans, Bonneville soaked up the prevalent take-your-time attitude that ran through the music being played there.  “There’s something about the heat and humidity that makes people slow down,” he says.  “New Orleans is where I learned to take my time, to allow space between the notes so the songs could truly groove.”  That groove is at the core of Bonneville’s sound.  A one-man band, he backs up weathered, storytelling vocals with a highly percussive guitar style, dramatic harmonica lines and a foot that keeps the rock steady beat.  The result is a big sound with an almost primitive quality.  It’s visceral, raw music.

Like the great American writers of the south and his favorite authors Cormac McCarthy and Flannery O’Connor, Bonneville is inspired by the places he has been and the unusual people he has met throughout his travels.  His songs are like short stories, evoking true-to-life characters that stumble their way through a rough and tumble world of violence, hope and despair.  Heavily influenced by the natural world, Bonneville finds himself splitting his time these days between Montreal, Austin and Cotter, Arkansas, where he likes to write songs and fly-fish the White River.

Honing his craft for the last 30 years, Bonneville’s 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 in blues and roots music circles, garnering rave reviews from DownBeat and No Depression.  He has toured all over the world, sharing the bill with such blues legends as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, J.J. Cale and Robert Cray and in 2007 wowed the music industry with his bring-down-the-house performances at the South By Southwest and Folk Alliance conference.  A world-class guitarist, harmonica player and hard-hitting songwriter, it is no wonder that Ray has received rave reviews from blues, jazz and roots critics alike and can count among his fans such artists as Chris Smither and Ray Wylie Hubbard.  For more information about Ray Bonneville, please visit his website at www.raybonneville.com.

Sweet Sunny South

SweetSunnySouthOn Wednesday, May 26th the Colorado based old-time bluegrass string band Sweet Sunny South will appear at the Martin Hotel for their only Nevada date in 2010. The band will be featuring material from a new release that includes guest appearances by the Denver based jazz heavy, Ron Miles (Bill Frissell, Elvis Costello) on coronet and Phil Wade(The Wilders) on banjo and dobro. The CD entitled “Carried Off By A Twister” introduces a slew of new tunes and finds the band members stretching out in all sorts of new directions.  “Twister” is the 5th CD released by SSS and the band is coming up on their 10th year performing together.

SSS kicks off summer 2010 with a trip to Yosemite, CA for this Memorial Day weekend’s Strawberry Festival (other acts there include Patty Loveless, Richard Thompson and Louden Wainwright III) and winds it up this year with another appearance at SW Colorado favorite Pagosa’s “Four Corners Folk Festival”. Sandwiched between are all kinds of great festival sets, theater shows and summer concert series all across Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and more. Sign the email list at www.sweetsunnysouth.com for all the details and to find out about shows as they are added to the tour schedule. Come and get your copy of Sweet Sunny South’s new release hot off the presses “Carried Off By A Twister”!

SSSTwisterSweet Sunny South is a four piece string band hailing from Paonia, Colorado consisting of guitar(Rob Miller), upright bass(Shelley Gray), fiddle(Cory Obert), mandolin and banjo(Bill Powers). The band makes original music that blends elements of bluegrass, old-time, country, and swing to create a decidedly unique sound. Their specialty is creating a full entertainment experience through live performance, a journey if you will, taking the audience along for the ride across dusty landscapes of the American countryside. There’s high lonesome ballads, for the winsome and rocking old-time fiddle tunes for the dancers.  All four members sing and play around a single microphone and while this approach brings to mind the glory days of the Grand Ol’ Opry, the band’s sound feels new, fresh and dynamic. Smiles warm the room while real, true music fills the air. Sweet Sunny South’s vibe is contagious and gives everyone permission to feel good.

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Nevada Humanaties Event

NV-Humanities-Logo
Please join Nevada Humanities
Executive Director Christina Barr & Staff
for an informal gathering of friends
May 19, 2010
5:00 – 6:30 pm
The Martin Hotel
At Railroad & Melarkey Streets
Winnemucca
Visit with Nevada Humanities staff to learn more about
our programs and grants for Nevada’s nonprofit organizations,
libraries, and schools – please join us!
~ Light Basque fare will be served ~
~ Cash Bar ~
For more information please contact Mary Toleno
775-784-6587 or maryt@unr.edu

Chris Proctor

Chris Proctor’s
Solo Guitar Orchestra

Critics call his guitar playing “breathtaking,” “haunting,” and “rich.” Guitar magazines describe his compositions as “spectacular,” “elegant,” and “exquisite,” and praise his twelve-string work as “revelatory.” Media reviewers trace the roots of his style to folk, jazz, pop, and classical music, categorize his playing as “Baroque Folk,” and “Instrumental Americana,” and compare him to Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges.

lotus_color-200x250Another reviewer ventured this analysis: “What to call his unique melange of styles? There’s an aspect of Americana in the echoes of Appalachian and old-timey styles that are apparent in just about every track, but there are also elements of jazz, Celtic folk, and a dash of blues in here somewhere. What Proctor does is create guitar music that reflects the whole heritage of the instrument and still has his own distinct stamp — a tall order, but he’s up to the job”

These luminous and diverse quotes characterize the media’s efforts to describe Chris Proctor’s solo, 6 and 12-string  guitar concerts and recordings. Two additional comments typify the first-time listener’s reaction: “Wow- I didn’t know that acoustic guitars could sound like that,” and, ” It seems as if there are three guitarists up there on stage, not just one.”

Here’s more of what critics, listeners, presenters and concert audiences say about Chris Proctor:

  • He is an acclaimed composer of original music and a wonderful arranger for the 6 and 12-string guitars.
  • He is a performer with a gift for communicating the tremendous variety, vitality, and accessibility of his music.
  • His amazing variety of guitar sounds and textures, and the rich tapestry of bass, melody, and inner voices, bring an orchestral quality to his music that surprises and delights audiences who haven’t heard him before.
  • His compositions and arrangements shine with folk, jazz, pop, classical, and ethnic influences.
  • He is a superlative workshop, master class and residency/outreach leader,  author of numerous instructional articles in the guitar press, and producer of two world-class instructional videos for 6 and 12-string players.

CeCe Gable and her Jazz Trio

CeCe GableCeCe draws the listener into her captivating world of song with an incredible depth of emotion. She swings with rhythmic passion and also has the ability to caress a ballad with effortless interpretation. Influenced by many of the women and men of jazz, she offers her own voice on jazz standards and the American Songbook. She shines on any stage whether she is accompanied by a solo pianist, a trio or an entire orchestra… you’ll find you cannot get enough of this jazz experience.

Well known to audiences up and down the Pacific Coast and throughout the western states, CeCe Gable is rapidly becoming one of the premiere jazz singers in the region.

A native of Barberton, Ohio, and a graduate of Kent State University, CeCe lived in Winnemucca for a few years while she was working as an artist in residence in Winnemucca schools. While she was in Winnemucca she primarily taught dance and creative movement to budding young artist’s. CeCe now makes her home in the Reno/Tahoe area as a performing and recording artist.

A consummate jazz cabaret performer, she has sung in jazz clubs throughout the United States and Europe including New Orleans, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Fiji, Munich, Athens and at New York City’s Iridium with Les Paul.

She has presented the works of George Gershwin, Thelonious Monk, Stephen Sondheim and Kurt Weill to rave reviews in a variety of venues. According to Metroland (Albany, NY), CeCe Gable is a performer who exudes warmth, sophistication, a generous stage presence and rare versatility. A unique, compelling performer with a style and sound all her own, CeCe has been compared to the song stylists of the ’50’s with a contemporary twist.

Admired as a “quiet surprise” by audiences nationwide, CeCe has become known for delivering an honest performance and has prompted more than one audience member to say “When you sing I see the music flow through you and I believe you.”

Richard Feldman, stage director and arts critic for The Record (Troy, NY) asserts that “CeCe Gable is one of those rare performers whose mellow vocals, stylistic sophistication, diversity of material and intimate delivery combine perfectly to convince us that she’s singing to each of us…personally.”

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