Spring 2000 Series
Concerts are listed with the most recent at the top. Follow the links to
visit the web sites of the performers or the organizations their concerts supported.
We are adding photos from many of our concerts. You can
click on the thumbnails to see enlarged photos.
Kim's songs mine a vulnerability and emotional depth while maintaining an intrinsic
lightness -- there's space in the music, much like the vast, open emptiness of West Texas
where she grew up. Miller's songs are word sculptures, cinematic in scope, painting
infinite pictures accented by telltale details. She draws inspiration from her love of
beautiful, isolated places, nature in all its extremes, from her oil-basin upbringing to
her years spent as a divemaster, leading scuba trips to exotic spots around the globe.
Great literature also finds its way into her songs -- she cites influences ranging from
Gustave Flaubert to Tom Robbins.
Her pure soprano easily navigates the curves of her phrasing, melding meaning to
melody. "If you care to let go," wrote the Kerrville Kronikle (England),
"Miller's vocals will simply break your heart." [from her website]
April 7
Small Potatoes -
Opening: Stephen Taylor
For the Love of Christi - Nondenominational
organization providing help and ongoing support to individuals and families who have lost
a loved one.
Skillful instrumentation, tight harmonies, great songs, huge variety of material - it's
all here. Rich Prezioso's guitar artistry is impeccable, and Jacquie Manning's alto weaves
a rich tapestry of folk, blues, jazz, swing, Celtic, and country. Add Rich's voice and
mandolin, Jacquie's guitar, whistles, bodhran, and percussion toys, plus their sense of
humor and Small Potatoes eclectic repertoire unfolds. They breathe a new
life into traditional material, write songs that belong in coffeehouses, concert halls,
and on the radio, and they spellbind audiences with their dynamic performances. [from
their website]
The Nonchalants combine award-winning original pop, blues, folk, rock, and country into
a spicy and fresh musical gumbo. The Nonchalants have established themselves as a favorite
among audiences and critics alike. Performing frequently in their home town of Austin,
Texas, they also appear at some of the finest venues and festivals across the USA. From
the Bitter End in New York City to Portofino Presents in Pacific Grove, CA, they captivate
audiences with their quirky humor and dynamic stage performances.
Polk,
Barton & Towhead began at the 1994 Kerrville Folk Festival when intuition
told Kerry Polk to invite John Barton's family to share her campsite. The two exchanged
numbers and have been musical partners ever since. PB&T perform as a duo, but can be
expanded to a trio or eclectic quartet. Towhead symbolizes the fearlessness of a child;
all innocence, optimism and hope.
Both Polk and Barton cite Joni Mitchell as an early musical influence resulting in a
lyrical attention to detail while emotionally charting the highs and lows of relationships
lived and lost. The Austin Chronicle calls their debut CD, The Way Things Are , "a
self-contained primer of contemporary folk, ... touch(ing) on Iris Dement, Son Volt, Kelly
Willis, and Bob Dylan to sculpt their own milieu of thoughtful lyrics and rustic
moods." [from their website]
Cindy
Kalmenson is a fresh new voice in Nashville weaving deep sentiments with honesty
and humor. Inspired and influenced by her favorite artists: Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt,
Lucinda Williams, Neil Young, Joan Baez and Emmylou Harris, to name a few, Cindy has
developed a unique and heart-felt sound very much her own. Dirty Linen says,
"Kalmenson offers engaging songs with substance beyond their surface - she's an
artist to watch..." [from her website]
February 18
Therapy Sisters* and Wishing Chair
Benefiting: Project Transitions, Inc. Serves people with AIDS by providing hospice,
housing and support in a compassionate and caring environment.
For the past decade The Therapy Sisters have set out to demonstrate that music
and laughter are the best medicine. This zany and eclectic duo, Lisa Rogers and Maurine
McLean, has entertained at clubs and theaters from coast to coast. This year they released
their fifth album, Beyond Prescription, featuring jazz, blues, funk, and folk tunes, some
of which are based on outrageous news stories. The Therapy Sisters aim to inspire you to
laugh and think about the age we live in, and to remember that if you're not part of the
problem, you're not part of the family.
Wishing Chair performances, whether as a duo (Miriam
Davidson and Kiya Heartwood) or with their four-piece band, are funny, energetic,
passionate and powerful. The name, Wishing Chair, comes from a rock formation in Ulster
County, Northern Ireland where, it is said, if you sit and make a wish, your dreams come
true. As Wishing Chair, Davidson and Heartwood plan to do just that.
*Nancy Scott is unable to join us.
Shake Russell has been recording with Mike Hearns and Jimmy
Stadler...both members or sxsw, a very popular band from Taos, NM. Mike's a great
singer/songwriter, guitarist and bassist. Jimmy's also a great vocalist and keyboard
player who also plays mandolin, banjo, guitar, drums and harmonica. They hope to have
their CD ready for a release in spring 2000. Shake was also recently surprised with a BMI
"Millionaire" Award (an award given by BMI and the industry for songs that have
been played on the radio a million times or more) for the song, "One More
Payment," written with Clint Black and released on Black's Put Yourself in My
Shoes CD.
Dana Cooper is one of Nashville's best-kept secrets. He's a singer and
songwriter with a superb sense of melody and a wry, introspective lyrical bent. In Texas,
he's revered almost as much as his buddy, Lyle Lovett, and the two sing a duet on Miracle
Mile, Cooper's first album for Compass Records, Nashville's hippest alternative
label. Imagine Lovett's loopy sophistication sung with a James-Taylor-like voice, and
you'll get a sense of Cooper's appeal.
Bill
and Mary Muse (right) have quietly become one of Texas' favorite acoustic music
acts, venturing out from their Hill Country retreat to perform for some of the most
sophisticated folk audiences throughout the state. The hallmark of their live performance
is their ability to engulf the listener in the energy of their music, sharing their love
for their art and for one another. [from their website]
