It’s been an absolutely beautiful and magical fall festival season for the Keel crew, rolling around America’s hills and dales and doing our thang!
The Festy in Roseland, VA was an epic weekend of ideal festivating! Hosted by the wildly talented Infamous Stringdusters, this event represents all the best best elements of a great and inspiring music festival- loved all the collaborations the jams and pickin around the campfire were wide open and memorable, to say the least (larry’s guitar head stock smells like barbecue now! it’s got some awesome mojo in it forever more!) .. a stage highlight was seeing that nuclear jam during the Toubab Krew set, when Larry and members of the String Dusters got up with em and blew the roof off the place.. our new favorite version of ‘Cluck Ol Hen’!
Then we bolted across the middle of the country and headed over to Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Fest, in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.. spectacular autumn scenery, awesome property there at Mulberry Mountain- and a perfect music festival, complete with amazing stage acts, killer art and vending everywhere, and lots of spontaneous pickin jams among the world class artists- Larry and Will Lee, Scott Law and Darol Anger spent a whole late afternoon jammin away behind the main stage… late night picks included Keel, Mark Schimick, Will Lee, Drew Emmitt, Bill Nershi, Andy Thorn, gals and guys from Elephant Revival and Railroad Earth! all crammed into an RV ! super fun- look out for flipped out video on all that- coming soon! Stage highlights included Larry and Adam Aijala’s guitar duo set, with special guest Darol Anger, our Keel and Natural Bridge set, with a grand finale including almost all of the Greensky Bluegrass dudes, and then a wonderfully deep and spiritual set by Peter Rowan, on his own- he got Larry up to do some tunes with just the 2 of them.. on their guitars- Pete said he wanted to test drive a new tune he had just written that morning, and he wanted Larry and he to explore it together, on the spot.. it was awesome- look out for footage on that soon too!
And now! Stokin the home fires back in VA (well, getting the wood ready for the winter, more like it!), and preparing for our next adventure! Bass and Grass down on our favorite lake in the South: Goose Lake, near Perry GA.. join us and fishin/pickin/partyin instructors Jeff Mosier, David Blackmon, Steve McMurry and Gove Scrivenor as we dig in for a weekend of country style resort music and nature retreat together ! no need to know how to play an instrument- you just gotta know how to smile! bring it on, Oct 27-30!
Keel Brothers
Larry Keel – Guitar and vocals Gary Keel – Guitar and vocals
11/25/11 Larry & Gary Keel Bulls and Bears PubHagerstown, MD
11/26/11 Larry & Gary Keel Richardsville Firehall Richardsville, VA
Pop-Noir band stephaniesid released their new album STARFRUIT on October 18th. It’s now available on itunes, amazon, spotify, and bandcamp (physical cd). Get all the info at www.stephaniesid.com.
Throughout the day, they posted scavenger hunt on facebook for fans to find information throughout their website to win a free copy of the album. Here’s how it went:
first scavenger hunt question (winner gets a free starfruit cd!):
what phrase do you get when you put the following “starfruit” lyrics together? -the 62nd word from “house of many colors”
-the 10th word from “closer”
-the 85th word from “life of pi”
-the 4th word from “i like it”
-the 2nd word from “house of many colors”
-the 52nd word from “closer”
-the 4th word from “cadiz”
-the 2nd word from “cinematic”
-the 79the word from “i like it”
hint: click around on www.stephaniesid.com to find the link to get to the lyrics for the songs. another hint: you might want to look in today’s news post.
Court Mariie ** You grow beautiful when you blow in the wind
The next question is purely guess work. How many pigtails is Steph wearing today? The 1st person to guess correctly wins a free starfruit cd!
Geez Donnie, that was too easy for you, eh? Congratulatons, we will message you! Give us a minute to come up with something a bit more challenging than this one.
ok, the genius of our first 2 winners, court mariie and donnie patterson, have forced us to raise the difficulty quotient.
next question: who was the original owner of the piano chuck used to record his tracks for “starfruit”? be specific. what name did chuck call this person? (spelling must be correct; only 1 guess per person. family members and close friends exempt from this one… sorry). winner gets a copy of the new “starfruit” cd!
Congratulations, Jenn O’Tool for answering question #3 correctly… Chuck played all those tracks on his Grammy Jo’s piano. Grammy Jo lived to be 98 years old, and loved to play by ear. She was also a prolific painter… here is one of hers…
QUESTION #4 is for you musicians… In the chorus for “I Like It”, what are the 4 chords in the progression? Be specific. Only 1 guess per person. First person to answer correctly wins a spankin’ new “Starfruit” CD! (Band members ineligible.)
Congratulations to Christopher Stevens-Brown of Montreal and Will Newman of Asheville! They tied as winners of Question #4. The exact chords in the chorus of “I Like It” are V9, iii, V9/4, I. In other words: B9, G# minor, B9 with A in the bass, and E Major. Good work, lads!
PRIZE QUESTION #5: In which video on the official stephaniesid website video page will you find a shot featuring pink smoke?
Congratulations to Marquita Davis Yother for correctly answering question #5… The Red Helmet, filmed in Interlaken, Switzerland and featuring stephaniesid’s music, has a shot of pink smoke at about 3:20.
PRIZE QUESTION #6: There is a Nurse Jackie episode featuring stephaniesid’s music. This is a 3-part question… 1) What song is featured, 2) Where are the characters when the song is playing, and 3) What is the name of the episode?
Congratulations to Jennifer Spiegelman (of Birmingham, AL), who correctly answered the Nurse Jackie question… our song “Hey Hey Hey” was featured at the end of Episode 2, Season 1, called “Sweet-n-All”. The characters were in Jackie’s husband’s bar when the song was playing.
we’re on the home stretch… only 4 more chances to win a free “Starfruit” CD. QUESTION #7 is another lyric search… What sentence do you get when you put together the following words from stephaniesid’s new album? –4th word from “cinematic”
–98th & 99th word from “cadiz”
–42nd thru 45th words from “so low”
–5th word from “house of many colors”
–86th thru 88th words from “starf***er”
Happy hunting… 🙂 s
Congrats to Emily Schumacher of Easton, Connecticut… she wins a free “Starfruit” CD by answering Question #7 correctly, with the phrase “feel mad grief, pick up heavy things, (then) run with bulls.” Yay!
QUESTION #8: What were the 2 affectionate names applied to the man in the Dale Earnhardt jersey described in a blog entry on Stephaniesid’s official website? First to give both names wins a new “Starfruit” CD.
Congrats to Daniel Fields of Chapel Hill, NC… for answering Question #8 correctly (in only 6 minutes). The blog entry entitled “Home from Mason Jar Tour” (September 10, 2010) described a man in a Dale Earnhardt (#88) jersey who saw “giving, especially to children, as a moral imperative”, and took it upon himself to let the occupants of each passing float have it if they didn’t throw to the kids immediately surrounding him. Candy Monitor.
PRIZE QUESTION #9 is called “friends of sid”. You must get all parts correct to win, so please only answer if you’ve got them all (and of course people named or referred to in the questions are ineligible). You’ll likely find clues on our website, but might need to search elsewhere for the answers:
1) What beverage was named by a midwest reviewer to describe stephaniesid labelmate Patrick Sweany’s musicianship?
2) What is the name of the radio show hosted by the author of the lyrics to Starfruit song “Cadiz”?
3) In what category was asheville musical project Paper Tiger a winner in the Best of WNC Mountain Xpress poll?
4) What is the name of the blog penned by Steph’s fellow Naked Babies songwriting group member Ami Worthen?
5) Who were the members of Naked Babies, the songwriting group that spurred several songs on “Starfruit”?
6) Which client of stephaniesid’s new publicity team, @dreamspider, was described by Modern Drummer magazine as “unconventional”?
7) On the website for the artwork designer for “Starfruit”, what date is on the 2nd poster in the gallery (right to left)?
Looks like question #9 has you stumped, or maybe a lot of you are sleeping. Good for you on a Tuesday night. We’ll save that question for the morning. This has been fun, and congrats to the winners! –steph, signing off
Good morning, Facebook… the CD is blissfully released, but we had a bit of a cliffhanger in our contest last night… so we’re spilling into today. This morning we awoke to Tim Swoape’s victory over Question #9! Hope you all were able to check out some of our friends’ great work in the hunting process…
–A Cleveland reporter said of our labelmate: “To say Patrick Sweany is just a Blues musician is like saying Coke is just a soft drink.” www.patricksweany.com
–Jon Reid, the writer of the lyrics to “Cadiz”, hosts Race to the Bottom on Sunday nights at Asheville FM. (Call in!) www.ashevilleFM.org
–Paper Tiger, led by Molly Kummerle (friend, lovely seamstress, and member of Steph’s songwriter group, Naked Babies) won top 3 Best Electronic Band in the recent Mountain Xpress poll. www.papertigermusic.com
–Ami Worthen, fellow Naked Baby, singer, former uke player, gal extraordinaire, pens a great blog called “Ami Whoa!” at ukulelerockstar.com
–Jonathan Scales, the wonderful pan steel player, was said to take an “unconventional approach” to the pans by Modern Drummer Magazine. www.jonscales.com
–Jenny Greer of Sound Mind Media did the original artwork and graphic design for the Starfruit cover! soundmindmedia.net
ok… one last feat, the finale, the terminus, the denouement…. winner gets the last Starfruit CD in the giveaway pile, and a Stephaniesid tshirt. QUESTION #10 is actually a task, not a question… first person to obtain an actual Starfruit (the fruit, not the CD), cut it half so you can see the star, and post a photo of it to this page, wins!
Congratulations to Todd Brown of Burlington, VT! He posted this photo of a starfruit (also known as a carambola: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carambola). Todd wins a “Starfruit” CD and a sid tshirt!
Today is the national release day of Stephaniesid’s “Starfruit” through Nine Mile Records! Asheville, NC band Stephaniesid return with this sparkling, new pop gem, cementing their status as one of the region’s most ambitious, innovative, and influential bands.
They were just voted BEST POP BAND in the Mountain Xpress poll 2011, which marks the 4th year in a row to be voted #1! “Starfruit” is also a leading album in Magnet Magazine‘s poll about what album people are most excited about that releases this week!
To celebrate the day, Stephaniesid is running a scavenger hunt online through their facebook page. Throughout the day, they will post some tidbit to hunt for on their website. The first correct answer will win a free copy of the album! Become a fan and take part in the contest at: http://www.facebook.com/stephaniesid
“lush pop, layered vocals, rich horn parts and a certain velvety darkness” — Alli Marshall, Mountain Xpress
“Starfruit… brims with lush, sophisticated pop, hip-hop and jazzy atmospherics” — Hector Saldaña, Express-News MySan Antonio.com
Imaginative, innovative songs married to musical arrangements that are as much jazz-based as rock or pop are something that Stephaniesid does unlike most other groups out there these days. It’s something that sets them apart in a world of copy-cat music and makes them interesting and intriguing.” — Bill Kramer, Staunton News Leader
“Their recent appearance in WNCW’s Studio-B debuted some of the danceable delights from ‘Starfruit’ and shows Stephaniesid is a forward moving force in music today.” — Dennis Jones, WNCW
“It’s an incredible album that gets better with each listen… support your ears and your brain’s request for incredible sonic input (what the brain calls “music food”). What we’re saying is that it’s fu**ing amazing. This is our favorite album we’ve heard all year, hands down.” — Tom Scheve, Asheville Disclaimer
Call, Request, and Listen on
Actively Spinning Stations: WNCW (Spindale, NC) Cinematic, LiaNT, Shlamiel WUSC(Columbia, SC) #3 add for CMJ WPRK (Orlando) Cinematic WMSE(Milwaukee) WHFR (Detroit) KSYM(San Antonio) Cinematic KFSR (Fresno) LiaNT KTUH(Honolulu) KTSW (San Marcos, TX)
Sweet! The Annual Best of poll in Asheville Mountain Xpress has tallied the votes for this years winners!
Congratulations to Stephaniesid (#1 Best Pop Band), Jonathan Scales Fourchestra (#3 Jazz, #2 Best Video), Secret Secret 23 Skidoo (#1 Local Hip Hop), The Mad Tea: Krekel and Ami (#2 Fragglepop), Papertiger (#3 Electronic) , Steep Canyon Rangers (#1 Local Bluegrass/ Old- Time), Josh Phillips Folk Festival (#1 Best Local Jam/ Progressive band and #3 Acoustic/ Folk)), Toubab Krewe (#1 World/ Reggae and also #2 Local Jam/ Progressive band) , the Honeycutters (#1 Americana/ Country), Pierce Edens (#2 Americana/ Country), Dave Desmelik (#3 Americana/ Country), The Secret B-Side (#1 R & B/ Blues and also #1 in Soul) Vertigo Jazz Project, LaZoom Tour (#1 Comedy Group), Kovac and the Polar Bear (#1 Best Music Video), Dustin Spagnola (#1 Visual Artist) and all of the other winners in the variety of categories!
And, for all of you out there who love, hate, tolerate, or just admire his long flowing locks, it’s Eric Anderson’s birthday party too!
Here’s a note from Eric about the evening:
It’s My Birthday! It’s My Birthday!
Let’s Have A Party, That’s Right A Party!
11-11-11 is a big Birthday for me and I’d like to share it with as many of you that I can so I’ve scheduled a great night of music that includes Larry Keel and Natural Bridge & Grayson Capps.
Larry Keel and Natural Bridge is one of my favorite Bluegrass ensembles I know. Larry is a master guitar player and a champion flatpicker, any guitar player should see him. His band is full of very talented musicians as well, consisting of his lovely wife Jenny Keel on Bass, Mark Schimick on Mandolin and Will Lee on Banjo. It’s Bluegrass with an edge.
Grayson Capps is a down & dirty Delta Blues singer/songwriter from New Orleans. He has more stories than any one man should know. The richness of his songs lies both in the real life truths of the lyrical story as well as well as the gruff and sometimes tender delivery of the music. His music was used for the movie “Love Song For Bobby Long” and, as well as being in it, he was the one to help educate John Travolta on how to be Bobby Long.
Either of these acts are worthy of the ticket price but come celebrate with me and you get them both. Maybe you’re just a number person like me and 11-11-11 is in itself something to celebrate. Either way I hope to see y’all there.
Official video for “Cinematic” from the 2011 Stephaniesid album entitled “Starfruit” which releases on October 18th.
This video was shot in an undisclosed location in Asheville, NC by Paul Chelmis, Jesse Hamm, Lisa Jourdan, and Cody Wright. It was edited by Stephanie Morgan.
Asheville, NC band Stephaniesid return with their sparkling, new pop gem Starfruit, cementing their status as one of the region’s most ambitious, innovative, and influential bands.
In the downtime since their last record, lead singer Stephanie Morgan formed a local songwriter’s group to help spur her creativity.
She began recording the songs that emerged from these sessions, and posting them online for fans. This collection of singles formed the nucleus for Starfruit, and the rest of the band joined her over the course of many months to record more material in the home she shares with husband/co-bandleader Chuck Lichtenberg.
As a result, Starfruit has a much looser, more organic feel than the band’s first three full-lengths, while retaining the band’s penchant for intricate arrangements, unusual textures, and virtuosic playing. The sprawling 14-track effort touches on all of the band’s many influences, even including a faithful cover of Dream Academy’s hit “Life In A Northern Town,” and a cheeky reworking of the Laverne & Shirley theme song.
BACKGROUND:
Stephaniesid quickly became a local powerhouse with their debut Spiral In (2005). The band was signed by Nine Mile Records in 2007 and released Grus Americanus, a record that NPR’s Robin Hilton described as “A mesmerizing mix of songs that can be hushed and calm one moment, and then suddenly dark and explosive the next.” Grus also spawned singles which appeared on HBO’s “Nurse Jackie,” the award-winning short film “The Red Helmet,” and numerous compilations.
In 2008, the band performed at Bonnaroo, and was reviewed in The Bonnaroo Beacon: “…a rather transcendent set …the band was different, melodic, quirky, and just plain good…. A sleeper act which hit the mark with an almost Bjork-like panache.”
2009’s Warm People garnered more national attention for the band, with plays on NPR’s “World Cafe” (“Sharp writing!” exclaims David Dye), and glowing reviews in Blurt, Billboard, and Big Takeover. By 2010, Stephaniesid had been named “Best Rock Band” in Asheville in the (weekly paper) Mountain Xpress poll 4 years in a row.
Touring in support of “Starfruit” are Steph (vox, guitar, synth), Chuck (keyboards, vox), Maine-born Tim Haney (drums), and former NYC horn players Justin Ray and Jacob Rodriguez, with Matthew Richmond (vibraphone) and Jonathan Pearlman (guitar) also appearing on shows in the Southeast.
Sugar Hill recording artist, Tara Nevins, has been invited to play a showcase at this year’sAmericana Music Association Festival in Nashville on Saturday, October 15th at The Station Inn at 10pm!
Performing along with Tara at the Station Inn are: Rose Sinclair – Banjo, Accordion Todd Phillips – Bass Chris Henry – Acoustic Guitar Mike Compton – Mandolin Tommy Hannum – Pedal Steel, Electric Guitar Mark Raudabaugh – Drums
This showcase will be live-streamed by Fat Music Radio who will be broadcasting from the Station Inn during AMA week!
Tara can also be heard LIVE on Music Fog at 3pm on Friday Oct 14th.
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Check out this fantastic mix that NPR Music put together with music from artists involved in the event. Nevins’s version of “Stars Fell on Alabama” is included. Others in the mix are The Avett Brothers, Bela Fleck, Buddy Miller, The Civil Wars, David Wax Museum, Jim Lauderdale, Justin Townes Earle, Lucinda Williams, Mumford and Sons, Peter Rowan, Sarah Jarosz, Pokey Lafarge and more!
American roots traditionalist Tara Nevins’ new release, ‘Wood and Stone’ is an exploration of her own heritage, musical and otherwise. Released on May 3rd, 2011 on Sugar Hill Records ‘Wood and Stone’ was produced by Larry Campbell at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. It showcases Nevins’ ever-evolving repertoire as she journeys both back to her own “roots” and head-long into new territory. Featured guests on the album include Levon Helm, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer, Teresa Williams, The Heartbeats, along with the core band of Larry Campbell, Justin Guip, and Byron Isaacs
Fans of Nevins from her 21-year tenure with Donna the Buffalo are familiar with her versatile talents; she shares the vocal and songwriting responsibilities for the band and is a stellar musician on fiddle, guitar, and accordion. (She plays a mean scrubboard too.) Prior to DTB, Nevins was a founding member of the all-female, old time/Cajun band The Heartbeats. (They join her on two tracks here as well.) Wood and Stone delivers the musical expertise fans have come to expect and surprises with new perspectives.
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“A tour de force from start to finish” – Kay Cordtz, Elmore
“With the wonderful fiddle groove and vividly written lyrics, Nevins gives a glimpse into her roots. Stepping out for a rare solo record (beyond her beloved band, Donna the Buffalo), she meshes her Cajun influences, unique voice, drums and steel guitars for an intriguing look at her heritage.” – CMT
“Wood And Stone adds another powerful and engaging chapter to Nevins’ musical achievements”. – Steven Stone, Vintage Guitar
“a wide-ranging affair encompassing all manner of rootsy Americana, spiced with Nevins’s voice and multi-instrumentalist skills, served up in a package that is polished but never slick. Nevins, in other words, is the real deal.” – David Maine, Pop Matters
“If heroes and heroines of rock ‘n’ roll are defined by their uniqueness, they definitely broke the mold when they made Tara Nevins.” – Wildman Steve, The Corner News
“The centerpiece of the album, in my opinion, is the sweeping “The Wrong Side,” which features Allison Moorer and Teresa Williams. It’s a track sounds like it was from the O’Brother Where Art Thou? sessions, but the same could be said of the haunting “Stars Fell On Alabama,” where once again Nevins shows her prowess on the fiddle. This is an exceptional piece of music, one that I think needs to be heard—to prove that people are still cutting “Country Music” these days!” – Chuck Dauphin, Music News Nashville
Visit Tara Nevins website www.TaraNevins.com for more information about the album, a gallery of images, videos, music, and lyrics.
Check out the schedule for Sugar Hill & Vanguard recording artists at at AMA 2011 in Nashville next week! Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Jim Lauderdale, Brian Wright, Kenny Vaughan, The Gourds, Tara Nevins, and The Deep Dark Woods!
Much like the earthly element from which they draw their name, the story of Songs Of Water ebbs and flows, pulsing with life, beauty and energy. Beginning in 2002, Songs Of Water started as a loose community of friends centered on writing and experimenting with different sounds and instrumentation. Most of the music was off-the-cuff improvisation that later grew and matured into completed composition.
That attention to the natural flow and feel of music even extended to the make-up of the group itself, as the membership rose to as many as ten and fell to as little as three, depending on the needs of the music. Stephen Roach (vocals, guitar, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, percussion, tenor banjo) revels in the “cross pollination” found within the band’s members and their individual talents. “One of the unique qualities about the band is that most of our backgrounds are very different than one another.”
Luke Skaggs (violin, guitar, lap steel, percussion, backing vocals) and Molly Skaggs (vocals, accordian, banjo) grew up with bluegrass in their blood, thanks to Ricky Skaggs being their dad. Roach’s own heritage came from his father and from his cousin, acclaimed bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice.
Marta Richardson (violin) and Sarah Stephens (cello, vocals) are both classically trained musicians who have played in symphonies. The line-up is completed by Jason Windsor (classical, acoustic & baritone guitar, mandolin), Greg Willette (bass guitar, acoustic guitar), and Michael Pritchard (drums, percussion, hammered dulcimer, acoustic guitar).
So what ultimately binds this collective of extraordinary musicians together? According to Roach, “we discovered it was really fun to play this sort of cinematic, explorative music in a live setting. It flies so contrary to what you hear in most live music settings. The music pulls you into a deeper, perhaps even spiritual experience.”
Shutter 16 goes on to say, “Songs of Water’s musical range, not only instrumentally but vocally as well, is an elaborate production of many skilled musicians. If Hollywood decides to revisit Last of the Mohican’s or another similar tale as they look for more stories they can just reshoot in IMAX 3D, I fully expect SoW to be the featured sound-track artist as Linkin Park was to Transformers. Songs of Water is not something to miss.”
Their newest release, “The Sea Has Spoken,” is a true collaboration of all members, arrangements with textures woven together by everyone in the band. Their focus on mostly instrumental music comes from the power that sound without words wields over all of us. By leaving aside traditional lyrics, Songs Of Water’s music encompasses the listener, leading them to reconsider music, life and exploration anew. Their music becomes an interactive canvas, inviting all who hear to joy in the act of creation corporately.
“The band’s music feels primitive but forward-thinking, exotic yet familiar; it creates a complete narrative in the listener’s mind with rarely a word sung. Essentially, their music is transportive,”says Ryan Snyder with Shuffle Magazine. Alli Marshal with the Mountain Xpresssays, “The whole record ebbs and flows with graceful gestures, sweeping strokes of light and dark, complex layering and effortless playing… the collection as a whole is so engaging that, surely, to see the musicians in action would only add to the experience.”
Ultimately, the impetus for the band’s existence is the desire to share that transcendent experience with others. The members of Songs Of Water stumbled onto a new form of expression that connected with audiences, spurring them on to further innovations. Hungry to engage even more, they are now pursuing this path to see where the road might lead. As Roach puts it, “Water can be a peaceful stream or it can be a violent tsunami. Our music has that same tendency from moment to moment. It may be a contemplative classical guitar one moment or a raging orchestra of percussion the next.”
And thus flows Songs Of Water, roaming wide and far to pull its listeners in with tendrils of music and beauty.
It’s been an absolutely beautiful and magical fall festival season for the Keel crew, rolling around America’s hills and dales and doing our thang!
Dreamspider's Blog 