From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V8 #265 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, September 23 2002 Volume 08 : Number 265 Today's Subjects: ----------------- The joy and frustration of supporting obscure singer-songwriters [AzeemAK] Re: Eugene, Oregon house concert person??? [cyo@landoftheblind.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 07:32:45 EDT From: AzeemAK@aol.com Subject: The joy and frustration of supporting obscure singer-songwriters Sorry about the tremendously laboured title, folks. That sub-editing job I went for, they never return my calls... I went to a wonderful gig tonight, one that also left me quite gloomy in one respect. Robin Holcomb was playing London's Purcell Room, a small-ish but quite prestigious London venue. It was part of a week-long festival called The Song's The Thing, which, as the name implies, celebrates songwriters across a wide range of styles. Among the acts featured this year are Lee Hazelwood, Riuichi Sakamoto, Erland Oye (from Kings of Convenience) and Kirsty MacColl (a big memorial concert on Monday). Robin Holcomb was paired with Jeb Loy Nichols; a less starry brace of performers you could not dream up without a great deal of effort, and to expect them to fill a 360-seat venue proved sadly over-optimistic. I don't suppose they'd register much more than a blip on the radar even in their home country - here, there were between 50 and 60 people in the place. Mind you, those few people were as attentive as any audience I can remember. You could have heard a feather drop while she was playing, and the applause was enthusiastic. She came on with a smile and a curtsy, told us that she was recovering from a nasty cold, and then proceeded to charm the pants off us for three quarters of an hour or so. Her voice is an acquired taste, no question, but to me she sang beautifully tonight in her quirky way. Her lyrics are outstanding; concise, elliptical, sometimes mysterious, sometimes poignant. Come to think of it, the same adjectives apply to her tunes! And her musicianship is pretty special: this is a woman who had been on the modern jazz scene for years as a composer and pianist, keeping company with Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell, Bobby Previte and so on. Her songs are very unusually constructed, with shades of jazz, folk, Minimalism and American neo-classical all discernible. In short, Robin Holcomb is a unique artist. This concert will get a short review in one of the broadsheets if it is VERY lucky, and otherwise will pass without a murmur. This is what makes me slightly gloomy. Of course, all of us on this list have our favourite obscure performers, and I'm sure we all gnash our teeth at the injustice of how they struggle to reach an audience and scratch a living, while talentless and passionless mannequins clean up at the bank and the back-room boys and girls plot the next steps in the quest to excise the soul from music. Still, next to all the frustration, I have the joy of re-discovering all the time that there is great music and great songs being written and that, despite all the odds, some of it DOES actually get out into the world. Azeem in London ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 12:49:46 -0700 From: cyo@landoftheblind.com Subject: Re: Eugene, Oregon house concert person??? Hi all, this is Cyoakha Grace, long time no write but read the list often. I've been very busy with finishing touring with New Blind this summer. I also lost a best friend this summer to cancer and that took me down for a while too. We had great success with the WorldWideWildWitchWomen tour for the Trees with Wendy Rule this summer, thank you to all the ectos that came out and supported that mini-tour, we raised money for four eco-charities including EarthFirst, HAVC, Forest Defenders and Redwood Mary's anti-Gap campaign. Special thanks to Phil Hudson of this list, Mr. Ready and Willing, and the lovely Wendy, of course. She and Rueben, her son stayed with me and we had a great time, she also donated her time and energy to "save the trees". Thanks Wendy!! Next up for us is a short mini-tour up to Eugene again for the annual Wow Hall Witches Ball for Halloween. Please any Eugeners please join us on Sat. the 26th. I am looking for help on this tour, someone, a woman, offered us a house concert this summer when we were coming up for Oregon Country Fair. We weren't able to do it but I am hoping to do one this time. Problem is, with all my touring and grieving, I am behind about 600 emails...I have gone thru them all trying to find her again and can't. Does anyone know anyone who does house concerts in Eugene that is on the list, or if the woman is on the list, can you please contact me asap??? Any help is great. (we don't want to play a club as that would take away from the hall, but a house concert with the 4 of us for Ectos would be quite lovely) Thanks for your help, peace everyone, cyo O'Manion Music cyo@landoftheblind.com http://www.landoftheblind.com ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V8 #265 **************************