From: owner-lucy-list-digest@smoe.org (lucy-list-digest) To: lucy-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: lucy-list-digest V2 #221 Reply-To: lucy-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-lucy-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-lucy-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk lucy-list-digest Saturday, September 2 2000 Volume 02 : Number 221 In this issue: [lucy-list] Small venues in MD Re: [lucy-list] Small Venues [lucy-list] Folk Venues in Minneapolis-St. Paul [lucy-list] venues [lucy-list] Multi-tracked Dars RE: [lucy-list] Multi-tracked Dars [lucy-list] Smaller Venues [lucy-list] Small(er) venues in the USA Re: [lucy-list] Smaller Venues Re: [lucy-list] Multi-tracked Dars Re: [lucy-list] venues Re: [lucy-list] Smaller Venues ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 07:15:58 -0400 From: votels Subject: [lucy-list] Small venues in MD Hey everyone: On the thread of small venues, my recommendations for Maryland would include Vic's Music Corner at O'Brien's Barbecue in Rockville; Uptown Concerts' two venues -- Baldwin's Station Pub in Sykesville and St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore; and house concerts -- Panzers' House Concerts in Columbia and Moore House Concerts in Bethesda. You should be able to access info on most of these from the Web. There are some larger venues in the area that are pretty good, too. The Barns of Wolftrap in Virginia, Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis. I'd recommend the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, too, as a "wee folk club." On the LKCF vocal thread, Dar could use a digital sampler, a la Christine Lavin, to achieve the choral vocal effect live. Does anyone know if she is doing this? - -- Jay ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 08:39:14 -0400 From: Kathleen Sands Boehmer Subject: Re: [lucy-list] Small Venues Boston area-- Come to the me & thee in beautiful marblehead! Check out www.meandthee.org Hey, I volunteer there so I'm not biased, am I? We have a superb sound system, the venue is small and comforgtable and we serve great snacks and teas, coffee, espresso, you name it. Lucy has played at the coffeehouse several times and never fails to mention how much she likes the atmosphere. Many performers feel the same way... The me & thee has been around for 30 years so we must be doing something right! Kathy At 10:15 PM 08/31/2000 -0400, Fantine729@aol.com wrote: >I just wanted to second what was said about Caffe Lena's >(http://www.caffelena.org).....though I wouldn't call it beautiful from a >visual point of view. It's a loft-like space with old wooden floors with a >tiny stage and maybe even a borrowed guitar. Lena's is an old time folk >venue, very similar to Passim, if not maybe one table bigger. It has the >same history....Dylan, Baez, etc. It's very small....I road-trip there from >Boston because I have places to spend the night there (having grown up >outside of Albany)....I saw Katryna and Nerissa Nields there last winter, and >my table had to keep getting up and moving their chairs in whenever the gals >went to or from the stage!! I'm planning on being there in a few weeks for >my beloved Kennedys :-) It is an amazing space....if you're planning a trip, >I might suggest heading in during August, as that's when the track is open, >as is the Saratoga Center for the Performing Arts, a huge indoor/primarily >outdoor venue. Saratoga is the "summer place to be," as the commercials >inform us. > >As far as Boston, I'm relatively new to the circuit, but there are an amazing >number of places and I'd need to focus to come up with a list. sharonG, >where was that divine place you sent me to see the Doc in Haverhill? The >sound kicked butt....Lucy's voice filled the space wonderfully and Kevin So >stole all of our hearts as the opening act. > >Peace, >Sheila }i{ We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 12:06:58 -0500 From: Timothy Bruce Subject: [lucy-list] Folk Venues in Minneapolis-St. Paul Most of the high-powered folk shows in these towns center around two spaces: One-a quaint and lovable, but slightly scatter-brained coffeehouse called The Gingko in the Midway district of St. Paul and the other a movie-theater-turned-concert-venue called the Cedar Cultural Center on the tragically hip West Bank in Minneapolis. The "Cedar" is a non-profit organization (like public radio) with memberships, benefits, and volunteer opportunities and sits kitty corner from our cool "community radio" station KFAI 90.3 on the block where Bob Dylan started his career. The Gingko limits itself pretty much to folk and has brought piles of talented performers in just this year alone. (I did Richard Shindell, Jess Klein, the Nields Sisters, Susan Werner, Cheryl Wheeler this past season and will do Ellis Paul and Chris Smither real soon.) It only seats 60-100 so they sometimes rent a delightful church nearby. The Cedar is a fabulous community resource seating about 400 that offers a much more broad musical palette and attracts world class talent in a variety of musical genres. It has a large "house", quality sound system, catered Indian food and craft beers on tap in the lobby, air conditioning and a patio where one can get some fresh air during breaks. It is the place to see the myriad virtuosos and legends who never went mainstream. It remains the premier folk venue around here because it serves as the unofficial home base for all of the Red House artists (of which Lucy is, of course, one). Lucy played here last time with Jon Herrington to a sold-out house. This years Dar road show was, however, won by a commercial concert promoter by outbidding the Cedar by 100% (which of course was made up by charging double for the tickets). About an hour southeast of Minneapolis there is an organic farm with a food coop storefront on the ground floor and an amazing hardwood music room above it (The Oak Center Store). This used to be is the best place to see Greg Brown play (he still does, but they try to limit the admission to locals). Up in Duluth they have the Amazing Grace Bakery but I haven't been there yet. In St. Cloud they have Bo Diddley's Deli which attracts big talent (like Cheryl Wheeler, Stacy Earle, and Iris Dement last spring). Mankato does not have a proper venue but they have the Bothy Folk Club, which hosted Lucy, Cheryl, and Susan among others for their regularly scheduled series that they hold in rented spaces. The Bothy is actually based out of a coffeeshop in nearby St. Peter. And if your travels take you to Winnipeg, I think the place to check out would be the West End Cultural Center. That's the news from Lake Wobegone, where all the guitars are tuned and all the songwriting above average! ETimothy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 13:25:14 EDT From: Sdgold60@aol.com Subject: [lucy-list] venues lets here it for ny and massachusetts the best of all is the guthrie center where lucy will be tomorrow arlo has taken the Alices restaurant church and taken out hte podium and lucy will stand in an octogon space with stained glass windows behind her and there will be 25 table of four and in the rest room single- bathroom -there are photos of hte guthrie family..they balcony..is closed off and hte sound guy will be on the staircase... it is historic, beautiful, is a social service center and the sound is impeccible.. that is the way to see lucy.. then there is the turning point in ornage county a 75 seat pub with a small stage and great atmosphere on the water.. the food is good and sound great the ceiling leaks on Pete kennedy i heard another favorite is the grace norton school in hightstown NJ- an elementary school where even my 5 feet self has problem in the restroom the sound in this auditorium is excellent... its a shlepp but worth it outpost in the burbs.. great church great sound.. harvey tell me more.. babe traffic on friday from NY sucks... the haverhill UU church the new england area uses UU churches and this is about hte best for sound... like bells from this sweet spot in the floor the cabin concerts - a 30 seat house concert in NJ in a person log acabin home bring cheesecake brownies.. and have a blast never seen lucy there.. YET fez- 150 seats.. train rumbles below your feet good food... great sound the bottomoftheline... food sucks is overpriced but the granddad of the village clubs that are left corneila street is still there.. there is a plaque at folk city saying LK kissed her husband to be here at this mcdonalds. they paved paradise and ... for larger halls town hall has the history of a grand concert hall avery fisher carnegie hall the grand dame of NYC the emerlin, those cute little ones in stamford have great sound.. so new york... caugh it up with more or i'll be back... lucy ill see you tomorrow in massachusetts ill do outdoor venues.. later too sharonG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 19:46:37 +0100 From: "Dave McKay" Subject: [lucy-list] Multi-tracked Dars ETimothy wrote: > I am scheduled to see [Dar Williams] and her band perform > on October 1st and I had an amusing "vision" of the keyboard > whiz in the band actually downloading her voice into his MIDI > synthesizer so that he can facilitate that effect. It wouldn't be > that hard to do and, technically, it wouldn't be one of those > much derided "pre-recorded tape clips". Or Dar could always borrow Janis Ian's sound man ... as seen at Falcon Ridge, he was able to magic all sorts of loops and things completely live. Dave. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 21:33:05 +0200 From: Katrin.Uhl@t-online.de (Katrin Uhl) Subject: RE: [lucy-list] Multi-tracked Dars ETimothy and Dave wrote: > > I am scheduled to see [Dar Williams] and her band perform > > on October 1st and I had an amusing "vision" of the keyboard > > whiz in the band actually downloading her voice into his MIDI > > synthesizer so that he can facilitate that effect. > > Or Dar could always borrow Janis Ian's sound man ... as seen at Falcon > Ridge, he was able to magic all sorts of loops and things completely > live. > I am clueless when it comes to these things, but according to the liner notes of "living in clip" Ani Difranco must have done something like that when taping that live album. She writes: "there is occasional sampling (accounting for the phenomena of two Anis singing at once) which... occurred live at the shows. At the sound board, Andrew would sample my voice on the fly, loop it, and send it back through the PA, so I could harmonize with myself on stage..." Stuff like that totally amazes me - I guess I'm just a low tech person. Katrin, who at the tender age of 5 thought the music she heard on the radio was always played live, and for the life of her couldn't figure out how they would get all those bands there so fast on those request shows. And who at the not so tender age of somewhere in her teens was totally blown away when somebody in the know explained to her how a band goes about recording an album... you know, I had thought they would just go into the studio and play.... little low tech me :-) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~ I'm so sick of forgetting myself to remember who I am ~ Dar Williams ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 15:50:48 -0400 (EDT) From: "Walter Wolfe" Subject: [lucy-list] Smaller Venues The response to this has been great, thank you everyone. Keep 'em coming please, in a week or two I'll try to post some kind of = list summarising it all. Anyone got any info on 'The Iron Horse' in Northampton, I think MA, = never hear it mentioned? Also 'The Birchmere' in Alexandria Va, which = seems to host bigger acts? I need some more info on all the clubs which = seem to surround NYC, and they seem very variable in quality-what's this = Makor venue, most of you don't seem to like it.=20 Of course the person who could provide the best info is Lucy herself, so = maybe we'll hear from her in her next post?=20 As yet nothing from Texas or the South, nobody has mentioned 'The = Bluebird Caf=E9' in Nashville-I heard Gretchen Peters there one = night-sublime.=20 So come on, your making a Scotsman happy with your help and information, = and we buy drinks for folks when we're happy. So have a wee dram on me! Regards Walter from Glasgow ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 15:02:34 -0500 From: Bill Karnoscak Subject: [lucy-list] Small(er) venues in the USA Just a brief note to include some of the nicer, or at least smaller music spots in the Chicago area: SCHUBAS (http://www.schubas.com) in the Lakeview area of the city's North Side. An old Schlitz Beer brick building (those of you in the know will understand exactly what I am talking about). The music room is separated from the loudness from the main tavern. Rich wood is everywhere, and they have various setups depending on the size of the crowd draw. I've seen Lynn Miles there with about 35 folks in a bistro table type of set up, to Kathy Mattea at a local management company gig wherein there were just rows of chairs seating 125 folks, to the likes of Melissa Ferrick and Catie Curtis wherein they yank all of the tables and chairs out and about 200 folks would be crammed into the place. Either way, the sound system is really great. UNCOMMON GROUND http://www.uncommonground.com/ in the Wrigleyville area of the city's North Side, about 5 minutes north of Schubas. Great karma and java, with an emphasis on regional singer-songwriters. Melissa Ferrick plays here almost every time she comes through town, just to get back to the people in a humane setting. Anne O'Meara Heaton also plays here a fair amount. Intimate and cozy... FITZGERALD'S http://www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/listings.html is located in an adjoining Western suburb, Berwyn, IL. It's a little roadside tavern with a feel of being yanked completely off the back roads of some small town Wisconsin hamlet. Mounted deer-heads are prominent, but they are adorned with Mardi Gras beads -- so at least there's a little bit of self-effacement going on there... Similar in feel to SCHUBAS (see above), with a similar seating policy: based entirely on how many tickets are sold in advance and how much buzz surrounds any given act. Folks who've appeared there in the recent past include: Lucy, Ellis, Tish Hinojosa, Sara Hickman, David Wilcox, with a large smattering of alt.country/Roots rock types. Also big band on Sundays, etc. Definitely worth seeking out... a very passionate and loyal following at this place. OLD TOWN SCHOOL of FOLK MUSIC (http://oldtownschool.org) in the Lincoln Square area of Chicago's North side. This is by far the best room in the city to hear/see music. A semi-circular seating area holds 425 folks, max., however, no seat is further than 40 ft. form the stage. The sound is top-drawer and the acts are all over the place in the folk (whatever it is this week) idiom. Also present is a penchant for folk music from countries all over the world. They also host an annual Folk and Roots fest in an adjacent city park in mid-to-late July, where the boundaries of folk music are elastic enough to include: Patty Smith, Richard Thompson, Robbie Fulks, Rickie Lee Jones, the Magnetic Fields, etc. These are just the ones off the top of my head. E-mail me for additional details at mailto:bkarnoscak@rushu.rush.edu Happy listening... Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 16:15:15 EDT From: Fantine729@aol.com Subject: Re: [lucy-list] Smaller Venues << Also 'The Birchmere' in Alexandria Va, which seems to host bigger acts? >> I LOVE the Birchmere, though I've only been once. It's where the final phase of my Kennedys obsession locked into place. I roadtripped from Boston to DC on my birthday this year to hear the Kennedys open for the Nields. It's a really cool space; I'm not sure of the history, but it almost looks like it was a bowling alley in another life. The sound is wonderful, and it has a lot of character. It is a much larger venue than a Passim or Lena's, though. I seemed to have to go through some rather questionable neighborhoods to get there, but that could easily just have been the directions MapQuest wanted to spit out at me (and while I'm at it, let me just say to NEVER even accidentally get off those restricted government exits....they have NO sense of humor and only slightly more compassion :-) The Birchmere has tables and you can get food and such....the service was very good, in my opinion. Oh, there is also a place called the 8th Step in Cohoes, NY now (outside of Albany)....they just moved to their permanent home at the Cohoes Music Hall. They are a great little venue too, though I have not been to the CMH yet....only to the church they used to rent. Peace, Sheila ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 17:09:17 -0400 From: Greg Steele Subject: Re: [lucy-list] Multi-tracked Dars Katrin Uhl wrote: > >... And who at the not so tender age of somewhere in her teens was > totally blown away when somebody in the know explained to her how > a band goes about recording an album... you know, I had thought > they would just go into the studio and play.... little low tech me :-) That's exactly what they used to do... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 17:15:29 EDT From: Gf212121@aol.com Subject: Re: [lucy-list] venues Hey you guys, The Brokerage Comedy Club in Bellmore, NY (on Long Island) features an acoustic show once a month. So far we have seen Lucy, Richard, and Richard and Lucy there. Coming soon are Steve Forbert, Cliff Eberhardt, Christine Lavin, and more. They are a club setting, with a two-drink minimum. So far, we've sat within sneezing distance at each of the shows we're seen. They are always asking the audience who they'd like to see, and seem to pay attention. They have an ad in Newsday each Friday, listing the shows. They do comedy most nights, and also do a monthly soap opera night, where soap stars come and, basically, converse with the audience (I am told). Ticket prices are reasonable, usually $17.50 or $20. Gene F. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 20:03:11 -0400 From: "Martha P. Trachtenberg" Subject: Re: [lucy-list] Smaller Venues A couple more places for you, Walter. The Brokerage, in Bellmore, NY, on Long Island. Lucy has played there (I opened for her; fun!), and it's a perfect sized room. Everyone can see the stage, although the seats on the side probably left some folks with sore necks . . . the sound is good, and the folks who work there are very pleasant. The Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC is small and delightful. I'm told there's a place up in Bridgeport, CT, called the Acoustic Cafe; it comes recommended by another lucy lister, Ron DiGennaro (hi Ron!). Also -- go to musi-cal.com and check out a handful of artists; you'll doubtless find more venues that way. Regards from a onetime visitor to Glasgow, Martha At 03:50 PM 09/01/2000 -0400, you wrote: >The response to this has been great, thank you everyone. >Keep 'em coming please, in a week or two I'll try to post some kind of = >list summarising it all. >Anyone got any info on 'The Iron Horse' in Northampton, I think MA, = >never hear it mentioned? Also 'The Birchmere' in Alexandria Va, which = >seems to host bigger acts? I need some more info on all the clubs which = >seem to surround NYC, and they seem very variable in quality-what's this = >Makor venue, most of you don't seem to like it.=20 >Of course the person who could provide the best info is Lucy herself, so = >maybe we'll hear from her in her next post?=20 >As yet nothing from Texas or the South, nobody has mentioned 'The = >Bluebird Caf=E9' in Nashville-I heard Gretchen Peters there one = >night-sublime.=20 >So come on, your making a Scotsman happy with your help and information, = >and we buy drinks for folks when we're happy. >So have a wee dram on me! >Regards Walter from Glasgow > > ------------------------------ End of lucy-list-digest V2 #221 ******************************* This has been a posting from the Lucy Kaplansky mail list digest To unsubscribe send mail to Majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe lucy-list-digest" in the body of the message