January 2009 Archives

He was a member of the country-rock group Pure Prairie League. He turned down Mark Knopfler's offer to become a full time member of Dire Straits. He's won more Country Music Awards than any other performer including Entertainer of the Year and Best Male Vocalist. In 2000, he married christian rock sweetheart Amy Grant. But for all his accolades, Vince Gill is often overlooked in the one area where his true talent shines...he is a phenomenal guitarist, a true master of the telecaster.Beginning his career as a bluegrass traditionalist, Vince Gill was in high demand as a session musician performing with George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett and Reba McIntire to name a few. In the mid-eighties he crossed over to main stream country and became the darling of the Country Music Awards; he had the looks, the personality, and the chops to win the hearts of musicians, fans and country music execs alike. Since he began his solo career, he has sold more than 26 million albums.

June 10th, Vince Gill, (the actual person...not a tribute) plays the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now. Country music fan or not, don't miss the chance to see this multi-talented instrumentalist tear up the stage with his lightning fast licks. The guy can play!

Back in the late eighties I opened for Patty Griffin at Christophers (now Toad) in Porter Square. At the time, the Maine native and recent Florida transplant was waiting tables in Harvard Square and writing some songs on the side. Just before she took the stage she told me how nervous she was and how her guitar teacher had been the one to persuade her to perform her songs in front of a live audience. Mouths dropped as she began to sing and it was obvious she was someone very special, her soulful, bluesy and explosive voice becoming more confident with each song. It was one of those rare and magical moments you remember for a lifetime. Shortly thereafter she was signed to a major label. Her sixth album, 2007's Children Running Through, is a folk/rock masterpiece: evocative, haunting, raucous and inspiring, the powerful voice in full command.

Patty joins Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and guitar great Buddy Miller who has worked extensively with all three, in what is being billed as the Three Girls and Their Buddy Tour. Head north and catch the show at the historic and intimate Portsmouth Music Hall on February 8th or wait a few weeks and head south to the not so recently renovated Orpheum Theater in Boston on the 22nd. Regardless of the venue, this is a rare opportunity to see four incredible talents and four very close friends, sharing the stage for what promises to be an enchanting night of music.

2009, The Year of the Ox, is predicted to be an exciting year full of growth, stability and accomplishments. With a tentative release date sometime in March, Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion are currently putting the finishing touches on their much anticipated new album which not only shares the same astrological title, but which promises to reflect the growth and stability of one of Lowell's finest singer/songwriters as well. With an ever expanding fan base, a hot new album and a high energy live show, 2009 is already looking to be a very successful and accomplished one for Jen and the band.

You can catch Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion every Thursday in February as part of a month-long residency at Toad, the cozy, neighborhood bar adjoining Christophers in Cambridge. Jen takes the stage at 10:00PM. And as an added bonus, on the 12th and 26th, Lowell tunesmith and ukelele great Melvern Taylor kicks things off at 7:00. Couldn't think of a better night of music. Closer to home, Jen and the band play the Village Smokehouse this Thursday night.

And one other thing...anybody else find themselves fantasizing about a Jen and Daryl Hall duet at the close of last year's Boardinghouse concert? I can't get it out of my head!

A few years back, Brown University students Josh Boltuch, Elliott Breece and Elias Roman hit on an idea to apply the social power of the web to solve the age-old challenge of connecting musicians and fans through their music. Rather than charging .99 cents or as much as $1.49 for a song, or $10-15 a CD, the three envisioned a marketplace where eager fans could get a taste of new music for far, far less--and at the same time reward the artists with greater royalties and wider fan bases too. Their idea has been brought to life as Amiestreet.com, (pronounced like the name--"Amy"), and it's attracted not just the finest in musical talent--but also venture funding from web retail giant Amazon.com, who has backed a major site release this past year, with big plans for the future.

Local Lowell musician Melvern Taylor hasn't failed to notice. His and his Fabulous Meltones' fabulous new CD, "Love Songs for Losers", is currently available for FREE on Amiestreet.com (that's no misprint--get it while it's HOT HOT HOT) and it's taken the leading edge on a new wave of musical entrepreneurship. Don't worry if it's a little bit more by the time you get to it--the premise at Amiestreet is simple--the more people download a song or a CD, the higher it goes up in price. Be the first to discover something great, like Melvern Taylor's latest, and it can be yours for free! As an added bonus, if you recommend your favorites to others, you can also get cut in with a cash bonus from Amiestreet based on how high those songs go up in price on the site. For fans, this means even MORE great music for the money, and it's all DRM-free and fully iPod compatible. This week's Amiestreet top 25 includes names you might know: Guster;Taj Majal; Nick Lowe. Next week, however, Milltown recording stars Melvern Taylor and His Fabulous Meltones will be hoping they're the ones reaching out to a whole new group of fans. Check them out!

submitted by KadBarma

Chris and Oliver Wood grew up in Boulder, CO before going their own separate ways after high school. Oliver headed south fronting King Johnson, a bluesy folk act that paid tribute to The Kings, (B.B and Freddie) and the Johnsons, (Robert and Luther). Chris ended up in New York as a founding member of the dynamic acid jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood. Jamming at various family functions and reunions, the Wood brothers started writing and recording together. Last years Loaded, released on Blue Note, is an eclectic mix of alernative folk with a rootsy, down-home feel reminiscent of the Band and Neil Young's Harvest. Oliver's whispy vocals at times sound eerily similar to Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Chris Wood's January 15th, the Wood Brothers are at Tupelo. It's just a hunch, but I have a feeling this cold be the first sleeper show of the new year.
Check them out on YouTube!

Over the summer I released my second solo CD Never Now. When I approached Bob Nash about recording it at Wonka, I had all the songs written but wasn't sure about much beyond that except that I was looking for an early 70's Badfingerish sound. We started by having him lay down all the drum tracks with me strumming away and providing a scratch vocal. What we ended up with was layer upon layer of background vocals and guitars. During one song we handed the guitar back and forth as we both contributed to the lead guitar track. The creative energy throughout the entire process was amazing.

This Friday at Mickey's we try to pull it off live. Joining me will be Sir Bob on drums, Carl Johnson on guitar, Scott Riccuiti on 12 string and Dave Bellenoit on bass. (Bob, Carl and Scott all kind enough to play despite their busy schedules performing with their own bands.) Music starts at 9:00PM. Hope to see you there. peterlavender.net

A few years back, Scott Weiland signed rock band Something to Burn to his own new record label Soft-Drive Records. Shortly there after his wife torched $10,000.00 worth of his clothes on the couple's front lawn. It's been an up and down ride for the former Stone Temple Pilots frontman and a ten year wait for the release of his second solo project. His first, 12 Bar Blues, was met with critical acclaim but had dismal sales. 2008's "Happy" in Galoshes, however, is a return to the Bowie influenced glam rock style that Weiland has always felt the most comfortable.

Last year Weiland lost his brother to a drug overdose and he has had to confront his own personal demons spending time in and out of drug and alcohol rehab. January 25th he's at the Paradise in support of Galoshes and if anyone could use a little fan support, it's Weiland. Here's hoping 2009 is the start of something good for this talented if not tormented singer.