Remembering Two Strong Voices, Now Still

This year we lost two female singers who are both considered the voice of the fight for racial equality in their country: Miriam Makeba and Odetta. Their singing talents deserve admiration and respect above and beyond the social contributions they made.

Miriam Makeba was a South African singer who unintentionally became the voice of the anti-apartheid movement in that country. Her passport was revoked while she was traveling abroad at age 27. It took her more than three decades to return home, but she never stopped spreading the message of what was happening in her country. My favorite song by Makeba is The Click Song, which she sings in an African language that incorporates clicking. Follow the link to watch and hear her singing it at a concert in Stockholm, Sweden in 1967.

The legendary folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta died of heart disease on December 2. Her last performance was just a few weeks before her death. She had hoped to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration, though she had not yet been invited. The performance below was at the Thresholds Arts Festival in Des Moines this past February. Don't let the wheelchair deceive you...her voice is as strong as ever!

YouTube Favorites from Doug Smith

Tommy Duncan -- It Makes No Difference Now
Duncan was one of the great singers of western swing, perhaps the best. He was featured in the Bob Wills band for many years. The emcee of this 'Ranch Party TV' show is Tex Ritter.




Tommy Duncan - Stay a Little Longer
Here Duncan is singing with Ole Rasmussen’s band.

Support Cityfolk Financially -- For Free!

Sounds too good to be true, I know! But luckily for us, this deal's on the up and up. Amazon.com and Dorothy Lane Market will give Cityfolk a percentage of what you spend, no matter what or when you buy.

For Amazon.com, simply access their site from ours, and shop! It's not limited to recordings or artists we feature here at Inside Cityfolk; it can be anything at all. In most cases, when you see a link from this blog to a specific book or recording, that takes you to Amazon's site. Or start your shopping from the search box on the right side of the screen. Just that easy!

At Dorothy Lane Market, you just need to fill out this form at the start of the year, which designates Cityfolk as the charity you'd like to support through their Good Neighbor program. The participating charities are in alphabetical order, so we're easy to find. Once you've spent $250 there, a percentage of your purchase totals will be designated for Cityfolk.

Whether you support Cityfolk by buying a ticket, becoming a member, buying a beer at the Cityfolk Festival or shopping at Amazon or DLM--or all the of the above--we thank you!

Staff Pick: Liadan

I love Celtic music. Capercaillie's Sidewaulk is the album that opened the door to traditional music for me, and I've never looked back! As Cityfolk's main Celtic music booker for the last few years, one of my perks has been listening to all the Celtic CDs we receive from performers who'd like to appear on our stages, and hearing as many new talents live as possible.

Of course, not every band meets our high standards. Phyllis Brzozowska set the bar for artistic quality when she founded Cityfolk back in the mid-80s, and we haven't lowered it since! So it's a real treat when a hot new group comes along...especially when I haven't heard of them before.

My ears perked right up at the first few bars of Liadan's self-titled first release. Three lively polkas romped along, skillfully played and delightful. But the song that came next is the thing that really made me sit up and listen: all six ladies in the band sing, and their a capella version of "P It Stands for Paddy" is hold-your-breath lovely. I have not heard anything like it from another Irish band.

To my delight, Citymusic in Columbus presented Liadan in October, and my husband and I were able to see them live. As good as the CD was, they're even better in person! These six talented ladies met while pursuing Masters degrees at the University of Limerick, and the rapport between them on stage clearly developed from both formal rehearsals and informal craic in the corner of a pub. As with many Celtic acts, hearing their good-natured ribbing and funny stories in lilting brogue added to the fun.

They will be back in the US at least twice in the new year, though sadly it doesn't appear that they'll be close enough for a road trip. So don't wait: visit them on MySpace and give these gals a listen. They're fantastic!

YouTube Favorites from Doug Smith

It used to be that if you were interested in videos of traditional forms of music you had to do a lot of obscure digging. I once wound up on the phone with someone in Las Vegas who claimed to have every B western made. That’s how I got a clip featuring Arthur Smith playing the fiddle in a Jimmy Wakely film from the late forties. But anymore you can find a lot of very interesting stuff on the internet. I frequently get urls from friends who think I would enjoy seeing a video or mp3 of an artist that they like. And usually I find it worthwhile, sometimes very worthwhile.

Cityfolk asked me to share some of my favorites videos, which will be the start of a new series here on Inside Cityfolk. Every Monday a couple new videos will be posted with a little bit of description to put it in context. Hope you enjoy them!


Kayton Roberts -- Mapuana
Kayton Roberts is one of the best steel players living. He played for Hank Snow for many years and is known for his unorthodox technique and posture. He plays a Hawaiian standard here, Mapuana. This clip is from the Hawaiian Room at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis a couple years ago. Close observers will spot me in the first few seconds of this clip.




Sol Hoopii in The Little Giant
The sound track in this pre-code Edward G. Robinson film The Little Giant is by Sol Hoopii. Sol came to the mainland from Hawaii in the early 20th century, made hundreds of recordings and performed in many movies. He was the first steel player to have a jazz influence in his playing.

Music to Our Stomachs

As I enjoy the delicious tastes of this holiday season, my thoughts turn to the tasty foods that some great partners have provided to us in 2008, and I want to take a moment to thank them.

If you've been to any of our shows this past year, there is a good chance that you've heard about our wonderful restaurant partners. Coco's Bistro and The Trolley Stop are located in the Oregon District and hosted pre- or post-show gatherings for us this season. Coco's also very generously provided food for the Cityfolk Festival's Opening Reception. We thank them both for their support and look forward to many more great events from them in 2009!

The Meadowlark Restaurant and Rue Dumaine are located in Centerville. Wiley at the Meadowlark has a special place in her heart for Cityfolk and we thank her for her continued sponsorship. Our relationship with Anne and Tom at Rue Dumaine just began this year and we're very grateful that they're providing the backstage meals for our artists. It's not every day that bands coming through Dayton eat food from a James Beard award-winnning chef! If you get a chance, please visit these great restaurants and let them know that you appreciate their support of Cityfolk.

Finally, make sure that you stop by and thank the good folks at Boston Stoker Coffee, too. They've been amazing this year, supporting us in many ways, including sponsorship of the "Member Hospitality" area at all shows, providing coffee backstage for the performers and for the Operations "bat cave" at the Festival, purchasing a block of tickets for many of this season's shows, choosing Cityfolk as one of the non-profits benefiting from their "election" campaign this fall, and providing a discount "Member Card" for Cityfolk members.

Please remember when you're out and about this holiday season to stop in and say "Thank You!" to all of these great partners for the past year. With all of their support (and more for 2009), Cityfolk will continue to offer the best in 2009 and beyond!

John Jorgenson's Top Ten Guitar CDs

When he was here back in October, we asked John Jorgenson -- an incredible and versatile guitarist who is as comfortable playing gypsy jazz as he is playing with the likes of Lucianno Pavarotti -- to list his top ten guitar CDs. He came back with 12, saying it was hard to choose because there are a lot of great guitar collections out there! The links below go to Amazon.com, where in many cases, you can hear samples of the licks that inspire Jorgenson's talent.

1. Django Reinhardt, The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order
2. Jeff Beck, Blow by Blow
3. Tony Rice, Manzanita

4. Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis: Bold as Love
5. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, Me & Chet/Me & Jerry
6. The Beatles, Revolver [UK]
7. Yes (featuring Steve Howe), Yes - Yessongs

8. Emmy Lou Harris (featuring Albert Lee), Luxury Liner
9. Charlie Christian, Solo Flight
10. The Very Best of Les Paul and Mary Ford
11. The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East
12. Elvis Presley (featuring Scotty Moore), The Sun Sessions CD: Elvis Presley Commemorative Issue

What do you think? Are there any CDs you would add to his list?

Cityfolk's Grammy Connections

Nominations for the 2008 Grammys have just been announced, and many of Cityfolk's old friends are represented. Here's a list of this year's Grammy nominees that have been presented by Cityfolk in recent years.

Best country instrumental performance

"Is This America? (Katrina 2005)" — Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny, Jerry Douglas & Bruce Hornsby
Track from: Family & Friends — Rambling Boy [Decca Records]

Cluster Pluck — Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert & Steve Wariner [Arista Nashville]

Best Bluegrass Album

Del McCoury Band — Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Del McCoury Band [MunckMix]

The Ultimate Collection / Live At The Ryman — Earl Scruggs With Family & Friends [Rounder Records]

Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute To 1946 And 1947 — Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder [Skaggs Family Records]

Wheels — Dan Tyminski [Rounder]

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo

"Son of Thirteen" — Pat Metheny, soloist
Track from: Day Trip [Nonesuch Records]

"Be-Bop" — James Moody, soloist
Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival
50th Anniversary All-Stars) [Monterey Jazz Festival Records]

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Solo or Group

Day Trip — Pat Metheny With Christian McBride & Antonio Sanchez [Nonesuch Records]

Best Latin Jazz Album

The Latin Side Of Wayne Shorter — Conrad Herwig & The Latin Side Band [Half Note Records]

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

Sonidos Gold — Grupo Fantasma [Aire Sol Records/Grupo Fantasma]

Best Regional Mexican Album

Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas: Música Ranchera Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]

Best Contemporary Blues Album

City That Care Forgot — Dr. John And The Lower 911 [429 Records]

Best Hawaiian Music Album Vocal or Instrumental

'Ikena — Tia Carrere & Daniel Ho [Daniel Ho Creations]

Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Masters Series Vol. II — (Various Artists including Bobby Ingano) Chris Lau & Milton Lau, producers [Rhythm And Roots Records]

The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar — (Various Artists) Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku, Jr., Dennis Kamakahi, Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers [Daniel Ho Creations]

Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album

Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — BeauSoleil & Michael Doucet [MunckMix]

From Now On — Michael Doucet [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]

Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys [MunckMix]

Best Traditional World Music Album

Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu — Ladysmith Black Mambazo [Heads Up International]

Best Contemporary World Music Album

Live At The Nelson Mandela Theater — Soweto Gospel Choir [Shanachie Entertainment]

Cityfolk Wins 2009 Governor's Award for the Arts

Cityfolk has won the 2009 Governor's Award for the Arts for Community Development and Participation. In that category, the Ohio Arts Council looks for individuals or organizations who "create or strengthen interactive arts participation among diverse community members while increasing public awareness about the role of the arts in community life." The Cityfolk Festival and Culture Builds Community are two strong programs that contributed to our success.

The Governor's Award for the Arts winners are chosen for outstanding contributions to the arts statewide, regionally and nationally. In addition to the recognition for a job well done, we will be presented with an original work of art by painter Jean Koeller of New Carlisle, Ohio, at the Arts Day Luncheon on April 1, 2009.

Ohio is a state with a wealth of individual artists, individuals and institutions that are supportive of the arts and for that reason this process is highly competitive. For general information about the Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio, please see the Invitation, Fact Sheet and visit the list of Frequently Asked Questions. For more information about Arts Day and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, visit the Ohio Citizens for The Arts website.

Visit the Governor's Awards microsite to view video tributes to the past Award winners, pictures from the event and images of the awards. The complete list of nominees is available here.

Raffles and Ticket Discounts

Cityfolk is happy to announce that Russell Kotts of North Royalton, Ohio, won our second raffle for a Martin D-28. Thanks to everyone who helped support Cityfolk by buying a ticket!

Congratulations to Bill Lucht of Huron, Ohio, who won the raffle at the Soweto Gospel Choir concert. All concert attendees are eligible for those raffles, so please take a moment to throw your name in the hat at the next Cityfolk concert that you attend.

And we are making your holiday gift-giving a little bit more affordable by offering Cityfolk Supporters a discount of 10% OFF all concert tickets and new logo merchandise purchased in December! To take advantage of this offer, visit the Cityfolk Shoppe for logo items, visit the Online Box Office to purchase tickets and use the promotion code holiday08, or call our Box Office at 937-496-3863 and mention this blog post. Offer ends Dec. 31, 2008

Staff Pick: Theresa Andersson

Just happened to catch Theresa Andersson at Canal St. Tavern a couple of weeks ago, and was very impressed with her set that night. I know Theresa’s music a little bit, since she currently lives in New Orleans and is a popular local artist and gigs continuously in town and is booked every year at JazzFest (which my wife and I attend every year we can). She originally moved to New Orleans in the early 1990’s from Sweden with singer/songwriter Anders Osborne and has performed in her own bands along with New Orleans legends such as Allen Toussaint and The Neville Brothers. I saw Theresa a few years ago when she was touring in support of Shine which seemed to be her attempt at becoming a “pop star.”

I had heard and read a couple of reviews about her latest CD, Hummingbird Go! and was curious to see (and hear) what she was up to on this recording. All the reviews talked about how Theresa had done all the instrumentation on the CD. According to her liner notes, “Theresa plays all strings and things like Barq’s root beer bottles, saw, wine glasses, high-heeled clogs, drums, slide whistle & slide violin,” and she actually recorded the CD in her kitchen in her house in New Orleans! The fact that she was touring by herself, with no band, added to the intrigue of what she was up to and what we would hear that night.

So, we’re there with a small group of Theresa’s closest friends in Dayton (it was her first time in town), and she comes out by herself and immediately lays down about 4-5 different “loops” including about three different voices, a dulcimer, and drums and accompanies herself on a stirring version of the spiritual “O, Mary, Don’t You Weep!” After that we were hooked and enjoyed her 90 minute set of her “one woman show” which at various times included guitar, violin (her original instrument), dulcimer, drums, tambourine, voices, xylophone, and some pre-recorded drum tracks from New Orleans drum legend Smokey Johnson! Needless to say it was a VERY enjoyable evening out hearing some truly unique music, and fascinating musical alchemy with Theresa and her double loop pedals. The unique nature of the music’s presentation that night with the looping and pre-recorded sections never diverted attention from the high quality of the artistry displayed in Theresa’s songs.

Highlights from “Hummingbird, Go!” (of course I had to purchase her CD that night!) include the YouTube sensation “NaNaNa” along with another hit on YouTube “Birds Fly Away.” “Innan Du Gar” (sung with Swedish artist Ane Brun) is a haunting, beautiful melody, and “God’s Highway” (sung with producer Tobias Froberg) is a great folk road song with hints of Emmylou Harris and Simon & Garfunkel. I encourage you to take a listen to Theresa’s music and learn more about her unique artistry! Start with her solo kitchen recording of "Nanana":