The concept of playing for free or for spare change is one for the ages. And the decisions for performing for little to no compensation is one to not take lightly, and should consider one’s level of talent, name recognition, commerciality, as well as the venue or circumstances that offer “real estate” to perform your original songs, cover songs or, most likely a mix of the two.
Tim O’Brien talks about his song, “Cup of Sugar” – The songs started with ‘Bear.‘ It was December of 2021, and the news was all about Russia and would Putin invade Ukraine. I had just read a book on the history of dancing bears. White Nationalism was a prominent topic, the flip side being Black Lives Matter. Trump had lost the election but was ramping up his spoiled brat act. I could imagine the gripes Putin, Trump and the White Nationalists had, even if I didn’t agree.
Two-time folk Grammy nominee Eliza Gilkyson is sharing the first single, the “brightly ethereal” (Folk Alley) “Safety Zone”, from her new album, Home, set for released June 23 on her own imprint, Realiza Records. Premiering today, the song came about after a bad accident Eliza suffered at last year’s Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, and an inductee into the Austin Songwriter Hall of Fame, she has won countless Folk Alliance and Austin Music awards, including 2014’s Songwriter of the Year.
The official grand opening of the Strawberry Field Forever Bandstand took place in Liverpool on 2nd May 2023. The Bandstand has been donated by Honorary Patron, Cliff Cooper, CEO of Orange Amplification. It sits in the original Strawberry Field garden in Liverpool where John Lennon, as a child, used to jump over the wall into the grounds of the children’s home and listen to the Salvation Army band play.
Lauren Calve has been undergoing a metamorphosis in her life, a massive shift. You can hear it seeping through every song, oozing out of every lyric, and feel the shedding of her skin with every note on her first full-length album, Shift, out September 1. The subtle and understated yearning in her voice, the intonation in her haunting vocals and delivery, Calve is longing for something more.
Iconic roots singer Tracy Nelson, who burst onto the Rock and Roll scene in the mid-1960s as lead singer in the San Francisco-based group Mother Earth and her legendary vocals on the classic, “Down So Low,” will release her first album in over 10 years, Life Don’t Miss Nobody, June 9th on the BMG label.
Bruce Cockburn has won 13 JUNO Awards, an induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada, among many other accolades.
A Night At The Family Dog held on February 4, 1970, featured the brightest three lights of the Bay Area, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and Santana. These three bands would define a scene that had the whole world wondering what exactly was going on in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco. A Night At The Family Dog starts with two iconic Santana performances before Grateful Dead covers Otis Redding.
Leap! follows on the heels of Cabin Fever: Songs from the Quarantine (2020) and Bucket List (2021) and brings to 54 the new songs written and released since the 2020 lockdown. “And that’s less than half of what’s been composed, not counting at least that many from my weekly Zoom sessions with Tom Paxton and others!” said McCutcheon.
Kate MacLeod’s long-term project of study, performance, and recordings of Jean Ritchie are coming into focus with The Jean Ritchie Experience. There are four new renditions of songs to be released as singles, and plans for more. Most will include special guest musicians on the recordings.The Utah Division of Arts and Museums has awarded a grant in support of this work.
