Well, folks, it’s likely that our Spring, 2009 season will be our last. While producing this series since 2001 has been incredibly rewarding, it has taken time away from other creative and business activities we wish to concentrate on. We would love to find another party who is able to carry our vision forward, and we are open to conversations along those lines. Meanwhile, we hope to see you at one of our events this Spring!
Mucho musical variety headed our way this spring, as three very different shows are slated for the Church House living room.
Saturday, March 28 at 7:00pm
Danny Schmidt is a solo singer-songwriter with a deft acoustic guitar style and lyrics which will remind you that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Recently signed to prestigious Red House Records, the accolades for Danny’s work come from all corners of the songwriting world, putting him in comparative cahoots with Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Ani DiFranco, Townes Van Zandt and others.
More information here. RSVP for this event here.
Saturday, May 2 at 7:00pm
Ember Swift brings a new project for a return engagement at the Church House. Having spent many moons exploring China since her first packed visit here in early 2006, we can’t wait to see how she and her material have grown in the interim. Her insightful posts from the Far East are filled with the recognition of mystery and magic which underlies Western perceptions of the region. Don’t miss what promises to be a profound and delightful dip into cultural cross-pollination.
More information here. RSVP for this event here.
Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm
New York City comes back to Haddam for an all-star jam when guitarist Ann Klein brings a new troupe of A-list players for an evening of musical monstrosity. Featuring bandmates of some of the world’s biggest stars, you will not believe the level of talent hanging out in Haddam this evening. Definitely hold this date, and watch for more news soon. You will NOT want to hear about what you missed the day after…
Yes, it’s been a while, folks, but don’t worry, there will be news soon about our upcoming seasons. See you soon!
We’ve already noted the fact that Idgy Vaughn is seriously cute.
Having just spent most of four days with Idgy as Debi and I accompanied her to compete as a finalist in the WUMB Boston Folk Festival Song Contest, we can now attest that Idgy is also seriously smart, seriously thoughtful, and seriously at risk for major attention in the music world, should justice rule and the fates deliver.
Let’s get this out of the way: Idgy took second place in the adult division of the song contest. If she hadn’t experienced an equipment failure and been forced to play with an unfamiliar instrument, she likely would have taken first place. To hear the tune she played and make your own decision, surf here and choose “Time Bomb” in the music player.
Now, back to the serious.
There are so many paths to recognition these days, and so many of them begin and end with a pretty face, a stroke of luck, a flash in the pan, and a prompt landing in the dim recesses of public memory, right behind the next contestant on “American Idol.”
Idgy did in fact experience an incredible stroke of luck, when a friend hit the lottery and gave her the money to record a CD of her songs in the musical inferno of Austin, Texas. As a result, she managed to come up with an album that is so good, it would be tempting to dismiss it as just another well-funded vanity project, with the musical virtuosity of graying masters glossing over a lack of substance — except for a few little details.
First, the lyrics of these eleven completely original tunes are really, really good. Idgy’s powerful autobiographical stories describe the challenges of reaching for a dream while everyone around her worked their hardest to convince her she was foolish, crazy or evil. Her phrasing sounds so natural you’d guess she was raised by parents who spoke only in rhyme. Only one song on the album is not drawn directly from her own life, and only one song — the spunkiest little murder tune you’ve ever whistled — is fictional.
Then there’s the fact that every song features melodies and musical structures that quickly weld themselves into your brain so completely that it becomes difficult to remember what it was like before this music entered your life.
Add in the fact that Idgy is not a lightweight singer. In turns confident, aching, doubt-filled, sly, girlish, reverent or sexy, she constantly tunes her delivery to the content of the song, matching the packaging with the message.
Yes, the arrangement of each tune is brilliant, and it was surprising to learn just how much of that was because Idgy drove her musical posse like a woman possessed, betting she had only one chance to scratch this line in the history of Austin’s Flashpoint Studios, where folks like Townes Van Zandt, the Austin Lounge Lizards, Tish Hinojosa, Cindy Cashdollar and the Asylum Street Spankers have recorded previously.
Full disclosure: Idgy will not be bringing the busload of first-class musical codgers she recorded this brilliant CD with from Austin to Haddam for our show on Thursday, September 25 at 7:00pm.
She will be bringing Will Sexton, an ever-so-tasteful guitarist who somehow maintains a very low internet profile, while having played with a lengthy A-list of notables, and packing the thickest little black book of musicians Idgy’s ever seen.
This show will allow you the best of both worlds: the opportunity to hear the stripped-down, unadulterated songs the way they sounded shortly after birth, and the chance to take home a CD that combines an uncompromised new voice with an incomparable band and stellar arrangements.
Now that’s a seriously good deal.
(Want to help spread the word? Spread this around!)
Sometimes you win just by showing up.
This is a lesson we often learn in real estate, in dining, and definitely in music.
A couple of weekends ago, Debi won big after I spotted some ultralight aircraft overhead on a beautiful Saturday morning.
Rushing over to the East Haddam airstrip, we found a group of friends playing with their handmade planes and helicopters. By the time I got the camera gear out of the car, Debi was climbing into a tiny cockpit and taking off with some guy who assured me he’d bring her back eventually.
After toodling around the neighborhood, buzzing our house, and inspecting the Chester Fair from the air, pilot Bob and Debi returned to the ground, each with a smug look of satisfaction on their faces. I have a friendly hunch Bob was taking pleasure in the fact that he’d thrilled a woman some fraction of his age, while Debi seemed convinced I was right to urge her to get dressed and come out with me for an adventure. Hey, I *will* take credit for that!
The good news is that we can all get lucky like this, just by saying “yes” more than “no.”
As an example, this Friday, September 12, you can say “yes” and get a twofer in the bargain: a pleasant visit to Haddam’s spanking new Farmers’ Harvest Market on the Higganum Green, and (probably) a sneak-peek at upcoming Church House Concerts performer Idgy Vaughn.
I am very pleased to announce that I am the co-founder of a venture I never expected to get off the ground so quickly: a new Farmers’ Market. Lofted by the efforts of a crack and motivated team of dedicated volunteers, the Higganum Village Market sets off on its maiden voyage this Friday, September 12 from 3:00pm to at least 6:00pm on the Higganum Center Green, which is located across from the elementary school at the junction of Rts. 154 and 81 in Haddam. From Rt. 9 South, take exit 10 and head South on 154, or from Rt. 9 North, take exit 9 and head north on Rt. 81 into town, and watch for the gathering on the Green. You’ll find over twenty (yes, 20+!) booths with area farmers, food makers and artisans offering their fresh and delicious wares. Higganum Center merchants will also be offering a variety of specials, including a wine tasting, a beer tasting, and special food deals during and after the event. Nothing this cool has happened in Higganum Center for quite a while, and it’s all because a few motivated folks decided to make something happen, and showed up to do it.
I can’t take much of the credit, though, since while these dedicated folks are making the market happen, I’ll be at the airport, picking up Idgy Vaughn.
Idgy, of course, is our next headliner, set to play the Church House on Thursday, September 25. Debi and I are just about jumping out of our skins in anticipation of this show. Most every morning for the past several weeks, we’ve been waking to ask each other which of Idgy’s songs is stuck in our heads. Oddly, we never have the same song playing, but we get a laugh by comparing which of Idgy’s tunes has inextricably velcroed itself to our brain cells overnight.
Idgy happens to be a finalist in the WUMB Boston Folk Festival songwriters’ contest, and is competing for top honors in that event this Saturday. We’ll be accompanying her to Boston for this event. But if all goes according to plan, Idgy will arrive in Connecticut just in time to drop by the Higganum Village Market to play a short set on the Green’s gazebo before the market closes Friday evening.
So if you’re up for a little adventure this Friday, (no pilot’s license required), come to the very first Higganum Village Market, where we’ll be celebrating the bounty of the harvest with some of the area’s finest farmers and the foodies who love them. Hang around for a while, and watch for the guy with the dazedly star-struck look in his eye, and the cute redhead singing like she just wrote a bunch of million-dollar tunes and can’t wait to pour them on you like local honey on fresh-picked berry pancakes.
When you realize you haven’t had enough yet, don’t miss Idgy’s full-length show at the Church House, also featuring ace guitarist Will Sexton on Thursday, the 25th. Reserve your seat for that very special event in a hurry, though.
As the saying goes: “This could be the best day of your life. The least you can do is show up for it.”
Photo John Friedlander
Like love, and life, hats can get complicated.
Whether it’s a crown, a fedora or a beanie, what you wear on your head speaks volumes about who you claim - or wish - to be.
In a previous life, I was a computer consultant, riding the range to help fine gentlemen and fair maidens use their computers more productively. During one period just before the turn of the millenium I traveled quite a bit, often heading west to round up more digital dogies as a part of my entrepreneurial chores. I packed my saddlebags light, with a laptop, a cellphone and a toothbrush. I liked my steaks rare, my coffee strong, my meetings short and punchy, and my hotel room sheets high thread-count.
Seeking a distinctive visual signature and a unifying theme for my frequent business presentations, I did what thousands of other great communicators before me had done: I bought myself a Stetson to go with my already well-worn cowboy boots.
What fun I had, galloping through the concrete badlands of corporate Cupertino! I became a legend in my posse, talking tough in meetings and swaggering through cocktail parties, with all the weight of an American tradition of chivalric individualism and service to community behind me. It was all an act, of course — the truth was that I was a New England techno-geek with soft hands who could type 90 words a minute but not rope a single calf, driving a station wagon more accustomed to hauling computer monitors than hay bales. Still, life was good.
Then disaster struck.
A self-proclaimed Texan born a short ride from Yale University moved back east to the White House, bringing all his cowboy-posing friends with him. The neighborhood - and in short order, the world - went all to hell, and the positive image of cowboys everywhere went face-down in oily black mud.
I put my Stetson in a drawer at the back of my closet. My boots started to gather dust. I didn’t call my friends in Texas much anymore. Listening to Lyle Lovett became more bittersweet than ever. I reconciled myself to booking Jimmy LaFave (twice) because after all, didn’t he grow up in Oklahoma?
There were lights in the darkness, thankfully…
The Kerrville Folk Festival
Kinky Friedman (”Find something you love, and do it ’til it kills you!”)
Junior Brown
Rest in joy and peace, Molly…
And let’s not forget the Dixie Chicks!
But my overall feeling for four years was that the fun had gone out of cowboyin’, and, Texas being the most powerfully self-absorbed cowboy state in the union, it became socially awkward to talk in a drawl or arrive anywhere wearing cowboy boots.
After the 2004 Selection, though it seemed impossible, it got worse.
It became unsafe to turn down barbecue, if there might be a DHS infiltrator nearby. Like lead-footed drivers who adorn their rides with stickers claiming their generosity to Policemen’s Benevolent Associations in hopes of avoiding speeding tickets, homeowners all over the neighborhood began prominently displaying large, decorative Texas stars.
But nothing lasts forever. There’s change in the air. A year from now there’ll be a new sheriff in town, and Texas will have a chance to earn its way back into my good graces.
Meanwhile, Texan Eric Taylor will play here Saturday, April 12. His artfully dark perspective should be a welcome antidote to the mindless Texas pandering we’ve had to live with for too long, and a reminder that there is more to that great state than all hat and no cattle wannabee cowboys, like me.
We’re getting ready to announce two new shows for the upcoming spring season, and we’re working on a bunch of exciting new projects. Stay tuned!
Welcome to Church House Concerts’ blog, in which we’ll note musical topics as they relate to the wonderful world of hand-crafted music, the artists who create and perform it, and the rooms they perform in. Read on, the show’s just about to start!