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During the release of her first few albums, advice and support from the likes of Suzanne Vega, Ani DiFranco and Eric Burdon (The Animals) encouraged Sage to stick to her musical roots and "just keep doing what I loved and not think a whole lot about what was going on in the music industry." As a songwriter, she was energized by the sensibilities of Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Laura Nyro; as a visual artist (Sage also paints, decorates instruments and designs much of her vibrant stage-wear), pop-art pioneers Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring were ongoing visual muses. After receiving the 2005 Independent Music Award for Best Folk/AAA artist and the 2005 OutMusic Award for Best Songwriter for her previous CD BALLADS & BURLESQUE, Sage headed back into the studio and emerged with her newest full-length work, THE BLISTERING SUN. The 15 song album "focuses on the rare moments where action follows instinct, without procrastination." Fittingly, the cover-art depicts a colorful, super-heroine-esque image of Sage staring unflinchingly at the sun. Brooks Williams
But it wasn’t until he moved to Boston, Massachusetts in his late teens that Williams put it all together. In Boston, Williams first heard roots and blues music on the radio and started to go to shows in the city’s many acoustic music clubs. Inspired by what he was seeing and hearing Williams began to perform on his own. He played loud, smoky bars on the weeknights and quiet coffee houses on the weekends and very quickly developed a loyal following eager for his innovative acoustic guitar playing and buttery soulful voice. Brooks Williams is as diverse and versatile a musician as you are likely to encounter. It is pleasantly difficult to pin him down. He’s a guitarist, a songwriter, and an interpreter; he is a frontman, a sideman, he works solo or in a band - and he is quite simply one of the most entertaining and engaging performers on the circuit today. From coast-to-coast, country-to-country, Williams and his guitars roll and tumble like nobody’s business. Erin Mckeown From elegant pop to balls-out rock,sweet electronics to witty swing, Erin McKeown has packed a ton of music into her young career. With 5 albums, 2 EPs, and numerous soundtracks and compilations to her credit, the 29-year-old songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hasn't stopped for a breather in the last 10 years. Along the way she has averaged 200 shows a year and garnered the praise of fans and critics alike. McKeown's newest release is Lafayette, a rollicking evening with her six-piece Little Big Band. Erin McKeown was born in Boston, MA, in October, 1977. After high school, she attended Brown University, where she earned a degree in ethnomusicology and spent here evenings performing in local bars and coffeehouses. In addition to releasing her debut on her own label, McKeown spent a time performing around the American Northeast with other young singer/songwriters Beth Amsel, Jess Klein, and Rose Polenzani as the collaborative group Voices on the Verge. Since then, she has slowly gained notoriety among Americana enthusiasts, though managing to skirt national recognition on a large scale. Her 2000 independent release Distillation was universally well-received and won her opening slots for many of her peers, including Ani Difranco, the Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, and others. She has appeared regularly at festivals around the world, including Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Boston Folk Festival and Newport Music Festival, and continues to tour on a rigorous schedule. Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem
So, what's a daisy mayhem? What does it sound like? What do they play? |
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2008/09
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With bluesy finger-picking, soaring bottleneck slide, and swinging flat-picking, Brooks Williams’ music is rooted in the blues and is as fresh and original as any music you are likely to hear. His unique combination of traditional and original music inspired Dirty Linen magazine to call Brooks Williams one of "America's musical treasures." His guitar skills won him a place on the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists list, in company with the likes of Michael Hedges, Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, and David Bromberg, to name a few.
A Statesboro, Georgia native – the town made famous by Blind Willie McTell in his song Statesboro Blues – Brooks began playing guitar at age 10 after being shown the opening riff to Purple Haze by a summer music camp counselor. Brooks’ mother responded to her son’s enthusiasm for the new instrument by buying him a Jose Feliciano-styled nylon string guitar with a double pickguard and arranged for him to learn a few chords and songs from the daughter of a friend. That was all he needed to get started. In the years following Brooks taught himself to play by listening to recordings by the likes of Eric Clapton, Maria Muldaur, Bonnie Raitt, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal.
Arbo's quirky '90s string band, Salamander Crossing, helped blow the doors open for the neotrad revival. On a new album, "Big Old Life," her current band captures the visceral and fun-loving sound of American roots music. Her lovely alto wears simultaneous shades of sass and grace, world-weariness and resilience. As the quartet promenades from gospel to swing, ballad to barn-burner, it shows how trad is, at heart, a social music. Every playful and profound note they play proves that these songs are only as old as the last time someone sang them. Scott Alarik The Boston Globe, May 2007
"Arbo is a triple threat as a fiddler, songwriter, and possessor of a uniquely beautiful, malleable alto. The group's playing is tight, with stylish, unexpected choices, and Anand Nayak is a marvel of stylistic versatility on lead guitar, with a rich resonant tone and soulful, imaginative fills. Big Old Life is brimming with grace, however defined."
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