Thursday July 10 th
Richard Shindell has an unforutnate accident and cut off part of a finger...one of the fingers he needs to do what he does. We are sorry to have to cancel Richard, but we have added in his place Mr. Marshall Crenshaw. Thank you Marshall for helping us out.
David "Honeyboy" Edwards was born June 28, 1915 in Shaw, Mississippi. Honeyboy is one of the last living links to Robert Johnson, and one of the last original acoustic Delta blues players. He is a living legend, and his story is truly part of history. He is the real deal.
Honeyboy was a part of many of the seminal moments of the blues. As Honeyboy writes in "The World Don't Own Me Nothing", "...it was in '29 when Tommy Johnson come down from Crystal Springs, Mississippi. He was just a little guy, tan colored, easy-going; but he drank a whole lot. At nighttime, we'd go there and listen to Tommy Johnson play." Honeyboy continues, " Listening to Tommy, that's when I really learned something about how to play guitar."
Honeyboy's life has been intertwined with almost every major blues legend, including Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Big Joe Williams, Rice "Sonny Boy Williamson" Miller, Howlin' Wolf, Peetie Wheatstraw, Sunnyland Slim, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Walter, Little Walter, Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, and ... well, let's just say the list goes on darn near forever!
Honeyboy was a part of many of the seminal moments of the blues. As Honeyboy writes in "The World Don't Own Me Nothing", "...it was in '29 when Tommy Johnson come down from Crystal Springs, Mississippi. He was just a little guy, tan colored, easy-going; but he drank a whole lot. At nighttime, we'd go there and listen to Tommy Johnson play." Honeyboy continues, " Listening to Tommy, that's when I really learned something about how to play guitar."
Honeyboy's life has been intertwined with almost every major blues legend, including Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Big Joe Williams, Rice "Sonny Boy Williamson" Miller, Howlin' Wolf, Peetie Wheatstraw, Sunnyland Slim, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Walter, Little Walter, Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, and ... well, let's just say the list goes on darn near forever!
ACCORDING TO BILLBOARD MAGAZINE, “Marshall Crenshaw is perhaps the epitome of the critically acclaimed, commercially overlooked singer/songwriter.” Some people refer to Crenshaw’s debut recording as one of the most “perfect” pop albums ever recorded. Originally from the Detroit area, Crenshaw was one of those “almost famous” stars whose rise to Top 40-dom was rapid but whose star is still shining brightly for those music fans who have followed his less-than-headline making musical history.
Crenshaw’s biography is far from dull. Early on he performed as John Lennon in the touring theatrical production of “Beatlemania” and he also had an acting gig as Buddy Holly in the film, “La Bamba.” The Buddy Holly / John Lennon connection is no coincidence. Both of those rockers had an influence on Marshall and it definitely shows up in his extremely catchy and instantly likeable songs. A New York Times critic once said the following when asked to define Marshall’s music: “His songs, like Brian Wilson’s, are harmonically sophisticated yet immediately hummbable. They are, like Buddy Holly’s, buoyant and emotionally direct. But they are, like Phil Spector’s, also produced painstakingly, with as many rich layers as mille-feuille. They evoke countless fondly recalled artists of 30 years ago without aping any of them. And at their core, they are hard-charging electric-guitar songs, whose brief solos and fills frequently function as witty, surprising countermelodies.”
That quote was written over ten years ago and one bit has changed a bit — when Marshall appears as a solo act, the “electric” nature of his songs translates easily to acoustic. His latest album, “What’s in the Bag,” is a record that includes a wide variety of styles and temperaments. Crenshaw titled his creation when the recording was done and he was just about to listen to it for the first time. He held up the leather bag containing the mastered tapes and wondered what, really, was in the bag? “It’s supposed to suggest the disc is a cornucopia of moods, sounds, and emotions.” And it truly is. Crenshaw’s original tunes on this album are bittersweet and reflective. His instrumentals display a jazzy and rhythm and blues nuance. His choice of cover songs is extraordinary; his take on Prince’s “Take Me With U” is a highlight. As one critic remarks, “This is remarkable for the way it sounds so seamlessly like the song was always meant to have a rockabilly flavor.”
Crenshaw’s discography includes a “Best of” compilation entitled “This is Easy.” Putting the songs together for this CD was easier than the career that preceded it. It’s a true-to-form album though and reflects all the various genres that Crenshaw so deftly represents, including his role as one of the crown princes of Power Pop. Crenshaw is proud of the diversity of his songs. He says that he’s proud that he had the nerve to record what he wanted to record. He dictated his own path even though it didn’t lead to him becoming a household name. A New Jersey newspaper critic noted that Marshall’s name may be a household name in “hip” households though. One life-long fan has duly noted the following: “This is a guy who has aged as gracefully as is humanly possible in the realm of rock’n’roll.”
Crenshaw’s biography is far from dull. Early on he performed as John Lennon in the touring theatrical production of “Beatlemania” and he also had an acting gig as Buddy Holly in the film, “La Bamba.” The Buddy Holly / John Lennon connection is no coincidence. Both of those rockers had an influence on Marshall and it definitely shows up in his extremely catchy and instantly likeable songs. A New York Times critic once said the following when asked to define Marshall’s music: “His songs, like Brian Wilson’s, are harmonically sophisticated yet immediately hummbable. They are, like Buddy Holly’s, buoyant and emotionally direct. But they are, like Phil Spector’s, also produced painstakingly, with as many rich layers as mille-feuille. They evoke countless fondly recalled artists of 30 years ago without aping any of them. And at their core, they are hard-charging electric-guitar songs, whose brief solos and fills frequently function as witty, surprising countermelodies.”
That quote was written over ten years ago and one bit has changed a bit — when Marshall appears as a solo act, the “electric” nature of his songs translates easily to acoustic. His latest album, “What’s in the Bag,” is a record that includes a wide variety of styles and temperaments. Crenshaw titled his creation when the recording was done and he was just about to listen to it for the first time. He held up the leather bag containing the mastered tapes and wondered what, really, was in the bag? “It’s supposed to suggest the disc is a cornucopia of moods, sounds, and emotions.” And it truly is. Crenshaw’s original tunes on this album are bittersweet and reflective. His instrumentals display a jazzy and rhythm and blues nuance. His choice of cover songs is extraordinary; his take on Prince’s “Take Me With U” is a highlight. As one critic remarks, “This is remarkable for the way it sounds so seamlessly like the song was always meant to have a rockabilly flavor.”
Crenshaw’s discography includes a “Best of” compilation entitled “This is Easy.” Putting the songs together for this CD was easier than the career that preceded it. It’s a true-to-form album though and reflects all the various genres that Crenshaw so deftly represents, including his role as one of the crown princes of Power Pop. Crenshaw is proud of the diversity of his songs. He says that he’s proud that he had the nerve to record what he wanted to record. He dictated his own path even though it didn’t lead to him becoming a household name. A New Jersey newspaper critic noted that Marshall’s name may be a household name in “hip” households though. One life-long fan has duly noted the following: “This is a guy who has aged as gracefully as is humanly possible in the realm of rock’n’roll.”
At first glance, one might wonder if she escaped from someone's knick-knack box, or the page of a storybook filled with enchanted tales and unpredictable endings. Upon encounter, one may find the magnifying glass obsolete and that she does not fit well into confined spaces. No one knows for sure, but it has been speculated that Kung Fu Sophie's elusive roots were once grounded in the biggest little valley of a distant and dangerously explosive planet. It is believed that Kung Fu Sophie escaped the hostile, arid environment via a quickly constructed, self-made ark, suitable for space travel. Fortunately, she was able to rescue a guitar, a piano, and her voice. After enduring a long, arduous journey through uncharted territory, Kung Fu Sophie unexpectedly landed on Planet Earth. She has been drop kicking expectations ever since as she shares her music with our world. Compared to the earthly likes of Regina Spektor, Laurie Anderson, Tori Amos, and Rickie Lee Jones.
Kathy has opened for/shared the stage with national acts such as: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Hootie & the Blowfish, Styx, Andy Summers (Police), Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Dickey Betts, Catie Curtis, Tony Levin Band, John Eddie, Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), Michael Glabicki (Rusted Root), Bernie Worrell, Jeffrey Gaines, and Bernard Purdie. Kathy has also been involved with singing backups for The Matt Angus Thing alongside members of the notorious Harlem Gospel Choir.
She has performed at notable venues such as New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), The Stone Pony, The Stanhope House, The Starland Ballroom, Maxwells, The Saint (NJ), The Living Room, The Wetlands, The Knitting Factory, The Cutting Room, The Postcrypt Coffeehouse (NYC), and The House of Blues (Boston) and also has been a part of the Black Potatoe Music Festival (Clinton, NJ), one of the northeast’s most prestigious music festivals.
She has performed at notable venues such as New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), The Stone Pony, The Stanhope House, The Starland Ballroom, Maxwells, The Saint (NJ), The Living Room, The Wetlands, The Knitting Factory, The Cutting Room, The Postcrypt Coffeehouse (NYC), and The House of Blues (Boston) and also has been a part of the Black Potatoe Music Festival (Clinton, NJ), one of the northeast’s most prestigious music festivals.
Compton Maddux has been recognized by Gary Allen, Great American Song Contest & NSAI for his cool songwriting & singing of "Black Violin" which was a 2008 CMT Listener's Choice Finalist. Compton’s songwriting carries on in the great tradition of Americana storytellers a la Bob Dylan, John Hyatt and Steve Earle. Taking the mythic agro-landscape of the south and mid-west, he spins a Faulkeresque fabric charged with sexual hijinks and swampy hooks. His songs deliver both poignancy and paradox in a rock 'n' acoustic package. As GQ music critic Glenn O’Brien observed, “Compton Maddux was born in New York City (but) the country in him comes straight outta Compton, right from the DNA. …He is a true country singer from the most urbane and densely populated area of the nation.”
