Friends of Bob March '06 Newsletter
Please share this newsletter with friends you think may be interested.
Get ready! Our April show promises to be truly amazing, and there's no doubt
that our regular FoB audience will be joined by music fans from surrounding states eager
for the opportunity to hear Jawbone and Crooked Still.
Tony Trischka is an icon of the banjo in the same way that Ry Cooder or David
Grisman are icons of the guitar and mandolin. He's often credited with reinventing
American banjo-heck, he was teacher and inspiration to the more famous Bela Fleck. In
the 60s, Trischka took banjo into new territory that explored bluegrass, jazz, and avantgarde and is considered a chief architect of a genre that became known as New Acoustic.
He has recorded with artists as diverse at Loudon Wainwright, R.E.M., and Bela Fleck.
These days he plays in a variety of bands, but the one we're going to hear is Jawbone, a
trio that explores the shared territories of old-time and bluegrass, though there are even
Celtic and African roots in the mix. Jawbone's old-time fiddle master is Bruce Molsky,
a player who studied with stalwarts like Tommy Jarrell and has collaborated with such
high-profile names as Kevin Burke, Jay and Molly Unger, Natalie McMaster, and Darol
Anger. He has appeared often on A Prairie Home Companion. Some FoBers may have
seen his incredible performances at the Lotus Festival in Bloomington in 2003. Bruce's
solo recording "Poor Man's Troubles" received an Indie Award for best traditional folk
recording in 2001. The third member of dream-team Jawbone is Paula Bradley, famous
for her clawhammer style banjo and ukulele playing and her grace as a flatfoot dancer.
Jawbone draws from the deep well of old-time music, with its infinite stylistic variations,
and the powerful improvisatory streams of bluegrass, to create a familiar but fresh new
sound.
Crooked Still is a young band that is also redefining traditional music in its own
distinct way. While they play authentic sounding neo-bluegrass, they do it in their own
idiosyncratic, twisted, and stunningly virtuosic way. Immediately startling is that all the
fiddle parts are played on cello by the amazing Rushad Eggleston (who incidentally also
plays with Bruce Molksy, Michael Doucet, and Darrol Anger in the band Fiddlers 4). Far
more dominant than is typical in a string band is Corey DiMario's double-bass, and
Greg Liszt's futuristic four-finger banjo rolls give the band a spooky twist. Operating
beautifully above the low string tones of Crooked Still is Aoife O'Donovan's angelic
voice. The Boston Globe called Crooked Still "the most important folk group to emerge
from Boston since... the early 60s." Crooked Still play first, then Jawbone, and then
they'll play together!
Richard Fudge's personal rave: A year ago I attended 2 big music conferences
held simultaneously in Montreal: WOMAX and Folk Alliance. Over the 4 days I saw
something in excess of a hundred bands or performers. Not one even came close to
Crooked Still: their uniqueness and excitement were amazing and I ended up seeing
them 4 times over the weekend. Their freshness and cleverness were startling. I
immediately went to work determined to bring them to Lafayette. They will be
incredible. Even more amazing was that we have them booked with a true supergroup
like Jawbone. Don't miss this one!
Sunday, April 23, Duncan Hall, 7:30:
Jawbone + Crooked Still
exploring the traditions and new directions for old-time and bluegrass
Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry St., Lafayette, IN
$12 advance; $14 day of show
from Von's Records, JL CDs, McGuire Music, and Downtown Records [Advance by mail
$13 ; checks to FoB, Box 59, Battle Ground, IN 47920; please give name, address,
phone, and email.]
The New York Times called five-string banjo wiz Tony Trischka a "modern banjo master (and) the godfather of what's
sometimes called new-acoustic music." Time magazine called him an "urban bluegrass whiz" and Billboard "one of the
most impressive banjoists alive." A major figure in old-time music, Bruce Molsky's quicksilver fiddling melds the
archaic mountain sounds of Appalachia, the power of blues, and the rhythmic intricacies of traditional African music.
Paula Bradley is revered for her guitar playing and clogging. Jawbone is a supergroup taking American traditions
into a new era.
"[Crooked Still's] darkly gorgeous debut CD reveals them as both fun-loving revolutionaries and sweet
traditionalists." Boston Globe
Please help us publicize this show by downloading a poster from our website:
www.friends-of-bob.org
FoB has received a generous grant from the Eli Lilly Tippecanoe Laboratories to
assist us in booking international acts. We truly appreciate local businesses who are able
to help FoB make the musical offerings in Greater Lafayette even greater!
&
Our next ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING will be on Tuesday, April 18, 7:30, at the Lafayette
Brewing Co. Everyone is welcome. Please come and get more involved.
An Evening with Lost Highway recording artist
Mary Gauthier www.marygauthier.com
(say "go-shay")
+ Otis Gibbs www.otisgibbs.com
Thursday, May 4, 2006, Duncan Hall 7:30 (doors 7:00)
$10 advance; $12 day of show from Von's Records, JL CDs, McGuire Music, and Downtown Records
[Advance by mail $11 ; checks to FoB, Box 59, Battle Ground, IN 47920; please give name, address, phone,
and email.] All-ages show
Mary's album Mercy Now made #1 on LA Times writer Randy Lewis's Top Ten
Music List for 2005. "The Louisiana singer-songwriter's major-label debut
crackles with truths lifted with a surgeon's precision from the struggles of
real life. Following in the footsteps of John Prine, Gauthier exhibits a poet's
unflinching eye, a counselor's compassionate heart and a trickster's wry
spirit."
"Her rich, gothic country tales of broken homes and chemical abuse are easily comparable to Lucinda
Williams. It makes for a chilling ride." Interview
"Mary Gauthier's Mercy Now is a truly extraordinary
album from a critically acclaimed singer." - Vanity Fair
&
Thanks to all who came to our sold-out Dervish concert. It's difficult to express
how thrilled the band was by such a great ending to their 3-week American tour. As
usual, they were overwhelmed by the crowd's generosity of spirit, at the great food they
were serve,d and how well they were treated. Two band members commented, "This is
the best cup of tea we've had in 3 weeks!" Now that's high praise.
We'd like to thank the Lafayette Brewing Company for providing
refreshments at our Duncan Hall concerts. It really is more of a service than a
business proposition once the police officer that Duncan Hall requires has been
paid. If you have the opportunity, please let LBC know how much their efforts are
appreciated.
Dates for your calendar:
4/18 FoB Organizational Meeting 7:30 LBC All welcome!
4/23 Jawbone and Crooked Still, Duncan Hall, 7:30
5/4 Mary Gauthier, Duncan Hall, 7:30
Lafayette Brewing Co.: 4/1 Groovatron; 4/8 The Vulgar Boatmen + The Prannies;
4/20 Hot Buttered Rum String Band; Fergus Daly Group + Mike Reeb & the
Consequences; 4/29 Michael Kelsey; 5/6 Oteil & the Peacemakers
www.lafayettebrewingco.com
Knickerbocker Sallon: 3/31 & 4/1 Governor Davis; 4/7 Black Roof Country; 4/8
Benito DiBartoli & the Black Voodoo Band; 4/14 Jakob Best Outfit; 4/15 Lafayette
Music League Night; 4/21 Gordon Bonham; 4/22 Sindicato; 4/28 Chester Brown;
4/29 Gene Deer www.knickerbockersaloon.com
Lafayette Chamber Music Society: Mariah Wind Quartet, Duncan Hall, 3:00 p.m.
www.tippecanoechambermusic.org
Extensive live music news at www.lafayettemusicleague.com and
www.purdue.edu/convos/
&
Do the Dues!!! Membership dues are by the calendar year-2006 dues are now
due!
Dues pay for this newsletter and provide a safety net for when admission charges don't
cover expenses. Please help us keep the music coming. Become a Friend of Bob! Dues
are $10 per person. If you can make a donation above the $10 we would greatly
appreciate it, and since we are a 501[c][3] not-for-profit organization, donations above
the dues are tax-deductible. The following people have recently sent in their 2006 dues.
Thanks from us all!
Arni's
Deborah Axness
Steve & Patty Bonney
John & Laurel Branstrator
Linda Cohen
Linda Eales
Jack & Mary Gandour
Bek Garrett
Wendy Kelly
Lafayette Brewing Co.
Michael Lillich
Tanya Lodics
Teresa Moore
Erin & Jon Munn
Dennis Murphy
Wayne Osburn
Jack Pearlman
Drew Peyronnin
Robert Quinn
Ambica Rajagopal
Shirley Roberts
Shirley Robertson
Christopher Smith
Jerry & Cindy Smith
Jerry & Sue Steinmetz
Tom Stilabower
Sycamore Associates
Jenett Tillotson
Vincent Walter
Like to join?
Go to How Can I Help? at
www.friends-of-bob.org
Please consider a tax-deductible gift to FoB-these really help keep the organization
afloat and able to bring top-drawer talent.
Tony Trischka:"…most influential banjo player of the latter part of the
20th century, certainly in terms of his profound influence on
succeeding generations of modern players." Banjo Newsletter
Tony Trischka: "Urban bluegrass whiz." Time Magazine
Tony Trischka: "Explosive banjo playing." Boston Globe
Tony Trischka:"One of the most impressive banjoists alive." Billboard
Tony Trischka:"…the godfather of what's sometimes called new acoustic
music." New York Times
Tony Trischka:"Keep playing them new notes." Bill Monroe
Five-string banjo wiz Tony Trischka is a member of a small club - he's an out of the box banjo player with
woody roots and an expansive vision. In this trio he explores old time music and bluegrass with acclaimed fiddler,
multi-instrumentalist and singer, Bruce Molsky and clogger, singer and guitarist, Paula Bradley.
For many years, the old-time and bluegrass camps were good-naturedly warring factions riddled with mutual
suspicion. In the new millennium, these differences are fading.
Jawbone is one of the first groupings to wed these two profoundly American musics. Tony Trischka, Bruce
Molsky and Paula Bradley draw from the deep well of old-time music, with its infinite stylistic variations, and the
powerful improvisatory streams of bluegrass to create a new sound, familiar yet fresh.
Tony Trischka has been blazing new trails on the banjo for the last forty years. A long-time Rounder
recording artist, he opened up new, contemporary terrain for the five-string with his ground-breaking debut album,
Bluegrass Light.
He's recorded with a panoply of artists including, David Grisman, Bela Fleck, William S. Burroughs,
members of REM, Charles Osgood and Pete Seeger.
He has toured in every state in the Union and made frequent trips to Europe, Japan, Australia and Korea. The
New York Times has referred to Tony as "a modern banjo master, the godfather of what's sometimes called newacoustic music."
Bruce Molsky's quicksilver fiddling is a force of nature. In fact, he's considered to be one of the most
influential fiddlers of his generation. He's also a remarkable guitarist, banjoist and singer. His high-spirited music
melds the archaic mountain sounds of Appalachia, the power of blues and the rhythmic intricacies of traditional African
music.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune calls Bruce "old-time music's answer to Ry Cooder - a commanding musician
with a voracious appetite for traditional music styles." Bruce's many recordings were capped by Poor Man's Troubles
(Rounder), which won a 2001 "Indie" award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.
Paula Bradley is a high-energy performer rooted in tradition. Her solid guitar playing and singing is
augmented by banjo, National ukulele and her grace as a flatfoot dancer. She is best known as an old-time guitar player
and singer with the Rhythm Rats, a fixture at festivals, concerts and dances across the U.S.
Jawbone featuring Tony Trischka, Bruce Molsky and Paul Bradley represents a potent combination of talents
with an incredibly versatile instrumental arm. This is Americana for a new era.
Rock energy coexists with old-time mountain soul. Spooky backwoods melodies
combine with hip hard-hitting beats.
Raw, searing blues riffs intermingle with high heavenly vocals. Sound good? Here's the
catch: No electricity. No drums.
Meet Crooked Still, the hot young alternative bluegrass group on a mission to bend the
boundaries of traditional music. The unlikely combination of banjo, cello, and doublebass drives this low lonesome band, whose captivating vocals and high-wire solos have
enraptured audiences all over North America and Ireland since 2001.
Four very unique musical personalities merge to form Crooked Still. Aoife
O'Donovan's refined, sultry vocals float over Rushad Eggleston's rumbling cello riffs, Dr.
Gregory Liszt's futuristic four-finger banjo rolls and Corey DiMario's pulsing bass lines.
The resulting acoustic fusion can warp a traditional American tune to the brink of
unrecognizability without sacrificing the authenticity of the original sources. "It's almost
like we're going back and making imaginary history,'' says Eggleston, whose versatile
cello style has already sparked a revolution among young cellists. ``What if the 1920s
Appalachian musicians could've heard the music we hear now?'' If only…
In the spring of 2001, singer O'Donovan and bassist DiMario were classmates at
the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. Unbeknownst to them at the
time, just across the river in the laboratories of MIT a young cellist named Rushad
Eggleston from the Berklee College of Music met every night to jam with Greg Liszt,
then a graduate student and aspiring banjo player. A serendipitous meeting at a late-night
party brought all four of these musicians together for the first time, and Crooked Still was
born in the summer of that year.
As its members finished school, Crooked Still frequently performed around
Boston, collecting rave reviews from the local press, notably the Boston Globe, Northeast
Performer, and the Boston Herald. The band's fan base grew until it became almost
impossible to get into the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge when Crooked Still took the
stage. A trip to the North American Folk Alliance in 2004 resulted in invitations to
perform at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and historic Newport Folk Festival. Hop High,
the debut album from Crooked Still, was released at the prestigious Falcon Ridge Folk
Festival in July, 2004 and was the top-selling CD at the festival that year.
Following the success of this first festival appearance, Crooked Still has appeared
at concert halls, nightclubs, coffeehouses, and festivals in twenty-three states and three
different countries. This grassroots endeavor frequently lands Hop High among the top
ten best-selling CD's at the online independent megastore CD Baby.
Although being an unsigned band has afforded Crooked Still the maximum
creative freedom, when the president of Signature Sounds Recordings came knocking,
Crooked Still listened. With a roster that includes such diverse acts as indie-rocker Josh
Ritter, contemporary songwriter Lori McKenna, and old-timey folk jammers The
Mammals, Signature Sounds was a perfect fit, simultaneously progressive and down-toearth. Crooked Still plans to release a new record in the summer of 2006.
Boston Globe: Crooked Still combines state-of-the-art
musical chops with a deep understanding of American
traditional music's raw melodic grace. Their sound is fueled
by O'Donovan's whispery vocal eloquence; the fiery, artful
drones of Rushad Eggleston's cello (buttressed by Corey
DiMario's double-bass); and Gregory Liszt's funky fourfingered banjo style. Their darkly gorgeous debut CD, "Hop
High" (Footprint), reveals them as both fun-loving
revolutionaries and sweet traditionalists.
msnbc.com: Crooked Still, "Hop High"
The banjo player is studying for his Ph.D. in biology at M.I.T, and that's just one clue that
Crooked Still plays bluegrass with a different bent. The Boston quartet reconfigures such
genre staples as "Darling Corey" and "Shady Grove" with startling originality on its
debut, "Hop High." Brainy Gregory Liszt is excellent on the banjo as he trades solos with
cellist Rushad Eggleston, whose rumbling riffs where a fiddle might usually be heard
give the traditional tunes a fresh twist and underscore their ties to Irish music. Singer
Aoife O'Donovan's sweet, feathery vocals also recall the Old Country - and Alison
Krauss as well. Some of the lyrics become gender benders because O'Donovan sticks
with the original words, such as on "Lonesome Road": "The only one I ever loved was on
that train, and she's gone." Now that's progressive bluegrass. Steven Wine
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____ I'd like to support live music by becoming a Friend of Bob. I'm enclosing $10
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registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.)
Mail to Friends of Bob, Box 59, Battle Ground, IN 47920.
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