Hitt Parade

Songwriting Club

2012-01-31T12:55:00.001-05:00

I joined a very fun songwriting group, called Songwriters Anonymous, and yesterday wrote a song for the biweekly meeting. The title was picked by the group, so here's my take on it!

It features Duke the Fluke that that lovely Leigh Ann let me borrow.

In the Studio and In Memphis

2012-01-27T11:30:00.001-05:00

I'm super excited!! I've booked studio time at Bruce Chandler's studio and will be recording a short, 6 song, album in the beginning of February. The songs I've picked out are Austin, Long Story, Here's the Thing, Superman, Tonight and a brand new one, Turn the Page.

I wrote Turn the Page sitting here in Austin thinking about my DC family of friends, it's a love story really. It starts with my usual walk to Chadwicks on Monday evening.

I'm also making preparations to head to the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis in the end of February. Since I'll be travelling, I'm hoping to head to Nashville briefly after that and then on to DC and possibly Brooklyn.

I'll be sure to post dates on my tour page as soon as they're confirmed.

And I have a show in Austin coming up at the Irie Bean on Thursday, Feb. 2nd at 8pm. It's half price wine night, so it should be a blast.

Hope to see you out at a show!

Wintering in Austin

2011-12-01T14:40:00.001-05:00

After 5 months of travel, I've landed in Austin for the Winter. So far I'm enjoying my community: the coffeehouse, Irie Bean, where they know everyone's name, walking to the Saxon Pub for good music, and catching up with old friends from college.

I'm working to find people to play music with and places to play. I'll have some dates on the calendar in January. Let me know if you're interested in hosting a house concert.

I miss all my friends in D.C., but I don't miss the weather, I'm quite happy to not be wearing a coat on the first day of December.

Love,
Jen

What My Heart Missed

2011-08-06T22:33:00.001-04:00

By Audrey Kawasaki

For those unaware, I will call it sufficient to say that SUUSI is a multi-generational spiritual & recreational camp that takes place for one week annually on a college campus in Virginia.

This year, I spent most of my time building relationships instead of going deeper with some of my oldest friends. Relationship building is important and fun, I mean, let's be candid...

There is a certain amount of "sniffing each other out" (for lack of a better reference) that takes place in a new or building relationship. Getting to know someone, learning their unique "scent" is exhilarating. I use the term relationship in its simplest form, the human relationship, the continued interaction one has with an other.

This focus on new relationships left me wondering. How does one 'go deeper' with established friendships? How can you make a deeper and stronger and ultimately more joyful relationship with another person?

Why go deeper?
To experience more.
To suck the marrow from the juicy orange moon
and spin in its heady intoxication.
In a word: Joy.

To go deeper, people need to "check-in", talk and pay attention to one specific person. Hopefully that check-in will lead to a real moment: a one-on-one connection when the eyes lock and there is the realization of congruity of thought.

I try to have these "check-ins" in my life and I tend to call them dates. Not necessarily a romantic date, but a meeting, where the goal is to pay specific attention to another and experience things together. I realized at SUUSI, too late in the week, that I wanted to re-connect in that way with some older friends, but I just didn't schedule the specific time.

Now there is a voice in the back of my head that says, "Oh relationships are not that complicated, you don't have to be so calculated in your approach to intimacy and plan something like that."

True, relationships are often easy, not requiring of check-ins or specific dates, people can just see each other when they see each other and take it as it comes and have joy all the same.

But my goal here is to intentionally go deeper. To deepen a relationship, to experience more joy or a new level of it, in synergy with another being. There's always the idea in the back of my head, "what's appropriate to share?" There are so many people in this world who I love totally and completely for the imperfect mash of divine energy that they are. It makes me want to eat them. Lick them and praise their being.

That being confessed, I need to call a few people and see if we can push a bit deeper. It's real and honestly somewhat scary to me, but I do believe it will bring me more joy. That's the intention I bring to it, would that I be blessed to receive joy back.

Those are my post-SUUSI thoughts, and now I'm off to sing about it.

Travelling through Space & Time

2011-07-26T12:49:00.001-04:00

It all goes so fast! Let's review:
*click on the photos for the full album of that trip

New York City

In the middle of June (after an awesome Father's Day) we spent a few quick days in NYC. The highlight, and most of my pictures, are of the New York Transit Museum. It's an actual subway station that was converted into a museum and filled with old cars from 1908-present. We were fascinated by all the replicas of old advertisements.
Kisses and thanks to:

Amit Gulati for the fun and the hospitality
Austin Leach for the awesome food & fun at Kingswood Restaurant
Rose Vincelli & Dave Gustine for a home-cooked meal, a futon, and all the love.

Fireworks!

After finishing up my final week of work at WAMU (as full-time, I'm part-time now), we headed to see some patriotic Independence Day Fireworks just outside of Richmond.

It was put on by Jake Walther and Southern Exposure Pyrotechnics.

Daniel & I are friends with Jake, so we had the opportunity to get up close and personal with all the preparations, fuses and wires. I'd never seen how pro fireworks are set up before and this was AMAZING. Thanks Jake!!

The Mountain

Our American desire for shiny things that explode sated, we headed for the hills. Well, they were a bit more than hills. Daniel put the spaceship into double low and we trekked up to The Mountain, a UU retreat and learning center just outside of Highlands, NC.
We volunteered in the kitchen a bit and stayed with the gracious Julia Jamieson. It was a week of cool refreshing weather, guitar playing and yoga on the porch. Daniel has been going to The Mountain since 1989. They recently changed management and he said, "I was my first visit since the new management, the difference in the vibe up there is staggering. The Mountain is just as beautiful as ever. Add to that the new feeling of hope and possibility and, for me, it's the happiest place on Earth." I'm pretty sure Daniel will be heading back there next Summer.

Asheville
Andrew, Daniel's brother, lives in Asheville, NC, so we spent a few days there prepping the ship for further adventures, slaying watermelon and visiting with friends (like the awesome Molly Nagel). Since we were there during the weekdays, there weren't many music shows to hit up. But we did manage to catch some Django-style jazz at 5 Walnut wine bar with Jon Corbin and Hank Bones. I also tried to play an Open Mic, but word to the wise, just because it's a Monday does not mean that you can show up at starting time. The signups were full for the entire night when I showed up right at 8pm. Not to worry, SUUSI made up for it in the coming week... an adventure that deserves it's own post, so stay tuned.

love and hugs,
Jen

ps we updated the MAP, so you can see the crazy squiggles we're making on the continent.

Adventures So Far

2011-06-02T01:14:00.000-04:00

Oh me, oh my, it's been a doozy of a trip so far!

We had an amazing send-off week with our friends in DC. Between an awesome Monday happy hour and an amazing Departure Party at TomCat's we felt so so very loved and supported. Thank you for that.

Blastoff did in fact occur on Sunday May 22nd (it was so very convenient that the world didn't end on Saturday), not at the crack of dawn, but more like 12 hours later around 6pm. We headed just a few hours South to stay with Jake Walther and family in Fredericksburg.

By the end of day 2 we made it to Athens, GA for a brief stop. We visited with Marty and Megan and made sure to get our fill of the amazing biscuits at Momma's Boy before heading out the next day.

A few short hours later and we made it to Montgomery, AL and the home of Whitfield Foods. Louie Whitfield, syrup magnate and good friend showed us around the place. Alaga Syrup was started in 1906 and the old building is still used for the offices, but not for production. I took a bunch of photos.

Unfortunately because of the lighting I couldn't get a shot of the curved room where the train used to pull right into the building and unload sugar cane from Texas.

Parts of the old building have been remodeled, like the boardroom.

Other parts are simply being used for storage and we found a dusty old miniature model of the production line, apparently it was used in the 80s for a court case that Alaga Foods won regarding faulty equipment.

The new building was fascinating as well. The line wasn't running, but Louie still gave us the grand tour and explained all of the machines.

By the end of Wednesday we had made it to Austin, Thursday was spent putting items in storage, preparing for the Hill Country and meeting up with Daniel's sister and family. After a windy and hot drive to the West on Friday, we finally made it to Kerrville Folk Festival.

Immediately we were put to work on the recording crew (we were only two days later than expected). Daniel captured a bunch of the quirky parts of Kerrville, you can check out the photos here.

Despite the extreme dust and heat, the first weekend of Kerrville was good fun. You can hear audio from some of the New Folk Songwriting competition on this coming week's Capital Americana (Sat, 2pm ET, Wed 8pm ET) .

In fact, that's what I'm working on right now. I made my way back to Austin on Memorial Day evening to get a break from the heat that was giving me a migraine and do some work. I head back Thursday for more music and fun. I'll be interviewing MilkDrive on Monday the 6th and hope to get that on the show for the 11th.

Plan is to be back in DC by the 10th and head to Bluegrass Country's Stars at the State Concert on June 11th. It'll be the first bluegrass concert for WAMU in 11 years! You should come join me, I'll give you a big hug (and a kiss if you have sweet cheeks).

Love you,
Jen

Summer Tour

2011-05-09T12:33:00.000-04:00

Perhaps you’ve heard bits and pieces of this story…

Things are changing in my life this Summer. Logistics are a starting point, so let’s begin there, shall we?

Eleven Twelve Lounge

The Spaceship

I will be uprooting myself from familiar surroundings this Summer. My duties at WAMU are changing and I will soon be working just part-time. My lease at the beautiful Eleven Twelve Lounge is ending June 1st.

A lovely couple with children will take over the space. I’ll be storing or giving away my assortment of furniture, books, art, and random detritus. Figuring out my shoe collection may prove to be the most difficult part…

A small amount (I promise, Daniel) of clothing, instruments, electronics and camping supplies will move with me into The Spaceship: a ’79 GMC van chassis with a 350ci Chevy V8, Edlebrock carb, ignition, and gages. Wrapped in a one-of-a-kind RV body (It has a full shower, folks!). Daniel McCormick has adopted the roll of Logistics Captain, and Space Engineer, and is excited to chase sunset all summer long.

Once I’ve dealt with my pile of physical possessions, we’ll hit the road on roughly May 22nd. The first stop is Kerrville Folk Festival, in the beautiful Texan hill country, West of Austin and Northwest of San Antonio. I’ll be down there working on the recording crew, interviewing and recording for my radio show, Capital Americana, and creating music of my own.

June 8th, I’ll be back in the DC metro area for the Bluegrass Country Stars at the State Concert, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. In mid-July I’ll hop on The Spaceship again and we'll soak up some SUUSI, Wanderlust, Left Coast in general, and even Burning Man.

If you’re curious about the calendar, check it out the map, where we’ll be keeping track of our progress and drawing little lines across the US. There are sure to be changes, alterations, redirections along the way and we’ll keep all of it on the map.

To What End?

I will use this space and scenery and energy to create and perform music, to deepen my yoga practice, and to open myself to people, places, and things I can’t imagine yet.

Where will all of this exploration lead me? I’m excited to find out!

There will be things I will miss about living a regular life in DC: the flowers, the museums, the intelligence and world-view of the people. I will significantly miss the amazing interaction of friends that so very often leaves me grateful and amazed and remarking, “wow, the people in my life are amazing,” by the end of the evening.

Blast-off is scheduled for the crack of dawn on Sunday, May 22nd. Apropos for this digitally enhanced world we inhabit, Daniel and I will be posting updates on jenhitt.com and the Facebook.

Love,
Jen

Hitt House Concert, 3/25/11

2011-04-18T23:39:00.000-04:00

Love was the theme of the latest Hitt House Concert. Athena Radford was visiting from Portland and I played an opening set...

We have Heather Fox to thank for the photography.

Recent Capital Americana Guests

2011-04-18T23:23:00.002-04:00

So many wonderful musicians have visited the WAMU studio in the past few months!

Listen to the entire Capital Americana performance and interview

Hitt House Concert, 1/21/2011

2011-01-29T17:32:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the Hitt House Concert on Friday, 1/21!!
There was lots good food and good friends, hope to see you at the next one.

If you'd like to keep up with the visiting band, Roustabout, here's their:
- facebook
- regular website

Meeshsypants took some nice pictures of the evening:

And if you'd like to continue to support local music:
Big Chimney at IOTA on 2/5,

Big Chimney features Avril on guitar, who played a tune with Roustabout on Friday.

Catie Curtis on Capital Americana, 10/21/2010

2010-11-17T12:00:00.004-05:00

Back in October, Catie Curtis was my guest on Capital Americana. I've been listening to Catie's music since I was in high school and it was a real big honor to interview her.

Listen to Catie's performance

Capital Americana is heard weekly (Sat. 2pm, Wed. 8pm) on WAMU's Bluegrass Country: On HD radio at 88.5, Channel 2, on FM at 105.5 FM around DC and online at BluegrassCountry.org

Photos from the Hitt House Concert, 10/28/10

2010-11-04T12:15:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all who made it out to hear John Craigie & Jen Hitt last Thursday.
Photo by Meeshypants, all of her photos

Photo by Danny Lesh, all of his photos

Let me know if you want to be added to the invite list for the next one!

Music that Matters to Larry Keel, 10/27/10

2010-11-04T11:57:00.002-04:00

Here's a post from WAMU's Bluegrass Country, featuring my creative editing.

Music that Matters to Larry Keel

Listen to the music that matters to guitar player Larry Keel
1. The Carter Family (Maybelle Carter)
Wildwood Flower
2. Jimi Hendrix
Catfish Blues
from Blues

3. Old & In the Way (Jerry Garcia)
Wild Horses
4. Paul Brady
Follow That Star
from Hooba Dooba
5. Larry Keel & Natural Bridge
Swarmin’ Bees
from Backwoods
Support for this week’s Music that Matters comes from Strathmore, presenting The Punch Brothers, featuring Chris Thile, Friday, November 12th, 2010.
Photo by © G. Milo Farineau/MiloFarineauPhotography.com

Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, 9/18/10

2010-11-04T11:50:00.001-04:00

Here's my brief review of Friday & Saturday morning at the 2010 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, as published on WAMU's Bluegrass Country from mid-September.

****
Echo, Bill Miller, and I headed down to the 10th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Virginia/Tennessee this weekend.With 20 indoor and outdoor stages surrounding the festival grounds of State Street the choices of good music have so far been innumerable. Here’s a quick recap of some of the music we’ve enjoyed so far.

Friday
We started our Reunion out with a set from Dale Ann Bradley, Kim Fox and Steve Gulley… their cover of the U2 song, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” got the crowd going. Although as Kim pointed out, technically Dale Ann is singing “ferr”.

Several of the stages are in restaurants. Here’s Boss Hawg performing at Machiavelli’s.

We heard the Infamous Stringdusters, in the completely packed Paramount Theatre. A beautifully restored 1931 theatre with all the details including a Wurlitzer Organ. Below is a shot of the “Ladies Lounge”. The venue itself was too big for my camera to get a nice picture. Safe to say though the Dusters played a set of crowd-pleasing, technically skilled bluegrass. Particularly nice was the brand-new instrumental written by banjo player Chris Pandolfi named Connecticut Caretaker. It was interesting to see the band actually thinking about what they were going to play on the new tune.

We also caught Cadillac Sky at the Paramount and bits of The New Familiars on the State Street stage as the night wore on.
Saturday
…started off well with a very good piece of quiche from the Troutdale Bistro on State Street.
The first music we heard was The Steel Wheels on the Piedmont stage. They had the noon time crowd singing along to most tunes, including they’re unusual cover of Paula Adbul’s Straight Up.

On our way to check out the Blackbird Bakery (with homemade doughnuts!) we ran across Farm & Fun Time Alley – Farm & Fun Time is the WCYB Bristol radio show that gave The Stanley Brothers their start.

Lots more music to come, stay tuned…
Cheers,
Jen

Rebecca Loebe on Capital Americana, 8/14/10

2010-11-04T11:46:00.001-04:00

For the inaugural edition of my hour long radio show,
Capital Americana, Rebecca Loebe was my guest.

Listen to Rebecca’s performance.

Capital Americana is heard weekly (Sat. 2pm, Wed. 8pm) on WAMU's Bluegrass Country: On HD radio at 88.5, Channel 2, on FM at 105.5 FM around DC and online at BluegrassCountry.org

Early Mornings of Yoga & Eggs

2010-07-09T10:32:00.000-04:00

So many of you know that I signed myself up for a 7 a.m. yoga series at Tranquil Space in Dupont last week.

While my brain is a morning person, my body is much less so and this has been a challenge for me, but I guess that's the point. I wanted to see how I felt after 4 days of morning classes and 4 days of getting up early. Truthfully I have yet to figure out the exact benefits from for me for early morning yoga, but who knows, maybe it'll hit me on Saturday or Sunday?

However, one of the distinct perks of finishing yoga at 8:15 a.m. in Dupont was all the yummy places I could get eggs!!

EGGS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO JEN HITT!!

Always have been...

Tuesday - Steam Cafe and Lounge

Everything bagel with egg, cheese, tomato and coffee

There is a serious dearth of good bagels in DC and this was no exception. The "everything" was not so thorough, it was more like someone tossed some sesame seeds at it and called it a day.
The eggs were home-scrambled: chunky and hearty with good bite and taste.
The cheese was shredded cheddar, which is a bit strange cause it kept falling out
Coffee was solid
Price was a bit high for the simplicity of the meal, but in the Dupont range
The staff was friendly and I sat at the bar and made small talk about the heat, nice guys.

Wednesday - Soho Tea and Coffee

Croissant with egg, cheese, tomato and coffee

The croissant was fresh but nothing spectacular
The eggs were done on the griddle, salt and pepper thrown in while cooking and the eggs folded on top of the slice of cheese
combined with the tomato this resulted in a sandwich of cheesy, yummy goodness that didn't fall apart.
The coffee was really strong, perfect for starting the day
Price was just right for the tastiness of this meal.
The staff was fun and super nice, they made me smile. One woman left something on the counter and the guy ran out to give it to her. Several regulars came in while I was there and the staff had their order memorized already.
If I hadn't been trying out new places I would've gone back the rest of the week.

Thursday - Kramerbooks and Afterwards Cafe

I have been to Afterwards for weekend brunch, but not for regular breakfast... the menu is pretty much the same only about $5 cheaper per plate and they don't serve those cute little muffins.

Scrambled eggs, cheese grits, biscuits, sausage, side of tomato, and coffee

The eggs were the weird diner scrambled - clearly cut with butter or water or milk, not very chunky or hearty, overall average.
The biscuits had good buttery flavor but were small and lacked that home cooked feel
The grits were terrible. I am a grits fiend and will eat them dry, wet, spiced, plain, etc, but these I could not eat. Perhaps the cheese they used that day was a bit off.
$3 for 3 slices of tomato.... really?!?
The sausage and coffee were both just fine
I told the server I didn't like the grits, explained I was a "grits fiend" and he ended up taking $2 off the bill. So that was nice. He was very friendly and his smile made my morning a bit better.
Overall I'd stick to the fancier things on their brunch menu, like the avocado tomato Benedict, which I love.

Friday - Luna Grill and Diner (on Conn. Ave.)

Veggie Breakfast Wrap with homefries and coffee

This was a very filling breakfast, the eggs were a bit bland despite have bell pepper, tomato and cheese. I didn't taste the cilantro listed on the menu.
Homefries came with way too much orange-colored seasoning on them, but they were cooked well
Coffee was good and refilled promptly
The staff was very nice, attentive, and fast
This is definitely a better option for a sit-down weekday breakfast than Kramerbooks both in price and atmosphere.

That's all for my egg adventures, I'd say my favorite by far was Soho, I'm definitely hitting them up next time I'm in Dupont for breakfast.

Kerrville Folk Festival Review

2010-07-03T18:38:00.001-04:00

Post-festival report for WAMU's Bluegrass Country...

The town of Kerrville was formed in the 1850’s in the Texas hill country Northwest of San Antonio as a riverside community based on the trade of Cypruss tree shingles. It’s proximity to the Guadalupe River, cattle drive trails, and the eventually the railroad made sure the community stayed on the map over the years.
Today Kerrville is home to a creative community with plenty of musicians and artists, all hearty and giving enough to survive the heat.
The 50-acre Quiet Valley Ranch is the home of the 39 year old Kerrville Folk Festival. Set up as a Public Trust, the Festival is owned by the Texas Folk Music Foundation.
An extremely laid back, long festival – 18 straight days – it is the longest continuously running music festival of its kind in North America.

It’s clear that this is truly a community festival. The credits on in the festival guide list everything from the Board of Directors to the head of the “pottie patrol” (thanks, Terri Blackard!).
It’s also clear that the festival is determined to be sustainable and give more than it takes. Disposable cups are not provided on the entire ranch, all of the vendors use either your own permanent cup or you can purchase a souvenir cup. Recycling and composting bins are placed throughout the campground. The only copy of the festival map I saw was on a cloth handkerchief.
“Mix Master” is the name for the do-everything gate when you head in. And there’s a huge sign that says “Welcome Home”. A sentiment that was echoed by several friends and strangers alike when I got to the festival on Monday June 7th.
My friend escorted me to my guest tent. It’s typical for long-term campers to have a tent set up for occasional guests who only stay a few days. There are various theme camps including the Leopard Lounge (with a leopard print wrapped car), Camp Carpet (the name says it all), The G-Spot (named for it’s owner Gingus), Crow’s Nest (with a geodesic dome), and Camp Caffeine.

Upon walking into my hilly and remote site, I was quite surprised to be offered a fresh double shot of espresso with a nice crema and a hint of homemade kahlua (made by Security Steve), and I was on my way to understanding just what people meant when they said, “welcome home.”
The music at Kerrville spans several genres (folk, bluegrass, jazz, blues, Americana) with the emphasis being songwriting. There are two official stages at Kerrville Folk Festival: the Threadgill Theater and the Kennedy Outdoor Theater. But it’s entirely possible for people to get lost in their campsites and never make it to the main stage.
Every camp has a music circle and everyone is interested in hearing your music. I walked around with my guitar and met new friends, people called me into the shady spots of their camps and listened intently to every lyric I sang. One thing that is not permitted in the campground is amps or electrical instruments, so here’s a photo of Tim pretending to destroy camp with this guitar (which was never plugged in).
At Camp Caffeine I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing the music of Jon Hogan and Maria Moss. Jon’s unique blend of “scorch-folk”, as he calls it, includes originals, traditional songs, and most recently he released an album of the songs of Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley. Sitting down with Jon was like attending history class. He played and explained the evolution of some of Blaze’s music and also explained his own left-hand upward brush stroke that he uses on the guitar. Jon & Maria invited me to join in on the harmonies of the tune Laramie, a song he wrote for Matthew Shepard.

After Camp Caffeine, I caught the first official show of my visit: a tribute to the bluesy singer-songwriter John Vandiver. There were even two of John’s guitars being played on stage.

Besides the campsites, another unofficial site for music is the CD store, Staff Rekerrds (note: everything has a Kerrville inspired name at the festival). One afternoon I was able to hear a set from Chris Parreira and John Craigie. As they were playing Roy Pilgrim joined in on banjo and Marylander David Glaser filled in some mando chop. I particularly got a kick out of John Craigie’s song about Chuck Norris.

One main component of Kerrville Folk Festival is the “Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition”. The competition was started in 1972 as a way to showcase new songwriters. Each year songwriters who have not performed on Kerrville’s main stage are invited to submit 2 songs, 6 winners are eventually chosen out of roughly 800 entries.
I finished up my brief 4 day visit to Kerrville Folk Festival on Wednesday June 9th with the New Folk In-The-Round Concert featuring past winners Rebecca Loebe, Raina Rose, Robby Hecht, & Nels Andrews.

Overall, Kerrville Folk Festival is one that is worth checking out, even for those who prefer more bluegrass music. There are pickers in the crowd, but again the focus is on songwriting, so if you need some inspiration or just want to hear some new tunes, stop by the ranch, there will be plenty of people there to welcome you home!

Roll Credits

2010-03-23T17:42:00.001-04:00

Before I say, "thank you," here are a few highlights from my Saturday:

Sarah Jarosz – in the parking lot of Waterloo on the coldest day of the festival. She performed most of the songs from her album, Song Up in Her Head, and covered Patty Griffin’s Long Ride Home as well as her new song Coming Up. She also found out that day that she was awarded Best Female Vocalist, Best Country/Bluegrass Artist, and Best Folk Act by the Austin Music Awards.

I also caught Le Loup, a DC band that sounds a bit like vampire weekend, Dengue Fever (pictured) a psychedelic rock bank with a Cambodian singer, and Austin natives Grupo Fantasma, a Latin rock orchestra.

Credits, Thanks, Etceteras...
(in random order)

Jason Wehling - The last time I had that much bacon in one breakfast was 1997 with my relatives in Tyler, Texas.

Dana Lynn McGrath - Thanks for braving the Tex-Mex at Pavlo's with baby on the way.

David J Williams - If we had gotten into Austin City Limits and hadn't rambled around the city, would we have seen how bad ass the staff at Magnolia are for kicking out someone who says "faggot"?

Rose Vincelli - I wouldn't have gone to the film fest without you. Thanks for the Bloody Mary and all the love you always give.

Amanda Mortl - SXSW 2010 BEST POULTRY

Joe Malony, Layla Fry, & Gustavo - SXSW 2010 CUTEST BABY Can't wait for the next time I get to see you guys and get my knuckles gnawed on.

Elise Foster - I will forever thank you for Yes Giantess (and for bringing the UU party).

Deva George - SXSW 2010 BEST TEXTS: on hipsters "the skinny jeans prevent their nuts from vibrating from the reverb"

Elizabeth Oehler - SXSW 2010 BEST CHANCE MEETING

PJ Oehler - Can I move to Austin just for your massages?

Leigh Ann - Thanks for the uke playing, randomly handing me beers throughout the night, and looking so hot in that hat.

D-Mo - Woke up this morning with your new song in my head, over and over again, uh-huh. Thanks for saying you'll miss me too.

Raina Rose - SXSW 2010 FOLKSTER WHO MADE ME CRY FIRST

Rebecca Loebe - SXSW 2010 BEST COVER for Kayne's Stronger. Thanks for taking me to Grace Potter, I needed that. And thanks for touching my red bracelet like you love me.

John McGee from the Blue Hit - Nice jam on Saturday, let's do it again please.

Matt Weston - Thanks for making me feel like it was 1996 with you and Ciro smiling back at me.

Louie Whitfield - Oh my new silly, loud friend, thanks for liking good music, and not getting grossed out when I make you try on stranger's hair accessories.

Daniel McCormick - SXSW 2010 BEST BACKUP DANCER

Leital Molad - it wouldn't be Southby without another pub-radio music critic. Thanks for the heads up on Spring Standards.

Ciro & Laura - SXSW 2010 BEST GUEST BED

Greg Fitzpatrick - SXSW 2010 BEST LAST MINUTE MEETING

Adult Rock Music Meeting

2010-03-22T11:42:00.002-04:00

Yup, it was the usual suspects of pub-radio music direction at the Adult Rock Music Meeting this year:

Bob Boilen - All Songs Considered
Rita Houston - WFUV
Jim McGuinn - The Current
Bruce Warren - WXPN
Norm Winer - WXRT
Sean Coakley - Songlines (Moderator)

The format was simple, listen to a minute of a song and evaluate it for possible airplay. The audience as well as the panel had cards 1 through 10 to give each track a score. Coakley tried to pick songs that the panel had never heard, but of course that's impossible.

Here are the artists we listened to:

1. Eli Paperboy Reed – There was the general consensus that when you revive an established sound, in this case R&B/soul, you need to be prepared to do it just as well if not better than the greats. It's a big risk and they weren't sure if Eli pulled it off. Some of the comments were that he sounded forced.

2. Jesca Hoop – "Annoying and intriguing at the same time" ~ Boilen.Warren wondered if the initial novelty of this track (Four Dreams) would grate on listeners after the 3rd listen. To my ears it was the most innovative and fresh song played at the session. Jessa blends crunchy guitars and whimsical voices quite well.

3. Chief - Again the danger of comparison, Warren warned that classic singer/songwriter records from the 70s will be compared to it. Boilen felt he needed a better sense of songwriting.

4. The Black Keys – These guys are alreadycore artist for most stations, which means that they know that their listeners will want to hear it and will enjoy it in general. We heard a cut from their yet to be released album, Brothers. "Loved the top of that song, but hated the words", Boilen. Houston found it to be an authentic, proper nod to older stuff. McGuinn felt that you can hear the fact that they spend a lot of time traveling in the van

5. Steel Train – Warren gave it a 9 if it’s Modest Mouse, 1 if it's someone else, cause they need to find their own sound. Boilen loved it. McGuinn noted that his listeners have different uses our products and overall a Modest Mouse copycat could be good for PPM ratings.

6. Hayes Carll – Houston, "That wouldn’t have gotten much time played in the office". McGuinn felt that it's echoing or quoting is good, but there's no need to slavishly recreate Highway 61. "Knowing it’s Hayes I’d give it another listen cause we did really well with him in the past, " ~ Warren. "Is he good looking?" said Houston, "Oh yeah," replied the audience.

7. Nathaniel Rateliff – Houston felt this was a "gimme more kinda song".

8. Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) - The panel went absolutely crazy over this forthcoming track from the John Prine tribute album. They absolutely loved it. Warren gave it a 9. I was like, "eh".

9 . Villagers – McGuinn thought the bass sound was great. Winer liked the lyrics and the rhythms, and was impressed that it wasn't the "typical" rhyme sceme. Houston found the melody haunting.

Overall I was surprised by the lack of female artists presented. Also, I felt that there was very little straight ahead rock or innovative sounds presented, instead, a great deal of throw-back music (R&B or singer/songwriter). I called the panel the "usual suspects" because they've become the entrenched taste-makers for public radio and are defining successful music to some extent for the 30-50 somethings of the U.S. Is this a good thing? I'm not sure. Most of the people on the panel have been music directors in some form for 20 years. Will we see a changing of the guard of Adult Rock radio anytime soon? Probably not. Will we see another format or even media rise up to take it's place? I think so.

The Fading Memory of Friday

2010-03-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

I managed to drag myself to the very first panel of the morning, at the insultingly early hour of 11am. The easy 20 minute bike ride helped me wake up.

I'll create a separate post on the Adult Rock Music Meeting, a music evaluation session with a panel of public radio music directors. Truly the usual suspects: Bob Boilen (All Songs Considered), Rita Houston (WFUV), Jim McGuinn (The Current), Bruce Warren (WXPN), Norm Winer (WXRT).

Then Daniel and Louie joined me at Cuba Libre to hear...

Rebecca Loebe – extremely intelligent songwriting with a emphasis on love. Her clear & beautiful voice at first made it hard for me to recognize her cover of Kanye West’s Stronger - she rocked it. One of her newest, High & Lonesome, got stuck in my head the next morning, "You-u be High and I-I'll be Lonesome..."

After Rebecca, I made it over to the "family" friendly bar, The Rusty Spurs...

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – The Nocturnals provided solid country rock, while Grace channeled Janis Joplin when she screeched and affectionately called the audience, “Motherfuckers”. One More Goodbye Kiss & Apologies were my two favorites.

I met up with Leital Molad from Studio 360 and took her suggestions for early evening bands...

Spring Standards – Americana group with some lap steel, a standing singing drummer & keys player, and various stringed instruments that got passed around stage. I enjoy stomping to a band who's good at that heavy downbeat.

Band of Horses – straight ahead rock band with predictably pleasing harmonies. The coolest thing was to see them play at Central Presbyterian. It's a beautiful sanctuary with acoustics that accentuated the group's signature reverb. We couldn't figure out what we had to do to get in the choir loft.

jj – Nor could Leital and I figure out all the buzz about this Swedish duo. Because, seriously girl, why were you so sad and bored for your SXSW showcase? Did performing in a church offend you? Did you have a cold? Whatever it was it made for a bad performance. Slumping over in a chair, singing karaoke style to your video tracks is not cool. And that posture made you flat. It’s strange to me that your album is on Waterloo’s weekly top 50 list.

Court Yard Hounds – 2 of the 3 Dixie Chicks (minus Natalie), nothing new, lots of gear for a simple sound. The magic is gone, sad but true.

Ciro joined me for the end of the night to behold...

Rye Rye – Baltimore rapper, she brought two matching dancers and a dj with her onstage. She managed not to sweat as much as the boys as she danced half and rapped half the show to extremely fast beats. The audience, including myself didn’t know how to dance to it, as much as we tried to shake it, to the ground, shake it shake it, then bring it back up.

No trip to Austin feels normal without food at Magnolia. Ciro, Laura Nayman and I finished up the night by stuffing ourselves with queso, pasta, and a hearty pot pie with flaky crust and a playful hint of cinnamon.

Thursday Flew By

2010-03-19T20:54:00.002-04:00

I started the day out with my Unitarian Universalist friends Deva and Elise at free show at Mohawk...

Bowerbirds - the subtlety of this group was unfortunately lost at the show I saw at Mohawk (too much reverb), but check out the link for mandolin, accordion, guitar and vocals. Deva was so frustrated with the sound that he left, which was a bad idea because up next was...

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - This R&B/Soul group is the definition of entertainment... well at least for people with ears. 2 saxes, trumpet, lead & rhythm guitar, bass, kit drummer, congo player and of course the mean, loud, vocal stylings of Sharon Jones. She grabbed a young cute boy from the audience, Justin, and sang up on him about how to get a woman.

After Mohawk, Elise and I headed to Headhunters for cheap Stoli drinks and...

Melissa McClelland - Fun Americana artist from Canada (is that an oxymoron?), Melissa has a powerful voice and fills her songs with repeated word choruses to make sure you get the point.

And I took a brief break in the middle of the day to walk around the South Austin neighborhood, Bouldin Creek. The 60 year old Green Pastures Restaurant has a restored Victorian House and a lawn filled with albino and regular peacocks!

Jim Lauderdale with special guests Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller - The Americana Music Association kicked off their showcase at Antone's with Jim Lauderdale and his fabulous pants. He played tunes from his new project with Greatful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Patchwork River. I was struck by the title track, particularly the bridge, it felt like it came out of left field yet fit with the song perfectly, as only Jim can do.

After Jim, I met up with Ciro for...

Nneka - a bit more mellow than I had expected, Nigerian Nneka uses her high pitched breathy voice to create percussive effects with lyrics, sometimes stretching a word out over several measures of marcato notes.

And after some street tacos, I hooked back up with the UU crew (Jay, Jessie, Louie, Daniel, Elise, and Deva) for some more fun. We caught the band Home Video, danced to some DJs, Daniel and I danced on top of a shark filled tank at QUA, and finally headed to Lamberts for...

Yes Giantess - I finally got my dance party band... in spades. These Boston guys ripped it up around 1am with funky falsetto vocals, tight drums, and fun lines on the microKorg. The crowd was hot and dancey and friendly. I will go see these guys whenever I have the chance.

And the perfect ending to the night was biking back to Ciro's in the cool air at 3am to pass out on his wonderfully comfy guest bed.

Austin is a great town.

Wednesday

2010-03-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

The mayhem of SXSW Music Festival officially began on Wednesday and the easiest way to tell is the mob of men with shoulder length greasy hair in skinny jeans, v-neck t-shirts, and neon sunglasses. My favorite "ensemble" so far has been a red haired guy in a sleeveless tunic style kids nightgown over his skinny jeans. I am not kidding, it was a neon orange nightgown, scooped at the bottom with a picture of a kitten on it. I know that rock and roll is all about "rebellion", but he just looked silly. And I'm sure his lil' sister is tired of him raiding her wardrobe.

OK, back to the Music...

The Trishas - 5 women & 1 man, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, drums, lots of auxiliary percussion. But the real story here is the beautifully blended powerful vocals. They don't have an album out yet, but Jamie promised to send it to me as soon as they did.

Trespassers William - Shoe-gazer duo from Seattle, their music isn't necessarily something you have to see live as much as something you'd hear playing in the background on Grey's Anatomy when someone dies. That's not supposed to be an insult, just a fact. The mellow and haunting vocals and guitar lines would also be perfect for your meditation at the beginning of yoga class.

Benjamin Rose Band - From Cologne, Germany this up-front rock band isn't doing anything new, but they are doing it well. The front man has an amazing voice. The keyboard player is a bucket of energy and even wandered around the audience playing the accordion on one song, which was entertaining. Their cover of Radiohead's High and Dry was way too literal and strangely misplaced for a SXSW showcase, unless, of course, they're trying to get gigs at weddings.

Jenny Owen Youngs (pictured) - My friends know I'm a huge fan of this woman and it was great to hear some new songs from her. Jenny's lyrics are filled with self-deprecating realism and humor, her guitar work stays on the beat while her vocal lines push and pull in front and behind it. And of course, her stage banter is entertaining, "how's everybody doing?" *audience cheers* "yeah, I find most shows everyone's doing really woooo". The only sad thing was that she didn't do her cover of Nelly's Hot in Here.

Nneka - Afro-beat and soul from Nigeria, I caught a few songs from this group at the day stage inside the convention center. I hope that I can go to one of their club shows later, because my assumption is that there will be a crazy dance party.

Minor Mishap Marching Band - I closed out the night on East 7th St. and caught the beautifully dressed in black and gold community marching band at the East Side Show Room... a fun bar and a fun band.

Thursday I'm looking forward to the Americana Music Association showcase which starts out with Jim Lauderdale and ends with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Should be a blast.

Oh and here's some chickens for Echo, she wanted a photo of a feather. The ladies belong to my dear friend from Rice, Amanda Mortl.

Morsels of My Tuesday

2010-03-17T17:52:00.004-04:00

Music

I caught an amazing acoustic show at Trophy's Bar & Grill on Tuesday night, here are some of my favorites...

The Blue Hit - Cello, acoustic guitar and vocals, they sound surprising full for a trio. The singer, Grace, has an even and haunting voice with immpecible precision and use of range. Her voice leapt around and swelled with the bowed cello lines. Her and cello player, D-Mo, also wore bitchin' hats.

John Elliott - quirky writing and detailed finger-picking. It sounded to me like making fun of himself and life in his songs was the way to deal with its depressing reality. Everyone would yell, "ELAY, ELAY!" at him due to his recent emigration from Austin to Los Angeles.

Anthony da Costa - talented writer and lead guitar player, his singing sounds as if its almost forced out of his mouth to more directly hit you in the head.

Jack Wilson - "Careful, he stops his feet a lot," was the appropriate warning I was given about this forceful Americana guitarist.

Jimmy Dreams – guitar player with Cyril Neville, Jimmy and friends laid down some funky funky bass, guitar, drums and banjo.

Film

The Canal Street Madam - I only caught one film on Tuesday. The documentary by Cameron Yates provided a raw and honest look at the life of Jeanette Maier, a suprisingly self-aware woman who went from successful brothel operator to felon and sex-worker advocate.

Shopping

maneki - Austin jeweler Sarah Eastep has been a favorite of mine since 2006. This trip I bought a whimsical locket necklace at Parts and Labour on South Congress. Now I just have to find a secret letter to keep in it.

Food

Butternut Squash Pizza - made by PJ Oehler, Raina Rose, and Leigh Ann (pictured).

Charmed Monday

2010-03-16T02:07:00.001-04:00

First a note on the end of Sunday:
I saw The Taqwacores, a narrative film about the hardcore Muslim scene. It was brilliant. Adapted from the book of the same name by Michael Muhammed Knight, the film tackled the difficult subject of being an outcast in a restrictive religion while not succumbing to the clichés of modern cinema: there was no redemption of the main characters, a love story did not conquer all, and no one achieved peace via “understanding”. In addition the film was beautiful. The coloring was at once drab shades of gray with intense reds and blues, like an old sailor tattoo. After seeing the film yesterday, Mr. Nice seemed insignificant in its frivolity.

Overall Monday felt rather charmed. We stopped at Bouldin Creek Coffee House for brunch and I was initially dismayed to discover that they no longer had tofu migas on the menu. The veggie chorizo and tofu scramble tacos more than made up for it though.

The most beautiful surprise of the day was running into my dear friend from Rice, Elizabeth Oehler. We had one of those wonderful, if somewhat annoying to observe, encounters in the line for coffee filled with screaming and hugging and kissing and “oh my god, Jen Hitt!” “ELIZABETH! I love you!!”

Then we headed off to the Airport to exchange the rental car. The back right tire had been losing pressure and we’d been filling it up to no avail. Budget was quick to fix the problem and upgraded me from the Focus to the Mustang. It’s been raining though, so I haven’t had a chance to open her up on the highway... don’t worry I have two more days.

I did a quick loop of the shops on South Congress and discovered where all the ladies are picking up their hair flowers or “fascinators” as Rose pointed out they are called.

In the evening, we caught one of Jason’s films, The Happy Poet. Filled with dry humor and subtle dialogue, the movie was thoroughly enjoyed by the sold-out audience. Discussions and drinks with the producers afterward will hopefully lead to the posting of their eggless egg salad sandwich recipe on the film’s website.

A brief stop by the Austin Chronicle Film Bash resulted in free food and a good rendition of Dr. Feelgood by the Kashmere Stage Band.

Our final stop of the evening was Flipnotics to catch a warm room of acoustic music from Raina Rose and AJ Roach and band. Alerted to the show by Elizabeth Oehler, her music and harmonies made my heart travel to that place of endless possibility and redemption through sound. Heavy, I know, but written descriptions of music are rarely adequate to describe the sensation. I hope to catch more of her and the other grassers later this week.

Sunday So Far

2010-03-14T15:46:00.001-04:00

Jason helped me start the day off right with homemade egg tacos. I hopped in the car to hear none other than the Gibson Brothers, Ring the Bell on KVRX 91.7, on my way to the convention center. We hit up Once Over Coffee on the way for some seriously strong java.

The panel on audience building held a few tips and tricks for filmmakers, simple stuff like having the director record custom welcomes for each theatrical screening.

Now I’m wandering around the trade show floor, indulging in free swag – Shiner, bubbles, and photo booths. There’s a monkey and a banana running around the floor (cue Monty Python music) and I’ve seen more than one person with their twitter trending topic written on their arm (#myrightforearmiscoolerthanyou).

In a few short hours, it’ll be time for some film – Mr. Nice is the pick for 6:30. I’m particularly excited about the Austin City Limits show and party tonight, hopefully I’ll run into some of my pub-casting compatriots, including Leital from Studio 360, and, of course, hear good music.

Small fashion note: big sequined flower hair accessories are all the rage, can we blame it on Mo’Nique?

SXSW 2010 Cast of Characters (partial list)

2010-03-13T15:47:00.001-05:00

Rose Vincelli – baker of yummy things, documentary expert, labs coordinator for Independent Filmmaker Project out of Brooklyn, cracker of sly smiles, met her when I worked for SILVERDOCS ’06, family.

Jason Wehling – known for his stunning works of art and his ridiculous adventures when we were at Rice, perpetually bouncy, filmmaker with two productions screening at SXSW: The Happy Poet & The Grown Ups, impressive lawn gardener.

David J Williams – Sci-fi author of the Autumn Rain Trilogy, secretly run by his cats via neuro-implant, screenwriter, spontaneous singer, SXSW virgin.

Ciro – Engineer, Brazilian-Japanese soccer player, initially soft-spoken, the guy that makes everyone catch his giggles, first-time wrist band holder, Austin resident.

Fiery Russian - Laura Nayman

Late Night Reinforcement Captain, Houston Division- John Burwell

Hot UU Dance Party Coordinator – Elise Foster

Sarcasm, Realism, and Hospitality Expert – Dana Lynn McGrath

Long-lost Coworker – Greg Fitzpatrick

ok here's the plan

2010-03-13T10:54:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting on the plane waiting for the overhead bin stuffing drama to subside. I'm gonna have to roll my eyes and ignore the self-righteous guy who's been loudly blaming this all on baggage fees. Then in a few hours I'll be transported into the big Texan sprawl of sunshine to eat my way through a week of art.

Soon to come: cast of characters.

Echo requested a picture of a feather, a story involving an insect, and an ancedote about an article of clothing. What do you want from SXSW this week?

Surprises Along The Way

2010-03-10T09:47:00.003-05:00

I found a few things while walking Monday. First, on my morning walk to Union Station on E St NE I found a completely unused sheet of stickers - dump trucks, back hoes, cement mixers. I looked around to make sure there were no crying toddlers nearby and snatched up the sheet. It proved to be excellent motivation for getting a bunch of 30-somethings to happy hour on a Monday night. Who knew?

Then, on my walk from work to Chadwicks I found some art, at the corner of 41st and Garrison NW: a lamminated index card ziptied to an old metal post and a new wrench sitting on the box. Anyone know of a street artist working with the theme "ps I love you"? There was nothing on the back of the card and my searches on the tubes were fruitless. And what were those metal box posts used for originally?

SXSW 2006 & 2008

2010-03-09T16:10:00.005-05:00

Listen to my Radio Story on SXSW 2008 for WAMU's Bluegrass Country

*****
Quick and dirty recap of my SXSW 2006:

Bands I heard

3/15 Band Marino, Paris Motel, The Carrots, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, New Pornographers, Beth Orton

3/16 The Irving, The Glass Family, Marshall Chapman, Lenine, Curtis Kirkwood, Uncle Earl, South Austin Jug Band, The Chris Vestre Group, Chatham County Line, Abigail Washburn, King Wilkie

3/17 The Black Angels, Neil Young Rewind (featuring Katahdin's Edge, Pamela Martinez, Computo, Rachel Loy, Jessie Murphy, The Bleedin Bleeins, Melissa Ferrick w/ The Slip)

3/18 Melissa Ferrick, The Slip, Uncle Earl (yes, again), The Grassy Knoll Boys, The Stringdusters, Two High String Band

3/19 Man with harp, Pale Beneath the Blue, Matt the Electrician, SouthPaw Jones, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist

Awards

+ Best Bluegrass performance: Chatham County Line

+ Best set: Melissa Ferrick

+ Best song inspiration: Curtis Kirkwood from the Meat Puppets for the line "burning cold" taken from the Shaq IcyHot commercial.

+ Best sound: Friends, close second Cedar Creek Courtyard

+ Best show: Neil Young Rewind

+ Best use of washboard: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band

+ Best conversation: Jesse "we could be bigger than Britney" Cobb from the Stringdusters

+ Best cover song: Computo's mash-up of Southern Man

- Worst Service: Cafe Caffeine and their 'shoot me now' barista

- Worst Venue: Maggie Mae's

- Worst use of cute shirts: The Carrots

:'( Musician whose music made me involuntarily cry: Melissa Ferrick

:'( Musician who made John involuntarily cry: Melissa Ferrick

+ Best food: Bouldin Creek - Tofu Scramble Migas, close second Jason and Dana's kitchen

+ Best Panel: New business Models for Record Labels.

+ Best random man: "How did James Blunt happen, then?" guy, close second "cigarettes before shoes" man.

+ Artist I saw the most of: Melissa Ferrick (3 days straight)

+ Best Photo:

The people I sniffle about at night 'cause I missed

Bluegrass: Robinella, The Mammals, Nickel Creek, The Greencards, Stephane Wrembel with David Grisman

Rock/Pop: Hurts to Purr, Spoon, Marah, Editors, KT Tunstall, A Hawk and a Hacksaw

Singer/Songwriter: Eric Hutchinson, Jenny Own Youngs, Josh Ritter

Jazz: Drums and Tube, Drop Trio, Katahdin's Edge

Hip Hop: Blackalicious, DJ Logic

Bands I wish I had heard based on name only

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Facedowninshit
Fatal Flying Guilloteens
Gerbils
Happy Flowers (metal band)
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness
Lesbians on Ecstasy
Million Dollar Marxists
My Summer as a Salvation Soldier
Stardeath And White Dwarfs
The Sundresses
Swearing at Motorists
They Shoot Horses Don’t They
Viva l’American Death Ray Music
White Rose Movement
You Say Party! We Say Die!

Music News from 2003-2006

2010-03-09T11:34:00.002-05:00

I'm switching everything to blogger so that my upcoming SXSW blog is easy to manage. So this single post is everything I had on my news page from 2003-2006.

Just because it's August (2006) doesn't mean that you should be thinking of leaves and buying
close-toed shoes. In fact, I say press on, get that summer wanderlüst taken care of: go howl at the moon, drink frozen things and skip while you're at it.
Monday, 8/1 - Sit next to me and watch To Have and Have Not. Screen on the Green, movies on the National Mall. Begins at dusk, 8:30-9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 8/3 - I'm gonna watch the next film in AFI's David Lynch series: Wild at Heart. 10:20p.m. The series continues through September with films including Fire Walk with Me and Mulholland Dr.
YAY! Friday, 8/11 - I'm leaving town baby! First I'm off to Richmond, then to the Outer Banks in NC, I'll jet up to Cape Cod for a few, see Uncle Earl and Lonesome River Band, and be back on the 21st.
Just because I'm gone, doesn't mean you should sit at home
Saturday 8/12 - Kicking off their 86th Anniversary, Frager's Hardware is having it's Big Ugly Tomato Contest. Competing tomatoes will be displayed and judged from 10a.m. to noon. Catagories include biggest, ugliest, heaviest, and the tomato most resembling Mr. Ed.
8/14 - 8/20 - DC restaurant week. Enjoy a 3-course fixed-price meal, $20.06 for lunch and $30.06 for dinner at top restaurants including Nora's, Tabard Inn, Mie N Yu.
Tuesday 8/22 - Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band and Michelle Malone at Jammin' Java, $10, 8p.m. Rev. Peyton reminds me of Tom Waits and his wife is mesmorizing as she jiggles and bangs on the washboard and the cymbal attached to her thigh.
Thursday, 8/24 - There's something for everyone this evening.

Hip-hop at Black Cat: Dr. Octagon (aka Kool Keith) $16 adv. 8:30 p.m.
Acoustic pop-rock at Jammin' Java: The Ditty Bops 2006 Bicycle Tour, $12 adv. 7p.m.
Bluegrass at Birchmere: Uncle Earl and the Biscuit Burners, $17.50, 7:30p.m.

8/24 & 8/25 - Rock and Roll Hotel is finally opening. Basically a club, the venue on H St. will have rooms available for the bands that play there. $10 each night with 3-5 bands.
Sunday, 8/27 - RosyV is hosting a fabulous Clothing Swap at Transformer Gallery, 1-5p.m. Bring the clothes and other items you don't want any more and pick up some cool stuff. There's even a price for the ugliest item. FREE.

July, Ju- ly, Ju- li- i -i -y

This weekend and next, 7/1-7/4 and 7/7-7/11 - Come find me at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Themes: Alberta Canada, Native Basketry, Nuestra Música: Latino Chicago, and New Orleans evening concerts.

Tuesday, 7/4 - Listen to a show that I recorded and produced of music from the Folk Fest. If you're not running around from 8pm-12am, then listen in DC on 88.5fm or on your computer at WAMU.org.

7/1-7/10 - After six long years the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery are open again and they're having special events including a musical! . Let me know if you want to head to one of these events, 'cause I'm game.

Mondays & Thursdays through August - Summer means outdoor concerts at Fort Reno, which I can walk to from work. Take the metro to Tenleytown, have a drink at Guapo's with me and then listen to music. Highlights on the schedule include Brandon Butler (folk rock), Ris Paul Ric (indie-pop), Head Roc (rap), and Mary Timony (indie-rock). Things start right at 7:15pm and are done by 9:00pm. FREE.

Thursday, 7/6 - Catch some DC jazz & soul with Teegroove and the Hallelujazz Project at Twins Jazz on U Street, $10, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, 7/9 - Can't get enough indie? Camera Obscura and Georgie James at Black Cat, $12, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday 7/13 - Gist at the Warehouse Next Door, 9:00 p.m.

Monday, 7/17 - I'm performing at Jammin' Java's open mic around 8:00p.m. and I will play my new (ish) song, Superman.

Mondays through August 14th - Screen on the Green, go watch movies outdoors on the National Mall. Movies begin at dusk, 8:30-9:00 p.m.

Friday, 8/4 - Come see me perform with the NSO at Wolftrap. My choir is singing for
PLAY! A Video Game Symphony featuring music from games like Final Fantasy and Sonic the Hedgehog and large video screens. Lawn tickets are only $18 and the best part is that you can bring WHATEVER you want in your picnic basket. 8:30p.m.

Have you heard daKAH: Hip Hop Orchestra? I just picked up their live disc from 2003 and it's a really good blend of flow and orchestra - definitely unique.

The Sparrow Quartet's EP is now available on iTunes. Bluegrass is better with cello.

My photographer friend, Dave, has a new picture spot. It's good and I find it interesting that out of 14 total photos posted I'm getting the finger in 2 of them. Sheesh.

I have a copy of the best summer reading book (EVER), Still Life with Woodpecker. This book needs to be passed around because it will effect my karma if I let it sit on my shelf any longer. Will you continue the chain?

May

It's official. I need a roommate. So please let me know if you or anyone you know is interested in living on Capitol Hill. I have a large 2-story apartment, 2 bedrooms, plus an office, 1 bathroom, 1 fireplace, infinite wireless internet, a guitar, a korg synthesizer, and lots of wires. Walking distance to the Capitol, Eastern Market, Union Station and even RFK (for the baseball fans). 410 11th St. NE, which means you could be neighbors with people like Rose, Dave, and Twardy.

Do you miss me? Come hang out

Tuesday 5/9 - I'll be at happy hour at Capitol Lounge 6:30p.m. Cap Lounge burned down in August, but is now back with a few new menu items, including this super good fuji apple and fontina cheese sandwich.

5/11-5/13 - Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. Includes FREE performances at the Millennium Stage each night at 6p.m.

Through 5/14 - This week I'm heading to the Sackler Gallery to see work by Hokusai. The gallery is open till 9p.m. from May 10-12th.

Friday 5/19 - Modern Bluegrass/Roots show: Abby Washburn and The Sparrow Quartet featuring Casey Driessen (fiddle) and Ben Sollee (cello) at Jammin' Java, $15, 7p.m.

Saturday 5/20 - Mount Rainier Day featuring an open studio tour of artists like Caitlin Phillips. I bought a bunch of her pins last weekend and they make me happy.12-5p.m.

Saturday Evening 5/20 - Going to Dr. Dremo's

Tuesday 5/23 - Busboys and Poets open mic, $2, 9p.m. If I get myself together (ie: write new music) I'll perform.

Memorial Day Weekend - I actually have no plans, but I'm sure that won't last long. Something involving grass and sun would be perfect.

June 1-3 - Graves Mountain Festival of Bluegrass, featuring Uncle Earl, The Stringdusters, Rhonda Vincent, Cherryholmes, The Grascals, Alecia Nugent and many other great groups. $75 for 3-days. I'll be there on Thursday.

Monday 6/5 - I'll be performing at the Jammin' Java open mic around 8:30p.m. This is a nice one and so popular that you have to sign up a month in advance. I will have new songs written by then, I swear. My friend Anthony is playing that evening as well.

Have you heard the new album by Brazilian chanteuse Cibelle? The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves is not very different from her last album, but it doesn't bother me because it's really good.

And I went to MerleFest the last weekend in April and saw many talented groups. I recommend The Mammals, Casey Driessen, The Biscuit Burners, Chatham County Line, The Ditty Bops, The Duhks, The Isaacs, and, of course, Bela Fleck is fabulous.

Early Warning

SILVERDOCS - Documentary film fest June 13-18.

Smithsonian Folklife - June 30-July 4 and July 7-11. This years' themes: Alberta Canada, Native Basketry, Nuestra Música: Latino Chicago, and New Orleans evening concerts.

April

I know I totally skipped March but sometimes it feels like the world is spinning just slightly faster than I can keep up with. I figure all I can do is sit back, enjoy the blur of colors and light, and try not to get motion sickness.

One of the blurry aspects of March: I attended South by Southwest music conference! For work! During the day I attended panels with speakers like Neil Young and the Beastie Boys and at night I was shakin' it with fabulous people like JohnnyB, PoshDeluxe and other Austin celebrities. Austin in March, does it get any more beautiful than that? I'll finish my wrap-up report soon, but here's a taste. Overall winner (besides me): Melissa Ferrick.

Two friends and talented musicians are looking to play in the DC area. Check them out and offer them some venue options if you've got 'em. Emily Easterly and Josh Cole. Perhaps I should just put together a house concert. Would you go to something like that?

Mondays - Institute of Musical Traditions presents small acoustic and tradtional concerts at St. Mark's Presbyterian every Monday. Tickets are usually around $14.

4/4 - String Masters at the Kennedy Center with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Bela Fleck, Mark Schatz, and Bryan Sutton. $25+up, 8 p.m. This is part of the Country: A Celebration of America's Music series which includes several good free concerts at the Millenium Stage.

4/5 - Band of Blue has one of their last gigs at Ragtime in Arlington because part (or all?) of the band is moving to Austin in May. Perhaps they were even at Southby and I didn't know it.

4/6 - 4/8 Six Points Music Festival, showcasing 40 local bands at 13 DC area venues. It mainly features straight-up rock groups. Highlights include: Army of Me (rock) and Ballyhoo (white boy reggae-rock) and Michael Janz (s/sw), but I haven't listened to all 40 bands.

4/8 - Dirty Dozen Brass Band, State, $12, 9p.m.

4/10 - The Sounds w/ Morningwood & Action Action at 9:30 Club, $15, 5:30p.m. doors. Rose will be there.

4/11 - Blackalicious w/ Lifesavas & Fatlip with Omni and Pigeon John at 9:30 Club, $20, 7p.m. Rose will be there.

4/15 - Exit Clov, Soft Complex, and Georgie James at Black Cat $10, 9:30p.m. I'll be at this show to hear Georgie James: John from Q and Not U and Laura Burhenn, a fabulous singer and piano player who was the March Artist in Residence at Strathmore. Andrew Black and Adam Robinson will be joining them again.

4/18 - Tyler James, The Weepies, Eric Hutchinson at Jammin' Java, $10, 8p.m. Solid singer/songwriter rock. Both Eric (DC based) and the Weepies were at Southby and I missed them. Although, the last time I went to Jammin' Java the hostess was so rude I left.

4/20 - Rainer Maria, Black Cat, $12, 8:30p.m.

4/23 - I'm singing with the Master Chorale of Washington, Kennedy Center, $19+up, 3p.m. The concert features Aaron Copeland songs and the premiere of Adolphus Hailstork's 60 minute piece, Whitman's Journey. Modern yet accessible chorale music with orchestra.

4/27 - 4/30 - MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC. I'll be there with Nancye and Shorty and Iain. Come visit me at the BluegrassCountry.org booth.

4/28 - Did you know that the Gin Blossoms were touring? When was the last time you actually thought about the Gin Blossoms? Are you filled with the urge to spend $27 to see them? State, 9p.m. No really, I'm curious.

February 11th -
Reason number 21 why I love my job: Getting to meet Chris and Oliver Wood at WAMU while playing for the Kojo Nnamdi Show. In case you didn't catch it on the air you can find it for the next few days here. Hopefully we'll be rebroadcasting on BGC.org soon.
Speaking of BluegrassCountry, you can hear 20 minute sets of new music, hosted by yours truly, Jen Hitt, throughout the week. They're sprinkled in here and there. Three definite times to here the segments are Thursday at 11:40 a.m., Sundays (or Saturday nights) at 1:30 a.m., and Sundays at 10:50 a.m.

Saturday 2/11 The Recipe w/ special guest The Wood Brothers, featuring Oliver and Chris Wood of, respectively, King Johnson and Medeski, Martin & Wood. Any show that lists the genre as Roots Rock/Jam/Slamgrass is sure to be good (how does something officially become a genre anyway?). State, 9pm, $12.Saturday 2/11 The Wood Brothers (see above) at State I'll be there, so let me know if you're down.

Sunday 2/12 Jazz concert at the National Academy of Sciences Auditorium featuring the Marcus Roberts Trio, FREE, 4p.m.
Monday 2/13 The Institute of Musical Traditions presents Crooked Still at Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, 7:30 p.m., $14 advance, $17 door. Crooked Still plays modern folk influenced by rock as well as bluegrass. They have fabulous lead vocalist and a very talented cello player.
Wednesday 2/15 Girlyman at Jammin' Java, 8pm, $12. I love this trio! They opened for Dar at 8x10 in Nov. and were so good that I couldn't stop dancing and eat dinner as planned. Basically, I blame them for the fondue incident of 2005.
Friday 2/17 from Ellen, "My friend Sean has trust-able taste in music and he told me months ago that I had to go to this show at the Black Cat on Feb. 17. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings." $12, 9:30 p.m. File under: Raw funk & soul.
Sunday 2/19 On Tap Magazine holds an annual singer/songwriter contest with the grand prize being a trip to SXSW. The finals will be held at Austin Grill in Silver Spring and feature Andy Zipf, Luke Brindley, Rana Mansour, and Michael Jantz. FREE, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday 2/23 Come to the opening reception for Dave Smooth Gustine's photography exhibit, "Zombie" at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. 6-8pm. The show runs from the 23rd-26th and is part of the Corcoran College of Art + Design Fine Art Photo Senior Thesis work. It's in the gallery space upstairs. Email Dave (and tell him you love him despite his fashion faux pas).

2/26 The undisputed kings of Cajun music, BeauSoleil at Wolftrap, General Admission Dance, 7:30pm, $22.

3/9 Guitar goddess Kaki King at Jammin' Java, 8pm, $15.
3/10 Weird War at Black Cat, 9:30pm, $. Their song If You Can't Beat 'Em, Bite 'Em, sums the band up nicely.
3/12 Beth Orton at 9:30 Club, this show isn't on 9:30's website yet, but it's on Beth's page, we'll see... Her new album, Comfort of Strangers, will be out in February, but you can get the single Conceived now.

New music -
Chris Thile & Mike Marshall - Live Duets: Mandolin, Mandola, and Mandocello. Hot, hot, hot acoustic jazz, bluegrass, country.

Iron and Wine - Live Session EP. Not really different from anything else Iron and Wine has done, but I'm still really attracted to it.

Chick Corea - The Ultimate Adventure. Swings from rather lite to really funky with Chick's trademark Latin influence.

Aceyalone & RJD2 - Magnificent City. The music scene could use more rap/electronica albums like this. I particularly like the track, Mooore.

Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers. If you buy the physical album you get 6 bonus tracks. Like I previously mentioned she is playing at the 9:30 club on March 13th.

January 25th -
Photos of me, my fabulous friends, and my birthday adventures are on the pictures page!
Cat Power's new album, The Greatest, was released this week. The songs have a lighter, pop-ier lilt to them than the last album, You Are Free, which I love. The title track is very strong. Hmm...maybe it'll grow on me, it does have some nice instrumentation....maybe.
A very very good jazz-grass album known as the Hank Dean Sessions is now available on CD. Previously only on vinyl, it features Norman Blake, Tut Taylor, Sam Bush, Butch Robins, Vassar Clements, Jethro Burns, and jazz bassist David Holland. Sauerkraut 'n Solar Energy captures the essence of the album. You can get it as a thank you gift by donating to BluegrassCountry.org.
Now on to the concerts
1/26-1/28 I'll be singing in the choir with other members of the Master Chorale of Washington as the National Symphony Orchestra celebrates Mozart's 250th birthday with a semi-staged production of his opera The Abduction from the Seraglio. Kennedy Center, $20-$79.

1/28 A Study In Her is opening for Soft Complex at DC9, 9pm, $9. I'm so frustrated that I keep missing all of their DC shows. This Saturday I'll be gloriously attired in some sort of golden drapery pretending I'm a loyal Turkish guard (see above). And will someone explain why everyone thinks Soft Complex is so fabulous? I saw them in 2004 and to me they sounded like a annoying Culture Club. Perhaps they've changed.

1/28 Head to the State Theatre to groove to some serious Jazz and Funk with the Headhunters, 9pm , $20. This band has been around since the 70s and was originally organized by Herbie Hancock. Check out Loft Funk.
1/29 Guerilla Film Club meeting at E St. Cinema. Come watch Cache and then discuss with other filmies at Indebleu afterward, 4:25pm.
2/3 ASIH at the Sidebar tavern in Baltimore, 9pm. I will be at this show!
2/4 RJD2, intense electronic and hip hop, 9:30 Club, $15. The song, Ghostwriter, is one that seems like it was tailor-made for your 'Walking to work' playlist (the original is better than the iTunes remix).
2/4 On the other side of the spectrum: Catie Curtis, honest stories and the strumming to back them up at Wolftrap, 7:30pm, $18
2/6 For some reason I like Bang Bang Bang. Perhaps the repetition reminds me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or !!!. Anyway, they are opening for Owls and Crows at DC9, $8.
2/8 Feist at Black Cat, 8:30pm, $13.

2/9 Mary Timony Band at Black Cat, 9pm, $7.
2/9 & 2/10 - From New Orleans, Papa Grows Funk is playing at 8x10 in B'more on Thurs., $15, and at State on Fri., $13. Head to 8x10 if you like it intimate, head to State if you like to dance in big circles with large, flailing hand gestures.
Dance Suggestions brought to you by Saglactard
Alvin Ailey company will be at the Kennedy Center Feb 7-12. My god, they are a must see. I'll be going for that even if I go alone!
There is also Moving Out, the Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp musical. I've heard mixed reviews, but it did win some Tony's and I am a major fan of both artists; It runs Mar. 7 - 19, at the Hippodrome Theatre in B'more.
And then my absolute favorite dance company of all time, Doug Varone and Dancers, who I have not seen in years, are coming to George Mason for a evening on April 14th.Late October -
Jazz great Shirley Horn died this past Thursday at the age of 71. She was a soulful ballad singer and some of my personal favorites include her tribute album I Remeber Miles.

10/22 - Miss Rose Vincelli recommends the musical stylings of GWAR at 9:30 Club, 8pm $17. "Is GWAR the band for me?" you ask. Well check out the lead singer, David Brockie's personal website for hints.

Through 10/25 you can catch the Sonic Circuits Electronic Music Festival. Prices are on the cheap side, venues move around the city and the music is wonderfully abstract.
10/29 - Come hear me sing at the Kennedy Center! My choir, the Master Chorale of Washington has it's first concert on Saturday at 8pm. The concert features two seemingly dissimilar 20th century works that both have their roots in chant - Maurice Duruflé's Requiem, accompanied by orchestra and organ, and Dave Brubeck's Pange Lingua Variations, accompanied by orchestra and jazz combo. $21-$55.
10/29-10/31 - Silent Screams at AFI Silver. Two silent films played with live ensembles and original scores. Nosferatu featuring Silent Orchestra and Der Golem featuring Yeveto. $20.

Early November -

11/4 - Josh Cole plays solid acoustic rock with witty banter. Go hear him perform at Staccato Piano Bar in Adams Morgan, 8:30pm, $5.
And for those of you who want to spend more money on 11/4 go see Keller Williams at 9:30 Club. $20.
11/5 - Rowan Corbett of Tinsmith turns 30! Join him, Tinsmith, ilyAIMY and other revelers at College Perk at 8pm, FREE.
11/6 - A Study in Her at Velvet Lounge, 8pm, $6. ASIH is from Philly and includes former members of the band jenhitt.
11/8 - Ms Sarah Twardy recommends the Super Furry Animals w/ Caribou at 9:30 Club. "I seriously, seriously want to see the Animals. I frickin' love them!! Someone has to come with me," $15.
11/11 - Modeski, Martin and Wood, these modern jazz kids are worth every penny, 9:30 Club, $25.
11/14 - Dar Williams at Birchmere, $30
11/15 - FREE Master Chorale of Washington concert, featuring the McCullough's Holocaust Cantata. Reservations are required. Library of Congress' Coolidge Auditorium, 7:30pm. ( I won't be singing in this one)
11/16 - I'd recommend going to this Dar show at the 8x10 Club in Baltimore, instead of the Birchmere. It's farther away, but the club is intimate and it's slightly cheaper. 7pm, $25.
11/17 - Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky at Birchmere, $22.50. These two (along with Dar Williams) make up the famed "folk super group", Cry Cry Cry.
11/18 & 11/19 - Galactic at 9:30 Club, $25. Last time I saw Galactic I enjoyed myself, but felt there was a hole up front. Ivan Neville is scheduled with them, but it's not clear if he will be singing with the band. Let's hope so.

Price Gouge of the Month - Emmy Lou Harris at Birchmere $70! There's no reserved seating and you always spend $30 more at Birch 'cause they sit you down at a dinner table. I love the Birch but if this is where Americana music is going ....
Check out BluegrassCountry.org - I'm taking over as Production Director for the station full time by December 1st. Let me know what you think of the station. You can also find it on the iTunes radio page under Americana.
Ahh September -
Hey, did you know that Sunday 9/11 is Grandparents day?

There's really way too many concerts to hit up this month, so pick you favs and shake it.

A relatively new band, ANR, is heading this way from Miami and playing at DC9 on Tuesday 9/13, $7. The duo puts on an extremely energetic show. B Rob is a formally trained jazz pianist and MJ has an amazing falsetto. Hopefully they'll be wearing face paint. They're playing with Dan Deacon, The Bunny Rabbits, and Jet Age.
Sunday 9/18 - If you're in the mood for some ambient rock go hear Four Tet at the Ottobar in Baltimore, w/ Hot Chip and Koushik, $10 in advance.
If you only go to one concert my suggestion is Q and Not U on Thursday 9/22 at the Black Cat, $10. It's their next to final show ever. Their final show is Friday 9/23 also at the Black Cat, but it's sold out.
Operation Ceasefire is a free 10 hour rally/concert on Saturday 9/24 at the Washington Monument and "will be the centerpiece of a cluster of antiwar activities spanning three days". Thievery Corporation, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Le Tigre, and many others will be performing.
Everybody's indie favorite Sufjan Stevens will be at 9:30 Club on Tuesday 9/27, $15
The funk kids from New Haven, Pencilgrass, are playing 4 shows in the area this month, if you haven't seen them, this is your chance.
On 9/14 they'll be opening for Bonerama at the Funk Box in Baltimore, $10
9/27 they're opening for Brotherhood of Groove at the State Theatre, $8 in advance
9/28 at Grog and Tankard
9/29 at Velvet Lounge with DC Funk Squad & Ab and the Soul Journers.
9/30, Zap Mama is playing at Black Cat, $22. Wadidyusay is a good example of their genius.
My friend Jaclyn Brown (Miami Alumni) has a new album out called Unsolicited Material.

A few film items:

DC Shorts Film Fest is 9/16-18 held at the E Street Cinema
My friend, filmmaker Brian Cavallaro, has come up with his own response to Carl's Jr. Check out the viral video: That's Ridiculous (caution: may offend some condiment lovers).

On a personal note, I recently joined the Master Chorale of Washington to get back in touch with my classical roots. Our first concert is Saturday 10/29 and features works by Maurice Durufle and Dave Brubeck (yes, he wrote for a choir). We're also selling subscriptions at a very reasonable rate. Let me know if you're interested.
July 14th-
7/16 - Head to Guerilla Film Fest at Lisner, $15, two shows 7:00pm and 9:30pm with a reception till midnight.
7/18 - Q and Not U at Fort Reno, this is their last outdoor show ever! FREE at 7:00pm w/ Son of Nun.
I'm also heading to Ani Difranco at Wolftrap on the 26th as well as Tom Petty and the Black Crowes on the 27th at Merriweather.
I discovered some good music recently, if you're interested check out:
The sultry and subtle Candian vocalist Feist, Mushaboom is a catchy track
The Duhks - bluegrass-ish, produced by Bela Fleck. The lead singer, Jessee Havey, has a fabulously true voice.
Missy Higgins- your female singer/songwritter, reminds me of Erin McKeown
Did you know Tracy Bonham has a new album? Try the tracks and the world has the nerve to keep on turning and Something Beautiful.
And if you still haven't heard the Hasidic Reggae wonder Matisyahu, check it out.

March 11th-
Oooh so Hot Hot Heat at 9:30 Club is sold out. That sucks. It wasn't sold out last night, but when I looked this morning....
Here are a few alternative ideas:
Bicycle Thieves, Army of Me, The Upwelling at IOTA, $10, 9:30pm
The Shakesdowns, The Goons, The ready steady go! at Black Cat, $7

Also on 3/14: Greta Ehrig at College Perk 8:13pm, free. Here's a sample of her music.
March 2nd- Hmm, March already. Go listen to some music.
Friday, 3/4 you have many options:

ilyaimy is playing at the College Perk at 8:13pm.
Clem Snide, Archer Prewitt(of The Sea and Cake), and Marbles(of Apples in Stereo) are playing at Black Cat , 9:30pm, $10 in advance, $12 day of.
Secret Machines, Autolux, and Moving Units at 9:30 Club, $15.

Sunday, 3/6, The Codetalkers featuring Col. Bruce Hampton are playing at the State, 8:30pm, $10.
January 26th-
Great news! The feature length film for which I was the music supervisor last year is available on Pay-Per-View.
It's called In Plain Sight and is a caper about a college "hit man", who finds his business of getting kids kicked out of school become more and more complicated. The film was shot on the University of Miami campus in High Definition. I worked with several fellow composers to develop the sound, determine the placement of the music and basically make sure everything sounded good. Please check it out, I'd love to hear what you think of the final product.
Time Warner Listings
Comcast Listings
January 25th-
1/29 - The Recipe and The Bridge (acoustic) at The State Theater, $12. Doors at 7pm.
2/5 - Pencilgrass at Episcopal High School, Blackford Hall, 8:30pm. This New Haven funk group is making a rare appearance in the DC area. These guys are way too much fun, so be sure to wear your dancing shoes.
December 13th-
12/14 - Midnight Spagetti at The State Theater, $5
12/15 - Community Sing w/ Sweet Honey and the Rock's Ysaye Maria Barnwell,
Levine School of Music, $5 donation.

November 11th-
11/13 - PLOJ XXX (Pot Luck Open Jam) - this is the opportunity for those on a budget. PLOJ is a local monthly event where friends gather, bring food and instruments and play and eat and play and eat. So bring your kazoo and a plate of celery to the College Perk at 9pm, FREE!! (no talent necessary)
11/14 - The Delgados w/ Crooked Fingers - Black Cat, $13, 8:30.

Check out the redesign of Tiffany Zadi's Dawg Jewelry - beautiful silver just in time for the holidays.
Review: Find out what you missed at the Galactic concert on 11/6
November 3rd -
Cheer yourself up, go hear some music and dance till your inner nation has healed
11/5 & 11/6 - Galactic at 9:30 Club, $25, 8pm.
11/7 - Jaga Jazzist at Black Cat, $12 8:30pm.
11/7 - Erin McKeown and the Waifs at the Birchmere, $17.50, 7:30pm.
11/11 - Kasey Chambers (w/ Holly Williams & Shane Nicholson) at 9:30 Club, $25, 7:30pm.
11/12 - Keller Williams at 9:30 Club, $18, 10pm.

October 27th -
Ooh, I just discovered that my friends, ilyAIMY, will be playing a Halloween show at DC 9 on 10/30 at 8:30pm, $7.
I added by friend's band, Naked Face, to the links page. Check out what they're cookin' up down in Miami.
October 25th -
Concerts this week:
10/25 Mates of State (Pinback & Aspects of Physics as well) at Black Cat, $14, 8:30.
10/28 John Scofield Jazz Trio, Wolf Trap Barns, $22+, 8:30.
10/30 Tinariwen - fuses modern guitar with traditional sounds from Mali, Lisner Auditorium, $20+, 8pm.
October 4th -
Change is in the air. Mmmm...fall, I haven't smelled crisp air in way too long.
Now that I'm finished working with the Smithsonian I actually have some time on my hands. I'll be updating and giving news as well as concert info here on a regular basis.
Check out my new CD. Get your own copy.
Pictures of the 2004 Smithsonian Folklife Festival are available on my mom's site: designdsk.com. Pictures from the First Americans Festival will be up soon.
Q and Not U are playing at the Black Cat on Friday
September 6th -
I'm working hard on my music page. Making changes daily. There's plenty new to hear and see (and soon to purchase).
April 8th-
Oh My Goodness! I actually finished my thesis, all 111 pages. You can check out the fabulous reading material here: thesis
November 14th-
Well, the Mile rocked it out again last night at Titanic. Particularly nice was the extended jam that kicked the night off. If you missed it, they'll be playing Titanic again next Saturday (11/22).
Emily Easterly will be playing on the radio show "Inside the Music Business" on Sunday(11/16) 2-4pm on 1080 AM in Miami. She also has a show with her band on Monday (11/17) at Senor Frogs on the beach, her set starts at 12:30 and the cover is $5.
Jazz drummer Dan McGovern will have his senior recital on Wed. (11/19) at 8pm in Foster 239 at UM's music school. Perhaps your heard his work on my release last semester, he played on the Ken Nordine tunes: Hazel, Blue and Mauve.
** If your into hip jewelry you must visit Dawg Jewelry. Cheers to the talented Tiffany Zadi for getting her site together and creating such beautiful stuff **
11/21, ‘Friday I’m In Love‘ A Cure Tribute Show being held @ I/O. Some 16 odd bands will be covering songs, $5. epoplife.com
November 10th-
This Thursday 11/13 come hear Empirical Mile play at Titanic Brewery. There's no cover and the drink special is $3 Bacardi Flavors all night.
Saw some good shows recently: Empirical Mile had one of their best sets last Saturday at Tobacco Road. The weather didn't cooperate and so they had to play inside, but that also meant they turned down a bit which resulted in some nice mellow jams. Sublety is sexy boys!
MOS in West Palm Beach were good as well. The crowd was all hyped up waiting for D. Cab, lots of audience clapping and singing along.
And the lovely ladies: Dar, Mary Chapin, Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin were all fabulous. They played the show in the round and mused about anything that came to mind. Highlights were Dar discussing how the Lorax might come and steal her coat and Miss Griffin's soulfull version of Flaming Red. But the best song of the night was their 1st encore of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want it That Way". Who knew it was actually a well written song.
October 31st-
Happy Halloween!

Me, Someguy, and Natalie on Halloween '02
October 5th -
9/20-10/25 Upcoming Festival Miami Pick:10/10-11 African Sanctus

10/13 the Walkmen, for $10 at I/O lounge.

10/14***Tuesday night special: Q and Not U at I/O lounge. This is your chance to understand the sound all those indie rock bands are tryin' for.

10/30 ***the ichin'-for-halloween fun of Empirical Mile, who were born under this sign, at Tobacco Road. And all the kids will be there too: Hugo, Emily Easterly Band and more

11/1 Didn't know these girls knew how to find their way this far south (or did I?). Dar Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, and Patty Griffin at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

11/5 ***Mates of State are so incredible live. November is a long time to wait to hear them with Death Cab for Cutie at Respectable Street in Ft. Lauderdale. So worth the drive.

September 8th -
Everyone should head to Tobacco Road this Saturday, for the King Bee CD release party. This extravaganza starts at 9pm. Playing with them are Empirical Mile, Dharma Bomb, and the underappreciated Jesse Jackson. Most groups will be playing 2 sets.
August 11th -
I'll be back in Miami by the end of August, but if you really miss me you can find me at the following shows:
8/16 - Keller Williams with moe. at Universal Lending Pavillion.
8/17 - Dar Williams and Asleep at the Wheel will be performing at a taping of the NPR show E-town at Boulder Theater.
8/18 - Maestra Bjork will be singing with the Stones at Red Rocks.
August 4th -
Ooh... Jen's in Denver taking in the mountains and sky. If you're also loving the mountains and sky you should go listen to:

8/7 - Leona Naess, straight forward rock recommended by Mr. Dan Chu, at Tulagi in Boulder. She's also playing with Damien Rice. $12, 9pm.

8/7, 8/8, 8/9 - Listen to some good old fashioned Dead with Dark Star
Orchestra at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver. $20.

8/7 - If you're still in DC you should go see: Q and Not U at Fort Reno.
July 16th -
Pencilgrass is in the DC area this weekend! They're an awesome blend of jazz, funk and rock. This is a must see show if you love to shake it. Friday, 8:30pm, at Chief Ike's Mambo Room in Adam's Morgan. Cover is $5.

July 12th -
Check out the pictures page, I've added some photos from the festival. For additional photos, go to the links page.

July 10th -
The festival is over and tonight I sat on my bed, played guitar and tried to capture the sweet essence left by Malian calabashes, plunky banjos and fiddles. Some of the best music was not being played on site, but at the hotel when people joined together and invented genres of their own.
I added Ras Alan, one of the most unique groups I heard, and his Appalachian Reggae to the links page.
I'll be heading to NYC this weekend to catch Q and Not U at the Knitting Factory on Friday July 11th. Tickets are $8 and the show's at 9pm.
If you're near DC, head to a free outdoor concert on Monday, July 14th. The Carlsonics will play with Los Hermanos Rodriquez and Semi-Lunar Valve at Fort Reno. The music starts at 7:30pm.

June 29th -
Right now Jen is working on the Talking Tree stage in the Mali section of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. On the National Mall, the festival celebrates the cultures of Mali, Appalachia, and Scotland this year. It's free to the public and open from 11am-5:30pm with additional music in the evenings. The festival runs through July 6th. Click here for more information. Also, check out some pictures from the events so far.