Keith Harkin at Poor Davids

Hello all! Today’s post is all about my fabulous Saturday night. I was fortunate to attend/handle merch at Poor Davids Pub for the Keith Harkin gig, and man it just never gets old…I look forward to every gig of Keith’s like its the first time, and when its all over I leave even happier than the last.

Fortunately this go around I was actually able to step away from the merch table for a bit and snap a couple of pics of the opening act, Phoebe Hunt and Connor Forsyth. All I can say is wow! The amount of style and artistry they brought to each song was astounding. Both are phenomenal writers Connor is master of the keys and Phoebe’s voice is the kind of voice that you would want to have singing the soundtrack of your life. The depth, soul, and incredible variety this lady displays is absolutely mind blowing, not only does she have the voice of an Americana bluesy gypsy angel she can tear it up on the fiddle as well as the guitar. Can you tell I have a bit of a girl crush working? This duo is musical perfection and I implore you to see them live. Keep up to date with Phoebe and Connor through http://phoebehuntmusic.com/home 

Odds are if you’re a regular here on my blog you know my love for Keith Harkin’s music. If this guy is in town I go to his show, simple as that. Keith is not to be missed. I am constantly in awe of this gentleman, his vocals are so strong and invoke so much emotion, his skills as a song writer are incomparable, and his ability to merely play the guitar in such a way you’d swear he was playing with a full band is just outstanding.  I’ve been pretty blessed in my concert outings and have see many a highly skilled artists, but I can truly say Keith still stands out as one of the most talented acts I’ve ever seen. The man doesn’t hold back, he pours his heart and soul into everything he does and it so evident in his music. The crowd, setting, and how tired this weary traveler is have no bearing on his performance he truly lays it all out there and its pretty magical to experience firsthand. If you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere Keith has a gig you really HAVE TO GO! Keep up to date with this phenomenal guy through his website and his various social media platforms (facebook, twitter, and instagram )

As always Keith absolutely killed it, and was kind enough to play several of his new songs. Just when I think this guy cannot get any better he does, the new songs are just out of this world amazing and have me chomping at the bit for his next album…which according to Keith shouldn’t be too far off now. YAY! So now more than ever is the time to hop onto the Harkin bandwagon because I know he’s only going to continue to grow stronger and stronger as an artist, which is really saying something because this guy has Herculean musical strengths 😉
describing his parents’ “domestic bliss” 😉
Everytime this guy plays he shares his soul and its just beautiful.

This guy is the best and that’s all there is to it.

Now here are some pics my sister snapped of me working the merch table…and amazingly I don’t look as lazy as last time 😉
See I’m even grabbing shirts here!Of course it wasn’t all hard work though haha 😉

I had such a wonderful time and want to thank everyone of you who came out to show your support, and an extra thank you to those of you who had to put up with me selling merch again. I really hope you all enjoyed this post and that you show these multi-talented musicians your love because they really deserve it. Happy Wednesday.

Jake Shimabukuro Concert.

On Sunday night I had the great pleasure of attending the Jake Shimabukuro at The Kessler concert with my family. We had first heard of Jake through a PBS special and we were instantly captivated by this incredible musician. Jake grew up in Hawaii and began playing the ukulele from a very young age, as the years went by and Jake grew up he found himself inspired by “Guitar heros”. While at a Van Halen concert he couldn’t help but feel “that’s what an ukulele concert should be like” this lead him to experiment with different styles of playing resulting in the amazing sound he has now, mixing the traditional Hawaiian with classic rock and roll guitar riffs, and let me tell you I never knew that someone could shred on a ukulele like that! The variety of styles of music Jake can play on one ukulele is truly something incredible to behold! If you ever have the opportunity to see Mr Shimabukuro you must seize the day and buy those tickets, you are in for such a treat.

Like I said…the man can shred!

I hope you all enjoyed my pictures, and that you all check Jake out http://jakeshimabukuro.com/ the man is the stuff of musical legends! Have a very happy Tuesday.

Ronnie Fauss and JD McPherson Concert.

Last Thursday I had the great pleasure of seeing Ronnie Fauss and JD McPherson in concert. The show had sold out, but since the original venue was outdoors (The Belmont) and it had been raining all day, it was moved to The Kessler, well a change of venues and a change of plans meant I was going to be able to have an incredible night full of music, dancing, and of course some concert photography, this is me we’re talking about afterall.

First act was Ronnie Fauss. Admittedly my expectations are never really high to opening acts…I’ve heard some great ones and I have heard some real doozies, much to my delight Ronnie was fabulous! He is a Dallas based singer songwriter who draws influences from John Prine and Steve Earle. His music ranges from moody “bad boy country” to upbeat storytelling country. You can check out his page here  http://www.ronniefauss.com/ and if you have to opportunity to see him you should!

 Then JD McPherson took the stage. JD McPherson has something for everyone, honestly if you have the ability to hear I cannot comprehend you not liking these guys. There style is a mix of the kind of music they like, Rock n Roll, Rhythm and blues, rockabilly, etc. JD’s current album Signs and Signifiers is the perfect blend of old and new and shows the true artistry of these incredible musicians! You can find out more about the band here http://www.jdmcpherson.com/news.html

Almost as soon as they hit the stage people were out front just ready to start dancing, and oh boy did they dance! Seriously if you ever have the opportunity to see these guys DO NOT HESITATE! BUY THOSE TICKETS! You will not be sorry you did. I have been to my share of concerts and these guys are the best band I have ever seen!

Jimmy Sutton kills it on the bass!

Ray is a mad man on the keys! I’m pretty sure his hands move at the speed of light!

JD is just a rock star I mean really.

Doug is a phenomenal saxophone player!

Jason is an incredible drummer, I have no idea how he does it!

I love how JD and Jason are basically making the same face.

 Love the way this shot turned out.

 I had the most amazing time and cannot express how wonderful these guys are, just do yourself a favor and go see them. Hope you all liked the pictures Happy Wednesday.

Music Monday 8

Well I’m feeling rather lazy…So I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. I am going to share one of my favorite songs of the incomparable Johnny Cash. I think one of the main reasons I like this song, other than the obvious fact that Johnny Cash is one of the greatest things that ever happened to music, is that in the song Rockabilly Blues Johnny names a lot cities here in Texas. Nothing like a bit of Texas pride to win someone over to a song right? Anyway here’s the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Vk9gVxjWo

Happy Music Monday guys!

Music Monday No. 5

Yes yes yes I know, last Monday I did not post. Shame on me, all of that bragging about how consistent I was being then…BOOM! No post. I do however have a good excuse, the internet was down. See a very reasonable excuse indeed ;).  Anyway today is a recommendation for an incredibly talented singer! Drum roll please…

Emmet Cahill!

I’ve made it well known that I am quite the fan of all the Celtic Thunder men, every guy is extremely talented and brings so much to the table. But today I thought I would focus on the classical singer of the group Emmet. I was so fortunate as to see Emmet perform alongside Keith Harkin at one of Keith’s solo gigs. I must say I was completely blown away, Emmet is a surprisingly strong singer for someone as young as he (I believe he is 22). Of course one does not need to be middle aged to be a great singer, but you can almost always hear a notable improvement from someone who is older. Well Emmet is quite the exception to this, he voice is so strong and pure that you would believe you are listening to a well seasoned man, of shall I say… advanced age 😉

I did a wee bit of research on Emmet and it is no wonder why he is so talented. From the young age of 5 he was learning to play the piano, and by 7 was taking voice lessons. When I was that age I was just trying to avoid soccer practice 😉 I wasn’t very disciplined haha. From there Emmet went on to win a music scholarship for highschool. Then he continued his studies of piano, organ, violin, and vocal training for the next few years. Another impressive accomplishment was the fact he earned a degree in Musical Performance from the rather prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music, talk about dedication to ones craft.

Paul Byrom left Celtic Thunder in 2010 to pursue a solo career, so auditions were held in June of that year, and it isn’t any surprise to me that Emmet was chosen to fill the void, and to become the classical singer of the group. Emmet is winning over more and more fans with every performance. Singing the likes of ‘Kindred Spirits’ written by Phil Coulter specifically for Emmet, the beautifully haunting ‘Isle of Hope’, and the giggle inducing ‘My Irish Molly’. As well as singing Celtic Thunder favorites like ‘Galway Girl’, ‘Seven Drunken Nights’ and many others with the rest of the Celtic Thunder guys. So that is why Emmet is the topic of today’s Musical Monday Post.

You can check out some of Emmet’s music on his youtube channel and I highly encourage you to subscribe to it.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn0PIUMHZwycQj8-Jd2g_yg/videos?view=0

You can also like his page on Facebook and keep updated there

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmet-Cahill-Official-Music/158928754151170?fref=ts

Or you could even follow him via twitter

https://twitter.com/EmmetcahillCT

Whatever you do, I highly encourage you to check him out. I hope you all enjoyed this post, and be sure to let me know what you all think, I adore hearing from you guys. As always have a very happy and Musical Monday! Cheers!

Music Monday No. 4

Wow a whole month and I have yet to miss my Music Monday deadline, I’m so proud of me, not really of course, because I did almost miss it entirely. Any who… today’s post is a musician recommendation, the musician is Grant Lee Phillips.

Some of you may perhaps recognize him from a little Television series called Gilmore Girls, in which he was the town troubadour, I would very much like to be all hipster right now and say that I knew him before I watched the show…but alas I am no hipster, and hadn’t any idea who he was til I watched said program. His unique voice and lovely guitar playing skill were enough to capture the attention of my mother, sister, and myself, to the point of doing a bit of research on him and buying a few of his albums.

Town troubadour.

Troubadour is defined as one as “one of a class of lyric poets and poet musicians”. I honestly feel that is the best way to describe Mr. Phillips. He is a brilliant singer/songwriter/musician, everything he does, he does full on. Every song has a strong story and beautiful sound to it. Thus making him the perfect topic for today.

After preforming solo for a few different clubs in the Hollywood area Phillips put together the band Grant Lee Buffalo in the early 90’s, the band consisted of Joey Peters, Paul Kimble, and Phillips himself. The band did quite well for about another 8 years, their debut album Fuzzy received high praise from Michael Stipe of R.E.M, he said it was “the best albums of year hands down.”More accomplishments include Phillips being named Critics Choice for best male vocalist of ’95. Other albums of Grant Lee Buffalo are Mighty Joe Moon, Copperopolis, and Jubilee. Grant Lee Buffalo disbanded in ’99.

Sadly we were only able to hunt down their album Mighty Joe Moon.

I am actually currently listening to this album, and I feel as though this cd is contradictory and consistent all at the same time. Their is a noticeable 90’s grundge rock vibe to it, yet their is a soft folksy melodic quality to it all. So you could honestly say it is a versatile album, or that they stay very true to their style. Honestly the description is up to you. It is hard for me to pick just one song of off the album as my favorite…but I must admit I am quite fond of Mockingbirds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVnWAkOGxK0 If you can manage to find yourself a copy I highly encourage you to purchase it.

After the disbanding of Buffalo, Phillips signed with the indie label Rounder Records, continued furthering his solo career, and released more albums of brilliance; Ladies’ Love Oracle, Mobilize, Virginia Creeper, Ninteeneighties, Strangelet, Little Moon, and released just this year Walking in the Green Corn.

I would very much like to give you my opinion of every album, however we only tracked down Virginia Creeper 😦 so I will give you my opinion about this album. Virginia Creeper is a good deal more melodic than Mighty Joe Moon, yet still just as powerful. There is a definite country influence to Virginia Creeper, yet not so much that if you are not a fan of country you wont still enjoy it. My mother is not a fan of country (she makes faces) but adores this album so that should say something. Every song hits it out of the park, and buying this cd should be on your to do list if you happen to be someone who enjoys wonderful music. Whereas every song is lovely Mona Lisa is holds a special place in my heart so give it a listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCBLJyIrMik I will probably be searching for more of Grant Lee Phillips’ albums after I finish this blog, and hope that you all do the same. I also hope that you all have an incredibly happy and Musical Monday!

 

 

Music Monday No. 2

Hey look at me one week later and I am still keeping my word! Of course there is still time for me to fall off the consistency wagon 😉 This weeks Music Monday is a musician recommendation! Drum roll please

*drum rolling* * cymbal crash*

Imelda May! The woman is a goddess and is my serious girl crush 😉

I first came to hear Imelda May was when my mother turned to PBS to watch a tribute to Les Paul. Imelda was performing in the most fabulous orange and gold dress I have ever seen, and her look is what got my attention initially, but then I heard her sing! Oh wow, I typically do not get terribly enthusiastic over female singers, because more often than not they sound the same as all the others, and do not impress much. Imelda has a signature sound and her vocals are KILLER! Seriously she sings with so much passion and attack you can not take your eyes off of her, and certainly cannot tune her out! I mean in order to preform next to Jeff Beck and still be the one getting the attention you have to be a powerhouse, and she is just that. Imelda sings several styles of music Blues, Jazz, and of course Rockabilly. She is not to be outdone, and I feel she is bringing rockabilly out of the underground and into the mainstream. I would highly encourage you to go out buy one of her albums because she is amazing. I own her album Mayhem and positively love it. Here is a music video of hers that I adore so check her out and let me know what you guys think. Have a Happy Musical Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HStk3qT82w4

Music Monday.

Hello blog readers. I thought I might try my hand at a new regular, scratch that make it semi regular (this is me we’re talking about after all) blog post series, titled Music Monday, this can be about my favorite cd, song, musician, music video, or whatever else I am currently digging that relates to music. So for today’s post I thought I might give you a cd recommendation. I bought myself Keith Harkin’s debut album through Amazon, it arrived last Monday, and I have been unashamedly playing this single cd all week.

Fabulous album cover 😉

OK so I can hear what some of you are thinking, “uh huh sure it’s great, whatever you’re just one of those fan girls, who would buy his cd even if he sounded like a dying cat”. Well you my dear are wrong, very rarely do I buy cd’s. Most of the time I wait for it to hit youtube or pandora cause I’m cheap like that. I also don’t just get the sudden urge to buy whatever music, since I work hard for my money, I want to know that what I am buying is going to be great! Well I hadn’t any doubts, cause I have been to two of Keith’s shows and each time I was blown away by his beautiful vocals, and killer guitar playing skills. Seriously even if Keith wasn’t as good-looking as he so obviously is, I would still be just as much of a fan. Because you cannot argue with raw talent! Honestly I feel like that is the best description I can give Keith…Raw talent! His cd has finally been released and I would highly recommend that you go out and buy yourself a copy, and then buy a copy for someone that you like, because music this great deserves to be shared with the masses.

 everyone with the ability to hear would love this album!

Keith has some of his own songs on this album which are sublime, as well as compilations and some fabulous covers of classic songs (Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me is my favorite cover). Every song knocks it out of the park though. There is truly a song for everyone on this album, so no matter what your musical tastes may be you will not be disappointed. I have placed the links below to where you can buy his album. Hope all of you have a very Happy Musical Monday!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keith-harkin-keith-harkin/24997900?ean=602537115488

http://www.amazon.com/Keith-Harkin/dp/B008N5UX8S

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/keith-harkin/id559958870

http://www.celticthunder.ie/content/keith-harkin-keith-harkin-cd