Iowa City Concert Photos: Melissa Ferrick, Coyote Grace, Dar Williams, Women's Music Festival

Finally found my camera cord and was able to upload pictures from the past month, including a few from some great concerts I saw up in Iowa City. They are kind of "artsy" because I didn't want to use a flash and distract the performers. (clicking on any of the pix should take you to them in flickr if you want to see them bigger)

Here's Melissa Ferrick. She plays FAST.



Here is Coyote Grace backing her up. I met Joe at Song School and he let me borrow his guitar during one of the campground song circles. It was fun to meet Ingrid and see them play together.



Here's a wide shot of all of them playing together on Melissa's song "Heartbeat" Apparently this was the first time they played together and afterward made it part of the show each night.


One of Ferron at the Women's Music Festival.


Kim Char keeping the crowd entertained while the power went out. (city wide, and they found a generator so they could keep going)


Patrice Pike at the Women's Music Festival.


And finally, here's one of me with Dar Williams after her concert. Is it just me or do we both have one eye more squinty than the other? That obviously means something for my musical career. heh heh.

Brooke Brown Saracino: Interview on Lyrical Venus Radio and House Concert!

When I found Brooke Brown Saracino on MySpace earlier this year, I immediately fell in love with her song About My Heart and was delighted to discover she was offering it as a free download. I played it the next week on my radio show and sent her a note saying so, and inviting her to do an interview sometime. She replied that she was working on a new album and planning to tour the Mid-West in the fall so she’d be in touch.

Late summer Brooke emailed me again, asking for recommendations of places to play in Iowa. I gave her several suggestions but none of them were panning out since she would be coming through on a weekday. I’d gone to a few house concerts at my across the street neighbor’s house and had a great time, so I told Brooke that I would be up for trying one myself.

If you haven't heard of it, a house concert is pretty much just what it sounds like – a concert in a house instead of a bar or coffee shop venue. More and more artists are looking to do house concerts these days as the atmosphere is relaxed, respectful and intimate; just a small group of people in a living room. In a small space there’s little to no sound equipment to deal with and the artist plays for donations rather than a cut of the door at a venue. (For more on house concerts check out concertsinyourhome.com)

Brooke describes her sophomore release Stranger’s Story as minimal and melancholy with a playful sound. While her debut album Treading Water included trumpet, accordion and drums on some tracks, Stranger’s Story is stripped down to just Brooke and her guitar, with the occasional ukulele, xylophone, fiddle and kazoo layered in.

A truly independent artist, Brooke did all the recording, editing, mixing and production on the album herself. Her music has won her honors in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Singer/Songwriter showcase every year since 2005, and she was selected to perform at this year’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase.

Brooke has also opened for some of my very favorite singer/songwriters like Lori Mckenna, Rose Polenzani, Beth Amsel, and Cheryl Wheeler to name a few. While her sound is her own, Brooke definitely has a resonance with the aforementioned ladies, and I occasionally hear a hint of Anaïs Mitchell and maybe even a little Rachel Ries in her some of her songs too.

I’m looking forward to my interview with Brooke on Tuesday morning and the house concert that night. If you’re interested in the concert but didn’t get an invite consider this your official invitation and email me at [LyricalVenus at gmail dot com] for details!

If you can’t make it to the concert (or even if you can!), tune in to KRUU-LP 100.1 FM or kruufm.com from 9-10am for an interview and to hear a few songs from Brooke!

You can get Brooke's first album Treading Water from:
her website
CD Baby
or iTunes:

Check out Brooke's MySpace to hear tracks from the just released Stranger's Story, which should be available online soon!

Jana Pochop on Lyrical Venus Radio Tues 9am!

I found Jana Pochop’s blog shortly after I started mine. I was on the lookout for other blogs by or about female singer-songwriters who I could network with and somehow or another I stumbled on Jana’s. She became a quick favorite – her entries were funny, honest and interesting to me, especially since many of them were charting her path to become a better singer, songwriter, guitarist and performer, something near to my heart.

As for her music, man can Jana play guitar! But I guess that's to be expected from someone who has been playing since they were twelve. I really love her fast fingers and the fun she has with open tunings. And she has as much appreciation and respect for a good lyric as I do, as evidenced by all the little snippets of lyric she has sprinkled all over her site.

It's not just guitar she's good at, Jana played all the instruments on her new EP The Early Year (she says it’s cheaper than hiring musicians!) minus a few handclaps by her producer Daniel Barrett (of Porterdavis) and some backing vocals by Susan Gibson, writer of the Grammy winning “Wide Open Spaces” (as sung by the Dixie Chicks).

Speaking of Daniel and Susan, another thing that has impressed me about Jana is how she has surrounded herself with great mentors and teachers down in Austin, Texas. She's working and studying with Daniel at the Red Leaf School of Music (aka Folk Musician Grad school). She’s getting a lot of road experience as a merch girl touring with Susan and plenty of support and tips from Terri Hendrix among others.

So I’ve been watching with excitement over the past many months as Jana's shared the process of making her EP. While she probably beats me for excitement that it just released, since it's her own record, I’m right there behind her. Which is why I'm very excited to have Jana on Lyrical Venus Radio this Tuesday, October 14th!

Listen in at KRUU-LP 100.1 FM here in town, or stream it live from kruufm.com anywhere you've got a computer with a connection to the interwebs.

Check out Jana's website or her MySpace to hear tracks from The Early Year

Sarah Sample on Lyrical Venus Radio Tues 9am

I first saw Sarah Sample down by the St. Vrain river at Planet Bluegrass, with platium pixie hair and in a flowing green dress, stretching her arms above her head and drinking in the view and the vibe like someone who had just come home. I didn't know who she was, but I could tell there was something special about her. A sort of settled confidence among a crowd of many others who were (justifiably) buzzing and/or nervous.

Later that night when Sarah "outed" a fellow Song-Schooler she was backing up on an open mic performance for having recently turned 50, it was done with a knowing twinkle in her eyethat implicitly urged the woman to accept and celebrate the very place she was at in life as just perfect. Sarah's gracious heart seemed to want everyone just to feel comfortable in their own skin.

It was perhaps a bit after that I finally connected that it was Sarah who had won the 2007 Folks Showcase and therefore a slot on the Mainstage during the Folks Fest. She was a trooper during her set, as it rained the whole time. But those who braved the rain were treated to her smart songs and that amazing, amazing voice:

Sarah Sample at Folks Fest 2008

Feed and email readers may need to come to the blog to see the video

Sarah's newest album Never Close Enough has been in pretty regular rotation on my playlists lately, and I'm excited to be interviewing her on the Lyrical Venus Radio Hour this Tuesday, October 7th. Tune in from 9-10am for great music and to hear from Sarah! KRUU-LP 100.1 FM locally or kruufm.com online anywhere.

Check out Sarah's offical website and her MySpace for preview tracks and to buy her music.



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