Phoebe Snow is one of my favorite female vocalists. Her voluptuous voice wraps around cool licks and quirky lyrics. Snow’s “Poetry Man” was recently re-recorded by Queen Latifah. Probably the only contemporary singer who could live up to Snow’s musicianship.
Snow has returned to singing after a hiatus of some years, choosing to care for her daughter Valerie, who was born with severe brain damage. Her voice is older, wiser, with a touch of sadness that wasn’t there in the ’70’s, but she still has that quality of taking you places you’ve never been, painting sound pictures in your mind…
Phoebe’s MySpace has “Poetry Man” and other juicy tidbits.
PHOEBE’S NEW TOUR DATES!
May 9, 2008 - Rochester, NY - Lilac Festival
May 10, 2008 - Peekskill, NY - Paramount Center for the Arts
May 11, 2008 - Albany, NY - Washington Park
June 7, 2008 - South Orange, NJ
June 17 - 22, 2008 - NYC - Birdland (Special return engagement, one show each night)
July 10, 2008 - Appalachian State University - Boone, NC
July 11, 2008 - Birchmere Music Hall - Alexandria, VA
July 23, 2008 - NYC - Madison Square Park
October 5, 2008 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
November 22, 2008 - New Jersey Performing Arts Centre - Newark, NJ
December 11 - Naples, FL - Philharmonic CenterTags: female vocalists, folk-jazz, jazz-rock fusion, Phoebe Snow
Austin songstress Libby Kirkpatrick is playing at the Ruta Maya coffeehouse this Thursday, May 15. Along with Kirkpatrick, Michael Shay (and the Just Desserts), Mark Utter, David Rothgeb, Geoff Union, and a talent show kick off at 9 p.m. as a benefit for Jim O’Brien.
Come early for a new Environmental Film Series, 6-9 pm, hosted by Texas Clean Water Action and CLEAN (Citizens League for Environmental Action Now). Each screening starts the Austin way, with music from local singer-songwriters, and is followed by a panel discussion with time for audience participation. Opportunities to take action on environmental issues is presented with each event.
A tip from my favorite hip-hop producer–thanks, J!
Taz Arnold (TI$A), one of Kanye West’s Good Music label artists, put out this number. Flashy, flashy. But is he hurting or helping the cause? Got to say that I looooove the sunnies. Only in L.A.
I was thrilled to see that my new friends, the White Oak Trio, now have two videos up. This is exciting, because now every Good Musician can hear what a piano trio is supposed to sound like. Not only that, one of the videos interposes an interview with the group and live performances. Listen, and you’ll learn oodles about what goes in to making good music, and good music being made! This is a group to follow closely…
1:37 a.m. Tired, but too wired to sleep. Maybe some music would relax you–scrolling through your collection, you’re bored of listening to the same old tunes. Frustrated, you fire up your computer and…
National Public Radio streams forth from your speakers, album art illuminates the gloom of your darkened room, and you groove so hard you forget all about sleeping.
NPR is an embarrassment of musical riches. You may know that one of the top radio shows in the country is Eklektikos, with John Aielli. Weekmornings on KUT-FM, John offers music based on the theme of the day…or doesn’t. Sometimes he follows a thread of a stray thought or image and leads you down the garden path to discover treasures, old and new. Any musician would kill to be featured live on his treasured 11:00-noon slot. Part studio session, part interview, John tenderly cultivates musical newbies, just as he tends his own garden, graciously giving them a helping hand with precious air time.
John also blogs at Aielli Unleashed. He weaves art, music, books into a rich tapestry of words and sounds. An accomplished singer, John is knowledgeable about all kinds of music.
NPR serves up non-stop streaming music 24-7 from stations across the country, along with videos of concerts, studio sessions, and interviews. So the next time you find yourself filled with ennui at two ay em, tune into your local NPR station and soothe your sin-sick soul.
So if you’re new to Little Feat, you’ve gotten a taste of the classic LF with Lowell George, then a few tunes since 1989 with Craig Fuller, and now you’ll get to catch up on some of their latest. Shaun Murphy–the incomparable songstress of soul–broke the rock ‘n roll ceiling, going from backup with LF and many other groups to a full-fledged front-line singer in ‘95. She’s been sending chills up and down spines ever since.
Shaun has a distinguished history in the business, working with Meat Loaf, Eric Clapton, Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band, and other industry greats. Her voice is clear, soulful, and nuanced. Not to mention plain ol’ B-flat kickin’ when she gets revved up on those LF driving tunes. She uses good musicianship to stay fluent and on the money. After a great show one night, I said, “Shaun, I wanna be your back-up singer!” She chuckled, and told me to stick with classical :)
The Austin Symphony Orchestra Web site has a link to a very user-friendly glossary of musical terms. Pared down to the most used words or terms, this is a handy on-line reference for every good musician. Just the resource to accompany your on-line musical searches.
Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the gala conclusion to ASO’s Beethoven series. The Ninth Symphony (“Choral”) is coming up on May 16 and 17 at the new Long Center for the Performing Arts.
If you take musical instruction, here are five tips to keep your teacher happy.
1. Show up. This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised at how ditching just one lesson can mean the difference between a so-so musician and a good musician. Even if you can’t play or sing, you can talk through the music with your teacher.
2. Be prepared to play or sing on the dot. Arrive early enough to soak your reed, warm up your instrument, or vocalize–whatever you need to do to be prepared to get right to the music. Make the most of your time with your teacher–focus, listen, respond–if you want to chat, do it before or after the lesson, not during.
3. Complete your assignment for the lesson. If your teacher asked you to run a particularly tricky passage until it’s fluid, make sure you have practiced enough during the week so the phrase lays naturally in your fingers or voice and you can move on to new material.
4. Remember that your teacher wants you to improve musically. Don’t take criticism personally–it’s all about growing as a musician. Mark your music so you will know what to work on for the next lesson, and make sure you understand your next assignment.
5. Impress your teacher with supporting information you’ve found during the week on other pieces by the composer you’re studying, some tidbit about the life of that composer, or similar works by other composers. It adds depth to your musical knowledge and understanding, and you just might surprise your teacher with some juicy dish!
Keep in mind that practice makes possible–don’t worry about the perfect. If musicians were perfect, there would be no room for learning and growth. It would get pretty boring with no challenge to improve. I’m sure you’ve heard musicians who are technically proficient, but have no emotional connection with the music or their audience. Do your best every time you pick up your instrument or open your mouth–it’s all about building on good habits and communicating with your peeps.
After Lowell George’s death, the musicians of Little Feat went on to create more music, singly, and with top headliners, such as Bonnie Raitt. Then in 1989 the group reformed, adding Craig Fuller form Pure Prairie League and Fred Tackett, who had written for and played with the Feat from the beginning, as well as most every great musician you can name. This new configuration was bigger and some say better. They were certainly just as exciting, and with a jazzier, more mature sound. Here are some recent Feat videos. Which do you prefer? Comments are open to vote for classic Feat vs. contemporary Feat. In the second cut, you’ll meet Fred Tackett and be amazed at his guitar licks. Craig Fuller left LF soon after, and was replaced by the soulful Shawn Murphy. A treat’s in store for tomorrow!
While browsing YouTube I found some videos of my old pals Little Feat. This is the original Little Feat, before we lost the brilliant Lowell George. Here’s a loving tribute to one of the best rock ‘n roll bands ever. Tune in tomorrow for videos of the reincarnated Little Feat with the addition of musical genius Fred Tackett and the incomparable Shawn Murphy. Fred and I went to music school together, and Shawn has sung backup with many of the greats, including The Silver Bullet Band.
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