Listen to the Mockingbird...

After more than enough of Ben Franklin's favorite bird and all the super sides on Thanksgiving day thanks to nephew Matt King and his new bride Liz, we hit the highway to at least make some attempt to walk off such a fine feast.  Destination:  milepost 5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the trailhead for Humpback Rocks, an awesome outcropping where I camped as a Boy Scout.  It's a short hike but a steep one, marked "strenuous" on the trail guide, an assessment with which I concurred while remembering the mashed potatoes and corn pudding from the day before.  Made me wish I had a couple extra young legs like Em's puggle Opie, who easily outpaced her master's parents.  I love treks like this one where you huff and puff a bit for a spectacular payoff...a 360 degree vista with haze-free views of the Shenandoah and Rockfish Valleys.  Windy and clear with a few snow-laden clouds blowing by for an extra edge.  Invigoration. 

The climb was also effectively a way to justify another good meal, a few drafts and some live music in Staunton's new restaurant/listening room, The Mockingbird.  As described in an earlier post, this new venue is now open at the western end of Beverley Street downtown...there's the main dining room when you first walk in, and there's the separate Roots Music Hall which on this night featured our pal Jesse Harper sharing the bill with Staunton favorite son Nathan Moore.  Jesse went first with the seriously tasteful accompaniment of keyboardist Wells Hanley.  Jesse's becoming a solid and compelling solo artist with well-crafted originals like "One True Thing" and "Memphis" along with well-chosen covers including his spot-on take on James Taylor's "Bartender's Blues."  (And for something completely different, check out Wells' zany video "Brainiology" here, also starring Robby Sinclair and Curtis Fye.  Whew!)

Then the hometown boy stepped in to stake his claim, with some spiffy duds and illuminated slight-of-hand, and of course the clever and insightful homemade tunes that won him the Telluride Troubadour title in 2008 and lots of new fans including me at FloydFest last summer.  Plus he's the son of a couple of my old classmates at Lee High School, all-around good guy Steve Moore and the former Gloria Lutz.  We had a fine reunion...and the show was terrific too.  You need to check out the Mockingbird's Website and find out who you might like to see there (like the Honey Dewdrops on Dec. 11) and make a night of it.  Again, the former chef from Richmond's Six Burner, Lee Gregory is running the kitchen, which was slammed on this Friday night, but they still cranked out some deliciously imaginative fare.  It's great to see so much going on in my old hometown.  (above photos by Emily Timberlake)

 

Thanks to B.J. Kocen for the chance to share judging duties with Kay Landry at Ashland Coffee & Tea for their 2nd Songwriter's Showdown a week ago.  I had a blast.  And congratulations to Clay Motley who took first, and won us over with a smoothly delivered set of solid tunes to his own adept accompaniment on guitar.  Another round of contestants appeared tonight and will from now on...a great way to spend a Monday night, whether you're competing or just listening.  And don't forget the paid professionals on their way to AC&T this month, including the Taters, The Gobstoppers and Tony Furtado respectively Wed-Fri nights this week, Adam Steffey & Kym Warner on the 9th, Robin & Linda Williams on the 11th and a very special John Cowan Christmas on the 18th.  And don't miss Charles Arthur's CD release party there on Tuesday the 15th.  The project is called Back At The Christmas Shack and you can preview a few choice tracks here.

So what the heck was Alison Krauss doing at the big game in Charlottesville on Saturday?  Randy and I are dying to know.

Have a meaningful 12th month...TT

rabbit

Acoustic feast...

With two memorable but disparate performances still lingering in my mind's ear...Saturday's mesmerizing reconnect with Jesse Winchester at AC&T and last night's raucous return of Robert Earl Keen, Jr. at the National, it's time to move ahead to compelling offerings over the next few days before Thanksgiving.  We might well be sold out for tomorrow's JAMinc/In Your Ear studio concert with Anne & Pete Sibley but it wouldn't hurt to check here if you're up for our last show of the year.  Friday marks a potent pairing that Brad Wells conceived at the National, gifted singer-songwriter David Wilcox along with guitar wizard Phil Keaggy.  There'll be floor seating for this intimate collaboration between two of acoustic music's most expressive practitioners and again, I'm offering up a pair of  free tickets.  No questions this time...just email me:  mail@timtimberlake.com and say you want them...I'll have a drawing on Thursday and let you know if you've won.

On the way home from Ashland last Saturday, we caught an assured and delighted songwriting contest winner named Grace Pettis on the syndicated radio show Mountain Stage.  The apple falls close to the tree, as her dad is talented composer/singer Pierce Pettis who happens to be playing Richmond on Saturday as part of Cafe Caturra Coffee House Series at St. Giles Presbyterian Church on Grove Avenue.  Listen to some of Pierce's great tunes on his MySpace page and consider taking in his thoughtful and inspired performance.  I also have a free pair of tickets for that show...same deal.  Email me a request and I'll draw on Friday. 

After taking a much-needed night off for reflection and retrospection at Little Compton on Sunday, it's back to Ashland Coffee and Tea on Monday for their 2nd Songwriter Showdown.  Congrats to Louis Ledford for winning the debut event this past Monday...this week I have the honor of co-judging the competition with Kay Landry and host B.J. Kocen.  Come to listen or to give a couple of your originals an appreciative audience.  Pertinent details are on the Website and the cover's only $5.  Should be a blast. 

Good wishes for healing wanted for Page Wilson after a vehicular mishap a few weeks ago left him hurting and having to miss a couple of his Saturday night OOTBRR shows on WCVE-FM.  Feel better Page...the big swamp's just not the same without you.  TT

(all photos in this post from artist Websites)

A Natural Collaboration...

It may have been something their agent Keith Case cooked up, but judging by the smiles on stage at Hat Factory last Friday, it appeared that Larry Keel and his band Natural Bridge from up Rockbridge County had been longtime friends and musical associates of the man, the myth, the master...Tony Rice.  My first live experience with Larry  proved more than positive as his flatpicking prowess produced more than one raised eyebrow and broad grin on Mr. Rice's face.   Along with wife Jenny on bass, Mark Schimick on mandolin and Jason Flournoy on banjo, the Natural Bridge kept the nice-sized crowd pumped with a juicy set of roots-based power grass, before the legend even left the green room.  During the break, this former Stauntonian played "do you know" with the band as we passed a nice bottle of Jameson around.  My old compadre Charlie Reilly (who was our blog ticket winner-correct answer: Magraw Gap) shared the observation that he'd seen Marty Stuart at Toad's Place, the venue's previous moniker, playing the other iconic Clarence White guitar...his 1954 B-bender Fender Telecaster.   So with the 1935 big hole D-28 now in the house in Tony's gifted hands, Clarence had come full circle.  Tony seemed pleased at that notion.  And he proved as he has so many times before that he can fit slip into any musical setting and turn it to gold.  Look for a new Tony Rice Unit studio project early in 2010.  Good news.

 

Lone star statesman Robert Earl Keen's back for his annual autumnal stop in River City this coming Tuesday, this time, for the first time at the National, which should prove to be his perfect local launch pad.  And thanks to a National sense of compassion, we'll put you and yours on the guest list if you can answer this query:  What does Robert Earl call the one-room shack fifteen miles from his Kerrville home out on the prairie where he goes to be alone and write his story songs?  I'll do a drawing on Saturday from correct responses to mail@timtimberlake.com.  He'll no doubt be doing a bunch of tunes from his latest album The Rose Hotel along with the growing list of songs his devoted fan base loudly demands every time.  And no doubt Christmas will arrive early again this year.  Fran and Rita will again drive from Harlingen.  Will you at least drive downtown?

Don't forget about Chris Smither and Jesse Winchester playing AC&T this Thursday and Saturday respectively.  Kay and the Parmeles won't be able to keep bringing artists of this caliber here unless we show our gratitude by showing up.   And we hope you'll grace us with your presence and something tasty to eat as JAMinc presents its final In Your  Ear Studio concert of the season on Thursday, the 19th.  You don't want to miss those sweet Sibley harmonies from the foot of the Tetons.  We're filling up fast to hear Anne & Pete so grab your seats here.  And a grateful nod to Julie Geen for the piece on JAMinc in this week's  Style Weekly.  Pick up a free copy anywhere or read it online here. (Sibleys photo from their Website)

"How high's the water Mama?  Six feet high and rising."  True story, with the James running maybe ten more feet by Friday night.  The blog Tobacco Avenue reports evidence of an ark being built at Maymont.  At least get the flying squirrels on there.

TT

Then and now...

First a glance over the shoulder to a couple of memorable performances you probably missed.  Back to Sunday, October 25th where my cozy rural church in Goochland County was host to the sensational Oberon Quartet.   Hebron Presbyterian was founded in 1842 and in recent years thanks to our music director Markus Compton (the new leader of the Richmond Choral Society incidentally), we've been privy to a wide variety of performers from classical to jazz to bluegrass in an inviting, worshipful setting.  Comprised of four gifted members of the Richmond Symphony, the Oberon Quartet, artists-in-residence at St. Catherine's School, enthralled us with an expansive program that included the world premiere of The More Things Change, an original composition by Richmond's own John Winn,  best known for his extensive endeavors in the jazz realm.  In three unique movements (the 2nd of which, Stasis,  was one of the most lush and dreamy things I've ever heard), John's work came to life, thanks to violinists Susy Yim and Alana Carithers, violist Molly Sharp and cellist William Comita.  It was a privilege to hear such artistry radiating from a score played for the first time anywhere.  I hope John's work will be properly recorded soon so it can be shared with the rest of the world.  Bravo!

I'd first met Wil Maring, an enchanting singer/songwriter from the Land of Lincoln, when she played the Cabin Stage at MerleFest more than ten years ago as a winner of the Chris Austin songwriting contest.  On that April Friday night she became a member of a distinguished sorority that also would include Gillian Welch, Adrienne Young, Tift Merritt and Martha Scanlan.  She brought her road partner/sideman Robert Bowlin along for the ride to Richmond to play one of our JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio Concerts last Friday and it was pure magic.  Robert's a past Winfield, Kansas national flatpicking champion and the last fiddler to play in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, as well as a sensitive backup vocalist and the two of them cast a spell over the two delightful sets that included "Bottomland," the tune that won the contest and my affection all those years ago, another poignant original "Keeper of the Farm" you can see here and a show-stopping take on Cole Porter's western show tune "Don't Fence Me In."  Look for that one in the soon-to-be-released JAMinc/IYE compilation CD.  They had a tough act to follow.  Lucille Brown Middle School 6th grader Harper Speagle-Price opened the show with a handful of well-played tunes on her mandolin, backed up by dad Terry on guitar and Barry Lawson on bass.  She was poised, cool and collected and you can count on hearing much more from this talented 11-year-old in the years to come. 

Our next In Your Ear concert, the last of 2009, will feature Anne and Pete Sibley from Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Thursday, November 19th.  As mentioned before, they won the "Great American Duet Sing Off" on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion last spring for good reason.  Come hear why...reservations soon on our JAMinc Website.  Don't dally on this one.                          

(All above photos from artist Websites)

Sunday night had me back at the Landmark to host the Richmond Pops Band's fall concert and it's a kick to hang backstage in that venerable hall with consummate stage manager Donna Pendarvis and hear that big and brassy group of musicians work the crowd so powerfully.  The incredible U.S. Army Chorus was back as special guests from DC and their announcer was Staff Sgt. Jesse Neace whom you might have caught singing "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch in Game 3 of the World Series in Philly.  What a thrill for a super nice young guy!  Thanks to RPB director Joe Simpkins for one of my favorite recurring gigs.  You still might be able to get free tickets to their annual holiday concert on December 14th by sending a SASE to the Richmond Pops Band, 3811 Cotrell Road, Richmond 23234, before Dec. 7th.  Limit 4 per letter.

So much music down the short road...including Rockbridge County roots rocker Larry Keel and Natural Bridge at Hat Factory this Friday night, with very special guest Tony Rice.   I've heard Tony in many settings over the decades but this should be a unique environment for him.  Intrigued?  Just tell me the name of the group Larry was in that won the Telluride band competition in 1995 and I've got a pair of free tickets to the show for you.  (Hint:  Danny Knicely was in it too)  I'll draw from correct answers to mail@timtimberlake.com.

Lots of great shows booked at Ashland Coffee & Tea this month including Richmond Folk Festival regulars Coleman & Fuller on the 4th, Chatham County Line on the 6th, Chris Smither on the 12th and Jesse Winchester on the 14th.  And don't forget Texas road warrior Robert Earl Keen at the National on the 17th.  Please get out and support these venues that are going out on a limb for us in bringing all this top-drawer talent to town.

One of the most creative, tireless, effective, zany, enduring, fearless, witty, dapper and debonair gentlemen to ever work a microphone for a living, Harvey Lee Hudson, Jr. called it quits Sunday after 88 action-packed years of doing what he did best...being himself.  Charming the socks off anyone in his presence either in person or on the air, ol' Harv set the bar impossibly high.  Era over.  The "Passing Parade" goes on forever.  Heaven has a new host.             

(Adolph B. Rice Studio photo/April 27, 1949)

TT