The month of January was named after the Roman goddess Janus who had two faces. Like the goddess, January is the month of the year when we both look back on the previous year that is over as well as ahead to the year coming up. I just posted my favorite releases for 2011 - here is a list of releases that I'm looking forward to in 2012. The Right Now - sophomore release (April 21st) - The Chicago R&B group The Right Now has had a pretty great run since their [...]
Here we are in the final month of 2011 and it is time for the Top lists. I started this last year for the first time , and I think it was a pretty good exercise. 2011 for me personally was a time of change- I was laid off from a job I had for over 13 years and spent most of 2011 unemployed. As I write this, I'm happily employed, though I'm having to deal with the fallout of being unemployed for so long. If it wasn't for the friends and contacts I made through this [...]
Somewhere between Milwaukee, Rockford, IL and Chicago sits Whitewater, WI . Whitewater is home of the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater (alma mater of John Belushi if you believe Wikipedia) as well as folk/country/Americana singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault . Foucault has been spinning his particular yarns into song for going on ten years and has performed in support of complimentary artists like Greg Brown, Todd Snider and Chris Smither. His 2006 album Ghost Repeater was produced by Bo Ramsey and included a few of his regular sidemen- Rick Cicalo on bass, Steve Hayes on drums, as [...]
The Twin Cities is a great place for music. Twin Citizens know that well enough--we are home, after all, to a host of influential music venues, and our beloved indie radio station 89.3 the Curr
Pieta Brown - Mercury (w/ Bo Ramsey)
Red House Records and Pieta Brown announced today that her new album titled Mercury - her second for the label will release on September 27th with an iTunes download of the title track available immediately . There is also a pre-order on iTunes with two-minute samples of every track on the 13-song album. At first blush the album continues the honey-drenched laid back bluesy folk sound that is her trademark sound. Pieta's first album on Red House Records, One and All [...]
Over the long weekend, I was hoping to get in on some of the sales that were going on- specifically Guitar Center in Cedar Rapids, and the full-weekend 20% sale at Half-Price Books. While I didn't actually get over to Guitar Center, I did hit HPB, but also managed to see David Lowery and Johnny Hickman tape a Java Blend session in Iowa City with my friend Erik , which also resulted in a great trip to The Record Collector. I also visited Moondog Music in Dubuque on Thursday and picked up some "missing titles" and hit a Half [...]
Today Daytrotter posted a session I've been waiting over a year-and-a-half to hear- Pieta Brown 's encore session! The session was recorded Thursday, June 11, 2009 using a short-lived band lineup called "Dream #93 with Jim Viner on drums, Jon Penner on bass and Bo Ramsey on guitar. They performed only two shows in this configuration . June 11th at The Redstone Room in Davenport and then on June 12th at The Mill in Iowa City , which I reviewed . Here is a picture of that band [...]
Since I just finished my Top 20 of 2010 , it has me looking towards 2011 and the releases that are rumored, speculated or actually announced. Here are some releases I'm looking forward to (in no particular order). The Second Dawes Album (May 2011) - I wrote an article about this release and speculation about what tracks are going to be on it . The first Dawes album- North Hills was released in 2009 and has had [...]
Pieta Brown's second songwriter-in-residency called "This Land Is Your Music" at The Mill Restaurant kicked off on Saturday 12/4 right on the heels of a six-day mini-tour of Australia which wrapped up the previous Saturday. I had been looking forward to seeing these two shows. Last year's three consecutive Thursday night shows in November (read my reviews for 11/5/09 , 11/12/09 , 11/19/09 ) were truly magical, intimate shows. Pieta considers The Mill her home venue- she got her start playing The Mill, so she was happy to bring these shows to that stage. [...]
It's hard to believe that it already has been over a year since Pieta Brown hosted her first artist-in-residence at The Mill Restaurant . That show was three Thursday night shows in November last year (see my reviews for: 11/5 , 11/12 , 11/19 ). Next to the Daytrotter Barnstormer shows, these were some of my favorite shows of 2009- very intimate and special. The stage lighting and design by Stan Crocker was a great touch- an eclectic little living room. Pieta was using these shows to try out some [...]
"I always wished I could paint, but I really can't. My sisters Constie and Zoe got that gene. So, I made a painting here- of one kind." - Pieta before a live performance of "Over You" I'm awoken by the flash and rumbles of the first spring storm. 5:55 AM floods into my retinas rinsing recent dreams into faint images. In my head there's music- like every morning- a score played over the final scenes of my sleeping film I'll soon forget. I roll on to my back and look at the [...]
If you follow my blog with any regularity, you know that I follow the Eastern Iowa music scene fairly closely- especially its rich folk and blues tradition. One of the guys who has been around Iowa City for a while and has established a kind of legendary career is Dave Moore . Moore's music career starts in the early 80's in Iowa City hooking up with Greg Brown- supporting him on tour, recording and his frequent visits to Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio show. In 1984 he won a blues and folk festival contest which [...]
This week we have been treated to some news about Pieta Brown's follow up to her Shimmer EP from the folks at Red House Records. Pieta's new album and first full-length for her new label home, titled One & All will be released on April 6th! Co-produced by Pieta and Bo Ramsey the record is a culmination of material she's been performing live since the release of her last full-length Remember The Sun which came out in 2007. She started performing "Calling All Angels" during that solo tour, and I [...]
Thursday night, November 19th, was the last of the three shows that comprised Pieta Brown 's Artist-in-Residence at the Mill Restaurant in Iowa City . Each show had different opening acts and gallery exhibits, and Pieta used these shows to try out different performance configurations. The first show was a solo acoustic show, the second was a duo show with Bo Ramsey , and this show was a full-band show. The band, dubbed "Skyrocket" was Bo Ramsey on guitar, Steve Hayes on drums and Jon Penner on bass. Effectively this her "Dream #93 band with a swap [...]
Last week I posted about the first of the three This Land is Your Music shows at The Mill Restaurant in Iowa City featuring Pieta Brown and selected regional artists. Last week's show featured Pieta in a solo acoustic setting. This week's show featured Pieta in her most common live configuration- in a duo with Bo Ramsey . This was a show I was really looking forward to as it also had Bo as the opening act as a solo acoustic performance, which I hadn't seen before! As much as I look back [...]
Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt are collectively known as the roots-folk group The Pines . Based in the Twin Cities and on the Twin Cities label Red House Records, Benson and David are part of the newest generation of the Eastern Iowa sound started by Greg Brown and Bo Ramsey (who is Benson's dad) among others. In September The Pines released their third album Tremolo - which is their second album on Red House. I picked up Tremolo when it came out and have been listening to it pretty regularly. I feel that as much [...]
As previously announced , November brings a special "songwriter in residence" at The Mill in Iowa City by Pieta Brown called "This Land is Your Music : Pieta Brown & Friends" which is a series of three shows on November 5, 12, and 19 which is described as "celebrating Music, Land & Community." Each of the shows will center around Pieta's music with her playing in solo, duo (with Bo Ramsey) and in a full band configuration. In addition to her set, there will be an opening act and there will be an exhibit in the "back [...]
Pieta Brown and The Iowa City Mill have announced a three-week residency in November called "This Music Is Your Land" and will have Pieta exploring her catalog in various solo and band configurations as well as showcasing local musicians. The shows will take place the first three Thursdays in November: 11/5, 11/12, and 11/19 and will start at 8PM. The tickets will be $10. As the daughter of Greg Brown, Pieta grew up surrounded by the fertile and tight-knit Eastern Iowa music scene. It was this scene that gave Pieta the launching pad [...]
Back in May I had the chance to see Bo Ramsey and his band The Mystery Lights during his short run at the end of April/beginning of May at the Mill in Iowa City . It was a typically great show with Bo fronting a band of sidemen dating back to The Sliders days. Bo is going to play another solo show with The Mystery Lights on Friday 10/23 at the Mill in Iowa City. Show starts at 8PM and the cover is $12. My [...]
Time to play b-sides
City Pages - Gimme Noise
gbabuts
![Niki & The Dove - The Fox [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/l2f6UbMnlq4_130.jpg)
Music Singles Chart #95
Whitney! ♥
FREENESS: Robot Orchestra – Beat The Odds (Germany)
The Twilight Sad cover The Smiths
