I was immediately impressed with her performance skills, her songwriting,

Jazz performer and singer/songwriter Cassi Gray

and her voice.  I’ve seen her at the MSA event a couple of times since that night.  Most recently, in July, she performed in one of the 30-minute sets that are the main attraction at the MSA Showcase nights on Thursday evenings at the North Star.

Cassi is making her name in the local music scene as a jazz singer and performer, and appears with a jazz trio that she fronts.  Her songwriting is more ecclectic; while constructed primarily of  jazz harmonies and styles, it is tinged with a folk flavor.  

Cassi is a recent graduate of the USM Music Program, with a double degree in jazz performance an music education.  Her voice is beautiful; clear, pitch-perfect, supple, and emotive.  It cuts through the mix and asserts itself as the main character in her performances.

The young Ms. Gray is doing a great job of promoting herself locally.  She is active in The Maine Songwriters Association, and has been networking at recent Portland Music Association events, meeting people and learning about what they do in town.  She was featured in Portland Magazine this past winter, and continues to gig in the area with both solo performances, and appearances with her jazz trio.

You can hear her very nice vocals and her original music on her MySpace page, and you can learn more about her, and find out about her gigs, at her website http://www.cassigray.com

If you get a chance to catch her performance, I highly recommend that you don’t let that chance slip by!

Take the 5:35 PM Casco Bay Lines ferry to Peaks Island ($8.20 round trip!)

Have dinner at the Cockeyed Gull restaurant or at The Inn at Peaks Island.

Walk (yes walk! It’s NOT going to rain!) to the Fifth Maine Regimental Museum on Seashore Avenue, and get there by 7:30 PM for Phil Daligan’s “Songwriters by the Sea” music series.

You will get the chance to see and hear Gathering Time, a traditional folk trio from Long Island that has perfected two separate but related art forms: three part harmony and having a ball on stage!

(As an added bonus, Gathering Time is sharing the stage tonight on Peaks with Teresa Storch, a wonderful Boston-area singer/songwriter who writes great tunes, in a variety of styles, and has killer performance skills!)

I caught Gathering Time’s set last night at The North Star Music Cafe in Portland, and that’s why I’m recommending that you make the 20-minute voyage across Casco Bay tonight.  These folks put on a wonderful show, with a bunch of original folky tunes, some great covers, and lots of fun banter on stage.

Gathering Time: (l to r) Glen Roethel, Hillary Foxsong, Stuart Markus

Gathering Time is Glen Roethel, Stuart Markus, and Hilary Foxsong.  Glen plays a beautiful Gibson guitar, plus electric bass.  Stuart is an excellent guitarist and bassist as well, and Hilary is a skilled percussionist.  They all sing with great enthusiasm, passion, and precision.  When they harmonize, some sort of fundamental, cosmic concordance occurs that makes you very happy that you have ears.

They did some covers by America, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beatles, and led the crowd in a cozy and heartening communal sing on the Chet Powers 60’s classic “Get Together”.

Their own tunes are gentle, peaceful, hopeful; true, traditional folk music.  There is a place for darkness in music, but this type of  upbeat optimism never fails to inspire me.  Anyone who allows stereotypes about folk music to shut themselves off from this stuff is missing something special.

Opening for Gathering Time was Annie Wenz, a world-traveling, folk and world music artist and  biker chic: a very nice person and extremely talented performer.  She opened with a heart-stopping interlude on a

Annie Wenz

native wooden flute with dual tones – very spooky and affecting.  Her set was a mix of funny and clever story songs, political gems, and meaningful folk ballads.  She is a strong woman with a strong voice, and a very talented songwriter.  

Her stories and songs made it clear that she has a wealth of vibrant world experience from which to draw (you need to hear her bungie-jumping song!)  She told me that she would be staying in Maine for the summer (although her gig schedule doesn’t show it!), so hopefully, we’ll get another chance to hear her.

Get over to Peaks Island tonight and see Gathering Time and Teresa Storch!

I first saw Jacob perform at the North East Folk Alliance in New York last November.  What impressed me most then was his guitar work: his fingers fade into a blur as he races across the fretboard, laying out a full sound all on his own, and hitting every note dead on.

Last night I saw another side of Jake that I hadn’t seen at NERFA.  His very innovative in his approach to the guitar.  Lot’s of right-hand work on the fretboard, harmonics, and flexing the neck for special effects.  He used a looping box to lay down grooves, and then played amazing lead over them.  That’s not so unique these days, but I don’t remember seeing anyone singing scat through his guitar’s sound hole, into the pickup microphone, to make that part of the loop.  Pretty cool.

Jacob and I had a chance to talk at the Port City Music Hall lounge before he mounted the unique stage up behind the bar.  The conversation ranged wildly between Willie Nelson’s hat, Harry Anderson’s talent, and David Copperfield’s magic.  They were all influences on his performance style and approach to his art.

He hails from South Carolina, but in the last few years has traveled extensively as he has taken up the life of a touring musician.  He seems to be having a pretty good time!

Johnson’s songs are about forgetting old girlfriends, growing up, and Jack Karouac.  He has a unique lyrical style that crams lots of words in between the frantic lead work on the fretboard; it works very well.  On stage, as he surrenders to the passion that drives his guitar playing, his energy and motion was that of a rocker from the old Muppet TV show.  Very entertaining and inspiring.

Jacob comes back to Maine regularly – he has played The Dogfish Bar and Grille and The North Star Music Cafe in the past.  Keep an eye out for this guy, he is not to be missed!

Incidentally, I enjoyed my first visit to the Port City Music Hall.  I didn’t get a good look at the big room in the venue, but it’s a very classy place, with great service.  I need to get back in there for a show.  I’m sure I’m the last one in town to have that experience!

Both of these artists seem to have discovered the  joy of studio recording in their first effort, and come back for more, fired up for a more complete sound! 

Carll Wilkinson – “The Working Poor Blues”

Carll Wilkinson’s debut 2005 release was “Pomagranate”, and it earned him a nomination for Best Singer-Songwriter by the Portland  Phoenix.   He has just released his new album, and this one’s called “The Working Poor Blues”.

Carll still plays with a percussive guitar style, and pumps out dramatic, sophisticated vocals; his are passionate, almost desperate songs about love and struggle.  He sounds a little like an upbeat and not-so-breathless Ray Lamontagne.  ”Pomagranate” was just Carll and his guitar.

The new record is much more full, with more instrumentation and production – and Carll wears it well.  We are treated to Stefen Samuels on drums, Tom Snow on piano and organ, and Pete Morse on a variety of guitars and bass.

Pete Morse is the owner of Busted Barn Studios; he recorded, mixed, mastered, and co-produced the record.  He has begun to rack up the credits for some great albums lately (Sorcha Cribben-Merrill, Putnam Smith.)  He had a hand in “Pomagranate”, but this new record is all his, and it sounds great.

As for Carll’s songwriting, he tells me, ”

I think the album is about a lot of things, but thematically I think it is a lot about personal history and reinvention, and it asks if we can reinvent ourselves or not.   The title track was written in 2007;  I had read an article about a hedge fund manager, and was kind of wondering how that juxtaposed against the staple American dream of working your way from pauper to prince.  Making a billion dollars a year seems like a mutant version of capitalism.  …Its half earnest, half sarcastic, and not so sure that our collective aspirations for more are a good thing.  And, it seems to have sort of predicted the current state of affairs.”

No word yet on a release party, but stay tuned for more information!

Zeile August – “Lucie’s Hobo Package”

Zeile August didn’t wait as long as Carll between albums: her debut was last year, and was entitled “Orion’s Belt”.  The new one will be released on June 26, and is called Lucie’s Hobo Package” (Zeile tells me she is planning the studio time for a third one already!)

“Orion’s  Belt” is a collection of 10 songs featuring Zeile’s spooky, “full-vowel” vocals, her guitar, and Fred Morin on the double bass, and not much more.  ”Lucie’s Hobo Package”, like Wilkinson’s new CD, is much brighter and fuller, again, due to more instrumentation.  

Zeile’s songwriting on her first album is sparse, down-beat, and if not dark, at least very, very deep.  She retains that style in the new record, but the added texture give the songs a slightly brighter mood and help the listener engage more fully (the lead track, “Comin’ Up Roses”, is downright upbeat for Zeile!)  

In addition to Fred Morin’s return on bass for this record,  we get Eric Heintz with tangy electric parts on several cuts, Mark Cousins on percussion, and Karl Anderson on keyboard.  Johanna Conian sings a duet with Zeile on one tune.

Both album were recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Jonathan Wyman at The Halo, and mastered by the mastering master, Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering; this latest record sound wonderful.

Zeile is releasing the new disc at a show at the St. Lawrence Center for the arts (which is practically in her back yard) on June 26th, with some special guests, including Peter Alexander and Sorcha Cribben-Merrill.  Sounds like a good time!

Maine continues to grow as a place where artists find the resources and audiences to support new releases and projects!  These are two great examples, and we’ve seen many more recently!  It’s going to be  a great summer!

The Old Port Crowd - Q97 Stage

First Sunday in June – in Portland that means the Old Port Festival!

Polly and I have been attending this event for five years now, and this was, by far, the most organized and well-run Old Port Festival we’ve seen.  Great, friendly crowd, quality craft booths, interesting food choices, and great music!  Congrats to the Portland Downtown District and all the music stage sponsors!

Everyone mentions the weather when they talk about the Old Port Festival, so I won’t!

Local folk and roots music figured prominently in the festival this year, thanks mainly to the nice folks at WCLZ!

Lara Seaver at the WCLZ Stage at the Old Port Festival

Kudos to the ‘CLZ staff for supporting local music as they do, and for putting together a great Old Port Stage.  A special thanks to Lara Seaver, morning show host and producer and host of “Music from 207″.

We arrived at the ‘CLZ stage at Silver and Fore Streets in time to catch the last few chords from Pete Kilpatrick’s guitar (damn!).  After Pete came a young woman from Toronto – Serena Ryder.  She played a couple of very small acoustic guitars, maybe 0-0-0 size, but the sound that came outta these guys was very big!  Huge energy and emotion, lyrics to match, great guitar chops.  She’s with Atlantic

Serena Ryder on the WCLZ Old Port Festival Stage

Records – must be doin’ OK!  I bought her new CD, “Is It O.K.”, great music.   Folk? eh, maybe folk/rock… ok maybe rock/folk..  but great tunes!

Spooner was next – Jason Spooner has a new live album out, which is good, because live is the way to hear this guy and this band.  ”The Flame You

Jason Spooner before his Old Port Festival set on the WCLZ stage

Follow” is his last studio album, and it’s great, but there’s so much to enjoy in a live set from these guys.  Reed Chambers on drums, of course, and Adam Frederick on bass (I love to see him play the double bass, but today he had the electric strapped on.)  The three of them play together as if they were networked, so tight and balanced.  Frederick has a great set of harmony vocal pipes – who knew?

To sweeten the deal, they were joined on the last song (Dylan’s “Girl of the North Country) by Maine fiddle ace Ed Howe (who recently and reluctantly had to leave the Dave Rowe Trio for personal reasons.) Oh, yeah, they were also

Ed Howe and Adam Frederick dish it on the WCLZ Old Port Stage

had some help on that song from Dar Williams!

Bringing Dar to Portland for the Old Port Festival was a real coup for ‘CLZ.  The crowds at the rock stages were huge, but us folkies gave those rockers a run for their money with Dar.  Fore Street was wall to wall Dar fans as far as the eye could see.

Dar Williams on the WCLZ Old Port Festival Stage

She put on a great set, (The Babysitter, Are You Out There, etc) and the crowd loved her.  Dar has a way of connecting with her live audiences that is different from other folkies who do that well.  Other great performers project their power into the audience.  Dar makes it seem as if she’s out here in the audience with us, watching the show, laughing at her mistakes and her intimate sense of humor right along with us.  It’s as if we’re all at the same party and we’re all entertaining each other.

Let’s see, what else was cool?

I ran into Tin Foil Man (Robert Wilson), a street artist familiar to many Portlanders.  He fashions sculptures out of foil, and he’s won the Phoenix Best of Portland street art title two years running.  I actually just wrote a song about this guy, and I can’t wait to play it for him.  Rumors were that he left town, but he’s here, and he had some nice pieces of his art with him.

After watching Dar Williams’ set, I walked down the hill to the Portland Coffee Roasters shop, and caught a few minutes of music from Truth About Daisies, one of my favorite local folkie bands.  They are down to three

Truth About Daisies

members now, Ronda Dale, Sheila McKinley, and Doug Swift, but the new sound is clean, simple, and uncomplicated – I like it a lot!  Sheila and Ronda’s harmonies are wonderful, and Doug is a talented multi-instrumentalist.

Guess that’s it – quite a day of music in the great city of Portland, Maine!  One of the reasons I love living here!

Oh, and the weather was GREAT!

Martin Sexton

In jazz, rock, and pop, the songwriting is focused more consistently on the music.  The song is a vehicle for vocal or instrumental fireworks.

There are certainly performing songwriters in the folk genre who are among the best at what they do, instrumentally and vocally.  Mr. Sexton is a great example.  Brooks Williams, Caroline Aiken, and Pete Kennedy are all famous in folk circles and beyond for their guitar work.  Chris Thile on mandolin, and Amanda Shires on fiddle.

Caroline Aiken

Thinking of Caroline Aiken makes me think of Jack Williams, Teri Hendrix, Jeff Black, Eliza Gilkyson, and Guy Clark.  Is there a stronger tradition for mastery at the guitar in folk music from the southland?  (Brooks Williams is originally from Georgia, if I’m not mistaken.)

Folk music success does not always require virtuosity in your instrument, however.  Many of the biggest draws in folk music have found their audience not through their musicianship, but instead, through their songwriting and their ability to engage a live audience in an intimately shared experience.

Ellis Paul; Cheryl Wheeler; John Gorka; Don White; Vance Gilbert, Lori McKenna; Peter Mulvey.  These people play the guitar far better than I’ll ever

Lori McKenna

hope to, and have developed into very competent instrumentalists who accompany themselves extremely well.  But their guitar work is not the focus of their talent. We love these performers because they write terrific songs that reach us in ways that their guitars never will.  We love them for the way they make us feel as if we are their best friends when we are in their audience.

Who are the local folkies whose instrumental prowess is their major asset?  Don Campbell, Jason Spooner, and Dave Rowe on guitar?  Anybody ever hear Lindsey Montana play his guitar?  Ed Howe on fiddle? Joe Walsh on mandolin?

Dave Rowe

On the other hand, which local folkies rely more on their songwriting and performance skills?  Vanessa Torres?  Putnam Smith?  Sara Cox? Christian Cuff?  Jud Caswell?

Your thoughts?

Yours in folk, Bob McKillop

There have been many opinions expressed about what constitutes “folk” music, and I don’t think there’s one answer that is correct or all inclusive.  By definition, folk music is what folks think it is.

Here’s my take, in the form of some examples…

An eighty-year old Catholic nun in a white habit strumming an acoustic- electric signed by Willie Nelson, singing a terrific original tune that sounds like she stole it directly from Hank Williams, to a roomful of senior citizens at an old folks home (Maine singer-songwriter Sister Kay Kay).

Roger Saloom

Veteran folk troubadour Roger Saloom, who made his name down in Worcester, MA back in the late sixties, and the very young, but incredibly talented Seth Glier, killing a very appreciative crowd at the North Star Music Cafe on a Portland Saturday night in early May.

Wiping tears of joy from my eyes as I listen to the stunning melody and chord arrangements written by Maine songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Trippe (of The Mutineers), to go along with a set of lyrics that I wrote.

Clara Berry

Watching young keyboard ace and gifted Maine songwriter Clara Berry grow and learn, from both mistakes and triumphs, right before my eyes as she performs to a sell-out crowd while opening for Cheryl Wheeler at One Longfellow Square in Portland.

Putnam Smith (photo by Sam Cousins)

Feeling the tingle on my spine as I perceive the great things to come for Durham, Maine  songwriter Putnam Smith, after listening to his stunning new full-length studio album “Goldrush” (CD release at One Longfellow Square on Friday, May 29 at 8:00 – I’ve already bought my tickets!)

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

The surprise and delight in learning that a Maine songwriter, Peter Alexander, is a friend of the legendary Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and that he has convinced him to come and play a concert in Portland, at the St. Lawrence Center for the Arts, on August 20, 2009 (I’ve already bought my tickets for that show too!)

You get the picture – folk music, for me, is about the heart-grinding, knife-edge experience of a developing performer on stage, in the zone and risking everything.  It’s about the clarity and wisdom of a perfect song.  And it’s about watching the community and communication that arises from the interaction between a songwriter/performer and an intimate audience.

What does folk mean to you?  Let fly with your thoughts!

Maine is full of this type of thing – please go find some, enjoy it, and support it!

Yours in Folk

Bob McKillop

Hey, folks, here I am sitting up in the front of the room at the North Star Music Cafe in Portland, with about 10 minutes to go to showtime.  Tonight is the Maine Songwriters Association Showcase and Open Mic – I’m going to try a little something here, in the context of my education as a blogger – real time blogging! (Not that I won’t be editing just a little before I post!)  Let’s see how it goes!  But hold that thought – I need to get a beer!

OK, I’m back!  Craig Hensley has started his showcase set – Nice Conley guitar (local luthier!), with vocals that remind me of Chuck Pyle.  ”Dark Eyes” is the opener, a lush strummer with thick romantic themes.  Craig has obviously spent some time on stage; he’s very confident, and an accomplished performer. (above, Craig Hensley!)  ”Thunder and Lightning” comes a little later in the set – give a listen below!

(All audio was recorded live using a Zoom H2 Handy Recorder; the resulting MP3 file was imported to GarageBand and exported to reduce the file size; permission to post was obtained from all artists!)

Streaming Audio: Craig Hensley sings “Thunder and Lightning”

The night is structured thusly – beginning at 7:00, there are four MSA showcase slots.  These are MSA members who have performed in at least one open mic slot, and are eligible for the 35 minute showcases.  Generally, the quality of these sets is very good and Craig is no exception.  After the showcase slots end at 9:30, the open mic starts, with 15 minute slots until 11:00 PM, when the evening ends and the North Star closes.

Ronda Dale is our MSA host tonight!  Ronda has a lot of cred around here – she performs with her partner Kevin Attra often as a folk/pop/blues/alt country duo, plays bass for Truth About Daisies, and has a show on WMPG radio.  Nice gal, very talented!

Caleb Davenport is on the sound board, along with Jennifer McQuaid (at left).  These volunteers are what keeps this evening going – it’s got to be a candidate for the longest running gig in Portland, at nine years!

7:20  PM:   Craig has broken a string, borrowed another guitar, and is re-tuning and setting up with a new mic on the guitar, with Caleb’s help.  We didn’t even skip a beat here!

It’s not even 7:30 yet, but the open mic list is full, and players continue to come in and ask to sign up.  As most people know, this night is an “all originals” night – only original music, in keeping with the tradition of the Maine Songwriters Association.

7:45 PM:  Craig’s set ends and Ronda does a few hosterly duties, and then she and Kevin Attra take the stage!  The first tune is Ronda’s, called “Preachin’”, and it’s bold and beautiful.  She and Kevin are very tight musically; they’ve had lot’s of time to get inside each other’s heads.  She has a clear tone to her voice, dead on pitch, with just a slight hint of that southern drawl from her home land.  Their set is a nice mix of each other’s songs, that blend well together. Kevin’s lead work is very, very nice.

Streaming Audio: Kevin Attra’s song “Terminal”, with Ronda Dale

8:10 PM:   Next up is Heather Hardy!  I met Heather at Jud Caswell’s song circle (see my last post!)  The song she had us critique that night was “Here Lies Vera”, which is about a woman who died in New Orleans after Katrina; the authorities didn’t want to bother with burying her, so her lover had to do it himself – poignant story, great song! She is singing it right now, here at the North Star Music Cafe – give a listen below!

Streaming Audio: Heather Hardy sings “Here Lies Vera”

There are some folks who come here every single Thursday night – great supporters of the MSA!  The host passes a silver bucket so that the audience can contribute to the organization – it’s the MSA’s largest source of revenue at present (full disclosure – I’m on the Board of Directors of the MSA and I’m currently the Treasurer!  Just so you know!)  The bucket generally attracts between $10 and $30.

The last showcase slot is Brendan Hogan.  I met Brendan at another MSA night here at the North Star a month or so ago – he drove up that night from his home in Cambridge, MA, in the middle of a snow storm.  He’s got this wonderful old legacy gibson guitar, from the 1950’s, and he actually let me play it that night – what an experience!   Brendan performed a great set that night, with inspired songwriting and solid guitar chops.

Alas, I did not get to stay and hear Brendan’s set tonight!  I had to depart for the evening at 9:00 – I am trying hard to live without a car, and that puts me at the mercy of available rides.  The two-and-a-half mile walk home is OK in the warm weather, but not in the dead of winter!

But it was another great night at the Maine Songwriters Association Showcase and Open Mic.  If you go to the North Star on any Thursday, you will experience this great sense of community, the killer music, and the excitement of the open mic.  Bring your instrument and sign up, if that’s your thing – it really is a lot of fun, and the crowd is very friendly and supportive!

Have a great week!

Bob McKillop

Jud Caswell's songwriters circle, Brunswick, Maine

If you are a songwriter, your songs are like your kids – you love them, you protect them,  you get a little touchy when someone criticizes them.

But if you want them to grow and evolve and reach their potential, you need to get some objectivity into the picture.

Enter Jud Caswell’s songwriter’s circle in Brunswick.  How do I love this idea – let me count the ways:

1.  Jud is a great songwriter; getting a song critique from him makes this a no-brainer right from the git-go;

2.  This circle attracts some other great songwriters – does the name Martin Swinger ring a bell?  More song critiques from people I respect;

3.  How about just having the opportunity to play some of my songs for writers of this caliber?

4.  My songs get better;

5.  I get to hear some  killer songs very close to their point of creation – a real privilege!

I could go on… but I won’t.

Is it difficult to have your songs dissected and analyzed right in front of you? Well, sometimes…  but mostly, the comments are fair, constructive, and because they come from other songwriters, extremely relevant to the craft.  It can actually be a lot of fun.

I’ve had this experience before – you write something that you are pretty proud of, and take it to a song critique circle.  You play the damn thing in front of all these gifted songwriters, and even before you finish the song, you begin to see what can be improved.  It’s almost like telepathy – the mere presence of these folks, who understand what you are trying to do, gives you an objectivity that you didn’t have when you put pen to paper.

The commentary afterwards only serves to confirm and augment what you sense.

What you get at the end is a much better song and some additional insight into the process.  It’s an invaluable way to learn this craft, especially with someone like Jud Caswell and his friends.

If you’re interested, post a comment and I’ll hook you up!

Well, OK, not MY first birthday (far from it!), but the first birthday of my folk music web page, MaineFolkMusic.com!

To celebrate, I’ve added a blog!  I’m hoping that this will make the site more interactive and interesting.  I’ll be trying to write more informally, raise some issues, start some discussions – join in!

I’m not an experienced blogger, but I’m just going to try and have fun with it – I hope you have fun too.  Take a quick look at the “About” page for some basic ground rules…  I know, I know, but I gotta have ‘em!

Know any other great folk music blogs out there?  Let’s hear about them!  Clue me in, and the rest of the crowd too – let’s get some action flowing!

Let ‘er rip!

All the best

Bob McKillop