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VOCAL Showcase August 2009
Showcase #217 was a delightful melding of fine-aged song craft, new emerging talent, with rock, pop, folk and country influences. Sarah Kane made her showcase debut, wowing the crowd with her acoustic guitar and strong vocals. David Atkins was a great headliner bringing his fine catalog of songs along with the backing tracks to fill out the sound. It all took place August 17, 2009.
VOCAL is pleased to produce the showcase at Richbrau’s TapHouse each month. We couldn’t ask for a better host with such a fine selection of exquisitely prepared meals and micro-brew creations. Join us the third Monday of the month at 1212 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, in the historic Shockoe Slip.
Guest emcee Larry Cody took to the stage and put the show on the right track with a big, rockin’ start in the form of his song ‘Keep On’. Strumming along and singing his song, Larry gave the audience the wake up call that the night was something special. Then with his usual flair for making the crowd feel at home, Larry welcomed the audience to the showcase and the night’s first performer.
Sarah Kane joined VOCAL last year and was finally able to squeeze a showcase performance into her busy life. And we couldn’t be happier for the addition to the list of VOCAL songwriters appearing on the stage this year. Sarah had a great stage presence, projecting vibrant energy into the room with a relaxed, confident demeanor. She worked her way through a set list that included some wonderfully tender ballad-like songs, a few upbeat numbers that were fun, and a little bit of comic delight thrown in as well. Some of the more serious material was shown in the songs ‘Sleep’ about a friend with severe depression – a song that I enjoyed very much – and ‘Thank You James’. Showing her lighter side and the ability to capture humor that is drawn from life experience, ‘Coffee’ and ‘Polka in a Parking Lot’ were enjoyable listening. Throughout the set, Sarah demonstrated a wonderful sense of melody, a deft hand on the guitar and thoughtful, well crafted songwriting. Sarah’s special guest was her 4 year old niece who joined in on the drum for ‘Rosie’. Thanks to Sarah for sharing her talent with VOCAL and starting the showcase with a fantastic set.
Larry then returned to the microphone to transition the evening to our featured performer. No stranger to songwriting or performing, David Atkins is a long time member and one of the great songwriters of VOCAL. David came prepared to put on a show and proceeded to take the audience through a musical experience that was full of life, drama, real life experience and emotional encapsulation of the best and worst of life. ‘Actually Needs Me’ was the show starter followed up by ‘When I Dream About You’. Dave showed quite the sense of humor and captured the turn of the tables that happens to the young couple, who is wild and free, laughing at the older couple with the kids in the mini-van, in the classic song ‘This Could Happen to You’. On the more tender side ‘When She Cries’ was a soft, melodic tune. The atmosphere became a little spooky with the ghost story ‘House on Leaksville Road’. In ‘Air Jamaica’ Dave captured the wonderful experience that airlines can provide with a bumpy ride and less than desirable accomodation.
Dave took time out to pay special tribute to a dear friend in the educational system who left the world too early. With a recording of ‘Because of You’ performed by the 3rd graders of Elizabeth Scott Elementary, Dave let the children of the school send the message of the wonderful contributions made by this special person. The song and more information about this inspirational educator can be found at the school’s website www.chesterfield.k12.va.us/Schools/Scott_ES/index.html on the History page. The song is a heart warming recording with piano, and the addition of synth and brass sounds to fill out the aural background of the song.
Some of the audience favorites were the classic songs from Dave such as ‘First Table from the Bar’ and ‘Wishing You Were Here’ dealing with the trials and tribulations of relationships. And the night couldn’t have ended more appropriately than with Dave’s tribute to his fellow songwriters ‘Sing Your Own Songs’ and an encore performance of ‘One Drink Left in the Bottle’.
Our wonderful performers were but one half of the night’s festivities – it wouldn’t be a show without an audience to entertain, so thanks to everyone who turned out to support our performers. A HUGE thanks to our volunteers who make it all happen – Larry Cody with table tent cards, Matt Manion for audio support and Matthew Costello for photography and web services and one more time for guest MC Larry Cody, who did a great job presenting the performers to the audience. We’ll see you next month!
VOCAL on Twitter
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David Atkins VOCAL Songwriters Showcase Podcast August 2009
Give a listen to this month’s VOCAL podcast featuring upcoming Showcase Headliner David Atkins:
[display_podcast]
Coming up on August 17
- The VOCAL Songwriters Showcase at the Richbrau Taphouse & Grill.
- David Atkins
- Sarah Kane
- MC, Larry Cody
- 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
- Click here for directions
See you there!
Page Wilson
great meeting with Page Wilson. Interesting history. Too bad he doesn’t get more recognition for his efforts to promote new music.
VOCAL Showcase June 2009
Showcase 215 was a big night for music and an incredible display of VOCAL talent. A fantastic crowd showed up to hear the wonderful performances by Dave Pollard with Triad and to hear the unique sounds of Bill Wellons.
Each month, VOCAL hosts at least two original artists on the showcase stage at Ricbrau’s TapHouse. Come join us each 3rd Monday of the month at the TapHouse for the company of some fine songwriters and performers along with some of the best micro-brew and fine culinary creations. Don’t forget to check out the VOCAL podcast each month on the blog.
The evening’s MC was John Ellis, who began the festivities with his rock-and-roll song ‘In My Place’ about the person who enters a relationship without ever giving it a chance. After the completion of the performance, the crowd responded with a great cheer and enthusiastic applause.
After John’s performance, the evening was turned over to Bill Wellons who performed a solid set of piano based songs, some sad and mournful, and some of them upbeat and fun. The song ‘Best Friend’ had a wonderful line ‘…I’ll get the leash…we’ll go out walkin’ just you and me…’ reminded me of one of my old friends who has passed. ‘She’s Still My Baby’ had a great feel to it as Bill’s fingers tickled the ivories and the song said ‘…she says she’ll kill me, but she ain’t killed me yet’. The mood then turned to reverent contemplation as Bill reflected on the stories of some elderly persons in ‘The Old Folks Home’. Top tapping and a more joyful spirit took over as Bill played ‘Heartsick Blues’. Bill closed out with a hot little instrumental ‘Lickity Split’ that had somewhat of a Ragtime sound to my ears. Thanks so much to Bill for a wonderful performance. You can learn more about Bill at his recently launched website www.billwellons.com .
Then, without much delay, our featured performer Dave Pollard took the stage with fellow performers Dale Payne and Vickie Payne as the trio Triad. And from the first song of the set ‘Processional (Joyce’s Theme)’ to the last, Triad gave the crowd an incredible performance. Dave is a wonderfully creative musician on the acoustic guitar, producing interesting riffs or melodies that add a lot to the song’s sound. Combining his guitar skills with the talented accompaniment of Dale and Vickie Payne, Triad produces a full, rich sound that captures the audiences heart and imagination. The vocal abilities of the trio were on dispaly in the second song of the set ‘Lucky’, which had some amazing vocal harmony. ‘Rock Me in the Cradle’ from Dave’s CD Ocracoma, was a welcome favorite for me, bringing back memories of other Dave Pollard performances. ‘Church of the Mind’ is from the CD Perfect Poetry, and is an inspirational song about being able to believe what you believe wherever you find yourself. ‘Leavin’ Town’ is another instrumental from Perfect Poetry, which was followed up by a Dale Payne creation ‘Dear Ann Marie’ a tender ballad that included wonderful vocal harmony by the trio. Dave’s song ‘Reach Out Your Hand’ was written for his sister at a time when he wanted to encourage her to reach out to people for support. Triad closed out the night with ‘Pictures of You’ and ‘Goodbye’ – one from each of Dave’s two CD releases.
Be sure to check out Dave’s website www.pollardmusic.com for appearances and contact info.
Thanks one more time to Dave Pollard and Dale Payne for running the evening’s sound stage. We wouldn’t be what we are without volunteers, so thanks to Matt Manion for his continued assistance with showcases, Larry Cody for the table tent cards and Matthew Costello for photos, web development and the Podcast audio production. And what would a performance be without an audience? So thanks to all who turned out to support our performers! We’ll see you next month!
Matt Manion VOCAL Songwriters Showcase Podcast July 2009
Give a listen to this month’s VOCAL podcast featuring upcoming Showcase Headliner Matt Manion:
[display_podcast]
Coming up on July 20
- The VOCAL Songwriters Showcase at the Richbrau Taphouse & Grill.
- Matt Manion
- James Lester
- MC, Louis Milhouse
- 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
- Click here for directions
See you there!
VOCAL Showcase Podcast – Dave Pollard – June 2009
Give a listen to the new VOCAL podcast featuring upcoming Showcase Headliner Dave Pollard:
[display_podcast]
Coming up on June 15
- The VOCAL Songwriters Showcase at the Richbrau Taphouse & Grill.
- Dave Pollard
- Bill Wellons
- MC, John Ellis
- 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
- Click here for directions
See you there!
The VOCAL Blog
In the interest of catching up with meeting activities and having an opportunity for members to add resources and experiences, we are launching the VOCAL Blog.
The goal is to open up an avenue for our members to share their knowledge and professional opinions. We hope you’ll offer some insight into the craft and business of songwriting.
To register as a contributor, click on “Register” under Meta in the column on the right.
We reserve the right to monitor and remove inappropriate postings.
Be well.
Matthew
Songwriters Showcase August 2007
Songwriters Showcase August 2007
The August 2007 Showcase was a night full of surprises! As the Showcase counter flipped to #193, we found ourselves moving upstairs to one of Richbrau’s other halls while the TapHouse staff took a break for a few nights. The new venue gave us an opportunity to configure the seating to our stage set-up and to experiment with the sounds of a new space. We will be back in the TapHouse for September, so be sure to join us there.
Gerry Laverty provided sound for the evening and acted as MC as well. Thanks to Gerry for the hard work!
First to the stage was John Ellis for a quick two song set to get the crowd warmed up to a night of fantastic songwriting. John performed a ‘near studio’ version of ‘The Stranger’ with backing tracks consisting of rhythm guitar, bass, conga and drums. This was an expanded version of the simpler version that he has been performing at recent Showcases. John also performed ‘Gentle Persuasion’, with lyrics written by his good friend and fellow musician Jeff Cuneo.
Glenda Creamer wowed the audience in a six song set with her strong vocals and bright guitar that she used to take the listener on an emotional journey. She put fear in our hearts with ‘I’m a Witch Today’, then put a joyful smile on our faces with ‘That’s What Country Kids Do’, gave us a touch of heart break with ‘Never Sing About the Moon’ and ‘Fortune Teller’. She wrapped up with ‘Broken Pieces’ and one of my favorite songs ‘Moonshine Sky’. The song ‘That’s What Country Kids Do’ always reminds me of some good times as a kid ‘...making mud pies, catching worms and bugs...’. Glenda’s howling vocals on ‘Moonshine Sky’ adds intensity to the drama of the underlying lyrical story telling.
Gerry Laverty had a surprise in store for those in attendance as he called a long time VOCAL member from the audience to the stage. Norman Roscher kindly accepted the invitation and treated us to three great songs. ‘You & Me & Baby’, included Norman’s own skat in the middle, ‘Dogs New Clothes’ featured an audience bark-along, and ‘Mr. Sleepy Head’ was a soothing lullaby. Thanks to Norman for supporting his fellow songwriters and entertaining the audience with a fantastic, spontaneous performance!
After Norman’s performance, Gerry Laverty stepped to the mic and plugged in his acoustic for a Featured Performer slot that included many sensitive and thought provoking songs, all of which are thoughtfully written. ‘Details of Catastrophe’ dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Gerry followed up with ‘84th Floor’ and ‘I am a House’. A VOCAL favorite was performed next with Glenda Creamer adding a wonderful vocal harmony - ‘Lonesome Blue Eyes’ has been covered on stage by several VOCAL members and is one of those songs that tends to stay with you long after the performance is over. I like this song for the beautiful melody accompanied by Gerry’s skillful finger picking, adding a great supporting guitar melody. ‘Blues in the Night’ was described by Gerry as an insomniac’s dream. ‘Zion Crossroads’ is another of Gerry’s classics that recalls an experience late one night (early one morning) near Charlottesville, dreaming of a beautiful lady. The set was closed with ‘Lead me on to Paris’ and ‘This Lethal World’. You can keep up with Gerry at www.gerrylaverty.com.
Thanks again to all performers, to Larry Cody for producing our play bills, and to those of you who come out to listen to live, original music from VOCAL songwriters. Special thanks to Richbrau’s TapHouse for hosting the monthly Showcase! See you next month!
Songwriters Showcase August 2007
Showcase 188 was a big improvement for VOCAL’s image, since the men were cleared from the stage and the night was opened up to the ladies of VOCAL. Kim Gammon, Marti Hartung, Jen Smith and Stephanie Boarman entertained a crowd of enthusiastic supporters as Ladies’ Night 2007 was presented at the TapHouse Grill.
The March 19 Showcase was kicked off by Kim Gammon who produced and hosted the special event. Kim played ‘Long Road (Going Home)’ to start the evening of great music.
The next two performers traded off songs in the popular in-the-round format. Marti contributed ‘Sing the Blues’, ‘It was Yeah’ and ‘Sitting on a Window’ (nicknamed ‘The Cat Song’). Demonstrating a skill for blues infused licks as well as gentle rolling melodies, Marti gave a multi-faceted performance.
Jen showed a lot of soulful insight with ‘Not By My Own Strength’, ‘Whisper’, ‘More Than a Survivor’, taking on themes from religious experiences, to empathetic humanity accompanied by passionate six-string rhythms.
Kim transitioned the evening from the first set to the featured performer with her heavenly voice on ‘My Angel’. Accompanying Kim for the song was mandolin player Barry Lawson, who was part of Stephanie Boarman’s featured performance with husband Jeff Boarman.
Stephanie was in great form, captivating the audience with select cuts from her bluegrass catalogue including the more melancholy and passionate tunes such as ‘Bury Me in Kentucky’ and ‘Don’t Take My Baby Away’, as well as the light-hearted and humorous tunes such as ‘Cappucino Cowboy’ and ‘Don’t Mess With Daddy’s Little Girl’. The set was high energy and beautifully played as the performers stayed true to the bluegrass form with one condenser mic and each member moving in or out as the song required.
Thanks goes out to all of the performers for a fantastic evening, to Kim Gammon for pulling the night together, to Jim Uzel and Gary Shaver for making the sound and MC thing happen and to Richbrau’s TapHouse for providing a great venue.
Songwriters Showcase July 2007
VOCAL Showcase #192 escaped the thunderclaps and potential summer time torrents of Richmond’s weather. The July 16, 20007 event at Richbrau’s TapHouse Grill was another ‘come as you are’ format, where the play bill was built around the songwriters in attendance.
The team of Shaver and Uzel once again provided the sound and MC duties for the Showcase. Gary Shaver started the evening off with his songs “Telling Me Goodbye” and “I Still Burn”.
Steve Nuckolls took to the stage to offer his songs “Making My Get Away”, “Hand Me Downs” and the newer “Sunrise”. Steve’s “Hand Me Downs” has become one of my favorites, but all three songs are indicative of his thoughtful and well crafted songwriting.
Marti Hartung captured the feelings of the VOCAL membership on a rainy evening at Dogwood Dell, immortalized in the lyrics to “Disappointing Rain”. “Hoover Town” was a comment on at least one Richmond audience who sucked the life out of musicians by treating the band as little more than musical wallpaper. Marti closed out the set with “Mystery”.
Matt Manion had travel on his mind when he took the stage. Matt gave the Showcase crowd a look back to 1978 when he worked in the oil fields of Louisiana staying at the “Royal Roach Hotel”. And I think a lot of travelers can relate to the idea of “Sit Down for Stand By”.
Jim Uzel was in fine form when he gave the audience three unique songs to ponder. “Winter, Summer Dreamer”, “September Rain” and “Too Many Angels” made up Jim’s set and featured Mark Branch during “September Rain”. Gary Shaver added support to “Winter, Summer Dreamer”. “Too Many Angels” was inspired by the events of September 11.
Mark Branch brought Marti Hartung back to the stage to perform his own song “I’ll Be Alright”. My personal take is that this is one of Mark’s best offerings yet, with that great blues back beat, his booming baritone blues voice and that wailing harmonica blended in to one great song.
Gary Shaver was kind enough to close the evening out with two more songs, “Trading the Present for the Past” and “Somewhere Between Her and You”. What a great way to end an evening with so much variety and great song writing.
We have had a great group of volunteers over the past year who support the Showcase. Larry Cody produces the play bills that are distributed to all of the tables. Our dedicated sound man Jim Uzel will be turning the duties over to John Ellis for the next year. Thanks to Jim for all he’s done and we hope to see him at all of the Showcases. And finally to Gary Shaver who has done MC
Songwriters Showcase June 2007
VOCAL Showcase #191 happened at Richbrau’s TapHouse Grill June 18, 2007. It was a night of ‘come as you are’ performances, where songwriters showed up and played in no particular order as time allowed.
The Showcase also served as a warm up to the Dogwood Dell “We Write the Songs” VOCAL event on June 29, 2007. Unfortunately that event was washed out by mother nature after only two performances, but what an accomplishment by VOCAL volunteers to organize and prepare such a monumental event for the membership!
Larry Cody warmed up the Showcase audience for the night’s festivities with his classic ‘Now I Know’. This song is always a pleasure to hear with a gentle strum on Larry’s guitar and his mellow, raspy vocals.
Steve Effinger and Mari Hartung were two performers who were on the printed playbill, since they had signed up for the Showcase prior the show date. Marti took the second slot of the night to deliver four great songs. Marti’s guitar was ringing out loud and clear in perfect unison with her vocal delivery on the play list that included ‘That Kind of Music’ and ‘What’s Doin’ Here’.
As an interlude between Marti and Steve Effinger, an old friend of VOCAL, Steve Smithson, was called to the stage to re-acquaint himself with the VOCAL membership. What a treat it was! ‘For a Moment Young’ was a finger picking guitar style with very bold, bright strums intermingled for a great sound. ‘Would not Last a Year’ showed quite the vocal ability with sounds that went from great howls to low roars. Thanks to Steve for stepping up!
Steve Effinger was next to the stage and ready to entertain with a five song set that included two new songs ‘Vieux Carre’ (a Louisiana reference) and ‘Why Can’t He Love Her Tonight’. The crowd was revved up with Steve’s light hearted and rhythmic style of ‘Sing My Song to Jesus’. Steve also included ‘Then She’ll Cry’ and ‘The Best I Ever Had’ to round out the set.
John Ellis came to the stage with the electric guitar slung across his shoulder. Unfortunately the single coil pickups were demonstrating why the ‘double humbuckers’ were invented, but the show must go on, hum or no hum. John covered Gary Shaver’s ‘Cryin’ Shame’ and played his own composition ‘The Stranger’.
Larry Cody came back to the stage to complete the evening. ‘Winter is on the Way’ opened up Larry’s second performance. Then in a great effort to make the following week’s Dogwood Dell performance all it could be, Larry performed David Atkins’ ‘Sing Your Own Songs’, which was going to be VOCAL’s grand show closing number at Dogwood Dell had mother nature held out just another couple of hours! Never the less, Larry did a great job with the song and it was great to hear another performance of this tribute to songwriters.
As I wrap up this month’s review, I would like give Larry Cody a big thank you. For quite a while now, Larry has been typing up, printing and laying out the playbill for each VOCAL performance and he has not always been acknowledged. And I would be remiss if I forgot to mention our sound and MC team of Jim Uzel and Gary Shaver. Thanks to Richbrau, to all who show up to support the performances and to all of VOCAL’s volunteers.
