February 2011

The Stool

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 12:51
Music City Logo

by Keith Bradford

 

You should always open your show with an up-tempo song with a lot of movement on stage.

 

Always do at least 3 songs back to back at the beginning of the concert before you start talking.
By now you are ready to talk and catch your breath and the audience wants to hear what you have to say also. Your song selection depends on the age group of your audience as well as other factors. Case in point while playing for an all male prison show you wouldn’t want to sing love songs.
One thing is certain that a good patriotic song always goes over well these days.
Somewhere in your show bring a stool out on stage and bring it close to the front of the stage. This is where you sing the most heart wrenching song in your list. Before you sing the song you should go into a short monologue about the song. Because you are closer to the audience than you have been the whole show and because you are sitting just like they are there is a natural bond happening between you and them. You are suddenly at their level and not standing over them.
At end of song get rid of the stool and resume high energy level.
If you are lucky enough to have a hit or some hits keep them toward the end of the show.
Never open your show with the most popular song you have because where do you go now.
You just gave them what they came to hear and you got no where to go.
The music business YA GOTTA LUV IT

Maria Muldaur gets her third Grammy nomination with Canadian label Stony Plain

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 12:49
Maria Muldaur

Story: Sandy Graham

 

Maria Muldaur has earned another Grammy nomination - her third for Stony Plain. The nomination, in the "Best Traditional Folk Album" category, is for Garden of Joy (SPCD-1332), a fun-filled collection of jug band material that hearkens back to her very first recordings with the Even Dozen Jug Band and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, recorded in the early '60s.

 

It's the third album - out of six in the Stony Plain catalogue - to be nominated for the singer, who first came to prominence with her massive 1973 hit, "Midnight at the Oasis." The other Stony Plain albums by the singer that earned Grammy recognition were Richland Woman Blues (2001) and Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul (2005).

 

Maria Muldaur's musical roots run deep. Born and raised in New York City's Greenwich Village, Muldaur was surrounded by bluegrass, old-timey, jazz, blues and gospel music, but her very first musical influences were from the records of country and western singers Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb. At age five, she would sing Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" while her aunt accompanied her on the piano. As a teenager, Maria tuned into early rhythm and blues and was an avid fan of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Clyde McPhatter and Ruth Brown. She became interested in the girl groups coming onto the scene and formed her own, The Cashmeres, while in high school.

 

2011 Juno Nominees Announced As the Big Show Returns to Toronto After A Decade On The Road.

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 12:45
Feb 4, 2011 Cover

Story: Sandy Graham

With the requisite pomp and circumstance, it was announced that Broken Social Scene, Hedley, Down With Webster and Johnny Reid will all be performing on the Drake-hosted 40th Juno Award show in the city on March 27. 

 

Shania Twain is confirmed to be on hand for induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Neil Young has confirmed that he will be here to accept his Humanitarian Award. CARAS president/CEO Melanie Berry described this year’s event as “pretty exciting and pretty star-studded” following the announcement of nominees at a well-attended media scrum at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel yesterday.


Separately, FACTOR issued a statement announcing that 60 FACTOR supported artists received a stunning 69 nominations, including Caribou, Chilly Gonzales, Crystal Castles and Holy Fuck. The funding organization has had a long history supporting artists nominated for Juno and Country music awards but rarely gets acknowledged when artists take the stage to offer thanks to mums, cats, hairdressers et al.