Tag: “Richard Thompson”

Cayamo Music Cruise 2018 preview

Brandi Carlile on Cayamo

Brandi Carlile

By Paul T. Mueller – Cayamo 2018, a “festival at sea” focused on singer-songwriters, celebrates its 10th anniversary (and 11th sailing) beginning Feb. 4. The cruise for the first time will depart from New Orleans, en route to a seven-night western Caribbean voyage with stops at Cozumel and Harvest Caye, off the coast of Belize.

More than 40 performers – some solo, some with bands – will provide the entertainment, which at times will span more than 12 hours a day of continuous shows. Six venues, ranging in size from a few dozen to several hundred, will accommodate the performances. That’s in addition to the usual after-hours jams, consisting mostly of amateur musicians but often featuring drop-in contributions by the professionals.

Paul Thorn will appear on Cayamo

Paul Thorn

Cayamo’s big names return

Big names in the lineup, in no particular order, include Cayamo veterans Richard Thompson, John Prine, Brandi Carlile, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Lee Ann Womack, Paul Thorn, Jim Lauderdale, and Shawn Mullins – the only artist to have sailed on every Cayamo. Other veterans, possibly less familiar but no less capable, include Scott Miller, Hayes Carll, John Paul White, John Fullbright, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Brian Wright, Michael McDermott, Drew and Ellie Holcomb and Max Gomez.

The roster also includes a healthy crop of Cayamo newcomers, such as Margo Price, JD McPherson, Charley Crockett, Joe Pug, Lindi Ortega, The War and Treaty, Steve Poltz, Devon Gilfillian and Michael Logen. Other rookies include three acts – solo Caleb Caudle and duos Flagship Romance (Shawn Fisher and Jordyn Jackson) and Heart Society (Teneia Sanders-Eichelberger and Benjamin Eichelberger) who were voted aboard by Cayamo passengers in the annual Soundcheck competition.

Jim Lauderdale on Cayamo

Jim Lauderdale

Given the festival’s focus on the singular visions of singer-songwriters, duos and bands are, as always, in the minority. Those that made the cut include the rocking Band of Heathens, throwback crooners The Cactus Blossoms, Nashville soul sirens the McCrary Sisters and pop folkies Humming House. The complete Cayamo 2018 lineup can be found here.

Cayamo’s tributes and special shows

Tribute shows honoring John Prine and Tom Petty are on the schedule, as are several “Unlikely Sets” – songwriter rounds featuring several artists who might not share a stage otherwise. Previous Cayamos have shown that musical magic frequently results from such unexpected combinations.

In addition to shows, the week’s activities will include a “Tales and Ales” craft-beer tasting hosted by Paul Thorn; a screening of the film American Folk, starring Cayamo musicians Joe Purdy and Amber Rubarth, with a Q&A to follow; an “Artisans & Crafts” leatherworking workshop with Jonny Fritz, a member of the trio Traveller; a songwriter workshop with Fritz and his Traveller bandmates, Cory Chisel and Robert Ellis, and guest jams with backline equipment and assistance provided by Sixthman, the company that produces Cayamo and several other music cruises.




COPY CODE SNIPPET

Taking cover on Cayamo 2017

 

By Paul T. Mueller

Parker Millsap on Cayamo 2017

Singer-songwriters usually, and understandably, focus on their own songs when performing. But many also perform songs they didn’t write, especially in a festival setting, where the audience tends to appreciate the different perspectives artists can bring to others’ work. The recently concluded Cayamo 2017 cruise, a singer-songwriter-focused festival at sea, featured many excellent cover performances.

Leaving aside shows that by definition were pretty much all covers (a tribute to the late Guy Clark, for instance), here’s a sampling (in no special order and by no means comprehensive) of artists’ takes on songs written by or usually associated with other artists.

  • Parker Millsap, “You Gotta Move” (Mississippi Fred McDowell)
  • Brandi Carlile, “Going to California” (Led Zeppelin)
  • Patty Griffin and Aaron Lee Tasjan, “Insider” (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
  • Richard Thompson and Rufus Wainwright, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” (Sandy Denny)
  • Christian Lopez Band, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” (The Beatles)
  • Bonnie Bishop, “Whipping Post” (The Allman Brothers Band)
  • American Aquarium “Spanish Pipedream” (John Prine)
  • Aoife O’Donovan, “Can’t Find My Way Home” (Blind Faith)
  • Steve Earle, “Rex’s Blues” (Townes Van Zandt)
  • Ruby Amanfu, “I Put a Spell on You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins)
  • Gretchen Peters, “Guadalupe” (Tom Russell)
  • Sarah Jarosz, “Come On Up to the House” (Tom Waits)
  • Gurf Morlix, “The Parting Glass” (Traditional)
  • Sarah Potenza, “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen)
  • Patty Griffin, “Where or When” (Rodgers and Hart)

For lack of a better title, the “Repeat Offender Award” (no offense) goes to the Christian Lopez Band, which, in addition to covering the Beatles, performed Blaze Foley’s “Clay Pigeons,” Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” Steve Fromholz’s “I’d Have to Be Crazy,” Stephen Bishop’s “On and On” and Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis.” Let it be noted that A) they did a fine job on all of these, and B) their original material was also excellent.

The “Reverse Cover Award” goes to Steve Earle, who introduced his own “Galway Girl” by predicting that 100 years from now, people in Ireland will still be singing the song, but will be insisting that it was written by an Irishman.

Cayamo Day 3: Richard Thompson, John Prine, Rodney Crowell

By Paul T. Mueller

Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson

Legendary British folkie and guitar monster Richard Thompson played the first of his three sets at 1:00 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, in the Norwegian Pearl’s Stardust Theater. Backing him in his Electric Trio were bassist Taras Prodaniuk and drummer Michael Jerome, and the result was for the most part a thunderous affair – too loud for at least a few attendees, in fact. But the musicianship was excellent as expected and the sound was clean, as the trio ripped through such Thompson favorites as “Sally B” (with a little Pete Townshend jump at the end), “You Can’t Win” (featuring an extended solo), the jazzy “Al Bowlly’s in Heaven,” and “Wall of Death,” another long jam. There were also some new songs – “Josephine” and “Amsterdam,” both acoustic tunes, and “Guitar Heroes,” a tribute to Thompson’s role models. Called back for an encore, Thompson showed his country side on “Tear Stained Letter.”

Rodney Crowell, a second-timer on the cruise, followed with an excellent set featuring guitarist Steuart Smith. Crowell opened with a new song, “East Houston Blues,” before moving on to more familiar territory, including “Sex and Gasoline,” “Moving Work of Art” and “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.” He described the inspiration for a couple of songs dealing with HIV, both from his fine 2001 album The Houston Kid, and then played both – “I Wish It Would Rain,” mostly as a solo effort, and “Wandering Boy,” accompanied brilliantly by Smith. The anthemic “Still Learning How to Fly” and the sing-along favorite “Pancho and Lefty” followed, and Crowell finished with the moving “Til I Can Gain Control Again.”

Lyle Lovett’s Q & A show Monday at 5:00 was a mix of music and dry comedy. The questions, from audience members, covered such diverse topics as Lovett’s recovery from injuries suffered during a run-in with a bull some years ago (he had high praise for his doctors); his experiences as a young artist playing in New York; what it’s like to have legendary drummer Russ Kunkel in his band, and even a question about how he stays so fit, from guest vocalist Shawn Colvin. The music included a fine rendition of “Friend of the Devil,” which Lovett recorded with Kunkel for a 1991 Grateful Dead tribute album; “Sleepwalking,” in response to a question about its enigmatic writer, Willis Alan Ramsey, and the inevitable “If I Had a Boat.”

Kacey Musgraves and John Prine

Kacey Musgraves and John Prine

Monday evening’s “Blind Faith” show was one of the week’s highlights. Admission was restricted to Cayamo 2014 passengers who put down deposits on this year’s cruise before the lineup was announced. Monday’s performers, whose identity was kept secret right up until showtime, turned out to be veteran singer-songwriter John Prine and rising country star Kacey Musgraves. It was an inspired pairing – each brought an impressive list of songs and the chemistry between them was (to borrow a word from the loquacious Jim Lauderdale) palpable. Prine’s selections included “Spanish Pipedream,” “Fish and Whistle,” “One Red Rose” and “That’s the Way the World Goes Round” (complete with a funny story about a fan who misheard a lyric as “happy enchilada”). Musgraves’ offerings included “The Trailer Song,” “Merry Go ‘Round” and “Follow Your Arrow” and a couple of new songs, “Biscuits” and “Pageant Material.” Most were funny and all carried a serious message along with the wordplay. Prine and Musgraves teamed up on the Prine classics “In Spite of Ourselves” and “Angel from Montgomery,” but the best moment might have come when Musgraves sang her own “John Prine,” in which she confesses a desire to “burn one with John Prine,” and Prine followed with his pot paean “Illegal Smile,” with help from the audience on the choruses. It was a classic Cayamo moment. Prine closed the show with a nice rendition of his environmental anthem “Paradise.”

A quick visit to the pool deck found Lucinda Williams and her band finishing up their show with a soulful reading of Gregg Allman’s “It’s Not My Cross to Bear,” followed by the rocking “Joy” and “Get Right with God.”

Soundcheck winner Amy Speace played the first of her three sets in the Spinnaker Lounge. She wisely brought along two of her East Nashville neighbors and friends, guitarist Tim Easton and fiddler Megan Palmer, and they did a fine job on such excellent tunes as “The Fortunate Ones,” “The Killer in Me” and “Hunter Moon.” Many of Speace’s lyrics deal with relationships, often troubled ones, and her sharp writing and world-class voice make for an emotionally moving performance. The seemingly omnipresent John Fullbright put in a guest appearance for the lovely “The Sea and the Shore.” Speace ended her set with “Hymn for the Crossing,” a funeral song, but one with a joyous message. “Don’t need a golden box for my bones/Don’t need your weeping and wailing,” Speace sang. “Don’t need my name carved into stone/Just sing me a hymn for the crossing.”

Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Michelle Malone has a reputation for being a fiery rocker, but she’s equally at home with quieter material. Toward the end of her Monday night Atrium show she performed a cool, jazzy take on the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” taken from the introspective Acoustic Winter album from last year. Things got livelier with the new song “When I Grow Up,” a fun and hopeful anthem; the Stratocaster-fueled “Teen Lament,” on which she got help from Black Lillies frontman Cruz Contreras and Alabama singer-songwriter Kristy Lee, and “Feather in a Hurricane.”

Americana Music Festival releases 2012 line-up

Americana Music News – The Americana Music Association has announced an impressive line-up for the Americana Music Festival & Conference September 12-15 in Nashville , with more performers to be named later.

As usual, the roster includes a good mix of accomplished veterans and emerging artists.

Among the biggest names: Billy Joe Shaver, the Punch Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Richard Thompson, Sara Watkins, John Hiatt, Steve Forbert and Rodney Crowell.

Also booked are newer artists who have enjoyed extensive airplay on Americana music radio, including honeyhoney, John Fullbright, The Deep Dark Woods, Shovels & Rope and Eilen Jewell.

The full list: American Aquarium, Amy Helm, Andrew Combs , Angel Snow, Anthony da Costa, Bearfoot, Belle Starr , Bill Kirchen, Billy Joe Shaver, Black Lillies, Blue Highway, Blue Mountain, BoDeans, Brandi Carlile, Brennen Leigh, Buddy Miller, Buxton, Caitlin Harnett, Chastity Brown, Corb Lund,Cory Branan, Darrell Scott, The Deep Dark Woods, Della Mae, Derek Hoke, the Dunwells, Eilen Jewell, Felicity Urquhart, Fort Frances, Gretchen Peters, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, honeyhoney, Humming House, Immigrant Union, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Jill Andrews, Jim Lauderdale, Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition, John Fullbright, John Hiatt, Jordie Lane, Julie Lee, Kasey Anderson and the Honkies, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, Kevin Gordon, Lera Lynn, Lydia Loveless, Mandolin Orange, Mary Gauthier, the Mastersons, Max Gomez, McCrary Sisters, Mindy Smith, Nicki Bluhm and The Gamblers, Phoebe Hunt, Punch Brothers, Reckless Kelly, Richard Thompson, Robert Ellis, Rodney Crowell, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Sara Watkins, Shovels and Rope, Sons of Bill, Sons of Fathers, Star and Micey, Starr Anna, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Forbert, Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell, Tift Merritt, Turnpike Troubadours, Two Gallants, Wheeler Brothers, Whitehorse, The WoodBrothers and The World Famous Headliners.

You’ll find more details on the Americana Music Festival on their home site.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News at @sun209com.

Richard Thompson, Booker T. Jones to be honored at Americana music festival

Richard Thompson on Cayamo earlier this year.

Americana Music News Richard Thompson and Booker T. Jones will be honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Americana Music Association at its 11th Annual Honors and Awards ceremony on Sept. 12 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the organization announced.

Jones and Thompson will be honored in the instrumentalist and songwriting categories, respectively, and will join Bonnie Raitt, previously named as honoree in the performance category.

“Booker and Richard’s artistry and influence are part of the rich tapestry of Americana,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association, in a press statement. “We are thrilled they are coming to AmericanaFest; their contributions exemplify the broad reach of our community, from the common ground of folk rock to R&B born in Memphis.”

The awards event will be on opening night of the Americana Music Festival and Conference, which runs from Sept. 12 through Sept. 15.

Follow Sun209:Americana Music News on Twitter at @sun209com.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

Richard Thompson times 3 on Cayamo

 

Richard Thompson on Cayamo

Richard Thompson was a solo artist on Cayamo this week. And a member of a duo.  And a member of  a trio.

And it was all good.

Thompson  teamed with Loudon Wainwright for a reprise of Loud and Rich, playing a few originals, but largely covers of songs ranging from Bob Dylan to Charlie Poole.

He also played two sets with power trio bandmates Taras Prodaniuk and Michael Jerome. He described  the trio as a combination of Cream and the Kingston Trio (and alternately the Jim Hendrix Experience and Peter, Paul and Mary) and played a truncated version of “Tom Dooley” to the melody of “Sunshine of Your Love.” The Cream reference was apt. The trio reminded us just how potent guitar, bass and drums can be.

But it’s probably not a surprise that the very best Richard Thompson show was his solo acoustic set. Favorites like “I Misunderstood” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” were complemented by the hard-rocking “Valerie” and a fun cover of the Who’s “Legal Matter.”

Cayamo Week in Tweets

  • Celebrating Leo Kottkes’ debut album http://t.co/fvzY2lia #
  • Opening night on @Cayamo: Brady and Manning vs. Lovett and Hiatt. #
  • There are big names on @Cayamo – John Prine, Lucinda – but we’re also looking forward to some newcomers, particularly @thebellebrigade #
  • Monday on @Cayamo: @thecivilwars, @sarawatkins,@thebellebrigade, Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson Trio. #
  • We’ve spent a lot of time at Jammin’ Java; Luke Brindley is now with Native Run and on @Cayamo. #
  • On @Cayamo last night, Lyle Lovett said he has the room next to John Prine and has been jamming with him all week. “He doesn’t know it.” #
  • Belle Brigade dance party on @cayamo http://t.co/Z5XWKVq9 #
  • Jim Lauderdale was everywhere on @Cayamo today. He led Tai Chi, then played in Buddy Miller’s and Lucinda Williams’ bands. #
  • John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett did 3 different shows @Cayamo, all outstanding. Great music and very funny conversations. http://t.co/Q1ICrTZT #
  • The @civilwars rebound from illness on @cayamo. http://t.co/rvnRZNqD #
  • Buddy Miller dedicated his opening and closing songs last night to Ed, a passenger and Buddy fan who died just as @cayamo was leaving port. #
  • Loudon Wainwright in a rare performance of Dead Skunk tonight, says @Cayamo agreed to pay him more. #

New acts added to 2012 Cayamo line-up

The bookers for Cayamo have been busy. Newly-added acts for the floating Americana music festival set for February 2012 include Joe Purdy, Bobby Long and Deep River.

They join an impressive line-up that includes Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Keb’ Mo’, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Greg Brown, the Civil Wars, Sara Watkins, James McMurtry, Iris Dement, Shawn Mullins, Edwin McCain, Maia Sharp, The Belle Brigade,  Works Progress Administration, Angie Aparo, Chuck Cannon, Enter the Haggis, Winterbloom, Holly Williams, Shannon McNally,Ryan Montbleau Band, Sarah Lee & Johnny Irion, Beth Wood, Aslyn, Sarah Jaffe and Levi Lowrey.

Cayamo’s 11 best moments

Brandi Carlile on Cayamo.

Paste writer Josh Jackson has posted his “10 unforgettable moments from Cayamo 2011.” It’s a good list, but it inspires the ever-competitive Sun209 to offer up 11 of our own favorite performances from the Cayamo cruise:
1. Loud and Rich -Loud and Rich are better known as Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson, and this was a rare show as a duo. Who would have guessed that these wildly disparate players and personalities would meld so well? Their harmonies were terrific and their covers were inspired.
2. Brandi Carlile in all her incarnations – Glen Phillips calls her “the queen of the boat” with good reason. Her own dynamic sets and collaborations with the Indigo Girls, John Prine and Shawn Mullins energized the entire ship.
3. John Prine – Prine was the biggest draw on the ship and he delivered varied and entertaining sets through the first four days of the cruise.
4. Steve Earle – Last year, he played an acoustic set. This time around, he brought his band, including his wife Alison Moorer. These were great sets: passion and politics at high volume
5. Will Hoge – Too few people saw Hoge perform; he was consistently scheduled against fan favorites. He and his band were the closest thing to a rock band on the boat and provided a vibrant change of pace.
6. Richard Thompson solo – Thompson said this was his first solo show in many months, but the rust didn’t show. He played his best-known songs – “Wall of Death” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” among them – but sang “The Money Shuffle,” a jaunty new song attacking the world’s giant financial institutions with particular relish.
7. Songwriters in the round, featuring Dar Williams, Patti Griffin, Allison Moorer, Buddy Miller and Scott Miller – What better way to spend your early afternoon than listening to this talented line-up in an informal, acoustic setting?
8. Shawn Mullins and Chuck Cannon – Both performers were boat favorites, but there was a special dynamic when they played together.
9. Buddy Miller – This was billed as a solo show, but Patti Griffin sat in for much of the set. Buddy’s self-effacing approach and extraordinary guitar-playing made his shows special.
10. Larkin Poe – Rebecca and Megan Lovell are not old enough to drink in most states, but they have an extraordinary musical maturity. Larkin Poe (named after a great-great-great grandfather) is the successor to their earlier Lovell Sisters and features a fascinating melding of folk, bluegrass and rock. They were tireless performers on the cruise.
11. Colin Hay – Hay was the lead singer of Men at Work, and he sprinkled acoustic versions of his old band’s hits throughout his sets. He may have been the most talkative of performers, playing just three songs in the first 30 minutes of one of his shows. But that was fine. Hay is a great storyteller with an engaging stage presence, and his solo material was compelling.
And of course, all of this just scratches the surface. I heard estimates of more than 150 concerts over the span of the cruise, and regret not having seen more of Tyrone Wells, WPA, Sam and Ruby and a half-dozen more.
The Cayamo cruise is a singular experience for music fans, a floating festival of great performances. There’s nothing quite like it.

Loud and Rich perform as a duo

Richard Thompson and Loudon Wainwright have toured in tandem on their “Loud and Rich” tour, but they said their pairing on Saturday night on the Cayamo cruise was their first-ever full set together.
They opened with Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” prompting Thompson to joke “Does he do our songs?”
Maybe he should. This was a terrific show by an odd couple. Yes, they share years on the same folk circuits, but their styles are distinctly different. Both have a great sense of humor, though, and they were clearly having a great time.
Most surprising was the strength of their harmonies, particularly on set-closers “Sloop John B” and “Love Hurts.”