The 2006 NERFA Scrapbook

The 12th Annual Northeastern Regional Folk Alliance Conference continued its run of providing Acoustic Live in NYC
with new discoveries, feature article material and, for lack of a better term, just plain inspiration.

Once again, Conference Coordinator Diane Tankle took charge and, with the help of volunteers and staff, whipped this thing into shape.
A big part of attending the conference is enjoying the sense of community. At each turn of our heads, our eyes found a friend.

Showcases continued to be a revelation, whether formal, Tricentric or guerilla. This year, we actually managed to indulge in a workshop
on using a partial capo. While this may not turn the author into a "real" guitarist, it was, nevertheless, both entertaining and enlightening.

Whether we came away measurably wiser or not, it was still one hell of a party!

more to come…

It must be something in the cold air. A sizable chunk of this year's CD
picks are Canadians and "Mainers." Not that the other homeboys (and girls)
listed here didn't acquit themselves well. There were many joyous surprises in this year's haul!

Rose Cousins - If You Were For Me This is a must-have. While we did not get to see Rose perform
at the conference, at the urging of WFUV's John Platt, we tracked her down and asked for a review CD.
Following two EPs this is Rose's first full-lenth CD. Beyond that, she has collaborated with many other
artists. John likened her to Patti Griffin and he wasn't wrong. While she sings without that edgy burr, the
tonality is practically identical and the drama in her writing and delivery is on a par with Patti's. The album is
solid throughout, performed with the poise of a seasoned veteran. We especially liked "Simple Thought."
She sings, "It's as simple as this, warm as the kiss that I place on the side of your head…"
That's how simple it is to recommend the work of Rose Cousins.

Moses Atwood - Moses Atwood It's rough and tumble when you're faced with a Mainer with attitude.
iTunes puts Moses in the Blues category, but he's so much more than that. At first listen, it seemed that
the volume on his emotionally charged vocals needed modulating. We got over that pretty quick. There's
enough use of falsetto and change in pitch to keep things interesting. He sells his song-stories with such
conviction that we're lucky he isn't peddling insurance …or bibles. In short, he kicks ass. My heart clings to
a rollercoaster as he sings in "Seventh Sin:" You're floating to the front door / As you watch your fist knockin'
/ You listen to her walkin' across the room / And as the door opens, you want to run away / But now it's too late
/ don't ever fuck with fate / Your heart leaps into your throat / Poison and the antidote is askin' again
/ If you would like some tea.
Whew! It's not fair that some people are this good. Watch out for this guy!

John Sonntag - Chasing Stars It's been awhile since John knocked our socks off with the title track to One More Midnight.
With a voice and delivery as smooth as glass, he manages to weave a mood cloak on each track. The results can be haunting.
A good example can be found in "Hey Lou:" I'm reaching inside my pocket / Digging in emptiness / I said Lou, I don't know how long I can last / I've taken that Robert Frost road / You know the one not taken / And the difference is I got lost.
The combination of poetic imagery, melodic dexterity and vocal wizardry make this CD a great catch.

Reveillons! - Quiquequoidontou? (Quebec Traditional music) There are some forms of music that make the listener
want to get up and dance. Celtic is one of those. French Canadian ensemble playing, accompanied by foot-tapping is another.
Many attendees of folk festivals will recognize the form performed brilliantly by this four-piece group, Reveillons. Typically,
one member of a group such as this, will sit in a chair, playing fiddle or small accordion, all the while tapping out a nimble
rhythm with both feet, clad in tap-dance shoes. In this group the percussionist assumes this role. Sometimes a player will get up
and dance around the stage while the rest of the band performs the piece. The songs here are sung entirely in French, but make
for pleasurable listening and perhaps a momentary enticement for the listener to get up and do an Anglo version of a the "clogging"
tap dance (in private of course). The CD jacket and booklet are richly illustrated. Dance instructions for the instrumental track called
"Nervous Breakdown" are both explained and diagrammed -- with directional arrows and formations for up to eight couples.
Lyrics are printed in French, with general meanings of the songs added in English. One can almost hear the broken English of
the band spokesperson as he might encapsulate a song: "In a cabaret, a group of men must choose their company from two l
ovely girls; one tall, one short," or "This song is about the misadventure of a woman who makes her own butter to sell at the
local market." And we cannot leave out "As not to forget anything in preparation for his wedding, a man questions his bride
to be on how the evening will unfold." Misadventure, anyone? This CD is a great listen and provides a nice break from (still-revered) singer/songwriter fare.

Julie Lloyd - All That You Ask For Julie Lloyd's energetic, percussive guitar attack and strong, breathy vocals will probably
remind some of Ani DiFranco. That's OK. She's good enough to carve out a niche of her own. Her songs skewer convention and
are immediately likeable. In "Normal," you'll nod your head and bounce in time to: You make everything harder than it needs to be
/ You make other people's fucked-up lives look easy You've got chemicals pulsing through your walls / Slipping underneath your doors and…You're normal, like before, You're normal, like every other girl. Normal… not ordinary, but normal…
In Julie's case, with her outsized talent, we'd have to say "supernormal." A cautionary admonishment on the jacket states:
"Every time you burn an independent CD, a puppy dies. A cute one." Very feisty. Very Julie.

The Electric Farm - The Electric Farm The Electric farm is not the name of a band. It's one person. Joey Mutis, to be exact.
A publicist who felt that his name was not marketable convinced him that he needed to use something more generic.
Thus, we have Electric Farm. No matter. A listener who enters the "Farm" will find a highly developed melodic sense and
an ability to create intriguing lyrics. While this CD is highly produced, Joey's soft baritone and rock solid tempo anchors both
the recording and his live, unadorned sets. His relaxed delivery serves up a big-league talent. He counts Nick Drake and Neil Young
among his many influences. We can hear the Nick Drake influence on the introspective "Man of the Town:" …And asked him if
he'd talk with me / And I could see with both my eyes / Yeah I could see and so could he / Then one day to my surprise
/ It turns out he is me. We can hear Neil Young in the use of guitar distortion on and in the meter of "Fallen Star:" But you're beautiful&emdash;like a bundle of roses / Beautiful -- like a garden of saffron / Beautiful&emdash;like a week full of Christmas.
Acoustic Live hopes this Pennsylvania native can be coaxed up for some gigs in the New York / New Jersey area.

Kim Taylor - I Feel Like a Fading Light Hearing Kim Taylor for the first time was a sharp jolt. She's like an edgier Norah Jones. There's a maturity here. Her eyes gaze out at the onlooker from the CD booklet with a disconcerting calmness. Suddenly the publishing name "Don't Darling Me" makes a lot of sense. It's there in the lyrics, too. In "My Dress is Hung:" Oh my dress is hung beside the bed / and I usually pray to it instead / Keep me honest, cause I'd rather lie / Keep me young and keep me satisfied. The melodies carry high drama throughout the album. Another must-have.

Dust Poets - Lovesick Town We first notices the Dust poets last year at NERFA and included their EP in our CD picks.
This year they're back with full album. We fell in love with the combination of musical virtuosity and deadpan sense of humor.
Case in point: "I Married a Magician." I married a magician and he sawed me right through / He said he had enough
love to satisfy two / Now if you were me and your were two, what would you do? / Would you take twice the love
/ Or would you get out the glue? Sublime soprano Karla Ferguson shares lead vocals with Murray Evans. For this listener,
she's the frosting on the cake. The harmonies overall are impressive and so is the list of instruments this 5-piece group plays.
In addition to guitar and harmonica, there's accordion, piano, clarinet, saxophone, mandolin, trumpet, trombone, drums, percussion
and upright bass. almost everyone double on something or other. Get acquainted. You'll be as impressed as we are.

Kim Beggs - Wanderer's Paean Kim Beggs moved to Yukon from a mining town in Northern Ontario and, swinging a hammer,
worked at building and renovation, while teaching herself guitar. Whoever taught her to sing should get a medal. While she doesn't
have what you'd call a big voice, she gets a whole lot out of her high, feathery alto, a cross between Nanci Griffith and Iris DeMent,
and her lean, spare delivery. She sings original songs that have an old-timey, traditional sound. She sounds right at home in the
middle of the down-home country airs set up by pedal steel, mandolin, banjo and fiddle, creating a warm, earthy spot for the
listener's psyche to drop into.

Dave Rowe Trio - The Good Life "Trad" folk music doesn't get much better than the Dave Rowe Trio. Dave Rowe is the son
of Tom Rowe, a founder of the venerated folk group Schooner Fare. Dave cut his teeth on traditional music under his father's wing.
Together, they formed Rowe by Rowe, then adding a third member, Turkey Hollow. When Tom passed away in 2004, Dave
continued the legacy, joining forces with fiddler Edward Howe and bassist Kevin O'Reilly. Justifiably touted as "real Maine folk
music by real Maine folk," they live up to that motto on their third album. Six of the very traditional-sounding originals on this
disc are by Dave and one is by Tom. Thus, we have "When the Night Gets Cold," Home," and "Family Portrait," all by Dave.
Their sound on this album is predominately bluegrass and it cooks. The lead singing has a high, lonesome sound and it sails along
easily with the fiddle and upright bass.

David Celia - This Isn't Here This Toronto native showed his chops in a guerilla showcase, and we were hooked.
This CD leans a bit toward the pop side, but exhibits a deftness with both wry lyricism and catchy melodies. Having said that,
however, track 7, "I Found You," is a beautiful fingerstyle acoustic guitar solo. David then follows it up with a Beatlesque number,
"She's a Waterfall." His song to New York City, "NYC" casts a warm, loving spell and is bound to make a lot of friends here.
Overall, the album is a great collection of compelling songs, showing an ability to reach out and grab the listener with both
words and music.

more to come…