Three Penny Opry

ROBERT A. WAGNER | T. MITCHELL BELL

2008-08-17T22:25:00.002-04:00

Saturday August 23 at 8pm
412.818.3817 for details
$5 suggested donation

Three Penny Opry is only one of many things that Robert Wagner has started. He has fronted two great bands, The Little Wretches, and The Mercenes. And he has been a driving force in the Pittsburgh music scene. His craftsmanship, honesty, and intensity have been inspirations to me, and he remains one of the standards against which I measure my fumbling progress as a songwriter, and as a performer.

I always think of Robert as the singing Poet Laureate of Pittsburgh. He paints startling portraits of Pittsburgh's people, history, and places. If you've heard him, I need say no more. If you haven't, you're missing more than you can imagine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T. Mitchell Bell is also a great singer-songwriter. He brings an expansive conscious-ness, compassion, and soul to his craft. I've shared stages with him a couple times and have always been impressed by his style and capacity.

He has a new CD, recorded and mixed in Nashville, called The Ballad of Philo Paul, and I hope it'll be available for sale at the show.

Steve Vesolich | George Kantor & Dave LaRose

2008-04-09T23:18:00.010-04:00

Saturday April 12 at 8pm
George Kantor & Dave LaRose plus
Steve Vesolich
412.818.3817 for details
$5 suggested donation

George and Dave are wonderful songwriters/performers full of melodic and lyrical surprises. I find them both to make music that is like comfort food with an edge. Their styles are different enough to lend a nice dramatic tension, but compatible enough to get everybody wondering how these magical combos find each other. They'll be doing covers by Pittsburgh singer-songwriters, so ego and curiosity ought to bring us out. Their deft musicality ought to bring everybody else.

Steve Vesolich blew me away when I first heard him at Club Cafe playing gospel, country blues, Americana, and just a touch of grunge sensibility in some of his vocals. I thought, "Where'd this guy come from?" You'll ask yourself the same. And you'll be, as I was, eager to hear him again.

Please join us.

www.myspace.com/3pennyopry
www.myspace.com/jackpittsburgh
www.myspace.com/stevevesolich

Bill Toms & Tom Breiding

2008-03-18T17:29:00.006-04:00

Saturday, March 22, 8pm

The Pittsburgh Calliope Folk Music Society presents
Three Penny Opry featuring
Bill Toms & Tom Breiding at
The Starlite Lounge
364 Freeport Rd. Blawnox PA 15238
Suggested Donation: $5

For more info: 412.818.3817

Twas the night before Easter, and all through the town
All the candy was nestled in shredded green down
The slackers were drooling from gluttonous dreams
Of gorging on eggs till they burst at the seams
Then loudly Pete Cottontail started to spring
"What's any of that got to do Spring?!?"
So, shake off the stupor of cold hibernation
And come cure your soul of it's Winter starvation
With heartfelt and thoughtful love offerings of song
And leave fit for life again, hopeful and strong!

I've had the honor of co-billing with Bill Toms several times, and with Tom Breiding at least once - though I've heard them both on many other occasions.
And every time I've heard them, I've become an exponentially greater fan. How many people's songs can you say that about. Most of them catch you with a hook, hook you with a catch, and get you tricked into indiscriminately listening over and over again till you say, "Wait, there's no substance! Wait, I've just wasted a chunk of life. I want my money back."
This music is the diametric opposite. You'll like it at first. We like to see great gardens as we drive by. After a while though, the great gardens of song pull us in, and we get to feel the depth of the roots, the variety of the crops, the nourishment of the harvest. There's a bounty to be had in this music. And you get it by repeatedly hearing the songs.

Those of you who haven't been introduced to their bodies of work, you're in for a treat, an introduction to a great adventure.

Check them out:

Bill Toms
Tom Breiding

And then, Check them out with me!

Your Servant in Song,

Jack Erdie
www.myspace.com/3pennyopry

Dennis McCurdy & The Lonesome No More Band | Plus Jeff Wiley

2008-03-11T21:10:00.003-04:00

SATURDAY, MARCH 15 @ 8PM
The Calliope Folk Music Society Presents
Three Penny Opry [LISTENING ROOM] featuring:

I've had both of these performers play for me at various other venues and, no matter how jaded or unmotivated the audiences, they got great and varied reactions, for great and varied reasons. It's been too long since I've heard them, and I can't wait to hear them again, and to share them with you.

About Dennis & Lonesome No More:

"The sound is pure Americana with pedal steel, dobro, fiddle, mandolin and lush harmony vocals, wrapped around the acoustic guitar, bass and drums." Jim Hoehn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

About Jeff:

Jeff is a vetran songwriter, entertaining in and around the Pittsburgh ares for over twenty years. Bringing to the stage melodies of haunting beauty and lyrics welcoming slices of inspiration, loneliness, and relationship. Together forming delicately crafted pop folk music of the highest order.

See you there,

Jack Erdie

Dennis McCurdy & The Lonesome No More Band

2008-03-11T21:10:00.000-04:00

Coming Distractions

2008-02-29T22:47:00.000-05:00

MARCH 15
Dennis McCurdy Lonesome No More Band
& Jeff Wiley

MARCH 22
Bill Toms & Tom Breiding

APRIL 12
Alicia Romano | George Kantor & Dave LaRose

ERIN DRAGAN (The Meridians) & JACKSON MONSOUR

2008-02-13T13:01:00.012-05:00

SATURDAY, FEB 23 at 8 PM
The Calliope Folk Music Society Presents
Three Penny Opry [LISTENING ROOM] featuring:

Erin Dragan with The Meridians

AND Jackson Monsour

The Starlite Lounge, 364 Freeport Rd. Blawnox PA 15238
$5 Suggested Donation (meaning you can always give more)

About the Artists: WORD

THE MERIDIANS:

There's a mystical thread running through the lyrics, driving guitar, flavorful bass riffs, and rock solid drumming. Their performance is dynamic, with three part-harmonies that wisk the listener to bygone eras. An infectious blend of classic rock, blues and punk.
They won the opening band slot at the Pitt Program Council's Fall Fest '07.

JACKSON MONSOUR:

...is an engaging, upbeat Americana artist, described as "ridiculously good-looking." He doesn't let that get in the way of his talent though. Since performing in the Johnstown Folk Festival last year, he has been touring the western PA region, and is building quite a following. Don't miss this up-close-and-personal with one of the region's brightest young stars.

I'll be hosting, and look fondly forward to seeing you all there.

Your Servant in Song,

Jack Erdie

www.myspace.com/themeridiansmusic
www.myspace.com/jacksonmonsour

Peter King and Todd Burge

2008-01-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

Saturday, January 26, 8pm at
The Starlite Lounge 364 Freeport Rd. Blawnox PA 15238
$5 (suggested donation)
For more info, call: 412.818.3817

Peter King and Todd Burge are both exceptional performers and world class gentlemen.

Here's what people have said about Peter's music:

“Intricate guitar work, exciting singing and evocative, richly melodic songs.” — Philadelphia City Line News

“Proof yet again that we don't have to look any further than our own back yard for great talent.” — Shadyside Summer Arts Festival

You won't believe how easy he makes it look when you hear how masterfully he plays. Great passion and poignant humor subtly seep through his songs.

www.peterkingmusic.com

Todd Burge is considered by many to be the best singer-songwriter in West Virginia. You may have heard him on Mountain Stage, jamming with Tim O'Brien. He also hosts a radio show, called Songwriter Night with Todd Burge .

Here's what people are saying about Todd:

"A prolific songwriter with melody, passion, and wit to spare."

"The hardest thing for a singer/songwriter to do is distinguish yourself to be original. [Todd's] music is unmistakable. The very best songwriters share a common trait: they all have a great, ironic sense of humor. Todd is West Virginia's contribution to this tradition." -- Larry Groce, Host of PBS's Mountain Stage

www.toddburge.com

You won't believe you paid so little and received so much. You'll hug yourself for not going elsewhere and paying a prince's ransom to receive so much less.

Heather Kropf & Keith Hershberger

2007-11-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

FOLKS,

Heather Kropf, Keith Hershberger
The Too Tall Americanos
Saturday, November 17, from 8 to 10pm at:
The Starlite Lounge
364 Freeport Rd. Blawnox PA 15238
412.828.9842
Suggested Donation: $5

"Pittsburgh singer/songwriter Heather Kropf debuts her group, the Too Tall Americanos, at the Three Penny Opry. The other half of the Americanos is singer/songwriter Keith Hershberger. They will be joined at the show by Vince Camut on pedal steel and banjo and will do a combination of original tunes and covers.

"Heather (originally from Portland, OR) and Keith (from Lancaster, PA) have been performing together since the early 90s when they were in a college cover/alter ego band called Schpaklava. Voted as the campus's "Fun Band", Schpaklava shows were best known for their zany cameos, choreography and unconventional instrumentation (i.e. kazooz on Jimi Hendrix's "Cross Town Traffic").

"Both Heather and Keith moved to Pittsburgh in the mid-90s and have self-produced a collection of albums with original songs that range from folk to rootsy americana, neo-soul and pop rock. After years of performing as a duo they've decided to make it official with a name...and possibly someday: a THEME SONG.

"When they aren't recording and performing, Keith is working at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. Heather works at an afternoon tutoring center in East Liberty and Starbucks, which is where the group’s name was inspired.

"The Too Tall Americanos have been stealthily performing private functions as a trio with Vince all summer; this is their first public show. The Americanos’ shows aren't quite as rowdy as the Schpaklava days, but then, no one's getting any younger."

Except Me, Your Servant in Song,

Jack Erdie

Return of Son of 3PO!!!

2007-09-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, September 22, the year of discord 2007, Three Penny Opry gets back to doin' what it always did best: giving you modern music in touch with its roots.

This time, it's a leaner, hungrier show. Two hours tops. You're in, you're out, your head is spinning, heart's brimming... YOU WANT MORE. The show starts at 8pm, 8:05 at the latest. If you're not there, you miss out on a song or two. It ends at 10pm, 10:05 at the latest. You want to hang afterwards and swap songs, fantastic. Everybody who doesn't want to commit a huge chunk of their overtaxed weekends can go home, humming, drumming, and eager to come back.

Mike Strasser will play first. He came into Moondog's with Anne Feeney and the otherwise oblivious crowd hung on his every phrase. He's been in Sacramento for 28 years, but he's a 'Burgh native, and we're lucky to have him back.

Then Jack Erdie will play with his band, The Insubordinates. Most of you haven't heard the Insubs since the release party for Jack's Pumpkin CD. They fully intend to rock the house in a rootsy way, with a surprising cover song.

As always, there'll be a $5 suggested donation, but feel free to give more. How much has music done for you???

Come out and help start the new season off proper. We promise to make it a night for you to remember, and want to relive.

Spooks, specters and space

2006-10-26T20:33:00.000-04:00

Float over to the Starlite on Saturday the 28th for songs of spooks,
specters, and space! It's time once again for a night of 'filk,' the folk music of science fiction, fantasy, and horror -- focusing on the horror this time in honor of Halloween (costumes are optional). Come 'howl in' the witching hour with us!

8:00 pm or thereabouts...

www.calliopehouse.org

songwriters from ohio, ontario, pennsylvania and west virginia

2006-09-29T17:56:00.000-04:00

The Threepenny Opry at The Starlite Lounge goes international this weekend:
Ohio's Jason Quicksall;
Ontario, Canada's John Allaire;
Pennsylvania's Robert Wagner;
and West Virginia expatriate Tom Breiding

The backroom of The Starlite opens at 8:00, and the music starts at 8:30. There is no cover, but we suggest a $10 donation to keep these traveling minstrels safe and well-fed. (And we hope you come out to support these guys. We'd want them to tell people in other cities that Pittsburgh is a great town that supports music.)

As you know, we invite you to bring your kids.
Later Saturday night after the Pirate game, Jack Erdie and Robert Wagner will appear on KDKA-Radio with Carol Lee Espy to talk about The Threepenny Opry and play a few songs.

And next week, we have Jack Harlan coming all the way from Vancouver.

www.calliopehouse.org

songwriters from ohio, ontario, pennsylvania and west virginia

2006-09-28T13:58:00.001-04:00

songwriters from ohio, ontario, pennsylvania and west virginia

2006-09-28T13:58:00.000-04:00

more songs from the land of unimarts,pit bulls+ karaoke machines

2006-09-19T08:01:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, September 23rd, Robert Wagner debuts all new songs, joined by Steve Sciulli of Life in Balance on lap steel guitar and various flutes.

www.lifeinbalancemusic.com
www.littlewretches.com

Sounds from South of the Border

2006-09-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

This Saturday features Peter B. King and Emily Pinkerton. The sounds of Brazil resonate through Peter's "Road to Ubatuba," and Emily is an ethnomusicologist who did her fieldwork in Chile.

www.peterkingmusic.com www.emilypinkerton.com

Sing Around the Campfire at the Three Penny Opry

2006-09-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

"Hey, Mrs. Wilson, can Bobby come out and play?"

"No, Bobby has to stay at home and babysit on Saturday nights."

"But Mrs. Wilson, didn't Bobby tell you that he's allowed to bring his little baby sister to The Starlite Lounge for Campfire Night?"

"No, he didn't. Are you sure Campfire Night is safe for baby girls?"

"Well, sure it is. We start at 8:30. We're done at 11:00. And all we do is sit around and play songs, and everybody can either sing along or play along or just listen. Everybody's invited."

"Would I be allowed to sing 'Take These Chains from My Heart'?"

"Why, sure you would, Mrs. Wilson!"

"Well, then. To heck with Bobby. Me and Mister Wilson are bringing our baby girl to Campfire Night and Bobby can stay home and wash the dishes."

"How about, to heck with the dishes and bring the whole family instead!"

"Why, that's a lovely idea. Bobby, go fetch your guitar and your baby sister's diaper bag..."

CAMPFIRE NIGHT IS AN OPEN SONG-SWAP.
NO COVER. CHILDREN WELCOME. ALL MUSICIANS INVITED.

Sam Flesher and Dave Hart

2006-08-24T19:14:00.001-04:00

Sam is the shepherd of love--teacher, mentor, doctor of beauty. He is one of the few songwriters you'll ever meet whose songs are known and sung around the world.
He sings when he can't talk and dances when he can't walk.
May we all do the same.

Kids welcome.
No cover charge.
Calliope

We Like Big Buts

2006-08-15T13:19:00.000-04:00

Robert writes . . .

Our controversial 42nd President turns 60 years old on Saturday, August 19. And we're celebrating with song at The Starlite Lounge.

At 9:00 pm, Jack Erdie, Sue Gartland, Kate Snow, Van Stragand and Robert Wagner will be performing in the round in the back room of The Starlite. If you want to join the circle, bring your guitar. Well have some cake and ice cream, and maybe some chicken wings. Feel free to bring your kids.

When NBA superstar Charles Barkley said, If ifs and buts were beer and nuts, wed have a hell of a party, he was NOT talking about Bill Clinton.

President Clinton is considered by many to be among the most intelligent and charismatic men of the twentieth century (and now, the twenty-first), BUT . . .

Was there ever a guy who so polarized the public? Leftists accused him of acting like a Republican. Rightists accused him of being a closet socialist. People doubted his sincerity, his honesty. A cottage industry of conspiracy theorists made big bucks of his alleged misdeeds. IF hed have kept his zipper zipped

IF, IF, IF

Maybe eight years of relative peace and prosperity wasnt enough.

Wouldnt it be cool if Presidents were like professional wrestlers and they never really retired? Wouldnt have been cool to see Bill Clinton square off against Ronald Reagan to settle once and for all who was the REAL great communicator?

How about Clinton versus FDR? Roosevelt retired with the belt, like Rocky Marciano, but he never had to square off against a guy like Bill Clinton. Clinton would have been the heavy in the match, having had to turn Republican just to get a chance to get in the ring with the champ. Maybe Clinton would overturn the wheelchair while the refs back is turned, get the pin on a fast count and run for the exit, waving the championship belt in the air while pelted by debris from the angry mob.

Clinton would proceed to defend his title against Richard Nixon, a fighter so dirty and vicious that even Bill Clinton would come out as the good guy. Nixon would tear him to shreds but get himself disqualified by using foreign objects and refusing to break a choke hold by the count of four.

The biggest showdown of all, of course, would be Clinton versus JFK. JFK would show up with Jackie and Marilyn and all that glitz and panache. Clinton would enter the ring with an entourage of trailer park hairdressers and truck stop waitresses. A huge battle royale would erupt, and in the confusion, one of Clintons floozies would seduce Kennedy, allowing Clinton to steal a thrilling victory.

Anyhow

Clinton wasnt a wrestler, just another MIGHT HAVE BEEN
..

Calliope

Eve Goodman this Saturday

2006-08-10T14:32:00.000-04:00

Saturday, August 12 9:00 pm
The Starlite Lounge proudly features Eve Goodman and Jim Hart.
Love offering requested.
Here's what people have said about Eve Goodman:

"... (an) amazing singer and songwriter and guitar player who has songs that are somehow complex and simple at the same time and of the heart." - Larry Berger, The Saturday Light Brigade

"...Goodman's vocals are gentle and unassuming, yet there's a rock-ribbed confidence under the surface....her strength lies in her straightforward poignancy." - Kris Fell, The Boston Phoenix

"...Goodman sings like a seasoned blues performer, squeezing and wringing the words from her throat....her (guitar) style is as unassuming as her personality...graceful and effortless playing that could have entertained on its own all night." - Madeleine G. Eno, South End News

"...My thoughts, my feelings, reflections of parts of myself that I try to keep hidden -- somehow I find them revealed in the songs of Eve Goodman and realize that I no longer have to feel that way alone.". - John Hayes, Staff Writer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"...the music is top notch". - Bill Jackson, Boston Rock

www.calliopehouse.org
www.evegoodman.com

Deliberate Strangers This Saturday

2006-07-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

Unless you're attending the Blues Festival, this is a must-see show:

Saturday, July 22 9:00 pm at The Starlite Lounge
The Deliberate Strangers plus Filthy Gringo!

Filthy Gringo, hailing from the outskirts of Pittsburgh, is a raw, no-frills, two man country group singing songs of alcohol, controlled substances, and heartbreak. Songs that are borne from living in a harsh, post-industrial area where these things are known all too well by the people of this decaying rust belt region.

The Deliberate Strangers have survived roots/rock scares, mutations, excommunication from Bluegrass, and other social ills. They've been called Hillbilly Noire, Rustbelt Revivalists, Chuck Kinder's house band, and much worse. They've shared the stage with acts ranging from Hazel Dickens and Jimmy Martin to The Drive By Truckers and Sixteen Horsepower.

Rag, Mama, Rag

2006-07-06T11:04:00.000-04:00

This Saturday the Threepenny Opry hosts an evening of country and blues rags from the 1920s and 1930s by Bill Weiner.

In addition to his solo work, Bill Weiner is known for his work with The Monongahela Sheiks and Calliope. Bill's love of the music shines through on each song. If you close your eyes and listen closely it's almost as if you can hear the grooves on those old 78 rpm records.

At the conclusion of Bill's show, we invite anybody who'd like to participate to join an open song-swap.

Calliope

The Threepenny Opry Rolls out Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

2006-06-28T20:35:00.000-04:00

Soda, pretzels, and beer at the Starlite this Saturday. Sue Powers of Devilish Merry hosts Bob Powers, Joe Walsh and Sam Satler.

No cover charge. Donation requested. Children welcome if accompanied by parent.

Sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society.

What Does It Mean to be Irish?

2006-06-21T15:42:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, The Threepenny Opry at The Starlite Lounge presents Terry Griffith and Jim Hart at 9:00 pm followed by an open song-swap.

Come to sing, come to play, come to listen and enjoy.

Jim Hart has great, hook-laden tunes with spirit and gusto.

Terry Griffith has been performing Irish ballads in local Irish pubs as well as performances at Irish festivals and fundraisers all over the U.S. for the last 20 years and has been a working musician for the last 35 years.

His music reflects his Irish heritage and appeals to the Irish-Americans who look beyond the stereotypical to the true essence of being Irish.

His work with Irish organizations and the Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade committee earned him the honor of Grand Marshall for the parade in 1999. He is currently the chairman of the Marching Bands Committee for the parade and also does PR for the parade as well as for many Irish events in Pittsburgh.

He is a former Editor of the Irish American Unity Conference Newsletter published monthly and mailed to 1500 subscribers as well as being available on line through the IAUC web site.

www.calliopehouse.org

It Can't Be Avoided; So Don't

2006-06-12T17:49:00.000-04:00

ThreePenny listener Morezannue Knandle writes:

I am writing to you as a concerned music listener, and as a friend of Mr. John Wells.

I have known Mr. Wells since he moved to Lawrenceville in early 1999. I live and work in Lawrenceville. I am a cashier at Shop and Save.

I have attended many Three Penny Opry shows during the past couple years. I have always been concerned that Mr. Wells has been allowed to embarrass himself, his neighbors, other musicians, and music itself by occasionally taking the stage at Three Penny Opry, dragging his old, arthritic, diabetic, fat, hairy, and ugly body onto a stack of chairs to attack his guitar like a cerebral palsy afflictee wearing boxing gloves, and to moan and groan into the microphone with the voice of a chain smoking, whiskey guzzling, horny bullfrog.

As a friend of Mr. Wells, I am very sad that no one has taken steps to effectively discourage him from performing. Mr. Wells is not a real singer-songwriter. He exhibits none of the qualities of professionalism. He is not original like the real singer-songwriters who usually grace the stage at Three Penny Opry.As a friend of Mr. Wells, I am very sad that no one has taken steps to effectively discourage him from performing. Mr. Wells is not a real singer-songwriter. He exhibits none of the qualities of professionalism. He is not original like the real singer-songwriters who usually grace the stage at Three Penny Opry.

This has gone too far. Mr. Wells has now issued a CD. It is not a professional effort. He did it all himself. At least musicians and engineers had the decency not to contribute to this amateurish effort of Mr. Wells', his tragicomedic attempt to produce a CD like those that real singer-songwriters with real money for real professional production and both the respect of Pittsburgh's musical community and the assistance of its members.

I, therefore, have taken it upon myself to write the following review of Mr. Wells' recording of his flat-footed song bashing to be posted on threepennyopry.blogspot.com:

Make Orgasms; Not Deals
John Wells

This CD is an insult to acoustic singer-songwriters everywhere. There is not a single original song on it. This is tired old material. The instrumentation is totally inconsistent. One never knows what instruments are going to be used. Even though there are never more than 4 instruments, including Vocal, on any given track, there is a total lack of arrangement, and the art of orchestration seems to be something of which Mr. Wells is unaware. The Bass, including the Washtub Bass is synthesized rather than played on a real instrument, and this is obvious from the fact that it is always played in a register that is a full octave below the range of a real Bass. Effects are overused, obviously in an attempt to cover up Mr. Wells' lack of talent.

Track 1. Money, Honey (J. Stone)--Electric Guitar, Bass, and Vocal (As on all tracks, all instruments performed by Mr. Wells.):

This song, like all the songs on this CD, is a tired old song which other musicians beat to death decades ago. It is obvious that Mr. Wells has no idea of how to properly record a multi-track performance. The Bass should have been recorded first. The Electric Guitar next. And the Vocal last. It is evident that Mr. Wells only knows his material from the point of view of his inept live performances. He obviously records his live performance versions then tacks on other instrumentation as an afterthought. Rather than treating the Bass as a rhythm instrument, Mr Wells plays it as though it was a melodic instrument serving the additional function of nailing the tonic notes of each chord change.

The lyrics try to make a protagonist of a man without sufficient funds to keep his woman. The definitive version of this song was recorded by the Drifters. It has also been recorded by Elvis Presley and later by Tom Rush. Mr. Wells' version ignores the Drifters arrangement, and Eliminates the entirety of the Coda. Mr. Wells' vocal delivery is a poor attempt at Elvis impersonation. The reverb on the Vocal cannot hide Mr. Wells' obvious lack of vocal training, his ruined gravelly vocal tone--the result of Mr. Wells' years of heavy drinking, drug abuse, sexual indiscretions, and the fact that he is much too fat, hairy, old, ugly, unprofessional, and uncouth to ever become an American Idol.

Track 2. House of the Rising Sun (Traditional)--Electric Guitar, Bass, Acoustic Resophonic Slide Guitar, and Vocal:

No song in the entirety of the industrialized world has been more thoroughly beaten to death more often than this piece. Mr. Wells cannot seem to grasp the fact that the only way to redeem this piece is to play it faster than all other versions that have been laid to rest before. He plays it slowly and deliberately as though it contained some universal truth that reflects the subject of this CD's title. The slide guitar cries like a weeping child who needs to be slapped back to the reality of life and sent out to get a job.

Track 3. Separation Blues (Patrick Sky)--Acoustic Guitar and Washtub Bass:

Obviously Mr. Sky, a man of Irish and Native American descent, was drunk when he wrote this piece of would-be humor. Mr. Wells' amaturish interpretation features an entire AAB form verse done instrumentally, but during which the acoustic guitar does nothing that it doesn't do during the vocal sections. During this section one is, therefore forced to concentrate on the unrelenting portamento technique of the pseudo Washtub Bass, which also does nothing different than what it plays during the Vocal passages.

Track 4. Ebb Tide (C. Sigman and R. Maxwell)--Acoustic guitar, Bass, and Vocal:

This song should never have been culled from the movie "Sweet Bird of Youth," then it could have been forgotten along with the film. The lyrics take a saccharine and sentimentalist view on love and trust. This is Mr. Wells' excursion into the realm of Easy Listening Music and Lounge "Jazz." The Bass track was obviously tacked on to cover up for Mr. Wells missing the G# major chord in the bridge by a full beat in the guitar track.

Track 5. Baby, Please Don't Go (Traditional)--Acoustic Resophonic Slide Guitar and Vocal:

In claiming that this piece is "Traditional" Mr. Wells ignores the fact that "Big" Joe Williams long ago obtained a copyright for his sophisticated arrangement of this prison song. Mr. Wells totally ignores Mr. Williams' sophisticated arrangement. He instead opts to perform a primitive, naive, and totally unsophisticated arrangement, utilizing slide guitar non-technique that ignores all the exciting ways of playing the instrument that everyone else uses. Topping off this lack of sophistication, Mr. Wells demonstrates his lack of talent as a mastering engineer by applying effects processing to the master mix such that the song sounds as though it was recorded at a prison farm in the early 1930's with primitive recording equipment.

Track 6. Jelly Roll Baker (Traditional)--Electric Guitar, Bass, and Vocal:

Once again, in claiming that this is a "Traditional" piece, Mr. Wells ignores legitimate copyrights. Almost every Blues artist who has recorded this song has obtained a legally binding copyright on it. Obviously, Mr. Wells is just trying to get out the legal responsibilities of paying royalties by this ploy. Once again, the effects used on the vocal track cannot hide Mr. Wells' lack of vocal training. The worst part of this song is the fact that the "Bass" is obviously playing to a different drummer than the Electric Guitar and Vocal. The rhythm that the Bass follows only rarely crosses paths with the other instruments. This is clear to the listener who plays the recording and concentrates on the Bass, because in doing so it becomes impossible to follow the other tracks.

Track 7. I Am the Blues (William Dixon)--Acoustic Resophonic Slide Guitar, Bass, and Vocal:

Mr. Wells takes Mr. Dixon's fine piece of Electric Chicago Blues and with no respect for its form tosses it into a time warp, archaicizing and acoustifying it mercilessly, speeding it up from its intended Chicago Blues tempo to the tempo of 1920's and 1930's Downhome Blues. Then, apparently unhappy at how he'd slaughtered the piece, Mr. Wells proceeds to mix genres and idioms and styles the way untrained writers mix metaphors. He tacks on a simplistic and repetitive Chicago style Bass line and mixes it in much too prominently for its lack of sophistication, but for once at least attempting, though ineptly, to play the Bass as a rhythm instrument. Mr. Wells has no right to play this song, because he is not a Negro.

Track 8. Deep River Blues (Traditional)--Acoustic Guitar and Vocal:

This is a pitiful attempt to imitate Doc Watson. Mr. Wells obviously does not have the guitar playing skills to even come close to Mr. Watson's several recorded versions of this piece, eliminating Mr. Watson's brilliant, virtuoso arpeggios, replacing those in the turnaround with a lame series of chords. Mr. Wells also adds a bridge of his own composition which is utterly superfluous to the song. Unlike Mr. Watson's versions of this piece which emphasize instrumental virtuosity, Mr. Wells takes the lyrics too seriously making this piece, which is good time music in the hands of Mr. Watson, into an ode to males who experience impotence from having sex with only one woman.

Track 9. Death Don't Have No Mercy (Traditional)--Acoustic Guitar, Bass, and Vocal:

A really tired, really old, really sad, really depressing song. It is hard to understand how Mr. Wells conceived it appropriate to include this piece of Pagan Theology, wherein the anthropomorphic personification of the personal deity Death roams the world picking off the living, into an album which purports to be "...an in depth analysis of the ethics of romantic love examining both what can go wrong and what can go right. Concluding that one should Make Orgasms; [sic] Not Deals." Mr. Wells restructures the verse order to Freudian psychology, whereas traditional performances have non-ordered verses such that the song is considered to be a collection of verses, each of which is a self contained short story, and the verses are sung in no particular order. Mr. Wells structures the verse order to represent the order of love fixations throughout the course of a human life from birth to the immanence of ones own death, i.e., mother, father, sister, extended family, community, and, finally, spouse. He always perfoms the verses in this order. This song is much too long. It clocks in at something like 12 minutes. There are too many guitar solos, each of which is a full chorus, two of which are verbatim Rev. Gary Davis solos. Incongruously two of the guitar solos sound like and intercultural marriage of Scottish dirges and Negro spirituals, one being a constant drone on the high E and the D below it played over the chord progression, the other being a constant drone on the high E and the Bb below it over the chord progression. This is long and boring. This song will put anyone to sleep.

Track 10. Hellhound on my Trail (Robert Johnson; P.D.)--Acoustic Resophonic
Slide Guitar and Vocal:

Mr. Wells claim that this song is in the Public Domain is obviously erroneous. Despite the the silly, obsolete copyright law which states that intellectual properties published but not copyrighted are in the public domain, recent lawsuits have established that these silly and out of date laws will be ignored by the courts just like the equally silly and out of date 4th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The founding fathers never thought of modern problems. There was no Terrorism in the days of the Boston Tea Party. If the 4th Amendment was enforce today, lots of crimes which hurt no one would go unpunished, because restricting the police from seizing people and property without warrants specifying for what and for whom they could search and what they could seize many crimes that hurt no one would never be discovered. So recent legal action has made clear that this song cannot be performed, or published in writing or audio recording without the legal team which initiated the case receiving royalties and dispensing the pennies left after legal fee to Robert Johnson's heirs. Mr. Wells has committed a crime in recording this song and claiming it to be within the public domain. It is too long. It doesn't sound anything like the original. The evil eye can only be lifted by a ritual performed at the stroke of midnight on the cusp of Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. The evil eye has cursed the protagonist in the same manner as the protagonist of Deep River Blues. Forcing him to a life of sexual promiscuity.

Track 11. The Coming of the Roads (Billy Ed Wheeler)--Acoustic Guitar, Bass, and Vocal:

Sentimentality on the part of a hillbilly who loses his girlfriend to a strip miner. This wouldn't have happened to him if he had a job. Who cares?

Track 12. Sitting on Top of the World (Traditional)--Acoustic Resophonic Slide Guitar and Vocal:

Yet another sickeningly sentimental song about a poor man (this time a farmer-- as opposed to the greaser/hoodlum of Money, Honey and the murderer/prisoner of Baby, Please Don't Go, or the tree hugging hillbilly of The Coming of the Roads) bemoaning his woman running off to find a responsible man who cares about the important things in life, i.e., getting a job and making money.

Track 13. No Regrets (Tom Rush)--Acoustic Resophonic Slide Guitar, Bass, and Vocal:

This is a very confused song from another musician who, like Mr. Wells is not a real singer-songwriter. To the best of my knowledge and belief Mr. Rush only wrote 3 songs in the course of his career: (#1.) On the Road Again; (#2.) Rockport Sunday (an instrumental piece heavily influenced by "The Bells of Rhymny"--I've never figured out if it depicts the church bells of Rockport, Massachusettes or those of Rockport, Maine.--; and No Regrets, which, while it benefitted from the influence and constructive criticism of Phil Ochs, is still a piece of sentimental drivel. The theme of this song is I don't care that you left me, but I can't get used to living alone. Again, who cares? Why doesn't he start dating?

Saturday, June 10th

2006-06-08T09:44:00.000-04:00

The Threepenny Opry presents John Goberish (of The Distractions) and Jeff DeSantis (of One Big Dakota) along with a little bass and drum rhythm section.

These guys have great melodies and harmonies, interesting observations about the world, and they are making the trek all the way from Beaver County.

Feel free to bring your instruments because at the conclusion of the show, we're going to have an informal song-swap, in-the-round type thing, a little sing around the campfire, so to speak. We'll continue to do this every week throughout the summer.

As you know, we pass a hat for "love offerings" in lieu of demanding a cover-charge, but we hope you'll be generous. Children are welcome if accompanied by parent, and there is no smoking in the back room. The music starts at 9 p.m.

Sponsored by Calliope

Enjoy a Yuengling!

Our Humble Origins

2006-05-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

As you know, The Threepenny Opry was born when the late, great June Carter stopped into The Starlite while her tour manager was shopping for dulcimer strings at Pianos & Stuff. June ordered a fish sandwich, and it's no wonder she couldn't finish it because she talked through her entire meal. As she was getting ready to leave, some of the guys from the Tuesday night bluegrass jam were hanging posters, and she asked the obvious question, "Where do y'all play?" They showed her the backroom. Somehow, the subject of the Grand Ole Opry came up, and somebody said, "I wish we had something like that here in Pittsburgh." June said, "Don't just wish for it, do it. It's real easy. Just ask all your musician friends to come down on Saturday night, move some of these tables, and you can have your own opry right here."

Ever since, we've been having music in the backroom of The Starlite on Saturday nights.

This Saturday at 9:00, we have Tina and Doc performing beautiful duets (they've got great taste in material), and Bootleg Copy, the Greba brothers performing DMB influenced jams.

Never a cover. Bring your babies. Have a Yuengling.

Sponsored by Calliope.

Filk Night

2006-05-11T10:22:00.000-04:00

Initially, Captain Kirk was surprised that Starfleet had assigned a female Yeoman to his command. However, after seeing Rand's efficient work ethic in action, Kirk grew to respect her as a crew member and friend. Despite their professional relationship, an undercurrent of sexual attraction remained between the two. Kirk, however, could not requite the feelings Rand felt for him, due to his position as ship's captain. Nevertheless, he was strongly attracted towards her, which became obvious in stressful situations.

If you're wondering what to expect on Saturday, here are some words from filk.com's Filk 101 page:
Traditionally a filksinger is someone who comes from the Science Fiction Fannish community. They have also tended to be amateur performers and songwriters because they do this once in a while and they don't do it to make any kind of money, they do it because it is fun. There are exceptions to this where a handful of Filksingers are professional musicians and some professional musicians have hung out with us filkers not knowing what the Science Fiction Fannish community is. But generally speaking most filksingers just attend the late-night filk singing circles at conventions (often these events are not even mentioned in the program book, but one learns where to go). Eventually, they may wind up attending monthly filk house sings (See Chapter 3, What is a House Filk) or even a filk convention where people do nothing but sing and listen to singers.

In recent years some fans have gotten very good at performing. This performer is a new hybrid of filksingers who is a semi-professional where they are good enough that they a have been recorded and their material has been put onto CDs. We call them semi-professional not because of their quality but because they are not trying to make a living from performing and recording, they are mainly doing for the fun of it. These performers CDs' are not sold in stores and have almost no distribution. They are sold at conventions, the Internet and occasionally get airplay on Dr. Demento or other small radio shows.

sponsored by Calliope

Have a Yuengling!

image courtesy http://tralfaz-archives.com/mona/mona.html

Some Cruising, A Few Crashes

2006-05-08T09:52:00.000-04:00

Thanks to those who came out and performed and listened and applauded for "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." Perhaps not the usual fare, but as usual we had a game crowd.

2006-05-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

A Departure
This Saturday take a trip with the ThreePenny Opry on "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," a multi-media adventure in movement. The sounds you may hear and the sights you may see might not be typical singer-songwriter fare, but look and listen closely and you'll see it all travels from the heart.

I'm very excited about showcasing the talents of Howie Alexander, a fabulous pianist. Music radiates out from Howie's finger tips to the rest of the world, and the world is much better for it. Annette Dietz will be reading poetry, Liz and I will be screening a Pittsburgh video cruise, and The Groove Pilgrims have compiled a set examining the virtues and vices inherent in wandering -- with an emphasis on the beat.

To cap the evening off we'll be singing some songs together, and I haven't figured out what they are and I'm not about to control what we do. I would, however, like to get some suggestions on the theme of travel and transport. Some songs that come to mind are Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place to Go," Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise," and Woody Guthrie's "Let's Go Riding in the Car." Leave a comment here or send me an e-mail, and I'll put together some lyrics sheets.

2006-04-26T12:53:00.000-04:00

The Threepenny Opry presents Emily Pinkerton and Robert A. Wagner
April 29 is an important date in history.

In 1975, the U.S. withdrew from Saigon, and The Vietnam War came to an end. In 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his boxing title for refusing induction to the US Army. In 1945, the Dachau concentration camp was liberated by US troops while Adolph Hitler married Eva Braun in a bunker in Berlin. And in 1899, Duke Ellington was born.

In honor of these events, Robert Wagner will be performing (in addition to his own songs) relevant works by Phil Ochs, David Bowie and a 30-second rendition of Satin Doll.

No cover charge, love offering requested.
Children welcome if accompanied by parent.

A native of NW Indiana, Emily Pinkerton is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist whose work draws from Old-Time country and Latin American folk. Sing Out! has called her voice "...affecting and poignant-a different kind of high lonesome." Since 2002, she has performed at venues such as SXSW, Makor, the Cactus Café and La Casa en el Aire. On fiddle, banjo and guitar, she has shared the stage with artists such as Divahn, Glen Velez, Stacy Phillips, and the Chieftains.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Robert Wagner is, was and will always be a little wretch.

2006-04-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

Mike Lamont and Jack Knight

Mike Lamont and Jack Knight will be playing in the back room of The Starlite Lounge, Saturday, 8 p.m., as part of The Threepenny Opry concert series.

2006-04-04T17:03:00.000-04:00

Come hear the Riveting Rosies at the Three Penny Opry!

Join us for an evening of musical collaboration featuring Pittsburgh women singer-songwriters: Heather Kropf, Patti Spinner, Stacy Mates, Eve Goodman, Janet Ingram and Sue Gartland.

Our show will mix solo and group efforts, with musical influences ranging from folk classics to ABBA, and song topics from cyclones to rock-star turtles.

8pm at the Starlite Lounge. Bring your favorite friend, percussion instrument, or power tool.

2006-03-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

Fools for Love
If you are a fool for love, we invite you to spend the evening of April 1 at The Starlite.

The Threepenny Opry celebrates the birthday of Lon Chaney with an evening of love songs by noted fools . . .
Sam Flesher and Dave Hart (Grappa)
John Goberish (The Distractions)
Jeff Desantis (One Big Dakota)

Fools Robert Wagner, John Hayes, and John Wells will also be on hand.

Music starts at 8:00 or so.
Sponsored by Calliope.
Have a Yuengling.

2006-03-23T10:31:00.000-05:00

From Heather Kropf:
I'm playing a songwriter circle with 3 other artists tonight at Club Cafe. If you need to catch up on some knitting or Sudoku please think of how much more enjoyable it will be with live music. 'Cause it will be.

2006-03-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Q: Captain, how long must we go along with this charade?
Was Bob Dylan really a FILK artist?
What is FILK?
Find out Saturday, March 18 at FILK Night at The Starlite.

Crewman: Captain, how long must we go along with this charade?
Captain Kirk: I'll go along with this charade till I can think my way out!

That's from an episode of Star Trek, also quoted in Bob Dylan's song, "Tight Connection to My Heart" from his Empire Burlesque album.
Dylan's songs are loaded with movie quotes, literary quotes, one-liners from television shows, etc.

We'd like to invite you to The Starlite on Saturday evening for another FILK Night. FILK is the folk music of science fiction and fantasy. They like to sing. They're blessed with the gifts of language and imagination. They're simply brilliant and interesting and fun to be around.

See you at 8:00.

www.threepennyopry.blogspot.com
www.calliopehouse.org
Have a Yuengling!

2006-03-01T12:52:00.000-05:00

Grandpa Had A Muley Cow
What's a muley cow? You wouldn't have to ask that question if you was properly studied up on your Bluegrass Music.

The Stanley Brothers sang:

Grandpa had a muley cow, muley since she was born.
It took a jaybird forty years to fly from horn to horn.

This Friday, Bluegrass Night returns to The Starlite Lounge, hosted by Howard Davidson and Friends. Music gets started around 8:00 or so. And we'd love for you to bring your children along.

Saturday Night is Gardyloo Fanzine Songwriters Night featuring Dan Peluso, Ithy Boy Bong, Jack Knight and Jeff DeSantis.

The Threepenny Opry Series is sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society.

And if you're drinking beer at The Starlite, we highly suggest you have a Yuengling (our kind sponsor)!!

2006-02-21T14:39:00.000-05:00

News and Notes from Rick Malis . . .
This week I will be playing in the round with Tom Breiding and Robert Wagner this Saturday night, February 25th at the Three Penny Opry at The Starlite Lounge in Blawnox.

We will be singing songs that we wrote that were inspired by the Pittsburgh region. The show starts at 8:00 p.m.

Coincidently, one of my Pittsburgh songs, “Shot and a Beer Town” was picked as one of five finalists in a Post Gazette contest about songs about Pittsburgh. Here’s the link: http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/
I’m not trying to influence your vote but …

Also, my new CD, “Blue and Brokenhearted” is now up on the Sugar Babe Records web site for sale. A link will get you to CD Baby’s site where you can sample the tunes.

Hope to see you on Saturday night.

2006-02-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

Dennis McCurdy and the Lonesome No More Band
It's Not With Blinded Eyes

2006-02-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

Next Saturday . . .
Next Saturday’s show is going to feature Robert Wagner, Tom Breiding, and myself singing in the round. The theme of the evening will be songs about or inspired by Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. I will also be doing a song or so from my new CD “Blue and Brokenhearted”.

2006-02-16T20:09:00.000-05:00

This Saturday . . .
Art Gazdik, Gerard Rohlf and David Yates will be playing some Irish music.

Dennis McCurdy has an Irish name.

Scott Milner and Richard Kobertz will be playing from a largely American songbag.

And Robert Wagner will be there for moral support.

Good people. Good music. Good times.

2006-02-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

THIS SLACKER KILLED THE SING-ALONG THAT KILLS FASCISTS

Folks,

The sing-along could have been a wonderful event, had I been prepared. I owe everybody who attended, as well as Pete Seeger and the ghosts of Leadbelly and Woody, an apology. I did let myself get too busy to bring off the evening as I should have. I didn't learn most of the songs I played until the afternoon of the sing-along. I didn't even create an outline for the evening. So, please forgive me for limiting by omission what could have been a very memorable night. That we enjoyed it as much as we did betokens just how much finer it could have been with a little attention and care. I offer a special apology to Mr. Robison who came out specifically for the sing-along and who, to the best of my knowledge, had never attended a Three Penny Opry event before. And to the couple who had come for the sing-along, but left in a huff before the opening act was finished.

If I get another crack at organizing a show for 3PO, and I hope that I may, I give my word to come prepared. I would, in fact, like to try a variant on the same Sing-Along theme.

Your Servant in Song,
Jack Erdie

2006-02-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Love, Pittsburgh Style
Check out John Hayes' compilation here.

2006-02-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

This Sing-Along Kills Fascists
A Tribute to Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. Hosted by Jack Erdie

Straight from the moonlist:

Midnight Special is one of many songs that Leadbelly helped to put on the world's musical landscape.

This Saturday (February 11) at The Starlite, we're having a night of singing in tribute to Leadbelly, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Things will get started around 8:00.

Jack Erdie is the host, and we're calling the night THIS SING ALONG KILLS FASCISTS.

Why the "heavy" title? Woody Guthrie wrote THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS on his guitar. Pete Seeger wrote THIS MACHINE SURROUNDS HATE WITH LOVE AND FORCES IT TO SURRENDER on his banjo.

Most of us just write the lyrics of our songs on little cheat-sheets we tape to the sides of our guitars just in case we forget the words.

2006-02-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Raves

No not Linus on ecstasy and Northern Soul music, but a glowing review of Jack Erdie's latest.

2006-02-02T14:43:00.000-05:00

Just a Pickin' and a Barkin'
This Friday (and the first Friday of EVERY month)at 8:00 pm, it's BLUEGRASS NIGHT at The Threepenny Opry in the back room of The Starlite Lounge. Howard Davidson hosts.

If you haven't been around a lot of bluegrass music, you'll be pleased to know that the people are as genuinely friendly and warm as you'll find anywhere. You don't have to worry about fitting in. It's a given--you will fit in.

Another cool thing is that you'll find people who were alive when Roosevelt was President sitting right along with people who weren't yet born when Carter was President. It's neat to see people of all ages having a good time together.

On Saturday night, Norman Nardini is hosting a pep rally for The Steelers. The Saturday shows at The Starlite usually happen in the back room, but Norman will be in the bar. He'll get rolling around 9:00.

2006-01-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

Bob, Not Bob
As Jack Erdie made unclear in his introduction, our "Tribute to Bob," was not just a palindrome but a concealment. Most of us really don't care about Bob Dylan anyway. Robert Wagner, however, is a good friend and a great proponent of music that sticks between your ears and leaves blossoms in your chakras.

Jack started things out with "Every Unmarked Road," Eve Goodman followed with "Mother of Three." Thick and fast they came, Jay Hitt, Peter King, Frank Bienkowski, Sue Gartland . . . the songs had possessed and then lost the aura of their putative owner and became the songs of the singer and our songs, but there was always a bit of Robert coming to greet us at the beginning of a verse or a bit of guitar. Annette Dietz, project instigator, recited her own poetry and had a few others recite theirs. Sam Flesher wrote a song for the occasion. Howard Davidson played Dylan's "Oxford Town." But even the non-Robert stuff had a Robert gloss. The beauty of Robert's songs is that they give us room to be ourselves, we may not be as acerbic as him, we may not be as motivated as him, but his himness makes our usness. Dave Wells' "Happy Father's Day," provided another layer of irony to one of the songs with the most negative capability that I've ever heard. Jon Ritz emphasized the Robert's melodic flows, and Jack Knight's "Cocaine Don't Care" exposed Robert's punk roots. Two of us provided pianistic relief: Heather Kropf reminded us that "Child of a Realist" should be on all of our lips; Rosa showed us the kind of chops that reminded us why she sang for a professional all-black gospel choir (I have no idea how she did that, but if by African-American you mean Italian-American, too, or someone with ivory skin, I guess that works).

Drawing by Liz Perry.

2006-01-25T15:53:00.000-05:00

Rock 'n' Roll Is Evil

I'm sorry I haven't been posting more often. Instead of tending to this blog, I've been busy touting my rock 'n' roll band, The Groove Pilgrims. We had a great debut at PD's on Forward in Squirrel Hill. Instead of playing topical songs I was swinging my hips and singing "sha-la-la-la-la."

Perhaps I have gone astray as Irwin Silber thought Bob Dylan did forty years ago. Silber took Dylan to task for putting on a leather jacket and putting down the civil rights movement banner. Forty years is a long time and Bob Dylan has taken a lot of turns and so has folk music. When Bob Dylan was twenty years old he could sound like an old man. Now he can sound like an old man.

Come to the Starlite Lounge and hear host Jack Erdie lead us in songs of life in the underworld, hard roads, and heartbreaks. Honored guests and performers include Frank Bienkowski, poet Annette Dietz, Peter King, Jon Ritz, Dave Wells, John Wells, Sam Flesher, and a few more.

More on Irwin Silber's Sing Out open letter can be found here.

2006-01-12T12:08:00.000-05:00

Three Penny Opry Presents: Jack Erdie & The Insubordinates. With Guests: Devilish Merry. Saturday, January 21, 8:30 pm. Moondog's. 378 Freeport Rd in Blawnox. About a half a block from The Starlite Lounge. There is a cover. Bands have to EAT! Or did you think they subsisted on manna in the wilderness of inspiration?

The Insubordinates includes some of the best musicians around. They rock my folk somewhere between jazz and the infinite parallel. Doug Wilkin and Art Gazdik of The NewLanders. Mark Perna of local jazz fame, both as a stellar bass player and producer of superb local CDs. Jeff Berman of Devilish Merry. Stacy Mates of JACK (the band) lends ethereally unique harmonies.

Those unacquainted with the hip, entrancing folk rhythms of Devilish Merry should pick up a copy of the new folk fanzine GARDYLOO. There's a great "appreciation" of them by contributing writer Tom Payne.

2006-01-11T15:56:00.000-05:00

Songs dot filk
This Saturday is "Filk" Night at The Threepenny Opry. Filk is the folk music of science fiction and fantasy. Randy Hoffman is the host. You do not really have to be a science fiction buff to enjoy the music because the artists are so creative, imaginative and FUN! You'll be smiling and singing all night.

2006-01-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

GARDYLOO! Folk, Acoustic Blues and Bluegrass at The Starlite Lounge
That's right. It's the return of The Threepenny Opry for 2006!

Friday, January 6, 2006 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
BLUEGRASS NIGHT hosted by Howard Davidson and Friends.
The nicest, most decent folks in the whole universe share the most fun, spirited and rootsy music. Come to listen or bring your banjo and talk to Howard about playing. KIDS WELCOME!!! NO COVER CHARGE!!

Saturday, January 7, 2006 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
We celebrate the debut of the inaugural issue GARDYLOO FANZINE with the music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Leadbelly, John Denver and Michelle Shocked. Robert Wagner and John Wells will be hosting, and they'd love for you to bring your guitar and sign up to play!

The women of Scotland used to yell, "GARDYLOO!!" before dumping pots of liquid waste from their windows onto the streets below. In Greenwich Village in 1957, Lee Shaw used a mimeograph machine to publish a little fanzine about the folk music scene. I wonder why she named it GARDYLOO?

2006-01-02T16:53:00.000-05:00

Folks,

I'll be performing at the South Hills Borders on Friday, the 6th, at 7:30 p.m. I've always found an enthusiastic, atypical audience there, and I'm grateful for them. Apparently, this is a big night out for Bethel Parkers, and they come regardless of who is performing.

For Details:
http://www.bordersstores.com/events/event_detail.jsp?SEID=64512

Then I'll be at the CLO Cabaret Theater on Wednesday, Jan 11 at 5:30.
Theater Square
655 Penn Ave
Dahntahn Pittsburgh
412-456-6666

And at McArdle's Pub on Thursday, Jan 12 at 8 pm.
2811 Lincoln Way, White Oak, PA 15131
[412] 754-3721
[412] 754-3722

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My newest [TRUE!!!] story, Renegade Karma Police, may be read on my blog
at: jackerdie.blogspot.com

Please scroll down and read Part I first. The whole thing will make a little more
sense.

You can also find my re-cap of 2005: The Year in Rear-View.

Apparently, this little blog has attracted attention. A musical comrade alerted me to it's appearance in Pittsburgh's City Paper this week. There's a section called NEWS: We're Listening in which they solicit and print (well-edited) portions of blogs either by Pittsburghers, or about Pittsburgh. I felt weird about this at first, but quickly reconciled myself to the idea that, if it's on the web, it's public domain.

Thanks for helping make 2005 an unprecedentedly wonderful year for me!

Your Servant in Song,

Jack Erdie

2005-12-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm out of Town
So if you've been checking for information. I have none. But Robert did send me this:

Friday January 6, 2006
Time: 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: The Starlite Lounge, 364 Freeport Road, Blawnox. 412-828-9842.
Artists: Bluegrass Night at The Threepenny Opry hosted by Howard Davidson

Saturday January 7, 2006
Time: 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: The Starlite Lounge, 364 Freeport Road, Blawnox. 412-828-9842.
Artists: Gardyloo Fanzine presents The Threepenny Opry Acoustic Challenge, hosted by Robert Wagner

Children welcome if accompanied by parent.
Sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
www.calliopehouse.org
No cover charge. Donation requested.

2005-12-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

Have You Been Getting Enough Spam?
Jack Erdie will play at the Club Cafe on December 28. Three other interesting acts will be playing along. I hope to post more or have Jack post more on the subject. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy Jack's spam waiver (disclaimer?) as much as I did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPAM WAIVER
Your email addresses have come to me -- been caught in my harvesting thresher -- through various and sundry sources. Some of you signed up to be on this list at one of my shows. Others of you were shanghaied through less direct methods. Some of you I know from Christ Hope Church, some through Playback Theater. Some of you I don't know from pithecanthropus man, nor you I.

So, if you'd like to opt off of this list, just reply and type "REMOVE" in the subject window, and you'll never hear from me again. Or, if you'd prefer to only be notified about a specific type of show, reply and writer "BIG DEALS ONLY" or "BAND SHOWS ONLY" in the subject list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do thank you for sparing me all this time!

Your Servant in Song,

Jack Erdie

2005-12-14T15:36:00.000-05:00

A Recap: The Last 3Ps of the Year
This will be the final weekend of 2005 for The Threepenny Opry at The Starlite Lounge, and we're going out in style with two nights of great, homegrown, world class acoustic music:

Friday at 8:00, Art Gazdik and Gerard Rohlf of The Newlanders have put together a show featuring Johnstown's TIM & AMY DABBS, Devilish Merry's SUE POWERS & JANE HAMILTON, and EMILY RODGERS with JON PASLOV.

Saturday at 8:00, Rick Malis has put together a show featuring D.C. FITZGERALD & BOB BEACH, and THE MONONGAHELA SHEIKS.

Listening to music in the back room of The Starlite is like having your most talented friends playing in your living room (except you don't have to clean up or wash the dishes).

And, of course, there is no cover charge. We DO, however, ask for donations.

By the way, The Threepenny Opry donated $224 to The Tree of Hope. Thank you to all who contributed!

2005-12-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

Americana Night This Saturday
From Rick:

On Saturday night December 17th Americana night at the Starlite Lounge is featuring acoustic blues with two great acts: The Monongahela Sheiks and DC Fitzgerald and Bob Beach. Robert Wagner will be filling in for me as host, but it’s a super lineup.

2005-12-14T09:34:00.000-05:00

And How Shall You Judge Us?
From Robert:

A few weeks ago, at Jack Erdie's Folk Off, I said something to the effect that my interest in folk music springs from a desire to find a "pure" source, like spring water, but I'm usually disappointed to learn that very little of the music that has survived can be said to have a pure source--almost all of it turns out to have been in some way created for the marketplace or survives because of the marketplace. (In my Christian/socialist/Utopian ideology, of course, the marketplace is almost always a corrupting influence, a source of evil.) Later that evening, Dave Larose said, "I know what you mean about looking for perfection and purity, but I've come to believe that it doesn't really exist. And as soon as you stop looking for perfection, you begin to see that many things are, already, in their own way, perfect."

This past weekend, members of JACK, Eve Goodman, a few audience-members and I were discussing the challenge of building our audience, of getting people who don't know us to come out to hear us and to get people who do know us to come out more than once or twice a year. Dave Larose once again rose to occasion with a perfect bit of wisdom, "If we want people to come out and hear us, the first thing we need to do is get better."

We DO need to be grateful for what we have and for who we are. Likewise, we DO need to get better.

I suggest that everybody find a copy of the Dave Van Ronk biography/autobiography, "The Mayor of McDougal Street."

I want to start a magazine/fanzine called Gardyloo in honor of the magazine that once reported on the life of the Greenwich Village scene.

My contribution to The Threepenny Opry for January through May will be a series of fictitious/fantasy Acoustic Challenge concerts in which Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, John Lennon, Carole King, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, John Denver, Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, Joe Hill, Joni Mitchell, Michelle Shocked and Leadbelly square off against each other to win a case of Yuengling and a Cuban cigar. The contest will be totally rigged, of course.
I'll need volunteers to perform as the above artists.

I'll need volunteers to act as judges, as well. The artists (instead of musicianship, stage-presence, quality of material and industry potential) will be judged on Politeness, Etiquette and Grooming (the P.E.G. Principle popularized by Captain Lou Albano and Cyndi Lauper in the world of professional wrestling.)

2005-12-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

This Friday 12/16 Gerard and I will be hosting all full house of great folk talent.

TIM & AMY Dabbs

Tim Dabbs has shared the stage with some well know artists on the contemporary folk circuit, including David Mallet, Tom May, Cliff Eberhart, and Michael McNevin. Along with his wife Amy, Tim has aired a one hour special on National Public Radio’s River City Folk, and has performed on ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Fox News Channel’s Morning Show.
Tim cites Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Chapin and John Denver as influences on his performance and songwriting style. He writes in the topical style much of the time, and has mastered the story song. This is evident in his works such as The Day the Rumors Came True,” a haunting tale of the infamous Johnstown Flood of 1889, and Cambria Bells, a song of the rise and fall of an American steel town.
--A songwriting talent to watch...Dirty Linen Magazine

Sue Powers & Jan Hamilton of Devilish Marry

Devilish Merry has performed its unique blend of folk fusion since 1978. The group has played across New England, the Mid-Atlantic States and the Midwest.

Devilish Merry is known for its lively old-time fiddle tunes, Irish jigs and reels, American folk and industrial ballads, and new songs from the musician's own experiences. With a new highly original CD release in Spring 2005, the band has created a dynamic, layered, and driving brand of music that bridges cultural roots and produces a totally unique sound.

Beauty Is Everywhere - The best new release in decades, the violin is perfect… Art Gazdik

Emily Rodgers & Jon Paslov - will be performing as a duo

A native of northern Indiana, Emily Rodgers began writing music in the fall of 2003 during a move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she now resides. Drawing from influences as diverse as Mazzy Star, Gillian Welch, and 90s grunge rock, Emily’s songs are literate and poetic, alternating between self-consciousness and abandon. Emily released a record with her band, Emily Rodgers & Her Majesty's Stars, which has been included in rotation at WYEP-FM.

www.emilyrodgers.com

Hope to see you there.

Art Gazdik

2005-12-12T19:06:00.000-05:00

Music and Poetry Come to Oakmont
Annette Dietz writes about a non-3p event. Yes, it's a conflict, but we trust our readers will make the proper choice.

This Saturday, Dec. 17 I will be hosting a song circle performance comprising Sue Gartland, Jay Hitt, Heather Kropf and Brad Yoder. Every fourth song we will have two poems recited by published poet, Ken O'Keefe, a member of the Monroeville Poets.

We will hope to have some artwork as well.

The doors open at 7 pm, music starts at 7:30 and we end at 10:00. There is a $ 5.00 donation at the door benefitting the musicians. Free tea and coffee and light snacks are also available at a break.

The location is in the town of Oakmont on the corner of Delaware and Allegheny Avenues in a building called the Student Life Center. We transform the building the night of the concert and it is a very relaxing, intimate, listening atmosphere with a great sound system. It is smoking and alcohol free but there are plenty of watering holes in Oakmont and wonderful restaurants to visit beforehand.

2005-12-08T13:41:00.000-05:00

I am he as you are he as you are we and we are remembering JOHN LENNON
Friday, December 9, 9:00 pm at The Starlite Lounge, we will be remembering the music and spirit of JOHN LENNON, twenty-five years and one day after his untimely passing. We've invited a lot of great musicians, so it's going to be fun. Come to listen, to sing, to play, or simply to remember. There will be no cover charge, but we will collect donations for Tree of Hope, an organization that helps families affected by violence.

What's your favorite John Lennon song?

2005-12-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

Eve Goodman, Jack, You
This coming Saturday, December 10, Jack will be playing as part of the Three Penny Opry concert series at Starlite Lounge in Blawnox. The show opens at 8:30pm with Eve Goodman. Eve is an excellent singer-songwriter whose music frequently draws comparison to the Indigo Girls. You can check out her website. Links there will take you to cdbaby, where you can listen to tracks from her two releases, buy lots of CDs, and support independent music.

Following Eve, Jack will play an uncharacteristically upbeat set, ending with an instrument swap where Stacy will play Jon's left handed bass upside down, Jon will play Kim's conga, Kim will play the washboard. Please feel free to bring instruments so you can add to the chaos and contribute your own songs.

2005-12-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

Not To Be Mistaken for a Mithras Celebrant
We had singing, playing, knitting, and drawing at 3P last night. Randy Hoffman even wrote an appropriate song on the spot for our tribute to The Land of Misfit Toys. A demonstration of the Irish harp, continued discussion of blues purity (hint, the blues aren't Ivory Snow), and some of the origins of Christmas and the obliteration of the Persian-originated celebration of Mithras . . . I even incorporated a Brecht song with a Carter family song. Here's a picture of John Wells that Liz drew:

2005-12-02T07:12:00.000-05:00

I Am Hermie
At least that's what someone told me about twenty years ago, even though I never aspired to be a dentist. Not that there's anything wrong with being a dentist.

We have a theme for Saturday, so basically we can focus our attention on one thing for a while and not have to face up to the Bruegelian intricacy, intimacy, and chaos that is our lives. The room will be quiet, mostly, except for the singers, and smoke-free. And, according to Robert, we might be accomplishing something good.

This Saturday, December 3, we're going to try to raise some money for Tree of Hope to provide toys and other forms of assistance for children of families affected by violence. The theme of the evening is SONGS FROM THE LAND OF THE MISFIT TOYS, a tribute to those who walk the road less travelled. Mike Lamont, Bob Wagner, Sue Gartland, Randy Hoffman, Mark Stroup, and possibly others. Music starts in the back room of The Starlite around 8:00.

Boy, do I feel like a misfit. Can't find one of my songs that I wrote and it's a talking blues so it's got about fifteen jillion words, of which I can only remember the theme. But I do have a medley based on a bunch of misfits named John. In the 3P spirit, think the Carter family in a Brecht play.

Anyway, if you're getting in the spirit check out Sixteen Serious Questions Raised by Rudolph. If you want to enter the colloquy, come see us on Saturday.

2005-11-30T16:32:00.000-05:00

Singing Can Be Fun . . .
It's just the listening to myself part that I have trouble with.

George Kantor writes:

The December Songwriter's Circle is next Tuesday, Dec. 6,
at 7pm at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern. The topic is "songs
that are fun to sing".

As a special treat, George Salamacha and Nancy Deckant will
share the featured songwriter spot, so be sure to plan to
stick around to hear them play!

2005-11-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Heather Kropf and More, Tonight!
Bettye LaVette, a Detroit Soul/R&B/Blues artist who was recently awarded W.C. Handy's "Blues Comeback Album of the Year" will be performing at Moondog's tonight, 8 p.m. She's 57 and touring AND I hear she can put on a powerhouse soul show.

I'll be bringing the white-girl-mellow-with-the-piano vibe, and play a short opening set for her. Brad Yoder is stopping down to play soprano sax.

For info and directions to Moondog's

For info about Miss Bettye LaVette

Tickets for the cd release party, and advance sales for "What Else is Love" will both be available at tonight's show.

Hope to see you!

Heather

2005-11-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

Some Thoughts from Annette Dietz

Annette's an artist, poet, and Three Penny fan. The following is a great meditation/manifesto on what the Three Penny can become:

Dear Songwriters,

I have enjoyed attending your performances for a year now and just wanted to make some friendly suggestions on possibly increasing your audience.

In this past Sunday’s PG, Lawrence Ferlinghetti said, “today poetry is more or less restricted to poetry journals. I think the real poetry today is with music. Bob Dylan was a real poet. There’s the poetry of folk singers, bluegrass, and country western...”

Ferlinghetti is confirming a belief some of us hold that poets and songwriters have much in common. Yet as I move in the circles of poetry, art, and music in Pittsburgh, I am continually surprised at how insular creative folks can be. And while most poets know and love Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, few know of Gram Parsons or John Prine – let alone any of you!

More's the pity because the few poets that I have introduced to Pgh. songwriters have loved them and now follow their performances.

Poets and other writers appreciate a well-turned phrase, the passion, humor and seriousness of good songwriting but they do not know what is going on right here in the songwriting community of Pgh.

With the release of the Pgh. Songwriters’ cd compilation, I would suggest you tap into your inner matchmaker and clearly spell out the similarities between these two
groups, hopefully bringing them together for mutual appreciation and collaboration. Hey, maybe a few creative babies, as well.

Please remember that people are busy these days, they need things clearly explained – what should they expect at a concert? The tiny mention of your name under ‘acoustic’ in the newspaper is not enough in most cases.

I will give you a concrete example: some time ago Dennis Candy and Karl Mullen had a performance called Confluence at the Pgh. Center for the Arts. It alternated fiction and poetry readings with music. The readers were from Pitt and the acoustic musicians played in a circle format. The room was filled even with a cover fee – and it brought together the followers of the various performers – gently introducing them to something new – either the craft of acoustic songwriting, or the spoken word.

The advertising and the flyers clearly explained their vision and what to expect, with bios of each reader and performer on the back.

Some of the groups that I think would enjoy your work if they would attend just one time are: The Pittsburgh Poetry Society, the Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange, Mad Women of the Attic, the Squirrel Hill Poets, and the Monroeville Poets. Their meetings and info. can be found on the web. But some of you already know one person in these groups that could deliver flyers and introduce you.

Reading spots that have standing room only would be great places to pass out flyers, introduce yourselves. (not merely advertise – but explain what is happening in the songwriters circles.) Many of them are connected to or have members in the University communities. The Slaughterhouse Choice Cuts reading series, the Gist Building reading series, Paper Street readings in Mt. Lebanon. The Brewhouse artists’collective also hosts readings. Your flyers should be there, in my opinion.

I wonder how much any of these places charge to use their cool spaces? More than one CD release party with various performers would be great. Poets often have multiple readings when they release a new book. Why does there only have to be one CD release party?

I think you should spread flyers in all the book shops, coffee shops and at the universities. There are folks among you who are in these circles and enlisting their help might be valuable. The initial foot work is worth it till you build a regular audience.

Once these folks understand and attend, sign your email list, all the foot work isn’t as necessary.

I think the various papers should do an article about what is happening at the Starlite, and esp. seizing the release of the CD. Don’t overlook the Valley, the Gateway Presses.

One last possible audience that I have found, are those folks in senior communities. They prefer their music acoustic. Hearing aids can’t handle loud venues and these folks would love a night out if they only knew about it. Many of them were involved in the arts and we forget them. They have transportation available money to attend. These communities have staff people that are more than willing to post a flyer and encourage it.

Thanks for listening! Keep shining!

Love,

Annette

2005-11-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Jack Erdie Sez . . .

You think you know folk music?

I've been peripherally involved with Three Penny Opry,
the brainchild of Robert Wagner, since its conception.
We had a strong start. The Opry has given a lot of local
acoustic (and some electric; and ALL eclectic) performers
a venue when they otherwise may have been at home, woodshedding
with instructional DVDs.

Anyway, it might be time for a blood transfusion. Some new faces
in the audience.

Here's what I propose:

A Musical Public Forum on Folk Music, (or a FOLK OFF!).

I'd like to invite you, and all your friends to invite all their friends,
enemies, associates, to come and state their views, ask their
questions, make their arguments for or against the continued
existence of folk music.

We, the performers, including John Wells, Robert Wagner, and
myself, will respond to all heckling and serious queries. We will
sometimes respond with debate and facts, and other times we
will respond with a song that seems to answer, abet, or refute
your contribution to the discussion.

So, invite the hip-hoppers, the punkers, the rockers, the jazz purists,
the classical afficionados, the goths, the technos, the rockabilliards in
your lives to come out and square off against FOLK MUSIC, the mother
of you all!

And if you think you know folk music, think again.

Your Servant in Song,

Jack Erdie

And if you're interested in my new lyrics and stories
jump over to www.jackerdie.com and peruse my blog!

2005-11-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

Something Else to Digest

Don't forget POST TURKEY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2005's THREE PENNY OPRY at the STARLIGHT!

This show will feature:

the dark tainted love songs of BECKY CORRIGAN

the complete and in their Diasy Dukes THE DELIBERATE STRANGERS

and unfortunately some fool named JOHN WELLS

Showtime is 9:00 PM

When the featured performers get tired, there will be a mandatory song swap. Remember, SWAPLIFTING IS A CRIME and will be PROSECUTED to the fullest extent of the lawn.

2005-11-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

Doug McCarty at the Starlite, October 29

Dirt Road

2005-11-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

Twang Me

Rick Malis writes that this Saturday night's edition of Americana Night will be called Twang Night. Twang Night will feature Rick with Pete Freeman backing on pedal steel guitar and doing new and old original material; country blues troubador Rodan with Strangers in This Land; and Pete Freeman playing original songs and instrumentals on pedal steel guitar with Rick backing him up.

2005-11-15T17:28:00.000-05:00

Some Music News from Gerard Rohlf

My friend, Art Gazdik, and I are performing our usual arcane acoustic music set at the Starlite Lounge on Friday.

Our endearing cast of characters includes:

1) John Hayes - our friend, and journalist for the Post Gazette, who hosts the Calliope ~~Songwriters Forum~~Open Stage at The Bloomfield Bridge Tavern on Tuesdays, and has 4 critically acclaimed CD's to his credit.

2) Margaret Menamin - our Poet for the evening - You may have seen her work in the Post-Gazette, Iambs And Trochees or The New Formalist. For 10 years Margaret produced a weekly radio program on WDUQ.

3) Gerry Kuncio - also our friend, and fellow St. Bede's Chorister, whose soulful interpretations have entertained us over the years - Come out an show your support - he's shy!

2005-11-10T16:47:00.000-05:00

Drummers Have All the Fun at the Starlite Lounge
The Threepenny Opry is taking Friday off this week to celebrate the open-house at the new Calliope offices.

On Saturday, though, the Opry returns with a bang. And a boom. And a couple of pa rum pa pum pums with Two Fifths of Jack, The Renaissance Drummin' Wimmin and Clark Slater. The show starts around 8:00, and you CAN bring your kids. (We've had a number of children at our recent shows!! Thank you!!)

The Drummin Wimmin is a drum circle with about a dozen members. Big drums, little drums, and everything in between. They put on a great show composed of tribal,hypnotic rhythms that are guaranteed to take you to another spiritual plane.

Clark Slater is part jazzy hipster, part folk singer. Traditionally inspired acoustic music with a smooth and groovy twist.

Dave LaRose and George Kantor will finish off the evening with some new originals, stripped down Jack tunes, and whatever else comes into their minds.

Hope you can make it!!
www.threepennyopry.blogspot.com
www.calliopehouse.org

2005-11-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

Swing with The Mavens
The Mavens will be playing a swing dance this Sunday at the Edgewood Club. Dance instruction begins at 7. Music starts at 8. The Edgewood Club is located at 1 Pennwood Avenue in Edgewood. Click here for directions. Dance instruction fee with admission, $8.

2005-11-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

Kate McDonnell in Friendship
Friendship House Concerts is proud to present
Kate McDonnell

Sunday, November 6, 4:00 p.m.
Contact: altes at potomac dot net

Kate McDonnell, a singer-songwriter who plays upside-down and backwards guitar, is perhaps the musical lovechild of Bonnie Raitt and Leo Kottke. Fearless and funny on stage, she’s been wowing audiences all her life with her heart-stopping voice and jaw-dropping guitar work.

2005-11-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, Jack!
Jack Erdie won the Acoustic Challenge at Sing Sing at the Waterfront. Of course we all know Jack is terrific, providing transcendant moments, communicating life's essentials, and tapping into the comedies and tragedies of life. Now we know he kicks butt with just his voice and guitar. Let that be a lesson to you other finalists — Rubbie Greenwald, JD Strum, Waldo Young and Todd Edwards — that it probably wouldn't hurt to have your songs on the 3P blog.

2005-11-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

This Weekend

On Saturday, we celebrate GUY FAWKES NIGHT with Rachel Allen, John Wells, Pete Grubbs, and Robert Wagner. In 1605, Guy Fawkes was a member of the group of Roman Catholic conspirators who attempted to carry out the Gunpowder Plot, planning to assassinate King James I and all the members of both branches of the Parliament of England by blowing up the House of Lords. He was caught, and the whole gang was executed. People all over the world celebrate Guy Fawkes Night with bonfires and fireworks. We'll be celebrating with great music.

Earlier this year, Rachel Allen performed as part of Calliope's Emerging Legends series. She is known for her strong vocal delivery, versatility and range, and the sheer joy of her performances. She enjoys connecting with people. She also directs the adult and children's choirs at Christ United Methodist Church in the Moxham section of Johnstown and works with children of all ages, adults with mental illness, and facilitates several community drum circles.

Pete Grubbs will be driving down from Brookville, PA. He's well known to FILK audiences. (FILK is the folk music of science fiction and fantasy.) He's a great picker and a fun, insightful, intelligent guy.

John Wells would be a worthy subject for a Martin Scorcese movie. He has been playing folk music in the Pittsburgh-area since the early 1960s but has never released a CD. The only way your're going to hear him is if you come to a show (Unless you take him up on his standing invitation to visit his Lawrenceville home).

As you know, the backroom of The Starlite Lounge is smoke-free. The music starts at 8:00 pm. Children are welcome if accompanied by a parent. And there is no cover-charge.

2005-10-31T16:10:00.000-05:00

GUY FAWKES NIGHT

The Threepenny Opry presents
Rachel Allen, John Wells, Pete Grubbs, and Robert Wagner.
Saturday, November 5, 2005. 8:00 pm.
The Starlite Lounge.
364 Freeport Road. 412-828-9842.
Sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society.
The backroom of The Starlite Lounge is smoke-free. The music starts at 8:00 pm. Children are welcome if accompanied by a parent. And there is no cover-charge.

In 1605, Guy Fawkes was a member of the group of Roman Catholic conspirators who attempted to carry out the Gunpowder Plot, planning to assassinate King James I and all the members of both branches of the Parliament of England by blowing up the House of Lords. He was caught, and the whole gang was executed.

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
gunpowder, treason and plot,
Was Guy Fawkes a devil? The Stuarts all saints?
Are we glad that they caught him or not?
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
to blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow:
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.

The popularity of Guy Fawkes eventually resulted in the word “guy” becoming synonymous with dude, bloke, chap, and fellow.

People all over the world celebrate Guy Fawkes Night with bonfires and fireworks. We’ll be celebrating with the music of Rachel Allen, John Wells, Pete Grubbs and me, Robert Wagner.

Earlier this year, Rachel Allen performed as part of Calliope’s Emerging Legends series. She is known for her strong vocal delivery, versatility and range, and the sheer joy of her performances. She enjoys connecting with people. She also directs the adult and children's choirs at Christ United Methodist Church in the Moxham section of Johnstown and works with children of all ages, adults with mental illness, and facilitates several community drum circles.

Pete Grubbs will be driving down from Brookville, PA. He's well known to FILK audiences. (FILK is the folk music of science fiction and fantasy.) He's a great picker and a fun, insightful, intelligent guy.

John Wells would be a worthy subject for a Martin Scorcese movie. He has been playing folk music in the Pittsburgh-area since the early 1960s but has never released a CD. The only way you're going to hear him is if you come to a show (Unless you take him up on his standing invitation to visit his Lawrenceville home).

As for me, I don’t know what to say. I’d like you to come and hear me play, I guess. Will I be joined by Rosa Colucci? Will I be joined by Jon Paul Leone? If I tell you, how I know you won’t run and tell the authorities? I have 2.5 tons of musical dynamite hidden in the basement of my brain, but I’m not too keen on getting executed.

This is going to be a good show, and we hope you can make it.

2005-10-30T22:45:00.000-05:00

Dave Wells at the Starlite

Henry

2005-10-27T22:33:00.000-04:00

This Weekend

Last weekend was one of the best in the history of The Threepenny Opry. We extend special thanks to Rick Malis, Gerard Rohlf and Art Gazdik for putting the shows together, all of the amazing people who played for us, and the listeners who came out to share our love of music. If you missed it, don't despair. There's more. We have great acoustic music every Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, October 28, Mike Lamont hosts David Michael and Denise Baldwin. Denise is high energy. Artists don't like to be compared to other artists, but since you probably haven't heard Denise, think of Melissa Etheridge. And David has played all around the country.

On Saturday, October 29, Jack Erdie hosts Doug McCarty (songwriter from West Virginia), Dave Wells, and Sam Flesher. Doug taught Jack Erdie half of everything he knows, and in addition to his musical pursuits, Doug is an avid explorer of caves. Dave Wells and Sam Flesher are, in all honesty, largely the inspiration for efforts like The Threepenny Opry. Though neither pursues music as a full-time occupation, Sams songs have been heard and performed all around the world, and Daves ten best songs are as good as the ten best songs of anybody youd care to name.

As you may already know, we start early so you can bring your kids or get a babysitter. There is no cover charge, though we DO ask for donations. And the series is sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society.

2005-10-27T15:43:00.000-04:00

The Word from Autumn Ayers

Received this from Joey Murphy who passed it along to me:

Hey everybody,

Long story short: I have two shows to pimp and really great news. My album, Drunk, Again has been chosen to be included in WYEP's Year-in Review magazine. This is a great honor and it means that you (and all of your friends and neighbors) can go online and vote for Drunk, Again as one of the best albums of the year. Here is the link that will take you right to the page to vote on: http://www.wyep.org/yir/listeners.asp

The only info they need from you is your first name and your neighborhood. Just think what a boon it would be to the local music scene if a self-produced first album from a local chick made it into the year's top ten. It would be unheard of and might change the way people think about local music, especially the people who are in the position to help encourage and promote it. Please consider helping me make a showing.

The first show I wanted to alert you all to is this Thursday, October 27th at the Square Cafe (1137 S.Braddock Ave., Regent Square). There is no cover charge, the doors open at 6pm, and there will be sandwiches and salads, coffee and desserts available. Laren from Lushwell will be opening up starting at 8 pm, and then I'll play till about 10. I will have CDs available and there is a coupon on the square cafe website that you can print out yourselves for a free dessert with the purchase of a meal on the night of the show. Here's the link for the event and for the coupon.

The 2nd show is next Thursday, November 3rd, at the Mattress Factory. It's $6. at the door, but there's a $1 discount for Mattress Factory and/or WYEP members.

Alex Leggett from the Grinnies will open at 7pm and I asked local band School of Athens to co-headline. It's a night of music I would be excited to go see and am
even more excited to be a part of, so please keep it in mind. Follow the link to the Mattress Factory site for info and directions.

Thanks for your time and support. I hope to see you soon.

Autumn Ayers

2005-10-24T14:41:00.000-04:00

House Concert at Jim and Llouise's

Just want to say how much I enjoyed seeing and hearing Eric Schwartz at Jim and Llouise's house concert. Definitely not a fun for the whole family performance. As Eric said after one sing along, "I've got the whole thing on tape and none of you will be able to run for public office."

Met with a friend of mine on Friday and we talked about psychedelic/garage rock bands and how one band, Mind Garage, had been one of the first to put out a rock mass. This had me think of the content of some folk shows, which are at times conversational, but also liturgical, in their nature. You have love songs and songs of pleading (psalms), murder ballads (Old Testament lesson), call and response, homilies, and sometimes a great deal of talk about a new covenant. Brothers and sisters, I hope you know what I'm talking about. Schwartz provided much of this along with a few songs mentioning genitalia. Don't miss him the next time he's in town.

Technorati Tags: House Concert

2005-10-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

Heather Kropf's Schedule

Tomorrow night (Friday, October 21) I'll be in Mt. Lebanon with Brad Yoder on soprano sax. It's a free, all ages event.

8 PM
@ Southminster Presbyterian
799 Washington Road
Mt. Lebanon, PA
412-343-8900

NOVEMBER SHOWS

Friday, November 4, 6 PM
Mennofolk Festival
@ The Daily Grind
Harrisonburg, VA
$5 (multi-venue pass)

Saturday, November 5, 2 PM & 9:30 PM
Mennofolk Festival
EMHS Auditorium
Harrisonburg, VA
$12 (all-day pass)

Saturday, November 19, 8 PM
Down Under Coffeehouse
Unitarian Church (North Side)
416 W. North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
w/Keith Hershberger & Nick Hurst
$5 suggested donation

2005-10-20T13:57:00.000-04:00

A Science Fiction Hero Is Something to Be

For all of you filk fans out there, here's a link to boingboing about an NPR story on filk.

2005-10-18T19:42:00.000-04:00

The News from Rick Malis

This Friday night, October 21st , The Mavens will be playing a western swing dance at the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational Cultural Center in West Homestead.
This is a great venue for dancing and the headquarters for the Cajun Dance Series. Dance lessons start at 7:30 p.m. Music at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $7.
The BMNECC is located at 449 West 8th Ave in West Homestead. Put this link in your browser to get a map: http://www.southwind-pa.com/gbrweb/gbrgigs.html

On Saturday night Rick will be hosting the second edition of Americana Night at the Three Penny Opry at the Starlite Lounge in Blawknox featuring a great traditional folk singer who a lot of Pittsburghers have not gotten to hear, Dwayne Thorpe and members of Devilish Merry, Sue Powers, Jeff Berman and Jan Hamilton.

The show will start at 8:30 p.m. The Starlite Lounge is located at 378 Freeport Road in downtown Blawknox.

2005-10-17T14:14:00.000-04:00

All Aboard!

Got to see Jim and Llouise Altes on Friday. Jim and Llouise love music, enough so that they arrange about ten house concerts a year. They recently moved to Pittsburgh from the DC area, and have brought with them a bracing sense of possibilities.

Although they aren't musicians themselves, they've been involved with the Folk Alliance. A couple of years back the annual conference was in Vancouver. Jim said that he'd heard that arrangements were being made for a train trip, and he and Llouise were among the first to sign up. Apparently they weren't the last. Sixty-five folk alliance members did, too. They pretty much had the run of the train. A rolling dining car with a non-stop hoot making its way across the Canadian prairie. Festival Express comes to mind. A few weeks ago Jim and Llouise gets a call from one of their fellow riders, Eric Schwartz, who was looking to find a gig on his way home from Cleveland. So this Sunday we'll benefit from strangers who met on a train. Send an e-mail to altes at potomac.net to see if there's any space left for what I believe will be one of the more raucous house concerts this year.

2005-10-15T19:23:00.000-04:00

Correction

The gig tonight with Robert Wagner is not on
Western Avenue. The Unitarian Universalist Church
is on the corner of North Avenue and Resaca, across
from West Park, and we will perform in the building
just behind the church at 1110 Resaca.

There will be a sandwich board outside pointing the
way to the music.

Hope to see you there!

Jack

2005-10-15T11:34:00.000-04:00

Woodshedding

Ran into a friend who said she recently picked up the guitar. She's been exploring different web sites, and we compared notes. I told her I knew of a couple web sites that I liked. I must have remembered wrong. Song Trellis is fairly decent, but I know of no others that are pleasing. If anybody has any favorites, please pass them along.

2005-10-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

News from Jay Hitt

Hello!

I wanted to send a reminder that I'll be at Borders in Bethel Park tonight (Friday) at 7:30.

Next Saturday, October 22, I'll be at Siba on Rt 228 in Seven Fields starting at 7:30.

On Saturday, Oct 29, I'm back at Borders in Northway Mall for a performance with Eve Goodman and another special guest. That's at 8:00.

November so far looks like this:

Thursday November 3 Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square at 8:00. I'll be with Antonio Gatto for an evening of Simon and Garfunkel music .

Friday November 4 Wildwood C C Private function

On Friday and Saturday, November 11th and 12th, I'll be in Monticello, NY for the Folk Alliance convention. If anyone receiving this email is going, please let me know.

Wednesday, November 16, Siba Rt 228 Seven Fields 7:30

On Saturday, November 26th, I'm pleased to have Brian Henke coming to Pittsburgh to perform at Borders Books in Northway Mall at 8:00. Brian is from the Cleveland area and is almost always traveling so I'm real happy that I was able to grab him for one show. I may play a few songs myself but I'll do it before Brian because when he plays, it makes me want to hide. Visit www.brianhenkeguitar.com for more information and make plans to be there on the 26th.

That's it for now. I hope to see some of tonight and in the near future.

Have a great weekend!

Jay

2005-10-13T17:59:00.000-04:00

A Great Weekend

Described by the folks from Jack.

- October 14 (tomorrow!) at The Starlite Lounge, 362 Freeport Road in
Blawnox. Jack will be appearing with fellow Pittsburgh musicians
Paul Tabachneck and Gregg Orsag. The show starts around 9pm, Jack
will go on around 11pm. This is part of the Three Penny Opry Series,
organized by Robert Wagner. No cover, although they're usually pretty
aggressive about passing the tip jar. Non-smoking show.

That takes care of your Friday evening entertainment. If you're looking
to hear good live music on Saturday, you have a multitude of choices:

- The Three Penny Opry happens on Saturdays too! This one is features
a whole bunch of great local songwriters, check it out: Scott Milner,
Rick Kobertz, John Hayes, Gail Novak and Jeremy Fisher, and Eve Goodman.
The show starts around 8pm.

- Tommy Emmanuel appears as part of the Calliope Concert Series at the
Carnegie Lecture Hall. According to Chet Atkins Tommy Emmanuel is,
"Probably the greatest guitar player in the world." How can you pass
that up? The show starts at 8pm.

- As if you need another choice, Bonnie Raitt is playing the Benedum
Center with Maia Sharp.

2005-10-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

Turn That Racket Down

On Sunday, I watched the Newport '65 section of No Direction Home, the Bob Dylan documentary. If you don't recall or haven't heard or really don't care, one of the "Dylan goes electric" stories concerns the backstage activities of Pete Seeger. Seeger says he thought the distortion on the voice sounded awful and said that if he had an axe he'd take it to the cables. Scorsese then follows the Seeger footage with Maria Muldaur talking about how Pete Seeger had an axe in his hand. The tale, as the saying goes, grows in the telling.

Was watching the documentary with Sam Flesher, who had a few stories of his own. Sam had just been visiting a friend, Michael K., who had recently been hospitalized and faces a difficult recovery. Michael K., had been a sound engineer, and used to work for Pete Seeger. While he was working the boards, people would always tell him to turn up the volume. Pete Seeger, on the other hand always told Michael K. to ignore their instructions. "Keep the volume down. I want to make sure they're listening."

Dylan did go loud. People did pay attention. But I'm starting to get what Pete Seeger said. The saying goes, "If you want people's attention, sometimes you have to whisper." Of course, Pete never played the BBT after the rugby team has had a few.

2005-10-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

The News and Views from Jack Erdie

Folks,

Three Events.
1) Acoustic Challenge at Sing Sing in the Waterfront. Tuesday, Oct. 11, 8pm.
2) DownUnder Coffee House in the Unitarian Church on Western Avenue on the North Side. With Robert Wagner. Saturday, Oct. 15, 7:30 - 9:30.
www.alleghenyuu.org/downunder
3) ELDER STATESMEN OF SONG. Three of the best songwriters on the planet.
Doug McCarty, Dave Wells, and Sam Flesher. Three Penny Opry, Starlite Lounge in Blawnox, Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8pm.

One Story.
Pigment Diver.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm participating -- I won't say competing -- in another Acoustic Challenge. Tuesday the 11th, (that's this Tuesday), at 8 pm at Sing Sing on the Waterfront.

An acoustic challenge, in my experience, is when you are playing an acoustic set of music in just about any beer garden or bistro the sound system of which has been set up to accomodate classic and blues rocker wannabe cover bands. (You know who you are, and I know where you live.) And the genuine configured natural acoustics of which are nil. But in this case it is an event where four or five different singer-songwriters get to play a fifteen minute set of their best music, and after they have all sweated, bled, and distilled a lifetime of suffering and joy into these fifteen minutes, a panel of underqualified, or self-qualified judges will award them with the right to go on to the finals, where they get to do it again at an even more unblinkingly mad fever pitch, against three other neurotic finalists.

I won one of these once, so I'm assured that my neurosis and fangs are intact. Tuesday night at 8. I'm told it doesn't matter how many come and cheer you on, nor how high the applause meter goes. We will be judged on originality, how well we engage the audience, musicianship, songcraft, and other honorable but often murky and highly subjective criteria. But if you come, I promise to be irreverent, and at my most hardcore and loving jackness, and the devil take the prize.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Down Under Coffee House w/ Robert Wagner.

I shouldn't have to introduce Robert Wagner to anybody anywhere in the tri-state vicinity who cares a damn about the timeless combination of great music and truth. In the recent Dylan documentary, No Direction Home, one of the interviewed folkees said that, in the folk heyday, when they heard that so and so was playing, say, at The Gaslight, the immediate question was: "Do they have anything to say?" I'm a lot like that. Technical proficiency minus vision doesn't so much bore me as it makes me feel that my spirit and mind are sliding, like the present political climate, back towards a primordial ooze from which so many have given too much to evolve us out of. Vision with a modicum of proficiency? I'm there, raindogs, I'm there. Robert has a lot to say, his tongue is on fire. Sometimes it's slow-burning, sometimes it flashes out Vesuvius to burn away the layers of complacency, hypocrisy, and mind-numbness to quicken the spirit, and sharpen our own resolve to see clearly, think wisely, and act accordingly. Bob's been a touchstone for my own work for a decade now, and the effect hasn't hurt me one bit. It's helped keep me vital.

I'll be playing, too.

Now the DownUnder is cozy. It's hosted by the Unitarian Church on Western Avenue on the North Side. The very music-supportive Stephen Hirtle, always a gentleman whose brimming intelligence I've never known to be hurtful, emcees. The parishioners make the best desserts and you can get them for around a dollar apiece. The fee for drinks is also negligible. For more info, check out this link: www.alleghenyuu.org/downunder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, October 29th at 8pm. Three Penny Opry. Starlite Lounge in Blawnox. The Elder Statesmen of Song. Doug McCarty, Dave Wells, and Sam Flesher. This is guaranteed to be: A Life-Affirming Night of Undiluted Inspiration, Straight From The Muses Musk. If you're the music loving equivalent of the Christmas Catholic, who only attends mass that one time per year, this is the show you've got to see. And I'll tell you why:

Each of these songwriters has been woodshedding at their craft for decades. Before most of us had even attempted to pen our first Dylan or Lennon imitations, these men had reached a level of impeccable wordsmithing and melody molding. Nearly every line in any one of their songs has the ability to linger, smoldering, in the mind for days.

Their songs are resplendent with humor, wisdom, heart, and humanity. I hear them and think: Hear is the essence of great artists who know the time to live, love, impart vision, absorb wonder, is short. Every hello is a kind of "Good-bye. Remember me as I have immortalized you all in song."

I first knew Doug when I was about sixteen. I'd been to his cabin on the Colfax River just outside of my hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia, with my father and others, and heard Doug play. He knew all kinds of fingerstyles when all I could manage was flailing. He could play slide. His lyrics were born from his own gritty experiences with beat poets and bluesmen for midwives. The first time I heard his Fire Escape Revival, the hairs stood up on my forearms and nape. A lot of his songs still have that effect on me.

Doug was the one who helped me get away from the melody-weak process of coming up with poems, or lyrics, first and then trying to stretch them over too-small or too-dull canvases of sound. I still do this occasionally. But he planted the seed of focusing equally on the melody as upon the lyric.

Doug introduced me to the work of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Tim Buckley, Jack Kerouac, and many others who have influenced my own writing.

I met Dave Wells and Sam Flesher through the Calliope Songwriters' Circle about a decade ago. When I returned from Los Angeles, about three years ago, I hadn't seen either of them in probably five years. Yet I remembered big chunks of a lot of both of their songs, and had often thought of them.

Sam Flesher is outgoing, exuberant, extremely thoughtful and generous. Dave Wells is quiet, shy, extremely thoughtful and generous. The songs of either one of them will stand the test against any of the famed songwriters of the past century; will stand and shine triumphant.

If you come to this show, you will know that each of their songs will sink into your soul and become a life-enriching part of your consciousness. I know I'm speaking hyperbolically. Yet I don't feel I'm exaggerating.

People know and sing Sam's songs around the world. In China. In Israel. In Central Park, New York, Sam once found a folk singer singing his Splendor Bridge. When he asked the kid how he knew that song, the kid said, "I collected it in the hills of Appalachia."

People should be singing Dave's songs the world over, too.

Three Elder Statesmen of Song. And all by accessible, down-to-earth, well-traveled, and well-versed fellas.

This may be your only chance ever to catch the musical equivalent of an aurora borealis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pigment Diver

So, I went fishing on the Monongahela, just a little ways out of town. I hadn't been fishing in twenty years or so, and was never a very successful if you went by the number of fish I snagged. If you counted the grand ideas I'd netted, though, while sitting on overturned buckets on soggy banks, you'd have to agree that fishing was always kind to me.

So I got the cheapest child's pole I could find at Dunham's Sporting Goods. (I prefer Dunham to Dick's for several reasons, some simply semantic, but mainly because Dunham was my paternal grandmother's maiden name.) I went into Frick Park on a rainy evening and scared up some slimy nightcrawlers. And the next day, off to the river I went.

I found a quiet spot. Very rocky. I was saddened to see how the rocks were all stained with some industrial dumping run-off, and the water was a brown-green murk which appeared to hold no life at first. I must've been near the site of a once-thriving, now long-defunct steel mill or paper mill or something. I could see rusted ribs of metal structures arching out from the scant woods here and there along the bank.

I baited my hook and cast the poor worm into the toxic water. A tiny plop sounded, made even tinier by the din of the big trucks barreling down the nearby highway. I had brought my own bucket, trying to keep with tradition, hoping that might help me to gradually remember the basics of the sport. I turned my bucket over and sat down.

After about ten minutes of nothing, I became entranced by the sunlight sparkling off the surface wavelets, and zoned out. Off in the psychic distance, a melody approached like a heavy laden coal train with rusted axels. I tried not to give it too much credence. Them trains'll switch tracks just around the bend if you really start to depend on their arrival. They're contrary. So, I was listening, but aloofly, and other thoughts were vying for the same channel of attention.

Then the river erupted with a tremendous splash, and a dark, elliptical form jettisoned out of the water, showering me and everything around. My grip tightened instinctively on the pole at the same time as my mind said, "Let it go! You can fight a fish this big! It'll drag you into the undercurrent. Let go!"

But my line remained slack. And as the mist of water settled, I saw that it wasn't a fish but a woman that had emerged from the river. She was wearing a diving suit; navy blue rubber from head to flippers, and Captain Fantastically-large goggles, and a snorkle tube.

"You scared the hell outta me," I said, and tried to laugh. The subsiding adrenaline, though, had left me nauseous.

"WrrrWrree." She shook her head. (Why deny the obvious? I knew she was a woman. Most men don't have breasts that show through their wetsuits.) She pulled the snorkle base out of her mouth.

"Sorry!"

"I didn't even see you go into the river."

"Probably because I started about two hours ago."

"Really? People snorkle the Monongahela? What are you looking for, the fingerprints of ecological disaster? The perfect mix of sludge and sulphur?"

"I don't know about people, but I'm looking for pigment."

"Pigment?"

"Yeah, pigment. The root word of which is not pig, by the way. Pigment. I paint. I like to use found pigment."

"Okay. Pigment. Well you just scared the pigment out of me. If you scrape the loam around my feet here, you'll probably find enough pigment to fill a large canvas with a Hieronymus Bosch type of scene."

She raised her goggles with one hand. I'm sure she didn't intend it, but it was like a magician's gesture. Ta-da! Behold! From behind the mask, dazzling hazel eyes, large and hypnotic, teeming with more frenetic life than the salt-water aquarium at the zoo. She held the other hand out to me, palm down.

"Give me your hand," she said.

I reluctantly obeyed. She ran a soft rock over my palm, leaving behind a blue line.

"That's bizarre," she said.

"Tell me about it," I dead-panned.

"No. No. I mean the color should be a sort of brick red, like the rock. See?"

The rock was indeed brick red. She asked me to turn my hand over. I did, God knows why. The magic of her eyes compelled me. She drew another line on the back of my hand. Guess what color it was?

"Really? That's... Wait, let me try..."

She unzipped a rubber fanny pack, dropped the red rock in, and pulled out a sort of yellow ochre one.

"The other hand, please, monsieur."

"What am I at a Dead concert? Can't you just paisley my back with some henna, Jenna?"

I held out the other hand. She rubbed the soft rock from my wrist up to my elbow, leaving behind a fat, you guessed it, BLUE line.

"That's amazing."

"Okay."

"No. Honestly. This is pure pigment. Well, all right. It's the industrial equivalent of pure pigment. Proof that there is fine print of beauty even what you would think to be only complete and utter destruction. I mean, these mills around here, around everywhere, really, were like poisonous beasts that vomited their toxins 24/7 into the rivers and streams. I'm probably tumorous from diving this river alone. But look! Pigments that don't normally occur north of the Amazonian, created by chemical reactions between the sulfur, the ammonia, the formadehyde, and the natural components of certain indigenous rocks. Beauty from ruin."

I was going to ask how rocks could be considered to be living in poverty, but thought I might just embarrass myself by asking, so I let it go.

"Beauty from ruin." I wasn't being sarcastic. I was thinking about songwriting. And fishing the tragic waters of the Mon.

"Pure pigment," she said, "doesn't produce any color other than itself."

"Hmmm."

"So something in you must be reacting with the pigment to turn it blue. Some chemical. Some toxin. Something."

"That's enough," I said. I was pleading, really, if you listened hard enough.

"What?"

"That's enough for now. I was fishing. I'd like to go back to that now."

I swiped the water from my bucket seat and sat back down, began reeling in my line.

"Oh. Okay. Bye."

She put the snorkel in her mouth, pulled the goggles over her eyes and began to sink into the water.

"Wait."

"Wrrrfff?"

"If you'll be around this way again, look for me. I'll be here fishing. I'd like to talk to you again. I'm just not ready today to ponder my blueness. Okay?"

She looked at me for about five seconds, then smiled around the snorkel and nodded.

Maybe I'd found a friend. Then she jumped up, and with a showering splash that scared all the fish away for hours to come, disappeared into the mysterious and magical Monongahela.

2005-10-06T18:52:00.000-04:00

More Details on Weekend Shows

From the moonlist . . .

This Friday (and the first Friday of every month) Howard Davidson and friends will be hosting Bluegrass Night at the Starlite. If you've ever been to the Tuesday Night Bluegrass Jam, you know how much fun it is. Bluegrass music is like baseball at a Fourth of July picnic. Everybody can get in the game. Don't have a mitt? Play with your bare hands. Or here, you can borrow my mitt. What's the batting order? Doesn't matter as long as nobody cheats and everybody gets to bat.

Saturday night, Peter B. King hosts. Back in the day, Peter was the music critic for The Pittsburgh Press. Now, he's an editor at The Post-Gazette. He has a tasty, jazzy guitar style. He'll play a set accompanied by bassist Mark Perna, and he's invited Rick Malis and Robert Wagner to play. Peter will accompany Rick and Bob for their sets, so there's liable to be some magic in the air.

2005-10-05T18:49:00.000-04:00

We're Gonna Get It

Eric Schwartz is not for everyone's taste, I'm sure. He's brash. He's unapolegetically political. He's probably a little more Broadway than most folkies like and he's certainly too folky for Broadway. Too snide for the sentimental types, and too sentimental for the ... He's coming! Here are the details from Jim and Llouise. Make sure to check out the Eric Schwartz website.

Friendship House Concerts is proud to present

Eric Schwartz

Sunday, October 23

4:00 p.m.

Eric Schwartz has spent years on the Folk Scene alternately evoking tears with his lyric balladry and pushing the edges of propriety. His split-personality performances have recently garnered comparisons to Frank Zappa, Frank Sinatra, Steve Goodman, Barry Manilow and Lenny Bruce. His edgier material often evokes the question: “Is THIS Folk?” He thinks so. From The Bluebird to the Bottom Line, Philly Folk to Kerrville, NPR’s All Things Considered to Doctor Demento, listeners seem to agree.

“The only thing bad about an Eric Schwartz show is that it ends. I wish I could install him in my living room and insert a quarter in his ear to get my daily fix.”
— Christopher Smith, Music Editor, Performing Songwriter Magazine

Check out Eric and his music at http://www.ericschwartz.com

Seating is limited. Reservations necessary. For information and reservations,
call or email:
LLouise & Jim Altes
412.361.6051
altes at potomacnet.com
Suggested donation: $10.00. All proceeds will go to the performer. After the concert, there will be a pot luck dinner. Entrées, hors d’oeuvres, salads, side dishes, desserts, or beverages are welcome.

Other concerts we are aware of:

Oct 15 Tommy Emanuel (Calliope)
Oct 26 (Wed) Clarke Buehling (workshop), hosted by Curt and Annie
AnnieT@southwind-pa.com
Nov 6, 4p Kate McDonnell, hosted by Llouise and Jim
Nov 6, 7:30p Great Bear Trio, hosted by Curt and Annie
Nov 8 (Tues), 7:30p Chuck Suchy, hosted by Cindy
Nov 10 (Thurs), 7:30p (TENTATIVE) Harvey Reid, hosted by Cindy
Nov 19 Andy Statman Trio (Calliope)
Dec 2, 8p Dwight Diller, hosted by Cindy
Dec 10 Del McCoury (Calliope)

2006
Jan 21 Odetta (Calliope)
Feb. 25 Paul Rishell & Annie Raines (Calliope)
Mar 18 Flook (Calliope)
Apr 22 Tom Rush (Calliope)

2005-10-05T16:04:00.000-04:00

Put Away Your Handkerchiefs
Interesting conversation last night at the Songwriters Circle about techniques. Since I was preparing to go onstage, I missed most of it. But the folks talked about spending a few minutes on the first Tuesday sharing techniques, blues turns, bluegrass fills, reggae beats, what-have-you. Have always liked my diminished chord blues turn around, but would love to learn alternatives.

Oh, yeah. The headline is a play on the legendary habit of songsters holding a handkerchief to hide their chording hand.

"Now is no time for your tears."

Bob Dylan said that.

"Hope to hear from you soon."

I said that.

2005-10-04T12:10:00.000-04:00

Tonight: Poignantly Wacky and Much More

George Kantor writes:

This is just to remind you that the Singer Songwriter Circle will be meeting tonight, October 4th, at 7pm at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern. The assignment for the month is to write about a larger-than-life Pittsburgh personality (in a genre that's new to you, if you feel so bold!).

Mark Stroup will be the featured songwriter, and he's sure to have a bag full of poignantly wacky songs to entertain us all with. So plan to stick around to hear him play.

2005-10-04T10:39:00.000-04:00

Rick Malis Appearances

Rick will be doing two singer songwriter shows this week.

On Tuesday night October 4th I’ll be doing a songwriter in the round at Club Café on the South Side with Eve Goodman, Hallie Pritts and Joey Murphy. A performance by Boca Chica will follow the singing in the round session. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5.

On Saturday night I will be playing a set at the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox with Peter King who will be hosting the night. The show starts at 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. No cover but donations are encouraged.

2005-09-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

Women Rule!

No surprises there, but Heather Kropf writes with that info and more:

Women Rule Cefalo's Tonight

Hi friends -

So I had no luck winning the acoustic challenge at Sing Sing's on Tuesday. Sigh. The guitar duo of clean-cut boys won instead. Good thing they sounded alright or I'd be perturbed.

Anyhooo, I'm so excited about this last-minute show I got invited to be a part of. Tonight at Cefalo's Club in Carnegie, PA, I'll be playing some songs in the round with Eve Goodman, Joey Murphy and national recording artist, Kyler England. It's a 21+ show, $5 at the door. I've heard Cefalo's is a former church that has been converted into a beautiful club. http://www.clubcefalo.com.

Other in-the-round events:

Fri., Oct. 14, 8 PM
Siba Cucina
Seven Fields, PA
with Philadelphia writer Robyn Harris. Also Brad Yoder, myself, and Jason on bass
Free, All Ages

Monday, Oct. 17, 8 PM
Starbucks on Murray Ave
Pittsburgh, PA
with Eve Goodman and friends
Free, All Ages

I've promised a mad-lib song at this event. :)

OTHER NEWS

The record is mastered! I can't wait to share it with all of you. Details for the the CD release party are a few weeks off yet, but I'll let you know just as soon as I can so you can mark your calendars.

peace,
Heather

2005-09-29T11:58:00.000-04:00

Robert's Weekend

The only thing missing is a couple of daytime workshops. Read on and find out what's happening in Robert Wagner's world.

Friends,

I'm playing a couple of shows in the area this weekend.
Friday, I'm at the Borders in Monroeville. 7:30 pm
Also on Friday, Jack Erdie is hosting a JOHN PRINE Tribute at The Starlite as part of The Threepenny Opry. I'll be rushing over after the Borders thing to play a few tunes and enjoy the festivities.

Saturday, I'm with John Wells at The Starlite Lounge as part of The Threepenny Opry series. 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

If you, like me, watched that Scorsese thing about Dylan with great interest, you'll want to hear John Wells. John reminds me of Dave Van Ronk. He's an encyclopedia of musical knowledge and a compelling (though too real for some tastes) performer. John's music connects me to a world of characters and events as interesting and sophisticated as anything I've found in Dostoyevsky or Dickens, except it's music so twice as much fun. If I'm exaggerating, forgive me, but I'm a fan.

Sincerely,

Roberto

2005-09-28T15:47:00.000-04:00

Saturday Night at the Starlite

Courtesy John Wells:

Dear Folks,

HELP!

I've been very bad. I spent all my money on stupid things like food. I let the 19 viruses my computer got from PeoplePC keep me off line for weeks. I haven't done my practicing. I haven't done anything to be responsible about being given the sacred duty of hosting this Saturday, Octopus 1, 2005's Three Penny Opry at the Starlight.

I figure it's all Carol's fault. It's only logical:
Something's wrong.
Carol's the nearest blond.
Therefore, It's all her fault.

Wait a minute. ... Ahh! I'm feeling better now. The U.S. Postal service just sent this girl to my house. She didn't want to stay, even though I told her Carol wouldn't be home for a while, but she did leave me this box. And inside the box was a carton of Camel Filters Hard Pack for Carol, and a box of La Gloria Cubana Cigars for me. Thanks, Carlton. You shouldn't have.

Anyway, you've all stayed away in droves on previous occasions that I've been listed as the host or featured performer. This is your last warning. Show up and be ready to play, or I'll still love you. That'll teach you a lesson. I know who you are. I'll find out where you live. I expect all of you to show up at the Starlight at 8:00 PM, EDT SHARP, Saturday, Octopus 1, 2005.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Sincerely,
GLORM, the worm from outer space now inhabiting and controlling the body of the human being previously known as John D. Wells

2005-09-28T08:07:00.000-04:00

Prine Numbers

All right. Here's a request for favorite John Prine lines. Here are a few of my own favorite lines from the song "Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)":

For a heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter.
You become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there
Wrapped up in a trap of your very own
Chain of sorrow.

Not laugh out loud hilarious, perhaps, but funny in the way that Ecclesiastes or Buddha was funny.

Send me yours and come to listen and play this Friday.