Myshkin shows...

Been way too long since I checked in here, oops. Life gets pretty crazy. Musicians, concerts, kids, grandmothers, potlucks, new housemates....

Just wanted to let you know that the brilliant Myshkin is doing a short Northwest tour this weekend, all three nights of which I will be along for and two of which are with Seattle's Led to Sea (aka Alex Guy). Please do come out and see us (I won't be performing, but you can still see me), I promise you will not be disappointed. I'll include some quotes and stuff about Myshkin below.

fri. march 20 (tonight!!) House Concert - Seattle, WA - 209 NW 60th St - Myshkin with Led to Sea - 8pm - $15 - RSVP to: eliwest@gmail.com ***this is a great house concert series at the home of my friend Eli***

sat. march 21 The Raven and Finch - Ilwaco, WA (this is a sweet wine bar near Astoria, OR) - 215 Howerton Way - 8pm - $5

sun. march 22 Alberta Street Pub - Portland, OR - Myshkin's Ruby Warblers with Led to Sea - 8pm - $10 advance / $12 at door - for tickets go to www.shiningcitymusic.com


Myshkin took a year off from music in 2008 to build a cob and straw bale studio in the mountains of southern Oregon, and is currently working to finish her latest and most ambitious record, heart thumping to get back on the road. Myshkin plays an eighty-year old Martin tenor guitar, a vintage Gibson six-string, and a jumbo Lowden acoustic. But her voice is her finest instrument, and she wields it like a fortune-teller, an acrobat, a hunter, a gift.

"Both lyrical and politically pointed. A rich blend topped with her broad-ranging, keening voice." - The Washington Post

"Myshkin's voice is not to be taken lightly. A gorgeous rich alto infused with natural drama and melancholy, and best applied to her own songs: hushed one-act plays that speak volumes." - The New Orleans Times Picayune

"Dark, smoky folk-jazz. Gripping, affecting and disquieting." - Read Magazine

Heather on PHC, again.

Well this time it's too late to catch it on the radio, but Heather (new web site) was on Prairie Home Companion again, this time live from Duluth. I think Garrison likes her... So, you can listen to it online here, the whole show as well as a clip of her own song, "Mittens." Myself, I recommend listening to the medley she did (Battle Hymn of the Republic/I Shall Be Released/Wade in the Water). Go to about 77:30, then listen for about 6 mins:

Heather on Prairie Home Companion today!

Very last minute news:

Just wanted to let you know that Heather Masse of the Wailin' Jennys will be on Prairie Home Companion tonight singing some tunes with Garrison and the amazing singer Jearlyn Steele as well as Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks big band. The show broadcasts at 5:45pm eastern standard time Saturday (3pm in a lot of places on the west coast) and then a rebroadcast on Sunday. Check http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/ for more info. Hope you can tune in!

And yes, Heather is a current Shining City artist... I am booking a tour for her and Aoife O'Donovan of Crooked Still in the Northwest in late April. You can contact me or go to the Shining City web site for more info on that. Also, I highly recommend Heather's new 5-song EP with the great Jed Wilson, Many Moons.

The Flutter Effect

I have just discovered that one of my favorite singer-songwriters and friends, Beth Amsel, has a new blog, mostly political. From checking out what she's posted so far, and from knowing her for years, I can tell you has a lot to say about politics and it would behoove you to read it. Go there and leave her a comment welcoming her to blogland.

Heather Masse in the NW!

So next up is a short Northwest tour for the Heather Anne Band, that would feature Ms. Heather Masse of The Wailin' Jennys. You get a gold star if you see the irony re the last post here. :) Heather is amazing, and since I'm in a hurry to go meet her for coffee, I will cheat and use other people's word to describe her.

Please come see her (and me, but not on the stage) in Tacoma, Bainbridge Island, Bellingham, or, Portland on Sunday night! Details of shows are here.

UPDATE: Tacoma on Thursday has been canceled and there will instead be a house concert in Seattle at the home of Eli West. You can contact me for info. Leave your email address in a comment if you want to come, and I'll tell you where it is.

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A melange of soulful, thoughtful songs, Heather's newest project, The Heather Anne Band, crosses the borders between country, jazz, blues, and folk. With Heather Masse's expressive voice, and Jed Wilson's extraordinary piano playing at its core, the band creates an expansive, timeless sound that engages and inspires. The Heather Anne Band plans to record a full-length album of Heather's original songs and music this winter.

"What a voice! Every once in a while I happen on a voice so pure, with such great texture, intonation, time and phrasing that it stops me in my tracks. Heather Masse has all that and more." - John Ziegler, KUMD

"Heather Masse has a stunningly beautiful voice and impeccable musicianship. You don't want to miss a chance to hear this singer." - Jazz musician Dominique Eade

"The icing on the cake [of Joy Kills Sorrow] though, is vocalist Heather Masse, whose voice hovers somewhere between Alison Krauss and Maura O'Connell, with the versatility to take on material as widely diverse as Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone", Hank William's "Weary Blues from Waitin'," Paul Seibels's "Louise" and old time standards like "Train on the Island," yet give them each her own intriguing twist." - Sing Out Magazine

"Masse may be the perfect catch for The Wailin' Jennys, which is rounded out by Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta... Of course, there's also her voice: Masse's surprisingly deep vocal sent a ripple of reaction through the audience. It's a throaty voice, fit for sultry jazz, and it was best showcased on a spooky a cappella rendition of Lead Belly's Bring Me Little Water Sylvie." - Uptown Magazine, Winnipeg

Annabelle in Cali this week

Hiya. I'm traveling up and down (or down and up) California this week in an effort to hone my road manager skills, which I usually just practice on Tracy...

I'm road managing Annabelle Chvostek, a former member of the Canadian folk trio The Wailin Jennys. She's a pretty phenomenal multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, and her new album, Resilience, is great. You can listen on Myspace.


18th Coffee Gallery Backstage, Los Angeles, CA www.coffeegallery.com
19th Tales from the Tavern, Santa Ynez, CA www.talesfromthetavern.com
20th Don Quixote's Music Hall, Felton (Santa Cruz), CA www.donquixotesmusic.info
21st Fernwood Resort, Big Sur, CA http://www.fernwoodbigsur.com/
22nd Café Flo, Chico, CA 530-342-1055 pullinsusa@aol.com
23rd Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA www.freightandsalvage.org

Rally against Prop 8 on Saturday morning

A team of PDX-area LGBT folks and allies just announced Portland’s first large-scale rally to protest the passage of California’s Proposition 8 - and it’s all going down this Saturday, November 15th, from 10:30 am onward at the Portland State University South Park Blocks, near the Saturday Farmer’s Market (corner of SW Broadway and Mill Streets, bordering the Smith Memorial Student Union).

More information is here and here. That last link is national, not just for Portland. There are rallies on Saturday in every state.