off to NASHville to the Americana Music Association festival this week

I will be traveling to Nashville Thursday to see the Americana Music Association awards event Thursday evening at the Ryman, and three days of lots of showcases around town, and some other special events. We went last year, and really enjoyed it, and will have that advantage of seeing how things work for this year. Really looking forward to it; I'll give some reports from the road.

Todd Snider at Stuart's

Thursday I traveled to Nelsonville to see Todd Snider at Stuart's Opera House. He is a frequent visitor to Nelsonville these last few years; a mutual admiration society!!! Todd was in fine form and seems to thrive on the enthusiastic crowd reaction; he takes a lot of requests when he is there! He finished up his encore with Mr. Bojangles and Fish and Whistle on the piano. A good fix for my musical addiction; seeing Todd is always a big lift!!!

John Prine Tribute last night

We held our 9th annual John Prine tribute as a benefit for Children's Home Society of WV last night at 6 Pence Pub in Parkersburg. We had 5 great acts of music with people playing sets of John Prine songs. Randolph Ramsey started us off, with a solid, diverse set of songs, getting everybody in the spirit. Matt Kirkland and Tom Gibson came up next, and likewise, had a nice diverse set list, broadening the audience's appreciation of John Prine's great body of work. Todd Heslep was next; one of the original Tribute show performers, he has a deep, deep set of John Prine tunes. Jonny Nutter gave a typically spirited set, to great audience acclaim. Jonny brings a good audience with him! Carly Stephens and Austin Alexander performed next, and they were fantastic with harmonies and guitar work. Todd Heslep finished up the night with a second set with songs he didn't work in the first time! There were some fun contests and story sharing about John Prine's impact on people. All in all a great evening!

adelphia shows last night in Marietta

Enjoyed a good, long evening of music last night in Marietta Ohio, at the Adelphia. First a song writer round robin with Todd Burge, Larry Groce, and Jess Kaufman, and then some groups- Sasha Collette and Magnolia, and Duke Junior and the Smoky Boots. Lots of good songs and music!!!

Bill Toms coffee house

Bill Toms from Pittsburgh PA came and performed in our coffee house Saturday night. He is a rooted rocker, with some great stories to tell in song. It was a laid back evening; suited for some of his in-between songs stories behind the songs, and lots of changes of style and tempo, to keep you engaged in his deep song list.

Bill Toms coffee house next Saturday

When Will Kimbrough came to Parkersburg a few months back for a house concert/ coffee house, we talked about Bill Toms, who Will was working with to produce an album over the past year. Soon after that, Bill contacted me about coming to do a show in parkersburg. Well, that day is arriving, next Saturday, August 27th at 8 pm; Bill will be coming to our storefront coffee house at 1739 St. Mary's Ave. (Third door) Parkersburg. $10 tickets to see this great performer from Pittsburgh. Bill has a long intriguing musical history, so check him out on his website or Facebook. The night of the show, we will be drawing for the trip to Nashville for the Americana Music Association festival in October, a raffle we have been running for several months now.

Greens tomorrow night at the Adelphia in Marietta

The Greens are playing at Gibbie's in Morgantown tonight, and come to Marietta Ohio tomorrow night for a show at the Adelphia (the partner establishment to the Galley on 2nd Street). The Greens have an interesting mix of shows coming up as they shift to "fall schedules." Come on out and see them in the Mid Ohio Valley tomorrow night.

Lonely Blog

I have continued to blatantly neglect my lonely music blog. I PROMISE I will get back to it soon; with a little oomph of energy for new music postings. I will add some things about the Bill Toms coffee house coming up; some new reviews of music coming out that I will pick up. Reflections on Johnny Rivers Realization album. I will try to catch a Greens show here in the next few weeks; working around the Tuck family vacation in Michigan. Hang in there.

Greens last night at Fairplain Yacht Club in Ripley

Ventured down to Jackson County last night to see the Greens in a new venue. The unfamiliar confines of Jackson County. The Fairplain Yacht Club is a big room, well set up for live music/ dancing / convivial socializing. There is a big speedway/ dirt racing track right behind it, and the roar of the vehicles rises ever so often. We had our table full of Greens fan regulars, but otherwise it must have been the FYC crowd. I was only able to stay for the first set, so I'll wait to hear how the rest of the evening proceeded, but the Greens had a solid first set, breaking out Truck Stop Religion (written after a stop at the Go Mart there at Fairplain, just a half a mile from the venue).

600lbs of Sin

The band, 600lbs of Sin performed yesterday at our outdoor music festival here in Parkersburg, and really impressed the audience. They were engaging and diverse in their music, and we look for them to come to Parkersburg again. They are playing on the weekend of the July 4th at the riverfront in Charleston (on the 2nd).