Reflections on our September shows
 by Kathy S-B  ·  15 September 2006

September 22: Kris Delmhorst and Mark Erelli

Kris played the me&thee a couple of years ago and put on a riveting show. It was high time that we had her back!

Kris has a brand new CD called “Strange Conversations” out. It’s real exciting and very interesting that the CD received a four star review from the Irish Times. Their critic writes “This is a remarkable album… as seamless and brave as it is brilliantly creative… don’t let the fact that Virgil and Hermann Broch inspired the title track reduce its deliciously slinky appeal.” I couldn’t have said it any better myself. When’s the last time you even thought about Virgil, never mind and perhaps I’m not in tune enough to have know that Austrian writer Hermann Broch made his claim to fame as a novelist with a book entitled Der Tod des Vergil ( The Death of Virgil, 1945). Upon further research, I discovered that I had actually read a book by Mr. Broch called The Man Without Qualities. I must admit that I don’t remember a thing about the novel and only remembered its title and the fact that I took it in a required Literature in Translation course that I slogged through my junior year in college.

But here’s Kris’ take on all things Virgil:
lyrics inspired by Hermann Broch, The Death of Virgil

I heard they had a strange conversation the night Virgil died/He held his frail head up and said I think I wish I’d never tried/To dive down through the darkness, to climb up through the blue/Because beauty without cruelty is ever so much worse than untrue/Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn

But that’s neither here nor there. I started this rambling blog entry with a great quote from the Irish Times. Today’s Boston Globe included a list of Scott Alarik’s Folk Picks for the fall. He listed the Kris and Mark gig at the me&thee on September 22 as one of the highlights of the fall… because of the fact that Scott considers the me&thee audience as a very “literate” audience—he goes on to say that Thoreau would have loved this “joint.” We all got a big chuckle out of that, but, yeah, I do have to agree that Henry David would probably dig coming to the me&thee and would love to hear someone like the wonderful Kris Delmhorst take the poetry of Browning, Byron, Whitman, and even Rumi and add her own unique and transcendent music to it. If ever there was a show for literature majors, this is it!

Going to a concert in a quiet setting like a coffeehouse is a perfect opportunity to let the lyrics sing into your soul and to be swept away by the notes that accompany the words. I, for one, can’t wait for our season to begin and to hear all these new songs by Kris. Frankly, I sure hope she does some tunes from her CD “Five Stories” which is my own personal favorite: I’m rooting that “Little Wings” or “Yellow Brick Road” make Kris’ setlist on the 22nd. More information on Kris Delmhorst.

And Mark Erelli? Have you heard his latest CD? It’s called “Hope and Other Casualites.” It’s one powerful CD. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since the last time I saw Mark he was in a western swing kind of mode… but with this CD, I think he’s really hit his stride and he’s won me over as a fan!

In doing all my research when I write the press releases for the me&thee, I read tons and tons of material about each and every performer. One review that I came across for this album came from someone at Fish Records in the U.K. and they had this to say about this CD:

“The real strength of this disc is its variety and consistency—the songs cover a range of styles and subjects and the quality never drops, highlights include ‘Hartfordtown 1944’, a stunning and aptly Dylan-like tale of a tragic circus fire, it’s a memorable song that really works the emotions of the listener.”

I found this myself when I heard the song “Imaginary Wars” on the radio. This is the one song that reeled me in as a fan. Read these lyrics. Mark grew up not too far from here. Think about what he’s saying about nature, about progress, about life. Thoreau would love this song. In fact, the last time I was at Walden Pond, I think I heard the chorus being played by the leaves in the breeze:

Behind the house where I lived Back when I was a kid I played G.I. Joe beneath the tall pine trees I’d fight imaginary wars Til my mom called from our back porch I’d come home covered in that pine pitch from my head down to my knees Too big to wrap my arms around Surely older than I could count Must have been there since the Mayflower crossed the sea They’d seen blizzards, hurricanes Summer droughts and freezing rain Those pines would live forever Least that’s how it seemed to me Now what’s become of the old pine woods It’s all gone and there’s a brand new neighborhood All for a buck they cut down all those trees They subdivided all of my fondest memories When those trucks came for my woods I did everything I could And I waged my war when school let out that June I ripped down flags and pulled up stakes But what difference can one boy make Them pines still fell like thunder on a summer afternoon (Chorus) I never became friends With the families that moved in They were different from us or so it seemed I grew up and moved away I just go home on holidays But those tall and tangled pines they’re still falling in my dreams We all the want the greenest lawn A country club where we belong And an SUV to get us there in style But we don’t keep track of what’s been lost We can’t calculate the cost When there’s no place left for a boy’s imagination to run wild So what’s become of the old pine woods It’s all gone and it’s gone for good All for a buck they cut down all those trees They subdivided all of my fondest memories.

Please note that one of Mark’s songs from this CD, “Seeds of Peace” is currently listed on Neil Young’s website on his database of modern ‘protest’ songs. It’s currently charting at #165.

Congratulations to Mark! Much more information about Mark at: www.markerelli.com.

September 29: Steve Forbert / Erik Balkey opens

Steve Forbert is one of those performers who has been on my radar screen for a couple of decades. I’ve known some of his work but not a whole lot. I don’t think you could get through 1979 without hearing “Romeo’s Tune” on the radio ad nauseum. It’s a great song and that’s been Steve’s calling card. I can distinctly recall sitting at my dining room table and reading about him in Rolling Stone—an article about him being the new Dylan. I couldn’t imagine being a songwriter and having that much hope and expectation thrust upon you. I couldn’t imagine what that pressure must feel like. But, there’s so much more. When a long-time volunteer requested that we ask Steve to come and play, I began my research and I must admit that I have become more than enamored with the man and his music. I’m hooked. One listen to “Good Soul Food” which is a fairly recent live recording really and truly gives the listener a real idea of what Steve is like on stage. It was recorded at the famous folk music haunt in Ann Arbor, the Ark. To me—the Ark is the me&thee sister coffeehouse in the Midwest. We book many of the same acts and both share a lengthy and successful history.

If you have never seen Steve in action, this is a show not to be missed. I saw Steve in concert last year and witnessed a veritable love fest between performer and audience. He has the knack of making the audience feel at home within seconds of being on the stage and warming the crowd up to sing along with him. A must see! Steve’s new song, “Baghdad Dream,” is currently Number 41 on Neil Young’s website which contains his growing list of protest songs. Do you notice a theme happening with our first two shows? This was not planned when we booked these acts last year! Also, please note that Steve will be Live at Noon on WUMB on Friday, September 29.
More about Steve

Erik Balkey: Red Sox fan??

An extra special treat at this show is the inclusion of Erik Balkey as an opener. Erik is a house painter by day, a musician by night or whenever he gets some good gigs. He’s one of the hardest working independent musicians out there. I’ve become acquainted with a couple of his solo CDs and have grown to love many of his tunes. I’m especially impressed by his socially conscious songs. A side project of Erik’s is something called “Mission Street Project” which is a CD jam packed with songs of social relevance. Richard Cuccaro of Acoustic Live in NYC says this: “Woody’s heritage is safely in the hands of Erik Balkey and his friends. Mission Street Project brings intelligent and poignant stories set to inspirational melodies from the heart of America.”
More on Erik

I am so darn psyched about the first two shows of our season! Can you tell?

See you at the me&thee!

Kathy S-B

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