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Brandon Godman, Hasee Ciaccio, Laurie Lewis and George Guthrie, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
Dear Companions,
Our hearts go out to the people whose lives have been torn asunder by the path of Hurricane Ian. The Florida Association of Community Health Centers has an excellent website with links to organizations helping out on the ground. If you can help, please do!
In other news: last weekend Hardly Strictly Bluegrass returned to its home in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, for the first time since 2019. The festival was amazing! So much great—and free—music, and so well-run. My hat is off to all the crew who kept everything on track, and were able to deal with ever-changing issues, some of which were caused by the afore-mentioned hurricane. For instance, Hasee Ciaccio's flight from North Carolina was canceled on Friday, and she was unable to play with us over the weekend. After fretting about it for awhile, we decided to just play as a trio, which ended up being really fun and different. I mean, we missed Hasee terribly, but it's good to know that music can be made in a smaller group. It requires a different mindset, and paradoxically we all ended up playing less, with fewer people.
I sat in with Alison Brown and her fine band on Sunday, and also took part in the Fare Thee Well set of songs, with Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and a surprise appearance by Elvis Costello. What a day! The audience was smaller than pre-pandemic, but everyone was so happy. The air was filled with love. Thank you, Warren Hellman and family, for this amazing gift to San Francisco!
This coming weekend, we will be reunited with Hasee, and will be playing concerts and a festival in Southern California. Then it's on to Oregon and Washington. Please come join us if you can, and feel free to pass this information on to anyone you know who will be in our path.
It feels so good to be getting out and playing again for actual real live people. I hope you are one of them!
Yours,
Laurie
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UPCOMING APPEARANCES
OCTOBER 7
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Wolk Garden
Fresno Folklore Society Concert
Fresno, CA
OCTOBER 8
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Huck Finn Jubilee
San Dimas, CA
OCTOBER 19
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Tsunami Books SOLD OUT!
Eugene, OR
OCTOBER 20
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Also appearing: Kristen Grainger and True North
Alberta Rose Theater
Portland, OR
OCTOBER 21
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Brewminatti
Prosser, WA
OCTOBER 22
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Ballard Homestead
Seattle, WA
OCTOBER 29
Laurie Lewis and Nina Gerber
The Side Door
2890 4th Ave
Sacramento, CA
Coming up in November: The Right Hands in Northern California, and Laurie Lewis and Men of Note (Mark Schatz, Sam Reider, and Brandon Godman). Visit my website for more information.
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ELKHORN RANCH RETREAT, with CALEB KLAUDER AND REEB WILLMS
From December 4-10, 2022, I am thrilled to be able to spend time at this beautiful dude ranch, set in the rugged countryside near Kitt Peak in southern Arizona. Days will be spent on horseback, riding across the plains or in the mountains, and/or writing in the comfort of our adobe casitas. In the evening we will come together to learn about the area, workshop our songs and writings, and work on the art of harmony singing. Then there's a fantastic dinner, followed by nights around the fire sharing songs, or just listening to the desert sounds and each other and experiencing the night sky. For information, contact Elkhorn Ranch.
And find out more about Caleb and Reeb here
Here's a picture from last December's trip, with Tom Rozum. I am hopeful that he will be joining me again this year, and teaching harmony singing with me.
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TWO ICONIC VOICES SILENCED
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of two women who have made a big impact on my life—and the lives of many others.
Mary McCaslin passed away earlier this week, at the age of 73. Her sweet, crystalline voice was a balm to all who heard it. After her partnership with Jim Ringer ended, she settled in Santa Cruz, where she had a great radio show for many years. The Santa Cruz Good Times has an in-depth article about her life and situation. Read it here. Here's a video of one of Mary's lovely songs, Prairie in the Sky.
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And just yesterday morning, I heard about the passing of the great Loretta Lynn. I have long admired Loretta's songwriting, her sense of humor and sharp wit, and of course that great voice. She has so many terrific songs, but I have picked this one for you to listen to. Please make sure you watch all the way to the end, for a bluegrass surprise. | |
I am grateful to have lived in a time when these two singers were alive and working, and making my life so much better for it. |
NEW CD: FREIGHT '98
While going through my archives and boxing things up to send to the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina, I ran across a recording of a live show from 1998. It is so exciting to hear this fantastic band, and Tom Rozum's and my singing is in top form. Featuring Darol Anger, Nina Gerber, Mary Gibbons, Kathy Kallick, Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, and Tom Rozum, the music sounds as fresh as can be. This was the CD release show for my album, Seeing Things, which somehow fell through the cracks at Rounder Records. Thanks to Paul Knight for capturing the magic, and to the Freight and Salvage for being so supportive of me and so many others throughout the long history of that venue. BUY THIS CD!
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and LAURIE LEWIS
Here are some highlights from reviews of my latest CD, and Laurie Lewis:
Given the diversity of the material (inspired by everything from the Carter Family and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to a small mammal in the High Sierra), the consistently superior level of musicianship, and the emotional range, it’s impossible to pick out only one or two favorite performances. They change for me every time I listen to the CD. High on my list at the moment are the interweaving of Tuttle and Lewis’s voices and acoustic guitars on “The Lonely One,” the palpable, profoundly seasoned comradeship of Kallick and Lewis on “Old Friend,” and the ethereal wistfulness of the two tracks featuring Nina Gerber (longtime accompanist of the late Kate Wolf and current duo partner of singer Chris Webster) on electric guitar—Sorrels’s “My Last Go-Round” and the album closer “This Is Our Home,” a poignant, shimmering “lament for the planet.” —Derk Richardson, Peghead Nation
And Laurie Lewis is a collaborative effort that pairs her with pickers and singers who have been a part of her musical landscape. Laurie describes the collection as “intimate conversations” with Nina Gerber, Tatiana Hargreaves, Barbara Higbie, Kathy Kallick, Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, Tom Rozum, Craig Smith, Molly Tuttle, and Leah Wollenberg. Material comes from a variety of sources including the Carter Family and the Monroe Brothers (she and Tom Rozum offer up a nice Monroe-inspired “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”), folk singer Rosalie Sorrels,and a hefty batch of Lewis originals. With Laurie as the common thread, the unique assemblage of artists effortlessly glide through a diversity of styles including old-time, bluegrass, blues, and folk. As with all of Laurie’s previous recordings, this one features musicianship and production values of the highest order. The accompanying booklet contains lyrics and commentary from Laurie on each track. Feeling that each musician’s instrument is an extension of themselves, there is a two-page description of the instruments used in the making of the project. Kudos to Tom Rozum for the cover illustration and to Lisa Berman for the graphically appealing layout and design. —Gary Reid, County Sales
...each of the 13 songs feels like a standout—like a subconsciously preordained compilation of hits, roughly half self-penned and the rest covered from elsewhere. —GuitarGirl Magazine
This is a landmark collection for Laurie with collaboration, cohesiveness, and contemplation joined in an amazing package.
—Brenda Hough, Bluegrass Breakdown
Laurie Lewis is a national treasure, one that keeps giving us fantastic music across the bluegrass and folk spheres of influence...Laurie's music is timeless, effortless, and enchanting. And we're all the richer for her releasing this project for the world to savor. — David McCarty, Bluegrass Unlimited
It’s as if she knew I needed to hear this collection of songs right at this time. Of course, that’s incredibly selfish for me to say. She is reaching out to all of us. — Chris Brashear, Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association
Some albums provide a snapshot of a musician at a particular instant in time, capturing the mood and feel of the moment. “And Laurie Lewis,” the latest release by the Berkeley bluegrass icon, works more like a time-lapse montage, distilling a thick web of friendships forged over a lifetime.
—Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury News
Mixing originals with covers (all but one are by women), Lewis’ brilliance shines in her reverence and quiet understatement. —Amos Perrine, No Depression
I loved getting the chance to record this duet with Laurie! She will always be a hero to me, and listening to her records on repeat was a big reason why I started playing music.—Molly Tuttle, Fretboard Journal
And Twangville, the online music zine, has a feature wherein they ask artists to answer the same set of questions. You can read my answers here
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Kathy Mattea and I pose for a selfie, backstage at Mountain Stage, Charleston, WV, last month. That was such a fun show! Kathy has recorded three of my songs (Love Chooses You, The Wood Thrush's Song, The Maple's Lament), for which I am eternally grateful.
The show will be broadcast this month, beginning on October 14th, on affiliated stations. Here's a link
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