Blog

dieser bursche hier oben drüber nahm jüngst einige john prine songs gemeinsam mit anderen hochkarätern auf (u.a. eric heywood on pedal steel, mark erelli on electric and lap steel guitars, david goodrich on electric guitar, peter mulvey on acoustic lap slide, kris delmhorst and annelies howell on backing vocals, and zak trojano on drums), das album gibts ganz frisch hier. dass das ausgangsmaterial erstklassig ist, braucht keine zusätzliche erwähnung, dass der gitarre- und banjoschwingende jeffrey foucault dieses aber respektvoll, dynamisch und mit eigener note neu einspielt schon. countryesk, aber ohne jodler, singer/songwriter, aber mit verzicht auf schnulze & co. mehr als hörenswert, wenn man ein bißchen americana- geist schnuppern möchte. darüber hinaus hat foucault eine musikalische vita, die sich vor nichts und niemandem verstecken muss. vier alben hat er seit 2001 eingespielt, allerfeinst mit blues, country, blaugras usw., alles eben, was inmitten der steppe unterhält.
mehr: http://dasklienicum.blogspot.com/2009/03/neue-tone-547-jeffrey-foucault.html

Jeffrey Foucault

Music can help define a nation; think of the realtionship between Elgar and English national identity.

Other the last decade or so country and folk music has played a big role in defining an Alternative America to the America of Bush, bombs and the war on terror. This is an America of hope and peace, an America of the common people, which harks back to the nation imagined by Tom Paine and litany of 19thc and 20thc radicals, from Eugene Debs to CLR James.

There have been a number of artists and muscians who have played a big part in imagining this alternative America.

A good place to start exploring this Alternative America is with Steve Earl and Bruce Springsteen. This is working-class America, music with a social vision based in ordinary people and their ordinary dreams of jobs, a decent health system, a decent education system, and social welfare. Important to this social vision has also been the music of Wilco, and Wilco's collaboration with Billy Bragg in the reinterpretation of Woody Guthrie's seminal contribution to American radicalism. Billy Bragg has done a wonderful job of re-imagining an England consonant with socialism, and he's now expanded this project to America, keeping true to his internationalist roots.

But there are other artists who have contributed manfully and womanfully to vision of an Alternative America to the America of a nasty, vengeful God, an America committed to money and war, to big cars and environmental degradation, to the degradation of ordinary working people. Capitalism brutalizes and these artists have been important to bringing this to a wide audience. Think of Will Kimborough and his recent album Americanitis, which put foward the view that America as it is currently imagined is a disease, not just to Americans, but to the world. Mark Olson has offered his 'salvation blues' to the cause. With the song 'Thin Blue Flame' Josh Ritter gave us an anti-war song that almost matches the great anti-war songs of Bob Dylan. Daddy have told us about the powers that be.

To this list could be added numerous other musicians and artists who have contributed to imagining an Alternative America - Rachel Harrington, Crooked Still, Caitlin Cary, Jeffrey Foucault, and Drive-By Truckers.

If you hope for a new America, an America at peace not war, an America that cares about the poor not the rich, that gives a damn about the environment and not oil, that respects women and not degrades them, an America free of the attachment to a God that hates homosexuality and any other kind of difference, then you could do worse that listen to the Alternative Country that has been imagined by recent folk and country artists.

Jeffrey Foucault song Cross Of Flowers

Here's my hypelist, 8 songs I'll be playing frequently next 2 weeks:

1. JJ Grey & Mofro - Orange Blossoms
   Great on-the-road-song
   
   
2. Redbird - Ithaca
   A lovely combination of Jeffrey Foucault,Kris Delmhorst and Peter Mulvey.
   
   
3. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Magick
   A stand out track of their great new album Cardinology.
   
   
4. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
   They caught my attention when I was reading Plato magazine (of the Plato record stores in The Netherlands). They were labeld "No Risk Disk". Always a good choice :)
   
   
5. Chris & Rich Robinson - Darling Of The Underground Press
   I just love them.
   
   
6. Emiliana Torrini - Big Jumps
   She took some time to sink in but now I really like her 2008 album Me And Armini.
   
   
7. Pete and J - America
   The opener on Before The Goldrush, a lovely cover of Simon & Garfunkel's song.
   
   
8. Embrace - Nature's Law
   I've loved this song from the first time I heard it. Poppy, a bit dramatic, but somehow it appeals to me.
   

The Hypelist Group

US:

Alaska:
Kate Earl (Chugiak)
Melissa Mitchell

Arizona:
Courtney Robbins (Tucson)

California:
Kurt Adam (Hollywood)
Lauren Adams
Adrianne (Los Angeles)
Priscilla Ahn (Los Angeles)
Kawika Alfiche (San Francisco)
Anticon (San Francisco)
Augustana (San Diego)
Joan Baez (Menlo Park)
Roem Baur (San Francisco)
Blame Sally
Jeff Bonilla (Modesto)
Mataji Booker (Los Angeles)
Barry Big B Brenner (Tujunga)
John Bruce (Modesto)
Emma Burgess (Hollywood)
Rachael Cantu
Carolyn (El Cerrito)
Chicago Red (Los Angeles)
Correatown (Los Angeles)
Cosmologic (San Diego)
Deborah Crooks (San Francisco)
Deerhoof (Oakland)
Brett Dennen (Oakdale)
Rick di Dia (Oakland)
Diablo Dimes
DJ Egadz (San Francisco)
DJ Slate and Rocket 8 (Modesto)
DJ Werd (Aptos)
Aaron Durr (Modesto)
Eels (Los Angeles)
Elina (Los Angeles)
aireene espiritu (Oakland)
Melissa Etheridge (Los Angeles)
Evaline (Turlock)
Michelle Featherstone (Los Angeles)
Sean Fonda (Modesto)
Dina Gathe (Chatsworth)
Inara George
Gretchen (Los Angeles)
Margo Guryan (Los Angeles)
Beth Hart (Los Angeles)
Florence Hartigan (Los Angeles)
Julie Henderson (San Francisco)
Kristin Hersh
Ibid (Merced)
Jen & Abby (Los Angeles)
Molly Jenson (Orange County)
Jupiter Is Useless (Turlock)
KITKA Women's Vocal Ensemble (Oakland)
Niki Leigh (Oakdale)
Let's Go Sailing (Los Angeles)
Lisa Loeb
Sara Lov (Los Angeles)
Stephanie Marie (Ripon)
Anya Marina (San Diego)
Charlotte Martin (Los Angeles)
Max and the Wolf Suit (Turlock)
Brooke Miller (Cannington)
Johnette Napolitano (Joshua Tree)
Matt Nathanson (San Francisco)
Nedelle (Oakland)
Ayla Nereo (Oaktown)
Jake Newton (Los Angeles)
Sarah Olson
panhandle (Central Valley)
Patrick Park (Los Angeles)
Katrina Parker (Hollywood)
Kendall Payne (Los Angeles)
PEECH (Los Angeles)
Tiffany Petrossi (San Jose)
pianorama (Santa Barbara)
Rachel Renae (Modesto)
Reveries By Moonlight (Hollywood)
rizorkestra (Los Angeles)
Melynda Rodriguez (Turlock)
James Rust (Fresno)
Ruut (Silverlake)
Lisa Sanders
Stefanie Shea (Turlock)
Sia
Judee Sill
Megan Slankard (San Francisco)
Songs for Moms (Oakland)
Soul in a Suit
Annie Stela (Los Angeles)
The Adam Bishop Band (Turlock)
The Arcane Empire (Modesto)
The Bird and the Bee (Los Angeles)
The Flying Scooters (Turlock)
The Matinees (San Francisco)
The Weepies (Topanga)
Chantelle Tibbs (Los Angeles)
Ryan Toth
Mahealani Uchiyama (Oakland)
Uni and her Ukulele (San Francisco)
Jon Valenti (Turlock)
Vetiver (San Francisco)
Rachel Wagner (Roseville)
Watercolor Paintings (Santa Barbara)
Julie Wolf (Oakland)
Mali Woods (Los Angeles)

Colorado:
Beth Amsel (Boulder)
Trace Bundy (Boulder)
Jeff Caylor (Colorado Springs)
Tarantella (Denver)

Connecticut:
Abu Bless (Hartford)
Columbia Fields[/u] (Marlborough)

[u]DC[/u]:
flo anito (Washington)
Alex Voegele (Washington)

[u]Florida[/u]:
John Gold
Cat Power (Miami)
Terry Lynn
Merrick (Palm Beach Gardens)
Lisagaye Tomlinson (Fort Lauderdale)

[u]Georgia[/u]:
Larkin Grimm (Dahlonega)
Indigo Girls (Decatur)
Lauren Lapointe (Savannah)
Tin Cup Prophette (Athens)
Doria Roberts (Atlanta)
Maggie Smith (Athens)
The Barn Rats (Atlanta)

[u]Hawaii[/u]:
Leo Waiau(Kahului)

[u]Illinois[/u]:
Laura Glyda (Chicago)
Rickie Lee Jones (Chicago)
Wil Maring (Cobden)
Liz Phair (Chicago)
Koko Taylor (Chicago)

[u]Indiana[/u]:
Jenn Christy (Indianapolis)

[u]Iowa[/u]:
Jen Gloeckner

[u]Kentucky[/u]:
JD Crowe And The New South (Lexington)
Andrea Davidson (Louisville)
Alanna Fugate (Louisville)
Rayna Gellert (Lexington)
Teneia Sanders (Louisville)
Leigh Ann Yost (Louisville)

[u]Louisiana[/u]:
Mary Gauthier (Baton Rouge)
Jhelisa (New Orleans)

[u]Maine[/u]:
Olivia Cornell & The Precious (Portland)
Emilia Dahlin (Portland)

[u]Maryland[/u]:
Noah Clements (Silver Spring)
Gina Deluca (Baltimore)
David Andrew Smith (Ellicott City)

[u]Massachusetts[/u]:
Edie Carey (Boston)
Kris Delmhorst
Antje Duvekot (Somerville)
Erin Harpe (Jamaica Plain)
Anne Heaton (Somerville)
LauraC. (Northampton)
Michelle Lewis (Boston)
Lori McKenna (Stoughton)
Miss Tess (Boston)
Chris O'Brien (Somerville)
Rose Polenzani (Somerville)
Eileen Rose
Noe Venable (Cambridge)

[u]Michigan[/u]:
Adam Kenyon (Grand Rapids)
Sue Nordman (Ann Arbor)
Karisa Wilson (Grand Rapids)

[u]Minnesota[/u]:
Dalia (Minneapolis)
Jenny Dalton (Minneapolis)
Daniel (Minneapolis)
Ellis (Minneapolis)
Joanna James (St Paul)
The Bear Clan Music Cooperative (Minneapolis)

[u]Nebraska[/u]:
Maria Taylor

[u]New Hampshire[/u]:
April Hobart (Rindge)

[u]New Jersey[/u]:
Steven Delopoulos (Ocean)
Dizzy Stardust
sarah donner (Princeton)
Amanda Duncan
Marianne Nowottny

[u]New York[/u]:
A Girl Called Eddy (NYC)
Abby Ahmad (Brooklyn)
Anemone (NYC)
Keren Ann (NYC)
Ian Axel (NYC)
Cassandra Bacon (Glens Falls)
Tim Baldwin (Buffalo)
Bitch (NYC)
Blonde Redhead
Sarah Bowman (NYC)
Jay Brannan (NYC)
Break Of Reality (NYC)
Jonatha Brooke (NYC)
Brownbird Rudy Relic (NYC)
Citizen Cope (Brooklyn)
Copper Rose (Long Island)
Amy Correia (Brooklyn)
Dina Dean (NYC)
Ani DiFranco (Buffalo)
Steve Earle (NYC)
Susan Enan (Brooklyn)
steve espinola (Brooklyn)
Lara Ewen (Brooklyn)
Rachel Garlin (NYC)
Girlyman (Brooklyn)
Kierstin Gray (NYC)
Hamell on Trial (Ossining)
Hem (Brooklyn)
Ari Hest (Brooklyn)
John Houx (NYC)
Joan as Police Woman (Brooklyn)
Milla Jovovich (NYC)
Lucy Kaplansky (NYC)
Sonya Kitchell (Brooklyn)
Jana Losey (Upstate)
Rebecca Martin
Pamela Means (Brooklyn)
Ingrid Michaelson (Staten Island)
Nina Nastasia (NYC)
Alix Olson
Onliest (NYC)
Katy Pfaffl (NYC)
Jenny Queen
Annie Quick (NYC)
Meghann Robinson (NYC)
Erika Rose (Brooklyn)
Randi Russo
Rachael Sage (NYC)
Debby Schwartz (NYC)
Bree Sharp (NYC)
Sidestreet Reny (Brooklyn)
Erika Simonian (Brooklyn)
Matt Singer (Brooklyn)
Slouch (Brooklyn)
Regina Spektor (NYC)
Sparlha Swa (NYC)
Vienna Teng (Brooklyn)
The Fiery Furnaces (NYC)
Chris Thile (NYC)
Martha Wainwright (Brooklyn)
Teagan L. Ward (Rochester)
Rachael Yamagata (NYC)
Youna (NYC)
Natalia Zukerman

[u]North Carolina[/u]:
Toby Bonar (Durham)
Carolina Chocolate Drops (Durham)
Custard Pie (Asheville)
Rhiannon Giddens (Durham)
Adam Hurt
Eliza Lynn (Asheville)
Sarah McMillan (Charlotte)
The Forge Mountain Diggers (Asheville)
The Muses (Asheville)
Toubab Krewe (Asheville)
Shannon Whitworth (Brevard)

[u]Ohio[/u]:
Jeff Davis (Springfield)
rebecca jadway (Columbus)
Over the Rhine (Cincinnati)

[u]Oregon[/u]:
Goxxip (Portland)
Scout Niblett (Portland)
Sassparilla Jug Band
Shelby Sifers (Portland)
Viva Voce (Portland)

[u]Pennsylvania[/u]:
Hannah Bingman (Beaver Springs)
Lisa Bouchelle
Birdie Busch (Philadelphia)
Hudson Harding (Philadelphia)
Jamie Harrison (Philadelphia)
Hezekiah Jones (Philadelphia)
Arlene Mccann (Philadelphia)
Monica Mcintyre (Philadelphia)
Peanut Butter Jellyfish (Lansdale)
Seldom Scene (Philadelphia)

[u]Tennessee[/u]:
Be Your Own Pet (Nashville)
Matraca Berg (Nashville)
Christabel and The Jons (Knoxville)
rebecca correia (Nashville)
Deek Hoi (Knoxville)
Dennis E. Eggers (Nashville)
Jen Foster (Nashville)
Michael Gum (Murfreesboro)
Old Crow Medicine Show (Nashville)
Kim Richey (Nashville)
Rosemary
Melanie safka (Nashville)
Jerry Salley (Nashville)
Mindy Smith (Nashville)
Garrison Starr (Nashville)
The Infamous Stringdusters (Nashville)
Abigail Washburn (Nashville)
Gillian Welch (Nashville)

[u]Texas[/u]
Dixie Chicks (Austin)
Shawn Colvin (Austin)
Eliza Gilkyson (Austin)
Jana Hunter (Houston)
Iron And Wine
Sarah Jarosz (Austin)
Midlake (Denton)
Willie Nelson (Austin)
Rhonda Nicole (Dallas)
Raina Rose (Austin)
Alice Spencer & her Monkey Butlers (Austin)
Kelly Willis
Carolyn Wonderland (Austin)

[u]Vermont[/u]:
Anais Mitchell aka Anaïs Mitchell (Montpelier)

[u]Virginia[/u]:
Heather Jinmaku (Williamsburg)
Ann Rabson (Hartwood)
Alison Self (Richmond)

[u]Washington[/u]:
Sera Cahoone (Seattle)
Brandi Carlisle (Seattle)
Kimya Dawson (Olympia)
PURA FE (Seattle)
Futuristic Sex Robotz (Seattle)
June Madrona (Olympia)
Holly O'Reilly (Seattle)
Rosie Thomas (Seattle)

[u]West Virginia[/u]:
Dave McMann (Charleston)

[u]Wisconsin[/u]:
Jeffrey Foucault

[u]Misc[/u]:
Tori Amos
Sibylle Baier
Sarah Bettens
Butterfly Boucher
Lori Carson
Neko Case
Cherryholmes
Elizabeth Cook
Catie Curtis
Devo
Stephanie Dosen
Dressy Bessy
Schuyler Fisk
Liza Garza
Adam Gnade
Lis Harvey
Jungli
Angelique Kidjo
Erin McKeown (Fredricksburg)
Mercy
Juana Molina
Nickel Creek
Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Sadie
Seasick Steve
Jill Sobule
Phoebe Snow
St. Vincent
Tara Tinsley
Uncle Earl (Lyons)
Laura Veirs
Kate Voegele
Krystle Warren & The Faculty
Dar Williams
Kate Wolf


[b][u]UK[/b][/u]:
Adriana (Glasgow)
Fraser Anderson (Scotland)
Corinne Bailey Rae
Paul Baker-Dogherty
Lizzy Banoffee (Lancashire)
Bat for Lashes (Brighton)
Billy the Kid
Tara Blaise
Boards of Canada (Edinburgh)
Borderville (Oxford)
Kyla Brox (Manchester)
Katie Buckhaven
Morvern Callar (London)
Camera Obscura (Glasgow)
Candidate
Chippewa Falls (Newcastle)
Natalie Cutler (Lancashire)
Dead Centre
Rosalie Deighton (London)
Tina Dico (London)
Digital Bat (Brighton)
William Douglas and The Wheel (Edinburgh)
Emmy the Great
Februus (Edinburgh)
Catherine Feeny
Flook
Flute Girl
Emma Forman
Bob Fox (Chester-le-Street)
Lyla Foy (London)
Freaky Sheep (London)
Austen George
Liam Gerner (London)
Beth Gibbons
Belinda Gillett (Felixstowe)
Thea Gilmore
Rachel Goswell (Surrey)
Neils Halstead (Newquay)
Hamfatter (Cambridge)
Morag Hannah (Edinburgh)
Charlotte Hatherley
Carrie Hayden (Worcestershire)
Edwina Hayes (Driffield)
Kat Healy (Edinburgh)
Imogen Heap (London)
Corrina Hewat (Borders)
Natalie Imbruglia
Jem (Wales)
Nic Jones
JR (Edinburgh)
Katell Keineg (Wales)
Niki King (Edinburgh)
Kinzli (London)
Lucy Kitt (London)
Lisa Knapp (London)
Ladytron (Liverpool)
Seth Lakeman
Lazyhand (Edinburgh)
Kristen Leigh
Lemon Jelly (London)
Annie Lennox
Little Brother Graham (Kent)
Amy Macdonald (Glasgow)
Talitha MacKenzie (Edinburgh)
Laura Marling (Eversley)
Bex Marshall (London)
Iona Marshall (Scotland)
Alistair McErlain
Neil McIntosh
Me And Bobby (London)
Valentina Mitzkat
Mitzy and Mabel
Denise Morgan (Whalley on the Range)
Terra Naomi (London)
Wilson Noble (Edinburgh)
Jackie Oates (Exeter)
Belinda O'Hooley (Huddersfield)
Orphan (Edinburgh)
Beth Orton (London)
Nerina Pallot (London)
James Parkinson (Edinburgh)
Polly Paulusma (London)
Candie Payne (Liverpool)
Petra Jean Phillipson
Karine Polwart (Borders)
Psapp (London)
Ragz (Liverpool)
Renfro
Lou Rhodes
Meaghan Roberts (London)
Lee Rogers (Belfast)
Kate Rusby (Barnsley)
She Tells Lies (Bristol)
Rob St John (Edinburgh)
Barney Strachan (Edinburgh)
Amy Studt
Cris Tanzi
Jane Taylor (Bristol)
The Cinematic Orchestra
The Chans (Edinburgh)
the Idolins (Nottingham)
The Kazoo Funk Orchestra (Glasgow)
The Lonesome Hearts (Glasgow)
The Long Blondes
The Pipettes
Linda Thompson (London)
Tinariwen
Emiliana Torrini
Chris Townsend (London)
Tim Van Eyken (Bath)
Vashti (London)
Amy Wadge (Cardiff)
Kate Walsh (Brighton)
Hannah Werdmuller (Edinburgh)
Mark Wilden (Oxford)
Kathryn Williams (Newcastle)
Withered hand (Edinburgh)
Sean Wright (King's Lynn)
Zero 7

[b][u]Argentina[/u][/b]:
Lhasa (Buenos Aires)

[b][u]Australia[/u][/b]:
Architecture in Helsinki
Because We Can (Melbourne)
Sarah Blasko (Sydney)
Missy Higgins (Melbourne)
Sophie Koh (Melbourne)
Women in Docs (Brisbane)

[b][u]Austria[/u][/b]:
Christene LeDoux (Innsbruck)
Clara Luzia (Vienna)
Fatima Spar und die Freedom Fries

[u][b]Belgium[/u][/b]:
Manou Gallo
Jawhar (Brussels)
Marie Wernant (Brussels)


[b][u]Bermuda[/u][/b]:
Heather Nova

[b][u]Brazil[/u][/b]:
Rosie and Me

[b][u]Canada[/b][/u]:
David Celia
emaline delapaix (Vancouver)
DiggingRoots
Kathleen Edwards
Feist (Toronto)
Lily Frost (Toronto)
Eve Goldberg (Toronto)
Emily Haines
Stephanie Lang
Jay Linden (Ontario)
Cara Luft (Winnipeg)
Raine Maida
Sarah McLachlan
Erik Mongrain (Montreal)
Ry Moran (Victoria)
Oh Susanna (Toronto)
Po' Girl
Serena Postel
Shannon Rose (Ottawa)
Don Ross (Ontario)
Serena Ryder (Toronto)
Kit Soden (West Point Grey Village)
Theresa Sokyrka
Janine Stoll (Toronto)
Ember Swift
T. Nile
The Be Good Tanyas
The Wailin' Jennys (Winnipeg)
Woodpigeon (Calgary)

[b][u]Cote d'Ivoire[/b][/u]:
Debot Gnahore

[b][u]Denmark[/u][/b]:
Concert Nr. 1 (V. Skerningelyden)
Marshmallow Kisses And Candy Apples

[b][u]France[/u][/b]:
Ilene Barnes
Camille
Captain Tak (Paris)
Diane K (Nantes)
Katel (Paris)
Maeva (Alsace)
Margaux
pepe oleka (Marseilles)

[b][u]Germany[/u][/b]:
Sarah Brendel
Catherine de la Roche (Cologne)
Evilmrsod (Berlin)
Anja Janosi (Augsburg)
Masha Qrella (Berlin)

[b][u]Iceland[/u][/b]:
Bjork
Lay Low (Reykjavik)

[b][u]Ireland[/b][/u]:
Big Mamma's Door (Laois)
Cara Dillon
Fight Like Apes (Dublin)
Gemma Hayes
Thomas Kitt (Dublin)
Brigid Power-Ryce (Galway)
Fionn Regan
Claire Sproule (Donegal)

[b][u]Italy[/u][/b]:
Sylvie Lewis (Rome)
Nathalie (Rome)

[b][u]Japan[/u][/b]:
Cornelius (Nakameguro)
Fantastic Plastic Machine
Polysics (Tokyo)
Puffy AmiYumi
ROVO
the pillows (Tokyo)

[b][u]Mali[/u][/b]:
Afel Bocoum
Toumani Diabate
Salif Keita (Bamako)
Oumou Sangare
Ali Farka Toure

[b][u]Netherlands[/b][/u]:
Insight (Hilversum)
marain (Amsterdam)
Marijke van Seters

[b][u]New Zealand[/u][/b]:
Chester Travis

[b][u]Nigeria[/b][/u]:
Tony Allen
Femi Kuti (Lagos)

[b][u]Norway[/u][/b]:
Cortina (Haugesund)
Marte Heggelung (Hammerfest)
Heidi Marie (Bergen)
Meman (Bergen)
Rockettothesky (Oslo)
Maria Solheim
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra (Oslo)
The Johnny Kahlua Band (Kristiansand)

[b][u]Portugal[/b][/u]:
Encontros Da Eira (Madeira)

[b][u]Senegal[/b][/u]:
Orchestra Baobab

[b][u]Serbia[/b][/u]:
Bootleg Blues (Belgrade)

[b][u]South Africa[/u][/b]:
Matthew Gair

[b][u]Sweden[/u][/b]:
Ane Brun (Stockholm)
El Perro del Mar (Gothenburg)
Ebba Forsberg (Stockholm)
Kallioinia (Stockholm)
Koop
Marie Lindberg
Stina Nordenstam (stockholm)
Everett Parker
Sofia Talvik (Stockholm)
Anna Ternheim

Wed 3 Oct – Jeffrey Foucault, Stephen Simmons

Wow! What a cracking gig! It was good to welcome Mr Foucault back again after seeing him last year (a memorable appearance with Eric Heywood at the Toogenblik) and also Stephen Simmons on his first Belgian appearance, someone who's been on my must see list for a while. As always in the AB Club we had a good listening audience which Stephen Simmons really appreciated (had still not got over the quietness of European audiences) and a really relaxed atmosphere. Jeffrey Foucault was with the full band who had just flown in from the US (JF had been up and running since 4am in London). You couldn't tell though as there was some really nice playing and they looked remarkably fresh! Of coarse there are some of his songs which benefited from the full band treatment but there are others that are better played solo so the band left the stage mid set and Jeffrey played a few numbers on his own. I just sat there savouring every moment! A really nice set from Stephen Simmons. His best song was a brand new one which was not introduced by name but may have been called Old Hickory (plenty of Dupont references). Stephen turned out to be a real nice guy too. A great evening of top class music for 10 euro...need I say more?

Here's a clip of Jeffrey & the band performing "Appeline" from the Ghost Repeater album.



Jeffrey Foucault performing Stripping Cane solo.



Stephen Simmons performing "All The Time I've Got"

Jeffrey Foucault was Bif's summer camp counselor at Phantom Lake in Wisconsin, which is incredibly relevant if you consider that camp and music are the two biggest aspects of Bif's life. He has never stopped working camps and he has never stopped playing music. It is easy to see how he might romanticize the role that Foucault played in shaping his life.

He was apparently a good camp counselor, not letting Bif get away with hijinks. Made him sit out from activities and wash dishes one night for some reason. And that means, I guess, that he was good.

And he's definitely a good musician. Any fool with a music player and a sense of where to look (archive.org, google, foucault.com) can tell you that. He's got a voice that suits the style of music he plays. His original work sounds seamless between covers by the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Greg Brown (of Bill Morrissey & Greg Brown), Tom Waits, and John Prine. That should give you an idea of the kind of "alt-country, folk-poet" music he plays.

The first time I heard him, Bif had a copy of Redbird, which was lovely and featured heavily in our rotation of driving cds for a while. I think Nicholas T. had Miles From The Lightning for a while, so understandably nobody ever saw it again. I remember really liking Secretariat though.

A couple of months later, Foucault was in town here in San Diego playing a few shows. Bif called me up and I had every intention of going, but I did not because at the last minute something important came up: a lack of motivation. He went though and was reunited with his childhood mentor, and they apparently had a smashing good time afterwards.

I'm not sure why I started thinking about Foucault this week. I don't have any music of his on disc (compact or digital), but I've just finished downloading a bunch of his tunes, including a live show from archive.org that I'm going to burn to disc and surprise Bif with this weekend.

Incidentally, Foucault played several shows with Jackie Greene, which is how I heard of him. I wish I had seen those two share a stage. Boy, howdy.

I had a bad day.

To be fair, I had a really great day until about 6:00 when I got a call about a family member being in the hospital 3,000+ miles away with a sudden unknown illness. One of the most difficult things about living so far from "home" is simply not being there, for the good or bad, and being where you are is maddeningly normal. It's a brain sludge cocktail and the best way for me to find some equilibrium is to go listen. I wasn't going to go to the show but the alternative was completely unbearable.

I had made all sorts of musical plans to see the Willy Porter/Peter Mulvey show Friday night, the Met Opera simulcast of The Barber of Seville Saturday morning, and OOIOO in Portland Saturday night. This kind of mash-up is a sort of musical kung-fu for my ears and soul and I love it. I rarely have the same company for all shows (except the man, who is almost as musically adventurous but on a different, more Gino Vannelli-accepting plane) but that's ok with me.

The show was great, a true gift. Both guys had me in tears and laughter, both totally and completely necessary. Peter Mulvey opened with a short set of his self-described "songs about impermenance" and, while some of his between song banter went on a little longer than the bar crowd would allow, he's a great storyteller, in song and out. His guitar playing is very adept but his brooding songs were what spoke to me, their inherent connection to Ireland's folk music and lore. His set closer "Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad, And A Long Way From Home" (actually titled Sad, Sad, Sad but that's how he introduced it) was exactly what I needed to hear. He explained that it was the happiest song he'd ever written. And every time he reached the "Sad, Sad, Sad..." line of the chorus, he sang it with laughter in his mouth just daring to burst through and he made an instant fan out of me.

I must preface the Willy Porter portion with this: I have seen Richard Thompson (in solo acoustic and electric band settings) and I have seen Leo Kottke. The guitar bar is set very, very high for me.

Once I got over my slight disappointment that Porter pedal loops his bass lines and other filigree (see above examples for pedal-less guitar awesomeness), I enjoyed his show immensely. His charisma, his road stories, his twelve-string prowess must be witnessed live. I can't say which I enjoyed more: his guitar playing, his singing, or his songwriting. All are of equal quality, a rare trinity. Even drunken bar guys were going on about how pitch-perfect his voice was and they were absolutely right, but they were missing the bigger picture. Porter didn't flub once on anything (lyrics, chords, notes) but every one of those pitch-perfect notes was inspired, filled with life.

He did a great suggestion-riddled ad lib song that thankfully ended up being less about Nancy's Yogurt (a local phenomenon) than Nancy herself and also launched into a hilarious Jon Brion-esque loopfest about dealing with characters from his Milwaukee neighborhood on an early Sunday morning. Another sweet moment came towards the end of the set from a song inspired by his daughter's observation about how nicely the trees hold up the sky. He asked us to sing along and I was more than happy to join in.

So...if you're still reading, go buy some albums. Peter's got a bucketload of solo albums along with some work with Big Sky, Redbird, Jeffrey Foucault, and Erin McKeown.

Available Light is the new album, and I highly recommend it. Of course, seeing these guys live is even better. They're on tour now but check their respective sites for more info than I can possibly provide.

http://www.willyporter.com/
http://www.petermulvey.com/