#Melissa Carper

[krispyweiss]

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day Three, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 6, 2024

The good folks who put on Hardly Strictly Bluegrass created an epic conundrum of good musical fortune by booking the Wood Brothers, the Infamous Stringdusters and Emmylou Harris in simultaneous, festival-closing slots. This, of course, created high anxiety as all three acts are high on any music lover’s gotta-hear list.

But more on that later. Because first, Miko Marks began the day at the Rooster stage with some Sunday soul music before 93-year-old Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, accompanied by mandolin and bass, came out yodeling on Jimmie Rodgers’ “Waiting for a Rain.” He then dug into Woody Guthrie’s “The 1913 Massacre,” got a bit uptempo on “The Cuckoo” and nodded to the Hardly Strictly atmosphere of a super-heated Golden Gate Park (on Oct. 6!) with Jesse Fuller’s “San Francisco Bay Blues.” Between numbers, Elliott regaled the squeezed-into-shady-areas fans with tales from 70 years of music making. Steve Earle then emerged to tell an overly long story over soft picking leaving Elliott to try, unsuccessfully, to get a word in as time ran down on his 40-minute allotment.

So … off to the Banjo stage where Tony Trischka’s Earl Jam was finishing “Brown’s Ferry Blues” and launching into “Lady Madonna” - strictly bluegrass style. Brittany Haas, who would appear later with Aoife O’Donovan and Hawktail, then entered the fray for double fiddling with Shad Cobb on “You Got to Die,” and putting the blues in the grass.

Peter Case, Teddy Thompson, Melissa Carper and Carsie Blanton hit the Rooster next for a Songwriter’s Circle/guitar pull with truth as the refreshing theme. A delightful exercise in the power of folk music.

But there was also blues at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass because: “If you don’t like the blues, you probably don’t like your mama.”

So said Bobby Rush on the Banjo, where the 91-year-old - “If I’m not the oldest, I’m the ugliest,” he cracked - and his big band got down and dirty in flashy sequins as they spanned 70 years of Rush originals and covers like “Hoochie Coochie Man.” Rush blew harp with the lungs of a young man, danced around the stage with the body of a young man and rapped like the OG he is, proving yet again the magic of music - even when you’re singing of your woman leaving you “for the damn garbage man.”

After a public soundcheck that signaled sublimity to come, O’Donovan, Hawktail and the San Francisco Girls Chorus - who joined one-third of the way through the 60-minute set - spanned O’Donovan’s solo discography rearranged to fit Hawktail’s musical tapestry woven of classical, jazz and bluegrass. The Chorus voices soared across Golden Gate as O’Donovan led them through songs about the battle to pass the 19th Amendment from All My Friends.

It was a stirring performance that provided some hope in an era that sometimes feels hopeless and earned a standing ovation from the Banjo stage listeners.

Down the road at Towers of Gold, Patti Smith played to a crowd so humongous people were turned away to listen to her cover Bob Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” read poetry and and play such songs as “Cash” and “People Have the Power” at the adjacent Swan stage, which was also rammed with festivalgoers, where the Wood Brothers were to play next and Smith’s set benefitted from stellar sound piped in from next door.

Even from behind the Towers, Smith’s performance was deeply affecting - a penetrating mix of soft-edged emotion and hard-edged aggression.

“Use your voice,” she said after using hers for 65 minutes and fans on both sides of the stage exploded in applause when she finished her gig.

Now to address the daylong conundrum, splitting up three must-see acts.

And so it transpired that Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites caught the Woods (Hardly) playing “Little Bit Broken,” “Tried and Tempted,” “Pilgram” and “A Little Bit Sweet;” the ’Dusters (Strictly) on “Gravity” and “Rise Sun” at the Rooster; and Harris’ (country, not Bluegrass) homestretch at the Banjo, which included a rambunctious “Luxury Liner” and a mournful “Together Again.”

And then it was over …

Read Sound Bites’ coverage of Day One and Day Two at the hyperlinks.

10/7/24

[americanahighways]

Music & Book Reviews: Wonder Women of Country, plus Thee Sinseers, Matt Blake, Pete Ham, and Eddie Hinton

Music & Book Reviews: Wonder Women of Country, plus Thee Sinseers, Matt Blake, Pete Ham, and Eddie Hinton @wonderwomenofcountry @kelllywilliskw @melissacarpermusic @brennenleigh #jeffburger @americanahighways #americanamusic @theesinseers @tourmatt @deviousplanet #peteham #eddiehinton

Music & Book Reviews: Wonder Women of Country, plus Thee Sinseers, Matt Blake, Pete Ham, and Eddie Hinton This column rarely covers EPs—the unending flood of full-length CDs is more than enough to keep a critic busy—but a six-song set called Wonder Women of Country: Willis, Carper, Leigh is too good to ignore. The Texas-based trio consists of longtime alt-country artist Kelly Willis; Melissa…

[musiconspotify]

Willis, Carper, Leigh - Wonder Women Of Country (2024) … joined forces …

[sonicziggy]

"Thank You, But No Thank You" by Melissa Carper, Theo Lawrence https://ift.tt/wHPruDM

[amp-mod]

Hanging on to You by Melissa Carper

[thesundanceghost]

and now i get to decide if im going to go listen to music alone tonight when my friend inevitably bails

[electricswamp]

was tagged by @thegreatnorthernsea 🥰 to put my music player (spotify liked songs) on shuffle and post the first 5 songs

weird shuffle today but okay.

tag. y'all it. @fwdall @cubbery @deathvvaves @lovely-outlaw @himbo-sloth @true-drew and I tag any y'all else who wants to share🥰✨

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence - “Thank You, But No Thank You”

Musically, “Thank You, But No Thank You” is a jaunty little number; with acoustic guitar and fiddle dancing a skittery dance over brushed snare.

Lyrically, however, it finds Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence spending the three minutes of the lead single from their forthcoming (March 14) joint, Havin’ a Talk, trading metaphors for love gone wrong; she in her high twang, he in his low moan:

A beautiful melody/with no harmony/thank you but no thank you, not for me, is the last of many such euphemisms, as Carper and Lawrence smartly wrap disappointment in joy and slyly celebrate the range of emotions that make being human uniquely beautiful.

Grade card: Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence - “Thank You, But No Thank You” - B

1/24/25

[americanahighways]

Americana Highways 45 RPM 2024 (Reasons to Purchase Music)

Americana Highways 45 RPMs 2024 (Reasons to Purchase Music) @americana_andy_ #listenbetter @sarajarosz @lawrencerothman @sarahshookdisarmers @liv_greene_ @sierraelizabethferrell @adriannelenker #sturgillsimpson @waxa_katie @hurrayfortheriffraff @mjlenderman @futurebirds @madidiaz @silverada @gillianwelchofficial @magoogie @julienrbaker @japandroids @caitlincannonmusic @wonderwomenofcountry @dwightyoakam @kevingordon @katiepruittmusic @pearljam @lindi_ortega @aaronleetasjan @theavettbrothers @thenational @americanahighways #americanahighways #favoritealbumsof2024 #favoritesongsof2024 @drivebytruckers @neilyoung @aplaceforowls 3ceres #Listenbetter #americanamusic

Americana Highways 45 RPM 2025 (Reasons to Purchase Music) 2024 was a fantastic year for music and a shit year for pretty much everything else (November 5 still stings). Music, as it so dependably does, helped explain how we were feeling during the darkest of days, and knowing that you’ll be going to a show that night can be the best reason to get out of bed in the morning. Our favorite artists…

[musiconspotify]

Melissa Carper - Borned In Ya (2024) … a little of everything …

[cbjustmusic]

Kelly Willis, Brennen Leigh and Melissa Carper performing “Fool's Paradise”. _____________________ Fool’s Paradise Songwriter: Kelly Willis

[sonicziggy]

"Evil Eva" by Melissa Carper https://ift.tt/p0oZdr3

[maximuswolf]

Melissa Carper - Texas Texas Texas [Western Swing]

Melissa Carper - Texas, Texas, Texas [Western Swing] https://youtu.be/xVKUXiPZTP0 Submitted December 31, 2024 at 12:10AM by Chebelea https://ift.tt/jaIc83s via /r/Music