The Young Novelists at the KC Folk Fest

One of the performances I caught at the KC Folk Fest was by The Young Novelists.  They were new to me, so I decided to catch their set.

The Young Novelists are either a duo or a six piece full band (more on that later).  Traveling to Kansas City from their Toronto home, they were a duo, couple Graydon James and Laura Spink.  Graydon plays acoustic guitar, Laura plays various percussion and melodica (at least it looks like the melodicas I found on the Internet after Googling "wind instrument keyboard"), and they share vocals.

Their set was very entertaining, and they are an exceptionally talented young duo.  Graydon and Laura combine for very tight, beautiful harmonies, reminding me of the classic CSN sounds.  Many of the songs they performed were originals, showing a talent for heart-of-roots-music songwriting.  A show highlight, however, was a killer - Killer! - cover of "Jackson", the frenetic song made famous by June Carter and Johnny Cash.

Graydon and Laura had a great rapport with the audience, entertaining us between their songs with stories about their young son, and a recent performance at an elementary school where none of the children knew what a CD was.  It's an iPod world, folks.

The best thing about The Young Novelists, though, was the exuberance that shone from them during their set.  They play with a natural energy that wraps up an audience.  Combine this with their talent as musicians and songwriters, and you have a really great, enjoyable show.  They work hard, and they love what they do.

After the show, and after they had stowed their instruments away, I caught a moment with Laura and introduced myself, and welcomed them to Kansas City.  And, let me tell you, Laura was so nice!  We talked about their stay here in KC at the Folk Alliance conference, both this year and last.  Laura talked to me like I was an old friend - what a sweetheart!

So, I left them to finish packing up, and I wandered out to the central merch table, where Young Novelists CDs were for sale.  I picked up a copy of their most recent, "made us strangers", their 4th release.  Previously under the name "Graydon James and the Young Novelists" they had released an EP, a live album, and a studio album.  For "made us strangers", the band name changed to just "The Young Novelists".  I then took the CD back down the hall and saw Graydon and Laura signing CDs at the door, so I went back up, got autographs, and chatted with them some more.  Graydon wrote a short novel on the CD cover while I was talking to Laura about being traveling musicians while raising a child.  I finally left Laura and Graydon to tend to their Folk Alliance business, feeling great about having met such a fine, friendly musical couple.

Then, on to the CD.  Popping the CD in the player on my drive back home, I was greeted with a much fuller sound than I was expecting from the the duo that I had just seen.  It was when I got home and was able to research The Young Novelists that I found out that in addition to Graydon and Laura as the core duo, they also have an incarnation as a full six piece band.  The fuller sound on the album - drum kit, bass, electric guitar, etc. - extended and complemented the music I had heard from the duo earlier in the day.  The harmonies were still there, musically expanded with full roots-rock arrangements.  Best of all, that exuberance that made their performance so special still shines though on the studio album.

Highlights:  well, everything on the album is good.  My favorites were the opener "palindrome", "always make the mistake" with Laura singing lead, the harmonies on "hear your voice", the heavier, ear-catching "what lies ahead" featuring some great piano work by Alex Dodd, and the more melancholy-sounding "couldn't be any worse", which includes some beautiful accompanying strings.

So, now we can hope that we hear "Christmas with The Young Novelists" sometime in the near future :-)

The Young Novelists website
The Young Novelists on Facebook
The Young Novelists on Soundcloud
"made us strangers" on Amazon

And, Laura Spink says, The Young Novelists are everywhere on the internet - Twitter, Youtube, Instagram.... check them out and enjoy!

Album Review: "Guitar in Hand" by Kasey Rausch

Missouri native Kasey Rausch is one of the hardest working musicians in the Kansas City area.  Follow her on Facebook and you'll get an event invitation here, an event invitation there, maybe two on any given Saturday, say, an afternoon at a local winery and then a nighttime gig downtown.  House shows, breweries, honky tonks, farmers' markets, as well as some of the best live music venues in the city - you'll find country girl Kasey at them all.

In November of 2014 Kasey released an album of new music, "Guitar in Hand" on the Mudstomp label.  "Guitar in Hand" is a testament to Kasey's talent, hard work, dedication to her craft, and relationships in the local music scene.  The album is a showcase of Kasey's musicianship with her guitar, her superb song-writing skills, and her voice.

The best one word that describes Kasey's voice is home.  If you can imagine a family gathering in an old country home, laughter, smiles, a crowded kitchen, and hugs aplenty, Kasey's music is the soundtrack for the day.  It's roots and new, it's country and never twangy and trite, it's honky-tonkin' and front porchin' all together.

"Guitar in Hand" features twelve songs, eleven written by Kasey (one - "Moonshiner's Dream" - with an assist from Scott Stanton), and one by songwriting great Johnny Mullins of "Blue Kentucky Girl" fame.  The first eight songs are roots-acoustic, with instrumentation by guitar, upright bass, mandolin, violin, and banjo.  The album closes with four songs featuring The Naughty Pines,  Kasey's regular gig partners at the KC hangout Coda.  The Naughty Pines kick things up a notch or two with electric guitar and bass, and pedal steel guitar.

"Fly" opens the album, and immediately you're drawn in to a world of superbly arranged instrumentals with guitar, upright bass, mandolin, and violin.  Kasey soon adds her vocals, blending sublimely to complete the musical canvas.

"103" follows, as a loving upbeat foot-stompin' homage to Kasey's grandmother who lived to be 103, and, as Kasey's lyrics tell us, is "finally free".

"Crazy Heart", my personal favorite on the album, will get your toes tappin' and fingers snappin', and features harmony vocals by another Kansas City favorite, Mikal Shapiro.

"Moonshiner's Dream" is an amazing song about the creation of some of mighty fine beverage of the spirited variety, and how the head, tail, and heart must be handled with respect and care.

"Field of Greens", "Just an Old Man" by Johnny Mullins, "The Gospel of Winfield" about the annual Walnut Valley Festival of bluegrass music in Winfield, KS, and the beautiful "Sweet Missouri" lead into the closing four songs with The Naughty Pines - "Heavy Fog","Alabama", "My Piney Wood Home" and the closer "An East Texas Day", an exhilarating tale of a unexpectedly exciting horse ride down in Texas.

One last note - the cover art for "Guitar in Hand" is amazing!  It was done by Sonya Andrews, deserving of a shout-out for her contribution.  Check Sonya out at her website.

"Guitar in Hand" is a wonderful album by a treasure of the Kansas City music scene.

Kasey Rausch Music website
Kasey Rausch on Mudstomp Records
"Guitar in Hand" on Amazon

Kasey Rausch Concert at my house!

I mentioned in my last post that I have turned 50.  A week before my birthday (and a few days after my wife's equally significant birthday), we hosted a celebration at our house, with friends and family invited to join us.  The highlight of our party was local musician Kasey Rausch, who played a set on our back deck by the pool. We have been blessed with a very mild Summer here in Kansas City, so at showtime it was only around 80 degrees, perhaps only in the upper 70s, so we had a beautiful evening for outdoor music.

Kasey Rausch is a country-folk-roots singer-songwriter.  I found her (like so may others) on Kickstarter as a local musician funding a new album.  I loved what I heard, and so I backed her.  A little later, looking at her online profile and website, I saw that she performed at house concerts.  The wheels started turning, and, to make a long story short, I booked her to come and perform at our birthday party.

When she arrived that evening following an afternoon gig at a nearby winery, I found that she redefined "local".  She lived only a couple miles away, and her kids go to the same high school as mine.  In fact, my son knew her son, as they had been in a class together!  Talk about supporting your local musicians :-)

Kasey performed out on our deck for about an hour, and she was fantastic.  She has an amazing voice - smooth yet with a touch of a rough edge (or maybe rough at the center and smooth all around?), perfectly suited for her roots/country music.  She performed mostly original songs, including one about her grandmother, who had passed away at the fine age of 103.  Simply beautiful.   Kasey also sang a couple songs from great country songwriter Johnny Mullins, who wrote songs for Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, and many others.

Kasey is truly a hard working artist.  She performs all over Kansas City, many times more than one gig per day, and almost always several times a week.  She travels around Missouri and Kansas, and earlier this Summer did a mini-tour in South Dakota and Wyoming.  She plays solo or with several incarnations of bands (including a weekly happy hour show with her group The Naughty Pines).

The best news is that Kasey has been signed to a record label!  MudStomp Records will be releasing her new CD, from the Kickstarter campaign, later this year.  Having listened to any of her new songs live on my deck, I can hardly wait for the CD release!

In the meantime, I am hoping to get out to see Kasey perform a few more times as Summer turns to Fall, and then Winter rolls in.  Local friends - go see her.  It doesn't matter if you consider yourself a country music fan or not, get out to a local honky tonk and see Kasey!  You will love her!

Friends across the globe - you can find Kasey Rausch on Spotify, and her albums "Born Near the Waters" and "Live How You Love" are on Amazon.  And, follow Kasey Rausch Music on Facebook to keep track of Kasey and her performance schedule.  Oh yeah - she hosts  radio show every Sunday morning, too - River Trade Radio - listen in online to get your Sunday off to a great start!

It was a pleasure and privilege to have Kasey perform at our house for our birthday celebration.  She is a talented musician and song writer, and is also an amazingly nice person (and neighbor!) We all truly enjoyed getting to know Kasey and hear her music on a beautiful Summer evening.

Now if I can convince her to record some Christmas songs!

Album Review: "Brighter Than The Blues" by Kelley McRae

The road was good to Kelley McRae.

Mississippi native and recent Brooklyn resident Kelley McRae and her husband/guitarist Matt Castelein left the security of jobs and apartment in February 2011 and embarked on the “Great VW Camper Van Tour”, criss-crossing the country performing in venues of all shapes and sizes, including many, many house shows, where Kelley and Matt would perform in a living room, a hallway, out on a deck, or wherever the host provided space for the performers and a gathering of friends.  After over 150 shows and 35,000 miles logged in their VW camper van, Kelley and Matt settled for a while in Tennessee to write and record a new album, with songs inspired by their travels across the country.

Yes, the road was good to Kelley, as an inspiration for this collection of songs, and as a way to practice and perfect her art.  Kelley’s new album, “Brighter Than The Blues” is beautiful.  Kelley’s vocals are stronger than ever before, and the musicality is tremendous.  Following her earlier albums “Never Be” and “Highrises in Brooklyn”, “Brighter Than The Blues” features eleven new songs written and performed by Kelley and Matt.  Their travels and experiences over the past year, and the closeness they felt as they toured together, all come through in this amazing collection of songs.

Kelley has long been a gifted songwriter.  “Sparrow”, “Time”, and “More of Nothin’” from her previous releases highlight her songwriting talent.  “Johnny Cash”, from her debut album “Never Be”, is as fine a song as anyone has written, ever.  Let me mention it here, in the same sentence as “Mona Lisa” and “Summer Wind”.  It’s *that* good.  The songs on “Brighter Than The Blues” are as strong as ever, and show that she continues to grow as a songwriter.  These songs are heartfelt, moving, and deeply intimate.  Kelley does not write superficial or fluffy.  Her songs come from deep within the heart of a true artist.

The arrangements, guitar accompaniment, and vocal performances on “Brighter Than The Blues” show Kelley’s true growth as a musician.  Her singing shows amazing strength and maturity, finely honed from her time on road.  The performances are rich and full, enveloping the listener, surrounding you and drawing you into an incredible musical experience.

The title song, “Brighter Than The Blues” opens the album and immediately sets the stage for the record with a superbly strong vocal performance and reminiscences of their long time on the road and their closeness as a couple.  These themes are revisited throughout the record, from the haunting melody of “Keeper of the Light” to the personal “When the Evening Comes”.  My favorite song is “25,000 Miles”, about the trials and tribulations and joys and stresses and growth that came from their tour.  In this one song, Kelley masterfully gives us a glimpse of their experiences.  In retrospect, what a glorious artistic journey this must have been.

Performing so many shows in such intimate venues has truly fostered Kelley’s growth as a musician.  On her website, Kelley says “I really wanted to capture the spirit of the live show” when creating “Brighter Than The Blues”.  As a house-show host who got to hear Kelley and Matt perform from about three feet away, I can attest that she succeeded.  Her new album has all the energy and warmth of a living room show.  By the way, let me tell you, Kelley and Matt performing in your living room is really cool.

“Brighter Than The Blues” is an amazing recording by a truly gifted singer/songwriter.  And, although Kelley is the name on the record, let me give a shout-out to Matt, whose vocal harmonies and excellent guitar work bring completion to this collection of songs.

If you hurry (by September 15, 2012) you can get a free download of “Brighter Than The Blues”!  Details are on Kelley’s website.  But wait, there’s more – join Kelley’s mailing list and you’ll get a free download of “Johnny Cash”.   It’s worth it, believe me.

Kelley McRae website

I was a backer of the production of “Brighter Than The Blues” on Kickstarter, receiving a pre-release copy of the CD and a darned cool T-Shirt for my contributions to the album production.  No other compensation was received.

Singer/Songwriter Kelley McRae Live!

Many of you may not have heard of Kelley McRae, a beautifully talented singer/songwriter, most recently hailing from Brooklyn, NY.  Kelley and her husband Matt (an excellent guitarist in his own right) quit their jobs, bought a VW van, and set out on a nationwide tour, consisting of small venues and, mostly, living rooms across America.  Kelley works the web in search of hosts for her shows.  As of July 31, she and Matt have played nearly 80 shows since the end of February.

On July 30, my own living room was the venue for Kelley and Matt.  I and about 15 others enjoyed a great show, as Kelley played her original compositions for about an hour.  Yes, the show was about an hour, but Kelley and Matt were guests in our home for over 4 hours.  They are not only superb musicians but terrific people.  It didn't take long to feel like they were a part of our usual circle of friends.

The Music:  Kelley and Matt play acoustic guitars.  Kelley sings, and Matt harmonizes from time to time.  Kelley has a strikingly beautiful voice.  She ranges from soft restraint to inspiring power, often in the same song.   Smooth, natural, beautiful.

The Songs:  There are many great singers out there, but to me the musicians who write and perform their own songs take the artistry to new heights.  Kelley is an immensly gifted songwriter.  During the show, she told us that some come easy and some take years to finish.  Kelley has taken snapshots from her life and turned them in to amazing songs, especially "Johnny Cash" and "Never Be".  "Sparrow", "One Hundred Dollars", and show-closer "Time" were other highlights of the show.

To all my readers, please take some time and listen to Kelley McRae's music.  She has recorded two albums, "Never Be" and "Highrises in Brooklyn".  Check out her website and tour blog, http://www.kelleymcrae.com/.  If you're so inclined, contact Kelley to host a house show.  I've never had an experience quite like the intimacy of an incredible musician performing in such a personal venue. 

Amazing, just amazing.