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Young Folkies and Old Fogeys
Feb. 28th, 2025 03:43 pmAlthough I'm not quite as old as Joni Mitchell or Neil Young, my contemporary music of choice has long been of the genre(s) that emerged from the 60s coffee house scene.
Last Friday, dianora and I had the pleasure of attending a cosy house concert featuring Natasha Liard, Erika Lashbrook and Libby and Cal. And five cats, although all but one had been spirited away to a back room to avert attempts to escape.
Natasha was a gracious host who said she organized intimate concerts like this one because her music was quiet and folky and didn't always find a suitable home in an often-rowdy bar environment.
Libby and Cal wrote something similar in the most recent edition of their newsletter:
Bars Are Not the Only Venues
Our last few shows have been in alternative venues, or should I say, not bars. It's hard to make money, whether you're a musician or a venue owner, but I feel very lucky to have had a variety of performance experiences. Last month we played in a church basement and a living room. As one attendee remarked, "I found it had a strong old coffee house vibe."
And Erika Lashbrook, a self-described "queer, undisciplined multidisciplinary artist and musician" exuded a kind of raw vulnerability characteristic of many of the musicians I like. I particularly enjoyed her song "Sit back down", even though it was quite critical of folks of my generation, who unfortunately are wont to assume that young people today just don't know what they're talking about!
I had never heard Natasha or Erika before, but I'd absolutely go to see them again.
Then yesterday, after picking up my new glasses (appropriate for my post-cataract operation eyes), I decided to drop into the nearby Compact Music shop. Of course, I should have realized that it would not be a brief, drop-in kind of visit. I got caught up in the Folk section of the second-hand vinyl section. It took a fair bit of discipline to whittle down my selections to the following records, which ranged in price from $5.99 to $16.99:
The Famous Melodies of Stephen Foster
Colleen Peterson
Rehearsals for Retirement - Phil Ochs
Lillebjörn & Steinar, recorded live at the Nordland Fest, Sioux Falls
Mary Black - Collected
Civil Service Songwriter - Nancy White
American Stonehenge - Robin Williamson & his Merry Band
To round things off, I glanced at the CDs by local musicians at the front of the store. I chose one CD by a local singer/songwriter, Craig Cormier. I hadn't heard of him but I loved the cover, which was a black-and-white photo of someone stroking a cat, in front of some grocery store shelves. The album was entitled Bodega Cats and was recorded at Ottawa's Lycanthrope Studios in April of 2020. At the height of the COVID lockdowns. Plus, I think it's important to support independent local artists. I haven't actually listened to the CD yet but I'm looking forward to it.
Tomorrow I'll enjoy the music of another era with the Ottawa Bach Choir.
Last Friday, dianora and I had the pleasure of attending a cosy house concert featuring Natasha Liard, Erika Lashbrook and Libby and Cal. And five cats, although all but one had been spirited away to a back room to avert attempts to escape.
Natasha was a gracious host who said she organized intimate concerts like this one because her music was quiet and folky and didn't always find a suitable home in an often-rowdy bar environment.
Libby and Cal wrote something similar in the most recent edition of their newsletter:
Bars Are Not the Only Venues
Our last few shows have been in alternative venues, or should I say, not bars. It's hard to make money, whether you're a musician or a venue owner, but I feel very lucky to have had a variety of performance experiences. Last month we played in a church basement and a living room. As one attendee remarked, "I found it had a strong old coffee house vibe."
And Erika Lashbrook, a self-described "queer, undisciplined multidisciplinary artist and musician" exuded a kind of raw vulnerability characteristic of many of the musicians I like. I particularly enjoyed her song "Sit back down", even though it was quite critical of folks of my generation, who unfortunately are wont to assume that young people today just don't know what they're talking about!
I had never heard Natasha or Erika before, but I'd absolutely go to see them again.
Then yesterday, after picking up my new glasses (appropriate for my post-cataract operation eyes), I decided to drop into the nearby Compact Music shop. Of course, I should have realized that it would not be a brief, drop-in kind of visit. I got caught up in the Folk section of the second-hand vinyl section. It took a fair bit of discipline to whittle down my selections to the following records, which ranged in price from $5.99 to $16.99:
The Famous Melodies of Stephen Foster
Colleen Peterson
Rehearsals for Retirement - Phil Ochs
Lillebjörn & Steinar, recorded live at the Nordland Fest, Sioux Falls
Mary Black - Collected
Civil Service Songwriter - Nancy White
American Stonehenge - Robin Williamson & his Merry Band
To round things off, I glanced at the CDs by local musicians at the front of the store. I chose one CD by a local singer/songwriter, Craig Cormier. I hadn't heard of him but I loved the cover, which was a black-and-white photo of someone stroking a cat, in front of some grocery store shelves. The album was entitled Bodega Cats and was recorded at Ottawa's Lycanthrope Studios in April of 2020. At the height of the COVID lockdowns. Plus, I think it's important to support independent local artists. I haven't actually listened to the CD yet but I'm looking forward to it.
Tomorrow I'll enjoy the music of another era with the Ottawa Bach Choir.
