Previously held Duick House Concerts

Here is a list of past concerts and musicians visiting with us from 2006 thru 2007:

November 2, 2006	John Smith http://www.johnsmithmusic.com In addition to his incomparable musical abilities and finely tuned songwriting skills, Johnsmith possesses the even rarer gift of being able to share his soul. That gift is the foundation on which everything else about him is built, and it comes shining through in every song he sings. Hear a sample of his songs at www.johnsmithmusic.com. Buddy Mondlock summed it up when he said of Johnsmith, "I feel like every time one of [Johnsmith's] songs gets heard a little healing happens to the world." For the past twenty years Johsmith has been sharing his music with audiences all across the United States, and abroad. He has become a favorite at coffee houses, colleges, and house concerts alike. In addition to being a past winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk award, Johnsmith has released four CDs to rave reviews. Samples of his songs are on his website: http://www.johnsmithmusic.com.
January 26, 2007	Dan Frechette http://www.danfrechette.com Influenced by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, singer/songwriter Dan Frechette is a musical force. Greg Quill in the Toronto Star had this to say �Manitoba singer/songwriter Dan Frechette is blessed with an enormous talent and a facility for adapting elemental folk forms - bluegrass, Celtic airs, country, ragtime, country blues - to his own purpose, the likes of which I haven't heard since Dylan's first recordings�. Quill went on to say �The most impressive Canadian folk debut by a solo artist since David Francey, �Lucky Day� is already a classic, an album that will surely find an exalted place in the canon�. Dan has a fun and lively performance. He is guaranteed to make you smile and laugh as he tells his stories about the songs he wrote. His songs are charming, heart-warming, sweet, and tender. Samples of his songs are on his website: http://www.danfrechette.com.
March 16, 2007	David LaMotte http://www.davidlamotte.com Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter David LaMotte's concerts are entertaining and varied including image-rich songs, engaging storytelling, an occasional poem and adept instrumental guitar work. His music has been described by the Washington Times as "guitar-spanking open-tuning grooves as well as gentle folk-tinged pop." LaMotte has had a busy year, including his eighth concert tour in Germany and a full domestic tour schedule. In addition, he has released One Night In North Carolina, a live concert DVD; This Is My Song, a retrospective CD collection of peace and justice songs; S.S. Bathtub, his first collaborative children�s book and his tenth CD, Change. Songs from Change took four awards in the 2006 Songwriter�s Association of Washington�s annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, including the Silver in the Instrumental category and the Gold in Folk. It also reached #11 on the Folk-DJ chart in September. Mary Sue Twohy of XM Radio says �Change breathes with artistic freedom and creative acumen. Truly a joy to listen to� many times.� Guest vocalists include John Gorka, Tom Kimmel and Tish Hinojosa. The S.S. Bathtub, LaMotte�s children�s book, is an illustrated version of his award-winning children�s song by the same name. The hardcover book includes a CD-single of the song and features illustrations by Maryland artist Carrie Patterson. LaMotte�s notoriety continues to grow in the United States and abroad. He has been featured on stages from Bosnia to Belfast, and from Texas� Kerrville Folk Festival to New Zealand�s Auckland Folk Festival, where he was the headline performer. LaMotte is also the volunteer director of a non-profit organization, PEG Partners (Proyecto Para Las Escuelas Guatemaltecas) which he founded with his wife in 2004. PEG works in partnership with Guatemalan communities to improve schools. In 2005 the organization funded the creation of a computer lab in the village of Pachaj, and in early 2006 a new preschool opened in the pueblo of Tzanchaj, built entirely with donations collected at LaMotte�s concerts and named after him. Samples of his songs are on his website: http://www.davidlamotte.com.
May 18, 2007	Matthew Ebel http://matthewebel.com/main/music Matthew Ebel will be performing tunes from his latest albums, Beer & Coffee and The Wee Hours. We'll be enjoying his accoustic/folk/christian music/rock music as he shares with us his experiences on the road. Matthew's music has been played on Adam Curry's Daily Source Code podcast and he also hosts his own music podcast featuring his favorite musicians. He�s been called a soulful white guy, an acoustic geek-rocker, and the love child of Elton John and Billy Joel. His fans know him as everything from Matthew to Birdman to simply �Hot Wings�. Whatever you call him, though, Matthew Ebel is more than just a singer-songwriter, he�s a space pirate captain that takes his fans and friends beyond the mundane. Matthew began playing piano at age 5, learning classical music under the assumption that every good boy does fine. He performed in recitals, choirs, operas, and live theater right up to his college graduation in 2001. However, Rachmaninov and Grieg inspired him less than They Might be Giants and Jason Mraz. In the spring of 2002 Matthew crammed all of his stuff into a tiny UHAUL trailer and dragged it behind his Taurus from Spokane, WA to Nashville, TN. Stopping at every Starbucks on the way, he quickly developed a caffeine buzz that allowed him to pass through solid matter. Now you can find Matthew playing in coffee shops and bars across the USA. He�s currently supporting his first progressive rock album, Beer & Coffee.
June 22, 2007	Small Potatoes - Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso http://www.smallpotatoesmusic.com �They don�t sound like anybody else. I like that. They lay out a blanket and every song is a picnic.� Warren Nelson Big Top Chautauqua/Tent Show Radio--Wisconsin Public Radio, Bayfield, WI This Chicago-based duo has been touring on the folk circuit since 1993 and in that time they�ve become sought-after regulars at many clubs, coffeehouses across the U.S. They have made repeat appearances at major folk festivals, including the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Walnut Valley Folk Festival, and Philadelphia Folk Festival. They were one of the �most requested� acts at the 1999 Falcon Ridge New Artist Showcase. Jacquie is also a past winner of the Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Contest. They call themselves eclecto-maniacs. They describe their music as �Celtic to Cowboy� and say in has taken them �years of careful indecision� to come up with a mix of music that ranges from country, blues, and swing to Irish, with songwriting that touches on all of those styles and more. Their four recordings, �Alive!�, �Waltz of the Wallflowers�, �Time Flies�, and �Raw� cover all these styles. They both sing, they both play guitars and an array of other instruments. They even yodel. Dirty Linen Magazine called them �one of the most polished, inventive, and entertaining shows on the circuit.� Sing Out Magazine called them �wonderfully eclectic� and said �Small Potatoes might well be leading mainstays on the folk scene for years to come.� When you see Small Potatoes perform, you hear two great voices, some fine guitar playing, and a touch of tin whistle, flute, mandolin, bodhran, and other percussion toys. Together they present a truly rare blend of vocal and instrumental abilities, award-winning songwriting, and arranging talents. They have the unique ability to adapt to the style of music they happen to be playing. They seem comfortably at home whether playing an upbeat cowboy swing tune or a tender, traditional ballad--though there are no rules here either, sometimes the traditional sounds contemporary, sometimes the contemporary sounds traditional. And they also pay attention to the little things, the warmth, the humor and a rapport with the audience that makes for a memorable performance. A listen to a few tracks on �Waltz of the Wallflowers�, Jacquie�s theatrical, one-of-a kind 1998 Kerrville New Folk winning title track, Rich's powerful �1000 Candles, 1000 Cranes�, or their Celtic-flavored rendition of the Jefferson Airplane classic, �Lather� provides a more than ample illustration. Their new live CD, �Small Potatoes Alive!� also showcases their story-telling abilities and their easy manner with their audiences.
July 13, 2007	Eric Taylor http://www.bluerubymusic.com Eric Taylor is a sage musician, a lyrical genius and a master of the guitar. If you're not familiar with Taylor by name, you've probably heard his songs performed by people such as Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. He has created a multitude of fans and devotees that are legends themselves in the singer/songwriter realm, artists who have long considered Taylor to be a teacher and a lantern bearer whose time is long overdue. In 1977 Taylor was a winner of the "New Folk" competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Shameless Love, his first album, came out in 1981, and after a hiatus of almost 14 years, he returned with the self-titled Eric Taylor, released in 1995. His eponymous release was chosen as the 1996 Kerrville Folk Festival Album of the Year. Three years later he released Resurrect, and it was subsequently named one of the "100 essential records of all time" by Buddy magazine. Taylor has headlined the prestigious Newport Folk Festival, played National Public Radio's "Mountain Stage" and has appeared on both "Late Night With David Letterman" with Nanci Griffith and "Austin City Limits" with Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, and Robert Earl Keen. "To say that Eric Taylor is one of the finest writers of our time, would be an understatement," Nanci Griffith says. "If you miss an opportunity to hear Eric Taylor, you have missed a chance to hear a voice I consider the William Faulkner of songwriting in our current time." Griffith has recorded several of Taylor's songs, including "Deadwood," "Storms," "Dollar Matinee" and "Ghost in the Music," which they wrote together. Lyle Lovett, who recorded Taylor's "Memphis Midnight/Memphis Morning," and with whom Taylor co-wrote the immensely popular "Fat Babies," compares Taylor's narrative voice to that of Bruce Springsteen. Iain Matthews claims, "Once you become a Taylor fanatic, it gives one immense joy and pride to be able to enlighten others to the man's work." 2001 brought forth Scuffletown, and shortly following its release, Taylor was a featured artist on "Austin City Limit's" and NPR's "Morning Edition." The Kerrville Tapes (2003) is his first live album, recorded during three years of appearances at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival. 2006 will introduce The Great Divide, a powerful, brilliant work that is both timely and timeless. Recorded at Rock Romano's Red Shack in Houston, TX, between April and July 2005, the album includes several new songs, some older songs, and 2 songs by a couple of Eric's early music mentors (Arthur Jackson, aka Peg Leg Sam, and Townes Van Zandt).
October 26, 2007	Dave Potts http://www.davepotts.com A singer/songwriter with a gift for melody and a poet's eye for detail, Dave Potts crafts contemporary folk songs with shades of country and Americana, infused with Southern charm. It is the combination of his music and humorous, poker-faced stage presence, however, that defines Dave as an artist. Dave Potts is, he deadpans, a seriously funny guy. Since making his home in Auburn, Alabama, Dave's songs have shed light on the endearing characters and small towns of the South; a sincere style that has earned him countless awards and accolades. Noted awards include: 2003, 2004, 2006 Kerrville New Folk Finalist - Kerrville Folk Festival; 2005 International Acoustic Music Awards; 1st place winner - Folk/Americana/Roots category ; and 'A Day To Remember' winner of the 2004 New Folk Song of the Year by Just Plain Folks. Whether reflecting the world through the eyes of a career minor league ballplayer or the spouse of a soldier overseas, Dave brings his stories to life with what Dirty Linen Magazine calls "lines that will tug at even the most jaded heart." His hometown newspaper, The OA News, agrees, noting that, "Potts is at the top of his game when singing about the mundane splendor of small-town life-those stolen moments we so often overlook." Prominent internet retailer CD Baby made Dave Potts' latest CD named $12.99, an Editor's Pick and featured disc of the month upon its release. Their review raves, "His influences aren't surprising (David Wilcox, James Taylor, John Denver) but there is a definite reach beyond genre here, even while his music fits comfortably both within folk and country. That reach is one of unhindered, inspired musicality embodied within music that feels like it was always yearning to be written." Vivid story-teller, accomplished guitarist, and gripping entertainer with a smooth, flannel voice, Dave Potts is indeed many things. As his t-shirts wryly proclaim, Dave is "Always in style, breathtakingly handsome, He's good folk."