Monthly Archive for April, 2009

Vanessa Peters and Salim Nourallah at Opening Bell

Published on April 28, 2009 in Dallas Area Live Music. 0 Comments

Last week was a long week of music for me, and the final show took me back for a second night in a row to Opening Bell, and this night it was to see two local artists who are about to head to Europe on separate tours. Salim will be across the pond in Germany and France for a few weeks, and Vanessa tells me she will be in places I can’t pronounce until next fall.

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One of the things I like to do during a show is to shift my attention from the stage to the audience to get a feel for what type of connection there is between the artist and the crowd, and the level of engagement. Before Salim started, I noted how diverse the crowd was with almost every age group represented, and when I checked them all out during the show it was impressive to see that not only was every one engaged with their eyes on the stage, but most of them were quietly singing along. His set was a good mix of tunes from his new album, some old favorites, and even some Nourallah Brothers tunes.

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Miss Peters was on stage with her very talented guitarist Manuel Schicchi. The last show I saw of hers was a solo show, and the addition of Manuel and new tracks from her new album “Sweetheat, Keep Your Chin Up” made for a very different and much more upbeat show. The audience was also very well versed with her music, and I was surprised at how many people were singing along to the tracks from the new album. The show was very well played and very entertaining; I’m happy that I got to see her play before she heads out for her summer European tour. She has quite a few tracks on her Myspace and CD Baby, make sure to check them out.

Dog Dander, Camille Cortinas, Cas Haley at Opeing Bell

Published on April 27, 2009 in Dallas Area Live Music. 0 Comments

Last week I was on record pace for seeing live music. I saw shows 3 nights, and took somewhere around 1500 pictures in an attempt to capture a few pearls to share with you guys. The second show I saw was Saturday night at the Opening Bell location in the Mosaic building featuring Dog Dander, Camille Cortinas, and Cas Haley.

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If you are a fan of rootsie (I think I just made up a new word), banjo pickn’, fiddle playin’, group harmonizing, country folk music, and you were not at this show, then you missed out. When Travis, aka Billygoat Brink, gets on stage with several of his friends coming and going to play along with him on different tracks you end up with “Dog Dander”, and they were the opening act Saturday night. Eric Neal was on stage with Travis for most of the night (all of the night?), and several others joined them on the stage to put their mark on difference songs. At one point I counted at least 5 people on stage putting together a great harmony for a few songs. With one of those people being Camille Cortinas (more on her in a sec), you are bound to get good results. Even the people in the audience who were not Folk music fans looked like they were enjoying what they heard, and I think that says a lot about the quality of the music. I do have one question for all the banjo players out there: Is it possible to keep a banjo in tune for more than one song?

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I have to admit that I was a little worried when I read that Fishing For Comets no more! I was very relieved when Camille let me know they were just getting away from the name because they lost their website domain, but would still be playing with most of the same folks. Saturday night it was Eric Neal and Camille playing together as a killer combination of musical talent. Their songs are upbeat and fun songs that are well written both musically and lyrically. They are the type of songs you want to sing along with, and have a way of putting a smile on your face without you even realizing it. Give a listen to Acrobat on their myspace, and I challenge you not to crack a smile. I don’t think it’s possible. Camille has an incredible voice, and there is a chance that you have heard her even if you don’t follow her music: (check this and this out). The show itself was a great performance which kept everybody in the audience smiling and engaged for the duration of the evening. I’m still convinced that one of these days we’ll be reading an interview with Eric and Camille talking about how they got their start back in Dallas long before the private jets and tour buses.

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The Reggae and Island beats of Mr. Cas Haley finished out a great night of live music. Cas has played around the area for a long while now, and he recently made some big waves with his appearance as a contestant a few years ago on “America’s Got Talent” (video here) with his sweet version of Walking on the Moon. This evening, Cas had Eric Neal playing bass, and another guitarist (I didn’t catch his name) playing along side him. If you are like me, and have a tendency to try to guess what someone will sound like when they sing by looking at them, Cas will be someone you have to add to your “I totally didn’t see that one coming” list. The music he played was all very fun and upbeat with quick island riffs and booming vocals. He is currently touring all over the country, and you should check out his show if you get the chance.

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So….did you notice there was a common theme in all 3 of the performances above? There was one man who played in all 3 shows, played 5 different instruments (by my count: 2 fiddles, a mandolin, acoustic guitar, and electric bass), and sang backup vocals. Eric Neal is one of those super hero musicians that can seemingly play everything and anything you throw at him. If you have seen any live music around town in Dallas, there is a good chance you have seen him on stage. I am told that he currently have over half a dozen projects he is working with, and I would guess that in the last few years he has played with dozens of bands. Before two or three songs Cas pointed out the fact that Eric had never heard or played next songs on the playlist. Eric was able to not only instantly pick up and play the song, up but do so with gusto. If you want to see a masterful musician at work, make sure to keep an out out for Eric the next time you are at a show.

Shanti, Manya, Rahim at The Listening Room

Published on April 26, 2009 in Dallas Area Live Music. 0 Comments

Once again I begin writing a blog post where I am already painfully aware that I will likely fail in my attempt at brevity. This seems to be a trend. How can I keep it short when I have 3 artists, and one new venue to tell you guys about?

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The Listening Room is actually a separate room inside of Club Dada. As you enter Dada and head past the bar towards the patio, you will see a large door on your right under the bashed guitars (pic above); pass through that threshold and you will find what you are looking for. I was really impressed with what I found there; the room is quite large with with a very classy atmosphere. New hardwood floors, classy chandeliers, leather couches, high top tables and stools really made for a nice mellow feel. The stage stage has plenty of room for a full band, and creates additional intimacy by not being raised above the level of the crowd. I would guess there is actual seating for around 30 people, and if you used the floor and standing room you could very easily double that number. Some of the photos they have on their site looks like they also have extra chairs for more busy shows. I felt like it really accomplished what the name implied. If you are looking to experience some great music in an intimate setting reminiscent of a house concert/show, the Listening Room hits the mark. Salim Norallah is booking the venue and has some fan-funkn’-tastic artists on the books including Billy Harvey and Johnny Lloyd Rollins. I highly recommend checking out this venue.

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The first act of the night was someone who was new to me, and absolutely amazed me. Her name is Shanti Michelle, and she is one of those people who after you hear her voice you find yourself saying, “damn, did that voice really come out of the girl on stage?”. It should not be possible to have such a sultry and soulful voice coming out of such a petite young lady. Check out her myspace and check out the 2nd track she has on her play list (Fools are a Long Line Comin’) to get a little taste of her sound and style. If you get the chance to check out her show, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Next up was Miss Manya, who is one of the coolest Russians in North Texas. I think this is the third or fourth time I have seen her play, and even time I see her show I am only further impressed. She is currently working on two projects (Blue Petal, and Morning Elephant). Morning Elephant is pretty new, and I have not yet seen her perform any of that material live, but I really like what they have on their site. It looks like they are starting to book shows for early summer. This evening was Blue Petal showcasing many of the songs from their new album “Golden Storybook”. The lyrics and general songwriting is simply fantastic, and the delivery is authentic and powerful. One of the great things about shows like this featuring singer song writers is that because they are playing their own material, they can add a level of personal touch and feeling that is hard to reproduce when you are playing a cover. Manya did a great job of adding that little extra something to each song. As I expected, I completely enjoyed the show, and I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new Blue Petal album when it comes out, and seeing Morning Elephant live.

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The third act of the night was Rahim Quazi. I saw him play years ago at the Granada opening for Ian Moore. That show was full band (with an extremely energetic violin player!), so it was interesting to see him in a very different setting in a small room with just him, his guitar and piano. His portion of the show was very light and fun. He seemed extremely comfortable and conversational with the crowd (which is hard to accomplish in most live music settings). He had the audience help him out with the backup vocals when he played “Super Natural”, and spent a little bit of extra time to explain the background story of several of his songs. His music is fun to listen to, lots of tempo changes and upbeat tracks.

2 show Reviews: Jillian Edwards and David Little

Published on April 12, 2009 in Dallas Area Live Music. 2 Comments

Friday night I decided it was time to end my dry spell of not seeing live music for the last month or so. The weather is getting nice, summer is on it’s way, and it is time to get back out and hear the sounds of the city, and I was lucky enough to make it to two shows that night: Jillian Edwards at the South Side on Lamar location of Opening Bell, and David Little at the Double Wide.

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I stumbled across Jillian’s music a week or so ago, and was happy to see she was playing at one of my favorite low key music spots. She is a singer songwriter who describes her sound as acoustic/folk/indie; but if I had to nail it down I would say that her style is very light acoustic. Her voice has a very light and soothing quality to it that was easy to listen to. Most of the show was just her and her guitar. Her six string work did more picking than strumming and did not over power her already soft vocals. For a few songs, she had a simple drum kit backing her up. If you were going to lay out in a hammock on a spring day and wanted something light and mellow to keep you in that sweet spot between dreams and reality, Jillian would fit the bill. For a young performer she seemed very comfortable on stage, and had a good dynamic with the crowd. She played a few songs with her brother that were more upbeat, and I was really impressed with the impact and the effect that had on the audiance. The songs she sang with her brother also showed off a little bit more of her vocal and guitar playing range and ability. If the Dr. Pepper hasn’t been recorded…. it needs to be. Check out her Myspace for a sample of her music (if you only have time to listen to one, I recommend Songbird.) Her calendar is also on her page; she will be playing at House of Blues soon, and those dates and times are listed.
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From there I made my way down to the Double Wide to check out David Little. This is a show I have had on my list for a few years now, but for one reason or another never seemed to get to see. This gig was also very entertaining, and packed with great music. There was a lot of talent on the stage, and the music these folks made together did not let me down. Playing along side David were a few musicians I have seen play before including Trey Carmichael (of Sorta and The Jones Thing), Lyndah Garner (Rose County Fair, and many others). His sound and style is pretty upbeat with edgy/entertaining lyrics that kept everybody smiling and in tune with the music. He mixed things up with a few fun covers including Bob Dylan and Led Lead Zeppelin. What can I say? This was a great way to finish up a long week, and a good night of live music. I haven’t been able to track down any music sites or webpages for David, but if you see that he is playing in your neck of the woods, I would make sure to check out his show.

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