FOR THE SAKE OF THE SONG
Dear Friends,
Hot Enough For Ya? Well this seems strange but the Blue Door’s AC is working better
than ever. At the Graham Colton show, we had over 120 here and it was very pleasant.
See what happens when you change the AC filters!!
The Woody Guthrie festival was wonderful as always. So glad to see Woody honored
and so nice to see old friends and meet many new friends along the way. If they
would move it to October I suspect many more people would want to attend, but looks
like it’s staying in July for now. The best music I heard at the festival was
Bill Chambers, John Fullbright, Butch Hancock, Jimmy LaFave and Andy Hardin singing
“Wooley Bully” with Terry “Buffalo” Ware and the Woodyfest House band. But I missed
a lot of course. Out at the Grape Ranch Tom Skinner hosted Susan Herndon, Greg
Jacobs and Fullbright and I really loved this afternoon of Okie music. Tom Skinner
showed us some new Dan Bern songs; Susan Herndon showcased her Okie jazz influenced
folk; Greg Jacobs showed why he deserves to be front and center at the Woody Fest
with his great Okie history story songs that drip with authenticity by way of his
ultra smooth red dirt croon, and John Fullbright put on a spirited set that featured
some great covers he never has played at the Blue Door. This guy could never write
another song in his life and still be one of the most viable artists in folk and
americana today. Thank God he isn’t thinking like that.
This week we feature a bona fide music legend when Susan Cowsill brings her great
rockin’ band here Thursday. I have been looking forward to this show for a long
time. Although I have never met Susan, I always felt that her music belongs in
the Blue Door. Please spread the word about this amazing songwriter and musician,
who first captured America’s heart as a member of the Cowsills. Susan has also
worked a lot with Dwight Twilley, sang duets with Jules Shear and Peter Hoesaple
and convinced Lucinda Williams to sing on her solo debut.
Friday night our friend Saturday John Fullbright returns with his brand new CD “Live
At The Blue Door” This is gonna be one great show as Oklahoma’s newest
singer/songwriter
star showcases songs from his first national release. Won’t be long before the
whole country knows about John Fullbright.
See ya at the shows
Take Care
Greg Johnson
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TICKETS TO SHOWS :
Online at www.okctickets.com
In Person at
Party Galaxy
In Belle Isle
or by calling
866 966-1777
BIG SHOWS COMING SOON
AUG 3
DAVID LINDLEY
AUG 17
DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY WOMEN
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THIS WEEK AT
THE BLUE DOOR
THURSDAY – JULY 16 – 8 pm
SUSAN COWSILL BAND
$15 at the door]
A little about Susan Cowsill
The singer/songwriter made her initial mark on popular culture at the tender age
of eight with The Cowsills, the 60s family pop group that not only scored Top Ten
singles The Rain, the Park and Other Things, Hair and We Can Fly but also served
as the real-life inspiration for TV’s fictional Partridge Family. During Susan’s
decade with roots-pop supergroup The Continental Drifters, she won the hearts of
discerning listeners with her impassioned vocals and personally-charged songwriting,
gracing three widely-acclaimed albums and a decade’s worth of riveting performances.
Cowsill’s vocal talents have beautifully supported recordings from artists as diverse
as Dwight Twilley, Redd Kross, The Smithereens, Giant Sand, Nanci Griffith, Carlene
Carter and Jules Shear, while her compositions have been covered by The Bangles
and Hootie and the Blowfish.
Cowsill’s much-loved prior work can now be viewed as a prelude to the stunning solo
achievement of her debut solo album, “Just Believe It.” The collection marks
a musical and personal milestone for the artist, embodying the same qualities of
musical craft and emotional nuance that distinguished her work with The Continental
Drifters, while adding a deeper, more resonant and unmistakably personal edge. The
CD features guest appearances by Lucinda Williams on the hauntingly bittersweet
“Nanny’s Song”; Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz, harmonizing with Cowsill on
the upbeat “Palm of My Hand,” (also featuring Cowsill’s former Drifters bandmate
and real-life sister-in-law, Bangle Vicki Peterson) Along with 13 new Cowsill
originals,
“Just Believe It” includes a stunning cover of Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention classic
“Who Knows Where the Time Goes”. The entire CD maintains a solid grounding in the
organic honesty of rural folk and the catchy melodicism of ’60s pop, while dipping
into the fluid R&B grooves of Cowsill’s longtime hometown of New Orleans.
Hurricane Katrina posed unexpected challenges to New Orleans musicians, including
Susan Cowsill. After losing her home and possessions when Katrina destroyed her
city, Susan later learned that her beloved brother Barry had lost his life in the
storm’s aftermath. Susan’s commitment to New Orleans remains passionate and steadfast,
which is evident in her powerful Hurricane Katrina song, Crescent City Snow. According
to respected sources in the music industry, this song just may go down in musical
history as the most poignant to come out of the catastrophe. Susan does all she
can to help maintain national awareness of conditions in New Orleans. She is proud
to perform alongside her fellow musicians for the benefit of New Orleans and has
contributed her songs to relief effort compilation CDs. Susan Cowsill’s humanitarian
efforts also include working against child abuse and actively supporting peaceful
causes.
Whether she’s delivering a heart-tugging ballad or belting out a punchy rock tune,
critics agree that Susan Cowsill has an exceptional talent for connecting with a
song’s emotional core. Rolling Stone praised Just Believe It as “The hardy,
heartbreaking
sound of…a bar-band angel…in the prime of her singing and songwriting life.”
The Washington Post proclaimed “As good as Cowsill’s voice is, her smart, emotional
songwriting is her biggest asset.” All Music Guide raved “Cowsill has stories to
tell and she tells them with a skill and vigor that never lets artifice get in
the way of cutting to the emotional truth… Quite simply, debut albums are rarely
as moving, as revealing or as accomplished as Just Believe It. This is masterful
music from a major talent.”
This is a must show for music lovers!!!
Come support Susan as she gets back to being a full time musician after the Katrina
Hurricane.
FRIDAY – JULY 16 –
ERIC DE VRIES
GENE WILLIAMS
GREG JACOBS]
Our friend Gene Williams is bringing Dutch singer songwriter Eric Devries to the
Blue Door, with special guest Greg Jacobs opening the proceedings.
December 2007 saw the release of Eric Devries’ second solo cd. Titled “Sweet Oblivion”
is recorded with his new band ‘The Easy’ but also contains three songs recorded
in Tulsa, U.S.A. while Devries was on tour there in the spring of 2005. With his
debut solo cd “Little of a Romeo” Eric Devries launched himself to the top of the
dutch Americana/folk scene, almost out of nowhere but not quite. At one time Eric
Devries fronted “The Big Easy”, an amsterdam band reknowned for their acoustic approach
towards catchy poprocktunes where Devries’ songwriting skills first became adamant.
They came in second in Hollands biggest talent competion and got airplay on both
national radio as well as national tv. They toured The Netherlands and Switzerland
but failed to land a record deal and quit in 1996. Devries reinvented himself and
went solo and toured the netherlands, often performing together as an acoustic
singersongwriter
duo with BJ Baartmans. In 2004 Devries released his debut cd which was very well
received in the alt. country / americana / folk scene. With “Sweet Oblivion” Devries
bridges the gap between his more band orientated past with his solo work of the
present. With these 12 songs Devries once more proves his songwriting skills.
The great Okie singer/songwriter and historian Greg Jacobs opens the show with his
acclaimed songs about Okie history and his songs about being oh so lucky in love.
Most around Checotah call him Mr. Jacobs but we know him as the smooth red dirt
crooner. He is a masterful singer/songwriter who has yet to earn his proper due.
SATURDAY – JULY 18 – 9 pm
JOHN FULLBRIGHT
“LIVE AT THE BLUE DOOR” CD RELEASE
$10 online or at the door
Although just 21 years old, Okemah, Oklahoma native John Fullbright sings like he
has been around for years. Firmly rooted in many American musical styles including
folk, country, blues, bluegrass and jazz, John is just now beginning his musicial
journey that is sure to delight listeners from coast to coast. Already he has
the ringing endorsements of many great musicians including Jimmy Webb, Kevin Welch,
Ray Bonneville, Greg Trooper, Dan Narvarro, Steve Poltz, Darden Smith, Tom Skinner,
Greg Jacobs, Will Sexton and Jimmy LaFave. Equally skilled on guitar, harmonica,
piano and accordion, John understands best that “it’s called playing music for a
reason.” That is why you can find him at the music festival campgrounds late
at night pickin’ out songs from such mentors as Townes Van Zandt, Hoyt Axton and
Leonard Cohen, along with his own unique songs that belie his young age
After playing in Oklahoma singer/songwriter Mike McClure’s band for a year, John
has become the most talked about “Folk” musician in Oklahoma, playing solo and bringing
the house down wherever he goes. He was a bonafide hit at this year’s Folk Alliance
Conference in Memphis where he met many musicians very attuned to what he was doing.
Will Sexton was especially taken by John’s versatility and invited John to play
the Mucky Duck in Houston this past May. John also opened for fellow Oklahoman
and songwriting legend Jimmy Webb on a return to the Blue Door and just last week
he was a huge hit at the Woody Guthrie festival in Okemah, Oklahoma.
Just prior to the 2009 Folk Alliance conference, John recorded a live CD at the
Blue Door in Oklahoma City. Featuring all his own songs as well as a stellar version
of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” “Live At The Blue Door” is a wonderful calling
card for John Fullbright and the release promises to get him in the conversation
as one of the best emerging artists in American music today.
Doors open at 8 pm