September Brick & Mortar show

Aug 23, 2010 Brick & Mortar shows

Join us Thursday, September 2nd, at Coffee Social, 113 W. Indiana, for the next Brick & Mortar show featuring songwriters Cheryl Branz and Jerry Reynolds (see bios below). The show, hosted by Laddie Ray Melvin, starts at 7:00 with a half hour open mic. Hope you can make it!

Cheryl Branz is a local singer/songwriter who performs throughout the
region armed with her acoustic guitar, versatile voice and engaging
personality. In 2006, she released her first cd of all original music
titled, “Disappear.” She followed that up in 2008 with a holiday cd,
“The Christmas Gift” blending elements of folk, jazz and classical
styles in one seamless package. Known for her powerful vocals and
honest lyric style, she continues to gather a loyal following of fans
throughout the area.
www.cherylbranz.com

Jerry Reynolds wrote his first two songs on a Silvertone acoustic guitar bought from Sears-Roebuck catalog in 1962. Then one day, someone came along that knew how to play a guitar and very respectfully asked Jerry if he could tune up the Silvertone. Jerry was delighted, and said, “Sho nuf, man! Tune that baby up.” Jerry has been searching for those first two songs of his ever since.

Jerry was fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute music to “The Most Dangerous Woman In America”, a play that finished a run at The Odd Duck theater in Seattle on June 5th and will soon be performed in L.A. as part of the 2010 Inaugural Hollywood Fringe Festival. For those interested in the project more information can be found at www.theresediekhans.webs.com and some of the music Jerry wrote for the play is in rotation at myspace.com/jerrylynnreynolds.

Host Notes – August Brick & Mortar show

Aug 11, 2010 Brick & Mortar shows, News

by Laddie Ray Melvin

The open mic portion of the August Brick and Mortar concert introduced us to a new writer, Ms. Chris Conerty, who I hope will be a featured artist before long. We also enjoyed the return of our friend, Mr. Jerry Renyolds, who I hope will return before too long as a featured writer.

Our first featured act was Bill Tierney, guitar and vocals, and Brian Jones, bass. We learned what it means to be “Anybody But Me.” Thankfully, things change. In the song “Gotta Be Free” (backed by a J.J. Cale shuffle) the character reminds us that “where I go there I am.” I think that’s always a good thing to remember. The journey continues in Bill’s song “I’m a Man of My Word.” Here we learn that to “return from the land of the dyin” is to “find your limits before you’re done.” “It’s a Done Deal, Baby” (backed by that Bo Diddley beat) reminds us that “if you don’t get lost you can’t be found.” I’m beginning to sense a theme here. The song “Downstream” with its soft rock minor key feel tells us that what we seek is downstream, that the past is past; it’s that go with the flow thing we need to be reminded of once in a while The songs that closed Bill’s portion of the show included “Folsum Prison Blues,” “One More Time” and a song about love and loss. Someone famous once said that there are two human stories we tell over and over. One is about love, and the other is about loss.

Our second featured artist Keith Milligan’s set celebrated family connections in a song for his grandson, and later in the evening the song “Fly Away.” There were songs that reminded us of the Viet Nam era anti-war sentiments that formed the collective consciousness of a generation. The most successful of the two anti-war songs he sang was, I think, was “Child of the Fifties.” I also like the way his “Blues in the Key of Zen” echoes an older blues that reminds us that it ain’t nobody’s business but my own. We can’t ignore history. In another vein, the song “What Can I Do” is a love-at-first-sight song. “I was yours before I had a clue” pretty much sums it up. In the song “I Am a Survivor” the singer ponders what it means to be free, to live life as one sees fit, while reminding us that “life’s what happens to you.” The song “Heaven in Your Eyes” has a Loggins and Messina feel that sent me back to another time and romantic place I haven’t revisited it awhile. Finally, his song “Love Held High” evokes the dreamer in all of us. A truly countercultural stance. The poet William Stafford once wrote that “real writers really write.” We are lucky to have a community of writers who really work the wilds of song craft.

I’ll see you next first Thrusday at Coffee Social for another Brick and Mortar show.

Laddie Ray Melvin