This week’s music: Bearfoot: Top-notch Americana bluegrass
Published 11:12 am Thursday, October 2, 2008
What do Dixie Chicks, Nickel Creek and Bearfoot have in common? The three bluegrass bands were Telluride Bluegrass Band Champions, an award that is proof of the musicians’ technical acuity, songcraft and originality.
Bearfoot will perform tonight in Edmonds.
The five musicians met as camp counselors in Alaska and went on to develop a harmony as smooth and rich as molasses to deliver their brand of Americana bluegrass.
Five distinctive lead voices and three-part harmonies add a fresh breath to original arrangements that cross traditional bluegrass lines. Beyond the beautiful voices are the backup instruments of mandolin, guitar, acoustic upright bass and twin fiddles.
The group has matured beyond bluegrass standards too, with a mixed plate of acoustic vocals, fast-paced instrumentals and original “high lonesome” style sounds, according to press materials.
The group has three albums behind it and has earned performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., an opening slot for country singer Lyle Lovett and an appearance at Merlefest for 80,000 Americana music fans.
Suzy Bogguss: The singer-songwriter is fresh off a summer-long tour with Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion’s Rhubarb Tour, which stopped at Marymoor Park. She’s recorded six top-10 singles and won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist award. A few years ago she started her independent label and recorded a Western swing album and then “Sweet Danger” last year.
Matt Haimovitz: The Israeli-born and ground-breaking award-winning cellist has made a name for himself by bring classical music to small venues, including the Tractor Tavern in Seattle. Now he’s helping to launch the Bellevue Philharmonic’s 41st season by playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 will be included in the program.
Liz Phair: She emerged in the late-1980s underground indie rock scene with a low-fi approach that made her a role model for other female singer-songwriters, but she couldn’t enter the mainstream. Nonetheless, and despite stage fright, she went on to sell more than 200,000 copies of “Never Said.” She’s since taken a more pop-rock-oriented approach. She wrote “Perfect Misfit” for the 2007 film “Nancy Drew.”
Ron Sexsmith: Cuban music heavily influenced the Canadian singer-songwriter on his latest album, “Exit Strategy of the Soul,” creating a more-complex production than recent Sexsmith releases. While the musical approach tends to be melancholic folk-pop, he’s shown that he can break out of the mold.
Ledisi: The two-time Grammy-nominated neo-soul vocalist visits Seattle with music from her latest CD, “Lost and Found.” Think energy and chops, emotion and sincerity, and success as an independent before signing with Verve. She’s also had her music featured in two films (“Meet the Browns” and “Leatherheads”).
Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer: Three-time Grammy-winner and double-bassist Meyer and Nickel Creek’s highly acclaimed Grammy-winning mandolist Thile combine their instruments and talents as players and composers. The two have been performing and recording together extensively, so expect an ultra-tight and eclectic concert that kicks off the Popular Culture Series of the Seattle Symphony, which includes Pink Martini, Chieftains and Mariza.
Out and about: Indie rock, punk rock and synthpop singer-songwriter Santogold performs Saturday (Showbox Sodo) … Hip Hop Live! features Talib Kweli, David Banner, Little Brother and Rhythm Roots Allstars (Sunday, Showbox SoDo) … Composers Annea Lockwood (“Thousand Year Dreaming” with trombones, didgeridoos, conch shells) and Ruth Anderson (“I Come Out of Your Sleep,” found-channel sound poem) show that age is not a barrier to stretching the boundaries of music (Saturday, Good Shepherd Center’s Chapel) …
Abbacadabra offers its tribute to ABBA in two shows (Oct. 10, Skagit Valley Casino) … Gordon Bok and Carol Rohl bring songs and stories from the coast of Maine (Saturday, Phinney Neighborhood Center, Seattle) … Expect alt-country, barroom dittys and bittersweet ballads from McCarthy Trenching (Sunday, Tractor Tavern) … Musician and soul singer Jamie Lidell’s song “Multiply” was used on “Grey’s Anatomy” (tonight, Showbox Market).
Herald writer Theresa Goffredo contributed to this story.
