Medleyville

A CLEARER-THAN-EVER PORTRAIT OF A TRUE LEGEND

Most every single time the 20th century's greatest singer/songwriters find themselves getting lionized or even litanized, it seems one towering figure is strangely, sorrowfully AWOL. Despite this man’s myriad accomplishments both on the stage, behind the scenes, in the control room or, of course, in front of the microphone, his name is all-too-rarely uttered alongside those of John Lennon, Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly or even Hank Williams.

Nevertheless, Jan. 22, 2011, would have been Sam Cooke's 80th birthday, and I spent it the only way I knew how: with lights low and relaxed beneath headphones filled with ABKCO Records' newly upgraded Sam Cooke: Portrait of a Legend —1951-1964 (recently made available for download in 88.2kHz/24bit audio).

Seventy-nine minutes and 30 tracks later, I emerge to report this is not only one of the best single-artist compilations ever assembled, but now one of the best sounding discs I have ever heard as well. "Twistin' the Night Away," for one, reels and writhes as never before, while on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum that famed guitar lick on "You Send Me" sounds newly sharp yet still slyly seductive. Speaking of which, the vocals on "I'll Come Running Back to You" especially pulse with an intimate presence my ears have rarely experienced (under headphones), you can actually hear Cupid's arrow fly right o'er the French horn, and the brass on "A Change Is Gonna Come" lend that particular epic even more depth and regal resonance … and I'm not just speaking sonically, either.

Take more than a few moments elsewhere to appreciate anew the man’s absolute mastery of not only songwriting, but also song arrangement. Ever experimenting in an era when recording artists seldom cared, or were even allowed to, Cooke seemed equally comfortable cha-cha-ing across your living room carpet one moment, then coaxing raw barnyard keyboard flourishes out of his accompanist (the 16-year-old Billy Preston!) all over "Little Red Rooster" the next.

Likewise, a wholly Ricky Nelson-worthy, banjo-driven country rhythm section somehow perfectly meshes with fierce Ray Charles horns on "Ain't That Good News," while the original rendering of that oft-covered “Wonderful World” herein reacquaints us with this song’s deceptively simple Caribbean, I kid you not, undertones.

The mind, not to mention ear, simply boggles at the thought of what Cooke would have been up to, say, in 1969 with at least 16 empty tape tracks at his disposal.

But of course, most obviously, it is the man's voice we are forever drawn to, and still cannot help but marvel at. To cite but one lone example: just listen to Cooke vocally sparring with none other than Lou Rawls throughout "Bring It on Home to Me." Tough, defiant and above all most uncharacteristically gritty — "Sam felt that he needed more weight; that that light [stuff] wouldn't sustain him” in the wise words of song-and-biz-partner J. W. Alexander — this is a Sam Cooke securely positioning himself to move onwards and still upwards as the '60s spread out before him.

Indeed, by the time of "Shake," recorded at RCA Hollywood with Dave Hassinger during November 1964, Cooke seemed more than ready to hold his own within the emerging soul scene he himself inspired and created. Tragically, a month after recording it, Cooke was gone, "Shake" was duly adopted by Otis Redding for one, and the world was left "only" with a legacy of 29 Top 40 hits written, arranged, performed and produced by what is now clearly one of music's greatest, most durable, yet proudly un-pigeonhole-able talents.

So as we head toward Sam Cooke's 81st birthday, may I most strongly advise those on only a passing standing with those 29 hits (perhaps via everyone from Al Green to Peter Noone), you more than owe it to yourself to spend an evening or three with the first, the utterly original Sam Cooke: Portrait of a Legend as soon as you possibly can.

I'll even lend you my personal headphones.

— Musician/writer Gary Pig Gold is the co-founder of the To M’Lou Music label.

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Sahara Smith

Radney Foster (left) and Bill Lloyd (center)

Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel

Akina Adderley and the Vintage Playboys

Shane Lawlor of Electric Touch

Brett Dennen

Matt Nathanson

The Good Natured

Bobby Long

— Photos by Chris M. Junior

Posted by Medleyville at 09:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

She's only in her early 20s, but London-born singer Eliza Doolittle certainly has a strong interest in — and a good feel for — 1960s pop, rock and soul. She made some noise last year with her retro-leaning songs "Rollerblades" and "Skinny Genes," and Doolittle will be in the heart of the Lone Star State just a few days before Capitol Records releases her self-titled debut album in the United States.

Medleyville.us: In your song "Moneybox," you sing about listening to 45s. Is vinyl your preferred listening format? And what's in your vinyl collection?
Eliza Doolittle: "I would say vinyl is my preferred listening format because I love the old, warm sound it has, but unfortunately my collection is quite low. I only have about 15 vinyls. I have Whitney Houston, The Jackson 5 and Pink Floyd, to name a few. I grew up buying CDs, and I still do. I have quite a good collection of CDs."

How and when did you develop your interest in 1960s pop, rock and R&B?
Doolittle: "I discovered older music listening to a pirate radio station that didn't even have a name when I was around 13 years old. I think it was around the 90-91 frequency, and it used to play the most amazing old '60s Motown, soul and R&B. I used to tape all the songs I liked. Once I'd heard a little taste, I would go down to Tower Records and buy the albums of all these amazing legendary artists that I was just discovering."

What are your thoughts on this year's Grammy performances and award winners?
Doolittle: "I did not see the Grammys this year. My friend Al Shux co-wrote 'Empire State of Mind,' and I was rooting for him!"

Finish this sentence: When I'm in Austin for this year's SXSW, I will ...
Doolittle: " … sing my heart out on as many stages as I can squeeze my butt onto!"

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Eliza Doolittle at SXSW (schedule subject to change):

* 8 p.m. March 19: The Tap Room at Six, 311 Colorado St. (official SXSW showcase)

* 11 p.m. March 19: Cedar Street Courtyard, 208 W. 4th St. (official SXSW showcase)

Posted by Medleyville at 10:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Like Radiohead, which also hails from Oxford, England, A Silent Film strives for a big-picture sound. Led by singer/pianist Robert Stevenson, ASF has racked up a reported 150,000 iTunes downloads of its single "You Will Leave a Mark," which can be found on the band's debut album, The City That Sleeps (Bieler Bros. Records). This week, A Silent Film will deviate from its North American tour with Civil Twilight to play Austin, Texas.

Medleyville.us: "You Will Leave a Mark" has done very well on iTunes. Speaking of marks, which members of the band have the most banged-up looking instruments? And who is the most obsessed with polishing up their gear?
Robert Stevenson: "Good question — my piano is totally knackered. It's a fully weighted stage piano in a homemade case. Those airport staffers just love tearing it open and having a peek. I'm writing a book on the abuse of inanimate objects in the air industry. It's called Domestic Flight Case Violence.

"[Guitarist] Karl [Bareham] and [drummer] Spencer [Walker], on the other hand, polish to an Olympic standard. You won't find a smudge on those cymbals; Karl's equipment is practically a museum piece."

Your band is from Oxford, England — the same hometown as Radiohead. Do people in Oxford lose their minds when Radiohead releases a new album, or is everyone more interested in the newer bands from the area?
Stevenson: "People in Oxford like to play it cool about our musical bastions. I'm pretty sure everyone is a fan, but no, there's not a citywide holiday when they release a new album. There's definitely a lot of newer bands and wealth of hardworking musicians keeping the city's music alive."

There's a video on A Silent Film's MySpace page from the band's visit to Alcatraz prison. What were your impressions of the place?
Stevenson: "It's pretty chilling; I love that kind of thing, though. I'm a prison break/war story movie buff. The audio tour is outstanding, but the Birdman of Alcatraz wasn't allowed to keep his birds on Alcatraz — that was a different, less impressive-sounding prison."

What were some of the highlights of the band's first U.S. tour?
Stevenson: "On our first trip we heard 'You Will Leave a Mark' come on the radio as we drove out of the Lincoln Tunnel into New York. We all kept quiet and didn't quite know what to say; it was a bit overwhelming.

"On the second trip we stopped off in Las Vegas for a cheap hotel between shows and promptly lost all our money in a naive attempt to 'win big,' as Spencer put it."

In honor of your band's cinematic name, what movies were your favorites of 2010?
Stevenson: "Loads of good movies came out last year; favorites that come to mind would be Cemetery Junction and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World."

Finish this sentence: While in Austin for this year's SXSW, I will ...
Stevenson: "... not leave the hotel without my SPF 45 sun cream."

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

A Silent Film at SXSW 2011 (schedule subject to change):

* March 18: Red Eyed Fly

* 8 p.m. March 19: Rusty Spurs, 405 E. 7th St. (official SXSW showcase)

A Silent Film on tour (schedule subject to change):

* March 22: Water Street Music Hall — Rochester, N.Y.

* March 23: Westcott Theatre — Syracuse, N.Y.

* March 24: Putnam Den — Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

* March 25: Brighton Music Hall — Boston

* March 28: Chameleon Club — Lancaster, Pa.

* March 30: Highline Ballroom — New York

* March 31: Maxwell's — Hoboken, N.J.

Posted by Medleyville at 01:23 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

If you want distinct drum sounds, it helps to have a producer who's also a drummer. So the Toronto rock quintet Dinosaur Bones did just that, recruiting Jon Drew to guide the recording of My Divider, the band's debut album, which was released March 8 on Dine Alone Records.

Singer/guitarist Ben Fox had a lot to say about Drew and My Divider, as well as what he plans to do in Austin when not performing during SXSW.

Medleyville.us: The drum sound throughout My Divider suggests that the album was recorded in a big room. Talk about where the album was made, any special microphone techniques that were used and generally how the sessions went down.
Ben Fox: "The drums were definitely recorded in a big room. We tracked them in an amazing room at Metalworks studio in Toronto. The drum approach Jon took relied heavily on using room mics to capture a big airy sound without having to us artificial drum reverb. We chose the studio we did so we could record in a room big enough with good enough acoustics to get that sense of space naturally. Jon's a drummer himself, so he's definitely got some tricks up his sleeve to get great drum sounds.

"We tracked the rest of the record at Giant Studios, also in Toronto. We had a full month at Giant, which was a crazy luxury for us, having that kind of time. It was a really relaxed situation where we could really experiment and try different things out. And we also had some time once the album was done to take a break and not listen to it for a little while, then go back, tweak it, and make sure we were happy. All the other recordings we've done up until the album were total shotgun, get-it-done scenarios. I think having that kind of time really had a positive impact on how the album turned out."

There's a lyric on the new album that says "cell phones keep going off like bombs in the night." Was this inspired by something you experienced — like having to deal with a cell-obsessed crowd at a Dinosaur Bones show, perhaps?
Fox: "That line is less about a particular incident and more just about the general sense of emotional distance I think a lot of people feel between each other these days. All this technology is meant to bring us closer together, and it does, but it comes with the consequence of distancing each other on a human level. I've seen bands take time out of their sets to beg people to put away their phones, stop worrying about uploading photos or tweeting what shoes the singer's wearing and experience the show for themselves. The fact that you would even have to have that conversation sucks. But we do it to ourselves, I guess: I'm doing this interview on my Blackberry, so I should probably shut up."

Describe Jon Drew in five words.
Fox: " 'Amazing! Perfect! Do it again.' — that's an infamous Jon Drew quote."

How do you think your hometown Toronto Blue Jays will do this baseball season?
Fox: "I love sipping beers in the sunshine as much as the next guy, but I can't say I'm much of a baseball guy. I'm a hoops fan, and this is the worst the Raptors have been since like '98. I'd rather not talk about it. Toronto's teams are all so hurting, but Toronto still loves its sports. If any one of our teams ever wins it big again —unlikely — this city's gonna flip."

Finish this sentence: When I'm in Austin for this year's SXSW, I will ...
Fox: " … eat as much Texas barbecue as I possibly can, I will apply sunscreen liberally and I will do everything short of kill a man to high-five at least one member of the Wu-Tang Clan."

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Dinosaur Bones at SXSW (schedule subject to change):

* 3:30 p.m. March 17: Republic Square Park, corner of W. 5th Street and San Jacinto

* 1 p.m. March 18: Paradise, 401 E. 6th St.

* 9 p.m. March 18: Paradise, 401 E. 6th St. (official SXSW showcase)

* 4:45 p.m. March 19: Gypsy Lounge, 1504 E. 6th St.

Posted by Medleyville at 12:20 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

In recording Humorous to Bees, Little Tybee took a much different approach than the one it used to make Building a Bomb, the band's debut. That's totally understandable considering Little Tybee was a much different band by the time work began on Bees, which is due April 5 on Paper Garden Records.

Leader Brock Scott and the rest of his eclectic, adventurous Georgia group will be plenty busy during SXSW and in the weeks leading up to the new album's release.

Medleyville.us: The title track to the new Little Tybee album is about 39 seconds long. How long did it take to write, and was it a first-take, vocal-and-guitar-done-together recording?
Brock Scott: "When we started this album, about a year ago, we didn't really know where we would be going. We knew we wanted to be more ambitious with our arrangements but didn't know how to begin writing the album.

"The title track was the first tune written for the album. It's a simple song that took about an hour to write. We actually recorded the song in two tracks — one for vocals and one for guitar. Not saying I couldn’t do it in one, but there are certain ways we like to tweak the sound of the guitar and the vocals that can only be achieved with separate tracks.

"For this song, I was inspired by modern TV commercial jingles. The '40s-'50s idea of a commercial jingle is still around today, but the spritely spirit has changed a bit, leaving room for more emotion filled compositions."

Whose pets are referenced in the song "Sympathetic Eye"?
Scott: " 'Sympathetic Eye' is one of those songs where the lyrics are secondary to the instrumentation. I use the words and the formation of the words to help complement the arrangements of the other instruments. That is not to say that what I am saying is completely incoherent. The lyrics touch on an overall theme of breaking the mundane. Feel free to host nostalgia for your own pets with this song."

What's the most unusual instrument used on Humorous to Bees?
Scott: "We used a circuit bent Casio SK-1 on the ending of 'History' and throughout the entire track on 'Nero.' Our bassist, Ryan Donald, is a bit of an electronics buff and loves creating new sounds to experiment with. Circuit bending is a process in which you make electrical paths on a circuit board in order to uncover hidden sounds in the device not intended by its makers. You can do this with any electrical noisemaker, children’s toy or greeting card. This is a technique that artist Dan Deacon has made famous with his compositions over the past few years."

Talk about the differences between this album and its predecessor, Building a Bomb.
Scott: "Our first album, Building a Bomb, was recorded over the course of four or five days in a small apartment in Atlanta. The band was a three piece at the time and picked up two more members as the album was being recorded. You can really tell a difference between the songs that were written as a trio and the ones written as a five piece. In those days, we were still trying to discover our sound.

"For Humorous to Bees, we knew we wanted to be ambitious. We ended up recording with 14 different musicians and really pushed ourselves to come up with more complex arrangements. We worked on Humorous to Bees for more than a year, and we are a much different band than we were back then. I am excited to see where we will go from here."

Describe the Little Tybee sound in no more than five words.
Scott: "Intellectually, internationally, intentionally nondescript."

What's your take on the Atlanta music scene these days?
Scott: "I strongly believe that Atlanta has one of the strongest and most diverse music scenes in the country. Nestled snuggly beneath the seedy underbelly of the hip-hop empire are many hidden treasures most locals don’t even know about.

"All the members of our band now live in a house right off Buford Highway in an area called the International Village. This part of Atlanta has migrants from Mexico, Vietnam, China, Brazil and many other nations all thrown in together. Despite their diversities, they know that they are in the struggle together. This is the closest metaphor I can think of as to how I view the Atlanta music scene. No matter what genre or subgenre a band has been blanketed in, there is definitely a strong sense of camaraderie from motley crew to motley crew. It is a different scene than that of New York City, where you are competing with 70 other bands every time you have a show. It’s highly competitive up there."

Finish this sentence: When I'm in Austin for this year's SXSW, I will …
Scott: "… need a change of pants."

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Little Tybee at SXSW (schedule subject to change):

* 5 p.m. March 17: Uncorked, 900 E. 7th St. (Paper Garden Records’ Lovely Hearts Club day party)

* 4 p.m. March 18: Uncorked, 900 E. 7th St. (Paper Garden Records’ Lovely Hearts Club day party),

* March 19: House of Commons Co-op, 2610 Rio Grande St.

* March 19: Side Bar, 603 E. 7th St. (40 Watt day party)

* 9 p.m. March 19: Swan Dive, 652 Red River St. (official SXSW showcase)

Little Tybee on tour (schedule subject to change):

* March 21: Where House — Fort Worth, Texas

* March 22: Sticky Fingerz — Little Rock, Ark.

* March 23: Murphy's — Memphis, Tenn.

* March 24: Grey Eagle — Asheville, N.C.

* March 25: Goodrich House — Marion, Va.

* March 27: The Fire — Philadelphia

* March 28: Rockwood Music Hall — New York

* March 29: Pete's Candy Store — New York

* March 30: Milestone — Charlotte, N.C.

* March 31: Sentient Bean — Savannah, Ga.

* April 1: Caledonia Lounge — Athens, Ga.

* April 2: The Earl — Atlanta

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Austin, Texas-based singer/songwriter Sahara Smith has come a long way since her second-place talent-show finish on A Prairie Home Companion in 2004. Her acclaimed debut album, Myth of the Heart (Playing in Traffic Records), was shepherded by T Bone Burnett and released in 2010. Smith's SXSW itinerary includes not one but two official evening showcases, as well as some day party gigs.

Medleyville.us: Looking back, what stands out the most from when you competed in the Prairie Home Companion talent contest?
Sahara Smith: "I didn't think it was two rounds, and I didn't think I'd be invited back for the second round. I was pretty confident that everybody else was better than me, so I put my guitar away. And when they called me back out, I had to retune backstage."

Talk about T Bone Burnett's influence on Myth of the Heart.
Smith: "About a year before we recorded the actual album, I did a demo in his home studio. It was amazing. He had some excellent advice and helped me learn the difference between recording in the studio and performing live."

Here's an idea: Neko Case, Florence Welch, Patty Griffin and you, all in the same band. I like the name the Rockin’ Redheads. What’s your moniker of choice for this group, and would you add anyone else?
Smith: "[Laughs] Let's see … I'd throw in Carolyn Wonderland and call us the Carrot Top Kids."

What is Austin like the other 51 weeks of the year?
Smith: "A music festival might as well be going on every single day in Austin. Every day you can go out and hear amazing live music. It's the only city that I've been to where it's just guaranteed you can walk into a club and hear something great, any day of the year."

Finish this sentence: During this year’s SXSW, I will …
Smith: " …actually sleep [laughs]."

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Sahara Smith at SXSW (schedule subject to change):

* Noon March 16: Waterloo Records parking lot, 600A North Lamar Blvd.

* 2:30 p.m. March 18: Whole Foods Market, 525 North Lamar Blvd. (Playing in Traffic Records day party)

* 11:15 p.m. March 18: The Ale House, 310 E. 6th St. (official SXSW showcase)

* 8:30 a.m. March 19: Four Seasons Hotel, 98 San Jacinto Blvd. (KGSR Live from SXSW)

* 7:15 p.m. March 19: Austin Music Hall, 208 Nueces (official SXSW showcase)

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The Internet remains essential to the Trashcan Sinatras

When Frank Reader was told that having a Web site "would absolutely be the way for bands to go," the Trashcan Sinatras singer was a bit skeptical, just like the other members of his Scottish rock group.

"We just thought it was going to be another thing we'd have to deal with," he recalls, "and another thing we would need to talk to the record company about."

As it turns out, shortly after the Trashcan Sinatras first went online — way back in 1996 — they lost their record label deal. So very quickly, the Web became the primary way the band communicated with its fans.

Not much has changed for Reader and company. They continue to inform as well as involve their followers via the Internet — lately, they've asked fans to submit set lists for their current U.S. tour and announced an open call for guest horn players to join the band onstage.

Reader credits guitarist John Douglas with the idea to conduct online fan auditions for trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn players to appear at select shows to perform "I've Seen Everything," the title track to the second Trashcan Sinatras album.

"As long as they don't climb in the van with us after the gig, I think it will be great," Reader says with a laugh.

Throughout March, the Trashcan Sinatras will be performing at radio and TV stations, house parties and small public venues across the United States in acoustic fashion, something the band prefers. (Brel, the latest Trashcan Sinatras release, is a 17-track live acoustic album that was recorded in Scotland and features renditions of nearly every song that's on In the Music, the most recent TS studio effort.)

"For us, it's a much easier affair," Reader says about acoustic gigs. "We really don't have the same pressure on us to blow everybody's socks off.

"We were never really comfortable being a big rock band," he adds. "And the funny thing, the louder you are, the more people talk during your quiet songs, so your quiet songs are really at risk. People seem to instinctively respect that when you're quiet, they should be quiet. That gives us a good starting point."

— By Chris M. Junior

Trashcan Sinatras on tour (schedule subject to change):

* March 8: Casbah/Tremont Music Hall — Charlotte, N.C.

* March 9: Local 506 — Chapel Hill, N.C.

* March 10: WNRN-FM — Charlottesville, Va. (in-studio session for future broadcast)

* March 11: House party — Annapolis, Md.

* March 12: House party — Philadelphia

* March 13: Joe’s Pub — New York

* March 14: WRSI-FM — Northampton, Mass. (in-studio session for future broadcast)

* March 14: Iron Horse Music Hall — Northampton, Mass.

* March 16: Club Passim — Boston

* March 17: WBER-FM — Rochester, N.Y. (in-studio session)

* March 17: The Lovin’ Cup — Rochester, N.Y.

* March 18: Winchester Music Hall — Cleveland

* March 20: Space — Evanston, Ill.

* March 22: Fearless Radio — Chicago (in-studio session)

* March 23: Canal Street Tavern — Dayton, Ohio

* March 24: KDHX-FM — St. Louis (in-studio session)

* March 24: KPLR-TV — St. Louis (in-studio performance)

* March 24: Firebird — St. Louis

* March 25: Daytrotter — Rock Island, Ill.

* March 25: KFMG-FM — Des Moines, Iowa (in-studio session for future broadcast)

* March 26: Cedar Culture Center — Minneapolis

* March 27: Knuckleheads — Kansas City, Mo.

* March 28: Walnut Room — Denver

* March 29: State Room — Salt Lake City

* March 30: Park City TV — Park City, Utah (in-studio session)

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Patience pays off for Ari Hest

To include more strings and to be more adventurous: Those were two of Ari Hest's main goals when he began work in late 2009 on what would become Sunset Over Hope Street (Mercer Street).

Taking more than a year to complete the album, however, wasn’t part of the original plan. But singer/songwriter/guitarist Hest and producer/musician Alex Wong really had no choice when it came to working around a few long gaps between their recording sessions.

"Alex and I have pretty serious tour schedules every year," Hest says. "He's played in Vienna Teng's band, and he also has a ton of other acts that he plays with, so that’s really his bread and butter, even more than producing right now.

"So when he was home, I'd be away," Hest adds. "And when I was home, he'd be away. It was difficult to put our schedules together. … I do think there were some songs that were helped [by having the extra time] … but I was on edge because I like to put things out whenever I feel like it."

After dabbling with strings on his last album, 12 Mondays (2009), the New York-based Hest felt like pushing the envelope a bit with Sunset Over Hope Street. Wong was left alone to write the string parts for six songs, and he initially mocked them up on his computer for Hest.

"For the most part, I loved everything he had done," Hest recalls. "Even the ones that I was on the fence about, once they were done with actual strings, it kind of made more sense to me."

Even though strings play an important role on Sunset Over Hope Street, Hest says he isn’t concerned about replicating them in concert during his tour in support of the new album. The same goes for the 11-song disc's array of interesting and experimental sounds — such as a pencil striking a pad on "Give It Time" — that he and Wong came up with through trial and error.

"There are a couple of elements that are key to the songs, and for the integrity of the songs, you need to have them there — obviously, the vocal," he explains. "But in the live setting, I'm not bringing a full band on the road [with me]. I'm actually doing this as a duo with my drummer; he's covering a bunch of different things. But also, he's creating things that aren’t on the record.

"I don't feel like I have to re-create the record, as long as I have an interesting way of presenting it."

— By Chris M. Junior

Ari Hest on tour (schedule subject to change):

* March 1: Apple Store — Manhattan

* March 2: Club Café — Pittsburgh

* March 3: Kent Stage — Kent, Ohio

* March 4: The Ark — Ann Arbor, Mich.

* March 5: Rumba Café — Columbia, Ohio

* March 6: Garfield House — Northville, Mich.

* March 8: Radio Radio — Indianapolis

* March 9: Intersection/The Lounge — Grand Rapids, Mich.

* March 11: Schubas — Chicago

* March 12: Gino’s Place — Danville, Ill.

* March 14: Vaudeville Mews — Des Moines, Iowa

* March 15: The Mill — Iowa City, Iowa

* March 16: Cedar Valley House Concerts — Cedar Falls, Iowa

* March 19: The Walnut Room — Denver

* March 25: Tractor Tavern — Seattle

* March 26: Alberta Rose Theatre — Portland, Ore.

* March 27: Tsunami Books — Eugene, Ore.

* March 30: Café DuNord — San Francisco

* March 31: Hotel Café — Los Angeles

Photo by Rina Khadivi

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