January 29 – Cleveland – Nighttown Rising Singer/Songwriters team up for showcase event! Solo and group selections featured. Hosted by Carrie Rodriguez. Carrie Rodriguez Love and family have always been sources of inspiration for critically acclaimed singer/songwriter/musician Carrie Rodriguez, but never have they featured so prominently than on her brand new release Love & Circumstance, a covers album that includes songs written by her father, and once performed by her great aunt. Rodriguez’ journey from teenage violin student to touring the world with the likes of Chip Taylor (famed songwriter of “Wild Thing), Lucinda Williams and Alejandro Escovedo, has resulted in a prodigious output of recordings – eight albums in as many years – for the young musician; with the new album, Carrie relies on others to handle the songwriting duties, she provides the interpretations. “In 2009, after a very busy few years, I felt like I should take a step back and assess the situation,” she says, during a quick stop between tours. “The idea of doing a covers record had been developing for a while, and had been prompted by requests I get at every show for a recording of some of the covers I play live, especially ‘La Punalada Trapera.’ I stated to wonder what kind of album I could make that would be a fit for that song.” Rodriguez’ professional career was launched in 2001 after a show at South By Southwest introduced her to Taylor, with whom she has recorded four full albums and an EP. Her musical development started much earlier, however, and at the hands of an equally seasoned songwriting veteran, her father David Rodriquez. “My dad gave me a Leonard Cohen record for my ninth birthday! I hated it. But of course I rediscovered it at thirteen and loved it.” By fifteen Rodriguez and her dad were touring the Netherlands together; chops were being honed. Rodriguez’ maternal side of the family also influenced her musical upbringing. Not only was her mother a fanatical opera enthusiast, her great-aunt, Eva Garza, was a popular Latin recording artist in the 50′s, and it was from Garza that Rodriguez first heard ‘La Punalada Trapera,’ which soon became a mainstay in her live set. Having family friends include Lyle Lovett, who invited Rodriguez to sit in with his band when she was at college, also helped her develop as a performer. Those who have been following Carrie Rodriguez throughout her career will find Love & Circumstance an exciting addition to her oeuvre, new fans will get a glimpse of the rising star’s influences; both will revel in the sterling musicianship and heartfelt interpretations of new and classic songs. “This is a really important record for me,’ says Rodriguez, ‘not just because it gave me the chance to go back to my roots, but also because it celebrates my family.” Erin McKeown At the age of 33, Erin McKeown has already had the career most people dream of, and she only continues to mature as a writer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer with no sign of stopping any time soon. Her first album, “Distillation”, arrived a decade ago to high praise and signaled the debut of singular talent. It has been followed by 7 full length albums, 3 EPs, an upcoming concert film, and a groundbreaking internet concert series. From elegant pop to balls-out rock, sweet electronics to witty swing, Erin has packed a ton of music into a substantial career. For most of the last decade, Erin has spent an average of 200 nights a year onstage, building a loyal fan base across the United States and Europe. She has appeared on Later with Jools Holland, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, NPR, BBC, and has had numerous film, television, and commercial placements. She’s even written a song via text message with her friend Rachel Maddow. In the last year, she’s taken more time off the road to teach, write poems and op-eds, and launch a successful side-career as a political activist, lobbying regularly on Capitol Hill about issues concerning musicians and technology. Erin’s latest studio album is “F*ck That!”, an album of irreverent and inappropriate anti-holiday songs, with accompanying hymnal. McKeown is currently a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center, working on a book of poems, looking for ways to incorporate her love of sports into her career, and finishing her next studio project- due in early 2012. She is also available for co-writing and album production work. Kelly Joe Phelps A writer at the San Diego Troubadour described guitarist and songwriter Kelly Joe Phelps as, “The Phantom Monk Of Folk- Blues,” and rightly so. Over the past 17 years of recording and touring, Phelps has been talked about as much for his passionate, spirit-driven, lone musical ways as for the inventiveness of his playing and singing. A New York Times concert reviewer wrote: “…his airy playing conjuring a pocket of supernatural space. He manipulated his fretboard to create eerie harmonics as he slipped from a mumble to a falsetto, as if to follow the soul beyond the physical realm.” Kelly Joe is an improviser within the world of folk music. He’ll likely use the same group of songs during one show that he used the previous night, sure enough, but the skew will have changed, the colors and shading moved around. Sometimes, it seems like the song might even be playing him, rather than the other way around. “I approach music this way,” he says, “to give it a chance to breathe, walk, or whisper. Improvising, even in small amounts, turns a piece of music into a conversation, in real time, with all of the unexpected twists and turns that any conversation is going to have, even if it’s with someone you talk to all the time. The emotional complexity of us, in any one moment, can be musically represented through improvisation as a moment in motion, like someone thinking, or worrying, perhaps, right this second, here and now. If there isn’t some part of the unknown or unexpected present, it seems like an important aspect of being human goes missing. That’s the beauty of spontaneity, even in the supposed confines of folk music. It allows a character, a note, or a chord some time to be alive, to look for themselves…if I’m doing my job well, that is.” Photo credit: Mathew Sturtevant