Emmy Lou - not all is punk

[Joan D]

Went to a great concert last night & wanted to tell you all about it. Called 3 girls & their buddy, we got to see Emmy Lou Harris along with Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin & Buddy Miller. No big production here - just some really good singers with simple backing music, mainly guitar & some percussion using whatever was available.

I've always loved Emmy Lou's voice & that's why I bought the tickets. But we were just blown away by Patty Griffin. Fantastic voice, style & interesting, sometimes a little off-beat song writing. Buddy was fun with a funky, bluesy kind of style (at his first turn to take the lead he commented: "Yes, I'm sorry, but I do sing."). Shawn has a sweet, sweet voice & knows how to pick an acoustic guitar. They took turns on lead throughout the show & accompanied each other based on what they chose to play.

The experience was enhanced by the setting in the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Homestead, PA; great old building in a traditional Pittsburgh neighborhood:



And intimate hall (seating only about 1,000):



(I think Joe mentioned that he saw Patti Smith play here several months ago.)

We were in the third row - so close to stage & the performers were so relaxed & comfortable with each other, kind of felt like just sitting around with friends who were playing whatever music struck them at the time.

Definitely not punk - though Emmy Lou mentioned during the show (as Patty was trying to decide what to play & to get her guitar tuned properly) that "many performers go through lots of rehearsal and practice to present a very tight, polished show. We work very hard to make sure you don't get that!" So, maybe it was a little punk.

Definitely a good Friday night out.

[Homestead, PA - where the pistols should have started their US tour in 1978 - maybe they'll come to the music hall in 2008?]

Joan

[Snoogans4Jay]

joand said:

Went to a great concert last night & wanted to tell you all about it. Called 3 girls & their buddy, we got to see Emmy Lou Harris along with Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin & Buddy Miller. No big production here - just some really good singers with simple backing music, mainly guitar & some percussion using whatever was available.

I've always loved Emmy Lou's voice & that's why I bought the tickets. But we were just blown away by Patty Griffin. Fantastic voice, style & interesting, sometimes a little off-beat song writing. Buddy was fun with a funky, bluesy kind of style (at his first turn to take the lead he commented: "Yes, I'm sorry, but I do sing."). Shawn has a sweet, sweet voice & knows how to pick an acoustic guitar. They took turns on lead throughout the show & accompanied each other based on what they chose to play.

The experience was enhanced by the setting in the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Homestead, PA; great old building in a traditional Pittsburgh neighborhood:



And intimate hall (seating only about 1,000):



(I think Joe mentioned that he saw Patti Smith play here several months ago.)

We were in the third row - so close to stage & the performers were so relaxed & comfortable with each other, kind of felt like just sitting around with friends who were playing whatever music struck them at the time.

Definitely not punk - though Emmy Lou mentioned during the show (as Patty was trying to decide what to play & to get her guitar tuned properly) that "many performers go through lots of rehearsal and practice to present a very tight, polished show. We work very hard to make sure you don't get that!" So, maybe it was a little punk.

Definitely a good Friday night out.

[Homestead, PA - where the pistols should have started their US tour in 1978 - maybe they'll come to the music hall in 2008?]

Joan

If the Pistols come to THAT music hall I am SOO there

I am not exactly a country fan but Emmylou does have a pretty voice. I have liked folk I must admit and have been to some shows people would not believe. But it is all about music, not categories Thanks for posting that Joan ...

[johnnysgirl]

If someone could tell me who`s that Emmy Lou.. I`m not familiarized with counry music but we have something similar to country.. it`s called Folcklore...

[Joan D]

johnnysgirl said:

If someone could tell me who`s that Emmy Lou.. I`m not familiarized with counry music but we have something similar to country.. it`s called Folcklore...

Johnnysgirl,

Emmylou Harris is about 60 years old & I guess she started in country music and is generally considered to be "country". I first got interested in her music with The Ballad of Sally Rose that came out in 1985. I don't generally listen to much country music, but I just love her voice.

What really constitutes country music can probably be debated. And I personally have a difficult time really distinguishing country from folk from bluegrass from gospel, etc. Then you can get into country rock, southern rock, and who knows what else.

Not sure who you might know out of the country "genre", but I suppose Johnny Cash is considered country as is Willie Nelson and of course, Dolly Parton. Even Elvis Presley started out in country music. In some ways, I think the designation may be more related to where the person is from - if that's Tennessee, or Alabama, or Texas they are more likely to be considered country music than if they come from New York or California.

Other than that, I would generally say that country singers have a certain "twang" when they sing (and that may not mean anything or be noticeable to someone from outside the US) and country songs tend to focus on heartbreak and depression. A memorable title of one country song several (probably more) years ago: "You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat" - great title, the song . . . .

Or, as one joke I read about country music went:

"What happens when you play a country song backward? Answer: The guys sobers up, his dog comes home and he gets his job back."

Several years back, I probably would have called country music something that you listened to while wearing cowboy boots and doing line dancing. That and riding mechanical bulls at the country & western bars (guess that is much more than "several" years ago).

Regarding the Emmylou concert last friday night, I probably would have called it more folk than country. But, then again, they did play a lot of sad, depressing songs (that they laughed a lot about). Maybe it was country music.

I realize after writing all this, that it probably doesn't explain country music very well. Maybe someone else can do better.

Joan

[kathy]

joand said:

The experience was enhanced by the setting in the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Homestead, PA; great old building in a traditional Pittsburgh neighborhood:



And intimate hall (seating only about 1,000):



Definitely a good Friday night out.



Joan

What a beautiful building, Joan. I wish Philadelphia would follow Pittsburgh's lead and maintain their old musical venues.

I recently learned that the former Ripley's Music Hall near the corner of 6th & South, downtown Philly, a great venue to see acts, and which was refurbished to become a Towers Record Store, has now been completely demolished to make way for some chain drug store. I saw the Ramones at Ripley's around '82-83...Ripley's was a beautiful building - it was a discotheque before it became a music hall, and had a great high ceiling and balcony overlooking everything.

I have such great memories of Ripley's & the surrounding area...My friends & I would spend hours walking up and down South...besides Ripley's, it had a lot of independent stores, vintage clothing places, book stores, record stores, little cafes and bars where other acts would play, steak shops, etc....people lived in the apartments above many of these quaint little shoppes. It had such a great vibe to it...Today, sadly, it's gone too commercial for me:



And now to think people will be buying tubes of Preparation H where Joey Ramone & the boys once stood and shouted "Gabba Gabba Hey!" is too much to bear!

[Joe]

You're right, Joan, I did see Patti Smith there last year.

Joe Jackson is coming there as well, on April 19, with his original band. My wife & I are pondering that one.