Tobey Sol Laroche previews his Parlor Room show on 12/18 on Nine Volt Heart.

Tobey Sol Laroche is a tireless advocate for music in our Valley. For almost a decade, he’s been an active force in many elements of our area’s musical eco-system. From venue booking and promotion to hosting an endless number of open mics as well as performing as a singer-songwriter; Tobey is involved in every layer of the creative heartbeat of our area. He makes his first appearance on Nine Volt Heart with a trio of original songs. We begin with “A Sweetness”, followed by “Afterglow” and finished with “Meaningful Conversation”.

Our conversation covers a lot of topics including his debut at Northampton’s Parlor Room on 12/18 with Matt Emmer. We talk about how his drumming background influences his songwriting and his optimism and spirituality which fuel his community-building. We discuss his work promoting the Marigold Theater in Easthampton while he coordinates multiple Open Mic events. Marigold Theater has an Open Mic on Thursdays while the National Spiritualist Alliance Open Mic in Lake Pleasant happens on the Third Tuesday night of every month. We chat about the difficulty in finding time in his schedule to focus on creativity and song-writing as his biggest obstacle in his songwriting regimen.

Details about his Parlor Room show on 12/18 THURSDAY can be found at ParlorRoom.org

Appalachian Still celebrate 20Years; An in-studio preview of Iron Horse show 12/12.

Two original members of Appalachian Still joined me in-studio to perform a few songs and reminisce about their band’s twenty year journey. Andrew Woodland on banjo and vocals as well as Jared Libby on guitar and vocals were able to attend.We begin with a song that they first played together decades ago called “Red Mountain Wine”. They also performed excellent covers of “Valerie” and “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” live. We finish with a recorded original featuring Jared called “Straight On Till Morning”.

Our conversation covers the early beginnings of the band including alternate band names. We also try to recall all the players involved over the 20 years. We chat about busking, the local music scene, their favorite Trans-Performance experiences, and their aim to record their upcoming Iron Horse show on Friday 12/12. Show up tonight for a chance to be on the next Appalachian Still live recording. Details at IronHorse.org

Socks In The Frying Pan celebrate at the Iron Horse on 12/10. Nine Volt Heart interview.

The Iron Horse will be electric when this award-winning Irish trio hits the stage on Wednesday 12/10. There will be ample evidence of why they’ve been voted “Best Live Act” again and again. This trio hails from Ennis in County Clare and we begin our chat discussing that town’s traditional music scene. Shane Hayes, award-winning accordionist from Socks, joins me from his home in Italy. He has a side gig as a tour guide of Ireland, Italy and other destinations. Details can be found at WildAtlanticMusicTours.com or MrTourGuy.com

This band has a burning passion for the tradition and a big dose of humor and charm. Their recent release, “Waiting For Inspiration”, contains a few more songs and originals than prior albums. We finish with Shane introducing a new song, “Beetlejig, Beetlejig, Beetlejig”. Hope to see all the local celtic music fans at the Iron Horse on 12/10. IronHorse.org for details.

Lexie Weege showcases her versatility on “Renaissance Painting”. Live In-Studio on NineVoltHeart.

Lexie Weege is a fearless singer! She has tackled every genre with enthusiasm and skill. From Country and Honky Tonk to Rock n Roll to the Blues and now to Jazzy vibed original songs. Lexie has just released “Renaissance Painting” with new collaborators Paul Kinsman, Forest DuLong and Dillon Pinard. We chat with Lexie about her early childhood singing experiences with her Mom. In some ways, these jazz ballads harken back to those early memories. At the same time, this style is more vulnerable than her torched up blues belters. We chat about song writing and her favorite singers in this genre. Lexie plays and sings a pair of gorgeous songs from the new release; the title cut and “Dancing On a Moonbeam”. We also hear from the studio release with a song titled “Golden”.

Lexie Weege ,and her full band Signature Dish, are enbarking on a three week tour to the South and will be returning for Lexie Weege to play in Easthampton’s “Darlings” on Saturday afternoon from 2-5PM on11/29.

Tony Trischka previews “Of A Winter’s Night” show at the Iron Horse. 12/3

The legendary banjo player Tony Trischka joined us on-air to preview his local show at the Iron Horse. This show will feature some fine players including local hero and singer Tim Eriksen, Jared Engel on bass, Hannah Read on fiddle, Sean Trischka on drums along with a special appearance by Eleanor Buckland (formerly in Lula Wiles and presently on tour with Session Americana). The show is billed as a holiday themed show reprising Tony Trischka’s album “Of A Winter’s Night” with a new cast. Tony expects the show to be varied and not entirely holiday themed.

Our conversation starts with Tony describing his earliest work with “Breakfast Special” a progressive bluegrass adjacent unit from the mid-70’s to his assessment of the current younger generation’s talents. We discuss his award-winning project documenting some lesser-known Earl Scruggs recordings entitled “Earl Jam” and the possible (secret) Volume Two of those recordings.

We chat about the difference between writing instrumental tunes and songs like those from his “Shall We Hope” release which features original songs from mid-nineteenth century historical subjects. We also chat about his work in a roots salute to the music of Bob Dylan. Topics include Joe Val, shape note singing, and more. We include music from Tony’s holiday project as well as one from Tim Eriksen too. Give it a listen and grab yourself some tickets for the Iron Horse show on 12/3 or Club Passim on 12/4.

IronHorse.org for more info

Mill River Rounders preview their Luthier’s show (11/15) in Live In-Studio performance.

Mill River Rounders joined me in-studio to play a few tunes and preview their upcoming show at Luthiers in Easthampton on November 15. There’s something rare in the music business when folks just play because they love the experience! Picking and singing with friends without industry domination as a goal. That defines these five talented musicians as they genuinely seem to love playing old-time stringband music . The setlist contains traditional tunes and an original, even a request by me. In honor of Day of the Dead, they played “Row Jimmy” to finish after “Georgia Swing”, “Unnamed Road” and “Cindy”.

Give the segment a listen or better yet head over to Luthiers to see them live with “Just Fine Thank You” Band on November 15.

Jake Swamp and the Pine visits NineVoltHeart; Parlor Room show on October 17.

Drew from Jake Swamp & the Pine joined me in-studio to give our listeners a preview of the show coming up at The Parlor Room on October 17. We began with the first of four live songs called “Drive, Drive, Drive”. Our discussion covered song-writing in all it’s aspects; scheduling, inspiration, editing, writer’s block and song-writing prompts. Drew gave his perspective on the state of the “music business” especially from his experience a few years into the process. We also talk about music videos and cider donuts! All among stripped down versions of his songs including “Yellow”, “Go By Darkness” and “Heidi Klum”.

The Parlor Room show will be a full band show with drums, bass, and even pedal steel in addition to Drew on acoustic guitar and vocals. Details at ParlorRoom.org

Friday night in Northampton, October 17.

Wes Corbett not content to just “Drift”; releases a star studded release!

Wes Corbett has some talented friends! He recorded this album, “Drift” with his Nashville friends and it’s an amazing group! Over the course of three years, he invited folks like Darol Anger, Bryan Sutton, Sierra Hull, Brittany Haas and Sam Bush (to name just a few) to help him on his second solo(?) release.

We start our conversation with Wes describing his Bainbridge Island ,Washington ,upbringing and his time refining his craft on banjo with stops in Boston at Berklee School of Music (as an instructor at 26) and finally Nashville. We talk about his first release, “Cascade” and the differences between the two recording approaches. We discuss his banjo influences documented on “Drift” with song nods to Alan Mundes and John Hartford along with the serious impact of Bela Fleck on Wes’ playing.

We start the segment off with “Salmon Run”, an energetic cut with Casey Campbell among others leading the charge. We include a song from Joy Kills Sorrow from Corbett’s Boston years followed by the previously mentioned tributes” Case of the Mundes” and “Hartford’s Bend on the Cumberland”. Wes’ tribute to his home environment on Bainbridge Island, “Eagle Harbor” includes the star trio of Todd Phillips, Darol Anger and Sam Bush (in their first studio appearance together since Tony Rice’s Manzanita!) Did I mention “star-studded” yet? We finish the songs with “The Tidal Pool Jigs” with Brittany Haas and Pawl Kowert after one rehearsal. The musicianship is astounding and the arrangements loose and improvisational.

Our conversation highlights the songs mentioned and much more. Song titles, studio experiences and banjo influences are discussed throughout. While Wes Corbett is modest, giving credit to his amazing collaborators, his vision for these tunes is ambitious. His musician friends help him exceed expectations in every tune. It’s a bounty of musical treasures proving sometimes it’s better to “Drift” than to drive. Meander along this album with Corbett and you’ll agree; it’s a very special release.

Mandolin help from Sam Bush, Sierra Hull and Casey Campbell. Guitars include Bryan Sutton and Chris Eldridge. Fiddles from Darol Anger, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Jason Carter and Brittany Haas. Dobro help from Justin Moses. Bass work by Paul Kowert, Todd Phillips, Mike Bub and Vickie Vaughn. Everyone a true original and award-winning player on their instruments.! Wow!

Details about this October 3 release at WesCorbett.com

No Ordinary Duo; Ordinary Elephant coming to the Parlor Room 9/20.

The duo of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore are “Ordinary Elephant”. They play gorgeous acoustic originals with superb vocal harmonies. Their third album,the self-titled “Ordinary Elephant” is filled with sometimes spare but haunting songs; usually avoiding “verse-chorus-verse” style and singalong hooks. But they are full of emotion and tension and don’t avoid big subject matter. Songs about death, despair, addictions and difficult family interactions are included. But the beauty of nature, love and hope keep the listener engaged. Crystal who pens much of the lyrics is accused as a ‘world class noticer” of circumstances, relationships and other fodder for songs and poems. She agrees with this assessment!

We talk about their decision to jettison their day jobs in Veterinary Cardiologist and Computer Programmer and buy an RV to take to the road. They honed their craft with countless open mics and observing an endless horizon of new places and experiences. After five years in this nomadic lifestyle (along with a pandemic) suggested finding a homeplace in Opelousas Louisiana (close to where Crystal grew up). The pair credit this feeling of “home” for this latest record which was recorded with Dirk Powell in his nearby Louisiana studio. Dirk is a multi-instrumentalist who’s toured and recorded with Joan Baez, Levon Helm and, more recently, Our Native Daughters. We open the segment with a cut from the new album, “Once Upon a Time”. The album has been nominated for Album of the Year by the International Folk Music Awards.

We talk about their song-writing process, recording vibe with Powell, their feature film of the experience and more. They will be performing a number of dates in the North East including September shows in Putney Vt (9/19) The Parlor Room (9/20) Cambridge Ma (9/21) Portland Me (9/25) and North Adams Ma (9/26).

We finish with a song introduced by Crystal as a letter to her future self called “I See You”. I finished with selections from other releases including “I Come From”, “Walk With You” and a cover of “If I Needed You”. If you need a break from the never-ending bad news cycle and frantic overload, do yourself a favor and dive into their powerful catalog of original songs. Of course, we hope you’ll catch this dynamic talented pair in person at a show in the next week.

Diary of A Fiddler Showcases Darol Anger’s Huge Influence!

Darol Anger is the pre-eminent fiddler of our time! From his early work in the ground-breaking David Grisman Quintet (fifty years ago!) to his current group, Mr. Sun, Darol has collaborated with acoustic music’s finest. Our conversation begins with a discussion of the origins of “Diary of a Fidler Vol.1” which features collaborations with his contemporaries. Fiddlers like Vassar Clements, Richard Greene, Stuart Duncan from the bluegrass world to Natalie MacMaster, Alasdair Fraser and Martin Hayes from the celtic side; every tune is stellar. Darol has reprised this project with “Diary of a Fiddler Vol.2” that brings together several generations of young fiddlers who were mentored by Darol, either at Berklee School of Music, the many camps he’s taught at, and his online Artist Works platform.

The list of young fiddlers is comprehensive as it is impressive. Brittany Haas, Jenna Moynihan, Kathleen Parks, Bronwyn Keith Hynes along with Alex Hargreaves, Avery Merritt and Mike Barnett; just to name a few! The project began during the 2020 pandemic to give these incredible musicians a creative outlet and the two disc set is jam-packed with Darol’s students playing his original material.

Our conversation covers over sixty years of performances and projects including the David Grisman Quintet, Turtle Island String Quartet, Republic of Strings, Montreux and Mr. Sun. Topics including Darol’s early decision to play fiddle during the Rock n Roll 70’s when guitar ruled the airwaves. Folks like David Lindley (on the Youngblood’s “Darkness, Darkness”) and Richard Greene’s work in Seatrain gave Darol the inspiration and role-models to follow the fiddle instead.

Darol has an opportunity to view his legacy over decades through the musicians he has mentored and whose early careers he has helped flourish. This self-described Valedictory address to the music world is a capstone to a musical legacy that few can match.

Darol Anger’s current project for the last dozen years is Mr. Sun who will be appearing at this year’s Freshgrass Festival, September 19-21 at North Adams’ Mass MOCA. Make sure to catch their set as well as Darol Anger’s collaborations with all the participants who will want to congratulate him on his lifetime of outsized contributions to the acoustic music world.

We include more the a half dozen of Darol Anger tunes in the segment. Give it a listen.