Musical Weekend

Dave and I went to Gravity again last night (that's two nights in a row, and we weren't the only ones) to hear a lovely female foursome play an in-the-round show. We went primarily because Dave is friends with Robin Wynn, and I've been wanting to hear her play live. But, I've been a long-time fan of Joia Wood, who often backs Danny Schmidt. I'd heard Mariana Bell open for Vienna Teng at Gravity in the last year, and knew she was worth hearing again. The fourth, the only one I wasn't familiar with before last night, was Helen Horal who was a pleasant surprise with her earthy vocals.

Not only are these four all uniquely talented in their own right, but they supported each other seamlessly by adding backing vocals to their companions' tunes and ended the evening with two group songs, including an a capella version of "Down by the River to Pray," one of my favorite traditional tunes (which you can often find me singing along to with Alison Krauss on long road trips). If they decided to combine their energies, this foursome would have some serious potential; there were a few magical moments in the night that reminded me of the time that I spent in my much younger life singing with groups of women. There is something very powerful to be found in the convergence of voices in tight harmony, both for the singers and their audience.

I should add that on Friday night we heard the incomparable Danny Schmidt. And, equally impressive were Doug and Telisha Williams, whose bluegrassy string tunes warmed us up for Danny's show.

Click on any of the artists names above to have access to some of their music. Worth the time, for certain.