Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Wolf Den: Cartoon Jazz And Then Some

From Contributing Editor Clay Riness

When I was young I thought the accordion was the Anti-Christ. All I could imagine was some fat kid in Coke bottle thick glasses trying to murder Lady Of Spain. As I grew older, and subsequently, smarter, I found that there are all kinds of different instruments in the accordion family, from little English concertinas, to diatonic button boxes (great big harmonicas with bellows!), and yes, piano accordions, to mention a few. At one point, I suddenly realized that squeeze boxes were in all kinds of ethnic and cultural music dance music, and in country, jazz, whatever. Who knew it could be so hip?

I came to love a ton of music that featured accordions...and I am privileged to have known and played with some killer players. One of my favorites is Dan Newton, commonly referred to as "Daddy Squeeze". Daddy is in about nine or ten bands at any one time, but I know him best for his leadership and virtuosity in the Cafe Accordion Orchestra, based in Minnesota's Twin Cities.

They play beautiful French musettes and Tin Pan Alley cartoon jazz music, the kind of thing you might know from a Betty Boop cartoon. Don't fool yourself, it's fantastic stuff, and they are smooth as soy milk. Also in this video, on the fiddle and singing the French verse, is one of my oldest friends and music buddies, Eric Mohring. If you think he's smoking good on the fiddle, well, you ought to see the man play the mandolin.

Enjoy.

Bluegrass Intensive Week

Three videos about the Polaris Bluegrass Intensive Week at Polaris Expeditionary Learning High School in Fort Collins, CO, where ten high school students learned about bluegrass, played bluegrass, and performed for neighboring Bennett Elementary school all in one week. The Finders and Youngberg bluegrass band and Polaris teacher Matt Strand were the guides.


Part Two


Part Three

Free Music with Stickboy


Stickboy is giving away his four song introduction. His only request is that you say thanks in the comment of his blog, and share it with someone. Consider this my telling you that's a cool mix of a folkie English guy.

Here's the link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/174684668/Stickboy_EP3.rar

Meet Sherry and the After the Bridge Blog









This photo posted on her blog was so cute I thought I should introduce my favorite Steeler fan. Please meet SHERRY PASQUARELLO and consider following her blog. Here is how she describes it:

ECLECTIC POETRY and other things, from an eclectic little woman. published in, the individualist newsletter, black roses, online at, the amateur poetry journal, alchemy lit. mag, the writer's hood and caught in the net. a member of the international PK poetry kit list workshop and has been included in the anthology project, dec. 2004 and in national poetry day projects,recently in, four volts. uk. pk#10 and the picolata review.national poetry day project u.k. 08. a list administrator for the PK list.featured poet PK june'07#20.member pgh women's blogging society and honorary member pgh men's blogging society This site may contain copyrighted material. I have posted it here for the purpose of education and commentary. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 My original writing, as posted here, is considered by me to be copyrighted material, and I reserve all rights thereto. MAIL: afterthebridge@hotmail.com check out:www.poetrykit.org

Friday, January 30, 2009

The Wolf Den: A Personal Hero

From Contributing Editor Clay Riness

As we all have a good many personal heroes, it is only fair for me to share with you that this is one of mine...Aimee Mann. She beat the system. She had a terrible legal battle with her record company, eventually bringing suit against them to get her own studio master tapes back, so she could release the music. She won, and went indie. She and her husband defied the norm, and somehow cut a distribution deal. She writes great music, and she doesn't need the corporate contract. And, I love her for it.

Tonight we have three beautiful ladies

One silent for 15 seconds..Audrey Auld who did it for a promotion and a challenge for a 15 seconds of fame.



The second is Rachel Pearl. She's from my alter-ego tastes who would love to go jazz clubs, dressed in my finest suit, and drink martinis. One of these days I'll share one of my top ten favorite songs, Boz Scaggs, Sail on White Moon... or something like that. This is a cool interview and live cuts from Rachel.



And of course my regular, Allison Sattinger in a cover of Madonna's Borderline

And I love you

Thank you Mark for posting in your blog.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Wil Maring & Robert Bowlin

I'm going to build my excitement up for the upcoming Norah Rendell & Brian Miller March 8th House concert, by going back and reviewing the artists that have graced my fledgling house concert series called Bluff View Concerts.

First up was Wil Maring & Robert Bowlin. I found Wil thru MySpace and marveled at how similar she sounded to Nanci Griffith. She won a Merle Fest contest for Bottomlands, but beyond that I didn't know much about her or her significant other, Robert Bowlin. The house got 27 people to marvel at Robert's craftsmanship, and Wil's folksy warmth. Robert actually toured with Bill Monroe and has an instrument repair shop to keep him busy too.

Here a taste of what they were like.....

The Wolf Den: Old-time Dance 101

From contributing editor Clay Riness

I had this idea during the night. I was thinking about all the great many fiddle tunes I have learned in my life and remembering so many wonderful dances I was privileged to play for with bands like the Dry Bone Road Gang, The Coon Busters, The Original Chinquapin Hunters, and as a guest with The Mastadons, to name a few.

I am an old-time fiddler, not a bluegrass fiddler. The difference, you ask? Bluegrass is a younger genre, and much more improvisational by nature, and more a performance music. Old-time is older, comes from all manner of ethnic cultures, but is often most acquainted with the eastern mountain regions of the US and has it's roots in the Scotch Irish tradition.

Old-time tunes are more structured and repetitive, like the dances they accompany. A "square tune" is one considered 32 bars long, and many of the dances are divisible by 32 bars, so that when the you've finally danced with the last of the opposite sex on the dance floor and have returned to your original partner, you go through all the steps once more and the dance ends right along with the tune.

A "square" consists of four couples, facing each other like the corners of a square. It is not clogging, which is a step dance rather than a set (sets of couples) dance, and is also the grandfather of tap. Contra dance is a form of old-time set dance, sometimes utilizing line dances, reels like the Virgina Reel and circle dances.

Old-time dances area always fed by a live caller and fueled by live music. There is something of an atrocity called international style square dance, in which older people, like those who live in The Villages, dress in costumes and dance, or rather walk, to a caller who calls out random steps, sometimes singing them. These so-called square dances, although certainly a social event, but then, so is BINGO, are never danced to live music. They use...gulp...records. It's kind of like putting peanut butter on salmon. It's edible, but many think it's just wrong.

My guitar partner and I offered to play free of charge for the local square dance club some years ago. They had us in and we played tunes for them as they walked around, but in the end, they said thanks, but they liked their records.

Here's a good example of an old-time dance:



Here's its geriatric counter part:



Not exactly music in the Scotch Irish roots tradition.

Now, please don't think I am trying to be disrespectful toward Twirlers, Whirlers and international clubs around the world. I am simply an old-time fiddler who is used to the Holy Trinity...dancers, caller, live music. I know that international dancers are having good, clean fun...just like old-time dancers. It's just different. Way different.

Finally, here's an example of some of the best old-time dance fiddling you will hear...Bruce Molskey playing a tune called Old Sledge:



That ain't no bluegrass. That ain't no country and western. Baby, that's music from the mountains. Don't it make you want to dance?

For more of what's on my mind, please visit my blog the wearywolfjournal.blogspot.com

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Free Music with Katie Herzig

I can't believe that in one week I received two of these widgets for free music. I love it, bring it one. Katie I found on a best of 2008 list. It was in Women Folk Top 10 Albums of the yearthat I found her... BTW... I loved the two songs that I had immediately downloaded to give me a taste of her CD Songbird and Gypsy Girl... Innovative... and with a lot of life.

Well the download is done... off to listen to new music....now back later... wow... I HIGHLY recommend this sampler.

Brought to you by... Old Lutherans...

True to the Johnny Cash Show, we do dare talk about our faith here. Old Lutheran's understand being a Saint and a Sinner I grew up a Roman Catholic, but I'm proud to be deep into the Lutheran doctrine. There is no right answer to all of our faith, but Martin was much more intelligent than I am. But don't trust me on describing the Lutheran Paradox. Just let me tell you that you can call me a Saint for promoting all these wonderful artists, but forgive me for being a marketing Sinner who just wants you to buy his cd.

Now go buy one of these great t's... People read Saint, but you look down and see Sinner.




The Wolf Den: Greetings From Wolf Land

From contributing editor, Clay Riness

When Zeman asked me to be a contributing writer to The Zemmy Show, I had to stop and think about it...for about three seconds. I am, therefore I blog...that is what I have come to believe.

There are all manner of things that can wow me. Some are food, some are music, some are comedy and parody, some are writing. Whatever. I am often wowed, but I am not always easily wowed.

As my first installment here, I would like to show you someone that wowed me, Pete Huttlinger. He's a national fingerpicking champion on the guitar, or something like that. By now, this arrangement has reached tens of thousands on the net with its wow factor, but maybe you haven't yet seen it. I hope, if you haven't, that you will remember me fondly for having introduced you to him.



Meanwhile, I would love for you to drop by my own blog, The Weary Wolf Journal, hence increasing traffic and potentially making me world famous. You can see what's on my mind there at: www.wearywolfjournal.blogspot.com

Drop by for a visit, won't you?

Clay

Lynyrd Skynrd's Billy Powell

Billy Powell dead at 56 I heard the news from his neighbor, my sister in law Kim.

Sad... here is a rare video of Billy with another group... and yikes they never show him, but you can hear the organ patch in the background.

I'm a catch

I woke up this morning to a sound of a bell
I looked to the sky and said oh well,
What the hell?
I know I smell.
It's a new day again, and I sure live in sin
Oh so well.


I stood up to blech and to scratch my pits and crotch
Laughed to myself to alert Hunk watch
He's a catch
Sure you bet
A rich spoiled brat living a life of a frat
I'm a catch


I won't post too much of my writing, but I though I would share one I posted exactly two years ago 1.29.07 in my MySpace blog. ;-)

Now my little musing are here. Dave

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Legend Series : Paul Cebar

In keeping with my premise of what was good for the Johnny Cash Show, should be good for the Zemmy Show... and so Johnny would bring out Legends... ok Paul might not be a legend to everyone but me... but when I can think back 30 years to several acoustic shows that I saw him at UW Green Bay, that makes him a legend to me.



Recently I saw Paul at a great show over at the Viroqua Main St, Station and he was wonderful. Just get ready to dance if you listen to his music.

Meg Hutchinson Video: Travel In

Guest correspondent Heather here again!

I love going to a concert for an already favorite singer and being introduced to a new favorite singer. That was what happened this weekend when I went to see Catie Curtis (side note, as of this writing Catie has a picture up on her website front page of when she sang back up for Cyndi Lauper to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun with Rufus Wainwright and Thelma Houston at one of Obama's inaugural balls. For reals. I wouldn't even know how to start making this up.)

Meg Hutchinson was opening for Catie. She started off with a song that struck me with its really powerful images. On the drive home, while I loved every song, I was a little disappointed not to hear that particular song on my newly bought Meg Hutchinson CD. So I got online and started looking for it, I knew it was something about "travel deep". Well praise YouTube, I finally found a video of Meg performing it live for a radio station WNRN. Looks like she hasn't recorded it yet, so in the meantime this will do quite nicely, thank you!

Meg Hutchinson performing Travel In:

She's a writer's songwriter, such a poet, don't you think?

Heather blogs weekly about female singer-songwriters on LyricalVenus.com

Monday, January 26, 2009

Parkington Sisters

I offer the suggestion to have the Parkington Sisters as our regulars... though I don't know them too well, I believe they will be nothing but class for this fledgling show. Check out their website, they would be the most intelligent people we would have around. Write them and tell them... Do it.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

California by Joni

Ok if I'm seriously aspiring to greatest show of my youth, let's get a clip from the show.



I have recently told Allison that I believe her voice really does have qualities of Joni from the early days... don't you think?

Dave

Obsessed Fans

My dream is to have obsessed fans like this someday... now what's that old adage, "Sometimes you regret what you wish for..." Dave

Regulars?

Ok if this is my on-line 2009 version of a Johnny Cash show, and I've named Allison Sattinger as the first regular... she must be my June. She's cute, been known to blog sassy, and she has a great heart like June did.

Now I need my version of the Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins, and the Carter family.

Post a comment or feel free to email me at davezeman@yahoo.com

peace Dave...

Lauren Zettler.... Zemmy winning Free Concert


I am lucky to have run into Lauren somewhere in the vast MySpace music world. She won the coveted Freebie award this year, and you can get your own copy of the concert at : www.laurenzettler.com/liveinla. This is a precious timing of the post because Lauren is a huge Brandi fan and she didn't post a negative word about the Allison cover comment.

Introducing Allison Sattinger

I love Allison's vocal skills and she really has enough You Tube posts to be a regular on the show, maybe once a week. This was one of her first songs she posted on YouTube, and I personally think it's better than Brandi Carlile's original version. I hope I don't get buried in negative press over that comment; but it's true this song was meant to be sung to understand every word.



Stay with us for the journey.

Dave Zeman

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Yes.... the Zemmys need to be more than once a year

So it all started in MySpace, I was posting lyrics, prose, thoughts about politics, and oh the shout outs. I would have a favorite song thursday, and shared numerous video and CD information that I would happen across. Then I ventured into the BlogSpot world and I was convinced that this hodge podge wasn't good. So now I maintain too many blogs; one is for writing, another is about song writing, one is about my cd, and then one for the annual Zemmy Awards. So I noticed that I lost the impromptu shout outs. So I needed this daily, weekly, or every once in a while addition to The Zemmy Awards, and recently I've been watching a DVD on The Johnny Cash Show. So, I'm going to try and bring fresh talent, old talent, a touch of politics, a touch of inappropriateness, and of course entertainment. I will have regulars, but if I can't keep it fresh it'll die. I'm even tempted to open it up to others to write part of the blog. We'll see how it evolves.... now don't forget to scroll down to your daily dose of Calvin & Hobbes on the bottom of the page.

So let's kick this off with a little of Kristen's Ex-Life... (she did win three Zemmy's this year!)



Come along for the journey.

Dave Zeman

Download MaryKate O'Neil's New Album for Free!

Hey Folks! Dave was so kind as to invite me to be a guest correspondent, so here we go with my first post on The Zemmy Show! ~ Heather

I was lucky enough to interview MaryKate O'Neil on Lyrical Venus Radio back in November. Her quirky lyrics and retro-pop sensibilities were a sure guarantee that her songs would get pleasantly stuck in my head.

Her new album Underground is due out in February 09, but MaryKate is giving fans a chance to get it for free right now! What's the catch? You have to tell five friends who you think might like it about the album. Hey, sharing music is what we like to do here anyway right? That shouldn't be so hard. But if it IS too hard to come up with five friends, or you feel like supporting MaryKate monetarily, you also have the option to pay whatever you want, and MaryKate will get 90% of whatever you give! This is the whole album folks, not just one song. Nifty, no?

Here's the widget where it all happens! (Click on the album cover to preview songs.)



If you like it, you can even embed the widget in YOUR blog, website or social networking site of choice! Just click the "embed this widget" part at the top and copy the appropriate code.

Check out NoiseTrade for other musicians doing the same thing.


Heather blogs weekly about female singer-songwriters on LyricalVenus.com

Kim's Weekly Journey

Kim Davidson once surprised the heck out of me and wrote a melody to a poem I wrote called Opposite Destiny. This year she is focused on writing and posting a new song each week. Go subscribe to her YouTube and find out if she keeps her resolution. Here is the first one.



Come along for the journey.

Dave Zeman

Brought to you by...

Beer helps ... Hey today I bought beer at the local Festival because they had free samples and a free glass... cool, give me a reason, twist my arm... now if I had this woman to open it for me.



Make sure you thank all of our sponsors,

Dave Zeman

Superior Scribblers?


Are Scribblers bloggers?... I believe they are... If you are looking for some good ones, here's another person's top 5.

I kept going and found the story behind it. Here you go!

Stay with us for the journey.

Dave Zeman

Shannon Hurley interview




Singer-Songwriter Shannon Hurley
Named one of the top 25 artists on MySpace by Rolling Stone Magazine, LA-based songwriter Shannon Hurley was born in Indiana and grew up in a family of singers. Her alt-pop style has drawn comparisons to artists like Aimee Mann and Sarah McLachlan, which are well deserved, what with her well crafted songs, smooth soaring vocals and talented piano playing.

Intrigued? Finish reading the article in Lyrical Venus

Friday, January 23, 2009

Hard Hitting Political Debates

The best free songs


I will share when an artist shares, and this song started a love affair that both my Wife and Lissa have done their best to ignore... HA...

What a wonderful cover of an old song, and it really did start my love of Lissa Schneckenburger's vocal styling. I found that many of her songs available where instrumentals, nice but I loved the voice. She eventually emailed that I should be patient her next cd was called Song and it would have singing through out. It was, it is and continues to be wonderful. So much it won the Traditional CD of the year.

Now go to this link folkalley.com/openmic/song.php?id=461" , subscribe to Folk Alley by merely giving them your email, and you can download this wonderful song and start your own love affair.

Funny Bits...

Chuck ?

Yes... this show brings you excellent interviews of attractive young woman.



This is one of the only shows I watch besides the Office and the Packers, and my 18 year old son and I bond over it.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Up close w/the Awards Judges



Yes... many viewers and no comments, so I must think that you are all wondering if this is a bogus blog? Is it a fairy tale that all these artists are truly made up? Who is voting and bringing these wonderfully people to the forefront of everyone's mind? So let me tell you about these judges that are keeping you up at night:

Dave Zeman has been networking for 2 1/2 years through myspace and dabbles writing music. Dave Xman has a dark side and we would rather not talk about him. Dave Incredman has musical superpowers to find the invisible artists that need attention. Typically he shouts really loudly and the rest of the world hears him. Dave Showrman brings to us the naughty entries; he's always peering through every song for the erotic parts.

So look these guys up if you have any issues with these wonderful awards, but remember the artists have no real association with the judges.

And maybe an author will show up to read a chapter

The Weary Wolf Journal

Or even a lost one.... by Clay Riness

Brought to you by...

Well what's a show without commercials... mine will be fun... trust me.

Here's an artisan I know who makes and sells stuff on etsy. She also has a wonderful blog,

Click here and it will take you to the Sunny Rising Blog

Make sure you thank all of our sponsors,

Dave Zeman