Dave Carter Tribute
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mad baggins
Aug 14, 2008, 7:37:12 PM8/14/08
to Strangeheads
This was the second annual Dave Carter Tribute, last year's being held
8/11/07 at the Loring-Greenough House in Jamaica Plain, featuring
Chris Thompson, Adam Sweeney, Eric McDonald, Beth DeSombre, Ryan
Fitzsimmons, and Dana Price, all playing the music of Dave Carter.
Much has changed since last year. Last year's Dave Carter Tribute was
my first time seeing and hearing Eric McDonald, Beth DeSombre, Ryan
Fitzsimmons, and Dana Price. Since then I've had the chance to see
some of them again, and have gotten to know Beth DeSombre's original
music much better, chiefly via her CD Release at Wellesley College
(featuring Dave Chalfant and both Pete and Maura Kennedy) and her
appearance at the GFP campsite at Falcon Ridge (with Chris Thompson
Lively, Hungrytown, and Eric Lee).
This year's Dave Carter Tribute was held 8/13/08 (on Dave Carter's
birthday) at Johnny D's in Somerville, and featured Ryan Fitzsimmons,
Beth DeSombre, Chris Thompson Lively, and Eric Lee.
There was an upside and a downside to this year's smaller complement
of musicians.
The downside was that Adam Sweeney (vocals, banjo), Eric McDonald
(vocals, mandolin, guitar), and Dana Price (vocals, fiddle) were all
missed.
The upside was that Ryan, Chris, and Beth each got to do more songs,
since the smaller song circle got to do six rounds this year instead
of the four rounds of the larger group last year.
Another upside to this year was the addition of Eric Lee, who played
fiddle on virtually every song with the others, and was positively
smokin' on the fiddle-happy "I Go Like the Raven."
In the 5th round, Chris, Ryan, and Beth each did an original song of
theirs that they felt showed the influence on them of Dave Carter --
"Old Man of the Mountain," "Cigarettes," and "Sarah's Song"
respectively.
Happytown (Ryan -- Beth & Chris harmony, Eric mandolin)
Tanglewood Tree (Chris -- Beth harmony, Eric fiddle)
Quickdraw Southpaw's Last Hurrah (Beth)
Grand Prairie TX Homesick Blues (Ryan -- Chris harmony, Eric fiddle)
Gentle Soldier of My Soul (Chris -- Eric fiddle)
Calvary's Hill (Beth -- Chris harmony, Eric mandolin)
Tillman Co. (Ryan)
Hey Ho (Chris -- Eric fiddle)
Merlin's Lament (Beth -- Eric fiddle)
Gypsy Rose (Chris -- Ryan harmony, Eric fiddle)
Cat-Eye Willie Claims His Lover (Ryan -- Eric fiddle)
Any Way I Do (Beth -- Ryan & Chris harmony, Eric fiddle)
Old Man of the Mountain (Chris -- Eric fiddle)
Cigarettes (Ryan -- Eric fiddle)
Sarah's Song (Beth -- Eric fiddle)
Cowboy Singer (Ryan)
I Go Like the Raven (Chris -- Ryan guitar, Eric fiddle)
The Mountain (Chris -- Beth Sumerian countermelody, Eric fiddle)
When I Go (Beth)
Gentle Arms of Eden (Chris v.1, Ryan v.2, Beth v.3, Eric fiddle)
Crocodile Man (Ryan -- Beth & Chris harmony, Eric fiddle)
Incredibly, the fun singalong "Gentle Arms of Eden" was not done in
the 2007 Dave Carter Tribute.
Beth seemed to be the moral compass of the group, as she has
specialized in the songs of Dave Carter, as I witnessed at first-hand
in the Dave Carter song circle which she led at this year's Falcon
Ridge on Sunday morning before the Gospel Wakeup Call.
Beth's musical vibe seems particularly well attuned to the vibe of
Dave Carter, especially the ballads.
Ryan has performed "Cat-Eye Willie" and "I Go Like the Raven" in his
own gigging, that latter one with Dana Price on fiddle, but the other
Dave Carter songs he did were ones he has done less often.
Ryan smokes on guitar and lead vocal on both the uptempo "Cat-Eye
Willie" and the rambunctious "Crocodile Man."
Chris has recorded both "Tanglewood Tree" and "Mountain" with Chris &
Meredith Thompson and has done "Gypsy Rose" at shows, but the other
Dave Carter songs where she sang lead vocal were being done by her for
the first time.
Chris especially seemed to come alive and breathe life and zest into
"I Go Like the Raven," with Eric adding pizzazz of his own on fiddle.
Eric had wonderful chemistry with Ryan, with Chris, and with Beth.
Eric plays in the Strangelings with Chris -- appears on Beth's CD
Crooked Highways -- and shares an upstate NY upbringing with Ryan.
Funny moments --
Ryan relating his playing at a dive behind a head shop in Sidney NY
called Ozone during his Syracuse days, and Chris realizing that she
and Meredith had once played there too during their Ithaca days!
Beth telling of her dream where Tracy Grammer dictated an unreleased
Dave Carter track called "Oh My Little Cracker Girl" to her by singing
it, and Beth being too tired to get up out of bed to note it down,
thereby forgetting the entire song!
Ryan, in his enthusiasm jamming with Eric on "Cigarettes," losing his
balance and falling right off the stage!
Eric playing the fiddle behind his back on "Cat-Eye Willie" !
What a fun show! I hope the Dave Carter tradition continues with more
excellent concerts like this one.
8/11/07 at the Loring-Greenough House in Jamaica Plain, featuring
Chris Thompson, Adam Sweeney, Eric McDonald, Beth DeSombre, Ryan
Fitzsimmons, and Dana Price, all playing the music of Dave Carter.
Much has changed since last year. Last year's Dave Carter Tribute was
my first time seeing and hearing Eric McDonald, Beth DeSombre, Ryan
Fitzsimmons, and Dana Price. Since then I've had the chance to see
some of them again, and have gotten to know Beth DeSombre's original
music much better, chiefly via her CD Release at Wellesley College
(featuring Dave Chalfant and both Pete and Maura Kennedy) and her
appearance at the GFP campsite at Falcon Ridge (with Chris Thompson
Lively, Hungrytown, and Eric Lee).
This year's Dave Carter Tribute was held 8/13/08 (on Dave Carter's
birthday) at Johnny D's in Somerville, and featured Ryan Fitzsimmons,
Beth DeSombre, Chris Thompson Lively, and Eric Lee.
There was an upside and a downside to this year's smaller complement
of musicians.
The downside was that Adam Sweeney (vocals, banjo), Eric McDonald
(vocals, mandolin, guitar), and Dana Price (vocals, fiddle) were all
missed.
The upside was that Ryan, Chris, and Beth each got to do more songs,
since the smaller song circle got to do six rounds this year instead
of the four rounds of the larger group last year.
Another upside to this year was the addition of Eric Lee, who played
fiddle on virtually every song with the others, and was positively
smokin' on the fiddle-happy "I Go Like the Raven."
In the 5th round, Chris, Ryan, and Beth each did an original song of
theirs that they felt showed the influence on them of Dave Carter --
"Old Man of the Mountain," "Cigarettes," and "Sarah's Song"
respectively.
Happytown (Ryan -- Beth & Chris harmony, Eric mandolin)
Tanglewood Tree (Chris -- Beth harmony, Eric fiddle)
Quickdraw Southpaw's Last Hurrah (Beth)
Grand Prairie TX Homesick Blues (Ryan -- Chris harmony, Eric fiddle)
Gentle Soldier of My Soul (Chris -- Eric fiddle)
Calvary's Hill (Beth -- Chris harmony, Eric mandolin)
Tillman Co. (Ryan)
Hey Ho (Chris -- Eric fiddle)
Merlin's Lament (Beth -- Eric fiddle)
Gypsy Rose (Chris -- Ryan harmony, Eric fiddle)
Cat-Eye Willie Claims His Lover (Ryan -- Eric fiddle)
Any Way I Do (Beth -- Ryan & Chris harmony, Eric fiddle)
Old Man of the Mountain (Chris -- Eric fiddle)
Cigarettes (Ryan -- Eric fiddle)
Sarah's Song (Beth -- Eric fiddle)
Cowboy Singer (Ryan)
I Go Like the Raven (Chris -- Ryan guitar, Eric fiddle)
The Mountain (Chris -- Beth Sumerian countermelody, Eric fiddle)
When I Go (Beth)
Gentle Arms of Eden (Chris v.1, Ryan v.2, Beth v.3, Eric fiddle)
Crocodile Man (Ryan -- Beth & Chris harmony, Eric fiddle)
Incredibly, the fun singalong "Gentle Arms of Eden" was not done in
the 2007 Dave Carter Tribute.
Beth seemed to be the moral compass of the group, as she has
specialized in the songs of Dave Carter, as I witnessed at first-hand
in the Dave Carter song circle which she led at this year's Falcon
Ridge on Sunday morning before the Gospel Wakeup Call.
Beth's musical vibe seems particularly well attuned to the vibe of
Dave Carter, especially the ballads.
Ryan has performed "Cat-Eye Willie" and "I Go Like the Raven" in his
own gigging, that latter one with Dana Price on fiddle, but the other
Dave Carter songs he did were ones he has done less often.
Ryan smokes on guitar and lead vocal on both the uptempo "Cat-Eye
Willie" and the rambunctious "Crocodile Man."
Chris has recorded both "Tanglewood Tree" and "Mountain" with Chris &
Meredith Thompson and has done "Gypsy Rose" at shows, but the other
Dave Carter songs where she sang lead vocal were being done by her for
the first time.
Chris especially seemed to come alive and breathe life and zest into
"I Go Like the Raven," with Eric adding pizzazz of his own on fiddle.
Eric had wonderful chemistry with Ryan, with Chris, and with Beth.
Eric plays in the Strangelings with Chris -- appears on Beth's CD
Crooked Highways -- and shares an upstate NY upbringing with Ryan.
Funny moments --
Ryan relating his playing at a dive behind a head shop in Sidney NY
called Ozone during his Syracuse days, and Chris realizing that she
and Meredith had once played there too during their Ithaca days!
Beth telling of her dream where Tracy Grammer dictated an unreleased
Dave Carter track called "Oh My Little Cracker Girl" to her by singing
it, and Beth being too tired to get up out of bed to note it down,
thereby forgetting the entire song!
Ryan, in his enthusiasm jamming with Eric on "Cigarettes," losing his
balance and falling right off the stage!
Eric playing the fiddle behind his back on "Cat-Eye Willie" !
What a fun show! I hope the Dave Carter tradition continues with more
excellent concerts like this one.
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