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Show lAMA Foothill Branch Library concert series continues through summer A series of six free outdoor concerts are scheduled through the summer, presented by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association and the AndersonFoothill Branch Ubrary. The first, featuring Mississippi is set for June 24, 7 p.m. at the library, 1135 S. 2100 East, Salt Lake City. The artists have graciously donated their valuable time and talents to this community benefit concert serieswhich is one of the principal goals of the lAMA. As well, it's a good opportunity to browse the library's offerings and services, which include (of course) books, but also a selection of music on CD. The concerts are held in the library's beautiful creekside amphitheatre on selected Thursdays according to the following schedule: June 24 Mississippi Blues July 8 Them Damn Hillbillies July 22 Southwind Aug. 5 New Shtetl Ramblers Aug. 19 Full House Sept. 2 The Living Room Ensemble Featuring acoustic, fingerpicking, country blues from the 1920s and 1930s, Mississippi Blues taps the legacy of Robert Johnson, Son House, Willie Brown and Charley Patton. The quartet features two slide guitars, harmonica and a female vocalist. The group is devoted to presenting the old-fashioned acoustic sound of the blues to modem audiences. Group founder Brian Thornton says audience are surprised when the group performs traditional blues. They find the music diverse: happy, upbeat, wild and jazzy-as well as haunting, spiritual and exhilarating. "Blues covers a lot of ground: from the jubilation of bragging about your sweet li'l angel to the despair of the killing floor," Thornton said. "We try to play a little bit of that. We talk about the bluesmen and women between songs; where they came from, when they recorded and what kind of careers they had. It's important to keep their acoustic blues music alive and to help make people aware of the blues performers themselves-the story of their struggles and triumphs and their genius." Thornton, a graduate student at the University of Utah, plays fingerpicking blues and bottleneck slide guitar. He is joined by fellow graduate student; Mike Brown, who plays rhythm, bass, lead and 12-string guitar. The lead vocalist is Ellen Thornton, who admits to being heavily influences by the likes of old time blues singers, Memphis Minnie and Ma Rainey, as well as the modem interpreters of the blues, such as Jo Ann Kelly and Bonnie Raitt. Rounding out the band's.sound is the whooping and wail-ing harmonica playing and singing of U student, Van Beere. "John Lennon said the blues is the chair, the basic design from which rock and jazz were created," Thornton said. ''When we play, we try to highlight the different styles of blues and explain, for instance, how bluesmen such as John Hurt and Bukka White, who were happy and energetic, marked the path for upbeat rockers like Chuck Berry. "At the same time, other bluesmen like Son House, Skip James and Ughtnin' Hopkins, were so stark and filled with emotion they could make just one note mean a world of sadness. They paved the way from the emotional power of Eric Clapton and B. B. King." "We're just the vehicles to keep this powerful old music alive and well," Thornton said. Longdance coffeehouse Ah Ho Mitakyue Oyasin, also known as "The Long Dance Group," will host an acoustic music Coffeehouse at 7:30p.m. on Saturday, June 5, at the Unity Church, 7136 S 1700 E, Salt Lake City. The Coffeehouse will feature local artists Kate MacLeod, Willie Tso, Willow Valley Trio, and the Marvelous Hambone (Marv Hamilton.) Other artists include Julie Weiser, Gene and Elizabeth Sartain, Deborah Hunt and Lin Ostler. Minimum donation is $5.00. The Coffeehouse will be a benefit to bring traditional Native American elders to the group's summer solstice celebration. Native elders come from as far away as Vancouver, Canada, to share with people dedicated to learning the native way of honoring and blessing the Earth and her inhabitants. Funds are needed to provide airfare, lodging, and traditional gifts to the elders who generously share their wisdom and their love. Y' all come! 6 Intermountain Acoustic Musician, June 1993 |
