January 20: “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round”
Our tenth MLK concert at Saint Joan of Arc Church in Minneapolis, with old favorites Debbie Duncan, Bruce Henry, T Mychael Rambo and Dennis Spears. An occasion to look back on ten years of sold-out, roof-raising shows, and to look ahead to the impending inaugural of Barak Obama two days later. With an unforgettable introduction by the North Minneapolis Drum Corps.
February 14: “Breakin’ Hearts and Takin’ Names” with Kevin Kling
A sweet show assembled by that adventuring explorer of the human soul, Kevin Kling. At O’Shaughnessey Auditorium in St Paul with Bradley Greenwald, Prudence Johnson, Simone Perrin and Claudia Schmidt. And Fafnir the dachshund. That’s me on piano and accordion and telling a story about all my first loves.
March 1: “Come Together,” singing the Beatles at St Joan’s
A night of wallowing in Beatles’ tunes. A rollicking first set of sing-along featuring some of our favorite local singer folks (Prudence Johnson, Ann Reed, Steve Kremer, Gary Rue, Rachael Kroog, Fred and Anna Vagle). And then the band Collective Unconscious and an amazing note-for-note recreation of the entire “Abbey Road” album.
April 1: with Kevin Kling and Simone Perrin at MPR
A night at the UBS Forum at the headquarters of Miinnesota Public Radio in St Paul in an eclectic program: some storytelling by Kevin Kling, but mostly music soon to be released as a Simone Perrin CD.
April 14: Remembering Bill Holm
Friends of Bill Holm gather at the Fitzgerald to remember the lovable giant of Minnesota letters.
April 18: “Once Upon a River,” an Earth Day celebration
A first-time partnership between the Festival Theater in St. Croix Falls WI and enviro-centric Arcola on the St. Croix of Marine, MN. A night of songs and stories about the river, about falling in love with an old farm at age fourteen, about an abiding fondness for certain places on this earth. With Patricia Hampl, Prudence Johnson, harpist Min Kim, local author Sue Leaf and Osceola farmers Dan Guenthner and Margaret Pennings. Mark your calendar: next year’s Earth Day show is April 24, 2010.
April 26: with the Brothers Frantzich at St. Joan’s
So much to like about Paul and Tim Frantzich: Good-looking, fun-loving brothers with a vocal blend surpassing the Everlys, an infectious joy in what they do, ears and hearts attuned to poetry and harmony, happiest when everybody’s singing and stomping their feet, or when everybody’s silent and still and lost in a song. A night destined for a live CD, keep an eye on the Frantzichs’ web page. With John Munson on bass and Noah Levy on drums, and occasional accordion from myself.
May 10: Mother’s Day sing-along at Loring Park with Ann Reed
May 23: Golden Age of Radio sing-along with Prudence Johnson at the MN History Center
May 30: “Saturday Night at the Stage Door Piano Bar” for MPR at the Fitzgerald Theater.
June 12: Songs of P.G.Wodehouse with Maria Jette
June 19: Broadway sing-along benefit for Camden Music School
June 28: Great River Shakespeare Festival opening night sing-along, Winona MN.
August 27 - Sept. 6: Sopranorama VIII
Sept. 19: Grand Marais with Prudence Johnson
Sept. 29: Simone Perrin CD release at Open Eye Figure Theater
Oct. 1-3: annual Northern Wisconsin tour with Prudence Johnson and Randy Sabien
Oct. 23 and 24: Cabaret 1969 at St. Joan of Arc
Nov. 5: reprise of “Mambo Italiano” for MN Historical Society
Nov. 8: Solo coffeehouse gig at Local Blend in St. Joseph MN
Dec. 6: Holiday concert with Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus at St. Joan of Arc
Dec. 7: Guthrie Theater with Kevin Kling
Dec. 18: second (annual?) community Holiday sing-along and talent show in Lanesboro MN
Dec. 19: “Heartland Holiday” with Peter Ostroushko and friends at the Fitzgerald
2008
January: “Young, Gifted and Black”
February: “Warm Beer, Cold Women”
March 1: “Songs from the Stage”
April 20: SJA with TCGMC and Elizabeth Comeaux
May 3: “Song for Minnesota” live broadcast
May 31: “Cafe Europa II” and “Collaborationist”
Videos from Cafe Europa II
August: “Ravensmanor” Circus Juventas, and CD compilation
August: Sopranorama VII
September 20: “At Thoreau’s Doorstep”
September 27: “Unplugged” in Grand Marais
October 9: “Life on the Upper Mississippi” with Patricia Hampl
October 24 & 25: St Joan of Arc Cabaret
December: “Christmas Hymns” CD for Target
December: Festival Theater with Ann Reed
December 20: “Heartland Holiday”
2007
January: “Black HerStories: A Celebration of African American Women” (January 2007)
The annual MLK holiday concert at St Joan of Arc. As usual, a high-energy affair, but with a special poignancy this year: We invited our featured guests to bring their mothers onstage to sing and talk with us. And so they did: Gwen Matthews and her mother Olivia, Debbie Duncan and her mother Lucille, T Mychael Rambo and his mother Patricia all shared stories about childhoods, music around the house, favorite songs and records. And then they all sang for us, with the SJA Choir, with the house band, and all by themselves. A once-in-a-lifetime evening. You can read a review at St Joan’s website by clicking here.
March 1: An Evening with Krista Tippett
April 26: Three Crows cafe with Prudence Johnson
May 5: “All Together Now: The sociable art of the singalong”, an evening of sitting around and making beautiful music together, with the help of yours truly at the piano, some old bouncing-ball film clips and a cast of notable front porch minstrels and storytellers, including: Prudence Johnson, Kevin Kling, Maria Jette, Beth Gilleland, T Mychael Rambo, Jerry Rau, Gary Rue, Sima Shumilovsky, Cyril Paul ...and of course, the unmistakable sound of the Amazing Singing Audience. The lyrics are right here in case you've forgotten any.
August: Sopranorama VI
October 7: “The Florist’s Daughter” release with Patricia Hampl
October 12 & 13: “KSJA 200.7 All-Hits Radio;” SJA Cabaret
October & November: “Gales of November”
October 28 & November 4: “Bohemian Rhapsodies”
Dec. 9: Festival Theater with Prudence Johnson
Dec. 22: “Heartland Holiday” with Peter Ostroushko
2006
March: “Songs from the Stage”
April: Soloist with MN Sinfonia
May 20: “Mambo Italiano”
A loving look at the great pop music romance between Italy and the USA before, during and after WWII. From Enrico Caruso to Louis Prima, Connie Francis, Tony Bennett and the Frankies (Laine, Valli, Avalon and Sinatra), we go looking for the spicy meatball in the American popular songs of the 40s and 50s. With Prudence Johnson, Peter Ostroushko, Paul Peterson, Dan Dressen, Carlo Cicala, Jim TenBensel and the Mandragora Tango Orchestra. It was recorded live at the Fitzgerald Theater and a one-hour version was broadcast statewide on MPR in June 2006.
August: Circus Juventas
August: Sopranorama V
October: “The Road Show: Songs for wayward lovers;” SJA Cabaret
December: SJA with TCGMC and Maria Jette
2005
May: “Cafe Europa I”
A travel memoir with music about my midlife crisis summer spent bicycling Europe with tent and accordion. It features a whole gang of my favorite musician friends: Maria Jette, Prudence Johnson, Peter Ostroushko, Sima Shumilovsky, the Mandragora Tango Orchestra, the Rose Ensemble, Mark Stillman and Jordan Sramek. It was recorded live at the Fitzgerald Theater May 21 2005 and broadcast statewide on MPR the following June.
You can still listen to the radio version of “Cafe Europa” at mpr.org (scroll to June 4). The show was also televised on TPT channel 17 in the Twin Cities on New Year’s Eve 2006.
