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L.J. has become one of our favorite guitarits and songwriters. Every song on his lastest CD is compelling and thoughtful. It’s hard to get enough of his music. We had a full house for this show, and as we expected, it was really terrific. The stories behind where the songs come from are especially magical, like the touching revelation about “Rising Star”, bringing you into the song in a much more personal way. And for me, getting to hear “Boogy Man” was as true delight. I sure look forward to another L.J. Booth show!

Wow, we had a blast with Dana and Sue. It was a great show, and besides writing some wonderful songs, Dana plays some mean fiddle. It turns out that he took some lessons from one of my all time favorite fiddlers, Judy Hyman. You probably don’t know who Judy is, but you’ve most likely heard movie soundtracks composed by her dad, Dick Hyman. He put the music together for Moonstruck and Sweet and Lowdown. But I digress… anyway, we had a chance to play some tunes around the breakfast table and I was sorry to see them leave. We’d probably still be playing tunes if they didn’t have to go. I’m glad that after some near misses, we finally had a chance to bring Dana to Evansville.

Update: Dana and Sue have since married and they now share the stage. You can catch up with Dana and Sue Robinson at their website at http://www.robinsongs.com

I had my hands full getting ready for this show! With Beth in Mexico and Jonna in charge of the guitar cookie production line, things took just a little longer than I expected. So our earliest guests pitched right in and within about 10 minutes, we had everything ready to go. Martine gave a terrific performance, even with the particularly boisterous crowd of the evening. We were celebrating a birthday and had a full house for the show, which set the tone for the evening.

Martine’s performance was fantastic. She’s got a great energy and drive, and her stories about where the songs come from are very special. We look forward to hearing more from Martine.

You can read more about Martine Locke at http://martinelocke.com/

Andrew is the sort of guy that you feel is an old friend right after you’ve met him. Engaging and sparkling, he is always honing his craft and looking for new stories. We played lost of music together, and he even tried out a couple of new songs on us. We’re already looking forward to Andrew’s next visit to the area, and eagerly anticipating that next recording, as well.

When Penny Lane first opened, our friend Chris Jones had talked about his friends Cindy and Steve whom he was sure would come to Evansville and play a show if he asked. We weren’t quite ready to present music yet, and then Chris moved to Chicago and we lost touch. It wasn’t long after we started the house concert series that Steve and Cindy got in touch with us. They work their way to the west coast and back, every year during the coldest months of the New England winter. Now there’s a way to make Vermont winters more bearable!

What a terrific night! It amazes me when I’m in my livingroom and suddenly realize that the person playing the well-known folksong was actually the one who penned it–heck, I thought Darcy Farrow was one of those traditional songs that people have been playing for ages! I was thrilled to finally year Cindy and Steve’s music after the three year build-up of anticipation. They gave a wonderful performance. Dang, I’m ready for them to come back. Next year, maybe?

Read more about Steve and Cindy at their label: http://www.compassrosemusic.com/