N. Potomac, MD
Click here sample or buy Gene Dawson's self-made CD, Homemade Music ($7.99) |
Washington Times House Concert Articles 2/28/02
(You may have to enter "Dawsonconcerts" in the search box. then click the link "'a my house"). |
|
Date |
Time |
Artists |
Recommended Donation |
March 15, 2003 | 8:00 -
10:30pm (Doors open at 7:00 ) |
Eliot Bronson & We're About 9 Baltimore's Best & Beyond! |
$12.00 |
May 20, 2003 | 8:00 -
10:30pm (Doors open at 7:00 ) |
Freebo with Jim Photoglo Two artists who helped shape musical history! |
$20.00 |
100% Donations to Aritsts
Snacks, sodas & coffee provided / Pot luck welcome
Notice: For those who are allergic, there are cats & dogs at the Dawson house
Song circles following all concerts hosted by Gene Dawson
By reservation only/Capacity: 45
For reservations & directions contact:
Gene or Susan Dawson
301-762-3718
or E-mail at
See Artist Pictures & Bios Below
Eliot Bronson, March 15, 2003
Eliot Bronson is a rare find - An artist with the ability to speak directly to the heart. Said one reviewer, "his guitar playing is top notch, his voice warm, melodic and pleasant. But it's the lyrics that linger when the music stops." For the last two years, with no artificial hype or industry machine behind him, the fresh faced 23 year old has been steadily making his way into all of the east coast's top acoustic listening rooms, winning new fans and awards everywhere he plays.
Eliot began playing guitar as a teenager in his hometown of Baltimore. Primarily self taught, he found a natural connection to the instrument and quickly became an accomplished player. But, it was Eliot's blossoming social conscience, his love of philosophy, and fascination with the world's religions that ultimately led him to write and sing. Inspired by the honest and engaging styles of writers like Jackson Browne and David Wilcox, Eliot set out to find his own unique voice, a voice that would immediately attract attention in his own town and push him to take his guitar and songs on the road.Eliot released a seven song, self-titled album in 2000 and sold through his first pressing in twelve months. Two years later, Eliot went into the studio with award winning singer/songwriter/producer Chris Rosser and recorded his first full-length album "One Hundred and One Subtle Ways."
In listening to this new record and watching his dynamic live show, what is clearer than anything else is that, for Eliot Bronson, music is, indeed, a spiritual path.
Awards
*First ever recipient of the the Kerrville Folk Festival and elixir string scholarship.
*First/ singer-songwriter category, Austin Songwriters Group Contest.
*Runner up/ Philadelphia Songwriters Alliance, Songwriting contest
*Honorable mention/ Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.
*Finalist/ KRCL performing songwriter showcase.
*Finalist / Woody Guthrie Songwriting Contest.
*Fourth- country folk category/ Unisong International Contest
Web Page: http://www.eliotbronson.com/
We're About 9, March 15, 2003
This three-part-harmony-singer-songwriter-adult-alternative-contemporary-americana-folk-rock-group from Baltimore packs a surprise punch with an absolutely unique and powerful vocal blend; a mercilessly charming stage presence; and passionate, quirky, compelling, literate songs that leave their audiences on the edge of wondering. The WA9 vocal blend has drawn comparisons to Crosby, Stills and Nashand certainly represents other influences such as The Nields and Cry, Cry, Cry.
Definitely a folk-niche group focused on vocals and acoustic guitars, We're About 9 adds electric bass, light percussion, sometimes electric guitar, and piano. It's a complete, attention gripping show.
Nine months ago, Were About 9 was actively seeking opportunities to play unpaid performances at local coffeeshops. Recent career highlights include performances at The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Burlington Coffeehouse, Baldwins Station, Jammin Java, Godfrey Daniels, The Panzer House, Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival, Tacoma Park Folk Festival, Towson University, UMBC, and The Falcon Ridge New Artist Showcase; openings for Nerrissa and Katryna Nields, The Kennedy's and Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer; radio play by Gene Shay, Lee Larcheveque, and Mary Cliff; packed folk venues; and the release of their second CD, Something Magnetic.
The next big folk group? Stay tuned.
Web Page: www.circanine.com
FREEBO, May 20, 2003 (with Jim Photoglo)
FREEBO, like his more famous bass
brethren Paul McCartney, Peter Cetera and Sting, has the Gold records, adoring fans and
music industry plaudits. And with the September 1999 release of his debut CD, The End of
the Beginning, the celebrated musician, best know as Bonnie Raittıs bassist throughout
the ı70s, now has the distinction of being dubbed a bonafide singer-songwriter.
One of rockıs original fretless bass players, FREEBO has appeared on stage and in
the recording studio with the likes of Raitt, John Mayall, Crosby, Stills & Nash,
Aaron Neville and Ringo Starr. His bass playing, background vocals and occasional tuba
parts have adorned over a hundred records, including Maria Muldaurıs smash multi-platinum
single, "Midnight At The Oasis," all of Raittıs early Gold albums, and tracks
for many other notable artists and bands. His television appearances include
"Saturday Night Live," "Midnight Special" and "Muppets
Tonight."
Since the mid-80ıs, FREEBO has been writing songs in a variety of styles with
themes of courage, love, peace and hope. The classically-trained FREEBO cites a
wide variety of artists who have influenced his hybrid rock style: Igor Stravinsky,
Beethoven, Aaron Copeland, Louis Armstrong, John Philip Sousa, Richard Rodgers and Leonard
Bernstein, as well as rock ını roll icons Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray
Charles, Muddy Waters, The Beatles, The Stones, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.
About "DOG PEOPLE"
Ever since I was a young boy, I have loved dogs..... really loved dogs. For some reason, they have always made me feel better. Maybe it was the joy they seemed to have when I didn't, or the constant love they were so free to give. I have come to believe that this unconditional love, acceptance of the moment, and joyful giving are qualities that we humans could do well to adopt.
All of the songs on this CD express the love between our canine friends and their people. It is the essence of this connection that I wish to honor on this record, a friendship between man and beast that often goes beyond human friendship, a friendship that is as old as mankind itself.
I therefore dedicate this CD to every dog, past and present, who has helped to make a better life for its people.
About "End Of The Beginning"I made this record because I had to...
It's been brewing inside me for many years now and I'm grateful it's finally coming out.
I call this collection of songs a record because that's exactly what it is; a record of where I've been and where I am. These songs express my philosophy of life and love in addition to the many feelings that come with life's experiences.
Musically, I am coming from a wide variety of influences; rock and roll, blues, country, jazz, rhythm and blues, classical, dixieland, Broadway musicals, John Phillips Souza marches, folk, reggae and religious music, from chant to Christmas carols. But the predominant thread running through this record seems to be the blues. And so I have chosen this collection of songs. Some are more than ten years old, some written as recently as late 1996. I had to make this record so that I could release these songs from within, thereby making room for new ones, kind of like unblocking a log jam. There are many more songs that have been waiting to come out and now they'll be able to.
Except for "Stone Crazy", a song I wrote on a Bonnie Raitt/Little Feat tour in 1973, I didn't take song writing seriously until I was almost forty years old because I didn't feel the need to write music. I thought playing the bass was enough. Looking back, I was probably more frustrated than I realized, using only a small part of my God-given talent. Deepak Chopra, in his book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Creativity, talks about the Law of Dharma, says: "The Law of Dharma says that every human being has a unique talent. You have a talent that is unique in its expression, so unique that there's no one else alive on this planet that has that talent, or the expression of that talent. This means that there's one thing you can do, and one way of doing it, that is better than anyone else on this entire planet."
I was fortunate to realize at age twenty three that music was my Dharma, but didn't realize that by playing the bass, my journey was just beginning. And as I continued to feel incomplete, I continued to search and began to write down my feelings in the form of poetry, or lyrics. Once I began that process, I unlocked something inside me and it wasn't long before I started putting music to the lyrics. Then I had to deal with the fear; the fear stemming from questions like, "Are these songs good, are these songs good enough, am I good enough?". And that brought me to the conclusion that I am who I am, unique unto myself, unlike anyone else on the planet, and that's good enough.
As long as I am the best I can be, do the best I can do, I am fulfilling my Dharma. And so this record represents that life-long struggle; the search for the truth within. As Winston Chuchill once said, "This may not be the beginning of the end, but it is The End of the Beginning".
Web Page: WWW.FREEBO.COM
May 20, 2003
Jim Photoglo has musically spanned four decades as both a
songwriter and artist, bringing his unique creative voice to the R&B, Pop and
Country arenas. Growing up in Los Angeles, he began playing in bands as a teenager but
never considered music as a "career" until he was in his early 20's. Photoglo
reminisces, "I wanted to get out of L.A., so I took to the highway 'James Taylor'
style with an acoustic guitar, a sleeping bag and a lot of time to think...and all I
thought about was music."
Returning to Los Angeles with music as a career goal, Photoglo began paying the
usual dues. He took every kind of gig from playing in a funeral band to putting together a
group to back John Belushi's "Joe Cocker" imitation at a party for Paul
McCartney.
His solo career took off when he was signed to the Twentieth Century Fox label in 1979,
culminating in a pair of Pop hits: We Were Meant To Be Lovers in 1980 and Fool
in Love With You in 1981. Photoglo hit the TV talk show circuit, toured the Orient
twice, and opened for the Beach Boys on a national tour. By the time his third album was
released, the financially- troubled Fox label was unable to properly launch the project,
and once again Photoglo took to the road.
He spent the next 2 years singing back-up for Andy Gibb, and concentrating on songwriting. His influences were diverse: the behind-the-scenes writers of the Brill Building (Mann and Weil, King and Goffin) and Motown, to writer-artists like the Beatles, the Young Rascals and the Rolling Stones. Photoglo's eclectic style fostered recordings by a variety of artists, including James Ingram and the Everly Brothers.
While enjoying this sabbatical from recording, his songs began to
catch fire with the creative "powers-that-be" in post-"Urban Cowboy"
Nashville. Before he knew it, he had cuts with Kenny Rogers, Marty Robbins,
Gary Morris and Brenda Lee. Further encouraged by good friend Wendy
Waldman, a fellow L.A. popster who'd recently relocated and was enjoying a few country
hits of her own, Photoglo moved to Music City in 1984 to pursue a full-time career as a
songwriter. He took the occasional tour as a bassist for the likes of Vince Gill
and Dan Fogelberg, but his main focus was songwriting, successfully quadrupling his
creative output over the next few years. His devotion to his craft paid off with
recordings by Dusty Springfield, Leroy Parnell, Patty Loveless, Highway
101, The Oak Ridge Boys, Pam Tillis, Tanya Tucker, Travis
Tritt, Neil McCoy, John Anderson and Kathy Mattea. Four of those
recordings ended up in the Top Ten of Billboard Magazine's Country Music Charts, and two
went to Number One: the now-classic Fishin' in the Dark by the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band, and Hometown Honeymoon by Alabama.
By the early 90s, Photoglo was
ready to "settle down" (literally marrying Lee Ann Pack in June of 1993)
and return to making records. After recording two solo albums in 1993, his career took a
bizarre turn. He and Russell Smith of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Bernie Leadon of the Eagles
and hit-songwriter Vince Melamed formed the band Run C&W. Taking classic soul songs of
the 60's and 70's, they rearranged and performed them as bluegrass songs with comedic
undertones. Their antics led to recording two albums for MCA Nashville and gained them a
worldwide cult following.*(For a look at some other Run C&W shots from Jim's own
collection, plus a few comments from Jim about his particular costume, click HERE).
Around the same time, he co-founded the band the Vinyl Kings, formerly
known as The Fabulous Del-Beatles, a group of studio all-stars, which became the toast of
the town. The Vinyl Kings have released a CD of new songs and are performing live after a
long hiatus
Photoglo continues to grow creatively: writing songs, performing and enjoying his status as one of Nashville's top songwriters. You Give Me Love (recorded by Faith Hill on her Faith CD) was chosen by NBC to close the final episode of Mad About You, starring Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser. The Meaning of Love (co-written and performed by Michael McDonald) is featured in the Mike Nichols' film What Planet Are You From?, starring Gary Shandling and Annette Benning. Photoglo performs regularly at Nashvilles legendary Bluebird Café and is hard at work launching his new label, Grifftone Records, named after the lastest addition to the Photoglo musical family, Griffin James Photoglo born in October 1999! The possibilities are endless
Web Page: WWW.JIMPHOTOGLO.COM
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