The Best of Live Music of 2011

I wanted to compile a video that would prove once and for all what a lucky man I am. After all, I got to see Jason Antone, Levi Kreis, Eric Himan, Tom Goss, Nathan Leigh Jones, Garrin Benfield, Amy Regan, Shaun Hague, Jake Walden, Coyote Grace, Gareth Asher, Avi Wisnia, Jeffrey Johnson, and Namoli Brennet all perform live last year. They appeared at the World Cafe Live!, PSALM Salon, Joe's Pub, Sullivan Hall, MilkBoy Coffee, NightCat, World Cafe at the Queen, and Black Fox Lounge. Yep, I am a freakin' lucky man. Enjoy the highlights of my "show season."

Support independent musicians by attending their shows in your area, and buying their merchandise. You will not only feel better, you will undoubtedly be assured a better seat in heaven when the shows start.

Tom Goss at The Black Fox Lounge

A few weeks ago, I had went to DC to be in the audience when Tom Goss previewed this latest video, in which I could be seen. Tom shared the billing with Jeffrey Johnson at the Black Fox Lounge. They put together Under The Covers, a show littered with some of their favorite songs, making for an eclectic playlist. It is quite a departure for Tom, who used to included the occasional cover in his show, and now rarely includes them. But he focused on the music that inspires him, and it made for a different evening, to be sure. Take, for instance, the first clip I am featuring, a cover of Jack Johnson's Better Together. It seems Johnson's music truly does inspire Tom, as you can hear on the video, this is a great performance.



Very early in the show, Tom and Jeffrey joined forces for a fun duet. Whether it was inspired by June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash, or perhaps by the cover done by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, it was a magical moment for both when they started singing Jackson, the 1963 song by Jerry Leiber and Billy Edd Wheeler. Such great joy can be found in it.



I thought Tom's lovely version of Stephen Stills' Love The One You're With, performed to perfection by icons of the Woodstock generation, Crosby, Stills and Nash. But when Tom slowed it down a bit, and took away the urgency for a bit of aching, it was a beautiful thing.



Tom ended the show with an unscheduled encore of a song from his recently released album, Turn It Around. After spending a bit of time with a quick tutorial for Make Believe, the joy and exuberance of the music took over and made this a rousing final number.



For more about the artist, you can find Tom Goss on the web here. You can find his latest album, Turn It Around, on iTunes here, and on Amazon here.

Jeffrey Johnson at the Black Fox Lounge

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another performer for the first time, something I just love. DC-based Jeffrey Johnson shared the billing with Tom Goss at the Black Fox Lounge. They put together Under The Covers, a show littered with some of their favorite songs, making for an eclectic playlist. And that would be clearly shows in my favorite selection by Jeffrey on the evening, Easy Money. I remember when Rickie Lee Jones released her debut album in 1979, cause I purchased it. This song along with Coolsville were my favorites from the album. Here is Johnson's wonderful performance.



Another favorite of mine was Jeffrey's cover of the Bessie Smith tune, Kitchen Man. There is a delicious and bawdy quality to the song, and Jeffrey delivers it perfectly, with a flirty wink reminiscent of vaudeville.



They also planned to duet on several songs, and this next clip is from one of those very special performances. The evocative and touching Why Should The Fire Die? by the folk band Nickel Creek. While the original had more of a Roots music feel, the aching in this version is palpable.



For more about Jeffrey Johnson, check out his official website at here. This evening, I will have clips highlighting Tom Goss' performance.

Five on the 5th • November 2011

It is time once again for Five on the 5th, and this month, Stephen Chapman has given the theme of Movement. Once again, I've been more busy than I'd care to be, having seen several live music shows as of late. So, while they really don't capture movement, I thought I would sue some of the pictures I've taken at those shows. If you'd like to check out the others who are taking part in Five on the 5th, click here and pick different sites from the list.

Gareth Asher at the NightCat, Easton, MD.


Avi Wisnia at The World Cafe Live at The Queen, Wilmington, DE.


Tom Goss at the Black Fox Lounge, Washington, DC.


Jeffrey Johnson at the Black Fox Lounge, Washington, DC.


Eric Himan at MilkBoy Coffee, Ardmore, PA.

Jeffrey & Tom • Under The Covers Preview

I recently had the pleasure of going to see Tom Goss performing live in Washington, DC, alongside DC performer Jeffrey Johnson in a show called Under The Covers. The show was serving a couple of purposes: Tom and Jeffrey have been talking about doing a show together for some time, and Tom had a chance to preview his latest video, It's All Over, to those near and dear to him. And, well, any time you get to see Tom Goss perform is a good day, at least in my book! So here is my preview of the show. Seeing this, I bet you wish you were there!



I hope to have complete videos and pictures up on the blog soon. The show is focusing on something Tom rarely does at live shows, sing cover songs. His catalog of fantastic original songs is big enough that with each show, there are still some of his songs I don't get to hear, and can only hope to catch next time. But this time out, there were just a couple of his songs, mainly songs by some of his favorite artists, as well as some great songs performed by Jeffrey Johnson, who had some charming and unexpected offerings. For more about the artists, you can find Tom Goss on the web here, and Jeffrey Johnson on the web here.