Cahalen Morrison & Eli West Febrary 22, 2013 at 7 PM

Cahalen Morrison and Eli West

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22 @ 7:00 P.M.

Black Forest Community Center
12530 Black Forest Rd. Black Forest, Colorado (map)
In roots music, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West are either the oldest young men or the youngest old men. Whether a song is three months or 100 years old, they play it with the freshness and creativity of youth and the unhurried ease and open spaces of players fifty years further down the musical road.
They play songs that could have been around for 100 years. Some have; some others were written by Cahalen. Their music, rooted in bluegrass and old-time, stays honestly within those boundaries, but is infused with their own style, their own thinking musician’s sensibilities. With two voices, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki and banjo, they play and sing with an ease and truth that comes from a love of the music and a vast reserve of technique that’s rarely used.
According to one writer, “Cahalen Morrison writes songs that sound like a Cormac McCarthy novel: simple, beautifully crafted, and seemingly formed from raw natural elements. Eli West brings jagged, angular arrangements based in bluegrass and oldtime, but refracted through a 21st century lens. Like Ansel Adams’ photography, their music is instantly accessible and built from the simplest materials, but at the same time seems to transcend its base fundamentals. Together, Cahalen and Eli tap the root of the old country and bluegrass duets. As the sparse landscapes of Cahalen’s vocals reflect the warm glow of Eli’s voice, it’s clear that this duo was made to sing together.”
They’ve captured the attention of musicians at the very top of the roots music dogpile, including Tim O’Brien, Dirk Powell and Aoife O’Donovan. Tim, who wrote the liner notes to their latest album “Our Lady of the Tall Trees,” said “Cahalan and Eli are making music that the world needs.”
But the best summary comes from Paul Constant of Seattle’s The Stranger, who said “The easy critical impulse is to point out that Cahalen Morrison & Eli West sound like they’ve stepped out of a crackly record or wax cylinder from the 1920s. And it’s easy for a reason: They’ve got the kind of classic voices that beautifully complement roots music and, sure, they stick to the old-timey instruments. But any schmuck can chew on a corncob pipe and call it a nostalgia act. Morrison & West can write gorgeous, solid songs with harmonies that’ll wake you up in the middle of the night when your subconscious remembers how fine they are. That kind of songwriting isn’t nostalgic. It lasts, is all.”
They held us spellbound two years ago; join us on February 22 for music that the world needs.

Pumpkin Carrot Cake -From Stephanie

At the last open stage we needed extra bakers so I asked my sister to chip in. She provided her pumpkin carrot cake. It proved to be so popular that we sold out very quickly and several people came up to me asking about the recipe. Here it is...

From Stephanie Watson: Here's the pumpkin carrot cake recipe with my changes. I add carrot baby food and leave out the oil. The cake is so moist it doesn't need the added fat so this is really a no fat cake except for the frosting.

2cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2tsp lemon juice (I left this out> I was too lazy to squeeze a lemon)

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cup can pumpkin

1 1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar packed

1 can crushed pinaplle 8oz drained

1/4 cup grated carrots

1 jar or single serve container carrot baby food

1 cup flaked coconut

1 1/4 cups nuts (I use pecans)

preheat oven to 350 and grease your cake pan (I use the disposable rectangle for this or you can do two 9 inch round pans to make a pretty cake.

combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

beat eggs, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, pineapple, carrots, and use lemon juice to curdle the milk, then add that to the cake. I didn't curdle this for the cake I sent with you. I got tired and skipped a step. I've made this with just milk and been happy with the results. stir in coconut and 1 cup nuts. Pour into cake pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes for 9 inch round. It takes close to an hour for the rectangle. I bake it 40 minutes then check on it until a toothpick comes out clean.

My frosting: 1 whole bag of powdered sugar, two blocks of cream cheese, 1/2 stick of softened butter, 1 tsp vanilla. beat cream cheese and butter until soft, slowly beat in powdered sugar a few cups at a time. Add vanilla before you finish beating in the powdered sugar. This makes a big batch of frosting so you can put a really thick layer on the cake.

Then I take 1/2 cup of flaked coconut and toast it in a frying pan. Just spread the coconut in the pan and heat on medium stirring constantly for a few minutes. You'll see it start to brown, then top that right onto the frosted cake. When the coconut is warm, it settles right into the frosting and sticks so you don't have to worry about it falling off.

Joanna Springer

The Sister Brothers January 4 at the Perk!

Friday, January 4, 7:30 PM

Open w/ The Sister Brothers

Pikes Perk Downtown, 14 S. Tejon, C.S.

$4/$7, Students $5.

The Sister Brothers

January 4

Dick Carlson, Marianne Danehy and Charlie Hall are the Sister Brothers.

Dick played with Black Rose (the band) for all ten years of its existence, with Palmer Divide for five years.  Between the two bands, he played a hundreds of gigs and released five albums.  His rock-steady bass playing has been compared to “the heartbeat of a blue whale”; we’re not sure whether that’s good or bad.  His ankles are still recovering from his days as an all-Nebraska basketball star; his coach was quoted as saying “Dick almost never shoots when he doesn’t have the ball.”

Marianne teaches Suzuki violin and fiddle in Colorado Springs.  In a prior life, she worked as an engineer for Hewlett-Packard.  She grew up playing classical violin and more recently “found her people,” namely those who stay up late playing folk, Celtic, country and bluegrass music.   She performed with the all female trio, Blue Sage, prior to playing with Charlie and Dick.  Charlie and Marianne founded the Colorado Roots Music Camp, and she teaches fiddle there every year.

Charlie is a co-founder and past president of the Black Rose Acoustic Society, and co-founder and director of the Colorado Roots Music Camp.  He was a finalist in the 2000 National Finger Style Guitar championship, and was nominated Bluegrass Guitarist of the Year in 1996 by the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.  He played with Black Rose for ten years and has played with Joe Uveges, Phil Volan and the nearly-famed Trio Reynoso. 

The Sister Brothers celebrate good country songs served without artificial ingredients.  They play a swing tune or two, fiddle tunes, some bluegrass, some folk. They sing songs that review the salient characteristics of Iowa, orphanhood, old-fashioned love, lost love, found love, misplaced love, love that crushes you like a monochromatic Kansas farmhouse dropped by a tornado, loneliness, bandits, the South, the South again, birthdays and their concomitant rehashing of the prior twelve months’ personal failures, small towns, big towns, ginormous towns and the Wrong Side of the Tracks.  And the South.

Joanna Springer

Adam Gardino, Phil Volan & Joleen Bell and The Sister Brothers

Adam Gardino, Phil Volan & Joleen Bell and The Sister Brothers

December 14

 (Pictured above: International Finger Style Guitar Champion, Adam Gardino)

In celebration of the holidays we decided to continue the Black Rose tradition of a holiday potluck and music. For this particular event we invited Black Rose favorites and champion players Adam Gardino (1^st place winner International Fingerstyle Competition at the Walnut Valley Festival 2012), Phil Volan  (2^nd place winner International Fingerstyle Competition at the Walnut Valley Festival 2002), Joleen Bell & of course, the Sister Brothers (Charlie Hall, Dick Carlson and Marianne Danehy).

This evening will start out with a holiday potluck, so bring your best Christmas goodies to share –appetizers, crockpots, cookies, cake- whatever you enjoy during the holidays followed by a Christmas open stage. We’ll put on the coffee, have some punch and enjoy an evening of great music and food in the nostalgic atmosphere of the Black Forest Community Center.

About the performers:

Adam Gardino has been dazzling audiences across Colorado and Kansas since 2005.  Sharing the stage with such acts as Grammy winners Doug Smith, Pat Donohue and Al Petteway, he blends a wide mix of music from acoustic blues, to jazz, classical, country and rock.  In 2012 he took 1^st  Place at the International Fingerstyle Competition at the Walnut Valley Festival , where players from all over the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan come and compete every year for a chance to be named among the best in the world.  His sound has been likened to that of Leo Kottke, Tommy Emmanuel, Chet Atkins and James Taylor.

Performing since the age of 15, his stage craft has been constantly shaped and reshaped for every show and concert.  His solo acoustic compositions and arrangements show intense musical insight and depth.  Doug Smith, International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion praised Adam "I was blown away when Adam played my arrangement of Cole Porter's ‘Anything Goes’ - better than I do!"

Watch  Adam play “Dentist Chair Blues” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQDlL2ku95s                                         

Watch Adam play the “Peter Gunn Theme” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyRkWKtmS4

Phil Volan and Joleen Bell is a husband and wife team known for their skilled fingerstyle guitar technique and beautiful tight harmony. Phil earned 2nd place at the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in Winfield, Kansas in 2002. Joleen also competed several years later as one of only two women, to very enthusiastic listeners.

Along with her angelic voice, Joleen plays several instruments including banjo and lap dulcimer. She has a B.A. in music from Naropa University, Boulder, CO. In addition to four CDs with Phil, she has two solo discs and one with Tom Simms. Several of her instrumentals, co-written with Phil, have been used internationally on various media.

Readers of the Colorado Springs Gazette and Independent newspapers voted Phil Best Male Singer and Best Folksinger for two years running. And in 2002, Phil won the Peak Area Performance and Artists Award (PAPA) in the Popular Music category. Several of his songs have been featured on N.P.R. broadcasts and have been used in film and commercials internationally. He has nine CD releases, and session work on many others.

See more about Phil and Joleen by visiting their web site: http://www.philvolan.com/index.htm

Dick Carlson, Marianne Danehy and Charlie Hall are the Sister Brothers.

Dick played with Black Rose (the band) for all ten years of its existence, with Palmer Divide for five years.  Between the two bands, he played a hundreds of gigs and released five albums.  His rock-steady bass playing has been compared to “the heartbeat of a blue whale”; we’re not sure whether that’s good or bad.  His ankles are still recovering from his days as an all-Nebraska basketball star; his coach was quoted as saying “Dick almost never shoots when he doesn’t have the ball.”

Marianne teaches Suzuki violin and fiddle in Colorado Springs.  In a prior life, she worked as an engineer for Hewlett-Packard.  She grew up playing classical violin and more recently “found her people,” namely those who stay up late playing folk, Celtic, country and bluegrass music.   She performed with the all female trio, Blue Sage, prior to playing with Charlie and Dick.  Charlie and Marianne founded the Colorado Roots Music Camp, and she teaches fiddle there every year.

Charlie is a co-founder and past president of the Black Rose Acoustic Society, and co-founder and director of the Colorado Roots Music Camp.  He was a finalist in the 2000 National Finger Style Guitar championship, and was nominated Bluegrass Guitarist of the Year in 1996 by the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.  He played with Black Rose for ten years and has played with Joe Uveges, Phil Volan and the nearly-famed Trio Reynoso. 

The Sister Brothers celebrate good country songs served without artificial ingredients.  They play a swing tune or two, fiddle tunes, some bluegrass, some folk. They sing songs that review the salient characteristics of Iowa, orphanhood, old-fashioned love, lost love, found love, misplaced love, love that crushes you like a monochromatic Kansas farmhouse dropped by a tornado, loneliness, bandits, the South, the South again, birthdays and their concomitant rehashing of the prior twelve months’ personal failures, small towns, big towns, ginormous towns and the Wrong Side of the Tracks.  And the South.

So come on out to Black Forest and join us on December 14 for excellent musicianship and great goodies!

Joanna Springer

Holiday Potluck begins at 6:00 p.m.

Show starts: 7:00 p.m.

Tickets at the door: $4.00 for Black Rose Members, $7.00 General Public, $5.00 for students. 

Stephanie Pauline Upstairs at the Perk

With songs played on over 500 radio stations in 30 countries so far, Stephanie Pauline's brand of alternative country music is real, relatable and delivered in a voice that both bleeds and triumphs in the same breath. 

Stephanie has an engaging personality and performs sincere lyrics and compelling melodies "I invite others into an honest moment and hopefully encourage them in their own pursuit of a passionate life abandoned to the only thing worth living for: love. I've been pretty pressed in life and I think it has produced a sort of vulnerability in me that people lean into. It pulls things up from deep within and unearths hearts." She says that songwriting came to her like breathing or laughing; it's just always been a part of who she is and what she does. She was encouraged early on in her passion for music by her mother who sang her to sleep many nights to one home spun ditty or another.

Stephanie Pauline plays piano, and guitar and has co produced all of her recordings to date. The last three of which brought her to Nashville and LA where she recorded with some of the industry's best studio musicians. She put out a Country album last year with Colorado Springs singer wongwriter Joe Uveges. Joe Uveges and Stephanie were in the top 5 on Colorado country charts the week their CD debuted. 

For this Pikes Perk concert Stephanie will be performing with a local guitarist and singing songs off her recent country album, When the Smoke Clears, as well as holiday carols off of her brand new Christmas album. Please join us at Pikes Perk on December 7th at 8 p.m. to welcome in the Holiday season with song. 

Hear and see Stephanie Pauline on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/UkC-2ihTOSc  

http://youtu.be/pAcLk3xjj5A

For more info see http://www.blackroseacoustic.org

Joanna Springer

President, Black Rose Acoustic Society