Dave Moore has been a lot of places and done a lot of things, and he rolls it all up and delivers it in an inspiring, funny, sad, comfortable, exciting concert. We were all touched and thoroughly entertained. There were several folks in the audience from Iowa, who had swapped memories with Dave before the concert, so we started out on a Midwest sort of footing. The first set was largely new and unrecorded songs, starting with "Mr. Music." "Big Drafty House" describes life in an old skidrow house in Cedar Rapids. The new song "Triple Ps" is political commentary for Iowa, which is trying to improve its economic future by luring Pork, Poker and Prisons to the state. "Hookers Dream," written on a dare about Jimmy Swaggart, has never been released. The rather dramatic "Painting This Room" ended with a thunderclap as the storm rolled in outside. In "All the Time in the World" a father talks to his daughter who died young: I had a dream last night You were running on legs like mine You had your mother's moves Half wild and half shy You had your grandma's younger hair I bet you know each other there You've got all the time in the world The storm got louder and the lightning flashed in the front windows as Dave went into "Voodoo Music" and a Bessie Smith tune, "Backwater Blues." He ended the first set by eating his harmonica. Or it looked that way. It was a tune describing a train being chased by a dog, driven by an engineer who likes to play harp.	No-hands harmonica. We all split our sides laughing, then he brought us to a different  level with "Magic Dust." After the break Dave pulled out the accordion and launched into a medley of three San Antonio polkas, followed by a strange and cool rendition of "Good Night Irene." He sang a tribute to waitresses, and  celebrated the season with a song called "Turkey" which he wrote with grade school kids. It explores the consequences of being born a turkey in a town whose major industry is a turkey processing plant.  The second set also included acouple songs we sang wth -  "I'm Just a Dog" (living in a hollow log), the first song he ever sang at Kerrville, inspired by reading the Austin morning paper, and "Over My Shoulder," one of our favorites. Called back quickly for an encore he treated us to three classics, starting with "God Moves on the Water," adapted from Blind Willie Johnson, "King of the Road" and Mance Lipscom's "Key to the Highway." A fitting end to a great concert. Between star gazing on the deck (since the storm had gone), pushing some cars out of the mud in the front yard, and a great picking circle going on in the living room, the evening went well into the night.

We generally don't do concerts so close, but we had the chance to have Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, an opportunity we couldn't pass up. And what an evening it was - new songs, old songs, very old songs, and songs that just sound old. We teased Cindy, a scholar of traditional music,  about making it into the 20th century just in time for the 21st.  We kept pinching ourselves that these guys were actually in our living room - and wonderful people they are, comfortable to be around and fun to talk to as well as to hear. And look, in that last picture - that's Steve Gillette playing MY guitar! I hope it learned some things from him!

Nov. 6 was a grand occasion - ACT's 100th show happened to fall the day after our (Tom & Linda) 4th anniversary, and a few days from both our birthdays. 100 candles on a cake ar a major heat source, and the challenge of lighting all of those little candles before the first ones completely melt away is interesting!

The concert was a great one for a celebration. Emily and BeJae split both sets, a good deal for those who had to come late or leave early, but it kept us from enticing Emily into an encore, since she played first on both sets.	It was a wonderful evening, with BeJae's "darker" bluesy songs balancing Emily's quirky and hilarious view of the universe. Have you seen her words on billboards around town? Ro-Tel's doing it up. Somehow Emily's dark songs come	out funny and even her serious songs have an edge that let you know she lives in a slightly different world. BeJae, on the other hand, hit square on the nose for some.

	Richard Berman  & Tim Bays October 23, 1999 Two excellent storytellers, but with very different approaches, Richard Berman and Tim Bays trade off to create a very entertaining and thought-provoking evening. They did two split sets, which allowed even those who had to leave early and those who arrived late to hear both.
Richard started each set with his down-to-earth, sometimes understated stories of normal life and unusual occurrences. His stories ranged from empty-nesters who find their kids moving back in (to their chagrin) to hilarious ancient Greek tragedies to a haunting drive home for four college students. We heard stories of high school football, a favorite passion in rural Texas, and about the dangers of playing board games. Each turn around the board may be revealing  Of something that you may not want to show  Richard has a strong sense for finding a truth in a situation that is not quite the obvious one, and it makes us think differently about the world		Tim ended each set with his wry observations of magic and fishing and family, backed by infectious melodies, artful and interesting guitar work (lots of illegal chords) and a very expressive face. Two of Tim's cousins were in the audience to see him, and got included in some of the stories. His stories of the Nashville music scene, and a glimpse into the life of a professional writer was enlightening. Somewhere between the Mountain Dew and Baskin-Robbins, some really wonderful songs have been written. It's magic and you don't want to know  What makes it tick, it would ruin the show.  You've just got to believe  'Cause believing is what makes it happen.
It was a great concert with a good turnout, especially with the musically-packed weekend in the area. Emily Kaitz came out for the show, having finished her performance at Richardson's Huffhines Trails Crafts Festival, but sadly had to leave before the song circle. We anxiously await her concert here in two weeks. The circle went on into the wee hours, with new songs by several participants. We were especially pleased to see Amy and Ginger back among us, and impressed with the songs Paul Brown chooses to learn. The uke finally made it out into the circle, too. We found much philosophically in common with our two performers, and very much enjoyed their stay with us. But when the two songwriters came and asked the two engineers how to fold up the futon, I said, "It's magic and you don't want to know"

Two shows, no room for much but the pictures. But they were two great shows, and I hope you were here!  Bill and Mary Muse brought along their good friend (and ours) Beth Galiger. The addition of her flute and various percussion to the Muses' music brought it up another notch. Very sweet. They even had Tom up there playing guitar for Michael Elwood's "Eyes of China." It was a thrill for him - and a nervous moment, as they'd only rehearsed once.  Bill's songwriting continues to grow and we're more impressed every time we hear these guys.

Allen Damron and Tim Henderson are old buddies, and that was evident from the start of the concert. The evening was relaxed, almost to a fault, and felt very much like a gathering of friends.

Allen took the first set, since it was his turn. Having been married less than a week, and having his lovely bride, the former Marie Wheeler, along for the trip, he had a smile that just wouldn't disappear. We heard some new songs interspersed with old favorites, bits of poetry, a few instrumentals and much philosophizing. We sang along, laughed and cried, and had a grand time.

In a serious moment Allen warned of a little problem he'd encountered in his battle with cancer - about 1% of the population is allergic to chemotherapy, and the first reaction is potentially deadly - his blood pressure was down to 30 at one point. Happily, he did recover, the cancer is gone and he's still here.

The audience knew his music well, and called out requests, most of which he did, including some of his and some of other folks' - songs by Chuck Pyle, Fred Small, TR Ritchie and others, carefully chosen to fit his storytelling. After his recent health problems, and with a girl in the audience with CP, TR's "White Bark" took on new significance.

After a leisurely break, Tim took the stage, bringing Allen back up with him for a few songs. They have written a few together and performed many more. Although memories sometimes slipped a bit, the result was quite entertaining. We all laughed and sang along, some lyric hints coming from the audience when they couldn't quite be found.

Again, requests were called out. Tim cupped his ear and said, "You want to hear Fog Wheels? What?" You hadda be there. But he did all the requests, including Maria Consuelo and Mrs. Stein and anything else we had time to squeeze in.

The concert was followed by a wonderful song circle, including several people we hadn't heard from in a while, and Allen and Tim joined in a bit as well. Thanks to everyone who came and stayed and sang. We hope you'll all come back soon.
 
 

Even with the late change in show date from Saturday to Sunday, the word seems to have gotten out. We didn't have anyone show up on Saturday, and had a nice crowd on Sunday. Thank you to those who passed the word for us.

The evening concert held rich imagery of Texas and Georgia and places between, of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances and of strange and dark minds reacting to what we think is the normal world.

Eric performed most of the songs from his new album, Resurrect, including Walkin' Back Home, and Louis Armstrong's Broken Heart. Birdland is kind of a tribute to his grandmother who told him we all grow wings when we die ? he envisioned birds. Texas,Texas came from a German radio interview where the DJ insisted that Eric was born in Texas, ignored his protests, then asked him what town. Depot Light came from memories of standing in a Greenville, South Carolina train station with his father.

Then there was Four Great White Fathers, a tribute to Mt. Rushmore, "the largest monument to terrorism in the world" where the clash of two very different religions led to the rape and massacre of the more tolerant one.

Visitors from Indiana tells the story of a (fictitious) family from Kokomo, Indiana (the only Kokomo in the world) who accidentally end up on the streets of downtown Dallas in time to witness the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In the confusion that follows they think of the people they love and that they miss their home. In the end that's all that matters.

All So Much Like Me is mostly true stories, starting with carney days and the point when he realized that Billy, the knife thrower, knew that Eric had a crush on his girlfriend, the slack rope walker - think about people you know as well as you know yourself, but never get to last names.

These were friends of friends of mine

Strictly first-name basis

Memories, a stitch in time

I'm no good with faces

They all had smiles that I remember

All were born in late September

All so prone to cabin fever

All so much like me

They were all so much like me

And it was quite a show. Jack's combination of Native American storytelling and original songs, illustrated by stunning photographs, is entertaining education at its best. He soon had us howling along with Wolf and growling along with The Bear Who Stole the Chinook.

Wally ran the slide show from the back of the audience, and the coordination with the songs was seamless, keeping both adults and teenagers in the audience riveted.

Two special parts of the show were the stories of the Navajo Code Talkers and Bright Path. For the Code Talkers, Jack had Tom play a CD of the song from his recent recording sessions, with the vocal removed. He sang and played along with the recording to produce a fuller sound, and the technique worked wonderfully. The story told of Navajo Indians who were recruited in WWII to design and execute a radio code based on their language - a code that proved unbreakable and exceptionally accurate throughout the war. These were Americans who were not allowed to vote, but were willing to defend the country that had disenfranchised them, and do it with honor. The song also included the story of Changing Woman, a legend that permeated Native American lore.

Bright Path is the story of the 20th century's greatest athlete, the Black Hawk known to the rest of us as Jim Thorpe. From college footballer to Olympic Decathlon gold medalist (his medals were taken away when it was shown he was paid a pittance in high school baseball summer leagues, and only recently returned, thirty years after his death) he went on to play pro football and baseball, and the AP agreed with the Swedish king and declared him by far the world's best athlete.

We also heard the story of Old Shep, the faithful dog who waited 6 years, until his death, on a train platform where the body of his master had been loaded for transport.

Hudson Bay Blues tells the story of the addiction of the Indians to shopping - a problem we all still continue to suffer from. The epic GarryOwen & Valley of the Little Big Horn tells the story of that famous battle from the point of view of one of Custer's men.

We finished the evening singing along with Circle of Life and entered into a lively song circle.
 
 

After two months apart, their music was exceptionally polished - cleanly together, well in the groove, vocal harmonies blending smoothly, each song artfully augmented by the addition of vocal and instrumental parts to its solo original form. The between-songs banter was completely off-the-cuff, unrehearsed, relaxed and genuinely funny. These guys know each other well and exploited that for the thorough entertainment of the audience.

The trio traded songs, with the writer of each playing guitar and singing lead, the others contributing harmony vocals and other things - Christopher on percussion, Jonathan on lead guitar or mandolin, Evan on shaker and adding his uniquie visual accompaniment. (watching him dance is truly an experience - he must have joints in places most of us don't.)

There was a distinct personality difference between their music, reflected in their on-stage personalities. Christopher's songs tend to rock a bit more (an interesting situtation since they were the ones with no drums,) Jonathan's are more soft and introspective, and Evan's lean heavily to the freaky side.
 
 

For Christopher's beautiful ballad, "Down by the Water," Evan found our shaker collection, and loaded 6 or 7 of them between the fingers of both hands, playing them by flapping his hands like an organ-grinder monkey during the intro. Jonathan leaned over and said, "You're a freak!" Evan deftly countered with "Duh!" But the music took priority, and once the song itself started they were all into the mood, and the shakers disappeared into a more normal position.

Other highlights were Evan's "23 Minutes" (If my life were a situation comedy), Jonathan's "Modern Day Healer," and a kickin' and hilarious cover of the Spice Girls' hit song, "You Didn't Have to Say."
 
 

Eliza Gilkyson, April 3 1999

Her new song, "The Beauty Way," was written about her brother Tony, who is a guitar player in L.A. He had auditioned for the Grateful Dead but was wrestling with playing the music he got paid for vs the music he loved. The song title comes from the Navajo.

"Recurrence" is a Dorothy Parker poem set to music, "Down By The Riverside" was inspired by the gathering of crazies in the movie "Contact." She did a series of requests, including her father's hit classic, "Green Fields," and added her brand new "Not My Love." She finished with a cover tune - "How Could It Come to This" from World Party.

The evening was beautiful and satisfying for Eliza fans new and old.
 
 

After his opener, "The River Where She Sleeps," Dave had to do "Welcome to Texas, Son," and being in Texas he had to make some explanation of the song's apparent comparison between Texas and Hell.... But Dave is from around here, so I suppose it's understandable. He later described his "Grand Prairie Texas Homesick Blues" (about trying to go home and finding it's been paved over) as "three chords and the truth."

Dave's songs are infectious, from the lyric-filled tongue-twister "The River Where She Sleeps" to the romantic and melancholy "Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love," (featuring Tracy's beautiful vocals) to the reverent image-filled "When I Go" to the almost classic story of "Cowboy Singer." Many of them beg for repeated listening, new pictures and references and memories emerging each time. He did a song he wrote with Darryl Purpose in mind ("Annie's Lover") and one with Al Grierson in mind ("Girl from Golden") and each one fits, showing stylistic variety in Dave's writing that is unusually broad.

And then there are the Trucker Songs - Dave says he has an album full of them. We heard 3 or 4 in the course of the evening: "Highway 80" combines truck-driving with surfing and wanderlust and all sort of other things, "The Hard Edge of Living" won the American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest and deserves to be a classic, and "Little Liza Jane" tells a philosophically true story that won't let go.

Scattered through was the "farewell trilogy" - Dave has been writing farewell songs lately and is a little nervous about the implications. The second, "Farewell to Bitterroot Valley," was beautifully sparse with just Dave's guitar and Tracy's voice. We look forward to hearing her sing more as the duo develops.

Dave uses the banjo in ways that I had never dreamed, making it melancholy and spooky sometimes, in contrast with its "happy feet" reputation. His guitar work is often nothing short of amazing. Tracy's violin and mandolin add worlds of magic, from sassy to sweet to surreal. Well-crafted songs with heart and soul, performed with skill and spirit and love, created a concert evening that will be long remembered.

After the concert Dave and Tracy joined in the song circle with a cover of Darryl Purpose's "Ring on My Hand," a beautiful song of love and committment. Also in the circle were the unique and funky Megan Peters and the inimitable Evan Brubaker, who happened to be in town visiting friends. We look forward to seeing Evan again on April 17, along with Christopher Williams and Jonathan Kingham as The Bixbys (formerly The Folk Monty)

by Linda M. Silas lsilas@wtd.net
Copyright © 1998 The Annex Studios