Roots and folk music heaven

September 9, 2007 10:01 PM

Tonight's tribute concert for Red House Records was a glimpse of heaven for lovers of roots and folk music. More than fifteen recording artists of Red House Records put on an amazing show on September 9th at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul in tribute to Bob Feldman, founder of the label who died last year. Each musician sang or played two songs. They all appeared gratis, with the proceeds going to benefit the redwood forests. The vibe was by turns friendly, poignant and joyous. Eliza Gilkyson nearly stopped my heart - I couldn't breathe until I heard 'My love s/he's like some raven at my window with a broken wing.'

Highlights for me included Greg Brown (singing 'Further In'), Claudia Schmidt (her hilarious 'Chickadee Blues'), Dean Magraw (an unworldly acoustic 'Amazing Grace' and 'All Along the Watchtower'), John Gorka ('The Gypsy Life' and 'Writing in the Margins'), Robin and Linda Williams ('Fifty Thousand [Names Carved on the Wall]'), and Dave Moore ('Magic Dust'). Perfectly transcendent was Gilkyson singing 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit.' You can catch her recorded version as the opening track in Red House's 2001 release A Nod to Bob.

posted by Rain Man (4 comments total)

"my love s/he's like some raven at my window with a broken wing" is indeed an astonishing lyric. i'm wondering how i would handle the "/" if i were singing this in my shower.
posted by bruce at 10:30 PM on September 9, 2007

I'm confused. Is there somewhere I can listen to the concert?
posted by serazin at 12:02 AM on September 10, 2007

Heh heh Bruce = that's right, I'm thinking to myself "my love, she speaks like silence" (and) "she's like some raven" but Gilykson has shifted it to "he's" both times.
posted by Rain Man at 4:40 AM on September 10, 2007

Rain Man, I love Red House and its artists, but this isn't appropriate for MeFi. I just think it reeks too much of a personal post.
posted by wheelieman at 5:36 AM on September 10, 2007