Joyful Sorrow in Somerville

I woke up with Joy Kill’s Sorrow version of “Fall on my knees” in my head. I can’t think of a much better way to start my morning. As an added bonus, I can finally pop in the band’s new cd and hear the song anytime I want. The band’s perfomance at Johnny D’ last night (1-30-07) was amazing.

Joy Kills Sorrow set was eclectic, bringing a mixture of bright joy and languid sorrow tones to the intimate bar. Heather Masse was as endearing as ever. What’s so great about Masse on stage is that she always looks so happy to be up there. She puts her whole body into her singing.

The joy was evident on the spirited “Train on the Island” and the instrumentals composed by Joe Walsh and Matt Arcara individually. I adore Joy Kills Sorrow wordless tunes because they display the energy and love these musicans have for what they do.

The band invited Aoife O’Donovan up to sing on “You made it easy.” ( written by the band’s own Adam Larrabee) Masse and O’donovan’s voices blended delightfully on this tender and warm love song about finding someone after you thought you never would.

To me, the melancholy “Louise” has always been a Leo Kottke song, but Joy Kills Sorrow gets their rendition from Bonnie Raitt. The song itself was written by P. Siebel. I get excited every time Joy Kills Sorrow brings this one out. Masse’s voice always has emotion while singing this. I also thoroughly enjoyed the band’s cover of Hank William’s “Weary Blues From Waitin’” with Joe Walsh on backing vocals.

Bridget Kearney’s intense upright bass playing resonated through the set with a musical strength that can’t be missed. Her own song writing talents were showcased on “My jury’s still out on you.”

I spent last evening chair dancing to Joy Kills Sorrow’s melodies. I went to bed singing their songs. That’s not a bad way to ease into the rest of the week.

Joy Kills Sorrow 1-30

There are several reasons not to miss Joy Kills Sorrow at Johnny D’s tonight at 8pm in Somerville. The least of which is you can purchase a copy of their first cd. If that isn’t enticting enough then maybe Heather Masse leaving the band to join the Wailin’ Jennys will get you there. This will be the last time Heather performs with Joy Kills Sorrow in Boston. I found out about Heather joining a new group and I can’t tell you how upset I was. It is truely a joy hearing Heather sing. At least she isn’t leaving the music world and I will have to start keeping track of the Wailin’ Jennys from now on. I’ll still follow Joy Kills Sorrow as well. The musicans in the band speak for themselves. On that note, I will tell you they are: ( and they just happen to be the rest of the reasons you should not miss this show)

Joe: (mandolin) Joe has shared the stage with some of finest musicans and bands around. These include: Bela Fleck, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, David Grisman and Northern Lights.

Matt Arcana (guitar) recently won the National Flatpicking Contest in Winfield, Kansas. He has also placed 1st at the Tennessee Fiddle Convention, and 2nd & 3rd at Rockygrass. He has been featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. He has also released a solo CD. Matt endorses Rockbridge guitars.

Adam
Adam Larrabee (banjo, guitar, mandolin, composer). I’m not usually a fan of jazz/bluegrass fusion but I’ve heard Adam play and he is amazing. Adam also teaches jazz theory and composition at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Bridget (bass)
Bridget Kearney’s trio “Sax Attack” was awarded Best Small Group by the Downbeat Student Music Awards in 2003. Her stellar songwriting abilities got her the Grand Prize and Lennon Award in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for a song entitled, “Sometimes When I’m Drunk and You’re Wearing My Favorite Shirt.”

Put all these musicans and singers on stage together and you’ve got a night that will make you want to jump out of your seats and dance. Heather’s voice is so powerful the audience falls silent the minute she opens her mouth. At least I do.

Did I mention that this is also a split bill with Annalivia, which contains many other fine musicans. Be there. All the cool bluegrass fans will.

Postscript: I got all of my bio information off of the Joy Kills Sorrow website so thanks to whoever wrote it.

Hillbilly at the Plough Tonight! 1-29

Once again this is a shameless last minute plug for a show I feel nobody should miss. Hillbilly Pilgrim ( featuring Mark Erelli) is playing the Plough and Stars at 10 pm.

Hillbilly Pilgrim is an album Mark did with members of the Spurs in 2004. This is one of my favorite Erelli albums. It’s energy is bright and infectious. The songs are catchy and meangingful which is quite an accomplishment in a pop music age.

If you’ve been reading this blog then I don’t have to tell you how much I adore Mark Erelli. If you’ve stumbled along this blog in some kind of after work Monday night haze then I will say it again. Mark is a top caliber musican and songwriter. His music ranges from rockabilly, western swing and folk. His latest album, “Hope and Other Casualities” was voted number 1 album of the year from WUMB.

Ok so I guess this has become more of a plug for Mark Erelli than the show, but you should get down to the Plough and Stars anyway and warm up your chilly New England bodies.

Loose Ends on Sunday 1/28

Looking for something to do on a cold Sunday afternoon. I suggest Loose Ends at Mike’s Pizza in Newton, Massachusetts.

Loose Ends is a local band with a lot of soul and fire. What sets this band apart is the two female lead singers.

more to come on this later.

check it out. you won’t be disappointed.

Boston City Limits

Cantab 1/16 10 pm

This is late getting out. I apologize for that, but if you read this before 10 pm , get your beautiful butts down to the Cantab to hear one of the first bluegrass bands I saw live.

Boston City Limits is a band of mighty fine musicans whose musical talent is only matched by their intelligence. I don’t have enough to say about a band whose members have been in so many diverse projects that I can’t find all the links I want on the web.

If you’ve ever gone to the Cantab than you will probably recogonize the band members by face. Most of them have participated in the downstairs jam prior and during the feature and the upstairs jam after the main act.

I’m 99% sure the first time I saw this band play was opening up for Tony Trishcka at the old Center for the Arts in Natick. They played as a band and with Tony as well. I can honestly say if it weren’t for that concert I probably wouldn’t be quite as obsessed with bluegrass as I am.