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Blog posts
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May 09, 08:21 AMLocals Only Playlist for Sunday, May 10, 2009
Tune to Locals Only on Majic 94.1 in this Sunday night at 8pm for an interview with Tony Low. If you're outside the listening area you can listen live at www.majic941.com
Want your music played on Locals Only? Send me an mp3. Be sure to included song title and website or myspace info. Or, you can send a CD to:
WTHZ
200 Radio Dr.
Lexington, NC 27242
Attn: Locals Only
One Kiss—The Freddie Adkins Band
My Father Said—Big Ron Hunter
www.rockhouserecordsblues.com/BigRonHunter.html
Drug—Freezer Door
www.myspace.com/freezerdoorband
Sexy Little Note—Tammie Davis
www.tammiedavismusic.com
One Fine Day--Tony Low
www.myspace.com/tonylowmusic
This Old House--Tony Low
www.myspace.com/tonylowmusic
Kids Hate Rock n Roll—Stratocruiser
www.stratocruisermusic.com
Stickin Me—Blues Express
www.myspace.com/bluesexpress
I Hear a Trellis—The Dave Fox Group
www.myspace.com/davefoxgroup
Bent (But Not Broken)--Contagious Blues Band
www.myspace.com/contagiousbluesband
Mellow Down Easy—The Groove
www.freethemusic.net
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Mar 24, 07:33 PMGo See Do Week of March 22nd
Get out and support these local musicians and music events. Remember, musicians are people too!
Do you have an event or a performance you'd like included in Go See Do? Shoot an email to lisa@majic941.com Include band name, venue name, city and date.
Week of March 22nd
Monday
Open Mic
Blind Tiger
GSO
Open Mic
Walkers
GS
Tuesday
Open Mic
Black Bear
WS
Open Mic
Claddagh
HP
Open Mic
Plum Krazy’s
GSO
Wednesday
Open Mic
The Garage
WS
Thursday
Open Mic Comedy Night
The Garage
WS
Citified w/ Blind Pilot
Studio B
GSO
Tickets are going fast!
Friday
Old Stone Revue
The Blind Tiger
GSO
House of Fools w/ Holy Ghost Tent Revival & The Money Notes
Greene Street
GSO
Mystdog w/ Amelia's Mechanics & Mark Cool
The Flatiron
GSO
For these and more grab a copy of Yes! Weekly and check out their Entertainment Guide or check it out online at www.yesweekly.com
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Oct 31 2008, 05:51 PMThis Week on Locals Only
Join me for Locals Only this Sunday, as Greensboro singer/songwriter Kristy Jackson chats with me in the studio. Kristy is a BMI award winning songwriter for her song Take It Back recorded by Reba McEntire and just re-released this week in Reba's new box set. This week's show also features music by The New Familiars, Big Daddy Love, Tres Chicas and more. The show airs on Sunday nights at 8pm on Majic 94.1. If you are outside the Triad or the Charlotte area, you can listen online at majic941.com
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Oct 31 2008, 05:47 PMLocals Only Playlist for October 26th, 2008Whose Love?--Heavens Sake www.myspace.com/heavenssakeofficialsite
I'm No Good--Desmond Myers www.myspace.com/desmondmyers
Gary Busey Crazy--Benj-O-Matic www.benjomatic.com
Down Home Cooking--Part Time Party Time Band www.parttimepartytimeband.com
Funked Up--Hot Politics www.hotpoliticsband.com
Late Night--Hot Politics www.hotpoliticsband.com
Ooh Girl Don't Stop--The Truetones
Savior--Jason Sweet www.jasonsweet.net
I Need A Clue--Billy Jeffords www.billyjeffords.com
Our Eyes & Waving Fingers--We Are Masked www.myspace.com/wearemasked
Julian Of Norwich--Bombadil www.bombadilmusic.com
What Was I Thinking--Ashley Jo Farmer www.myspace.com/ashleyfarmermusic
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Oct 23 2008, 05:48 PMThis Week on Local's Only
Join me for Locals Only this Sunday, as Greensboro musician Tommy Scifres from Hot Politics chats with me in the studio. This week’s show also features music by Heavens Sake, Desmond Myers, Bombadil and more. The show airs on Sunday nights at 8pm on Majic 94.1. If you are outside the Triad or the Charlotte area, you can listen online at majic941.com
On Saturday, November 15th at 8pm, Eastern Music Festival presents Fringe in the Fall: Lisa Dames Sings Patsy Cline. This concert will feature Bruce Kiesling on piano, Sam Frazier on guitar and Lisa Dames on vocals. The trio will be performing music made popular by the queen of country music, Patsy Cline. Tickets are $20.
Mack and Mack hosts the event. Space is limited to 100. Mack and Mack is located at 220 South Elm Street in Greensboro, NC.
For tickets call the Triad Stage Box office 336.272.0160 or 866.579.TIXX or go online to easternmusicfestival.org
For more information go to lisadames.com
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Sep 04 2008, 08:06 PMTemple's lively opener already a smash hit
The Sanford Herald 09/02/2008, Page B01
Temple's lively opener already a smash hit
By SUSAN FARRINGTON Herald Correspondent SANFORD - It was a night to inscribe in the memory book, a show that scored off the charts."A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline" enfolded every single person in the audience, inviting each one to tag along on the beloved country star's unbelievable journey.
The show itself might be all about the Patsy Cline story, but at Temple Theatre it rates kudos for Lisa Dames' triumphant, virtually flawless depic tion of the iconic country legend.
With unparalleled vocal versatility and never-ending pizzazz, she bounds onto the stage, a larger than life reembodiment of the legendary first lady of Country who raised the bar for female country singers to an almost unattainable height. Boisterous and bouncy, unflappable and outrageously energetic, she carries the audience to an emotional high and holds it there all evening.
The production is polished to a high sheen, giving one a chance to wax nostalgic about Cline's meteoric rise to stardom from a poky little radio program to the Arthur Godfrey show and the Grand Ole Opry and relive her extraordinary successes in Las Vegas casinos and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall. An opportunity to re flect on and hum along with "Walkin' After Midnight" and such popular country classics as "Lovesick Blues" and "Sweet Dreams."
What a set of pipes this reincarnated luminary possesses! Without such a superb voice "A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline" would offer little more than a pleasant evening in the theater. But the crucial difference is that the vitality, unabashed sexuality, raw emotion and dynamite charisma of the acclaimed songstress are all revived, vibrating in super abundance during every second of Dames' incredible performance.
Her voice soaring to the rafters, she shines at full throttle from the first to last note in each song. The vocal chords might not sound exactly like Cline's, but they possess a thrilling tim bre, a husky pulsating resonance and deep throaty tones that send shivers up and down your spine.
Twenty-one matchless songs come alive again. Show-stopping renditions of "There He Goes," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "She's Got You," "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" and all the others that Patsy once made her own. In my remembrances they'll now forever belong to Dames, who has a unique style that's by turns bubbly and vivacious, then poignant and soulful. A sultry voice that wraps around a song and a mesmerizing stage presence. Hers is a magical talent that's utterly indescribable.
And with that very powerful voice resounding throughout the theater, embracing every note, Dames most definitely IS that unforgettable woman who can hold an audience in the palm of her hand. She is absolutely that superstar who knows exactly how to intone a song . how to caress its heartache in every bar of music, how to make each listener sense her hurt and long to share the pain. How to hold a listener in the crook of her arm with "I Fall To Pieces;" how to belt out a scintillating "Bill Bailey."
While the show essentially belongs to the singular woman creator Dean Regan memorialized in his script, multi-talented Michael Brocki as narrator LBM (Little Big Man) at times comes mighty close to stealing the spotlight. Adding indispensable comic balance to Dames' wonderful singing, he's the hootenanny hayseed announcer on local WINC Radio, alternating public service announcements with the news; he's that inimitable Grand Ole Opry scalawag Melvin and he's the outrageous inebriated opening-act jokester who warms up a nightclub audience with his witty wisecracks.
Likewise, five positively fantastic musi cians led by noted pianist, composer and musical director Michael Hoagland form an integral part of the show. Under the skillful guidance of TempleTheatre's artistic direc tor Peggy Taphorn, in every number their nuanced interactions with the star move the show along at a fast, seamless pace. It also doesn't hurt that the fabulous circa 1950's set designed Eileen Greenbaum-Mintz, and enhanced by the expertise of lighting and sound designers Cailen Waddell and Thomas Dalton, contributes to the look and feel of a sophisticated Broadway spectacle.
Bracketed between the show's bouncy openers,"Come On In" and "Gotta Lot of Rhythm," and the final haunting chords of "Crazy" stretches a sweeping musical excur sion laden with reminiscences. Although everyone in the theater might know the mu sic, the moving tribute is staged in delight fully unpredictable ways that can suddenly trigger a recollection, elicit a catch in the throat and bring down the ho use after each memorable tune.When all is said and done, the musical really belongs to the star whose shimmering portrayal showcases the one and only . the quintessential Patsy Cline.
Yearning for the blues? Hankering for honky tonk? Pining for soul? You've got them all, every dynamic inch crowded into one single vibrant woman. It would be practically impossible to find anyone who doesn't leave the theater lingering under the spell of Lisa Dames' charmed performance, cherishing the experience, and wishing the show had gone on longer.
If you don't have one yet, 'Twould be wise to make a reservation for "A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline," which runs through Sept. 28. They'll be scarcer than a hen's proverbial teeth once word gets out that Temple Theatre has mounted a two-thumbs up, five-star production no one should miss.
Want to go? Showtimes are Thursdays at 2 and 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission: Adult $ 20 ($ 16 on Thursday nights), $ 10 for chil dren/ students, $ 16 for active mili tary, $ 16 for Lee County educators and $ 16 per person for groups 10 or more. For tickets and more information, call Temple Theatre's box office, 774-4155. -
Aug 16 2008, 01:17 PMToday's Country Magazine Interview
My friend Jefrey Curtis with Today's Country Magazine recently conducted an interview with me. Follow the link to read the interview online.
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Jul 21 2008, 07:40 AMLisa Dames/Lori McKenna reviewThis is review of the show that did with Lori McKenna in GSO last weekend. Enjoy.
Review: Country music, but with better lyrics
By GRANT BRITT
Special to the News & RecordMONDAY, JULY 218:49 amAs the Lisa Dames/Lori McKenna show for the EMF Fringe Festival demonstrated Saturday night at Triad Stage, the part of the country you're from doesn't determine the amount of country in you.
St. Louis native Dames belts out brassy country with a head-turning twang. Accompanied by local guitarist Sam Frazier, the 40-year-old mother of two revealed she still checks out the masculine merchandise market on her honky-tonk shout-out to the boys in the big hats, "Good Time Lookin'."
Dubbed the queen of grass-roots marketing by Frazier, Dames impressed McKenna with her shrink-wrapped minivan replicating her latest album cover, "No One Like Me."
Though she admitted to also wanting her own vehicle done over to display her image, McKenna, a mother of five, said it wouldn't work for her. "My three teenage sons wouldn't drive anything with Mom's picture all over it," she said, joking.
McKenna talks with the broad Boston accent of her native Stoughton, Mass., but she sings with a Southern accent. Her sound is more folk/punk than country.
Country audiences discovered her in 2005 when Faith Hill was so impressed with McKenna's songwriting that she went back and added three McKenna tunes - "Fireflies," "If You Ask" and "Stealing Kisses" - to a supposedly completed album, naming it after McKenna's tune "Fireflies."
After the album hit No. 1, McKenna was invited on the 2007 Faith Hill/Tim McGraw tour and also has been opening for Trisha Yearwood.
McKenna sounds like a blend of Dolly Parton and Lucinda Williams mixed with a dash of June Carter Cash and a pinch of Alanis Morissette. With the help of accompanist Mark Erelli, her arrangements are beautifully crafted and presented, with no yee-hah licks.
Some call it country because it has a twangy accent, but the music and the lyrics are too intelligent for the stuff that passes for today's country music.
Even when she tackles a country music staple on "Drinkin' Problem," her take on it rises above the competition: "I never touch the stuff, but, honey, I'll tell you what/You can't count all the ways it touches me."
McKenna had an easy rapport with the audience, asking them at one point if everybody was OK, then adding that she didn't know what she'd do if they weren't. "Because this is the only thing I know how to do," she said, laughing.
She seemed startled at the sight of a barefoot dancer in an aisle. "I don't usually get dancers. I'm not here to make you happy," she said, joking. "I usually make people cry."
She mocked her lack of notoriety, admitting she didn't have a signature song, but asking if the attendees would freak out anyway if she cued them when she was about to play her big number. It took two tries, but the crowd finally erupted on cue as she played the intro to "Stealing Kisses."
With a talent like this, McKenna won't be without a signature for long. This sound has her name all over it.
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Jul 11 2008, 11:26 AMHouse Concerts-booking now
I've been hearing a lot about indie musicians who travel around and do house concerts. (My friend Bruce Piephoff does tons of them.)
House concerts are an awesome way to throw a cool summer party & entertain your friends with great original acoustic music ~ plus with Sam and I it's a bit of a comedy show thrown in! The intimate setting of house concerts is a great way for us to play music & share the stories behind the songs. Just contact me & I will give you all the details, but basically you set a party date & tell me when & where~ I promise a night to remember.
Shoot me an email and I'll give you the full details on how you can have a private Lisa Dames/Sam Frazier concert. lisa@lisadames.com -
Jun 19 2008, 07:50 PMBS from New Music Weekly
I received this via email from one of the many "industry" mags. It's just another example of what's wrong with the industry today.
I, of course, sent a reply. It's at the bottom.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHY ARE YOU REPORTING?
by: Randy Adams
Hollywood, Ca U.S.A. - It�s been an interesting week. Monday, I got a call from a man representing a record label I had never heard of. He went on to tell me that he was working a single from an artist I vaguely remember from last year�s charts, and like all others that have called here for 20 years, or one week, I told him until I had the product in my hand I really couldn�t do or say much about the possibility of playing it.He then went on to ask about promoters. Who are some good ones, he wanted to know. Stop right there. Red flag time. He asked the question as if he had been through this once already by using a promoter, and his single didn�t do as well as he thought it would.
That�s par for the course, my friend. Most artists believe they have a top ten hit on their hands if they�ve recorded professionally, promoted right, and spent considerable cash doing so. But the more he talked, the more he kept putting the blame on his lack of success of being at number one with a bullet on the promoter. And, that�s not a fair assessment.
As music directors, we all have ears. We all have material that comes across our desk that either simply doesn�t fit our particular station, or is something we think we heard the past week in a karaoke bar. Not to be Simon Cowell-ish here, but, everybody thinks they�re going to be the next Fergie, James Blunt, Alan Jackson, etc. This person went further and told me he had re-mastered his original single that �didn�t do so well� the first time around, gave it more kick, and was going to promote the song himself.
So, from the beginning of the conversation, I was led to believe I was speaking with a promoter either from the label or a hired hand. And the conversation quickly evolved into finding out that this person, the label, and the promoter, were all one human being. The artist didn�t have the money to hire a promoter, he said, but felt the song would �kick ass� on its own merit.
I�m not saying it can�t be done. I�ve just never seen an artist record, write, promote, and chart their own record single-handedly. Ever. And I�ve reported to Gavin, R&R, and many other trades that have come and gone. Yeah, even the trades dwindle down to nearly nothing sometimes.It is logical and beneficial for stations to report their list to a trade. We chose this one because of the independent flair it offers programmers, so your station can see others out there with open minds. This caller had a tracking sheet, and noted, as the conversation lumbered on, that his song only got to 12 spins a week from a compilation disc that was sent out, but another song from the same disc got twice as many spins. He thought his song was better. I told him that in his mind, he was right. But, so was I with the selection I made to keep his song at a low level spin count. It didn�t fit my station, and apparently not too many others either.
The moral of the story? Everybody�s a star until they jump as a big fish in a small pond into the swimming pool with the big boys and girls. Then, the talent is easily separated. You want to get noticed? HIRE A PROMOTER. You want stations to play your song? LOOK FOR STATIONS THAT REPORT TO TRADES. Respect the program and music director�s call times- in this day and age of radio, it�s usually one program director for multiple stations, and contrary to what might be the picture in your mind, we have much more to do than meets the eye. Network. Do your best to find the best people to help you achieve your goal. But, don�t expect radio station PD�s to buy your story that you represent an artist when YOU ARE the artist. Don�t expect us to favor one promoter over another, because word travels fast in this industry and in my opinion, they�re all good.....that said, they have to have the material, and that is a bonafide, playable, radio friendly record to work.....that is professionally recorded and is mixed well. They are the middle men in this picture, and successful artists need successful and knowledgeable promoters, who are acquainted with radio folks on a first name basis.
My reply:
>> Ive just never seen an artist record, write, promote, and chart their own record single-handedly.
I believe Loretta Lynn charted her first single without a label or a promoter.
Why should an artist have to shell out thousands of dollars to get their music heard. Isn't it radio's job to listen? Remember when radio launched the new artists and not the ad dollars? Yes, they have the right to not play, but to not listen?
So if an indie artist can't afford to hire a promoter it means they're not good? Jack Ingram,38, reigning New Male Vocalist couldn't get radio play outside of Texas for years. Does that mean he was any less of an artist? Or just that he hadn't gotten in front of the right people yet? Or hadn't found the right person to allow him to invest in his label? Because as all of us in the industry know, lots of artists and their families "invest" in labels to secure their artists' deals. (Laura Bryna, Taylor Swift, Jewel) And in some cases it pays off for the label. (Taylor Swift) But who's to say that these artists would have ever been discovered had they not had someone willing to "invest"? Phyllis Stark did a great editorial on this in an issue of Music Row.
And in today's world of Indie's there are lots of artists who are acting as their own label exec, manager and promoter. Jim Brickman did it when he first started out. He loves telling that story.
>> Don't expect us to favor one promoter over another...
I did a 62 station 20 state radio tour. Certain promoters ARE favored over others. Whether it be for professionalism or personality. I heard the stories first hand from the MD's and PD's.
After reading your article I understand why it's called LaLa Land.
Lisa Dames
Independent Artist, Label Exec, Publicist, Artist Manager, Promoter
