Aereo Benefit Moon
Live music’s power to raise the spirit can also be called upon to raise some money, when people of good will and open hearts are asked to come together for a righteous cause. The Moonlight Mission (so named for its purpose, and the edifice itself) offered a stage, a sound system, and restrooms many times in charitable enterprise, most memorably one steamy Sunday afternoon in support of a beloved homeboy guitar player. Rick Kurtz, impaired but much obliged, was present for a barn-burner, gospel-hot house jam that filled two Cohiba Grande cigar boxes with donated cash to help defray his medical expenses.
Indeed, throughout the venue’s run, an altruistic aura seemed to pervade the premises, and somehow kept the doors open when conventional financial arithmetic would not. The whole notion of give-and-you’ll-get karma found its proof time and again at Moonlight—- performers and patrons alike made clear their affection for all we managed to offer, and for that we will always be MUCH OBLIGED.
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August 4, 2010
Friends of the Moonlight-
We've all seen those cartoons where some ragged soul is crawling on his hands and knees across the desert, clothes in tatters, tongue hanging out, tilted cactus in the background, blazing sun low on the horizon--- not so damn funny right now, is it? Survival mode calls for us to seek a cool refuge, share an iced beverage with friends, and get our minds off of the blast furnace outdoors with some great music.
Can you think of a good place to do that?
This weekend at The Moonlight--->
Thursday 5th-- SAM POINTER in a "Tribute to John Hartford", $12
Had a lot of calls on this one already, so we expect a pretty good turnout--- and with good reason! Sam hasn't done this show but twice before, once at the original Moonlight---- he'll return in homage to the man who bridged the gap between traditional bluegrass and the progressive new audience of the 1970's, the 20th century riverboat captain who wrote "Gentle on My Mind", one of the most recorded songs of all time. In solo performance for the first set, Sam demonstrates his discipleship with banjo, fiddle and guitar--- in the second half of the show, he's joined by Herb Trotman (banjo) and Leo McDermott (fiddle) in a track-by-track rendering of Hartford's unique 1971 album, "Aereo-Plain"... come early for a good seat, and you better bring a folding chair with you, ours will likely fill up! Doors at 6:45pm, show at 7:30.
www.sampointer.com
Sam Pointer, John Hartford Tribute, August 5 2010, 83 present
Leo McDermott
Herb Trotman
Friday 6th-- NASHVILLE WRITER'S ROUND, with Mason Douglas, Denise Locke, and Jeff Jackson, $12
Just up the road at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, a tradition was born that underpins the entire mission of The Moonlight--- a regular gathering of original songwriters, playing the simplest versions of their new material to each other, and to a respectful, listening audience. We've invited three of Music City's up-and-coming tunesmiths for an evening in that format--- they'll all take the stage together and swap songs they've pitched successfully to the big names, along with several more they hope to have success with in the near future. Mason, Denise, and Jeff all have samples on their websites--- make sure you check them out, and have some requests ready when they arrive to give us a night of their best work. Doors at 7, show at 7:30
www.masondouglasmusic.com
www.myspace.com/deniselocke
www.myspace.com/jeffjacksonsongs
Saturday 7th-- ART WILSON, and JANET SIMPSON of The Delicate Cutters, $10
Alt-folk is the domain of a college- and post-college-age demographic, which around here means a localized number of twenty-somethings who enjoy original tunes produced mainly with the instruments their grandparents were familiar with. Art Wilson is the project name for three (or four) of the most committed members of that community... they aren't terribly definitive in describing their own music, we'll just say it has varying degrees of energy, emotion, and elaboration during the course of one set. They'll be preceded by a solo set from Janet Simpson, the lone female member of The Delicate Cutters, a popular band signed to the groundbreaking indie label Skybucket Records. Their friends are sure to be out in force, and ready to hear this music in a concert format... and we can assure you, NOBODY'S too old for it. Doors at 7, show at 7:30
www,myspace.com/artwilson
www.myspace.com/delicatecutters
Janet Simpson, August 7 2010, 47 present
Sunday 8th-- THE RICK KURTZ BENEFIT--- sold out
We mention this event mainly to tell you we're pitching in to help one of Birmingham's most respected contemporary musicians, guitarist Rick Kurtz, who suffered a stroke in April... he needs expensive therapy equipment to get him on the path to playing again. Organized by some of the many, many friends he's made in the last thirty years of rockin' hereabouts, it'll be an afternoon of great music by former fellow players, to an exclusive crowd of 100 contributors at $100 each... a generous gesture of support to a man who has certainly earned it. If you don't have a ticket already, well--- you'll just have to hear about it later.... BUT, you can still make a donation of your own, AND purchase a chance at winning a specal Telecaster guitar autographed by a loooong list of music celebrities who lined up to offer their help. We're pulling for ya, Ricky!
www.rickkurtzbenefit.com
Rick Kurtz Benefit, August 8 2010, 100+ present
From left: Mike Duke, Donna Hall Foster, Tommy Talton, Don Tinsley, Lolly Lee, Scott Boyer
A PEEK AT NEXT WEEK--
Thursday 12th--- SUZI RAGSDALE, Nashville singer/songwriter/yogateacher/organic chef-- veeerrry interesting!
Friday 13th AND
Saturday 14th-- DOLORES HYDOCK, two stunning Medieval monologues, an unforgettable experience-- reservations requested!
Visit our website's Calendar page for complete information about these and other future events... and stay cool!