Posts Tagged ‘Russell Lawson’
September 2024 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase
2024 September VOCAL Showcase
The September 16th showcase featured, Russell Lawson and Ken Roller. Russell has been a long-time member of VOCAL and Ken is a fairly new member.
Russell Lawson
Russell was the first performer. He sings in a clear and understandable vocal style. His first selection was "Montana Wide" a song describing the geography of Montana, the wide-open plains, the clear skies and majestic mountains that could only have been designed by God. This was followed by "Grandma and Me" delivered in the voice of the grandpa talking to the grandkids and assuring them no matter their station in life they will always be welcome back home. "Where Are Your Tears" was a breakup type song where the singer inquired "were you faking it all these years". This was followed by "Lazy Gal Cafe" depicting the patrons who used the cafe as a stopping point as they journeyed along the Santa Fe trail. "Moments" captured the images of the past with a tinge of sadness and heartache. Another cafe stop "Wayne and Maggie's" was about truckers and every folk and country singer who made the cafe a mandatory stop. The song featured Russell's whistling. The last tune in his set was "Penguin Blues" complaining about the cold and ice in his life which was contributing to his blues state of mind.
Ken Roller
Ken Roller kicked off his set, with guitar and drum box, which helped him keep time and add some bass undertones to his songs. First up was a song he wrote for his wife many years ago, "Two Part Harmony" in which he says she was the missing puzzle piece in his life. "The Burn" referred to a relationship in which the other party acted as gasoline to his desire. In "Diversity" despite having different origins and ethnicities we are all made of the same flesh and blood and diversity is what makes life interesting. "Tripping Through These Days" talks about relatability and ignoring the hype we are subject to and accepting each other as we are. "Lines" was a song written with his daughter which talks about how we are connected to each other. "Tell It to My Heart" co-written with Glen King, is a love song in which the singer pleads with his lover to open up and discuss differences so they can come back together. A Pandemic song, "Locked Down", discussed the need for and advantages of vaccines even though some thought they were no magic bullets to stemming Covid. "Live In the Moment" asks us to make the most of each day and find joy in the little things like raking leaves. Next song in his set had Ken reaching out to his audience to "Share Your Love" a 60's type suggestion that we all reach out to each other with unabated love. "In Virginia" was a musical travelogue about the state which Ken wrote in a contest for a state song and extolled the beauty of Shenandoah's fields. Lastly: "Keep Hope Alive" wondered if the singer would get lucky in his pursuit of love for the night.
The 18-song night was enthusiastically received by the attentive audience
Showcase Photos
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Photo Credits: Matthew Costello
March 2024 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase
Another fine night of music as Glenda Creamer and Jim Puckett, two of VOCAL's regular members, shared their talents with the assembled audience.
Jim Puckett
Jim was first to perform. Five songs were brand new. He started his set with "The Act of Mercy" which was a confessional song hoping to receive atonement for breaking the rules of life. This was followed by "Ragged Edge" then a song about mortality "Kicking Up The Coals". "The Speed Of Sin" told about a person who acted foolishly and paid the price for her actions. "Everybody Needs A Home" described the anxiety the singer felt about returning to his roots and how he might feel when walking through the door once again. Next: "Pick Up The Phone" was a desperate plea to a loved one to answer the phone and hopefully, be alone and not with another lover. Going back into his catalog, "Poor Elena" was based on a true story about a midwife in the back country who despite her own loss of children, brought forth many others in her life's work. This was followed by "Home, Tonight" wishing to satisfy his need for love.
Glenda Creamer
Glenda is a long lime VOCAL member and a frequent showcase performer. She began her set with a series of song inspired by the Bible. "Wherever You Go, I Will Go" has the singer pledging herself to follow the love of God and God himself. "Your People Will Be My People" gives comfort to those who follow Jesus by assimilating His words. "This Wine" refers to turning water into wine, and being a "mighty fine wine". In order to fully understand the message of Jesus it is important to "Slow Down" while walking with Him and more so, to get back on your feet should one fall down on the way which was told in "I Fell Down, Last NIght" . Moving away from the testament, Glenda switched to some humorous songs "Frogs" being first up. As she tells it, frogs are everywhere, On your windshield, in the trees and scarlily, in your toilet bowl. Like the frogs, they should make you jumpy whenever they appear. After pulling the "Horse in The River" out, we were given a a tour of "Mrs. Grizzard's Washing Machine" wringer and all. "I'm Leaving Cody" was a tale of heading back home from the Wild West to Virginia, "Moonshine Sky" was followed by one of Glenda's standards "I'm A Witch, Today" describing the singer's feeling of casting spells and flying. "Confessions Of A Germaphobe" was self explanatory about the fear of being infected by things like a dog bite. Returning to Bibical references, her last song of the night was "The Splendor of King Solomon".
Thus, the showcase concluded with a wide spectrum of musical subjects and styles.
Showcase Photos
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Photo Credits: Matthew Costello and John Ellis
February 2024 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase
The February 2024 showcase took place on February 19th at O’Toole’s. An intimate and attentive crowd attended the event with one patron even seeking out a tip jar!
VOCAL President Matthew Costello opened the accompanied by backing tracks as he is unable to play guitar at this time. Walkin’ Willie is a catchy number many of us can relate to about a bomb-surviving war veteran whose purpose in life seemed to be walking the streets all over the town. Not sure exactly where he needed to be but he was heading there anyway! The Ghosts of Centre Hill is a Petersburg-based story about ghosts inhabiting the house and grounds of this early 19th century mansion. Shadows of September is one of Matthew’s more recent signature tunes that I believe came out his songwriting classes with Harriet Schock. The tune has some beautiful imagery and play on words describing the long shadows of the short days in September. Get Me Some Happy is the story of curbing a life of excess and taking the correct turn at the crossroads of life, occasionally resulting in “getting’ some happy”! He then delivered The Artist That Hung The Moon, one of his most touching works describing the wonderful artwork of John Atkinson Grimshaw. Missing Planks is a new song containing numerous images of a deteriorating dock observed over time and etched in your memory. The heart pine from a tree was like the branches of a family. Matthew ended his set with Behind the Scenes, a vision from a dream where he seem himself out front on the stage, but there’s a backstage crew making everything happen. Way to go, Matthew!
Russell Lawson took the stage with several of his awesome tunes. Montana Wide recounts the experience of a mission trip to Blackfoot Indian country in 2016. He has numerous vivid images of this breathtaking part of the country along with the spirituality he felt along the way, totally in harmony with the people of Montana. If You Call Now is a love-lost song with the narrator at fault. He knows that she’ll probably never come back to him but he’s leaving the door open in case she has a change in mind. Life Sentence is another love-lost number about being locked up without her love with no parole/visitors and having to spend this grueling life knowing what might have been. Russell then brought us Hallow Ground, a haunting yet beautiful tale born from attending a memorial service in Hollywood Cemetery. Wheatland is a tranquil spiritual story about departing this earthly world and looking down upon the serene river property on your way to Heaven. The grieving hearts will eventually find peace knowing you’ve found freedom in your beautiful resting place. High Road and Low describes the life of attempting to take the high road most of the time but inevitably falling down along the way – now that we’re here on this mountaintop with family and friends we’re back on the High Road! Ol’ Jack and Daddy is an interesting tale of Daddy’s love for Jack Daniels that made him run away from the family. He did have the decency to leave a note in an empty whiskey bottle along with a check for Mom to use for the kids! He then performed Charleston, an ode to his hometown in South Carolina that included vivid imagery of this beautiful country. He demonstrated some mighty fine whistling on this number! Penguin Blues is a “cool” tune that took flight when he was helping his son with a school project related to Antarctica. All I eat is fish, gotta go with the floe, etc. Wayne and Maggie’s Grill is a signature Russell tune that came from a dream. It’s a nostalgic view of an old truck diner that was torn down to build an interstate highway. Many great memories remain of its heyday when great food was being served and nightly live entertainment was held. RIP Wayne and Maggie’s Grill! Great job, Russell!
Showcase Photos
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Photo Credits: Matthew Costello and John Ellis
VOCAL Showcase October 2010
VOCAL Showcase Review – October 18, 2010
231st consecutive showcase!
Markiss Blowfish (Mark Branch) and Chuck Kerwath opened the show with a wonderful dose of blues to please the crowd. The two musicians met through VOCAL and have collaborated since then, with Chuck recording Mark’s new CD “Come Along With Me”. Chuck accompanied Mark with a cool “dobro-ish” acoustic slide guitar on their first number “Hard Times”. This song was the 2010 VOCAL Song of the Year (when your bag’s unpacked, nothing to eat, holes in your shoes, paying child support, hard times indeed!) “Betty Lou” followed with Chuck on lead acoustic guitar (she’s from the South – my kind of girl – what am I supposed to do? – she had a glow – with blue eyes). The duo followed with “Tumbleweed Rag”, an instrumental with Mark on harmonica and Chuck tickling the open strings of his guitar. This was a free-spirited number, and I could picture myself traveling down a peaceful country road with this song playing in my ear. The title track “Come Along With Me” was next, which was reminiscent of a B.B. King style – I’ll buy you diamonds and rubies, lunch and dinner with fine wine – meet me down behind the old oak tree. “Messin’ With Her” tells us he couldn’t eat or sleep all week because he’d been messin’ with her – they had been very discreet, found a place to be alone, until he came home… They finished out their set with “Honey-Do Man” with Chuck doing the honors on lead guitar again. Don’t ask me to do all these things – spend all my money, honey – don’t tell me to take my pressure pill or to turn the other cheek.
Russell Lawson then took the stage, joined by Dave Berry on fiddle and guitar. Russell treated us to some fine homespun tunes with topics ranging from prison songs to tunnel collapses (not while tunneling out of prison…). He led off with “Certain Freedom”, a “minor-key prison song” about a murderer on death row dreaming about a certain freedom once his debt is paid. “At the edge of moonlight, out past the razor wire, freedom’s like a river racing quiet through the night, far beyond the walls of tempered steel and stone around the place that murder made my home”. “Whole Lotta Gone” brings us a John Prine-ish tale of a cold-hearted former lover who turned from good to bad – “I thought that I could change you and I got what I deserved”. “Days Gone By” is a somber reflection of a loved one with a troubled life, with hope waiting in the wings, a story many of us can relate to – “get on your knees and lift your voices high, ‘cause there’s a place above where every tear is dried”. Dave swapped his fiddle for the guitar on “Swell”, a story of being overwhelmed by someone’s love, to the point that you’re fearful and cannot comprehend its power “if you would love me just a little, my heart might never touch the ground, but you pour in me like a river, so deep I feel I’m gonna drown”. Yes, you can get too much of a good thing! “Church Hill Tunnel” recounts the story of the collapse of the railroad tunnel that ran to Church Hill in Richmond, where many workers rode the rails to the end of their lives. The tunnel was sealed for safety, but the story is still alive and well. This song won 2nd place in a recent lyric contest in American Songwriter Magazine, quite an honor for Russell! Russell’s wife Katherine joined him on his last “country breakup” number, “Where are Your Tears”. As we’re on the verge of a breakup, where are the tears you said you’d shed if it ever came to this? Was your love really true, or were you faking it all these years? “I could change the wine, but I couldn’t quench your thirst”. Russell and Katherine ended the song with some beautiful a cappella harmony!
The headline performer, Bill Wellons, then took the stage, and was joined by John Ellis on guitar, Larry Cody on bass, and his son, Todd, on drums. “Long, Long Time Ago” recounts the good old days when things were more carefree and innocent (The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, the Age of Aquarius had not yet arrived). In light of today’s new stories, those good old days do seem like long, long ago. His next solo piano piece was untitled, but I felt I could be listening to a movie score or taking a helicopter ride through a pristine river valley with the feeling it conveyed. “Some Other World” brought out John Ellis on guitar, and the synthetic French horn sounds from Bill’s piano. This is an optimistic story of hope, where it would be great if “everyone cared, no one was angry, no one scared”. “Hurricane” followed with the band of John, Larry, and Todd. This is a colorful blues song about life along the river “my mom gave birth to me in this room, my daddy and granddaddy were born here too”. “Lickety-Split” was an up-tempo instrumental that I thought was reminiscent of the Allman Brothers of my yesteryear. Those familiar tones were pleasant music to my ears! Jack the hound dog was featured in “Doggone Blues”. He chewed up my sweater, peed on the petunias, doesn’t come when I call him, and even bit the FedEx man! Bad dog! John Ellis played some bad-dog electric slide guitar worthy of harmonious hound-howling on this song! John Ellis’ song “Blues # 1” was featured next, with Larry “Stanley Clark” Cody on the driving bass. I detected possibly some AC/DC influences in this song, and perhaps a dash of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”. “The Old Folks” is probably my favorite Bill Wellons song. It openly deals with the effects of war, but it is not an in-your-face protest song nor a lethal “call-to-arms” anthem. It simply tells it like it is, the “old man sitting in the old folks home, his wife got sick, now he’s all alone”. Their son Sam won a lot of medals in Viet Nam, but that damn war took their boy away. The next number, “Better Stay in Tonight”, is an all-too-familiar story about someone who feels like a prisoner within their own house – “lock the deadbolt, draw the drapes, the government just makes this worse”. I’d move out if I could – I hate this neighborhood. The finale was “Dueling No-Banjos”, another hard-driving instrumental featuring John on lead guitar, Larry on bass, and Todd on drums. Bill delivered the organ sounds of some of the early Allman Brothers tunes, and they really rocked the house with their closing number. The crowd called for more, but the group had exhausted their repertoire, so we’ll just have to wait until their next performance to satisfy our appetite!
– Steve Nuckolls
