Concert Reviews

Concert Interviews with two leading musicians in America

Michaela Anne is a country artist with fire and verve in her music and who took time out of her busy routine to answer a rare question on which three concerts/performances she has attended that moved her for the musical ability and skill of the artist/or given band? The following is her reply:

1. Kate McGarrigle of the McGarrigle Sisters passed away years ago and I went to the tribute show at Town Hall in NYC after her passing. This must have been around 2010 or so? It was made up of a long list of incredible musicians, including her children, Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Antony of Antony & the Johnsons and even Jimmy Fallon sang Loudon Wainwright’s song “The Swimming Song”. I was absolutely blown away by this show. Not only was the musicianship incredible, the songs (the McGarrigle sisters’ catalog), were so well crafted and the emotion was so incredibly joyful and melancholy as they were all obviously grieving. That show was a turning point for me where I really realized emotional connection is the driving force for me and life as a musician.

2. Rosanne Cash at the Country Music Hall of Fame I believe in 2015. I had never seen her live and I enjoyed every moment of that show. The band was incredible and her voice was beautiful but she also was so engaging. I felt like she took the audience on a real journey... she shared historical stories, told jokes, was poignant and meaningful. I walked away feeling like I knew her in a way and had also felt every emotion and was thoroughly satisfied by that.

3. Bonnie Raitt at the Ryman Auditorium I believe around 2016? This show blew my mind. She is STILL so good. Her band’s level of musicianship is incredibly high and she is just so good I don’t even know how to say anything more eloquent than that. She’s so good. I left that show feeling so energized, invigorated and inspired to work. To take care of myself so I can be singing the rest of my life with a clear strong voice, to practice more, to work harder. Her level of talent, work ethic, ability, is just on a level of its own. At the very end of the show, after this big loud, full band performance, she sat down on a stool and played "I Can’t Make You Love Me", just her and an acoustic guitar. I was fully weeping. Not misty eyed... full on, ugly face crying.

Musician Terri Hendrix with her “blues with a poetic grace” music has traveled far and wide and performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival. She has also been recognized by Acoustic Guitar magazine as one of Texas’ 20 essential contemporary singer-songwriters.
Listed below are the three concerts/performances Hendrix has attended that moved her for the musical ability and artful lyrics.
Artist: Maines Brothers

Venue: Lubbock TX Civic Center
Year: 2016
what moved me was their musicianship and their connection to the audience. The tightness they have as a group equates to the years they have shared as band. They don’t cross-cross the globe like they once did. They play once a year in Lubbock. What a show! They have a fan base that that goes back

Artist: Dixie Chicks
Venue: The Big Formula One Race Track (is this name right)
Year: 2016
The video that supported their show was over the top. No bells and whistles. Just art and performance. They flat out play their butts off. The song choice, their own songs, the production: Brilliant. Inspiring.

Artist: Joe Ely
Venue: Liberty Lunch
Year: 1998
He just nails it. Did then and still does. What worries me is that most of his music is wrapped inside a record label. They have bigger fish to present and promote online. They don’t get that Ely is the Biggest fish. Would there be a Springsteen without Ely? It’s impossible (at this time) to stream Ely’s entire catalogue. It’s even impossible to download it. I bought a few CDs through Amazon but received a copy without liner notes. He’s an amazing musician, but part of what made him a cult status name was his band and musical cohorts. Need the liner notes! He delivers the song with eyes wide open. There’s a fervor to his deliver and a bravado that’s intense and yet not put on. When I saw him at Liberty Lunch, I was hooked. I was before then ...
His performance was inspired and raw. He closed with a song by Townes. Fitting