(6pm) - Lil Rev, Misner & Smith, The Courtney Janes House Concert February 19, 2012

To attend RSVP: [email protected]
Suggested Donation: $10-$20 (Sliding Scale)
http://kcturnerpresents.com/

Lil Rev
... http://lilrev.com/

Misner & Smith
http://misnerandsmith.com/

The Courtney Janes
http://thecourtneyjanes.com/

Lil Rev:

Lil Rev was born in 1968 in Milwaukee, WI where he currently resides. Rev graduated from John Marshall High School in 1987 and went on to receive his Bachelors Degree in Educational Policy & Community Development (Community Ed.) from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Rev grew up in a musical family with a Mom who loved to sing Broadway and grandparents who sang and played piano and harmonica. He purchased his first guitar at the age of 12 with his paper route money and set about learning chords and songs off of his favorite records. Guitar was followed by Harmonica, Mandolin, and later Banjo.

At about 25 years, he was given an old beat up Wendell Hall Banjo Ukulele and likewise, voraciously set about the task of learning how to master this humble little instrument so imbued with tradition and style.

While he is hopelessly Midwestern, his frequent travels find him teaching and touring all over the continental United States. His many unique niches include one man shows of Jewish Cultural History (Jews of Tin Pan Alley, Jews N Blues), Scraps of Quilting Music (A Celebration of Quilting Lore and History in American), Yiddish Song & Story,

Harmonica Workshops for Kids and Adults, Ukulele Festivals and Workshops, Songwriter, Storyteller, Music History Lectures at Elderhostels, and much, much more!

Currently Lil Rev writes instructional books for Hal Leonard Publishing, presents clinics all over the U.S. and tours internationally as a performer of time honored classics including: Ukulele Music, Old-Time Blues, Tin Pan Alley, American Folk, Jewish & Yiddish Folksongs, and Original Songs.

Misner & Smith:

Just when you thought you’d heard all that the Americana/Folk revival could show you, Misner & Smith bring a freshness and lyrical vitality you won’t find anywhere else. When you hear these two you’ll think they were born to sing together, with an exceptional vocal blend that cuts right to your soul. At moments raw and powerful, and at other times hauntingly subtle, extraordinary two-part harmonies anchor Misner & Smith’s unique and compelling original music. Megan Smith plays the upright bass and mandolin while Sam Misner plays guitar, and with stellar award-winning songwriting to boot, Misner & Smith retain a connection to roots music that has been described as “the perfect balance between traditional and contemporary”. Though it is not always easy to put their music into one category it is evident that the tradition of duets is truly alive and well in these two performers. You will be amazed at the fullness of sound and depth of songs from Misner & Smith.

The duo began their musical collaboration after working together as actors on a production of the musical Woody Guthrie’s American Song and immediately recognized a mutual love of Americana music, particularly focused on vocal harmonies. Since then, the two have been touring regularly and have built a steady and loyal following. They have performed on the main stages at both the San Francisco and El Cerrito Folk Festivals, and recently headlined at Berkeley’s famed acoustic venue, the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse.

In a recent review of the duo’s second album Poor Player, Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal called Sam “one of the most promising songwriters I’ve heard in quite some time.” Hicks With Sticks Magazine described Misner & Smith as “a Bay Area treasure to be shared…with a touch for taking simple ideas and infusing them with unexpected meaning, metaphor and imagery.”

Balancing their careers as actors and musicians is no easy task, but the two have found the art of storytelling to be one of the common threads running through both forms. Characters of various types inhabit their songs. Some are fictional, some are autobiographical, and some are even historical, as in the tune “Triangle Factory Fire”. Based on the true story of the infamous fire at the Triangle Waistcoat Factory in New York City in 1911, the song combines researched facts and invention to retell the tragic story from a first-person perspective.

Crafting original songs rich in meaning and texture, the duo’s sound is centered around unique vocal harmonies and evocative lyrics, and in 2007, “Madeline (Paradise Cracked)” won the West Coast Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year competition. The title track of their most recent release “Poor Player” (2008) was nominated in the New Folk category in one of the world’s largest international song contests put on by the Just Plain Folks music organization. It is the combination of strong songwriting and vocal delivery that drove RARwriter.com to declare “this is truly inspired vocalizing, this is ‘shivers up the spine’ singing!”

The Courtney Janes:

The Courtney Janes are a duo from Marin County that believe music should always be played from the heart. Dennis Haneda has been strumming and singing his songs around the San Francisco Bay Area for all of his life. Ben Hulan describes himself as a "Virginian songwriter in California". Both Ben and Dennis have played and recorded in various different groups over the years, ranging from folk and bluegrass to rock n' roll. Grounded in acoustic folk and colored with the electric guitar and mandolin, The Courtney Janes have an exciting sound of their own.

"Like the Everly Brothers or the BoDeans, Dennis and Ben's songs and voices blend so well, you'd think they grew up playing music together."
-Drew Pearce, Acoustic Guitar Magazine

"They truly are two of the more gifted musicians I have heard in a while and a great pleasure to listen to performing live...Ben's absolute mastery of the mandolin as well as Dennis' ownage on the guitar are brought to the forefront whenever they segue into an instrumental."
-Nusi, Live Music Review

"I just love The Courtney Janes and their 'radio drop' has become legendary!"
-Kellie in the Morning, KVON Radio, Napa

"The Courtney Janes are a new time old timey duo of young fellows who know their ways around a pleasing melody and write a catchy song or 2!"
-Richard Rice, SF Hootenanny

Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/228587167215739/?notif_t=event_invite