THE BEAR RHYMES WITH WOMAN TOUR - CARBON LEAF & STEPHEN KELLOGG & THE SIXERS

10/07/2009

Visulite Theatre (16+ must have id - under 16 with parent only)

Doors Open: 6:30 - Headliner Begins: 8:15

THERE ARE STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOORS AT 6:30

Some bands insist on dragging listeners into their world, but Carbon Leaf works
towards a more admirable and considerably more difficult goal – that of letting perfect strangers feel that the band understands their world. The band succeeds in doing justthat -- and in creating a soundtrack suitable for multiple worlds -- on its third Vanguardrelease, Nothing Rhymes With Woman.

“For me, this is an album that’s focused on growth and maturity, but it’s not

deadly serious,” says front man Barry Privett. “I wanted to examine my life and the lives

of my family and friends and do it with a little bit of a wink. The last thing I wanted to do

was get all dark and overwrought.”

Privett and his bandmates dodge that pitfall with aplomb on Nothing Rhymes

With Woman, the much-anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed 2006 offering Love, Loss,

Hope, Repeat. As ever, the quintet -- recently joined by drummer Jason Neal, a veteran

of the southeast’s club circuit, and Seattle bassist Jon Markel -- challenge themselves

and listeners by steadfastly refusing to retrace old steps, bringing in like-minded

collaborators (like Toby Lightman, who brings a burnished tone to her vocal parts on the

gritty “Meltdown”) and taking off in plenty of new directions of their own accord.

That sense of freshness, to hear Privett tell the tale, has a lot to do with the

relaxed nature of the disc’s recording, which took place in their Richmond, Virginia

backyard. “This time, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time, and that was to

just throw away the timeline altogether,” says the singer. “We waited until everyone

believed in every single song without any doubt or questions. It was a return to the days

of doing music for the sheer joy of just doing it.”

STEPHEN KELLOGG AND THE SIXERS
Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. As the band sings passionately “Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. Sometimes you’re gonna win, sometimes you’re gonna lose…but you know in the end – there's no apologies!’’

“SK6ERS,” as they’re also affectionately known, have carved a determined, inspiring path since forming in Western Massachusetts in 2003. An exceptional live act given to high-energy showmanship, The Sixers are closing in on their 1000th show with a newfound grit and gratitude.

Stephen and the core Sixers – Kit “Goose” Karlson (keys, bass, tuba, accordion) and

Brian “Boots” Factor (drums, mandolin, banjo), are friends who act like brothers and switch off on their instruments to keep it fresh; much in the tradition of their collective heroes, ‘The Band.  “We’ve all opted to approach our life in the same way – trying to put integrity ahead of ambitions of fame and fortune, though we’d like that too... at least the fortune part,” Stephen says with a laugh. Many bands talk about “keeping it real,” but in The Sixers’ case, they mean it. “We’re not up there projecting a personality we can’t believe in. I think it’s important to go with the feel of each moment and take chances.”

That explains why producer Tom Schick (Norah Jones, Ryan Adams, Rufus Wainwright) signed up for the new record. “Each person in The Sixers really adds a lot,” he says. “They’re so locked in with each other. Stephen is definitely the leader of the gang, but everybody has their say,” he adds of the roles played by Boots Factor and Kit Karlson. “They rise and fall together. It’s amazing to watch them work.”

The Bear is their rawest and most collaborative album yet. With alternating tracks between producers Tom Schick and Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown) the album was recorded in an apartment studio in NYC and a big old house in Maine respectively. The duality of these settings fits perfectly with Kellogg’s description of his family upbringing as, "aristocrats and farmers." Ditto the musical diet he was raised on, a strange bedfellow mix of his dad's 70's records and his sister's taking him to 80's metal concerts. Kellogg explains, "I'm as much a product of Whitesnake as I am of Jackson Browne. The beauty of The Sixers is that they don't have a problem with that.

DAWN LANDES

Start Time: 7:00

PASTE Magazine March 2008
* * * * *
'In pictures, she plays the part of the unassuming pinup girl for the roots renaissance, but Dawn Landes’ music sits neatly on the fulcrum between Cat Power and Neko Case. On Fireproof, she layers guitars, banjos and pedal steel with winsome touches like optigans and thumb pianos. Moods shift throughout the 12 songs, from starry-eyed to apathetic, but the standout tracks on Fireproof showcase this singer at her most bittersweet. Landes writes her best songs from the seat of the aimless dreamer and paints her surroundings with an inviting haze of solace. She shuffles, mumbles and muses her way through the finer points of Fireproof, like the slow-burning “Twilight,” a future Americana slow-dance standard. “Another starless night / another dim streetlight / you turn your head just right / the street becomes the sky.” Emily Anderson'

www.dawnlandes.com