Tuesday, April 15, 2008

This Friday night, lots of music in Durham

First up, a fund-raiser for Urban Ministries (non-denominational) is being sponsored by St. Philip's Episcopal Church. In 2003, St. Philip's launched Strings Attached Productions, a concert series to help raise funds for the good works of Urban Ministries.

One of my all time favorite artists, Kate Campbell, will be performing this Friday night. If you haven't heard of her before, here's a little about her:
Originally from Sledge, MS, the daughter of a Baptist preacher, Kate's formative years were forged by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and those indelible experiences continue to inform her music. Her eloquent gift for storytelling draws repeated comparisons to such southern writers such as Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, and William Faulkner. NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Car Talk, and Mountain Stage often feature Kate's music. She performs around the country and abroad, including such prestigious festivals as the Cambridge Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival and Merlefest. In an especially unique collaboration, Ballet Memphis featured songs from several of Kate's albums in a ballet based on her music entitled South Of Everywhere.

After taking in that excellent show, head on over to Broad Street Cafe and take in the next excellent show of the evening. My pal Jeff Hart, along with Jeffrey Dean Foster and Bill Noonan Band will be getting underway at 9pm. Broad Street Cafe is always a comfortable and easy-going place to take in a show, and this show is sure to be a good one:



Instead of being a Friday night couch potato, treat yourself to a night of music on the town!

7 comments:

Barry said...

if you're at the BSC show, introduce yourself. i'll be the guy with the shiny head and the DFH t-shirt.

Unknown said...

I like Kate Campbell too (her song "New South" is a funny but true tale of how this part of the country has transformed.) Still, worth noting that calling her the daughter of a Baptist preacher is a bit like calling Jenna the daughter of a Texas oilman.

Jim Henry was until recently the head of the First Baptist megachurch in Orlando and in the late 1990s was the head of the conservative Southern Baptist Convention.

Something I didn't know about Campbell when I was first listening to her. As an Orlandoan, I certainly knew all about Henry, from his annoying singing Christmas trees to his domination of Sunday morning media...

Tanner Lovelace said...

Alternatively, this Friday night (and Thursday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon) the Durham Savoyards will be performing Gilbert & Sullivan's Yeoman of the Guard at the Carolina Theater. Evening shows are at 8pm and the Sunday afternoon one is at 2pm.

Jeff Hart said...

thanks for the plug, DBP ;)
very much appreciated.

see you friday after the kate show. you may get there to see a good bit of bill noonan band before we go on.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, DBP!

Of course, unlike the Savoyards, Kate Campbell is one show (with two sets), one night only!

And wasn't Jim Henry a bit too liberal for the SBC cons? I know that's kind of a relative statement in the grand context, but I bet there's a reason his tenure atop the SBC was so short. Between 1979 and 2006 Henry was the only president elected w/o the endorsement of the SBC's conservative kingpins.

Bonnie said...

Love Kate Campbell! Thanks for sharing.

Tribe Bly said...

Got to see both of these shows on Friday night after first getting my fill of brisket, okra, mac and cheese, and hush puppies at the Q-Shack.

Kate's show was well attended. They had to set up more chairs a couple of times. I'd only seen her once before, but this venue was much better suited, and the crowd was much appreciative.

After leaving her show and heading straight to Broad Street Cafe, I was able to catch a little of Bill Noonan's band followed by a couple of songs by Tom Meltzer. Jeff Hart came out with his band and we got to get a look at his new guitarist: Rocky Colavito. He seemed to fit right in. Jeff played most of my favorites from his repertoire, plus a little Robert Johnson and Stones. And in the middle of one of his signature songs, they melded in some Strawberry Fields. I never knew that you could get mellotron and cello sounds out of an electric guitar, but it happened.

The perfect ending to a perfect night!