The Listening Room | Fargo ND

Wisconsin-born Rawling spent many summers working atop a firetower in the Mt. Hood wilderness. Wrapped in that isolation, Jenn was able to give focused attention to songwriting. She is an artist governed by intuition, tapped into the poetry of human life, who bides her time painting, gardening, cooking and admiring salamanders. "I'm inspired by nature's seasons, and these are my love songs to the moon and stars, ballads to the birth of flowers, and human expressions of love and loss," she explains.

Born to hippie idealists in an adobe hut seven miles shy of Colorado's Mt. Blanca, Basho Watson Parks comes from radical origins. From symphonies to punk bands, bluegrass barn storms to roma-gypsy trios, organic electronica chamber music to classic country, his twenty-six years of string-playing experience span a wide swath of musical genres.

Jenn and Basho met in 2010 while contributing their talents to bands around Portland, Oregon. Discovering common loves and tribulations propelled them to become an inseparable team both on and offstage. Rawling composes highly melodic songs from fascinating scraps of phrases and images, singing them with an engaging yodel-edged alto. Parks sings harmony, but his "voice" is heard in the form of the his distinctive string-playing, which has a dusty, mournful quality revealing classical, mountain and bluegrass influences. For the last six months the couple has been touring the U.S. in support of their debut album "Take the Air."

Eric Taylor is a sage musician, a lyrical genius and a master of the guitar. If you're familiar with the intricate Texas singer/songwriter jigsaw puzzle, you probably already know a lot about Taylor. He has created a multitude of fans and devotees that are legends themselves in the singer/songwriter realm; artists who have long considered Taylor to be a teacher and a lantern bearer whose time is long overdue. Steve Earle says, "He's the real deal. Eric Taylor was one my heroes and teachers when I started playing around Houston in the early 1970s."

Taylor has headlined the Newport Folk Festival, played National Public Radio's "Mountain Stage" & "Morning Edition", and BBC Radio Scotland. He has appeared on "Late Night With David Letterman" with Nanci Griffith and "Austin City Limits" with Lyle Lovett.

Nanci Griffith says, "To say that Eric Taylor is one of the finest writers of our time, would be an understatement. If you miss an opportunity to hear him, you have missed a chance to hear a voice I consider the William Faulkner of songwriting in our current time."

Lyle Lovett, who has recorded Taylor's "Memphis Midnight/Memphis Morning," "Whooping Crane," "Understand You," and with whom Taylor co-wrote "Fat Babies," says, "I'm always the opening act when I'm around Eric. I love his voice, and he has a great narrative quality and sense of detail."

In May 2011 Taylor decided to bring together some of his oldest friends and favorite musicians for a live recording. His ex-wife Nanci and long time friend Lyle Lovett came in to sing. Marco Python Fecchio, Italy played electric guitar. James Gilmer who has been both Eric's and Lyle's percussionist going back to the 70's came. Live At The Red Shack is named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Texas Music magazine and Best Live Album of 2012 by Third Coast Music magazine.

Many of those familiar with Red House recording artist Ray Bonneville know that he is a hard driving, blues influenced, song and groove man who often writes about people who live on the fringe of society. Ray's vibe is loose and soulful. With a greasy guitar style, horn-like harmonica phrasing, smoky vocal style and pulsing foot percussion he immediately rivets audiences. His solo performance fills a concert hall with all the sound layering and drama of a full band. The consummate, driven professional, Ray plays more that one hundred and fifty shows a year across the US, Canada and Europe. He has a loyal, enthusiastic fan base wherever he goes.

In 1999 he won the Juno award (Canada's Grammy) and was nominated twice more after that. His song about the resilience of New Orleans, "I am the Big Easy" was the most played song by North American folk DJs, and won "Song of the Year" at Folk Alliance in Memphis in 2009, the same city where he took first place in the International Blues Challenge in 2012. About that award he says "I just went to Memphis to meet some new folks, so it took me by surprise when they announced my name; I see what I do as the offspring of traditional blues music".

raybonneville.com

soundcloud.com/ray-bonneville

Ann was with us in February of 2010, and as luck would have it, there wasn't an empty seat in the house! I don't expect things to be any different this time. But, we have a little bit larger room now, so if you send in your reservations early you stand a good chance to be seated!

Ann is a long-time favorite to Fargo and a welcomed friend of Deb Jenkins and her, "A Celebration of Women and Their Music." That's what brought Ann to The Listening Room the first time and we can't wait to hear her again!

She has appeared on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, ABC's Good Morning America, and NPR's Morning Edition, not to mention countless radio stations across the U.S. She wrote and performed Heroes, a theatrical presentation produced by Minnesota Public Radio..

Where the Earth Is Round is Ann's 20th recording. She wrote the lion's share of the songs on her albums - beautiful and memorable compositions that have been covered by other artists as well. She also has the dubious distinction of having penned the most songs that include the words "pronto pup." (For those of you not familiar with Ann's history of writing ditties for the Minnesota State Fair, check out her CD Songs for Minnesota, which features all five Fair songs.)

Among Ann's accolades: Minnesota Music Academy Performer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Recording of the Year, along with several awards from the multitude of nonprofits that she has supported while donating 25 percent of her time and efforts to organizations that primarily benefit women and children.

Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer

Human chemistry is indeed a mercurial thing. And adding any artistic endeavor into that mysterious balance can, every so often, create some true magic. For Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer (pronounced fair), the delicate intertwining of music, life and that always-fine interpersonal equilibrium has borne fruit in the shape of a truly one of a kind artistic partnership.

With the release of the songwriters' first official collaboration, Seed of a Pine, the duo's striking ability to blend their lush folk and Americana-influenced styles is on full display.

McGraw's consoling, velvety baritone voice, reminiscent of Greg Brown, coupled with Fer's soaring and subtly powerful vocal approach, likened to that of Patty Griffin, puts a spit-shine polish on the finely crafted body of songs they have generated together. The intricate weavings of their vocal harmonies are undeniably exceptional. McGraw's hard-hitting tunes echo narratives of the culture and landscape of the American West, wherein he thoughtfully spins tales of everyday folks looking for a little something more in their earthly existence.

Fer takes a more dreamy approach, evoking complex and ethereal imagery within her sultry and haunting melodies. Her potent electric lead guitar playing, in the vein of jazz-fusion guitarist John Scofield, bravely propels this duo through their uniquely heartfelt and spirited live performances, winning over audiences night after night.

Thursday Feb 14 - Raining Jane - 7:00 pm
Note Time Variation - Thursday 7:00 pm

Raining Jane is an acoustic, indie-rock band driven by deep dedication to music and an independent spirit. The four band members first got together in 1999 in the UCLA music scene, and shortly thereafter left their post-college jobs to make music their full-time gig. In 2003, they began a hefty touring schedule, performing over 120 shows per year (for 6 years straight), all independently booked and managed.

In 2007 their career took an exciting turn when they began writing with Jason Mraz, a creative collaboration that continues to the present day. One of their co-writes, A Beautiful Mess, appeared on Mraz's platinum album "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things," while another, Collapsible Plans was featured in the Cannes-Selection documentary "The Big Fix," which garnered them a Hollywood Music and Media Award for Best Song in a Film.

Over the years Raining Jane has released four albums, with "The Good Match" as their latest flame. The album showcases the band's uplifting and heartfelt songwriting, as well as rich vocal harmonies and diverse instrumentation (guitars, cello, cajon, sitar, bass.) Their music can be heard elsewhere with songs appearing on shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "So You Think You Can Dance." They've also played on records for other artists such as Willy Porter's How To Rob A Bank.

In addition to their musical work as a band, Raining Jane has always been passionate about community outreach. In 2010 they helped establish "Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles," a non-profit dedicated to empowering girls through music education. Now in its third year, the organization has reached 200 young girls, has inspired the help of hundreds of passionate volunteers, and has provided a vibrant, creative resource for Los Angeles. When Raining Jane is not on the road, they can be found directing music camps, teaching, writing, recording, accompanying other artists and enjoying life to the fullest.

rainingjane.com

$10
Reservations by advance ticket
purchase at The Spirit Room
Directions 701-237-0230
Musicians receive 100% of admission!

Rainin Jane Favorite Charity
Rock `n Roll Camp For Girls

Friday Feb 15 - I'm With Her - 7:30 pm

Angie Stevens and Haley Rydell bring a wealth of writing, recording and performing experience to the table. As part of this project, Stevens and Rydell are working on favorites from their individual catalogs and developing new songs. Rydell notes, "A lot of the music we worked on was new material, which was really fun, because even we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do with it yet. Over time, parts came together and it all made sense."

Melding the influences of alt-country, indie-rock, contemporary folk and pop, Angie Stevens has settled comfortably into the shoes of an Americana artist with soul-bearing, live performances that have captured audiences all over the map.

Haley Rydell taught herself to play and dreamed of someday playing in a band. For the past five years she has been the fiddle player for The Johnson Family Band and has led the folk rock group Haley E & the Rydells, both in Fargo, ND. She recently relocated and is now living in Denver- writing and recording with I'm With Her.

reverbnation.com/imwithhermusic
bosskoalarecords.com

$10
Reservations by advance ticket
purchase at The Spirit Room
Directions 701-237-0230
Musicians receive 100% of admission!

This performance is a joint effort of The Listening Room and the 16th Annual Celebration of Women & Their Music

For more information go to:
Celebration of Women & Their Music