The Listening Room | Fargo ND

Friday February 19, 2010 - 7:30 pm - Ann Reed

Ann comes to Fargo for the Celebration of Women and Their Music Saturday, February 20, 2010, at the Historic Fargo Theatre. The Listening Room is fortunate to welcome her the night before, Friday Febraury 19th!

A terrific singer, amazing songwriter, and darned good guitar player, Ann Reed has had devoted fans lining up at the box office for more than a quarter-century. She recently released Telling Stories, a two-CD set celebrating those 25 years - years spent writing songs, making music and delighting everyone within earshot.

She has been honored with enough awards to fill a couple of walls and a bunch of shelf space. These accolades from the likes of Billboard magazine, the National Association of Independent Recording Distributors, and the Minnesota Music Academy reflect a satisfying career by anyone's measure-made even more so since Ann combines her artistry with community involvement. She donates about 25% of her time to the support of nonprofit groups that primarily benefit women and children.

Friday January 22, 2010 - 7:30 pm - Michael Whisler
You don't hear a lot of 12-string guitarists. That's because it requires a mixture of natural talent and a dedicated commitment to be any good. Michael Whisler certainly has natural talent and as soon as you hear him play, you will see how his dedication has paid off. Whisler is an accomplished acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and songwriter composing on both 12 and 6 string guitars. His blending of alternate tunings and a sweet bottleneck tone gives his music an identity you will come to know as his own. Often starting shows with ripping fast paced instrumentals that demonstrate his dynamic power and speed, listeners hear a unique style that draws from American folk, blues and classical music. Michael's music is clearly Americana. Once he has your attention, he'll add some mellow ballads, and then you begin to watch his diversity unfold. Some concert listeners are lucky enough to hear him slip into one of his mesmerizing dissonant free-time melodies that make them hope the song won't ever end.
He is first known as an accomplished solo guitarist, so you might be surprised with his warm vocals. His voice carries a scale as effortlessly as his fingers find notes on his guitar. Whisler's touring keeps making him better and better. "This unassuming guy walks out on the stage carrying his guitar and you are not sure what to expect. The minute he
begins to play you know it's not going to be your average show.

Friday March 12, 2010 - 7:30 pm - Dennis Warner

Eight albums and a whole lot of concerts later, Americana singer/songwriter Dennis Warner is recognized for his crafty wit, skillful musicianship and the special ability of captivating an audience. His unique blend of music and humor continually brings him to well over 100 cities each year.

Accompanying his smooth vocals with his six and twelve string guitars, Dennis has performed his adult/family oriented concerts at major theaters, clubs, some of the best festivals around, and in the small towns throughout America. Dennis has been featured on numerous regional T.V. and radio programs, as well as national broadcasts of NPR's Great Acoustics, Live!, River City Folk and Jammin' With Dennis Warner. Dennis is one of the most personable performers you will encounter.

Friday April 9, 2010 - 7:30 pm - Truckstop Souvenir

The songwriting duo of Dennis James and Lauryn Shapter was born out of a chance meeting in December of 2002. Old-school country music junkies, the two share an undying passion for music that matters, as well as a profound respect for life and all its myriad emotions, stories, and characters. They began melding their sound into what would eventually become Truckstop Souvenir, drawing inspiration from the rural American landscape and the open road, as well as from the musicians who traveled the highways and back roads before them.

Truckstop Souvenir's live performances feature sparse but powerful arrangements of two acoustic instruments and harmony vocals, creating a sound that is at once familiar to old time country and modern Americana. With a broad canvas of original songs and signature versions of a few select covers, Truckstop Souvenir takes the

listener on a journey along roads less traveled. A slice of the American landscape that often yields the best of keepsakes, Truckstop Souvenir is pure and honest music, music with a rare intimacy that cuts right to the heart of what it means to be human. Truckstop Souvenir: two voices, two acoustic instruments, and songs that are best taken straight up, no chaser.

John Trelstad from "Tucker'd Out" will be opening with a solo act.

Friday May 7, 2010 - 7:30 pm - Dana Cooper

Singer/songwriter Dana Cooper is literally the best singer-songwriter to emerge from Nashville in over a decade…his heartfelt but sophisticated lyrics aim to reconcile the heart and mind in everyday life. His sense of melody is unique and he has a voice that could melt ice caps." Vic Garbarini, Guitar World. Cooper's ingenious guitar work and gutsy harmonica augment his passionate voice and insightful lyrics. Out of the heartland of America - the stomping ground of Truman and Twain - Cooper was playing his music in Kansas City clubs by the age of 16.
Cooper has been named Best Songwriter in Houston, was nominated Best Male Vocalist by the Kerrville Music Foundation and was nominated by their Hall of Fame. Cooper teamed with fellow musician Shake Russell over the years producing five highly successful folk-rock albums. Recent tours of Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Germany have gained Cooper exuberant support from audiences and radio where his Americana music is continuing to win the favor of music lovers and songwriters alike.
Cooper plays Anderson Fair in Houston where The Listening Room's Favorite, Eric Taylor has also played for years. He has shared the stage with some of America's best, Arlo Guthrie, Cowboy Junkies, Jerry Garcia, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Leo Kottke, Loudon Wainwright, Lyle Lovett, Richard Thompson and Townes van Zandt to name a few.

Friday June 4, 2010 - 7:30 pm - The Get-Rites

Described as, "masters of Americana music" (Dirty Linen Magazine), "authentic, retrospective and thought provoking" (AmericanaUK), "deserving all the publicity they can get" (Blues Revue Magazine), The Get-Rites are intent on spreading the Good News in song with their unique mixture of old school dirty, back-woods blues and shimmering, sloe-eyed country ballads.

Over the past ten years, Tom Feldmann has been touring both solo and fronting the Get-Rites, covering the continental U.S. and Canada sharing stages with BR5-49, David Lindley, Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash, the Lee Boys, Kraig Johnson (Run Westy Run, The Jayhawks, Golden Smog), Dan Bern, Randy Stonehill, "Catfish" Keith, John Munson (Semisonic), Steve James, and many others.

Since their conception in 2005 The Get-Rites have released three critically acclaimed CD's (Driven to my Knees, Side Show Revival and Pedal Steel Heaven) and their fourth, Tin Rook Sky is due out in the fall. Unable to enlist a record label to help promote the releases, Tom formed his own imprint, the Magnolia Recording Company, which currently houses artists from various musical spectrums in the effort to be a "Home Between the Cracks" for those like The Get-Rites, who have been unable to find support elsewhere.

His sound is difficult to classify, but in terms of noticeable influences, Beatles, The Replacements and The Laws seem to stand out. His songs are like a tour through the realms of indie rock, classic rock, folk, confessional and everything in between. Truly a versatile player." -- Zach Kobrinsky, High Plains Reader

Friday September 10, 2010 - 7:30 pm - Mars Or The Moon

When they decided to mix their talents together some incredible results followed. They created an intoxicating mixture of Melody, Passion, Fire, and Groove. Playing most shows "semi-acoustic", they defy the trappings usually associated with most 'folkies'. Sure they can touch your heart or wrench your guts with some of the finest story/songs, but they can also make you dance and groove. Lenen's tasteful use of hand drums and shaky toys delight those who want music to make them dance. Joe's use of loop station and creative distortion allow him to paint sonic landscapes that suggest more color and depth than just the strumming of an acoustic guitar.

Joe sings like a Beatle on a bad day or Bob Dylan/Neil Young type on a good day. Lani's voice is world class. She is in a category reserved for the finest. Think Emmy Lou Harris. Think Tori Amos. Think Patty Griffin. Think Zap Mama. Think whoever you like, she's as good as you are going to hear.

Friday November 12, 2010 - 7:30 pm - My Sweet Patootie

My Sweet Patootie is more fun than drinking martinis at a tractor pull! They are the "li'l big band" that's busy ripping up the pea-patch with their very own strain of hayseed jazz. Armed with fiddle, finger-style guitar and two voices, My Sweet Patootie is an old-fashioned shotgun wedding of cool uptown swing and rural Ontario grit.

Terry Young's dexterity and aggressive approach to his finger style guitar work is described as a "virtuosic" by BBC critic James Harrox, and "jaw dropping" by FAME's Mark S. Tucker. He is also a skilled on mandolin and banjo. After years of juggling the folk world with classical (principal violist of the Georgian Bay Symphony), she finally grabbed her fiddle and jumped the fence into the roots music world for good.

My Sweet Patootie uses a light-hearted satirical approach to their song writing as a vehicle to explore life in rural and small town Ontario. Material is drawn from the unknown and unsung characters and obscure events that explore the quirky side of rural Canadian sensibilities, such as self-deprecation, understatement, eccentricity and principle. They tackle everything from urban social-political pressure on rural areas, poverty, the environment, all the way down to singing dogs, aging and how to get rid of someone you don't like.

Friday October 1, 2010 - 7:30 pm - John Wort Hannam

2009 Grand Prize - Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Competition
2008 Folk Alliance Music Award - Best Traditional Artist Nominee
2007 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Winner
2007 Two-Time Western Canadian Music Aawards Nominee
2007 Grand Prize - Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Competition
2005 Two-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominee
2005 Western Canadian Music Award nominee
2005 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award Winner
2004 Grand Prize - Calgary Folk Festival Song Writing Competition

Is there really anything more to say!?

Thriving on live performance, John Wort Hannam is truly happy when he is on the road playing and connecting personally with an audience. John will be touring with his bass player, Tyler Bird (he's also been known to sling an accordion in the van) and Scott Duncan on fiddle. Don't miss the opportunity to hear this award winning musician and his band at their debute performance in Fargo at The Listening Room.

Friday December 3, 2010 - 7:30 pm
Galactic Cowboy Orchestra

I was browsing through a booking site looking for someone who would throw something new into the mix of musicians we have had. I had listened to quite a few before I listened to this band.

The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra (GCO) is a unique and powerful musical ensemble that fuses an eclectic mix of original and traditional bluegrass-edged tunes with jazz and world/fusion elements. Their music is Chick Corea meets The Dixie Dregs meets A Prairie Home Companion. The mix ranges from highly accessible bluegrass tunes to extreme arrangements of East Indian ragas. GCO's instrumentation includes guitar, fiddle, bass and drums. The widely versatile instrumentals are accessible to music-lovers of all ages!

They are a brand new band that is already making a name for itself in the national music scene. Two of The Orchestra's pieces were performed on A Prairie Home Companion in November of 2008!

The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra's first album, "Lookin' for a Little Strange," was released in November, 2009.