60 Cycle Hum, a guitar trio that plays your favorite hits mostly from the 70’s and 80’s, did a show Friday evening at Swirl Wine Shop and Lounge. It was hard to choose which song to capture, until I heard this Van Morrison classic. Perfection.
Jen and Johnny, the father/daughter, folk/bluegrass/country duo, played The Riverside Hotel’s Bar 365 Wednesday evening. They presented an interesting gaggle of covers from diverse artists like Patty Griffin, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Reckless Kelly, and (of course) Nanci Griffith (Jen’s favorite composer). Tossed into the music mix, this Johnny Shoes original, “Take My Time”.
Valarie Mulberry (note the unusual spelling of her first name) is a Treasure Valley singer-songwriter who played Mesquite Creek Outfitters in Caldwell Saturday evening. Her music is diverse and engaging, and her story-telling is great fun. Valarie’s next show is at Homestead Bar and Grill in Meridian on Saturday, July 6th from 7-9pm. She’s working on her sophomore album which will highlight a batch of new songs emphasizing themes of consciousness, empowerment and manifestation. From that album, here’s “The Law of Fire”.
Mike Johnston, who performs originals and covers that span a wide variety of genres and decades, played Talon Tap & Spirits Friday evening, joined by his friend, Benji Nilson. Mike plays his next couple of gigs in Montana, but will be right beck here on July 19. Here’s one of his originals “The Great Divide”.
Doug Armento & The Iron Mules played Nampa’s Third Thursday last week in Downtown Nampa. The theme was “Country” and these guys fit the bill. They played some familiar covers from folks like Merle Haggard (can’t hardly go wrong with Merle!) but mostly originals like this one about an Idaho dance hall girl named Cora.
It was Bluegrass Night at Tuesdays on the Creek this week in Caldwell. High Pine Whiskey Yell. a 5 piece Bluegrass band out of Boise, played tunes about robots, dogs, aliens, and other such nonsense. Here’s “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”
Harry Dial is a singer of Blues, Soul, and Country music. He played his wide variety of music Saturday evening at Mesquite Creek Outfitters in Caldwell. We heard tunes from John Prine, U2, Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, Brook Benton, John Denver, Marc Cohen, and Blind Faith. I had to capture this classic from Jerry Jeff Walker.
Lindzey Autumn is a Treasure Valley singer/songwriter who can deliver sweet and sorrowful messages with a soulful, clear and beautiful voice. There is nothing shallow here. Just returning from a five-month maternity leave, she played a quiet and captivated Swirl Wine Shop & Lounge Friday evening. She grew up in Star, and wrote “How It Used To Be” about how the town has changed.
Ashley Rose in a Jazz, Folk, R&B and Americana musician who performs solo, with a 6-piece band, and as a duo around the Treasure Valley. From Maddie’s Wine and Whiskey in Meridian Wednesday evening, here’s a Bob Dylan classic played by request.
Aaron Golay & The Original Sin, an Idaho-based singer & writer of sad & loud songs, was the opener at Tuesdays on the Creek this week at Indian Creek Plaza in Caldwell. The band played a mix of Americana, Rock & Soul, which included a song written in an Air B&B in April called The Change.