Sam Henry recently released his second album “How It Begins” and threw a party Sunday evening at Rembrandt’s in Eagle. In the room, the sign said, “Maximum Occupancy 219”. The turnout had to be close!
Joseph Lyle opened the festivities with his guitar magic, making it sound like everything BUT a guitar.
Then, from the new album new album, I didn’t capture one of the singles but this heartfelt piano ballad, “Should I stay”. The entire album can be heard wherever you listen to music.
On a personal note, it was pretty amazing to be in a room full of people who love Sam.
Frank Brown, a guitarist & vocalist, played Crescent Brewery on Sunday afternoon. He did a nice blend of covers from artists like Bob Seger, Otis Redding, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Blind Faith, and this one from Danny O’Keefe.
Layne Bowen loves to cover songs from various genres and using music to change the energy of a room. Saturday evening, he hit The 112 in Nampa with his loop, and layered together this Bill Withers classic.
Color of Soul, an eclectic soul and groove band from Boise, played Kindred Vineyards in Caldwell Saturday afternoon. If you like the music of Al Green, Smokey Robinson, Bill Withers, Four Tops, The Temptations, Santana, and Joe Cocker, then you should check out this quintet. Don’t forget your dancing shoes! Here’s a gorgeous song from Tower of Power.
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”
