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| Mary Flower | Damian Siford | Bob Gramann | Sara Landymore |
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| Mary Flower | Damian Siford | Bob Gramann | Sara Landymore |
Mary Flower is one of this country's finest acoustic blues musicians. She is a singer with a resonant sultry voice, and a consummate guitar player. Located in Denver, Colorado, she is well known to audiences everywhere. Mary is a founding member of the Mother Folkers, a faculty member of Swallow Hill Music Association and a nationally renowned acoustic blues musician and songwriter. Mary plays fingerstyle guitar, and lap slide guitar on a 1935 National tricone. Mary began playing professionally in Colorado in the early 70's, working the ski areas with Randy Handley and Katy Moffatt. She and Katy toured the country on the National College Coffeehouse circuit. Marriage and two children later, Mary remained musically active locally, working with various artists including Pat Donohue, Duane Webster, Vicki Taylor, and the Mother Folkers. During that period, she received a prestigious fellowship from the Colorado Council on the Arts and Humanities for her songwriting skills. Colorado voted her "Best Folkie" three times over, and her Blues Jubilee album was voted "Best Local Blues" Recording" in 1994. In 1993, Mary was a visiting "guest artist" at Blues Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia. She has been teaching there every summer since. This experience inspired Mary to get beyond the confines of Colorado again and she has since crisscrossed the country many times. Guitar workshops on playing country blues often go hand in hand with her Concerts. She has hosted many "Women in the Blues" workshops at schools around the country. In 1995, Mary was invited to the Handy Awards in Memphis to participate in a forum on the current state of women in the Blues. Mary's, three most recent CD's are: ROSEWOOD & STEEL - Bluesette Records, BLUES JUBILEE - Resounding Records, HIGH HEELED BLUES (with Vicki Taylor) - Resounding Records
Damion Wolfe, an experienced musician and writer, has been 'involved' in the East Coast music scene since the late 80's. He has been a key figure in several groups, performing as guitarist, vocalist, writer and manager. Now he is stepping beyond being an influential member of a group to venture full time into solo performance. Damion's style of venues knows no bounds, ranging from Coffee House to Frat House. Since college, Wolfe has played with many different musicians and in eclectic situations. With his current solo act, recent acoustic act (WolfePatrick), and other ensembles, Damion has toured all over the east coast playing colleges, clubs, coffee houses and larger venues. Some of the acts Damion's groups have shared the same bill with include Peter Himmelman, Jack 0 Pierce, Cracker, Edwin McCain, Southern Culture on the Skids and others. As mentioned earlier, Damion is exploring his own from his central base in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Listeners will find the music to be mature, creative, energetic and sometimes even comical. He incorporates many different styles, making the music difficult to label. You can experience this diversity in songs such as the rapid moving, latin-like FREESTYLE, the haunting lyrical DUMB BOY, the tranquil CARRY ME HOME or the funky MILKBONE. Damion also performs a wide variety of covers so as to appeal to many tastes as well as his own.
Bob Gramann runs the Fredericksburg Songwriters' Showcase so, in addition to his emcee duties, he gets to perform at least once a year. He is a songwriter, a folksinger, an avid whitewater boater, and the parent of a college student and a recent college graduate. His latest claim to fame is the mention of his CD in the May ‘97 Scientific American magazine. He was called a "northeast Virginia songwriting treasure" by Laurie Larson of Crossroads magazine. He was voted Fredericksburg's best acoustic act for 1995 in a Free Lance-Star music poll. His songs are recorded on his two albums "Mostly New Songs" and "Mostly True Songs." Bob and Peter Mealy founded the Fredericksburg Songwriters' Showcase almost 4 years ago.
Virginia native and songwriter
Sara Landymore is one of Washington's most
interesting and prolific songwriters. According to the Washington
Post, Landymore "isn't the sort of singwer-songwriter who
eagerly aims to please. She presents her songs on her own terms,
with conversational ease and refreshing honesty." She's not
just another baby-voiced chick with a guitar and something to
complain about, either. Her word play is reminiscent of John
Prine and her songs are rich with imagery and stories. With a
strong stage presence, she is at times humorist and storyteller,
able to move an audience with her songs of urban life.
Highlights:Shared the stage in
various showcases with stellar songwriters Sally Fingerette, Dana
Cooper, Tom Prasada-Rao, and Bill Baker. 1996: Two Finalist
awards in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest in the Modern
Rock/Alternative category; Released solo CD, "Corner of the
World"; Title song on local compilation CD, "Little
Visions"; Showcased at the Folk Alliance Conference in
Washington D.C. 1993: Semifinalist in the Mid-Atlantic Song
Contest in Country, co-writing with Bill Baker. (The song, Ridin'
the Dog, was included on Baker's acclaimed debut CD. The Wolves
of Winter which is receiving airplay in Europe). 1992: Showcased
in two shows at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. 1991: Two
Semifinalist awards in folk in the Mid Atlantic Song Contest.
1990: Showcased in the Birchmere's Music Americana Showcase;
released cassette, "Tattoo". 1989: Released debut
cassette "A Choice of Days". Festivals: Washington Folk
Festival (Glen Echo Park, MD) 1993 & 1995; Takoma Park Folk
Festival, (Takoma Park, MD)1990 -1996; WAMA Crosstown Jam,
(Washington, D.C.) 1991 - 1995.
What's up next --
The August 29 show features Todd Cumpston (our sound man with some neat songs of his own), Buddy Mondlock, who wrote "The Kid" (recorded by David Wilcox and Peter, Paul, and Mary), Carol Elliot, and Abby Bardi.
For more information call (703) 373-3624 or send e-mail to Bob Gramann at bobgramann@interserf.net.
Bob Gramman
122 Laurel Avenue
Fredericksburg VA 22408
URL for this page: http://www.mwc.edu/ernie/songwrite.html
Last Time I changed anything on this page:
Sunday, July 6, 1997
Page put together (with info & pics from Bob) by Ernest Ackermann.
Send rants/rave to above mentioned Ackermann at ernie@mwc.edu
FROM the fortune list ...
Love is best of all.