[FM] notes from The Chicago Showcase...

[Susan McClelland]

Gracias amigos!

...to all you wonderful performers, FA organizers, staff & volunteers, 
and to all our friends who stopped by our showcase to listen & to share - 
everyone did an outstanding job & you made the trip to Folk Alliance, 
Cleveland this weekend one of the best!  The Chicago Showcase was a blast 
from start to finish & the musical energy generated in the rooms was so 
intense that the Christmas lights we strung up for decoration actually 
fell down from sheer delight! Not to worry...we partied on!

  Sue (Sons of the Never Wrong) Demel played her drum & sang down the 
 moon with her beautiful soprano voice, Deb Lader played banjo literally 
 standing on a chair in a jam-packed afternoon showcase, Bruce Roper & 
 Gina Forsyth traded extraordinary fiddle & guitar licks & Gina then 
 proceeded to reduce the entire room to a  teary mass with her heart- 
 rending song 'The Sweetest Sound'. Trish Alexander made us believe that 
 angels DO play harmonica & Greg Trafidlo took us over into the sweet 
 sanctuary of the Shenandoa Valley.

I absolutely could not stop swaying when Sloan Wainwright & her band let 
loose & Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer made me think about death & 'gators' 
in a whole new way! Kat Eggleston  was astounding when she sang 'Home' & 
Cat Catalani had me laughing through song after song about her quirky 
'Aunt Alfie' & first-date-hell.  Anne Heaton & Frank Maraotta mesmerized 
me with her brilliant piano  & their cool,beautiful voices & I swear I 
know that 'gracelessly aging' gentleman in Freddy Bradburn's hysterical 
song 'Love in the Same Old Skin'! Terry MacNamara & Andrew McKnight were 
poetic as hell & twice as intense & John Devine invoked the spirit of 
John Lee Hooker with his slide-guitar. Tom Broughton sang about love in 
the most beautiful, straight-forward way I've ever heard & Susan Shore & 
Martha Schyler-Thompson told the greatest stories & then tore up the 
place with their incredible songs & wonderful guitar playing!

Joy-Eden Harrison was a jazzy-folk diva with a Billie Holiday lilt to her 
voice.  It was glorious to hear the whole room rocking back at me with 
the chorus of my song 'Live Like Other People' & I got positively in the 
zone while singing 'Book of Daniel'. Libby Reed & Barb Laing reminded me 
about the importance of place & memories & Kate MacLeod & Mark were just 
plain beautiful & elegant! Mary Gauthier testified about the YaYa 
sisterhood with her amazing song 'Our Lady of the Shooting Stars' while 
Catie Curtis sang beautiful harmony from the audience &  Barb Ryman & 
Jenny Bienemann had very funny & succinct things to say about mail-order 
catalogues & the role of Zen in touring songwriters lives!

I saw Rod Kennedy in the audience making no haste to leave & who could 
blame him! Chicago Showcase was the place to be!

We had it goin' on & no amount of sleep-deprivation, surly weather or 
sluggish hotel elevators would stay us from our appointed task! Thanks to 
you all for taking part & I can't wait for any excuse to do it again!

Folk on, y'all!
Sue