NEWS

Best NW tour yet... January 2010

BE is now back home, ML is in Hayward, still sort of on tour (hanging out with Special Consensus and getting ready for a Pam Tillis gig) and the 2010 Northwest Extravaganza is over. There was snow, dogs of all shapes and sizes, the common cold, incredible audiences, beautiful venues, epic drives through gorgeous country, workshops of all shapes and sizes, and lots and lots of music. Thanks to all the people who booked us, put us up, made us food, bought our record, and generally supported BEML. We had a fantastic time. Can't wait to get back there in 2011. You can get a sense of what it was like right here below...

In Between CA Tours

BEML had a whole host of unique experiences last weekend. Our first show at the new Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, ML's first time playing for the Fiddlin' Cricket Series in San Jose, two photo shoots in as many days, and a packed house at an afternoon library show. Quite a lot for a four day run in California. We wanted you to see one of our Mike Melnyk photos from the Freight and Salvage. We are lucky to know and work with such talented people. This weekend it's a house concert in San Jose, a church concert in Livermore, and a private event in Potter Valley. Have we ever tried to tell you that this life is boring? It isn't...

review from Portland, ME show - nice

Bill Evans, twenty-five year banjo legend and author of Banjo For Dummies, and Megan Lynch, six time National Fiddle Champion, took the stage after a wonderful warm up from the opening act of Ron Cody, Matt Shipman and Erica Brown. In fact, you could say that the evening was a musical feast. It was something like having Chicken Marbella* and Auberge French Lavender Marinade** over the finest cuts of beef, served with Dom Perignon. Sometimes music is so delicious, so tres magnifique, it's hard to describe in mere listening terms! In cooking, flavor is everything and likewise with music – the preparation and presentation are key ingredients to a great concert.

From the vantage point of the middle of the front row I got to see the exuberant Bill Evans and the commanding Megan Lynch. What a powerful twosome. They started out with Ernest Tubbs', "I Hung My Head and Cried". Megan wore a sleeveless dress with a zebra pattern, black heels, black bracelet and her long hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Bill's looks are a bit reminiscent of John Denver; round glasses, longish hair and a broad, warm smile. He had an extremely supportive attitude as he accompanied Megan's vocals. She melted into her violin, producing a liquid tone, versatile and intimate. Bill held and played his various instruments like cherished babies; delicately, attentively, devotedly. His strong, deep voice juxtaposed beautifully against Megan's honest and expressive one.

Their two voices blended together stunningly as they played cuts from their "oldest, newest and best selling" CD, Let's Do Something. Their conscious phrasing and elegant harmonies were truly breathtaking. Coupling their singing ability with emotional yet precise fiddle and banjo backup, they performed a number of familiar and unfamiliar compositions, including Van Morrison's, "Into the Mystic".

At one point they gave beautiful introductions to each other and we got a taste of their individual expertise. Bill was utterly at ease and playful throughout the evening. He played a Beatles medley on the banjo, encouraging audience members to chime in with vocals once we recognized the tune. He talked about the fact that John Lennon's mother, Julia, played the banjo, and when John got his first guitar, they tuned it like a banjo because they didn't know guitar tuning. An early photo of John shows him playing banjo chords on his guitar.

Megan had a very droll sense of humor and talked of her childhood which consisted mostly of fiddle playing and reading. She said that once, when she was very young, she read the biography of Sonny Liston and became enamored with him. While other girls were on the playground singing, "My Little Pony",she was in a throng of eight year olds, posing the question, "Was Sonny set up?" With that they did a haunting version of Mark Knopfler's, "Song for Sonny Liston" with Bill on a fuzzed out electric banjo.

They performed what they called their 'Halloween death song'; "Rocks and Water", which, they said, reached the position of Number Six on the Folk Music Charts, only to be outdone by old standbys such as "Kumbaya", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "This Land is Your Land".

Another heartbreaker was a song by their friend, whose name I believe is Sarah Siskin, entitled, "I do", about a marriage gone wrong. In contrast to that, they finished with a joyous tribute to love, written by Robin and Linda Williams, "On and On".

Finishing up the night, they called up Ron Cody, Matt Shipman and Erica Brown for a sizzling lick fest, (musical licks that is, oh behave!) ending with "Forty Years of Suffering, Forty Years of Pain", (with a great solo vocal by Matt),an ironic ending to almost three hours of inspiration and beauty.

We Stared at the Mountain

BEML rolled through Northern CA this weekend. BE bought a talking drum in Mt. Shasta, ML complained bitterly about the CDs available at Starbucks, and many people came to the shows. It was a success all around. As for the headline, the promoter in Mt. Shasta told us we needed to stare at the mountain for a while - it would help us connect with the universe. Well, ML grew up in the shadow of the mountain and doesn't seem to be any more enlightened than most other folks. As for BE, he elected to check his email instead. Those of you who know him are probably not surprised. Maybe our well-intentioned promoter will have more luck next time. It was a great venue, and a super show. I guess we shouldn't discount the mountain entirely...

We survived IBMA!

So, BEML did a few showcases at IBMA this year. Oh, that's the International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass annual convention and trade show. And even though we certainly sit on the fringes of bluegrass, it seemed we were really well received. Sweet! ML judged the Grand Masters Fiddle Contest, one of the most prestigious in the nation and BE worked some major deals for the band. A productive time was had by all.

In upcoming news, we are headed to California for some great shows in gorgeous Mt. Shasta and up in the hills of Oakland. These are new venues for us so we're looking forward to seeing how it all goes.

Stay tuned for some pictures from our UK and Ireland tour and more news about our next record!
Cheers, BEML

BEML on Tour: Ireland, England, Wales