Country Muisc News:

Interview Rose Falcon

Lamitschka:  When you get time off, how do you like to relax?

Rose Falcon:  I like to collect antique and vintage things, so I go thrifting. When I'm searching for treasures I forget everything else that is going on and that is relaxing and fun for me.

Lamitschka:  Who is your biggest critic, yourself or others?

Rose Falcon:  Definitely myself. I have so many wonderful, encouraging friends and fans, yet sometimes I still find myself wondering if I'm doing my job well.

Lamitschka:  What's unique about you that will differentiate you from other artists?

Rose Falcon:  I think I am fortunate to have a unique voice, that is a quality cannot really learn or create.

Lamitschka:  What inspired you to become an artist?

Rose Falcon:  My Dad is a singer/songwriter (Billy Falcon). I was constantly around music, people writing songs, and bands.

Lamitschka:  What inspired you to become a songwriter?

Rose Falcon:  I started out writing poetry and then my poems evolved into songs. My inspiration was the desire to get my feelings out on paper and share them with others in hopes that they could relate.

Lamitschka:  If you had the chance to change something about the music industry, what would it be?

Rose Falcon:  i guess people would be more honest and just tell it like it is.

Lamitschka:  As an artist, you so many tasks such as recording, touring, interviews. What do you like best, what's your favorite activity?

Rose Falcon:  I absolutely love writing songs. It is the best feeling in the world when the magic happens and you get a good one. Once you write a great song, that is something you will have forever.

Lamitschka:  What is your latest CD and how's it doing?

Rose Falcon:  I have recently released an EP called "19th Avenue Volume 2" and I have a video out for one of the songs called, "If love had a heart". The general response to the EP and to the single has been overwhelming ! I'm so thankful that people are enjoying my music so much.



Lamitschka:  Music has many new fans throughout Europe who may be hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe yourself and the music you play to someone who has never seen or heard you?

Rose Falcon:  I would say my music is organic, honest, heartfelt and the production on my recordings really revolves around the songs and highlighting the lyrical content. I would describe my voice as sweet with a little edge.

Lamitschka:  What kind of songs do you like to record the most?

Rose Falcon:  I like to record songs that tell stories and have truth in them. I also really like ballads, but of course, nobody wants to hear and album full of ballads (except for maybe me !)



Christian Lamitschka ( CountryMusicNewsInternational@googlemail.com )
http://www.CountryMusicNewsInternational.blogspot.com

Simple Gifts - Parlor Instrumentals

The Rose - Enduring Young Charms - Spinning Wheel - Limerick Waltz - Carry Me Back To Old Virginny - Old Black Joe - Annie Laurie - Santa Lucia - Banks Of The Ohio - Danny Boy - Old Kentucky Home - Rosewood Casket - I'm Always Chasing Rainbows - Goin' Home - Juniper Medley - Beautiful Dreamer - Shenandoah - When I Grow Too Old To Dream - I Dream Of Jeannie - Tennessee Waltz - Simple Gifts Medley - Waltz Of The Wind - Somewhere My Love

 

This is an amazing CD to review, for several reasons.  I've never listened to a 'parlor instrumental' CD, neither have I listened to something that carries me back so many years when 'parlor music' was the 'in' thing to do.  Not only listening to it, but playing it. Please remember we are in a time when there was no television, no radio, no amplifying microphones or anything like that.  Just pleasant music played well on acoustic musical instruments....in the parlor.  Guests would come for an evening of chit-chat and background music.  Sometimes the musicians were so good there was very little chit-chat.  That's kind of what this CD is all about.  The musicians are so good they will 'draw' attention away from anything else going on.  But also, it's definitely 'background music' and would make an incredibly good attraction in an antique store, a museum, a florist's shop, just about anything that would be attractively enhanced by light 'easy-to-listen-to' music.  Here's the instruments.  Fred Techau plays lap dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin.  His wife Dorothy plays lap dulcimer and hammered dulcimer, and Harriette Andersen added the acoustic upright bass.  Now there's a big difference between lap dulcimer and hammered dulcimer.  The lap one is exactly that, it sits on the lap and is played with a pick. the hammered one is the forerunner to the piano and is played with mallets.  Lovely music all the way through, I would certainly recommend this for any of the preceding stores, and would hope they would find a way to contact the Techau's, who by the way just returned from a several week trip up the Amazon River in South America.

Bob Everhart, Music Reviewer, www.ntcma.net

Words Of A Friend

Walk Right In Belmont - Words Of A Friend - Old Red Barn - Sail Away Ladies - You Pretty Girls Of Michigan - Cottonmill Girls - Take A Little Care - Standing by The Water - Bon Pour La Lingue - The Last To Know - The Pearl - Cold Hard Clay - I Could Not Melt Your Heart - Hick's Farewell - The Blackest Crow

 

Sue West is my favorite folk singer.  That's a pretty broad statement from someone who listens to all kinds of music. This particular project however is without a doubt one of the nicest, prettiest, sincerest, musical productions in authentic 'folk music' I've heard in several decades.  Starting with Sue West's incredible songwriting abilities, it's a sheer 'wonder' that she can write such sensitive words, knowing she's a mom, she has a job, she's a 'normal' woman who also has the 'gift of music.'  I love it when these incredibly interesting people manage to bring their 'secret' to the front. Sue has been influenced by a number of remarkable artists, not the least of them Utah Phillips, and a ton of others.  How do I know this?  I recorded six albums for Moses Asch of Folkways Records, that's how I know.  I've learned, listened, and heeded what good folk artists are about and what they reveal.  Not just about their music, but about themselves.  That's how I know Sue West the songwriter, but even more impressive is Sue West the singer.  Do you like Joan Baez or Judy Collins?  Oh yes, you can hear these wonderful voices in Sue West and especially her 'own' voice and style.  Hear her sing without accompaniment on "The Pearl" and then you will understand what 'old-time' folk music is all about.  Then there's Sue West the recording artist.  My my my she knew exactly what she wanted in each and every song.  My first impressions: Dan Newton on accordion.  Not on every song of course but just the right touch (especially nice on "Take A Little Care For Me"), along with the low whistle of Laura MacKenzie occasionally (best on 'You Pretty Girls Of Michigan').  Sandra K Njoes added a delicious acoustic bass throughout the mix.  Two other instruments that lend such beautiful authenticity to the entire: Kenny Jackson on fiddle and Adam Kiesling on banjo (especially nice frailing style on "Cottonmill Girls." Then there's Sue West the mixer and engineer in the studio.  Yes, it took some time to get this all accomplished, but Sue has a product that she can be proud of forever and ever.  I almost forgot a most important addition to the final presentation. Popular folk artist Dakota Dave Hull also provided baritone guitar, but more importantly made a major contribution at his studio Arabica in Minneapolis, as well as sitting on the mix board and the mastering process, as well as co-producing with Sue.  The good news about Dakota Dave Hull is that he goes into America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame this year.  Other good news is that the Rural Roots Music Commission has selected Sue's CD as their "Old Time Folk Music CD of the Year" award.  Thank you so much Sue West for this most pleasant and certainly professionally produced number one CD.  I love it.  Lest I forget, the CD insert is also a Sue West creation, and it's incredibly well done right down to her new icon featuring a guitar and a rural farm scene helped along by Mike Farley.

Bob Everhart, Reviewer, www.ntcma.net 

In Style Again

This is a 'single' song released from Century II Records, Allen Karl's masterpiece recording company in Nashville. Everything coming out of Century II is a masterpiece, not only the recorded music, but the engineering, the talent, the studio musicians, everything, including the CD covers, the inserts, EVERYTHING.  Jim Ed Brown has never sounded better than he does on this most excellent song "In Style Again."  In just a few words, it says what everyone who really likes traditional classic country music is saying, probably all 78-million baby boomers that are on the horizon as well as those who have loved the same genre well past their 65th birthday.  We all know that 'styles' change, but sometimes not for the better, which is what has sort of happened in country music.  Jim Ed 'gets you' right off the bat, just as soon as his vocal cords begin to function.  Bobby Bare is the producer here, and in the studio he found the 'just right' ingredients for a 'hit' song.  Lance Miller wrote this remarkable song, and combined with Jim Ed's remarkable voice, it's all there.  According to a press release by Marty Martel..."It hurts to be put out to pasture when you do not want to go there, but it is good to know that the gate swings both ways, and Jim Ed is once again in the running, because time changes everything."  This couldn't be truer for such a remarkable artist as Jim Ed Brown, and the combination of a great songwriter, a great song, a great producer, and great musicians.  And please don't miss the cover photo of Jim Ed, with a beautiful red jacket trimmed in black, his favorite guitar beside him, sitting in a photographers chair on the circle of wood taken from the Ryman Auditorium as the 'centerpiece' on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  This is a 'GRAND' production, a 'GRAND' singer, a 'GRAND' song, and a 'GRAND' return to some beautiful classic traditional country music.  Sure, time heals....it's 'In Style Again."

Reviewer, Bob Everhart, www.ntcma.net

Country Muisc News:

Lamitschka:  Music has many new fans throughout Europe who may be hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe yourself and the music you play to someone who has never seen or heard you?


Lamitschka:  How was the last year for you? What were your highlights?


Lamitschka:  What is your latest CD and how's it doing?


Lamitschka:  How did you choose the title for the CD?  Is there a story behind the name?


Lamitschka:  Do you write the songs yourself? If not, how do you go about finding the songs for your CD?


Lamitschka:  Please tell us about the songs on your album (influences, etc).


Lamitschka:  Your current single is being played by radio. What do you feel is special about this song that makes people want to hear it?


Lamitschka:  What will your next single be?


Lamitschka:  What kind of songs do you like to record the most?


Lamitschka:  You did a duet with Jeff Skorik. How did that happen to come about?


Lamitschka:  What is your favorite song among all the songs you have recorded and what's the story behind it?


Lamitschka:  How much creative control do you have over your music?


Lamitschka:  Do you have any interesting stories about how fans have been affected by your music?


Lamitschka:  Who inspires you musically and how deep do your musical roots run?

Lamitschka:  What do you think about today's music industry?

Shannon Selig: I think music is constantly growing and adapting. Obviously the business side of things is rapidly changing but I have high hopes for the music industry. People will be forced to adapt and get creative, which can only mean good things.

Lamitschka:  When you get time off, how do you like to relax?

Shannon Selig:  I don’t take time off. I get a few days here or there and I usually use it to play guitar or write. When I am lucky enough to get up to Nova Scotia, Canada where my dad’s family is. I love going tot he lake, walking barefoot through the fields and just being alone in the outdoors.

Lamitschka:  Many European fans travel to the United States to attend the several of the music festivals for the opportunity to see so many of their favorite artists, bands and celebrities. Will you be participating and how will the fans be able to find you?

Shannon Selig:  I hope to be participating, that all depends on the fans. They can find all of the information by visiting www.facebook.com/shannonselig

Lamitschka:  What message would you like to send your European fans?

Shannon Selig:  I’d like to tell them to always be themselves and embrace being Perfectly Imperfect. I hope they enjoy my album and I hope to see them on a European tour soon.

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