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Lauren Sheehan, Songster
 May 2013
ROOTS AMERICANA: BLUES AND FOLK: From the Parlor and Porch to the Performance Hall
Hi everyone,
I'm back from North Carolina. My trip was wonderful but I'm glad to be back. Here are my upcoming shows and some news. Hope to see you there!
Acoustic Blues with Terry Robb - Friday May 17. 8:30PM No cover - Big Tip Jar
Come have a pint and get down with some steamy mandolin and guitar blues at the Rudder.
Harry Smith Concert - Saturday May 18. 7PM $20
A motley collection of Portland's finest acoustic musicians will share the stage to honor artist and folklorist Harry Smith, born in Portland. All songs are from the seminal "Anthology of American Folk Music 1952" and we promise to interpret them in ways you have never heard before. Come celebrate the enduring and malleable hip American music.
http://deadpanfolk.blogspot.com/
EXQUISITE DINING & CONCERT
Sun May 19 6PM Doors 7PM Show $18 Andina Restaurant
1314 NW Glisan, Portland OR 97209
Andina is proud to present the 2013 Spring Performance Series, hosted in their celebrated upstairs event space, Tupai. I'll be sharing the bill with my friends and warm folk ensemble Never Strangers and our show will be the final one in the series. Cover is $18 per person, and the full menu is available with a $20 per person table minimum. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Reservations are required for each performance, and can be made through the restaurant at 503.228.9535.
Thank You Gibson Guitars!
I am enjoying my new "American Eagle" mahogany LG2 guitar that Gibson sent me. The American Eagle is a nice finger picking guitar with a very comfortable small body and a warm resonant tone. It's fun to have a modern voice to add to the Banner guitar show. I'm proud to be a new Kalamazoo gal. Let me know if you'd like to play it after one of my shows.
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Small-Body.aspx
The Light Still Burns Lauren Sheehan
(companion CD to the history book Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women and Gibson WWII Banner Guitars, by John Thomas.)
People are enjoying this project; the story, book and the CD. I am thrilled to tell you that The Light Still Burns zoomed to #3 on the Folk DJ Radio charts! Thank you DJs for the air play.
We've had npr coverage on both coasts and other wonderful publicity that is making me smile, (see below for links). My hearty congratulations to John Thomas for imagining and completing this historic project. It's been a 6 year adventure for him and I can't thank him enough for inviting me along for part of the ride.
http://www.laurensheehanmusic.com/album_TheLightStillBurns.php
Buy CD: http://www.laurensheehanmusic.com/buy.php
Buy book: http://www.kalamazoogals.com/
While the men were off to the war, women filled in and kept the lights burnin' at Gibson's. The guitars of this period have a banner across the headstock, hence "Banner Guitars" and are oft considered among the treasures of Gibson guitars. Who were the women, what was their story, why did Gibson cover up the fact that they made these guitars, why are the guitars so wonderful sounding and how were they made? These questions and more about the story are the subject of the book.
But then John thought about how cool it would be if folks could also hear the guitars the women made. He raised some funds, got guitars donated from all over the country for a recording project and then found a women to play them - me. Many songs seemed to suggest themselves to me after I read the manuscript so picking the music was easy and it's mostly appropriate to the times and themes in the book. We used a different guitar for each track. Eric Tate engineered it in New Haven, CT, at Firehouse 12 Studio, so that you , the listeners, would be able to hear and appreciate the sonic details and differences of the guitars.
It was an extraordinary experience to be in the studio surrounded by vintage banner guitars and to be able to take my pick of them. We made sure that we represented all the model types we had, so there is good variety.
Links to some fun publicity
» March 15, 2013 | NPR radio story, Laura the Luthier
» March 19, 2013 | Oregonian Story, "Portland's Lauren Sheehan salutes 'Kalamazoo Gals' with the guitars they built"
» Guitarkadia, Brooklyn NC story: http://guitarkadia.com/emon/blog/the-story-of-the-kalamazoo-gals/
» NBC NY: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Women-s-History-Month--Women-s-Role-in-the-History-of-Guitars/196643701
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