Kirk Avenue Music Hall

Hi all

What a fantastic night of music at the Kirk Avenue Music Hall (http://www.kirkavenuemusic.com/) last night!   Two sets of three songwriters-in-the-round doing four songs each.   Each performer brought their own unique style -- from the mellow pickins of Frank Dieter, to the soaring vocals of Britt Mistele, to Randy Walker's blend of "George Jones meets Monty Python" -- not to mention Connie Sellers' heartfelt a-cappella crooning and the all-around talent of Mickey Nelson and Josh Jones.  The atmosphere was genuine, the sound fantastic, and the performances all top-notch and memorable.

I especially appreciated Barbara Martin, a long-time member of the the SVSA, but whom I'd never heard before.  .  I also really enjoyed the way all the musicians were able to back one another up on harmonies and the occasional guitar fill, including "friends of the SVSA" quietly sitting in the the back row on stage, adding harmonies and (Greg Trafidlio) mandolin to taste.  I asked Britt that night if the show was rehearsed, given how smoothly the backups all went, but the answer was "no."   This tight-knit group has hung around with one another for enough years, and seen each other at enough shows, to be able to just "jump in" -- something I truly admire.

I want to thank all the folks who make time in their lives to see to it that events like last night continue to take place, including the leaders of the SVSA, and the folks at Kirk Avenue.  If you're reading this, and you're local, come on out and support the Kirk Avenue Music Hall in Roanoke.  There's no reason Kirk Avenue couldn't some day be mentioned in the same breath as the Sweetwater in Mill Valley, or the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley.  If you're not in the Roanoke area, then support your local version of Kirk Avenue, and keep the circuit alive!

I look forward to being honored to be on that stage some time soon.

Mike

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