I used to be a musician who played out a lot, but for the past five years, I’ve been concentrating on writing plays and musicals. Lately, though, I have felt an itch to perform again. But in what way? Most people who have followed my performing career would think of me as a jazz pianist, but my artistic roots are actually in Appalachian folk music, and that’s what my mind kept coming back to. The five-string banjo was the first instrument I played for audiences.
I finally got up the nerve to invite a few very good musicians to get together and play some folk songs — pieces that are structurally simple, but emotionally complex. I’m flattered that guys as talented as bassist Greg Watkins, percussionist Mark Carson, and fiddler Michael Robert Taylor have agreed to form a band with me and join me on this sentimental journey. We’re called Barnstorm, and our first gig is Monday, November 3rd at 7 pm at The Alley at Bethesda Boards, a new bring-your-own-food-and-drink venue located inside a skateboard shop at 7900 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda.
Our good friend Dave Ries will be opening the show. Admission is $20 for those whose incomes have not been affected by the recent federal craziness and $0 for those whose incomes have been affected. (No proof of income is required, just let us know at the door.)