Retrospect On May & Booking Not So Horrid

We’ve been really, really lucky lately when it comes to booking. Not every single email is getting answered — or every phone call is getting returned. But some are. And they’re booking Joe. … They’re discovering what we already know — his music is great to chill out to, people respond to it and it doesn’t get old.

In the last several weeks, Joe and I have been at some incredible places — some we never dreamed we’d play — and wow, has it ever been cool (and Joe’s just as excited … he’s just not as um .. exuberant as I am …) … In May, we’ve had the pleasure of playing at Tarara Winery — one of the most beautiful locations in Northern Virginia — not to mention delicious chardonnay (my favorite) and home of a very ‘meaty’ red (Joe’s words) … we met a ton of great people and we’re lucky enough to get a return date in July!

Al Stewart and Joe Rathbone

Al Stewart and Joe Rathbone after City Winery show

May 13, in NYC, Joe was able to open for the legendary man himself — Al Stewart. You saw us gushing about it on our fan page because, well, it was JUST SO COOL! We’re still reeling in the awesomeness of it all — if you wanna see some songs from the set and read a little about the night, check out our special event page on the website. That was single-handedly one of the coolest performance nights of my entire life. I loved singing in front of the sold-out house — I loved meeting Al Stewart and his way-talented musicians and being in Manhattan was a great experience. When we’re lucky enough to play City Winery again (and I am confident and hopeful it’ll happen) I am blocking out my entire day because there are shops everywhere that simply CALL MY NAME (but I won’t drive into Manhattan again … that was very scary for this country girl).

A few days later, I had the pleasure of meeting a ton of Joe’s friends from his Philadelphia days, when we played at Barrington Coffeehouse in Barrington, NJ. We opened for one of Joe’s pals, Heidi Wolfson (I took some great video of her performance. Check it out here. This was the first time many of Joe’s long-time friends and fans had heard us sing together and I was so nervous because I knew they’d know it if I messed up (they know his music backwards and forwards). … One of Joe’s best friends, Kurt Chiappardi, sat in on percussion and played this fantastic flute part on one of my favorite songs, ‘Beautiful Noise’ … and it was nothing short of a melodic sweet piece of candy … wow. We have tons of videos from that night on Joe’s site, too on the Joe Rathbone Videos page. And guess what? We scored our OWN show at Barrington Coffeehouse in July … so it seems it turned out alright and my fears were unwarranted … but hey, I’m a worrier … it’s just me.

Lastly, we had the privilege and honor to play a charity event last weekend, raising money for cancer research. The Reston Relay for Life, when all was said and done, raised more than $215,000 … and it was beautiful to be a part of it. We played a quiet set right after the remembrance time, when the track and stands were lit with luminaries in remembrance of cancer victims. We watched friends, families and survivors alike join for a common cause to raise money and awareness. And it was a great thing to be a part of.

I could babble on and on about what we did in May … and it was exciting … and gonna be hard to top — but we’re trying. My excitement is turned now to this awesome show we’re playing in Decatur, Ga on June 4 at Eddie’s Attic! Eddie’s is one of the premiere venues in the South for independent musicians … and it’s a big deal to get to play there. We’re opening for a man who was listed as one of the top 100 songwriters in America, Bill Mallonee and the Vigilantes of Love. We opened for Bill as a solo act a few months back in North Carolina and he enjoyed Joe’s tunes so much, he and Joe decided to hook up for a co-bill at Eddie’s. See? Cool things just keep happening …(BTW, view our Facebook events page for the Eddie’s Attic info). We’ll let you know how it goes with pictures and videos. It’s gonna be awesome though. I already know it.

OK so that’s probably enough for now. I didn’t ask Joe if I could write on his blog — I am hoping he won’t mind … I just felt reflective and inspired … and …. wordy (As always).

I hope to see some of our faithful fans at our upcoming shows and please tell your friends and family about the fan page and Joe’s music. And lastly, don’t forget to check the schedule! We’re in a booking groove … and right now … it’s definitely NOT the most dreaded task ever … (that would be cleaning the bathrooms at my house …). Booking, as of this moment, is kinda fun.

Take care all. We sure appreciate your support!

– Deanna

May 27, 2010    Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

al stewart..city winery..barrington coffee house

blogging yes i’m blogging…how are you all? many things happening in your lives i imagine and yet you need to know what joe rathbone is up to..right?
i get in my car thursday and drive to nyc to open a show for the one and only..mr.al stewart of “year of the cat” fame..nostradamus was actually one of my favorite al tunes as well as “roads to moscow” and “terminal eyes” the man is a legend and we will appear at “city winery” in new york..it’s also a wfuv event and if you don’t know about the world’s greatest radio station you really should just go look it up..
we saw al stewart play at philly’s own “tower theater” many years ago..what a thrill to see anything in that room and al the music was stellar always and still is!
i head to the barrington coffee house in barrington n.j. this saturday to play a show with heidi wolfson who is the reincarnation of patti smith, she really is and i love her music and singing and growling..heavenly..dee murray and i will join kurt chiappardi to play the tunes and it will fly..finally friends i hope all of you wherever you are..are keeping your hearts open and minds engaged..take care of each other, we’re all there is and we gotta mind each other..peace out..

May 11, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

videos, gigs , buried karmic channels..

it is blog monday..yes it is..there are many gigs coming up and we expect to see you out there with bells on! there’s a channel that runs just under the ground buried next to the power lines and it’s glowing yellow and it’s dirty as the river and ugly as the moon and lonely as the sky and there’s no way to own it or control it.it’s just there flowing by if we want to see it or sit by it silently and cry next to it..whatever we want to do with it..i’m hearing an unrelenting rhythm in it now crazy pulsing rhythm. i hope you hear it too and tap right into it because it’s the only hope we have left it’s a big love and a tired heart but it’s still goin’ on..still beating..there are some videos of me up there singing w/ deanna murray and they were fun to record..we hope you like ‘em, they are next to the ground, a buried channel there for you to do with whatever you wish.we hope you will..

April 27, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

new videos rathbone

ok blogging again..great..love this..the calendar is filling up friends with some great outdoor gigs in the northern va locale..come see us out there, we’re funny, strange, often antagonistic and always without reverence or regard for any convention musical or otherwise..being “polite” is not our stock in trade..but it’s about music and emotion and you know that..in other news :dee murray, myself with our friend will’s help are about to post some duo videos for a few songs..look for them on fan page and there are more on the way..these shots are pared down : 2 voices, one guitar, imperfections everywhere.. they sound full of life and reality.hope you enjoy them.. playing stripped down versus with a full band sheds great light on the essence of the song and what you really have in that tune..we think there’s a little there..but you be the judge..

April 17, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

Westover fun strikes chord with band, fans

The inevitable blues a few rainy days in Northern Virginia bring were chased away Saturday when tanning rays of sunshine, foaming drafts and some melodic tunes permeated Westover Market in Arlington.

The 60-something degree weather on Saturday night not only made it gorgeous enough to bring Arlington’s finest out for a stroll around town, but opened up a setting perfect for some rockin’ music, great food and even a few laughs.

Westover is one of our favorite places to play. We love that people just stop out and sit for awhile after jetting into the hardware store or they stand and listen for a song or two when running in to get mail out of the PO box — it’s an amazing oasis of music and function that brings people together who may not have had that thought in their minds when they first ventured out!

Also, there aren’t too many places a band can perform that actually cater to all ages. If you take into account that between us 4 band members, we have 10 kids (almost 11 … congrats Darrin …) – you begin to get an appreciation for how fun it is for us to see the little ones dancing to the beat and spinning around in front of where we set up. It’s amazing to know, even at a young age, kids feel music and appreciate it — fulling knowing it’s something that evokes emotion, feeling and in our case, fun.

I’ll be the first to admit — we got off to a rocky start Saturday — hey, it happens to the best of us. But by the second set we were golden –and um, this could be the beer talking (oh wait, I don’t really drink beer) but our third set was something to behold. (I think a few songs actually gave me goosebumps … and I swear it wasn’t the beer …. or the cute guy in the swim trunks …)

It’s really interesting, right? Look at the four of us — Joe’s a teacher (lovingly known as Mr. H to his students who saw him at Westover … Hi, Bella and Kate …) — Darrin’s a contractor; Andrew is a massage therapist and I (Dee) am a journalist. Four people with 4 totally different world views, various responsibilities and different burdens to bear … but music brings us together and helps us to see eye to eye. It’s really quite amazing. It works. It feels right. It’s perfection (or a work towards it)  in the making.

For me, it’s easy to close my eyes and get lost in the song. The words and melodies strike such a deep chord with me — like deep in the soul — where it would be all too easy to forget where I’m at and just breathe it all in. But those feelings are topped off by the connection a band member can make with the audience just by establishing eye contact or sending out a smile. Once that’s done, there’s an understanding between audience and performer — and a musical connection is made. And regardless of the age of that person, whether it’s two-year-old Jack or dancing man Benny — there’s joy in the music.

So I said all of that to say this — as always it’s a privilege and pleasure to play Westover — and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. We live off the high for several days after and talk about it constantly.  … So what else is there to say except …

THANK YOU WESTOVER …. GOODNIGHT (Or afternoon … whatever the case may be.) And we can’t wait to see you again …

April 12, 2010    Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

san francisco..sonoma..music

hey all..drew..dee.. petrokovich..hillary.. and everyone who was at saturdays house concert at the grange in sonoma..
if there is a reason for me to feel like i should keep a fire burning in this music “career” that reason is you all..music has a chance to transform you if you consent to go along for the ride and we all went along last weekend. everyone who became a fan and gave me some serious deep applause all night, i felt you each of you and the power we all have to reach each other.
i was so happy to play and sing for all of you and take you to some strange places and perspectives not all uplifting but all of them holy in a way that the heart knows is holy..the heart always knows no matter what convincing we try to do.. my heart thanks every one of you for listening for laughing and going along for the ride!

April 7, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

From one extreme to another

Last Saturday, the full Joe Rathbone band played at gig in Arlington Virginia at this cool little hang out called Westover Market. Westover has this beer garden outside attached to the little grocery, that has tap beer and outdoor firepits in this fenced-in area where families and party animals alike can experience some great beer, live music and enjoy being outdoors.

The coolest thing about playing in a place like Westover is the set on a Saturday night allows for parents to bring out their kids, carry in a pizza and just kinda let loose as a family — so from 6-7 p.m., we had little fans dancing, joining in on the singing and asking us questions about our guitars AND whether or not it was a ‘requirement’ for singers in a band to have tattoos … (And just to reiterate, Sophia Grace … it’s cool to have tattoos — and the members of the Joe Rathbone band believe the temporary ones your momma buys you are the coolest tattoos ever and perfectly acceptable for Rock stars everywhere …) Little Logan was even able to come up and give Joe’s guitar a strum or two — (he told us he loves guitars … but that he wants a smaller one because Joe’s was too heavy.)

Butter the pig

Butter the pet pig. Joe met him while strolling along the beach on the West Coast.

Some of the younger audience stayed for the next set, but the atmosphere definitely changes (And the temperature dropped drastically) once the sun goes completely down. And while it definitely was about 20 degrees colder, the night scene really started to heat up as we got a taste for a local audience truly appreciating the original music we brought to the stage. ‘Moving With You,’ ‘Down Down Down’ and ‘Didn’t Think I Was In Love’ were received excitedly by this audience and helped motivate us to continue playing thru even though our bass player, drummer and even Joe had slightly frozen fingers (I didn’t suffer much … that’s the beauty of just being a singer and not playing an instrument … hands, in pockets.)

Anyway, this weekend Joe’s playing an acoustic gig by himself in California, at Cornerstone Sonoma Winery. Frozen fingers probably won’t be an issue but the availability of fantastic wine might (just kidding.)

The 60-something degree weather and the strolls along the beach he’s had in the past few days are a slight difference from the scenery of last week’s Westover, but just goes to show Rathbone originals can play to and be appreciated by type of audience. (Did you see the pig, ‘Butter’ Joe met during a walk on the beach?)

We all can’t wait to get the full details after this cool event tomorrow and Drew Pearce, the Marketing genius behind it says he’ll supply some pictures and video afterwards. We hope to do more work with Drew in the future AND …

Hey … (gotta get a plug for next gig in …) The Joe Rathbone Band will be at Westover Market in Arlington AGAIN on April 10 … so bring out the kids. Bring out the parents … and even bring out the pet pigs … All are welcome.

– Dee Murray

 
 

 

April 2, 2010  Tags: , , ,  Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

george graham homegrown music wvia

last night..in the middle of the night we were “traveling through dry pennsylvania”
dee murray kurt chiappardi and me were. to record some songs on wvia in wilkes barre courtesy of our friend mr.george graham at wvia for his homegrown music series..kurt played conga and african drum w/ brushes as dee and i harmonized to some songs fro “mad july” early may it will be broadcast and it was a serene, haunting session that made my night.playing with my “old friend” kurt chiappardi was a joy.. it feels good to play and sing and ask you to come on the journey with us..have a peaceful holiday to all who care about such things..

March 30, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

WFUV Taping Day — A Look Back

By Dee Murray, guest blogger ….

You know, there are just those days where you feel really, really lucky?

Well, the day I went to WFUV with Joe Rathbone to sing harmony with him for his studio session with Claudia Marshall was definitely one of those days.  As a singer, there’s nothing more spiritual than literally getting to apply your craft in a space built just for it  — a music studio.

Joe and I arrived early — because that’s just what he does (whereas I am always late … so it’s an adjustment) — so while the brilliant sound techs were working their magic getting the studio set up for us, Joe and I were running songs. I was holding back on the harmonies at first — not quite sure what to expect, but once I got in the zone, it was all over. A mixture of sound, excitement, adrenalin and pure energy filled this large room and it was almost all I could NOT to drown out Joe!

Add Dylan Wissing, on drums,  (whom I had never met before) into the mix  … kicking in slowly then driving and lastly bassist Johnny Pisano (also a new acquaintance to me) and it was suddenly natural. I knew it then. The sound was right, the music was right, the ‘players’ were right — and it was going to be one of the best days ever. Four people, coming together from totally different backgrounds and outlooks all united in one common purpose — to play awesome music. … WOW!

So tonight this studio session airs on WFUV. (Listen Live here at 9:00pm and will be archived here) It’s actually difficult to sit here at my day job and get things done! I can’t wait to hear the sound. I can’t wait to listen to Joe’s tunes on the radio and I literally can’t wait for all his fans to get to experience it. What’s even more cool is that this is a day in forever now — a day in our musical history — that’ll live on and on through people listening to the WFUV archives and Joe’s fans sending around links later. It’s too cool … and for this small-town, New Mexico girl … a dream come true.

Thanks WFUV and thanks so much, Joe for letting me be a part of it!

— Dee Murray

March 25, 2010    Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments

wfuv taping

excited to say march 25th @ 9pm..wfuv radio in nyc will be airing a live spot/interview we did with claudia marshall last month.
dee murray sang beauitful harmony, johnny pisano played gorgeous bass and dylan wissing powered the drum kit as always we played most of the “mad july” ep..claudia made us feel like the real deal..like artists..wow what a feeling..never in my dreams did i imagine wfuv playing my records..like i was dreaming and we were all smiling every second..so we hope you’ll tune in here’s to friends and “mad july”

March 18, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized   No Comments