City girls Rachel Platten and Bess Rogers ignite the Evening Muse

A very talented pair of Indie singer-songwriters graced the stage of the Evening Muse last night.  Bess Rogers opened for Rachel Platten and then joined Rachel as a band member in her set with harmony vocals, guitar, ukelele and bass, along with Craig Meyer on drums/percussion.  That’s the way they’re touring this winter/spring.

Many folks in Charlotte have seen Bess perform before – most recently at the Tosco Music Party held at the Halton Theatre in January.  This Brooklyn based touring machine has a new CD out titled “Out Of The Ocean”.  Released in Oct of 2011, many of the songs that made thier way onto “Out Of The Ocean” had a genesis from the idea of evolution and some complex reading that Bess had done during a small bit of time off from touring.

Bess Rogers performance photos.

By the time Rachels’ set began the Evening Muse seating had just about filled to capacity.  The audience came to see a singer-songwriter and witnessed a full-on PARTY on the stage!  With a beautiful and powerful voice Rachel Platten entertained with animated energy that consumed the room.  Her singing seemed effortless – controlling her joy took some effort!  Rachel is a reflection of all things positive and enlightening about life.  She’ll energize you and lift your spirits – even on a Tuesday evening!!

Photos of Rachels performance.

Read on here for the rest of the story.....

Cheers,

Tosco House Party @ the Evening Muse

John Tosco

As most folks in Charlotte know the first Wednesday of each month John Tosco holds an open mic night at the Evening Muse - it's call the Tosco House Party.  There's a long story that goes back some 20 years of musicians gathering to share their music in a "living room" atmosphere.  That tradition lives on at the Evening Muse in addition to the Tosco Music Party where the "living room" grows to a 1,200 seat theatre three times a year. 

I really enjoy attending these House parties as they provide a glimpse into the development of numerous talented singer-songwriters.  Many of these people were in High School when they started sharing their talents at the Tosco House Party. 

Devon Elizabeth

Among my favorites are Devon Elizabeth, Joelle Kittrell of Side By Side, Marie Hasty,  Sy Arden,  and many others..

January 2011 THP photos

September 2011 THP photos

October 2011 THP photos

This is an event that you should visit.  Very casual - all ages - a great time and wonderful evening of acoustic music.

Cheers,

Monty

Traditional sing-along start to the Tosco House Party

Joshua James returns to Charlotte

Most folks know that I am a huge fan of Joshua James.  I've written many times about his emotive delivery of meaningful lyrics and how his soft raspy voice draws the listener into his music. 

Joshua has met with some success this year as the TV show Sons Of Anarchy featured a full length version of his song "Coal War" in their promotion for the upcoming season.  Congratulations!

This year was special for me because he returned to the Evening Muse on my Birthday!  Sweet!

Here's a link to the photo's I took on the night.

Honey Honey was the opener for Joshua.  They are touring together and were also very enjoyable.  Here's a link to a few images of their performance as well.

Cheers,

Monty