Peter Mulvey returns for the Final Doverlaff House Concert, Friday, May 31

Friday, May 31
7:30
What can one say about Peter Mulvey that we have not said before. NOTHING. That does not mean that nothing need be said. Among our very favorite performers and one of the earliest appearances in our series, Peter delivers compelling, moving and often humorous moments to our audiences. Great songs, great stories, amazing guitar chops, everything you could ask for in a performer.
Peter has a new CD just out, There Is Another World. Hopefully, he will have copies available for you to take home from the show.
Dan Dover will also open for this show.
Some press about Peter:
The eclectic range of Mulvey’s tireless past pays handsome dividends on this stylistically sweeping, LA-recorded album. A crack specially convened band (including regular Dylan drummer David Kemper) adhere to his well-established live and direct recording approach and allow the performer’s deeply matured, naturally wry and hard-edged Americana to attain full, flowing life. From the raunchy melodic pop of Sympathies through suburban requiem Remember the Milkman, the dizzying weirdness of If You Shoot At A King and even Led Zeppelin modal thunder on Copenhagen Airport, Mulvey’s troubled visions attain striking clarity.
Gavin Martin, Uncut
Or:
(from the River Music Festival)
Over the past 20 years, Mulvey has pursued a restless, eclectic path as a writer and musician – immersing himself in Tin Pan Alley jazz, modern acoustic, poetry, narrative, and Americana stylings. Relentlessly touring as a headliner – his attitude is, “When you love what you do, you can work all the time,” – he has also shared the stage with luminaries such as Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Ani diFranco, Indigo Girls, and Greg Brown, and has attracted an audience that stretches from Anchorage to Amsterdam.
Or, from Steven Stone:
  Just a guy with his guitar – that’s all you really need to make great music, right? If that guy happens to be Peter Mulvey the answer is a resounding YES!
(on Notes from Elsewhere) The seventeen songs display not only his songwriting prowess, but also Mulvey’s serious guitar-slinging chops. The opening guitar lines of the first song on the CD, “Shirt” demonstrates Mulvey’s solid fingerpicking coupled with his intelligent use of open tunings. On “Better Way to Go” Mulvey uses a “call and response” style that alternates between funky-cool riffs and open string chords. A non-standard open tuning gives his guitar a lower bass fundamental that grounds the bottom end. Notes from Elsewhere serves as a primer on modern alternate-tuning folk guitar. Mulvey’s consummate command of acoustic guitar techniques reminds me of another great acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter, Vance Gilbert.
Here are some videos you may find helpful:
Here is one final link for you. That link is our address, 7326 SE Woodward St., PDX 97206. That is the link to which to send in advance the suggested donation of $20 per person, to secure your seats for this fantastic performer. As usual, we will provide an array of snacks for you for free and will have beer and wine available. Send checks, made out to Dan Dover, with Peter Mulvey in the memo line, to the address above.
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Ed Haynes and Dan Dover at Doverlaff House Concerts, Sunday, May 12 at 7:30

Portland is full of great innovative dynamic musicians. Ed Haynes certainly fits the bill on that. Ed will be joining Dan Dover for a show at Doverlaff for a show on Sunday, May 12, Mother’s Day, at 7:30 pm.
We first heard Ed on the first Mississippi Studios compilation. He performed a song called Banner Day which, with its tale of a kitchen fire and dog rescue (‘you don’t wanna kill the pets”) stuck in our minds to the point where frequent interjections of “not a banner day for you” became part of our idiom.
S.P. Clark has written a fairly definitive article on the music of Ed Haynes. You can read it here. Currently, Ed has a recurrent performance called A Man Walks Into a Bar: A Comedy With Songs which he has performed at various venues in the Portland area including Artichoke Music. Ed’s songs tend toward the humorous and the absurd, e.g. “Grumpy Sad Hipster Baker Girl” and “Hospital Bar.” While overwhelmingly humorous or ironic, he also has some very touching songs that reflect the human condition in very moving ways. One such song is a transcription of an interview with a teenage serial killer that is emotionally disturbing. Ed stage presents is a huge part of his appeal. In ways reminiscent of John Gorka he pulls you in and causes you to invest in his performance. If you have heard Ed, you know what to expect. If not, we think you will be very enjoyably surprised.
Ed hosts a monthly performance, The Ed Haynes Show, at McMenamins Grand Lodge where he shares the stage with his favorite artists featuring songs and conversation. Next week, Thursday March 7th, The Ed Hayne Show will feature William Stafford and Dan Dover.
If you have come to many Doverlaff House Concerts you know Dan. He has opened for several shows here including shows by David Francey, Martyn Joseph, Dan Weber and others.  Self described as a “poet with a guitar” rather than a “musician.” Still 60 years of writing and nearly 50 years of playing guitar have produced some laudatory results. Dan has developed a nice finger style of guitar playing that perfectly compliments his poetic lyrics, but can also deliver up beat songs like “Steel and Rubber and Gasoline” or “I’m Ready for You.”. Dan’s songs, philosophical musings, political criticism, love songs, reflect the range of his influences, from Bob Dylan, John Prine and James Taylor to David Francey, Peter Mulvey, and Jeffrey Foucault.
This show will start at 7:30 with doors open at 7. Suggested donation for this show is $15. We hope to see you here.
We, Cheryl Mitzlaff and I, have enjoyed hosting this series for the past 10 years more than we could begin to say. Meeting some of our favorite musicians, sharing meals, music and aftershow stories has been a highlight of our lives. We hope you have enjoyed the series as much as we have and are sure you will enjoy this show. Come help us wind down the series and enjoy some great songs from Ed and Dan.
Some Videos and MP3s:
Ed:
Dan:
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David Jacob-Strains with Bob Beach at Doverlaff on April 21

Jacob-Strain and harmonic maven, Bob Beach, return to Doverlaff House Concerts on Easter evening, Sunday, April 21 at 7:30. We love David and Bob. Great chops, great songs, great people. This will be their third appearance here at Doverlaff. As usual, the show will start at 7:30 with doors open at 7. Suggested donation is $20. You can reserve your seats by sending us your advance donation to 7326 SE Woodward St., PDX, 97206. If you have questions or need directions you can call Dan at 503.730.3189. Make checks out to Dan Dover and put David-Jacob Strain in the memo line.

David Jacobs-Strain is a fierce slide guitar player, and a song poet from Oregon. He’s known for both his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon; his live show moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll. It’s a range that ties Jacobs-Strain to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne. “I try to make art that you can dance to, but I love that darker place, where in my mind, Skip James, Nick Drake, and maybe Elliot Smith blur together.” His new album, “Geneseo,” speaks of open roads, longing hearts and flashbacks of Oregon– a record of emotions big and small, and lyrics that turn quickly from literal to figurative. “I’m fascinated by the way that rural blues inscribes movement and transience. The music that frees a singer keeps them on the run; there’s a crossroads where a thing can be enchanting but dangerous; damaging but beautiful.”

William Stafford will open.

Some DJS videos:

Tree Top Flyer

Come On In My Kitchen 

Big League Dreams

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West My Friend returns to Doverlaff, Saturday, March 2

West My Friend will return to Doverlaff House Concerts on Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30

If you are a frequent habitue of Doverlaff House Concerts, you may be familiar with this group. They performed here last season in a quartet configuration. Now the band is down to the original 3 former musical school students who have been playing together since meeting in that school. They play with roots or old-timey instrumentations but with entirely fresh and original songs and styles of their own.

As usual, we suggest s $20 per seat donation. To reserve your seats send the suggested donation to us at 7326 SE Woodward St. PDX 97206. Our venue is at the same address. Make checks payable to Dan Dover (Please, NOT Doverlaff House Concerts as we have no bank account with that name.) All gate donations go to the artists. We will provide an array of snacks. Beer and wine are available for a nominal donation.

From their website:

(Cascadian third-wave indie progressive chamber folk-roots)

Described as everything from indie-roots to chamber-folk, West My Friend has an acoustic blend of instruments and three-part harmonies that challenges the conventions of popular music. The band features pure and thrillingly elastic vocals with catchy arrangements of guitar, mandolin, and accordion that draw from jazz, classical, folk, and pop influences. Inspired by artists such as Owen Pallett, the Barenaked Ladies, Joanna Newsom, the Beach Boys, The Decemberists, and the Punch Brothers, and forged from a sonically adventurous acoustic music scene on Canada’s west coast, West My Friend is proving to be a key part of a new generation of grassroots folk music. With performances ranging from the Edge of the World Music Festival to the West End Cultural Centre to the Copenhagen Folk Club and everywhere in between, West My Friend’s commitment to creating original indie-roots music always catches hold of audiences. The wealth of musical experience and classical training in the group creates an interesting backdrop for their songwriting, allowing for levels of detail, intricacy, and counterpoint balanced with moments of simplicity. Their diversity in taste and influences and a keen interest in both traditional sounds and innovation leads to constant exploration of new sounds that places them as a distinctive voice in the landscape between Canadian folk and indie-pop.

Some word in the press:

“Quiet Hum makes a mockery of the ‘difficult third album’ notion, instead cementing West My Friend’s place in Canada’s modern folk elite. It is an outstanding release and their most moving material to date, yet only four years since their debut it feels like West My Friend are still gathering speed, with plenty more innovative Cascadian third-wave indie prog chamber folk-roots music set to be unveiled in years to come.”
– David Morrison, Folk Radio UK

“One of the sweetest and most elegant folk albums released this year… ”
– The Georgia Straight

The wealth of musical experience and classical training in the group creates an interesting backdrop for their songwriting, allowing for levels of detail, intricacy, and counterpoint balanced with moments of simplicity. This sonically adventurous approach to music defines West My Friend as a key part of a growing movement of the new generation of grass-roots folk music taking place in Victoria, Vancouver and across British Columbia.

-From the website of the Vancouver Island Musicfest

Some Videos:

Shape of a Home

Man in the Mirror

No Good Monster

We hope to see you there.

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Dan Weber at Doverlaff House Concerts, Saturday, March 23

 

Dan Weber will return to Doverlaff on Saturday, March 23 at 7:30. As many of you know, Dan and I drug each other out of our respective basements to start playing open mics and whatever almost 10 years ago. Thus, I feel very invested in Dan’s success as a songwriter and a performer.  And he has done quite well.

“Dan played a tremendous show! Top rate performance: soulful, sad, funny and everything in between. I’d recommend Dan to anyone. One of the friendliest guys you’ll ever meet too!”

– Matt Hough, Lair of the Swamp Fox Concerts

Here is a blurb from his website:

“In a few short years since his debut to a standing ovation at the Sisters Folk Festival, former National Park Ranger Dan Weber has become a sought after national touring artist for his upbeat and engaging performances, insightful songs, and hilarious off-the-cuff stories. None other than legendary Folk troubadour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott said “I love Dan’s songs and he tells really good stories.”

He’s released two critically acclaimed CD’s, Ash and Bonewith the instant classic ‘Hank and Jesus’, and What I’m Lookin’ For featuring ‘Oh Woody’, his tribute to Woody Guthrie that rose to #2 on the Folk music charts. And he’s toured extensively across the U.S., becoming a rare 3 time finalist in the legendary Kerrville ‘New Folk’ competition, had 2 top finishes in the Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and won the prestigious Winfield, Kansas ‘NewSong’ contest. The future looks even brighter with more great Festivals, Shows, and intimate House Concerts to come.”

Some quotes about Dan’s music:

“4 Stars: Has you hanging on to every word. That’s the touch of a true Master Craftsman Songwriter.”

– Alan Cackett, Maverick Magazine

“Weber’s writing is as strong as any in the Contemporary Folk community. ‘ Goodbye to Dad’ is one of the best original tunes that I have heard in a long time.”

– Christopher Anderson, Victory Review: Acoustic Music Magazine

Some Videos:

Hank and Jesus

Oh, Woody 

I Deal with Crazy All Day

We hope you can join us for this stellar show.

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David Jacob Strain at Doverlaff, Sunday, April 7

.

More info to come soon

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Sway Wild featuring Mandy Fer and Dave McGraw

Mandy Fer and Dave McGraw are coming back to Doverlaff in a new configuration as “Sway Wild. They will have bassist Tom Lord joining them for this show.

They will be here on Thursday, January 24. The show starts at 7:30 pm with Doors open at 7. Suggested donation, as usual, is $20 per seat.

To guarantee your seats, advance donation of the suggested donation should be sent to us at 7326 SE Woodward St., Portland, Oregon 97206. Please, BE SURE to make checks out to Dan Dover, not Doverlaff as there is no Doverlaff checking account through which we can process them. Please include “Sway Wild” in the memo line.

We hope you can join us. As usual, we will have an array of snacks for free and beer and wine for which we suggest a nominal donation.

See you then.

From their website:

***SWAY WILD: New Name, New Music coming from Mandy Fer & Dave McGraw! Stay tuned…***

Donkeys out the front door, whales out the back.

Pacific Northwest based songwriter duo Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer voyage even further out to sea on their latest self-produced/recorded release Off-Grid Lo Fi.  Recorded entirely with solar and wind powered electricity on a nearly uninhabited, remote, off-grid island in northwest Washington state, McGraw and Fer have ventured into new territory, both geographically and artistically.

McGraw and Fer were invited to a seaside farm to care-take for four old donkeys and a flock of chickens for three months on a non-ferry serviced island with a winter population of fewer than eight people. Seizing the opportunity for a solitary writing residency, the duo loaded all of their instruments, minimal recording gear, and groceries into a tiny 16’ aluminum boat and crossed the channel towards the US/Canadian border for what they called their ‘feral’ adventure. Pushing wheelbarrows full of provisions in their rubber boots, they made their way to a hand-built cabin where they recorded Off-Grid Lo-Fi in a living room overlooking the Pacific inland sea. The recording set-up was basic. No computer screens or editing. No Auto-Tune. All real takes. The result is a twelve-song album drenched with rich vocal harmonies, poignant songwriting, Fer’s potent electric guitar playing, acoustic guitars, percussion, cello and newly prominent banjo and piano (all played bye Fer and McGraw). Off-Grid Lo-Fi is an intimate, authentic and refreshingly honest exploration into the genres of folk, rock, and roots music.

Known as a standout electric guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Mandy Fer is unafraid to dominate the stage for an extended guitar solo, defying long-held gender barriers for female guitarists. Dave McGraw’s emotional songwriting riffs on natural elements of the world around him. McGraw spent a decade as a wildlife biologist, studying endangered birds in remote locales from the deserts of Mexico and the Grand Canyon to the mountainous rainforests of Washington. McGraw and Fer joined forces in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2010 before relocating to the Pacific Northwest in 2012.

The duo’s 2014 release Maritime charted at #1 on the EuroAmericana Chart for two consecutive months and was praised by The Telegraph for “…soulful songs, intuitive musicianship, and fine singing.” Together, their exceptional vocal harmonies coupled with Fer’s pioneering electric guitar work have become a vehicle to carry them around the world. The pair has honed their skills touring extensively throughout the US and Europe, sharing stages with such artists as Iron & Wine, Glen Hansard, Gregory Alan Isakov, Charlie Hunter Trio, Lake Street Dive and many others. Winning over audiences anywhere from Alaska to Amsterdam, McGraw and Fer perform a heartfelt and dynamic blend of innovative folk, rock, pop and funk.

Some Press:

“…stellar songwriting…exceptional guitar playing…” The Utne Reader

“…(Off-Grid Lo-Fi) suits their music deep down to the ground and digs its roots even further into your soul…(Fer) is over and again proving herself a brilliant songwriter…Off-grid lo-fi is a truly standout new collection from Dave and Mandy, who must surely by now be considered one of Americana’s most vital and essential – and original – duo acts.” FATEA Magazine UK

“…refreshing…stunning…some of the best I have heard.” – No Depression

Some Videos:

Serotiny

La Loba

Chimney Fire

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Stand and Sway (Beth Wood and Ara James) at Doverlaff February 2nd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you heard Stand and Sway? Though we have not, except the video below, we know Beth Wood’s work very well. She has played our series in the past and we have seen her severall other time. We love her for her clear bright voice, her expressive captivating lyrics and awesome guitar playing. She, as my good friend, Doug (Spud) Henderson says, is the real deal. Or, as his brother Mark is oft heard to utter (and will after one of her songs) “that is worth the price of admission.”

Suffice it to say, for now (more info coming), if Beth has decided to form a duet with her, she must be pretty darn good.

See them both her on February 2nd.

Hope to see you then.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_kSd6LbbEc

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Anna Tivel and Jeffrey Martin at Doverlaff November 4

What a surprise Anna Tivel has turned into. I first heard her several years ago, 7-8 years, at Artichoke on a Songwriters Round-up night. The Shook Twins were new in town and were attending the round-up frequently. They asked for a friend to come to the stage to back them up on fiddle. That friend was Anna Tivel.

After that, we would see Anna here and there mostly backing up someone with her exquisite fiddle playing. Never thought of her as a songwriter, singer or front person. Shows how well my musician radar works.

A couple of years ago, we went to see Peter Mulvey at the Old Church in downtown Portland and found the opening act to be Anna. She played guitar and sang amazing songs with huge emotional depth and impact all with that voice, a plaintive aching sound that encapsulates loneliness, longing and joy into one sound. And the songs. Her songs are beyond my meager abilities to describe. Poetice posts from the heart, soul and mind of a sensitive, observant sage. Fantastic poetry. Take a listen to ‘Illinois’ below and you will know what I mean.

Rom the Portland Mercury:

Jeffrey Martin.  We have heard Jeffrey in only bits and pieces but have been duly impressed. Here are some things that have been written about this fine singer-songwriter. PORTLAND MERCURY:  “Jeffrey Martin’s music is not widely known, which is a shame, because he might be the best songwriter in Portland. With lyrics that read like Raymond Carver stories and a voice that’s one breath away from breaking completely apart, Martin’s songs are beautiful, sparse, and utterly devastating. . . . If there is any justice in the world, Martin’s music will soon reach a wider audience and inflict devastation on a much larger scale. ”                                                                                                                                                         -Santi Elijah Holley

No Depression article about Jeffrey

From Mike Meyer, DJ, Music Critic:“Jeff Martin was my favorite Northwest discovery last year! His fluid, expressive vocal style fits perfectly with this unique balance of universal insight and personal experiences in songs. Jeff already deserves to be mentioned in the upper tier of national songwriters.”
— Mike Meyer, KRVM-fm, Hope Chest Productions

So, as usual, the show will start at 7:30. Each artist will do a 45 min or so set with a break in between.  We will have the usual snacks available along with beer and wine.  To guarantee your seat, send to suggested donation to us at 7326 SE Woodward St., PDX 97206. You can reach Dan at 503.730.3189 for questions or directions. If sending a check, make it out to Dan Dover and put Anna and Jeffrey HC in the memo line.

We hope to see you at the show.

Illinois  Anna

All Along  Anna

Gold in the Water    Jeffrey

Long Monday (John Prine Cover)

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Dan Bern October 19 at Doverlaff

We first discovered Dan Bern some 25 years ago at the Vancouver (BC) Folk Music Festival. We were blown away immediately and have seen him in several venues and festivals since. His acid humor and political/social commentary make him one of our favorites.

From his website bio:

Dan Bern has released some two dozen studio albums, EPs, and live recordings since his first CD on Sony/Work in 1997. Either fronting various bands or as a solo performer, he is convincing, funny and timely, with an unassuming tip of the hat to the spirits of the past greats, all while sounding fresh and original. Dan’s songs pack a punch, and are engaging and often cinematic.

Bern’s singular songwriting has led to work on such projects as the Judd Apatow features Walk Hard—the Dewey Cox Story and Get Him to the Greek. His songs have appeared in countless TV shows and independent films, been covered by The Who’s Roger Daltrey, and lately, comprise all the songs for Amazon Prime’s The Stinky and Dirty Show, a cartoon for youngsters, now in its second season.

In addition to the music, Dan Bern is a prolific painter, with works hanging in The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and The Bobby Feller Museum. He has published several books, the latest being a collection of poems, “encounters,” which recount his real-life encounters with, among others, Wilt Chamberlain, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Carter and Hunter S. Thompson.

Exciting new projects in the works include new recordings with his much beloved band, “The International Jewish Banking Conspiracy” (IJBC).

We hope you can join us for the show. It has to be listed as private as he has another show in town at the Old Church. You can invite your friends if you like.

Albuquerque

New American Language

 

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