Raves and Reviews - Claire Lynch Band
Claire Lynch brings bluegrass charm to the Stage in Bonita Springs |
Intriguing bands come and go. What elevates one to classic is an enduring mastery of the musical triumvirate: strong melody, engaging lyrics and audience sensitivity. That reads like a definition of Claire Lynch, two-time bluegrass female vocalist of the year and songwriter for other stars as well as her own band. Her buttercup voice and straight-ahead lyrics are in demand for European tours as well as in the states, and both she and her band members share a stack of Grammy nominations. Lynch appears with her band at the Stage in Bonita next Thursday, her second appearance here in two years, and it’s hard to say whether the audience will start clamoring first for her interpretation of Bill Monroe’s “My Florida Sunshine” or Lynch’s own haunting “Woods of Sipsey.” Lynch is on tour while the International Bluegrass Music Association votes on whether she’ll win that third female vocalist of the year award this year (she’s already one of the nominees). She took some time via email to answer questions about her music and life now: Naples Daily News: In 2000, you took a break from touring and performing, but then, as your bio says, “I never thought I’d come back. Then one day I opened my catalog of songs and realized that I’d written my life.” Were there more things that you wanted to write about your life, and what are they? Claire Lynch: Indeed, there’s still more to write. I think I’ve eased up on myself these days and am opening up to new experiences —- love, friendship, politics and family. All of these will be coming out in my writing NDN: The lyrics in your songs are very important; the thought may not be different than ones we all have had, but they’re phrased so sparely and intriguingly I have to think you read a lot as well as writing. What kind of reading do you do? And what “composing commandments” do you have for students in your songwriting classes? Lynch: Honestly, I’ve found it hard to read too much although I love doing so. During my heaviest writing days I read mostly the Bible. There’s a lot of wonderful poetry in the Old Testament. I immersed myself in a lot of those writings. NDN: And what “composing commandments” do you have for students in your songwriting classes? Lynch: I’ll try to narrow it down to something condensed here. There are so many things to teach. Basically my rule of thumb is “less is more” and “stay on the path where all the elements of the song point to the main idea.” NDN: You grew up in Huntsville, and gathering from your song, “Woods of Sipsey,” you’re very familiar with the Bankhead National Forest where your grandmother-in-law lived. Are you a hiker who spends or has spent time in the Sipsey Wilderness? Lynch: Ha ha! No, I don’t think I’d want to hike around there in the warm months anyhow! Too many copperheads and cottonmouths. When I was a teenager we used to do a lot of hiking in north Alabama. Granny lived near the wilderness — Walker County. The extent of my woods experience was going out to her farm and tromping around on her few acres NDN: To put together the arrangements for songs like “Sipsey” and “Great Day in the Morning,” which are very different from each other, for a disc must take a lot of rehearsal time. Or do you all record together and tend to record what’s inside you that day? What’s the process like? Lynch: When it’s time for album prep and arranging songs, I usually call a couple of rehearsals 3 or 4 days long so we can camp out and pick day and night. Sometimes we meet for an extra day on either the front or back side of a tour in order to work on arrangements. It’s usually “catch as catch can NDN: What is your next major project? Are you working on another disc? Lynch: Yes, we’re about to begin prep for a new album. I’ll be working with a producer named Jim Ed Norman of Nashville fame. We’ll probably get to some of this winter. NDN: You’ve written a good number of songs that you have not recorded. Is there any one or two that you are thinking -- “I still want to do a version of that myself”? Lynch: Well, there are a ton of choices out there. I’ve not narrowed them down to one or two yet. NDN: What’s on your iPod — your favorite tunes — right now, and whose music would we be surprised to hear that you like? Lynch: Well, I’m listening to the entire project from Paul Simon... the title cut being “So Beautiful, So What?” Other listens: Joni Mitchell’s old “’Court and Spark,” Patty Griffin and Ron Sexsmith, Prairie Oyster, Tommy Emmanuel and Robert Plant’s new one. |
| Harriet Howard Heithaus |
Feature Focus: Claire Lynch |
Claire Lynch has been a force in bluegrass music for over three decades although in appearance she seems too young for that to be the case. Claire's work in bluegrass has propelled her to become a sought after session vocalist. She is a prolific songwriter and collaborator with many of the country's most famous names. Claire started out in the 70s in country music and then joined the bluegrass wave in the 80s. Country music influences are still evident in her vocals. Her original songs have won the hearts of many fans carried on the vocal chords of such artists as Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Cherryholmes and the Whites. Claire's harmonies on Dolly Parton's bluegrass album brought an invitation to make a promotional tour with Dolly. In 2000 Claire released the solo CD Love Light. At the time she planned to step out of music forever. When she returned to the music scene she said, ―I never thought I'd come back. Then one day I opened my catalog of songs and realized that I'd written my life.‖ She came back little by little and now plays a full schedule.
Claire was named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 2010 and in 1997. In '97 she was soloist with the Front Porch String Band and in 2005 formed her own Claire Lynch Band. Her album New Day that year spent weeks on the bluegrass charts and earned her the nomination for IBMA Song of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. In 2007 Rounder Records picked up her tunes and released them as Crowd Favorites. For that she received more nominations and induction into the Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
You may have heard Claire and the Claire Lynch Band at a Midwinter Bluegrass Festival in Northglenn, Colorado. Ken Seaman has featured her there a couple of times recently. You can also watch Claire perform on a number of YouTube videos. You're sure to enjoy her distinctive vocals and the tight harmonies of the band. I highly recommend you take a listen.
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| Phyllis Stark |
Bluegrass musician Claire Lynch returning home for two-night show |
Claire Lynch is coming home. The acclaimed bluegrass performer who spent 30-plus years in Alabama will return to Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center on Thursday and Friday with her band in tow to perform a myriad of musical genres. “It will be the quintessential Claire Lynch Band show,” said the singer/songwriter who now resides in Nashville, “with originals, fabulous harmony singing, incredible bluegrass bass and instrumental picking. “And then we will have humor, dancing, Appalachian clogging and a lot of favorites will be played,” Lynch said. “Also some new, fresh material that hasn’t been recorded yet.” Lynch moved to Huntsville from Kingston, N.Y., when she was 12 and jokingly notes the big change. “It was a culture shock,” she said. “But I adjusted and ended up living in Alabama for a long time ... raised children there, married.” Lynch’s earliest memories of music began in childhood around a piano when her parents taught her and her two sisters to sing trio. But it wasn’t until her sister got her hands on a guitar that the road to Lynch’s bluegrass destiny was paved. “Whenever she wasn’t playing it (the guitar), I would sneak in her room and play it,” Lynch said. “When I was a child, I became enamored with folk music and started writing when I was little.” Now in her 50s, Lynch continues to pursue her passion for the raw sounds of bluegrass. Although she has taken several hiatuses from the art to tend to family needs, the musician is lucky to have been able to make a career out of it. “For some reason, I have always come back,” she said. “I took a six-year hiatus and came back in 2005 to go on my own.” Hence the Claire Lynch Band - what the Grammy-nominated guitarist describes as a big wall of sound that’s comprised of Huntsville native Matt Wingate, who plays both the guitar and mandolin and sings high harmony, bassist Mark Schatz and Florida fiddle and mandolin player Jason Thomas. The quartet tours throughout the country with about 100 play-dates out of the year and is in the midst of working on its next album with Nashville producer Jim Ed Norman. Lynch says she hopes to have the album - which will be her ninth in her solo career - completed before spring, but she isn’t rushing the process. “We are taking our time to make a good album,” she said. And Lynch doesn’t foresee taking another break or retiring from the music biz any time soon. Simply put, music is the essence of her life. “(I hope to do it) until I’m dead,” she said. “I have lived it and breathed it.” |
| Sarah Cure |
The lady can sing |
Claire Lynch is quite simply one of the best singers in the world. Her distinctive voice has been described as “soulful, resonating with power and strength, yet retaining an engaging innocence and crystalline purity.” Claire has earned praise from contemporaries Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt; Linda calls Claire’s voice” beautiful and effervescent,” while Dolly says “she has one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today.”
And Claire Lynch is coming to Greenville! Due to lucky happenstance for Darke County Center for the Arts, a hole opened up in her touring schedule, DCCA was contacted, St. Clair Memorial Hall was available - and voila! This bluegrass icon is bringing her fabulous voice as well as her awesome bands to our community on Friday, April 1 (no foolin’).
Claire first gained fame with The Front Porch String Band in 1981, when that amazing voice backed by hot-picking musicians set the group apart from other emerging bluegrass bands. However soon after the group’s smashing debut recording, the lead singer gave birth to her first child, and disappeared from the national music scene for several years while raising a family. Although a hiatus from touring, this time in Claire’s life was spent making a name for herself as a Nashville songwriter and backup singer, recording with luminaries Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris as well as the aforementioned Parton and Ronstadt, and writing songs recorded by Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, and others.
The Front Porch String Band and its lead singer re-emerged in 1991, with Claire earning her first Grammy nomination in 1995 and her second two years later. She was named Female Vocalist of the Year by International Bluegrass Music Association in 1997. In 2000,
Claire Lynch released “Lovelight,” an album closer to mainstream country than her previous output, before beginning another break from performance as she helped her teen-aged daughter get through high school.
Returning to the music business in 2005, Claire has recorded three more albums, earning accolades and awards (including 2010 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year) as she started over once again. She says she’s become an expert at starting over, of reinventing herself, and her music reflects that perspective, demonstrating the strength and resilience that has motivated her through the years.
Okay, so that’s Claire - and she’s definitely worth hearing. But making the upcoming concert even more of an event to anticipate is the quality of her backup band. Mark Schatz who plays clawhammer banjo as well as bass has twice been named IBMA Bass Player of the Year. Jason Thomas’s lyrical mastery of fiddle styles from bluegrass to Celtic to country to Gypsy jazz has garnered praise and respect from critics, fans, and musicians alike. The newest member of the band, Matthew Wingate, first gained notice in 1997, when he won the Merlefest “Doc Watson Guitar Championship” at the age of 15, and has since gained recognition for his considerable skills as one of the most exciting young musicians in bluegrass music today.
Claire Lynch says that she’s a singer/songwriter who comes from bluegrass music and whose songs are firmly in the bluegrass tradition; however, her output includes music which could be called folk, swing, or country. If you don’t think you like bluegrass, come hear Claire Lynch. Her pure lovely voice will change your mind. If you are a bluegrass fan, you know that this should be a night to remember and have already decided to jump at the chance to hear this powerhouse band backing up a legendary performer with an awesome voice.
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| Marilyn Delk, Darke County Center for the Arts |
Bluegrass songstress brings duet to town |
Claire Lynch, still fresh from her second win as Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2010 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, will visit the Shoals on Friday with bandmate Matt Wingate for a special duo concert.
Lynch normally tours with the full Claire Lynch Band, but she and Wingate have presented stripped-down shows this winter. Wingate will share in the singing duties with Lynch, as well as play guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. The two will perform at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Florence.
“The beauty of doing a duo is how the songs are pared down to their barest form,” Lynch said. “A lot of sweetness can emerge. The fans have a closer glimpse of us as artists — you could say in this case that less is more.”
Recording since she was 19, Lynch has received two Grammy Award nominations, been nominated for IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year 11 times and was previously a member of the bluegrass Front Porch String Band. She has worked with such artists as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Pam Tillis, and songs she has written have been recorded by artists such as Kathy Mattea and Patty Loveless.
Her most recent album, “Watcha Gonna Do,” was released in September 2009 to positive reviews.
Tickets for the show are available in advance at Alabama Outdoors, 468 N. Court St., Florence, or at the door at the church, 410 N. Pine St.
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| timesdaily.com |
Bluegrass star returns home to Kingston |
Claire Lynch could bring her band to Kingston for a chance to visit childhood haunts. After all, she was born here.
Instead, the expected standing-room-only show at the Skytop Steakhouse will showcase the talent that won Lynch the International Bluegrass Music Association's 2010 Female Vocalist of the Year and placed her newest album, "Whatcha Gonna Do?," at the top of the charts.
A sense of place and family is key to Lynch's songwriting style, and the inspiration usually arrives as a stray phrase matched with a melody she can build on.
"There's a song I wrote called 'The Woods of Sipsey' about Sipsey River (Ala.) here where my Granny lived and died. It's a very godforsaken backwoods place and she's a country lady. As she was dying, I wrote it as first-person Granny," Lynch said. Her family moved to Alabama when she was 12, and one of her earliest songs, "Hills of Alabama," was recorded by Kathy Mattea. "It's a truck-driving song," Lynch said. "I was very young when I wrote it, but you have to understand the landscape and family in songs. I never did write a song about Kingston. I was writing more poems back then and gave them as gifts to my family." She has no family remaining in the Kingston area, but remembers childhood walks in the woods between Lucas Avenue and Miller's Lane, where neighborhood kids built tree forts. "We'd all go to Forsyth Park. It was my favorite place to meet my friends and play. There was a place called Duck Pond, where we used to ice skate in the winter," Lynch said. "My father would make a little campfire on the banks so we could stay warm and we'd skate. Those are some of my fondest memories with my dad." After moving to Alabama, Lynch formed the Front Porch String Band at age 19 and recorded several well-received albums. She spent time as a session vocalist in the 1980s, singing backup on albums by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. Her band returned to recording in the 1990s, bringing out Grammy-nominated albums "Moonlighter" and "Silver and Gold." An album of Lynch's original tunes, "Love Light," was the group's last recording together. In 2004, she formed the Claire Lynch Band, recorded three top-selling albums for Rounder Records and began touring. The band now consists of Matthew Wingate on guitar, mandolin and vocals; top bass player Mark Schatz, whom many listeners know from his recordings with Nickel Creek, Bela Fleck and Jerry Douglas; and Jason Thomas on mandolin, fiddle and vocals. Thomas recorded three albums with Kane's River. Lynch keeps the same band for touring and recording. |
| Deborah Medenbach |
Hometown Reunion-Bluegrass star Claire Lynch returns to Kingston for Skytop concert |
Before she was Claire Lynch, IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) female vocalist of the year for 2010; back before she toured the country with the Front Porch String Band, or sang with Dolly Parton, she was Claire Lutke, who lived in Kingston on Lucas Avenue while her father worked for IBM, from 1958 to 1969 or so.
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| Brian Hollander-Hudson Valley Times |
The Best of Bluegrass |
Claire Lynch is a musician’s musician. New York–born and Alabama–bred, Lynch has been making beautiful bluegrass music since her late teens.
Her first outfit, Hickory Wind, morphed into the Front Porch String Band, and Lynch spent decades touring the world with her bandmates and husband–slash–mandolinist Larry Lynch.
In 2004, the songstress struck out on her own to form The Claire Lynch Band (now featuring Jason Thomas on fiddle and mandolin, Mark Schatz on bass and Matt Wingate on guitar).
After an album deal with Rounder Records, some International Bluegrass Music Association wins and a few Grammy nods, Lynch is looking to bring her Americana–inflected bluegrass to the masses.
After all, she has over a dozen records under her belt, and Dolly Parton called her “one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today.”
Lynch and company perform Saturday, Dec. 4 at Randy Wood Guitars in Bloomingale.
We caught up with Lynch to chat about songwriting, winning a Grammy and the band’s chemistry. Here’s a little bit from that conversation:
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| Kara Pound |
Baltimore City Paper |
“When Lynch brought her quartet to the Cellar Stage Friday night, it wasn’t just her warm, welcoming soprano that captivated the crowd but also the terrific picking of her supporting cast.” Baltimore City Paper |
The New York Times |
"A bluegrass stalwart, Ms. Lynch showcases the strong rapport of a working band on “Whatcha Gonna Do,” her chipper new album. And along with some original tunes, she lays claim to songs like “The Mockingbird’s Voice,” a pitch-perfect fit for her." The New York Times |
POPMATTERS |
"With a wealth of terrific material, Whatcha Gonna Do marks an assured, elegant return for veteran bluegrass vocalist Claire Lynch… crisp, dewy vocals ring over a parade of ethereal folk, bluegrass-swing, and mountain waltzes"
#4 Bluegrass album of 09 in POPMATTERS
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Music Review Claire Lynch, Watcha Gonna Do |
Claire Lynch’s music comes from a crossroads where folk, bluegrass, and pop meet, with elements of all three creating an enchanting musical hybrid that’s difficult to pigeonhole but delightful to listen to. On her latest outing for venerable Rounder Records (her first since 2006’s New Day), Lynch applies her astonishingly clear, pure voice to a carefully-chosen collection of tunes that positively pulse with a joyous celebration of life. Lynch puts her cards on the table with the leadoff track, “Great Day In The Morning,” an unabashedly optimistic greeting to a new day’s possibilities and potential. With its lilting melody and Lynch’s soaring vocal, it proves an uplifting and inspirational opener, setting a sunny mood that prevails throughout. Indeed, Lynch seems possessed of rare grace and wisdom, able to accept the inevitable, learn her lessons, and shoulder on with an eternally hopeful smile. Even when love’s gone astray, as in “The Mockingbird’s Voice,” Lynch tempers the mildly melancholy mood with almost cheerful resignation and acceptance. “Face To Face” is a buoyant and bouncy declaration of faith seemingly infused with pure sunshine, while folk legend Jesse Winchester guests on his own “That’s What Makes You Strong,” another thoughtful tune that looks at life with gently homespun wisdom, enlivened by utterly gorgeous fiddle from Jason Thomas. Even when Lynch is exploring darker subject matter - "Whatcha Gonna Do" poses the ultimate question as judgment looms, and the traditional sounding "A Canary's Song" and "Widow's Weeds" deal with death and the dark despair of a coal miner's life - there's an inescapably sunny quality to her delivery. |
| John Taylor |
The Washington Post |
" a sterling, silvery vocal presence and a gift for supple, emotional ornamentation..." |
The Nashville Scene |
"Claire Lynch is one of the classiest acts in bluegrass today." |
The Boston Globe |
"...winsome high range that mixes fragility and strength..." |
Nashville Scene Critic's Pick-Station Inn |
After bidding farewell to veteran bandmember Jim Hurst earlier this year, Claire Lynch — one of the few artists who can convincingly fit songs from both Bill Monroe and Garth Brooks alongside her own — has been introducing new guitar man Matt Wingate to audiences around the country (and now to Nashville). Those with sharp eyes will have noticed Wingate in years past, including a long stint with Georgia’s Lovell Sisters, and the new gig puts him in a spotlight for which he’s more than ready. With an intriguing mix of wide-eyed enthusiasm, wry bemusement and disarming faith, Lynch continues to score big with releases like last year’s Whatcha Gonna Do. Is she reaching out from a folk base to bluegrass audiences or vice versa? (The answer is: “Who cares?”) |
| Jon Weisberger |
Baltimore Press-With A Little Help: Claire Lynch at the Cellar Stage, May 21 |
Claire Lynch keeps losing all-star musicians, but the singer continues to lead one of the best bluegrass bands around. When Lynch brought her quartet to the Cellar Stage at the Faith Community United Methodist Church of Hamilton Friday night, it wasn’t just her warm, welcoming soprano that captivated the crowd but also the terrific picking of her supporting cast.
The International Bluegrass Music Association once voted Lynch as the genre’s best female singer, and she likes to surround herself with peers. For many years her bassist was Missy Raines, winner of multiple IBMA Awards, but when she left at the end of 2007, Lynch was able to replace her with bassist Mark Schatz, himself a multiple IBMA winner. For even a longer time, Lynch’s guitarist was Jim Hurst, himself a two-time IBMA winner, but he left this past March. He was replaced by Matt Wingate, a young man who hasn’t won any awards yet but probably will, judging by his very fast, very melodic acoustic-guitar solos.
The quartet of Lynch, Schatz, Wingate, and Jason Thomas has only been together three weeks, and they were obviously still getting used to one another. Despite a few awkward transitions, though, they showed great potential. They could handle a hard, driving bluegrass number like Bill Monroe’s “My Florida Sunshine” convincingly, but they could also pull off a dark, bluesy lament like “Jealousy,” an old-time country song like Lynch’s “Widow’s Weeds,” a breezy swing tune like Henry Hipkens’ “Fallin’ in Love,” and a singer-songwriter folk number like Lynch’s “Woods of Sipsey.”
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| Geoffrey Himes |
BMP March Top 30 |
#1 HOT SINGLE |
The Claire Lynch Band at Station Inn |
Ms. Lynch has been hitting the road in the last couple of years with enough enthusiasm, energy and enjoyment to give the most boisterous youngster pause, and she’s done so with a crackerjack band that, through several personnel changes, has been exquisitely attuned to her signature blend of strength and delicacy, melancholy and gentle good humor, folk overtones and bluegrass drive. The departure of long-time guitarist, banjo player and harmony singer Jim Hurst was recently announced — this may well be his last Nashville gig with the band. It’s a loss that will surely have an impact, but Lynch has coped with previous changes before and come up shining each time. Remaining band members include the legendary Mark Schatz, whose bass talents are exceeded only by his hambone gifts, and seriously under-sung fiddle/mandolin man Jason Thomas, whose playing has exactly the right degree of lyricism to match Lynch’s world-class vocals. |
| Jon Weisberger |
Best Country Albums of 2009, Part 1: #20-#11 |
A tense uncertainty hung over 2009, as the world waited to see what would become of a new American president, an economy in crisis, and a full deck of divisive social issues.
Popular music tends to respond to such charged societal circumstances in one of two ways: by confronting the issues and their ramifications head-on, or by cranking up the escapism to drown it all out for a bit. 2009 leaned heavily on the latter course, as the thumping sex-pop of Lady GaGa and the fluttery boy-centrism of Taylor Swift dominated the airwaves and the registers, offering listeners a chance to believe, if only for a few passing moments, that the world was as simple as a ride on a “disco stick” or the defeat of an evil cheer captain.
The tensions were certainly felt in country music, whose mainstream attempted to rally its casual fans against all the fallout by drumming up endless brain-optional reassurances of hometown value, God and gender identity, mostly with the volume at an attention-forcing 11 and the lyrical shrewdness averaging about 3. It made for a remarkably accessible year for that mainstream, but one which fewer fans ultimately cared much about, neutered as it was by its attempts to appease – rather than inspire – the mass public...
#11 Grammy nominee and IBMA award winner Claire Lynch was performing progressive bluegrass well before its recent commercial expansion, experience that serves her well on her latest album, Whatcha Gonna Do. Produced by Lynch herself, Whatcha Gonna Do is an eclectic gathering of well-written material that ranges from the unrecorded “A Canary’s Song,” co-written by Garth Brooks, to the more traditional “My Florida Sunshine,” written by Bill Monroe. Perhaps most impressive is Lynch‘s “Woods of Sipsey,” a haunting song written for her grandmother-in-law that shows the extent to which she continues to be a progressive voice in acoustic music. – WW
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| Dan Milliken |
Claire Lynch, Whatcha Gonna Do |
Claire Lynch, one of acoustic music’s most versatile singers, will release Whatcha Gonna Do September 15 on Rounder Records. A new Claire Lynch album does more than herald the arrival of a new collection of stellar vocals and tight, tasteful arrangements – each album also showcases Lynch’s remarkable taste in songs. Whatcha Gonna Do is no exception – it brims over with powerful songs, extraordinary vocals, and top-of-the-line musicianship. Whatcha Gonna Do features four songs written or co-written by Lynch including “Highway,” written with Irene Kelley, “Face to Face,” written with Donna Ulisse, “Widow’s Weeds,” written with Jennifer Kimball, and the haunting “Woods of Sipsey,” which Lynch wrote for “Granny,” her grandmother-in-law, who taught her all about “genteel Southern living.” |
The New Season | Pop Hope and Regret, Recorded and Live |
CLAIRE LYNCH A bluegrass stalwart, Ms. Lynch showcases the strong rapport of a working band on “Whatcha Gonna Do,” her chipper new album. And along with some original tunes, she lays claim to songs like “The Mockingbird’s Voice,” a pitch-perfect fit for her. Tuesday. Rounder. |
| Nate Chinen |
Date |
Venue |
Location |
| 02/18/2012 | Joe Val Bluegrass Festival | Framimgham, MA |
| 02/23/2012 | The Ellen Theatre | Bozeman, MT |
| 02/24/2012 - 02/26/2012 | Wintergrass | Bellevue, WA |
| 03/16/2012 | Top of Georgia Bluegrass Jamboree | Dillard, GA |
| 03/17/2012 | The Douglass Theatre | Macon, GA |
| 03/18/2012 | Central Perk Acoustic Cafe | Cocoa, FL |
| 03/21/2012 | Marshman House Concerts | West Palm Beach, FL |
| 03/22/2012 | Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church | Temple Terrace, FL |
| 03/30/2012 | Swallow Hill Music Hall | Denver, CO |
| 03/31/2012 | Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall | Durango, CO |
| 04/01/2012 | Performing Arts Center at Third Street Center | Carbondale, CO |
| 04/13/2012 | Randy Wood Guitars | Bloomingdale, GA |
| 04/14/2012 | Ferst Center for the Arts | Atlanta, GA |
| 04/21/2012 | Shoals Earth Day Fest | Tuscumbia, AL |
| 04/26/2012 - 04/28/2012 | MerleFest | Wilkesboro, NC |
| 05/12/2012 | Hope Bluegrass Festival | Hope, AR |
| 05/14/2012 | Bluegrass Mondays | Paragould, AR |
| 06/01/2012 | Bluegrass on the River | Pueblo, CO |
| 06/02/2012 - 06/03/2012 | Ogden Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival | Ogden, UT |
| 06/09/2012 | Rolla Lions Club Bluegrass & BBQ | Rolla, MO |
| 07/14/2012 - 07/15/2012 | Montana Folk Festival | Butte, MT |
| 07/27/2012 | Ossipee Valley Music Festival | Cornish, ME |
| 07/28/2012 - 07/29/2012 | Lowell Folk Festival | Lowell, MA |
| 08/04/2012 | Music on the Mountain | Rainsville, AL |
| 08/10/2012 - 08/11/2012 | Great Lakes Folk Festival | East Lansing, MI |
| 08/12/2012 | Music Up Close | Innisfil, ONT |
| 08/15/2012 | Hugh's Room | Toronto, ONT |
| 08/16/2012 | The Ark | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 08/18/2012 | Gandy Dancer Festival | Mazomanie, WI |
| 09/14/2012 - 09/15/2012 | Walnut Valley Festival | Winfield, KS |
| 01/18/2013 | Bandon Showcase | Bandon, OR |
| 04/04/2013 | CSI Fine Arts Auditorium | Twin Falls, ID |
| 08/03/2013 | Podunk Blugrass Music Festival | East Hartford, CT |
