4200 Wisconsin Ave, NW PMB 106-137
Washington, D.C. 20016

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CARROLL CAFE CONCERT SERIES
Second Friday of each month at Seekers Church, 276 Carroll St., NW, directly across from the Takoma Park Metro.

An award winning pianist, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who produced concerts in his native Detroit has launched a concert series in Takoma Park that is focused on local artists. The series is mean to let musicians play their hometown while exposing local residents to the musicians who live among them.
In addition to being a musician, Jesse Palidofsky has also been a promoter in Detroit, where in the mid-1970s he founded the "Compared to What!" coffeehouse. He books act like Sippie Wallace, a Blues woman who preformed with Louis Armstrong in the 1920s; songwriter Michael Smith ("The Dutchman," and "Spoon River"); Motown session musicians Norma Jean Bell, saxophone and Ralph Armstrong, bass; Claudia Schmidt, a "Prairie Home Companion" regular; and Marcus Belgrave, Ray Charles' lead trumpeter. Based on that experience, he produced three concerts in Takoma Park during the spring of 2010 as a test. Those concerts were successful, so Palidofsky has started a monthly concert series—called the Carroll Café—that he plans to operate for five years, he said.
The concerts are scheduled for the second Friday of each month at Seekers Church, 276 Carroll St., NW, directly across from the Takoma Park Metro. Tickets are $15, and can seat up to 100. The first show in this series was Oct. 8 and featured three-time Washington Area Music Association (WAMMIE) award winners Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley.
The idea for this new concert series is based on the fact that Takoma Park is a place full of artists, but there has not been an "ongoing" music venue in Takoma Park where local musicians can play for many years, Palidofsky said.
"Takoma Park is an amazing place for arts of all kinds," Palidofsky said. "There are quite a few musicians who live in Takoma Park, but they don't have a place to play locally," he said, adding the concert series is "a five year plan" dedicated to providing a "venue for all these incredible musicians who live in Takoma Park, but don't actually get to play in Takoma Park."
While Takoma Park has enough quality musicians that Palidofsky said he could "book acts for the next three years," the process of selecting musicians is more rigorous than simply booking someone. "We want shows that have a high level of quality," he said, adding, "Just about everyone who is on our roster has won a WAMMIE Award." "We want acts who have been acknowledged by their peers through the WAMMIE Awards," and performers who are "more into roots and folk genres."
The reason Palidofsky says he is being more selective harkens back to when he attended shows in Detroit. At that time, "I knew that I could go see a show any weekend and even if I didn't know who the performers were, I trusted that the show was going to be of a high quality and worth my money and my time, so we're setting that high of a standard," he said. The musicians performing at the Carroll Café series "are excellent musicians and whether you know them or not, you can trust it's a high caliber event."
The musicians booked for the Carroll Café series—through January—and the concert dates are: Tinsmith (progressive Celtic), Nov. 12; solstice CD release party with Jennifer Cutting & OCEAN Quartette, Dec. 10; MAGPIE, a Takoma Park favorite, performing a special Martin Luther King weekend concert, Jan. 14. Coming up in subsequent months will be the women's trio Hot Soup in February; Lea & Carey Creed in April; Kim & Reggie Harris in May; and, from England, Zoe Mulford in June.
"I encourage people to come out and try it once," said Palidofsky, who added the venue has an informal "homey" atmosphere "It's almost like being in someone's home," he said.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG COMPETITION offers a worldwide platform for original songwriters and artists. It brings direct contact between the artists/songwriters and the audience throughout the world. About the "Best Original Song" competition.

Open Stage Radio Show

Legendary Bob Franke joined Michelle Murray on The Open Stage on January 5 to discuss his songwriting career and his approach to songwriting prior to SAW's January 15th two-day Workshop. Bob has been offering his own brand of songwriting workshop for over 20 years and has garnered great respect, praise and gratitude from songwriters, as well as audiences, throughout the country. Bob's songs are considered classics worldwide and have been sung and recorded by hundreds of other performers, including John McCutcheon, Lui Collins, Kathy Mattea, Peter Paul & Mary, and many more. Tom Paxton has said of Bob, "It's his integrity. I always think of Bob as if Emerson and Thoreau had picked up acoustic guitars and gotten into songwriting."

The Open stage is a live, online radio show broadcast on Blogtalkradio.com and all shows are archived in a podcast library. You can listen to all archived shows and get updates on upcoming shows by visiting Michelle's show page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Open-Stage. The Open Stage is hosted by SAW Board Member Michelle Murray and features the best of the Washington D.C./Baltimore area singer/songwriters, including members of the Songwriter's Association of Washington. Past shows have featured the Grammy-winning duo of Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Daryl Davis, Jon Carroll, Laura Baron, Patty Reese, Dulcie Taylor, Andrew McKnight, Jean Bayou, and Tom Dews.

Previous Guests

• The October 8, 2008 show featured singer-songwriter Andrew McKnight.
• The October 26, 2008 show featured SAW president Jean Bayou, and SAW Member and singer/songwriter Tom Dews
• The November 15, 2008 show featured Jon Carroll.
• The November 30, 2008 show featured AtThisPoint
• The December 10, 2008 show featured Joe Shade
• The December 16, 2008 show featured Bumpkin Pie
• The January 2, 2009 show featured Jon Carroll
• The January 18, 2009 show featured Dulcie Taylor.
• The January 22, 2009 show featured Laura Baron.
• The February 8, 2009 show featured Patty Reese.
• The March 1, 2009 show featured Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer.
• The May 21, 2009 show featured Daryl Davis.
• The July 26, 2009 show featured T. Edwin Doss.
• The August 9, 2009 show featured Les Thompson.
• The August 30, 2009 show featured the Second Wind Bandits.
• The September 1, 2009 show featured Jon Carroll (of Mary Chapin Carpenter and Starland Vocal Band fame)
• The October 11, 2009 show featured King Lewman.
• The October 25, 2009 show featured Laura Baron, Sol Creech, Margot MacDonald, and Talia Segal.
• The January 25, 2010 show featured Margot MacDonald.
• The February 8, 2010 show featured Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley.
• The March 10, 2010 show featured Cathy Fink, Victoria Vox, and Kevin Dudley.
• The April 24, 2010 show featured Siobhan Quinn & Michael Bowers.
• The July 6, 2010 show featured Les Hatley.
• The October 11, 2010 show featured Sally Barris, Don Henry, and Craig Carothers.

Smithsonian Showcase
On October 27, 2009, 12 performers out of 250 were chosen to perform for the Smithsonian/SAW/BMI Showcase.

Click here to see the photos.

Monthly Songwriter's Jam

Every third Saturday, in collaboration with Picker's Supply Music Store, there will be a monthly “Songwriter's Jam” from 2 – 5 p.m. Area songwriters are invited to attend. These are not critique sessions; they are simply song sharing events that can help songwriters network and to gain additional performing experience in a friendly atmosphere. Advance notice not required; just show up ready to share some songs.

Where:
Picker's Supply Concert Hall
902 Caroline St
Fredericksburg, VA
540-371-4669

For more information contact:
Frank Dieter
www.frankdieter.com
540-580-8002

Housing for Artists

Renaissance Square Artist Housing in Prince George's County, MD is accepting applications for their new low-income housing for musicians, writers, dancers, painters and actors. Includes music practice room, studio space, computer room. See www.hiphomes.org or call Ava Kuo at 301-699-5099.

MusiCares for Music People

MusiCares assists music professionals in times of personal, medical, financial and /or addictions crisis. For more info, visit www.grammy.com/musicares or call the following regional toll-free numbers: West: 1-800-687-4227; East: 1-877-303-6962; South: 1-877-626-2748; Addiction Recovery Help: 1-888-627-6271.