Tracy Grammer Show

Folk music concerts are oftentimes in obscure venues or even in plain old folks back yards. One particular evening this past weekend, the venue was at Boulevard Music in Culver City. Such is the nature of folk music, not as popular as it used to be but thankfully there are still talented practictioners. I was lucky enough to experience an intimate evening of Carter and Grammer folk music.

I love modern folk music. One of my favorite folk artists is the duo, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. Dave Carter was a great songwriter who wrote some amazingly poetic songs. Dave Carter died tragically in 2002. Thankfully, Tracy Grammer is still playing Dave Carter's music and also sharing some songs of her own.

On February 10th, 2009, I did a casual check of Tracy Grammer's website. I was just checking for tour dates. I do that every once in a while to make sure that I don't miss out on some great folk music. I was glad I did. I was informed that she would be doing a show at Boulevard Music in Culver City on February 20th – my day off. I immediately made plans to attend.

That day I was surfing the net and looking for music videos on Youtube. I found some amazing Dave Carter songs that people uploaded. I was inspired to check on Tracy's site for concert information. I found the Feb. 20th date. I thought about but at first decided against it - it was a three hour drive each way. Then I read a comment to one of the videos. A gentlemen had written that he had tickets to see a concert in 2002 and heard two weeks before the concert that Dave Carter had died. He went out and took down a poster announcement of the concert and had it framed. I decided then that life can throw all kinds of situations at you and you should choose the moments that are important to you. I decided that I would make the effort to go and see Tracy, even though it meant a three hour drive each way.

My cousin lives in Culver City. My daughter goes to college in the area. So I asked my daughter if she would like to go. She enthusiastically said yes. I mentioned it to my cousin and his wife that we would be in Culver City for the concert and his wife responded that it was near their house and they would like to attend also. I bought four tickets.

We arrived at the venue and immediately saw Tracy on the stage doing a sound check. I love these small venues. It was nice to talk to Tracy before the show. And then it was time for the show.

Tracy started the show with an Emmy Lou Harris song and then jumped right into four songs from the Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer collection - "Crocodile Man", "Ordinary Town", "Hard to Make It", and "Shadows of Evangeline". And there you have it. Within the first twenty minutes I was glad that I made the trip. Tracy has a beautiful strong voice and she carries the songs well. She tells Dave's stories wonderfully well. Being a poet myself I appreciate the complexities of Dave Carter's songs.

Tracy closed out the first set with two very spiritual war songs. I am not a fan of protest folk. I do understand the need and I may agree with the sentiments expressed but I want more from music than that. I want to be lifted to a higher spiritual level. On that I think Tracy agrees with me because I felt lifted by "Travis John" and by her rendition of "Laughlin Boy", which has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it on "Flower of Avalon".

After a brief intermission Tracy came back out for the second half of her show. She started this with a cover of Tom Russell's "Blue Wing". This song I had heard and the story kind of fits with my post Sunday, February 15, 2009 Anonymous or Outside of a Small Circle of Friends. Somewhere, sometimes things go wrong and life doesn't always turn out the way you want.

I was happy to see Tracy cover two of Paul Simon's songs. I also enjoyed the fact that she has heard of David Francey. I do enjoy his music. But I was extremely happy when she sang "The Mountain". And to know that Dave got to hear Joan Baez cover his song and play it for the Dalai Lama... just adds to the spiritual loftiness of the song itself.

Tracy Grammer puts on a great show. She can tell a funny story and she can reach for your heart. Tracy is a great singer but she is also a great songwriter. Her tribute to Dave Carter, "The Verdant Mile" was beautifully written and sung. Tracy, thank you for your music and for keeping the music of Dave Carter alive for us.

D.