hellooo Mudheads, Here's my Gigs for Aug/Sept 2009!! ----- cause Mike don't have the gig post thing down just yet ------- www.michaelmcnevin.com also has these in more readable form... ------
I'm not real good at the msypace stuff, so here's a text layout of what exists at my regular site. And, if you want to actually call the Mudpuddle headquarters to book a gig with McNevin, or get first hand news, gig updates, or buy CDs, by all means do! (I hardly ever check in with this site, though I'm working on getting someone else to handle the web world for myspace, facebook, and everywhere else online! ------
--------- Thanks, hope to see you at a show below! -------- Love, Michael
--------------
Friday, August 14th, 2009
Fiddling Cricket @ Mission City Coffee Roasters
8pm
Santa Clara CA
A Co-bill with the acoustic band Calaveras, Sponsored by Fiddling Cricket Concert Series, at the wonderful listening room in the MISSION CITY COFFEE ROASTING CO. The adjacent cafe serves great Food, Beer, and Wine!
$15/$17
Co-bill with the amazing and talented acoustic band Calaveras (http://www.calaverassongs.com/)
2221 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA 95050
Fiddling Cricket hotline :(831) 475-4938
www.fiddlingcricket.com
---------------
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Left Coast Cyclery
8pm
Berkeley CA
"Celebrating Songwriters" Extravaganza
7:30 doors 8:00 show
$10 donation
2928 Domingo Ave
(near Ashby Ave)
(Downstairs from Left Coast Cyclery) 510 204 8552
To benefit the LEFT COAST FOLK concert series, which takes place in the coolest bike basement this side of Flat Tire USA. Featuring: Walter Strauss, Michael McNevin, Claudia Russell & Bruce Kaplan, Rick DiDia & Aireene Espiritu, Garrin Benfield, John Haley-Walker, Wendy DeWitt, and Greg Newlon & Bev Barnett!! Hosted by Caren Armstrong
www.celebratingsongwriters.com
--------------
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Blue Rock Shoot
7:30
Saratoga CA
Blue Rock Shoot
14523 Big Basin Way
Saratoga, CA.
408-872- 0309
www.myspace.com/bookthebluerockshoot
This is another West Coast Songwriter's Association (WCSA) songwriter showcase, to help decide the South Bay "Song Of The Year" (Mike won last week in Berkeley, so he plays for fun tonight while nine or so others are sorted out to join in on the Ten Writer finale at the new Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Aug 31st! Blue Rock Shoot is in Saratoga tonight, and the finale is at the New Freight - 2020 Addison, Berkeley, CA www.thefreight.org/ (don't confuse the two!)
------------
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Lunchtime on the Square
Noon - 1:30
Redwood City CA
8/19/09
Redwood City
Lunchtime on the Square
11:30-1:30 Free
Courthouse Square, outdoors, directly across from the Little Fox Theater
www.redwoodcity.org/events/lunchtimesquare.htm
------------
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Essanay Cafe
7-9pm
Fremont CA
(510) 792-0112
37533 Niles Blvd
Fremont, CA 94536
"McNevin & Friends"
A monthly midweek gig in Niles
Musical guests often pop in!
Great food w/ wine and beer garden! Casual, fun, don't expect a concert though!
------------
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
Cur-Ville Dog Days Festival
2-9pm
Kenwood CA
4th Annual Cur-Ville Dog Days Festival!
North of Sonoma, south of Santa Rosa - on a 5 acre ranch in the wine country, lovingly hosted by two wonderful dog and music loving friends, Laura and Dale.
2pm-9pm
At the Rockin' Heart Ranchito
Acoustic & roots music all day!
Acts: Solid Air, Adam Traum Trio,
Michael McNevin, Larry Potts,
Smith-Harper Express,
Doug Blumer & Friends,
Three at Last, Dale Henry Geist, Ed Hance, The Bodie Travelers,
MC: Rose Logue
Tickets are just $15 in advance and $18 at the gate (kids under 12 are free) come for the day or stay overnight - includes free camping! Potluck dishes encouraged. Bring your instruments if you play for some informal jamming in various spots, and a campfire too. The max is about 2-300 attendees, make friends and pet animals! Cleverly named in honor of the both the Texas Music Festival and any fur-balls you love!
361 Lawndale Rd.
Kenwood, CA
95452
707-833-2925
dale@cur-ville.com
www.cur-ville.com/
-----------
Monday, August 31st, 2009
Freight & Salvage
8pm
Berkeley CA
8/31/09
West Coast Songwriters Association Celebration Concert Finale!
Doors 7:pm, Music 8:pm.
The 10 songwriters, playing two songs each tonight, will be featured on a WCS compilation CD in the coming months. And 3 of tonights writers will be asked to perform at the WCS annual music industry conference which takes place at Foothill College on Sept 12 &13.
The Freight is located at
2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA
(Note the new location!!)
(510) 548-7603 info@freightandsalvage.org
www.thefreight.org/
--------------
Saturday, September 5th, 2009
Kerrville Wine and Music Festival
8:00 PM
Kerrville TX
The Kerrville Wine & Music Festival happens Sept 4th, 5th, & 6th in Kerrville Texas! (FYI - There is both Memorial Day and Labor Day festivals, for over 40 years now. The Memorial Day Festival is 18 days long!). This grandaddy of songwriter festivals features wonderful songwriters and bands from all over the country (and the globe). Michael has been playing it since 1991 as a new-folk competition winner (other past winners include Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin). Michael's early years or touring, writing, and recording, may not have happebned without this festival's exposure and artistic encouragement. The campfires & song circles alone are worth the air fare. Mike plays on Saturday Night at 8pm on the Main Stage!
(830) 257 - 3600
http://www.kerrville-music.com/
------------
Saturday, September 12th, 2009
West Coast Songwriter's Annual Conference
8am-8pm
Los Altos CA
The West Coast Songwriters Association Annual Conference goes 9/12 & 9/13 Sat & Sun in Los Altos, CA at Foothill College. It is full of Industry pros from the Bay Area, Nashville, L.A., and beyond. The Conference also has a "Kick Off" event on Friday Sept 11th at Cibo's in Palo Alto starting at 6pm. This is a very special weekend, where industry pros and songwriters come together, where industry meets art -- full of symposiums, song screenings for film and TV, artist advice and critiquing, pitching cuts to labels and publishers in Country, R&B, Pop, Americana, and every other genre of music. Several hundred aspiring and professional songwriters attend this wonderful event, which has been taking place now for the past 30 years! Not sure if Michael will be a featured performer, but he's in the running - it's now down to ten writers, 3 of whom will perform at the 6pm 'Sunset Concert' on Sat after the symposiums and screenings are all done. The concert may have a separate (and cheaper) fee than the daily conference fees. check the web site!
(650) 654-3966
info@westcoastsongwriters.org
www.westcoastsongwriters.org
-----------
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
West Coast Songwriter's Annual Conference
8am-8pm
Los Altos CA
Second Day of the WCSA annual conference. 9-5pm, see above 12 date for more details.
Friday, September 18th, 2009
American River Music Festival
18th-19th-20th!!
Henningsen-Lotus Park (Near Placerville) CA
The 3rd Annual American River Music Festival, a celebration of music and moving water. Featuring The Skinny Singers featuring Jackie Greene and Tim Bluhm, Jimmy LaFave, Eliza Gilkyson with Nina Gerber, City Folk, Handful of Luvin, Blame Sally, Danny Schmidt, Twilight Hotel, Jonny Mojo w/ MindX, Fret Not, The Sherry Austin Band, Michael McNevin, Cindy Kalmenson, Michael Gaither, Loose Acoustic Trio. Music, workshops, jams, camping/lodging, an open mic night, hiking, rafting, kids activities, live art, art vendors, great food and beverages and more. The festival is September 18-20, 2009 on the banks of the beautiful South Fork of the American River in the Coloma-Lotus Valley one-hour East of Sacramento in the gold country of Northern California (near Placerville). Michael is doing an In-The-Round with two of the artists, and also a writer's workshop with old friend Keith Greeninger of City Folk! The Music takes place on the riverfront main stage, in three riverfront campgrounds, on the famous "gorge" whitewater river trip, and the spectacular guided riverfront hike.
530 622-6044 for Info & Tix, or visit:
www.americanrivermusic.org
-----------
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Niles Edison Theater (come see "Weekend King"!)
8pm
Fremont CA
It's the return of "Weekend King"! Much of this quirky indie film was shot in downtown Niles. Last June the audience was Standing Room Only, so we're bringing it back for an encore!
-
In the film, a bankrupt town in rural Utah is purchased by a rich dot-com slacker named Rupert, and a romantic comedy ensues. Michael has a cameo role as Joe The Bartender, and has several songs in the soundtrack. Go to Niles, eat some popcorn, meet the cast and crew! Likely a Mudpuddle jam and/or after-party!
-
"Weekend King", a Niles indie film
At the Edison Theater in downtown Niles
(a historic and funky old train town in the hills of Fremont).
Doors open at 7, film at 8pm
$10.00 admission - RSVPs recommended.
Buy tix via Paypall at: http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org Or Contact Rena Dein: pr@nilesfilmmuseum.org (510) 505 - 0307
(she prefers emails vs. phone, but don't be afraid to dial!!).
The Edison Theater Is Located at:
37417 Niles Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536
The theater number is (510) 494-1411 if you get lost.
Refreshments, Wine, Snacks, & Ice Cream Available!
-
(Niles is a 20 minute drive north of San Jose, a 20 minute drive south of Oakland, and a 20 minute drive west from Danville. It just FEELS like Mayberry when you get here...)
Show past dates
With 15 years of US touring and 5 CDs under his belt, (and a couple rare cassettes), Michael McNevin is a regular at clubs and music festivals. He's been billed in halls and stadiums with the likes of Johnny Cash and the Carter Family, Shawn Colvin, Richie Havens, Donovan, Iris Dement, Greg Brown, Christine Lavin, Rosanne Cash, Robert Earl Keen, Kelly Willis, Dar Williams, Adrian Bellew, Laura Nyro, U. Utah Phillips, and 100s of others on the songwriter circuit. He is a winner of the Kerrville New-folk award, a 5-time winner of the West Coast Songwriters Association "Song Of The Year" award, nominated "Artist Of The Year by the National Academy Of Songwriters, and was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as a Top 12 "DIY Artist Of The Year". He also won the Napa Valley new-folk competition, the Columbia River new-folk competition, and placed 3rd at both the Telluride and Rocky Mountain Folks Fest troubadour competitions.
Highlighting a seasoned voice, innovative guitar works, Michael's songs read like short stories, full of humor, heart, and a keen eye for Americana. Gig to gig, he drives the blue roads, rigging a desk where the passenger seat used to be. His tour journals are published semi-regularly as magazine segments titled "Napkin Literature - Stories From The Road". He writes it all down; from being caught in a Nashville tornado, to chasing down a robber in Carbondale, Illinois. He chronicles the people and towns of his travels, and also the Huck Finn childhood he had growing up in the rail town of Niles, California. "Two Feet Ahead Of The Train" reenacts a close call he had on a train trestle over the Alameda Creek when he was ten years old, "Bagger" describes his days working at the town grocery store, "John's Cocoons" details the spring ritual of his eldest brother hatching a shoe box full of giant Polyphemus Moths all over the house, and "The Pride Of Niles-Centerville Little League" depicts his days booting infield grounders for the Niles Electric Braves. (That song is now part of the official baseball song collection at the National Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY).
Michael picked up his Dads guitar at age 14, playing anything his older neighborhood friends would teach him - folk and folk-rock, Dylan, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkle, to the pop & hard rock of Zeppelin and Boston. At 16 he bought a used Gibson SG and a black face Fender Deluxe. He formed a garage band in highschool as a lead guitarist playing UFO, Aerosmith, Rush, Montrose. At 18 he was given an Alvarez acoustic for his birthday. He started writing songs during a three year stint at a local state college, while also studying classical guitar, short fiction, and theater. He dropped out of college, worked odd jobs, and started playing pubs around the San Francisco Bay Area as an acoustic solo act. At 22 he moved to New York where he cut his troubadour teeth playing the subways and streets of Greenwich Village. He also played the Monday open mic nights there at the legendary Gerdes Folk City night club (it was here that Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty heard Michael play; they were researching their roles in the movie "Ishtar" as failed songwriters). Of the six months he spent around NYC, the most defining experience was a night he spent in the slammer for jumping over a subway turnstile. This would become a song titled "Jersey Jail", off his debut CD "Secondhand Story". Both Jersey Jail and the title cut (about an abandoned letter he found in a blue travel bag at a thrift store) won him "Song Of The Year" honors from the West Coast Songwriters Association in 1991 and 1992. Those songs took him to Texas where he won the Kerrville New-Folk Competition, and that started his full time touring as an indie singer-songwriter.
As a sidebar to his music, Michael is also a renowned Etch A Sketch artist. Not kidding. He illustrates his songs on that little red toy. Mastered it as a kid, then picked it up again for fun on a tour in 1996. Delicate drawings he did for audiences during a five week road trip through the South and Midwest landed him in an art gallery in Nebraska and a TV special on FOX in Dallas. By the time he got home, his art and music had merged into the idea for an illustrated CD. The art and music of Sketch have since been featured on CBS, NBC, and ABC, and numerous other magazine and news media. The Ohio Art Company, maker of the toy, sponsors drawing workshops for him at music festivals and schools. His still exhibits occasionally as a songwriter/etch-a-sketcher in art galleries, and he's been commissioned for drawings as well, carefully preserving and delivering drawings to various parts of the country, praying they don't turn the drawings upside down in the airports.
"I don't know what's best about this CD - Michael McNevin's music or his Etch A Sketch drawings that accompany each song. McNevin is a singer-songwriter of the highest order."
-Acoustic Guitar Magazine
"The talent of Michael McNevin lies in his ability to extract juicy bits of life from his surroundings and let a tale unravel from each one."
-Performing Songwriter Magazine
"McNevin has moved to the forefront of the New-folk movement. Captivating stories told with heart against a backdrop of clean, optimistic guitar."
-Brian Turhorst, KVMR Nevada City, CA
"Michael McNevin has been kicking around from coast to coast for years now, a maven who delights his audiences with story-songs and patter... Here are sketches of people, places, and events..."
-Sing Out! Magazine
"Secondhand Story is an evocative peek at a strangers life"
- Chicago Tribune
"Heard you on the KFOG acoustic Sunday morning show. Bagging groceries and an Etch-A-Sketch. Two of my historical accomplishments--dig the tunes."
-Tony Bennett
Visit Music, Etch A Sketch art, and Napkins at: www.michaelmcnevin.com
Mikey!! Don't be a stranger! I never check this thing really but if you do write me back, I'm right over the hill in Santa Cruz and I would love to come to Niles sometime this summer with Thomas.
Thanks for adding me! I loved your show in Bakersfield. Your songs, especially the ones about childhood really reminded me of growing up in CO. As kids we had a mean old neighbor or two, we threw rocks, we had a tree house a little ways from the neighborhood, we played outside all the time and the whole world was an adventure. Your music made me go there again in my memories. Awesome songs! I hope to see you again someday. Thanks.
We had a great time this past weekend. Finally able to show our friends the incredible and talented Michael McNevin. Hope you get some kind of response from the radio interview. We are all looking forward to a trip to Niles! Paul
Happy New Year! We wish you a very happy and healthy year. We hope it's a year of peace and prosperity for all. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
It was great spending time with you at the FAR-West conference this past weekend. We hope you had as much fun as we did. It's always tough to have to get back to the real world afterwards.
so all afternoon i've been humming the song about your mom. and i'm so frustrated because i can't remember all the words. will you call and sing it for me???? PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE? you owe me you know. you didn't come see us.
