Lu Anne Stephens

Saturday, Feb. 22 2014

Listen to a performance by Peter Mulvey at the Old Settlers Inn. Peter Mulvey is best known for his dark songwriting and his intense percussive guitar style. Since the early 1990s, he has developed a strong national following in the indie folk/rock scene through his touring and albums. You may have heard him on public radio before – he's been interviewed before on various shows and his music shows up as well.  As usual, live is best.  Don't miss it – he's so, so good.

Here's an example:

Saturday, Feb. 15: Listen for music from the California Guitar Trio performance at the Orpheum in Wichita. The three guitarists met in a Guitar Craft course focusing on the New Standard Tuning, which they still use today. If you’re wondering what the New Standard Tuning is and why it matters, just listen to them play. Amazing.

Some examples:

Bohemian Rhapsody. Whoa.

Everyone loves a love song, right? But no one more than singer/songwriters, who write about love in any conceivable form. This Saturday, New Settlers celebrates Valentine’s Day, with Anne Hills, Pierce Pettis, Cheryl Wheeler, Brooks Williams, Tom Prasada-Rao and others, recorded at the Old Settlers Inn and other venues in and around Wichita.

Some examples:

Here is Cheryl Wheeler. I love so many of her tunes but this early love song is a favorite.

Singer, songwriter and storyteller Paul Thorn, recorded at Old Settlers Inn in Moundridge. Blues, roots-rock with that hard-to-find element that says “southern.” Paul is gritty and graceful and a consummate storyteller.

We get to hear one of the Best of the Best (and definitely one of my favorites). It’s a concert and/or performer who was a particular audience favorite. This show features Chuck Pyle, the “Zen Cowboy of Colorado” performing at the Old Settlers Inn. Chuck is a consummate storyteller. At times, you could hear the proverbial pin drop, at others, the crowd was laughing or cheering. Chuck blends his dry humor and performance skills with truly wonderful contemporary folk tunes. Too much fun to miss – this Saturday on New Settlers.

This is my favorite of all of Chuck's wonderful tunes:

This week we feature R&B favorite Kelley Hunt and her band from their performance at the Old Settlers Inn. Kelley was born and raised in Kansas and continues to live in Lawrence though she spends a lot of her time touring the U.S. and the world. Kelley's distinctive "boogie woogie" piano style can be traced to her beloved early piano teacher (the subject of "Queen of the 88s").

Listen for music from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's performance at the Cotillion in Wichita. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have been performing their brand of country-rock since the '60s with a brief bit of fame in the '80s when they shortened their name to "The Dirt Band." Their best known tune probably is Mr. Bojangles, although some may argue that "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "American Dream" are equally worthy of notice. Like most acoustic "bluegrassy" bands, they have great musicianship, tight harmonies and are a lot of fun to watch. You'll see. This Saturday evening at 7:00.

A compilation of performances from the Sedgwick County Zoo Summer Concert Series. This show includes bayou-blues queen Marcia Ball, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, A Roomful of Blues and more.
Great shows, great crowds – check it out!

Christmas Special
This week it’s a collection of holiday tunes that we’ve gathered over the past 18 years. Audience favorites like Cheryl Wheeler, John McCutcheon, Pierce Pettis, Tom Prasada-Rao, Tom
Kimmel and others will sing songs about family, traveling home, winter, love – and there are a few holiday classics as well with the audience providing harmony.

Here’s a tune that’s become a classic already – “Christmas in the Trenches” by John McCutcheon.