Last September, multi-instrumentalist Eric Lee joined forces with singer-songwriter Mikey Sweet, hitting the road in support of Sweet’s album, “Road Dog Gospel,” an excellent disc that reveals the Northampton-based Sweet’s knack for telling a good story. Sweet sings these songs, which reflect the obvious influence of Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt, in a raw and world-weary voice, wrapping them in an appealing Americana sound.
Lee, who also lives in Northampton, is a virtuoso fiddle player who also plays mandolin and guitar. His tour with Sweet, which took the pair across the United States, was a success, but they have only done a handful of shows together since that time and look forward to teaming up again for a show at the Root Cellar in Greenfield on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Lee will perform a set of his original songs backed by his band and will be followed by Mikey Sweet and his band, The Strange Wranglers. Lee will also join the Strange Wranglers for this show.
The name of the band came about when Sweet and Lee were out on the road together.
“I felt bad always announcing us as ‘Mikey Sweet’ when I had this other accomplished musician with me,” said Sweet. “So we came up with the name. We kind of looked at it that for the show you need the ‘three Bs’ — boots, buckle and bolo. So we were going throughout the south and southwest, exploiting our country roots, and we came up with the name. It was kind of a joke, but since this is one of the first shows we have done since the tour, we thought it would be a fun idea to go as the Strange Wranglers.”
This is the first time that Sweet and Lee have performed at the Root Cellar.
Lee, who has extensive experience as a sideman, has been writing since he was a child, but didn’t seriously think of pursuing a solo career as a singer-songwriter until 2014. Since releasing his self-titled EP last year, he has put even more effort into his work as a front man.
His songwriting ranges from the personal songs like, “Life Without You,” to more universal subjects on “Fall of Man,” which is a dark look at the destruction that man has brought to the planet. Musically, his influences range from folk to bluegrass and reflect his varied musical background.
Lee began studying classical violin and traditional Irish fiddle at the age of 9, and started performing locally soon after that. He got his big break in 2007 while attending the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where he was discovered by the newly formed super group, the Stranglings (Pete and Maura Kennedy and others). They heard him playing the fiddle and asked him to join the band. He then played with the Stranglings for a couple of years, and then went on to join the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s house band. That experience led to him performing beside the likes of John Gorka, Vance Gilbert and The Nields. He went on to play in bluegrass bands and even played psychedelic rock for a period.
Lee is currently in the early stages of working on his first full-length album.
Sweet has also been writing material for his follow-up to “Road Dog Gospel.” He raised funds for that album by launching a Kickstarter campaign that involved hitchhiking across the country to raise funds. With this next album, he hopes to gain more national attention, which will cost more money, so he needs to up the ante when it comes to fundraising. Sweet is currently kicking around the idea of hopping freight trains across the country as a way to do this.
“It’s an idea I have been playing with. I need to get some attention on a national level and you kind of have to do something crazy,” Sweet said. “Plus, it would be a lot of fun — kind of like a summer vacation.”
But that’s all down the road. For now, Sweet is looking forward to this show.
“You will be hearing a lot of new material at this show, as I’ll be playing a long set,” said Sweet. “I’m really looking forward to it and to playing with Eric again. It’s going to be a good time.”
The Root Cellar is at 10 Fiske Ave. in Greenfield. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Joshua Baum will open. Admission is $7 in advance and can be purchased at:
www.rootcellarbar.com
Eric Lee will also perform as part of the Valley singer-songwriter showcase at the arts Block in Greenfield on Friday, March 24, at 9 p.m. Visit: www.ericleemusic.com
Mikey Sweet will set off on a tour of the northeast in the spring, and will include a stop at the Parlor Room in Northampton on May 13. Visit: www.mikeysweet.com
Homegrown Variety show
at Full Moon Coffeehouse
When it came time to schedule this month’s performance at the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse, the board of directors didn’t have to look far to find talent — they simply booked themselves.
The group of people who line up the amazing acts that perform at the coffeehouse month after month also happen to be a group of talented artists themselves. So every now and then, the people who are always busy working behind the stage get their chance to step up and take it.
This will happen on Saturday when Wendell’s own homegrown variety show takes place at the Full Moon Coffeehouse at 7 p.m.
Actually, all of these committee members are quite accustomed to being on a stage, and there is a good chance that you have seen most of them before. The lineup will include Carrie Ferguson, a well-known singer-songwriter who has performed her original folk-pop compositions throughout the Pioneer Valley. Ferguson teaches piano and songwriting, and her most recent CD is “The List of Whales.”
Francis Doughty is an accomplished folk singer-songwriter whose virtuosic guitar work has drawn comparisons to Leo Kottke, and like Ferguson, Doughty has been a frequent performer in our area.
Garrett Sawyer is a bass player who over the years has played with various local bands, including the Alchemystics. When he isn’t busy working at Northfire Studio or sitting in as a sideman with one of our local bands, you’ll find him playing with the very popular Gaslight Tinkers, the genre blurring world-beat band that he co-founded. For this show, look for Sawyer to accompany various other performers, including playing in a band that features his daughter.
Karen Traub will be performing with the Valley Women Drummers, a group that is directed by Marilyn Sylla and has performed at Amherst and Smith colleges, and most recently at Monte Belmonte’s fundraiser for the Cancer Connection. Using traditional African Dun Dun (bass) drums and other percussion instruments, the Valley Women Drummers enjoy creating and playing rhythms rooted in West Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean.
Rounding out the lineup is the one non-musical act in the mix — poet and spoken word performer Paul Richmond, who will treat the crowd to some of his beat poetry. Richmond, who is a performing artist and writer, is a vital force in the poetry and spoken word community here in the Pioneer Valley, and among his many accomplishments he is heading the Word Fest in Greenfield each year.
The variety show organizers are also promising that there will be some special guests on hand, so who knows what they have in store — you’ll just have to be there to
find out.
Both Richmond and Traub have said that this variety show, which they do every few years, is an evening of great fun for everyone. And, as with all Full Moon Coffeehouse shows, a portion of the proceeds from the show will go to support a local nonprofit organization, Temenos, an off-the-grid, non-denominational retreat center in Shutesbury.
Before the variety show begins, there will be an open mic at 7 p.m. (All slots for this month’s open-mic are filled). Admission to the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse is sliding scale of $6 to $15.
The Coffeehouse is in the Wendell Old Town Hall at 6 Center St. in Wendell. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the coffeehouse has some of the best desserts around.
For more information visit: www.wendellfullmoon.org or call 978-544-5557.
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com