Atlanta Area
Friends of
Folk Music
with
Dede Vogt
October 19
The next Fiddler's Green Concert is scheduled for Saturday, October 19th at the Garden Hills Community Center located at 307 Pinetree Drive in Buckhead (behind the swimming pool at Rumson and Pinetree just north of East Wesley). Map. This show features Dede Vogt opening for Don Conoscenti.
The doors will open at 7:30, and the music will start at 8:00. Coffee, tea, bottled water, soft drinks, and desserts will be available for purchase; those wishing to eat more substantially or drink alcoholic beverages may bring their own. The requested donation at the door will be $12 general admission, $10 for AAFFM members. Children under 12 are welcome without charge.
Featured Performer -- Don Conoscenti
It has been five years since renowned folk artist Don Conoscenti has performed at Fiddler's Green. This guy is simply musical magic on the stage. The magic is the culmination of a variety of things.
First is his sweet voice, unique in its ability to deliver strong, clear vocal presentation over a wide range. Second are the songs. Long a highly respected songwriter, he is much in demand as an instructor at places like the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Song School and Lamb's Retreat for Songwriters. His original tunes cover a wide range of topics, from introspective personal emotions to observations of societal issues to whimsical frivolity - all with a unique quality and clarity.
Conoscenti often includes a Woody Guthrie song or two; he is an avid supporter of Woody's legacy and is a close acquaintence of numerous Guthrie family members. Like Woody, Don has spent much of his life traveling the country and experiencing the land and the people (including his early days of hitchhiking and hopping freight trains, getting a taste of the hobo lifestyle).
Third is Conoscenti's extreme musical talent on a wide variety of instruments, including 6- and 12-string guitars, steel guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, percussion, flute, recorder, mandolin, banjo, didgeridoo and harmonica. His unique picking techniques and styles, and use of multiple capos to achieve unusual tunings, are unparalleled.
Don's musicianship is so highly respected that he is often asked to participate in the recording or performance projects of other major folk/acoustic artists, including Tom Paxton, Ellils Paul and David Wilcox. In turn, the supporting cast on Conoscenti's numerous albums reads like a Who's Who of contemporary folk, including the Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins, Pierce Pettis, Leslie Tucker, The Nudes and many others including numerous Atlanta musicians. There's no telling who might show up and sit in when DonCon comes back to town.
Fourth and finally is Don's nearly mystical personal presence. A gentle and highly spiritual being, this diminutive man with the appearance of a far eastern monk exudes an energy that fills the room, and somehow becomes part and parcel of his music presentation. All told, these things add up to an evening of musical magic.
Opening the Show -- Dede Vogt
We're ecstatic that Dede Vogt has agreed to open for Don, especially because she performs solo so seldomly (her most frequent stage activity is in the role of "Too Short" in the popular western swing trio Cowboy Envy). Dede is a skilled singer-songwriter who presents well-crafted original tunes backed by solid instrumentation on guitar and mandolin (she also plays bass, ukele and others).
Vogt has long been an integral part of the Atlanta acoustic music scene. There should be a special karma to this show, as Dede was the first Atlanta musician Conoscenti met on his many travels (at Sloppy Joe's in Key West) and played a role in Don's decision to live in Atlanta for several years in the mid-90's. They worked on numerous projects together, and some of Don's local recordings were done in Dede's Sound and Fury Studios (she received a very special thanks from Don in one of our favorite albums, Boxes of Bones). Thus, this will be a reunion show of sorts, and an evening that promises lots of fun and great music.
Miki & Seegar Swanson
Fiddler's Green Concert Series
Atlanta Area Friends of Folk Music