The Listening Room | Fargo ND

Friday April 8, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Drew Nelson

Drew's first performance at The Listening Room was in October of 2009. He was hailed as one of the best performances of that year and requests to have him return have been many.
We are very fortunate to have been able to book Drew for another performance. His recognition is growing, and if you were here for his first concert, you can see why. Legendary songwriter John Gorka says "Drew's songs sound like the rest of us feel. His characters are anything but defeated. They are dazed, angry, amazed and climbing."
Drew's concert was an amazing evening of music and story-telling. People hung out at The Listening Room that night for over an hour talking to each other and Drew about his music.

In 2009, Dusty Road to Beulah Land is #28 in the Top 50 Albums of the Folk DJ List
April, 2009, Drew is #3 on the Freeform Americana Roots Chart
April 2009 Drew is #2 on the Euro Americana Chart.
July 2009 Drew is selected as the winning finalist for Listening Room International Songwriter Retreats (not associated with The Listening Room in Fargo, ND)
In 2009 Grandmother Moon is # 36 out of the top 100 Songs on the Folk DJ List.
Stranger picks up 2009 Song of the year for the Cowboys Sweetheart Radio in Australia
Along Drew's Dusty Road to Beulah Land, Bruce Springsteens' Magic, won Scotland UK Top 10 Gigs of the Decade
House of Mercy chooses Dusty Road to Beulah Land as #7 of the top 10 Records of the Year 2009 (Dave Rawlings Machine, A Friend Of A Friend was awarded #9)

Friday May 6, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Driftwood Fire

Just go to their website and you will see exactly why we wanted them to come to The Listening Room! Lynn & Charlotte were ready to play here last year when the dreaded H1N1 stuck and the dr. said, "Stay Home!" So, all of you who were disappointed that they were not able to come last year, they are still coming, just a little delayed!

Both are experienced musicians in their own right bringing guitar, banjo, cello and violin to their instrument chest. Lynn studied opera and vocal performance with the Washington Metropolitan Opera. By 2001 she was focusing on jazz, folk, and pop music. Charlotte studied music theory, earning a double degree in Biology and Music while contributing to published journals in music theory research.

They came together in 2007 and quickly developed a legion of friendly fans. Appalachian Hills won First Place in the 2007 International Narrative Song Competition. They were featured at the 2009 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, the National Women's Music Festival, and a Far-West Folk Alliance Premier Showcase.

Lynn's vocals and Charlotte's harmonies mix like one voice. Both writers, their music is thoughtful and very nice to listen to. It took over a year to find another date in their busy schedule and now I am very pleased to welcome them again to The Listening Room!

Donation $10 - 100% - Of your donation goes to the musician!

Friday September 2011 - 7:30 pm Eric Taylor

I first heard Eric Taylor in 1973 at Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant in Houston, one of the oldest folk/original music venues in continuous operation in the United States since the 1960's. I had never heard anyone play guitar like he did and his songs took me places both in my imagination and deep in my gut that I had not been to before.
Eric has been called "the William Faulkner of songwriting in our current time." He will tell you that when he produces a record, first the tracks are laid down and then he slowly begins to take away the parts that are not needed. The end result lacks superfluous noise that distract the listener from hearing what the song is supposed to sound like. His writing is the same way. There aren't any extra words to fill a rhyme or meter. Listening to one of his songs is like appreciating a skillfully painted flower that leaves you captivated by what begins as simplistic beauty but ends up with the detail of an intricate bouquet.
Eric's first guitar was a $2.50 beaut missing its tuning pegs. He learned to tune it with a pair a pliers, and it wasn't long before he was playing bass in a band of otherwise black musicians. He lived in a car with a bluesman who taught him about life. He and Townes Van Zandt used to steal a neighbor's horses and ride them

Friday, October 14, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Patchouli

Bruce and Julie were with us in our first season and played an unforgetable show. Each of them are accomplished musicians. You will hear a wide mix of genres blended into their own unique sound.
    These two have been playing together a long time and it shows. They are comfortable on stage and their playing is flawless. The first time I heard Bruce play guitar I only admitted to owning one once a long time ago. He is incredibly diverse and his years of study in many styles from fingerstlye, flamenco, classical, jazz, flat picking, and folk have paid off. He has also studied concert piano, choral compositions and plays bass guitar and percussion on stage.
    I couldn't help but laugh when he told me that he was in a punk rock band when his electric was stolen. He hasn't played an electric guitar since then!
    Julie's lyrics can be easily appreciated as spoken word, and when they add music and you hear them sing, you hear something you will only hear when they are on the stage.
    Julie will modesly tell you that she has "dabbled" with a variety of instruments, The truth is she is an impressive musician who plays multiple instruments on and off stage including 6 & 12 string guitars, upright bass marimbas, flutes and hand drums.
    When they played The Listening Room they brought their own sound, and watching them do their own sound check was an experience. You would have thought they were setting up for a studio recording - and it sounded like it. I also mentioned to Bruce at that time that once I owned an old microphone! You won't want to miss Patchouli when they return to The Listening Room for this concert!

                                                                at night (but they always took them back by morning!) When Townes was learning how to play from Lightnin' Hopkins and Steve Earle was learning from Townes, they were hanging out with Eric and Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffth… if I were to mention all the others you would just think I was lying.
    Lots of musicians have their struggles and once some of Eric's friends thought that he would benefit from spending some time with a counselor. As Eric tells the story, "I saw a psychologist who said that he didn't think that I was crazy, but that I was really screwed up." The psychologist suggested how many sessions he thought would be helpful, and when Eric did the math he concluded that the same amount of money would buy him a pretty nice BMW motorcycle. He ventured off on a journey that Robert Pirsig would have envied. He lived on Pine Ridge Reservation and helped the people there find justice during a difficult time. He spent time alone on the mesa and drew his own conclusions about what matters.
    Eric's concerts are a mixture of music, theatre and storytelling that I have yet to experience with another performer. Steve Earle will tell you that "he's the real deal", and close friend Lyle Lovette says, "I'm always the opening act when I'm around Eric." In his last concert at the Fargo Theatre, Lyle spent 15 minutes singing Eric's songs and telling stories about when he and Eric were on the road.

Eric always plays to a full house and we highly recommend reservations for this performance.
You can use our online reservation service on this website.
$15 Donation - Musicians receive 100% of donations!

Friday January 14, 2011 - 7:30 pm - David Stoddard

One day I brought in the mail and found a CD in an envelope from this guy. I was about to head out the door and took it with me. I shoved "Get Off My Lawn!" into the dash to take a listen. The first two tracks were good - some very smart writing. A little way into the third track, "River of Love", I pulled over.
    People ask me what criteria I use when I am booking acts at The Listening Room. I just have to like them. I don't know what I am looking for, but I always know when I find it. After my first time through Stoddard's CD I was pretty sure I wanted him to come. After the second listening I was sending off an email with an offer.
    When you come to David's show you are going to hear some songs that take an honest look at some of the crazy stuff we do. You are going to hear some songs that might leave you silently nodding your head before you realize it's time to applaud.
    Besides, I like the title of his new record, "Get Off My Lawn!" I tell my kid that when I get old I am going to sit out out front on a lawn chair in a sleeveless t-shirt spraying kids with the hose as they come by and yell, "Get Off My Lawn!"

2008 Big Top Chautauqua Songwriter Competition Finalist
2007 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter Competition Winner
2006 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter Competition Finalist
2005 Kerrville New Folk Winner
2004 Minnesota Folk Festival Grand Prize Winner
2003 Winterfolk Contest Finalist

davidstoddardmusic.com
Online video
"Santa"
(rides a big ol' harley davidson)

Donation $10
100% Of your donation
goes to the musician!

Friday February 18, 2011 Guest Artist from "A Celebration of Women and Their Music" TBA

Friday March 11, 2011 - 7:30 pm - The Stellanovas

This month we have The Stellanovas, a "great jazz band that won't leave your brain feeling as though it went through a blender." Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner are the base of this great band. They bring years of training and experience to a musical experience that will put a smile on your face and your toe tapping.
    Their music is a highbred that combines classical, jazz, rock, blues, bluegrass, country and folk. If that's not Ameicana, I don't know what is! They have played with the Smashing Pumpkin's Gish, Freedy Johnston, Willy Porter, Carrie Newcomer and lots of others.
    Chris switches from a number of instruments from violin to uke, to mandolin, to accordion, to Hawaiian guitar, and finally to acoustic guitar. His vocals are smooth and his range is medium to high. Where Chris adds the smooth, Mary adds the soul handling the bass clef. While Mary's skill on the cello is masterful she is also a multi instrument musician, switching to other instruments like piccolo bass, guitar, and baritone uke.
    A night of guaranteed good listening fun!

http://www.thestellanovas.com/
Online video "Are You Sleeping"

Donation $10
100% Of your donation

goes to the musician!

Friday December 2, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Dennis Warner

Dennis was with us the spring of 2010. He tours like crazy and it shows in his performances. His show was laid back and enjoyable

Eight albums and a whole lot of concerts later, Americana singer/songwriter Dennis Warner is recognized for his crafty wit, skillful musicianship and the special ability of captivating an audience. His unique blend of music and humor continually brings him to well over 100 cities each year.

Accompanying his smooth vocals with his six and twelve string guitars, Dennis has performed his adult/family oriented concerts at major theaters, clubs, some of the best festivals around, and in the small towns throughout America. Dennis has been featured on numerous regional T.V. and radio programs, as well as national broadcasts of NPR's Great Acoustics, Live!, River City Folk and Jammin' With Dennis Warner. Dennis is one of the most personable performers you will encounter.

Friday June 3, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Josh Hardy

When I moved to Fargo about 10 years ago Josh was playing around Fargo. I liked him the first time I heard him. He has a nice easy-going style about him and you feel like you have known him a long time the first time you meet him. He's a great songwriter, and when he does a cover song he always has a nice interpretive angle. Josh is working out of Madison, WI, and he was one of the first people that came to mind when I thought of people I would like to have at The Listening Room. We have been trying to work out a date for The Listening Room and we finally found a match!

Josh is the third generation of musicians out of the Dakotas, Josh Harty is never far from his roots but always inventing new ways to honor the old. Growing up the son of a North Dakota Police Chief and preacher, Harty figured he was either going to jail or going to hell. He was wrong on both fronts and his gentle nature reveals this to all who know him. He's got gratitude written all over him, including thankfulness for the music his father gave him.

These days the Madison-based artist writes and performs mostly solo but has a knack for surrounding himself with some of the best musicians in the Midwest for his recordings. You never know who might join stage with Josh, but he doesn't need any backup - he is solid all on his own.

Friday July 22, 2011 - 7:30 pm - Marian Call

Marian was on a 50-states tour in 2010 and made her first US stop in Fargo. She and her guitarist, Scott Barkan stayed at my house while they played Atomic Coffee.

It's hard to nail down a musical style for Marian because she is so diverse, but she is one of the finest jazz musicians I have heard. She is incredibly precise and has complete control of her voice regardless if she is holding one quiet note, or hitting every note on the scale. Marian seems to appeal to people whoever they are - computer geeks, church ladies, teenage thugs, NPR listeners, and urban hipsters worldwide, she's funny, smart, and very easy to listen to.

Marian was born into a family of musicians and artists, and she was raised on a steady diet of Bach, Beethoven, Joni Mitchell, Tower of Power, and Ogden. Call is a trained composer and a spunky self-taught singer based out of Anchorage, Alaska. Her songs are eclectic and diverse, funny and light on their feet and powerfully honest

You really need to follow the link to her website and click on the "listen" link. She won't be able to resist this concert if you do!