EIGHTIETH SHOW AND FIRST SHOW OF 2009
DANA & SUE ROBINSON
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16

8 PM

 

It is with great pleasure to bring Dana and Susan Robinson back to Little Lake Hill and to kick off the 2009 year! These two are no strangers to our ‘stage’! Dana was here as one of our early shows (number 12) and together they performed for our 57th show (check them both out by scrolling below).  They were featured in WUNC’s Back Porch Music American Tobacco Campus Concert Series this fall and you can hear them singing on the program (91.5 FM) any weekend night. They have recently released CD # 6,  Round My Door. Dana and Susan sing dust-on-the-boots vignettes of rural America. Dana delivers his lyrics with such poetic clarity as to take the audience along riding shotgun down the highway. Their stories reflect a deep affection for the landscape and a sense of place within it.  Dana and Susan are consummate multi-instrumentalists (guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin) integrating styles from the Appalachian, Celtic, and African traditions to create a fresh and contemporary sound that is uniquely their own. Now living in  Asheville, North Carolina, Dana and Susan bring to the stage their own exciting blend of superb musicianship, and songs of the American landscape. With Dana on guitar and fiddle, and Susan's banjo and harmony singing, they bring a joyful energy to every concert. If you like the sound of old-timey/Appalachian fiddle and banjo music you will certainly enjoy this show! Not only do they bring with them many old traditional songs, but songs of Dana’s own which is a blend of the old sounds and at the same time gives color to many places and times across our country. 

Dana was born in Oregon in 1961 and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. At seventeen he took to hitchhiking between the western states, playing in cafés and restaurants. His restlessness culminated in the mid-80s with a trip to Europe to ride the trains and buses on the streets. Upon returning to America, Dana settled in Vermont where he built a cabin in the woods and started a small bakery. There he immersed himself in traditional ballads and songwriters of the day – players as diverse as Norman Blake, Tim O’Brien, John Martyn and Nick Jones. In 1994 Dana recorded his debut CD Elemental Lullabye, made an appearance at Carnegie Hall, and launched into a national touring career. Dana and Sue met in 2002 at a house concert in California.  Sue, a classically trained pianist, upon meeting Dana, transferred her skills to the banjo and guitar, and have been traveling as a duo ever since. 

Here’s what the critics say:

Frank Stasio, host of NPR’s The State Of Things, says “Dana and Susan Robinson are the sound and feel of bedrock America.” 

"Many songwriters have been heralded as modern day Woody Guthries or keepers of the American rural spirit, but that mantle might be better entrusted to musicians like Dana Robinson who embody both the heart and the soul of folk music."- Dirty Linen 

"...rural America explored with elegant simplicity. Their music and cleanly poetic songwriting bring to mind the great folksingers of our times." Asheville Citizen-Times 

You can read more about them on their website

Reservations for this show are necessary (donations of $20 are appreciated) and can be made at (919) 787-6378 or email bett@bettpadgett.com. Please limit reservation parties to 4 people and allow 3 days for a confirmation. Have a listen to tracks from their latest CD, Round My Door, and scroll down to shows 57 and 12 to hear other great songs! You can also find more at their Myspace page.

PASTURES OF PLENTY

GLORY IN THE MEETING HOUSE

WHAT WOULD WOODY DO?

Dana and Sue's show three years ago sold out in a very SHORT time and people are STILL talking about their lightning-fast fingers!!! ----don't wait too long!