Thursday it opens with Open Mic and Pool Party hosted by Berkalin Records with good grub and libations.\u00a0 The incomparable Butch Morgan runs this baby smooth as silk adding comedy and killer guitar work when the moment presents itself. This is an excellent way to hear over 4 hours of musicians do one song that hopefully catches your ear.\u00a0 After that the Official Showcase Alternates Concert takes place emceed by Charlie Stewart.\u00a0 5pm-Midnight and that\u2019s just Day One! That segue ways into the next two days jam packed with chances to catch artist\u2019s showcases in hotel rooms and ballrooms from 1:30pm to the wee hours. SWRFA feeds you throughout the weekend where mingling and partaking of delicious food is an added bonus! We fondly refer to it as our \u201cFamily Reunion\u201d where we get to catch up with old friends and meet new ones in this beloved musical world we\u2019re fortunate to be part of.<\/p>\n
Joining us again this year were fellow HMR mates Ellen and James Klassen. We\u2019ve joined forces to present our 2016 \u201cDirty Dozen\u201d of acts that stayed with us and deserve special mention.\u00a0 Here ya go\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n THE ROSELLYS<\/p>\n This dynamic duo made points for being the farthest travelers to SWRFA from the UK!\u00a0\u00a0 They harmonize so well and actually have a five piece band back home.\u00a0 Tender tunes were \u201cDon\u2019t Pull Away\u201d, \u201cYou See Me Through\u201d, \u201cA Thousand Miles\u201d and \u201cJames Song\u201d stayed with me.\u00a0 They anchored a major showcase and killed it!\u00a0 The energy generated by this Americana yet traditional country sound is captivating, especially up close and personal.\u00a0 You won\u2019t meet two sweeter and cordial individuals than Rebecca and Simon.\u00a0 We were so fortunate to get a glimpse of them in Houston also at Anderson Fair shortly after SWRFA to confirm how magnetic their gigs can be!\u00a0 Easy pick for Dirty Dozen #1.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This Canadian trio of ladies got our attention at the Thursday \u201cone and done deal\u201d with an acapella stunner \u201dMama Don\u2019t Like My Man\u201d! Jess Rae Ayre, Amber Rose and Michelle Anderson all sing and play instruments very well.\u00a0 They knocked me for a loop again IN the area in front of the elevator on first floor with captivating version of Dylan\u2019s \u201cGotta Serve Somebody\u201d.\u00a0 These women have been charming audiences since 2009 and are a popular roots\/pop group in Canada. They also tore it up at a major showcase and showed such appreciation for the love bestowed upon them in Texas. \u201cMiddle Ground\u201d was a goodie!\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s hoping America sees more of them in the future.<\/p>\n SWEET SHINE & HONEY (RACHEL LAVEN)<\/p>\n Rachel Laven has been on our radar for years. It was so nice to see her \u201cdirty up\u201d her act and let loose with a unique mix of raspy country rock growl wrapped around a modern take on traditional bluegrass.\u00a0 Nothing better than a hot chick and great players backing her charismatic non-strumming guitar style either!\u00a0 \u201cWildfires\u201d was a bonafide keeper at their impressive major showcase.\u00a0 This is a \u201cNewgrass\u201d super group of Steven Sellers (banjo, guitar mandolin), Sam Snavely (bass) and Addison Freeman handling fiddle.\u00a0 Laven won 2016\u2019s Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition which is no small feat indeed. Let\u2019s hope this Lone Star State foursome keeps the momentum going and scores big with their foot- stompin\u2019 fun.<\/p>\n KAREN MORAND<\/p>\n This Canadian lady got our attention with her rockin\u2019 sound. Saying she was across the way from DEE-troit was cool and her energy wrapped around tender lyrics scored major.\u00a0 She also has a side project called Bosco with a CD titled \u201cI Think I\u2019ll Lose My Mind Today\u201d which fits this off the wall woman.\u00a0 I stole an observation from her about myself at SWRFA when she said: \u201cYou are like a drone hovering over the proceedings gathering information!\u201d\u00a0 Girl can play the guitar and is far from a strummer.\u00a0 Another winner from north of the border.<\/p>\n LIBBY KOCH<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been on the trail following this down to earth lady for years. She\u2019s a seventh generation Texan who wears it on her sleeve with her engaging personality and flair.\u00a0 She nailed a major showcase with four players, including Brian Kalinec, who compliments her quite well on underrated guitar work. \u201cPut Me Out of My Misery\u201d shined and her confidence seems to grow the more we see her especially on the big stage!\u00a0\u00a0 What you see is what you get with LK and it is all good from our vantage point.<\/p>\n LYNN LANGHAM WITH DOUG GILL<\/p>\n This very talented lady has written songs and performed with powerhouse performers the likes of Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Albert Lee, Todd Snyder and Rodney Crowell. \u201cOld Yellow Moon\u201d scored an Emmy in 2014 on Harris and Crowell\u2019s duet album!\u00a0 Coupled with Gill they produced a spooky bluesy kind of cool that helped them score well both at a major showcase and in- room gigs. Her smooth strong and silky voice along with keyboard playing enhanced the performances. It was a mesmerizing sound that stuck with us and will be sought after down the road for sure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n HEATHER PIERSON<\/p>\n This talented lady reached out to us before SWRFA asking us to give her a look. Glad she did from the Thursday Open Mic to her room gigs.\u00a0 Girl brought a portable piano and killed it in a New Orleans style jazzy blues that didn\u2019t seem to be able to come from such a youthful reserved woman!\u00a0 Her pipes were ample and her style could easily fit from coffeehouses to bigger stages with ease.\u00a0 Versatile is an understatement with her for sure playing banjo and acoustic guitar, too.\u00a0\u00a0 Really would love to catch her trio she sports back east.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ANNIE OAKLEY<\/p>\n This Oklahoma trio of ladies features twin sisters Sophia and Grace Babb along with their friend Nia Personette. Their silky sweet harmonies wrapped around fiddle and guitar backing was a pleasant sound indeed. They are really making an impact in Oklahoma\u2019s nationally respected indie music scene. In fact they were the youngest performers to ever play Oklahoma City\u2019s famous Blue Door which sold out in five days. The ladies exude a strong stage confidence that defies their young ages. Tender Americana is a nice monikor to label their fluffy presentation which makes you smile! The major showcase they put on sure did that to this reviewer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ANNE McCUE<\/p>\n This is another performer we\u2019ve had the pleasure of seeing in various locations over the years. The lady can do sentimental blues to jazz and then shift to Hendrix type licks in one sitting. The Sydney, Melbourne native exudes a quiet confidence and sports a crisp clear voice on tunes like \u201cDig Two Graves Mister\u201d and \u201cSpring Cleaning in the Winter time\u201d. She penned yet another gem with Nashville stud David Olney called \u201cDevil In The Middle\u201d which had a 1930\u2019s vibe to it which was sweet. Her effortless folk rock sound worked quite well at her major showcase and it is no wonder she\u2019s hanging in Nashville these days pumping out albums-six to date!<\/p>\n STRANGEBYRDS<\/p>\n Cori Minor and Ray Smith have become a fixture the past few years at SWRFA flying under the radar, but not un-noticed for sure. The Colorado hippy duo is as low key cool as you can get and their \u201cBlue Collar Folk\u201d resonates well in the cozy confines of SWRFA. \u201cWilling\u201d was a catchy tune that stuck with us. Cool raw 60\u2019s sound wears well on them and we were impressed how they searched HMR out to say hey! Let\u2019s hope they are a constant repeat for us at this event and more down the road hopefully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"232-2\"](\"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/232-2.jpg\")
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