Tag Archives: Americana

Chappell and Dave Holt Performs With the Passion of Stone and Fire

Chappell and Dave HoltIt’s not everyday that two such diverse individuals come together to make beautiful music.  In the case of Singer/Songwriters and husband/wife duo Chappell and Dave Holt, their diverse upbringings bring together a unique music sound that is music to everyone’s ears.

They call their brand of music “The Jazzy Side of Americana,” with musical influences that range from Ella Fitzgerald to Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan.

Dave studied piano at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory. The 60’s brought rock ‘n’ roll, blues, jazz, and a move to Northern California, while honing his songwriting skills. He toured and recorded with Rosalie Sorrels and Frontier, was accompanist to blues/jazz singer Pamela Polland, and her “Melba Rounds Review,” with his mastery of the James P. Johnson piano style, and fronted his own rock/jazz band before he and Chappell began their partnership. Later he earned an SFSU BA and Master’s in Creative Writing and has become a published award-winning poet, and is often in demand to read and perform his poetry accompanied by his drum and Chappell on guitar and vocals.

Chappell, the daughter of a minister, grew up singing gospel music. Frequent moves took her Navy family to San Diego. With a guitar, dulcimer, and autoharp she left for Northern California during the 70’s folk music reviva,l inspired by the new singer/songwriters and the soulfulness of jazz. She began to explore merging poetry with music in songwriting, performed extensively, wrote and recorded for independent films and was an in-demand studio singer. She is an artist, a professional seamstress, and designer.

Together they carve out a blend of musical styles that travel the breadth of the American landscape in both original contemporary stylings and interpretations of classic songs from all eras.  Their newest album, Stone And Fire is a genuine representation of their unique sound.

Recently, KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste talked with Chappell and Dave Holt via Skype.  They each tell the story of their unique musical lives, and how they eventually came together  both musically and as true soul mates.  They also talk about their artistic lives outside of their music, and how even those experiences play a creative role in their music.

 

Listen to the interview here:

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Music by Chappell and Dave Holt on KC Cafe Radio:

Chappell and Dave Holt - Stone & Fire Chappell and Dave Holt – Stone & FireRequest this album

Susie Glaze: A Unique Musician With A Unique Sound

Susie Glaze

Photo by Patricia Van Over

Singer/Songwriter Susie Glaze  did not grow up in a “musical” family.  Her father and mother met and married just prior to World War II in St. Louis, and following the war, the family moved to the mid-south, and Susie’s interests gravitated toward the theater.  All the while, however, her world was serenaded by the likes of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Flatt & Scruggs, and other country and bluegrass  musicians that later would play a critical role in her creative life.

Glaze studied drama at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and obtained her union card while still a student.  It wasn’t long that she was appearing on Broadway, performing mostly musical roles.  Her most notable performance was in Roger Miller’s Big River, playing the part of Mary Jane Wilkes.  It was during this time she began immersing herself in the music she had heard growing up.  It didn’t take long for her to figure out that her creative path did not lie in acting.

Glaze moved to Los Angeles, and found a musical home playing along with The Eight Hand String Band, as well as solo performances and recordings, and eventually formed The Hilonesome Band in 2003.  She describes the group as “A Newgrass Americana Folk Fusion Quintet” that embodies the traditional sounds of the Appalachian, bluegrass, folk and country influences she grew up with, while at the same time introducing a contemporary take on the traditional sound.  The band’s most recent album, White Swan is a work that must be heard in its entirety in order to be appreciated.

KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste recently spoke with Glaze via Skype, from her southern California home.  They talked in detail about the band’s unique sound, defining the term “Newgrass” in the scope of the music.  She shares her journey from growing up as a “mid-westerner,” through her years on broadway, and her transition into music.  She also talked about the people who have, and continue to influence her musical creativity today.

Listen To The Interview Here:

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Music By Susie Glaze and the Hilonesome Band On KC Cafe Radio:

Video: “Harlan County Boys”