Big Plain House Concerts

If you attended the Doug Goodhart/Mason Brown show a couple of weeks ago, you’re probably aware that they recorded the performance, or at least that they had mysterious little microphones sitting in front of them. Doug and Mason have generously allowed us to post some tracks from that show here. Enjoy the music!

Many thanks to everyone who showed up last night for a great show by Doug Goodhart and Mason Brown. Here’s some photos from Katherine.

Just heard from Matt Heaton that he and Shannon will be back in Kansas in October. So they’re penciled into our calendar for Sunday October 14th.

Ever since Mason Brown moved to Kansas City in early 2006, he has been performing with multi-instrumentalist Doug Goodhart. Quiet men both, they’ve managed to each accumulate a full lifetime of experience and surprising career histories. We’re delighted to have them perform here this month.

Date: Sunday July 22nd
Time: 7:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $10.00
Reservations: 913-620-1821 or email concerts_AT_bigplain_DOT_com

Doug Goodhart has been performing and teaching West African polyrhythmic music for 25 years with legendary performers Abubakari Lunna (Dagomba music), Gideon Foli Alorwoyie and Kwaku Ledzekpo (Ewe music). His pursuit and passion of polyrhythmic traditions has also led him to Afro-Cuban drumming (Agustin Romero Diaz), Flamenco Guitar (Miguel Rodriguez) and Mexican music from Veracruz (Alberto de la Rosa). Doug’s unique and gentle teaching style is known for getting students “up and running” with polyrhythmic music. From 1987 to 1994 Doug was director of Center For World Music, an arts organization dedicated to performance and pedagogy of many world traditions including West Africa, France, Spain, Ireland, the United States, Mexico, Cuba and Brazil. From 1994 to 1997 Doug lived in France learning and performing traditional French music.As a fiddler Doug spent 30 years studying and performing Appalachian music of the upper South. In 2000, he began studying the long-bow tradition of West Virginia with Alan Jabbour as well as Dr. Jabbour’s own unique style. He has studied extensively the fiddling of Michoacan, Mexico with Atilano Lopez and Dimas Camilo. He has spent years performing Cajun fiddle in southwest Louisiana with ensembles headed by Donald Fontenot and Ally Young, among others.

Over the last few years Doug has added the music of Renaissance vihuela, lute and viola da gamba to his repertory. His latest CD entitled A Box of Fiddle Tunes, which focuses on Appalachian fiddling, was released in 2006.

Mason Brown’s voice, guitar, banjo, and viola da gamba can be heard in the Kansas City area and elsewhere. His forthcoming solo album will be titled When Humans Walked the Earth. His previous album, Am I Born to Die, was a collaboration with Chipper Thompson. He has also worked with Mike Dugger, Turlach Boylan, Kelly Dougherty, Roger Landes, Connie Dover, Nathan Pellerin, Michael Fraser, Mark Dudrow, Ed Caner, Ben Wright, Charlene Adzima, and Jed Marum, and has instructed guitar and banjo at ZoukFest.

He recently (April 2007) performed with Glen Road in Dollywood. Pictures here. When not on the road, Mason performs (almost) every Saturday from 3 to 6 in the afternoon at O’Malley’s Pub (540 Welt St, Weston Missouri).

A couple of weeks ago we caught a Steve Howard show in Lawrence. He’s been a friend of Katherine’s for a few years now and we’re delighted to be able to host him here for a house concert.

Date: Sunday March 25th
Time: 7:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $10.00
Reservations: 913-904-1285 or email concerts_AT_bigplain_DOT_com

Singer/songwriter and canvas artist Steve Howard has been performing his original music in bands, trios, duos in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas for some thirty odd years, and, for past three years, as a solo act in and around Taos, New Mexico. Steve’s unique acoustic sound evolved from many musical influences and might best be described as a popular rock influenced Americana with
a backdrop of C&W.

“I’m traveling Kansas now singing and performing my new CD ‘Last Call at Lascaux’……for any Kansans willing to take a chance on a singer they have surely never heard of, they should come on out and give it a listen….life and live music is a gamble!!”

John Steven Howard

“If you have ever wanted to hear a performer whose songs and lyrics come straight from the heart…listen to John Steven Howard”.
Stewart Herd – Taos New Mexico

“Howard’s haunting melodies, along with his soft touch acoustic guitar style, reveal the temperament of a poet. He also throws in some edgier tunes surrounding his wry social commentary”
Stan Herd – Lawrence Kansas