Saturday Folk Alliance Private Showcases
Kasey Rausch (Kansas City) and Kyle Reid (Oklahoma) played a set in the KC Music Collective room. Kasey usually plays with Marco in The Country Duo, but Marco was unable to attend. We were given the treat of hearing former Kansas City resident Kyle Reid play with Kasey. Their harmonies were soft and sweet.
Rabble in Arms (Kansas City) had the room on fire with their soul grass. Shannon's fiddling was on fire and Josh's guitar was full of soul. This duo was unstoppable.
Ensemble Ibérica (Kansas City) with Nathalie Pires (New Jersey) shared Fado with us. Nathalie's Fado is full of raw emotion and her voice has undeniable power. Fado is an incredibly old style of folk music going back to the 1820's and probably earlier. It is sung in Portuguese and filled with longing. One songs was about a woman waiting for her loved one to return from the sea. This was one of I Love KC Music favorites from the conference.
Kelly Hunt (Kansas City) and Stas' enchanting the crowd with her lovely Appalachian folk music. Her voice is one the favorites of I Love KC Music in all of Kansas City.
Under the Big Oak Tree (Saint Joseph, MO) play that old time folk and bluegrass music with lovely harmonies and sweet tunes. Listening to their music is like a dance in the park with friends after a Sunday picnic.
Of Tree (Kansas City) enchants the audience with mesmerizing tunes, a perfectly balanced mix of light and heavy sounds. Their music has a way of making some melancholy into something that can lift your spirits in the hard times.
Jenna Rae and Martin (Kansas City) usually play as a duo, but for this set they played with Kahlen on stand up bass and Amanda on harmonica for a song. They mix classic country, bluegrass, and even some gospel feel to their music to make what they call Cosmic Western. They tell everyday stories through song. They have a great chemistry on stage.
John Keck (Kansas City) often plays solo, but as a special treat Shannon O'Shae joined him for this set. Their music was a mix of bluegrass, "in the style of Mark Twain." and melodic folk music. John Keck writes from the heart and puts out raw emotion into his music. It's easy to find yourself in his songs. One of the most moving songs of the whole conference was his song "A Song For Mother." This was a song about Fergeson.
