Six out of the twelve pianos that fill the American Grands stage

Guest blogger and American Grands expert (he’s been involved since the very first year!) Stu Ainsworth shares his insight into this “monster piano concert” that’s celebrating its 17th season on January 28. Thank you, Stu!

Why has American Grands been so successful and appreciated for seventeen years?

• The music staff has changed very little.  The music director was initially Lorelei Capell followed by Howard Bakken  and then Larry Dieffenbach for the past 7 years.  Colin Holman has been “the man on the podium” for sixteen of the performances with the exception of one season during which Jon Mortensen, American Grands percussionist, filled in for him.  Jon Mortensen has participated in every  American Grands performance.
• Only one change in venue.  Started in Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, American Grands moved to the  Blizzard Theatre in the Visual and Performing Arts Center at Elgin Community College which has been our home ever since.
•  Started in 1995, with one evening performance entitled “A Monster Piano Concert”, Amercan Grands soon grew to two performances, and eventually enlarged to three concerts in 2002-all to accomodate the growing number of players which will number nearly 500 during the 3 concerts in 2012.     
• The number of highly polished ebony grand pianos have remained unchanged-all twelve strategically placed at different levels on the stage. Since the beginning, all have been  loaned and maintained by Cordogan’s Pianoland.
• Only two closing works have been used:  initially “God Bless America” and then a stirring rendition of John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever”.   Performed by 24 hands (240 flashing fingers) at twelve pianos on stage while all the participants file into the theatre to the thunderous applause that greets and thanks them.   

American Grands XVII will be performed on January 28, 2012 at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. For more information, visit elgin.edu/arts.

1. Write a 150-300 word blog about your favorite Streetlamp moment (s)
2. Email it to artscenter@elgin.edu with the subject “Streetlamp Blog Entry” before Wednesday, 11/9.
3. The arts center staff will vote on our favorite entries and that writer of the entry with the most votes will receive 2 free tickets to see an Under the Streetlamp performance at the Elgin Community College Arts Center.  

Thanks for your help! Can’t wait to hear your favorite moments!

Inspired by Rosanne Cash’s The List Steve Duchrow, the Arts Center’s Director of Performing Arts, decided to make his own list of essential songs of Americana. He revealed his list in its entirety at the October 8 performance by Rosanne Cash but we thought we’d give our blog readers some closure as well. Below is Steve’s ENTIRE list. Enjoy!  

This music should be part of any discussion of Great American Dons. It is not prioritized. That would be another type of list.

Today I Started Lovin’ You Again-Merle Haggard
I Walk the Line-Johnny Cash
I Miss My Mary-Hal Ketchum
I Dream a Highway-Gillian Welch
Joe Roberts-Bruce Springsteen
State Trooper- Bruce Springsteen
Amerika 6.0- Steve Earle
Jerusalem-Steve Earle
Copperhead Road- Steve Earle
Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blue- Dwight Yoakam/Danny O’Keefe
Help Me Make It Through the Night-Kris Kristofferson
Crazy-Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson
Lord I Have Made You a Place In My Heart-Greg Brown
Time the Revelator-Gillian Welch
My Morphine-Gillian Welch
Dancing with the Women at the Bar-Ryan Adams
Wichita Lineman-Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb
Close Up the Honky Tonks-Buck Owens
Wash My Eyes-Greg Brown
Your Town Now-Greg Brown
These Impermanent Things-Peter Himmelman
Ithaca-Red Bird/Kristen Delmourst
Drunk Lullaby-Jeffrey Foucault
Mesa Arizona-Jeffrey Foucault
Sing Me Back Home-Merle Haggad
Big River-Johnny Cash
Silver Wings-Merle Haggard
South of Cincinnati-Dwight Yoakam
My Old Friend Blues-Steve Earle
She looking for Me Somewhere-The Bodeans
I’ll Fly Away-Albert Brumley
You Are My Sunshine-Jimmy Davis
Smoke That Cigarette-Merle Travis
Smoke Along the Tracks-Doc Watson
Small Town Saturday Night-Hal Ketchum
Streets of Bakersfield-Dwight Yoakam
She Thinks I Still Care-George Jones
Together Again-Buck Owens
Time the Revelator-Gillian Welch
I Ain’t Got No Home
Hard Times-Stephen Foster
This Land is Your Land-Jimmy LaFace/Woody Guthrie
Sam Stone-John Prine
Angel from Montgomery-John Prine
Only Living Boy in New York-Paul Simon
America-Paul Simon
Pancho and Lefty-Townes Van Zandt
Baker Street-Gerry Rafferty
Hold On-Tom Waites
Bells of Rhymney-The Byrds/Pete Seeger
Will the World Survive-Los Lobos/David Hidalgo
Spoonful-Howlin Wolf
(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man-Willie Dixon
The Boxer-Paul Simon
Tennessee Plates-John Hiatt
She’s No Lady-Lyle Lovett
Elvis Presley’s Blues-Gillian Welch
Engine Engine #9-Roger Miller
Farmer’s Daughter-Merle Haggard
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner-Warren Zevon
Folsom Prison Blues-Johnny Cash
Girl of the North Country-Bob Dylan/Traditional
The Weight-The Band
Good Things-The Bodeans
Guitartown-Steve Earle
Sweet Old World-Lucinda Williams
Heartaches by the Number-Dwight Yoakam/Halan Howard
If You Need Someone-Jesse Winchester
I’m So Lonesome I could Cry-Hank Williams
I Miss My Mary-Hal Ketchum
I Still Miss Someone-Johnny Cash
If I Were a Carpenter-Tim Hardin
Beauty Way-Eliza Gilkyson
Hard Times in Babylon-Eliza Gilkyson
Honey Don’t-Carl Perkins
Come to Me-Otis Redding
Is There Anybody Going to San Antone?-Charlie Pride
Boots of Spanish Leather-Bill Camplin/Bob Dylan
He’ll Have to Go-Jim Reeves
Only the Lonely-Roy Orbison
Dream River-The Mavericks
Tommy-Kelly Jo Phelps
See that My Grave is Kept Clean-Kelly Jo Phelps/Blind Lemon Jefferson
Coat of Mail-Harry Manx*
Waling Wail-Stephen Fearing
Horses-Dala*
Hallelujah-Leonard Cohen*
Pocahontas-Neil Young*
Pacing the Cage-Bruce Cockburn*
I’m Wondering Where the Lions Are Bruce Cockburn*
Memphis in the Meantime-John Hiatt
Mr. Jones-Counting Crowes
Oh Boy!-Buddy Holly
Lodi-John Fogerty
Senor-Billy Campbell/Bob Dylan
The Thrill is Gone-BB King
Rose Colored Glasses-John Conlee
She Left Me for Jesus-Hayes Carll
Ships-Redbird/Greg Brown
God’s Promise-Burns Sisters/Woody Guthrie
Deportee-Woody Guthrie
Sunday Morning Coming Down-Kris Kristopherson
To Be Young-David Rawlings & Ryan Adams
For a Dancer- Jackson Browne
Fallen Angel-Marc Cohn
Walkin’ In Memphis-Marc Cohn
Barricades in Heaven-Jackson Browne
Your Silence I will Always Admire-Michael McDermott
Zodiac-Richie Havens
By the Time I Get To Pheonix-Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb
Eve of Destruction-Barry McGuire/P.F. Sloan
Your Mind is on Vacation-Mose Allison
Waist Deep in the Big Muddy-Pete Seeger
Fall on Me-REM
Ten Little Indians-John Hiatt
Empty-Ray Lamontagne
Trouble-Ray Lamontagne
Wagon Wheel-Old Crowe Medicine Show/Bob Dylan
He Stopped Loving Her Today-George Jones/Bobby Braddock
White Freightliner Blues-Townes Van Zandt
Black Cadillac-Rosanne Cash
Sea of Heartbreak-Rosanne Cash/Hal David & Paul Hampton
Swallowed by the Cracks-David Baerwald
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down-The Band
The Wabash Cannonball-Ray Acuff
I Fall to Pieces-Patsy Cline
Wildwood Flower-The Carter Family
He’ll Have to Go-Jim Reeves
Cattle Call-Eddy Arnold
For the Good Times-Ray Price
Lovesick Blues-Hank Williams
King of the Road-Roger Miller
Flowers on the Wall-The Statler Brothers
Seven Year Ache-Rosanne Cash
Six Days on the Road-Dave Dudley
Together Again-Buck Ownes
The Year That Clayton Delaney Died-Tom T Hall
From a Jack to a King-Ned Miller
500 Miles-Rosanne Cash/Bobby Bare & Hedy West
Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)-Jimmie Rodgers
The Train that Carried Jimmie Rodgers Home-Greg Brown
Walking the Floor Over You-Ernest Tubb
Blue Suede Shows-Carl Perkins
Waltz Across Texas-Ernest Tubb
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain-Willie Nelson
Gentle on My Mind-John Hartford
Galveston-Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb
Lord I Hope This Day is Good-Don Williams
Always Late for Your Kisses-Lefty Frizzell
Amazing Grace-Traditional
Both Sides Now-Dave Van Ronk/Joni Mitchell
Freight Train-Elizabeth Cotton
The Water is Wide-John Gorka/Traditional
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue-Boby Dylan
Hobo’s Lullabye-Woody Guthrie
Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright-Bob Dylan
If I Had a Boat-Lyle Lovett
Blue Moon of Kentucky-Bill Monroe
Wayfaring Stranger-Traditional
Kilkelly Ireland-Peter Jones
For What It Is Worth-Buffalo Springfield

*Denotes Canadian Artists

This list of 5 songs breaks the rules.  These are not American songwriters but we need to include our Canadian friends. Bruce Cockburn and Stephen Fearing will give you a lifetime of listening pleasure. They tackle strong subjects and are superb lyricists. I could pick 25 Neil Young songs but this poignant song about Native American relocation is hard hitting. He sings, “They slaughtered all our buffalo, kitty corner from the bank”. In ten words, he summarizes so many themes on modernity. I urge you to get one of the live Harry Manx records. He merges Indian music and blues and does it in a way that will turn your head. Finally, if you listen to “Horses” by Dala, make sure the Kleenex box is near. The harmony of their voices gives Emmy Lou Harris (and anybody on the planet she’s harmonizing with) a run for the money. Check out their song “Levi Blues” too.

“Pacing the Cage”-Bruce Cockburn; Listen to the song.
“Pocahantas” -Neil Young
“Horses”-Dala; Watch the video here. And Steve’s right, grab some Kleenex.
“Wailing Wall”-Stephen Fearing
“Coat of Mail”-Harry Manx; Listen to the song here.  

Rosanne Cash will appear at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Saturday, October 8 to perform songs from her album The List.

It was a contest. Me, a mere slow-footed Midwesterner, pitted against a swarm of seasoned, irritated New Yorkers in a game of taxi acquisition. The icy January rain had raised the stakes and the ire. I was repeatedly bested by the Mid-towners. I was outgunned, out-manned and out-of-my-league.

I was trying to get to a theatrical performance of the award-winning book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini that I had seen listed in the brochure of the conference I was attending. I was finally able to acquire a taxi but my taxi driver got lost, and after a short, spicy argument with his radio dispatcher, he hit the brakes and gesticulated that I exit immediately.

I stepped out into a downpour and discovered that I was blocks from my destination. I sprinted—well, let’s be serious—I maneuvered— okay, perhaps it is more accurate to say, I waddled— to each sheltered doorway through the rain. My feet accidentally found a few puddles, but only the big ones, of course. Drenched and miserable, I canoed into a Jamba Juice store for directions. The clerk pointed at a door behind me. Strangely enough, this juice bar had an adjoining entrance to the lobby of the theater.

I rode a small lurching, elevator up several floors and exited. The doors abruptly slammed shut like a functioning guillotine. It took about five clock ticks for me to realize that there was a big error. This theatre was not open today. It is interesting how suppressed rage amplifies the sound of rain dripping off clothing in a deserted hallway.

I am not prone to public outbursts. Yet, my silent, internal-monologue beast reached the temperature of tiny stars.  At the mid-point of the taxi ride back to the conference hotel, I was now at full internal simmer. I spewed harsh, Vesuvian judgments.

“Leave it to me to find the one theatre company that survives forty years in the harsh New York theatre scene and has less mastery of rudimentary publication concepts than Gutenberg!”

Oh yes, I would alert them of their error.

Fortunately, I exercise much better judgment with my external actions. I left a message in my polite Mr. Steve voice alerting them of their error in the conference performance guide. I guess I showed them.

I returned later to a flashing message light on my hotel phone. I couldn’t wait to hear “the dog ate my homework” laundry list of excuses. In mere moments I would have a name, return a call and drive the dagger home.

Instead, I listened to a pleasant voice deliver a message with no excuse in it at all. It appeared they didn’t need one. I had the date wrong.

My own stupidity always dissipates my ego like a semi running over a can of aerosol cheese spray. In fact, when they graciously apologized for my own stupidity, I am certain I lost IQ points. Not to worry, the kind voice explained, there was a performance tomorrow and tickets would be waiting for me. I watched my inner critic scamper away faster than evil, flying monkeys after a pail-of-water-on-the-witch incident.

I returned to see the performance the next day and re-discovered the value of persevering through self-inflicted folly.

The phrase “magic of theatre” is overused. Yet, when theatre is great, it is akin to the supernatural. The American Place Theatre has that kind of magic. In less than ninety minutes, this simple and powerful company used Khaled Hosseini’s powerful story of two small Afghan boys to create empathy in me for a nation of people that I had never met. They accomplished in ninety minutes what forty-eight years on the planet, eighteen years of formal education, and ten thousand media stories could not: it gave voice to the history and lives of the Afghan people.

I have seen the arts change the world in one breath so many, many times. I have heard it explained that we seek the arts to be moved and that movement is not only emotional, but is actually a cognitive movement forward in what we comprehend and believe.  It seems unlikely that a wet, cold, misguided journey in a New York taxi can lead to a profound change somewhere across worlds. In fact, that rainy day gone wrong has led to our fourth year of presenting work by this extraordinary company. This year they are performing the Jeanette Walls’ best-selling book The Glass Castle. It’s a book and theatre that makes you want to change your life.

The American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life stage presentation of The Glass Castle will be performed at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Saturday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. 

Jimmy Webb definitely deserves to be mentioned on my list. I would nominate three songs: “Buy the Time I Get to Pheonix”, “Galveston”, and “Witchita Lineman”. Here’s why: My Mom had an old, white, General Electric clock radio that she kept on our worn, speckled, kitchen formica countertop in Waukesha, WI. She would set the alarm at night, and turn the volume of the music alarm all the way up. This forced her to wake because she had to rise and walk all the way to the kitchen and turn it off.  Some days she overslept for a few minutes and it was musical heaven for me! So beautiful!

Almost 44 year later, the recollection is burnished in my memory. It is 1968. I was nine and Glen Campbell’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”  is wafting through the house that lonely Sunday morning. I am vividly creating every lyric Jimmy Webb wrote in that song. I could see “the note I left hanging on her door.” And “She’ll laugh when she reads the part that says I’m leaving.” God! I could have laid there forever and listened to that song.  I never wanted that song to be over.

Jimmy Webb gets in your head. He has a gift for melody and welds it with these memorable, haunting, crisp, snapshot-like, photographic images. I can see the footsteps on the beach in “Galveston” and the, desolate, unending landscape of telephone poles in “Wichita Lineman”. He’s unforgettable for me.

Watch Glenn Campbell perform ”Buy the time I get to Phoenix” here.
Watch Jimmy Webb talk about and perform “Galveston” here.
Watch Glenn Campbell perform “Wichita Lineman.”  

Next week we’ll be taking a list break to focus on Steve’s memories of the first time he saw American Place Theatre but more on the Steve’s list is coming soon to a blog near you (specifically this blog). Rosanne Cash will appear at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Saturday, October 8 to perform songs from her album The List.

Steve’s List Entry # 2

Today I Started Lovin’ You Again-Merle Haggard Listen here.

Merle Haggard offers simple country truth of loss and longing. Hal Ketchum deserves so much more credit for his body of songwriting work. Hal mixes great songwriting craft with what I would call country soul. His voice is sweet and beautiful. His poetry on “I Miss My Mary” rivals Springsteen at his best.

I Walk the Line-Johnny Cash Listen here.

I Miss My Mary-Hal Ketchum

Dream a Highway-Gillian Welch

Highway Patrolman-Bruce Springsteen Listen here.  (skip to the 1 minute mark for the song)

Jerusalem-Steve Earle

Copperhead Road-Steve Earle

Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues-Dwight Yoakam/Danny O’Keefe

Help Me Make it Through the Night-Kris Kristopherson Listen here.

Crazy-Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson Listen here.

Steve Earle always writes great songs. I have included two here. I should add his “John Walker’s Blues” to the list.  The release of that song, in the wake of 9/11, was a thought-provoking piece by an American artist.  No need to discuss in depth Patsy Cline’s version of Willie’s “Crazy”. Nobody has or will probably ever have the quality that she had in her voice. Her voice and Floyd Kramer’s unforgettable piano is a haunting duo. There will be more on Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in later lists. It is hard to believe that I love to listen to a 14 minute song—but “Dream a Highway” is stunningly hypnotic. Springsteen’s “Highway Patrolman” is desolate and beautiful. “Nothing feels better than blood on blood” is a great line. The Nebraska record is filled with sparse, beautiful gems many of which could make this list.

Check back in next week for a Steve’s thoughts on Jimmy Webb. Rosanne Cash will appear at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Saturday, October 8 to perform songs from her album The List.

When I was 18, I was on the road with my dad. One day, we were sitting in the tour bus, talking about songs, and he mentioned a song, and I said, “I don’t know that one.” He mentioned another one, and I said, “I don’t know that one, either.” Then he started to get alarmed, so he spent the rest of the day making a list on a legal pad, and at the top he put “100 Essential Country Songs.” And he handed it to me and he said, “This is your education.”—Rosanne Cash

 Inspired by the story of Rosanne Cash’s The List Steve Duchrow, the Arts Center’s Director of Performing Arts, decided to make his own list of essential songs of Americana. In the first of a series of blog entries, he shares with us some of the artists and songs on his list. In this entry, Steve puts a special focus on Iowa singer/songwriter Greg Brown.

Want to make a list of your own? Please do! And please share it with us in the comments. Steve is following Johnny Cash’s suit by focusing on country/American roots music but feel free to branch off into other “essential “ songs of Americana if that’s where your list takes you.

Rosanne Cash received a list of 100 essential songs of American music from her father and some of those songs comprise her album The List. I thought I would start my own list of essential American songs. I urge you to start one of your own as well. There are no rules here, but I would advise you not to settle for easy choices.

What are “essential” songs? Maybe these are songs you can’t live without or songs that accompany your blue periods or joyful rants. They could be songs that stopped your breath when you first heard them or songs that a friend said “Hey, check this out” and then suddenly found themselves playing on repeat. Maybe they are songs that underscore a critical moment in your life. Perhaps one line in a verse snapped your head around, and named that unnamed ghost emotion or condition that haunted you for years until some songwriter named it. I urge you to have fun making your list. I would love to hear what is on it.

My list includes songs that I believe would be part of any discussion. It is unranked.  It will probably be more than 100 songs and is composed of songs that I consider to be an important part of the foundation of country, folk and roots music. If you love the songwriting tradition, these are people or songs you should know.

Steve’s List Entry # 1 – Below is a series of Greg Brown songs. Greg could probably have twenty songs on this list. He represents an authentic voice of non-urban American life.

The Train Carrying Jimmy Rogers Home
Wash My Eyes
Your Town Now
Ella Mae
Lord I Have Made You a Place in My Heart
Our Little Town
On A Summer Evening–Make sure you check out the Gillian Welch cover of this song too. There’s a link below.
“Wash My Eyes” is simple and beautiful. It’s part prayer, part act of contrition and part plea for grace and peace. It flows nicely in Open D tuning on one of his live records. Listen here.

“Your Town Now”, “Our Little Town” and “On a Summer Evening” are a trio of subtle and powerful anthems about commenting on and fighting the decay of rural American life.
Your Town Now
Our Little Town
On a Summer Evening (as performed by Gillian Welch)

“Lord I Have Made You a Place in My Heart” paints dark loneliness and whether you’re worthy of any grace and redemption even from the ultimate source of redemption. The line “old moving boxes full of hurt” rains down nails. Great line!

Check back in next week for a Steve’s thoughts on Merle Haggard, Bruce Springsteen, Patsy Cline and more. Rosanne Cash will appear at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Saturday, October 8 to perform songs from her album The List.