Archive - frogstop

Published on: August 28, 2017

Nathan & Jessie (Saturday, October 7, 2017)

Our last (planned) concert of 2017 will be our first visit from Nathan Rivera & Jessie Andra Smith, two of our favorite "local" performers. We put "local" in quotes because Nathan & Jessie have traveled the world, playing streets and stages from New Orleans to Paris. Their music is an acoustic roots fusion of gypsy jazz and swinging folk, played on resonator guitars, accordion and clarinet, topped with tight, engaging vocal duets featuring multilingual lyrics.

We last saw Nathan & Jessie at the fall 2016 Folk Alliance Region West conference, where they thrilled a large audience with their official showcase performance. We later caught them in one of the intimate small, hotel room performances the conference is known for. As Jessie and their bassist launched into their first song, Nathan came strolling in from the hotel hallway, playing a beguiling clarinet line. Smiles broke out all around -- these guys just make us happy!

We've created a YouTube playlist to introduce you to Nathan & Jessie.

More on Nathan & Jessie: http://www.nathanandjessie.com/

Concert: 7:00pm
Doors open: 6:15pm
Suggested donation $20 per person (all proceeds go to the artists)

The concert will be outdoors. (We'll send directions when you make your reservation.)

Published on: July 16, 2017

Eve Selis (Saturday, August 19, 2017)

Eve Selis is one of our favorite performers, giving her all to each performance. And Eve is one of our favorite people as well, always ready to lend her support to a worthy cause. We count ourselves fortunate to be welcoming her back to frogstop this year.

"Eve is a deeply creative, caring artist who gives everything to her craft. As a live performer she is awesomely powerful, as a recording artist she is both sensitive and strong. I love her spirit and I love her music. She deserves to shine."
BBC Radio Legend Sir “Whispering Bob” Harris

"The most requested local artist in the history of our station."
Robert Hughes, Station Manager, KPRI, 102.1FM San Diego

“The Eve Selis Band erupted in an acute explosion of Americana, wailing and twanging and thundering and throbbing, conjuring demons and angels alike. Damn, that woman can sing!”
Buddy Blue - Blue Notes

“Eve Selis isn’t just a “singer” — she’s an emotion transducer who converts country, R&B, blues, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll signals into a megawatt zap that galvanizes everyone in its path. The power of Selis’s voice can arc-weld material from almost any genre into a personal manifesto.”
John D'Agostino - Taylor Guitars On Review.

More on Eve Selis: http://eveselis.com/

Concert: 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
Suggested donation $20 per person (all proceeds go to the artists)

The concert will be outdoors. (We'll send directions when you make your reservation.)

Published on: June 18, 2017

The Lisa Sanders Band (Saturday, July 15, 2017)

Lisa Sanders has been a mainstay of the San Diego singer-songwriter music scene since the early 90's at Java Joe's. How have we not managed to have her here at frogstop yet?!? Well, it's 2017, and we're fixing that on July 15, when Lisa will appear at frogstop with her band, including Jeff Berkley; Marcia Claire; and Lisa's singing and songwriting partner, Karen "Brown Sugar" Hayes. (Nobody's promising Larry Grano, but we are keeping our fingers crossed.)

Lisa's most recent release, 2014's "Shiver" was nominated for The San Diego Music Awards "Best Pop Album". Come join us for a great evening of music, and hear for yourself why!

More on Lisa Sanders: http://www.lisasanders.com/

Concert: 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
Suggested donation $25 per person (all proceeds go to the artists)

The concert will be outdoors. (We'll send directions when you make your reservation.)

Published on: May 14, 2017

Berkley Hart (Saturday, June 17, 2017)

Did you know that Berkley Hart is doing a special concert series this year? They're calling it their "Albums Front-to-Back" Series. Each concert focuses on one of their albums. How cool is that?

We didn't manage to land one of those concerts, but here's the good news: Doing this series means they're going to be walking on stage here at frogstop with so much repertoire under their fingertips. And if you know their repertoire, you know what great news this is.

Fun fact: Since we started hosting concerts in 2008, Berkley Hart drew one of the two biggest crowds we've ever seen here. So please come join us. We know this will be one of our best evenings this year!

More on Berkley Hart: http://www.berkleyhart.com/

Concert: 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
Suggested donation $20 per person (all proceeds go to the artists)

The concert will be outdoors. (We'll send directions when you make your reservation.)

Published on: April 15, 2017

The Shopkeeper (Saturday, May 13, 2017)

Cathy and I met documentary film maker and musician Rain Perry at the Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City earlier this year, and we're pleased to be able to present her film, The Shopkeeper, here at frogstop.

When we first thought about it, we asked you, our community, if you would be interested in seeing the film. We've known for a long time how supportive our Frogstop community is of local and touring musicians. Still, it was a thrill to see how positively you responded to the idea of showing The Shopkeeper here. We see this as a great opportunity to help wonderful music fans become even better, more knowledgeable supporters, and to strengthen the community to everyone's benefit.

The Shopkeeper is a feature-length documentary that addresses a question many of us care deeply about: "How do artists, producers and studios that aren’t part of the '1 percent of the music industry like Adele or a Taylor Swift' make a living in the current climate of streaming music, which for all intents and purposes has become free music?" (Or as the director puts it, "Everybody can make a record. Nobody can make a living. Now what?")

The Shopkeeper shines a light on this big issue by telling a small story - of the longest continuously operating recording studio in Austin, Texas, and the music producer (the shopkeeper) who runs it, Mark Hallman. After recording Carole King, Ani DiFranco and many great Austin artists, Mark is struggling to keep the studio open in the era of streaming. From indie musicians fighting to earn a living to music lovers sorting through a dozen streaming services, the acts of creating and listening to music have undergone a fundamental change. With humor, heart and a killer soundtrack, and featuring Ani DiFranco, Iain Matthews, Tom Russell, Eliza Gilkyson and many more, The Shopkeeper determines to find solutions that will actually work for artists and fans.

"The Shopkeeper offers a sensitive, personal, and entertaining story about changes in the music industry and its impact on individual artists. Students, professors, consumers, professionals, and audiophiles will benefit from the insight Director Rain Perry shares."
James Harrison - Director, Webster University Film Series

"The topic of streaming and what it’s doing to both the film and music business is of course the elephant in the room that can no longer be ignored. This film treats it with the heart and soul that it needs to get across to the lay person WHY we need to support the arts and artists. Not just finger pointing and finger-wagging."
artist Julie Christensen

More on The Shopkeeper: http://www.shopkeepermovie.com/

Screening (followed by Q&A with the Director): 8:00pm
Doors open: 7:15pm
Suggested donation $15 per person (all proceeds go to the artist)

The film will be shown outdoors. (We'll send directions when you make your reservation.)

Published on: December 12, 2016

Tommy & Saundra O'Sullivan (Saturday, January 28, 2017)

Acclaimed as "one of the great contemporary folk voices of Ireland," and "a stellar guitarist," Tommy O'Sullivan has remained one of the hidden treasures of traditional Irish music for many years. He has toured throughout North America and Europe, appearing at many major venues and festivals. Tommy has always kept an active recording schedule having recorded three albums as a member of Sliabh Notes and a duet album with Bothy Band piper Paddy Keenan, as well as two solo albums.

Saundra O'Sullivan is from Houston, Texas, with Native American roots. Saundra and Tommy’s paths crossed when she attended an annual Irish music retreat in Midlothian, Texas in 2007. Saundra rekindled her love for singing once she moved to Dingle, Ireland and was submerged into the well of the traditional Irish music scene that is so much a part of the Dingle landscape. As they explored singing together they discovered her alto harmonies to be a perfect match for his tenor lead vocals, adding a fertile texture to the overall sound. She has now become a very welcomed addition to the vibrant local music scene in Dingle, Ireland, where Saundra and Tommy now live since their wedding in Houston in March 2010.

They are also the proud owners of O'Sullivan's Courthouse Pub. In the short time since opening O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub, its reputation for world class traditional Irish music has gone through the roof. And, in 2015 “National Geographic” cited O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub as the ‘go to’ pub on Ireland’s “Wild Atlantic Way”. Also, Sky Scanner listed the pub as number 8 in the top 10 music pubs of Ireland and TripAdvisor lists O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub as number one nightlife attraction in Dingle with a 5-star rating.

Check out a recent house concert performance by Tommy & Saundra.

And we've put together an O'Sullivan YouTube playlist for you.

More on Tommy & Saundra O'Sullivan
at http://www.tommyosullivan.net/

Concert: 7:00pm
Doors open: 6:15pm
Suggested donation $20 per person (all proceeds go to the artists)

Listen

The concert will be held indoors. (We'll send you directions when you make your reservation.)

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