His stint with the seminal jam band From Good Homes had already furnished Brady Rymer with years of invaluable industry experience. But as a man who's released records on major labels and shared stages with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler and Hootie & The Blowfish and begun a new chapter in his career as a kid-friendly crooner, the now 40-something father/folk-rocker revealed that flashy resum?s and even flashier wardrobes will only get one so far.
"A successful performer always has to cook up new concepts for self-promotion," he explains. "And with our local CD release party in Northampton, I'd say Bill Childs literally agrees with that."
For those who are unaware, Childs is, appropriately enough, a champion of children's music in the Pioneer Valley. His Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child program airs weekly on both WRSI and Valley Free Radio.
And Childs' brainchild for the performance he is helping to bring to Lyman Hall this weekend has given Rymer reason to be particularly excited about the April 25 stop on his steadily burgeoning spring calendar.
"It's going to be a musical potluck supper, where folks will be able to share both great food and… hopefully… great family-friendly music," Rymer says. "For my part, I can't wait to sample some of the local flavor before we play. And although my wife, Bridget, makes a mean caramel corn, I can't promise I'll be able to contain myself and not eat it all on the drive up!"
Yet another key ingredient in Rymer's recent rise in regional popularity stems from his newfound association with Sienna Wildfield and her Hilltown Families organization.
For more info on them or The Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could potluck dinner concert, visit www.hilltownfamilies.org or Childs' www.sparetherock.com.
While falling short of providing actual edibles, indie folkster Kris Delmhorst reports that her manager sought to create a similarly exciting sonic stew of sorts and mix things up for her upcoming Iron Horse CD release party this Saturday.
"I guess she saw a show where a pre-existing band opened for Richard Buckner, then backed him up, and she really loved the whole vibe and collaboration," Delmhorst explains.
In an effort to duplicate that vibe, the Valley's own mood-altering soft-pop practitioners The Winterpills have been injected into the April 26 proceedings – they've been tapped to back up Delmhorst as she navigates her way through her new 12-tune offering Shotgun Singer on a bill which also features the Pills' Dennis Crommet solo.
"We're labelmates and our paths have crossed, but I've never played with them before," admits Delmhorst. "I'm a fan, though, and – especially when considering the harmonies – it seems like a perfect fit, so I'm glad they were up for the experiment."
Also (Iron) Horsing around this weekend are noted Canadian alt-country singer/songwriter Fred Eaglesmith (April 25, 7 p.m. show) and Valley upstarts the Drunk Stuntmen (April 25, 10 p.m. show). The latter has members making the rounds with Noho's Young @ Heart Chorus – including stops with Leno and Ellen – in support of the chorus' movie release. Check out www.iheg.com for more info on all Iron Horse shows.
Last up, in addition to their fifth studio release, State Fair (in stores May 20), the Drunk Stuntmen have also contributed to Building Momentum, a Valley Independent Artist compilation disc aimed at raising funds for The Flywheel. Although Stuntman Steve and the boys are not scheduled to participate in the official CD release show for that effort – this Sunday, April 27 at The Elevens – project organizer James Opel reports that nearly a dozen other contributors will, including DJ Studebaker Hawk, Attila & The Mongol Horde, Watcher, Jose Ayerve and Curious Buddies. More details are available at myspace.com/valleyindependentartists.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
