Life is Good Festival 2011: It All Adds Up to Fun

Review by Holley Dey; Photographs by Louise Uznanski and Richard Uznanski

It’s the new math.  Take two days plus three music stages; multiply that number by thousands of smiles and raise the result to the power of optimism.  What do you get?  You get a late summer weekend of exuberant music and outdoor play shared by the very young and not so young.  You get singing, dancing, hula hoops, and seed spitting.  Dogs that jump hurdles, children that jump in sacks, musicians that jump to the beat, you get it all.  You also get more than one million dollars raised for children in need.  This was the Life is Good Festival, held September 24-25 in Canton, MA on a sultry summer weekend when families came to play and the good vibes kept the rain at bay.

Taylor Hicks on Tour: Live Concert Video from the Longhorn State

All audiovisual media of the Taylor Hicks band kindly shared by Bonnie Cheung.

A warm camaraderie between the performer and his audience is clear from the following video captured during Taylor Hicks’ September 17 concert at McKinney Performing Arts Center, Texas.  Short the lead guitarist and with new bass and drums support, there was no shortage of fun during the show.  Highlights of the set include a harp-sax call and response during What’s Right Is Right, an electric guitar solo by Taylor Hicks during I Live on a Battlefield,  a bluesy interlude during Gonna Move, and the consistently charming banter from the stage.

Taylor Hicks on Tour: Taylor + McKinney PAC: Perfect Together

Part 2: Taylor Hicks continued his Texas journey performing at the McKinney Performing Arts Center on 9/17/11.

All photos and concert recap by Louise Uznanski for OnTapBlog.

New Album Preview: KATRIN Goes from “Frail to Fearless”

Independent singer/songwriter Katrin Roush offered a preview of her soon-to-be-released album “Frail to Fearless” on Tuesday evening at Boston’s House of Blues.  While the Red Sox were breaking hearts on the field across the street, Katrin opened her heart to a roomful of receptive listeners.

Taylor Hicks on Tour: Hicks, No Lone Star in Texas

Part 1:  The Flamingo Room, Houston, Texas, 9/16/11.

Recap and all photos by Louise Uznanski for OnTapBlog.

The Boston Pops Added to Life is good Festival Line-up

Just added! World-class musicians from the Boston Pops’ string and brass sections will join Brandi Carlile and The Levon Helm Band for portions of their individual sets at the Life is good Festival on Sunday, September 25, 2011.

Keb’ Mo’ on Tour: Playin’ It Twice Is Oh So Nice

Review by Holley Dey; Photography by Louise Uznanski and Richard Uznanski

“Whoa, you gotta hold something back!”  The audience had been told to offer thirty seconds of polite applause, followed by thirty seconds of moderate enthusiasm, and then to let it loose during the final thirty.  Instead they were on their feet early, whistling and hollering; there was no dampening this crowd’s enthusiasm.

The 9-11 American Challenge: A memory and a promise

Photography of Liberty State Park and the 9-11 American Challenge by Louise Uznanski and Richard Uznanski

Early morning on Sunday, September 11 as the sun began to glow over Manhattan, there was a sense of peace and calm at Liberty State Park, where in a few short hours hundreds would gather for the start of the 9-11 American Challenge.

Sweet Home Flora-Bama: Taylor Hicks Live Concert Audio/Video

All audiovisual media from the September 3, 2011 Flora-Bama Beach Concert & Party graciously provided by Bonnie Cheung.

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A tropical storm raged at the Flora-Bama last Saturday, both inside and out.  The music began early and continued into the night with performance sets from featured entertainer ‘Taylor Hicks, as well as from Spoonful James and Rollin’ in the Hay.

Join the party with the following audio & visual media, recorded live during Taylor Hicks’ performance sets at the September 3 event. 

Schooled! Songwriting with Ellis Paul

Photograph of Ellis Paul by MacPolski

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The  local children’s museum often holds evening workshops for parents and educators.  I first met the museum director at one of these events.   The discussion that evening was on fostering creativity, and the museum director told the group that truly creative people are uniformly poor spellers.  He and I had never met, never spoken, yet in a room full of people, his smiling eyes met mine and the director said to me, “I bet you’re a terrific speller”.  Ouch.  Nailed.