Peter Mulvey    “Over the past 20 years, Mulvey has pursued a restless, eclectic path as a writer and musician – immersing himself in Tin PanAlley jazz, modern acoustic, poetry, narrative, and Americana stylings. Relentlessly touring as a headliner “ his attitude is, “When you love what you do, you can work all the time,” he has also shared the stage with luminaries such as Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Ani diFranco, Indigo Girls, and Greg Brown, and has attracted an audience that stretches from Anchorage to Amsterdam.
Night after night, whether performing solo, duo (with David “Goody” Goodrich), or sometimes even with a band, Mulvey attempts to be the sum of his parts, to draw on all the musical legacies* he has studied, to make a fresh, vital moment out of everything he and the audience have brought to the table that night. “People need this. I need this. To come together in a room, to try to make music come alive, for real, for right now, and then to let it go…that is the whole deal for me.” ”

Hayward grew up with a guitar in his hands, performing from an early age in cafés, bars, and eventually rock clubs throughout his home state of Wisconsin and around the Midwest. A high school ‘Battle of the Bands’ champion, the textbook lonely college kid making dinner dates with his guitar, Williams took the well-worn suburban route to musical accomplishment: he hit the ground running with a ’64 Gibson that his mother bought at a garage sale, listened hard to everything from the Beatles to Buckley, and somewhere along the way began to write the tunes that would become his own voice.

“Looking at the bespectacled youth peering out from the album bio, you would never expect the smoky authoritative voice that swells from Cotton Bell. But maybe Williams’ appearance belies his age, this being the Milwaukee singer-songwriter’s third full length album. Williams’ is the voice of maturity and restraint, and by voice I mean not only his deep, resonant singing, but his approach, attitude, songwriting – the whole deal. Full of gentle, tender songs beautifully recorded, Cotton Bell presents nothing groundbreaking or startling. But the deeper you listen, the further you appreciate those sounds and songs. Dan McMahon’s guitar and pedal steel and dobro are consistently grace full and as a co-producer, he’s clearly a crucial ingredient to the impact of Cotton Bell. Strings and harmonies flesh out the songs beautifully throughout – Third track in ‘Mockingbird’ is a great example,just gorgeous to listen to, a breathtaking guitar solo, strings and harmonies swelling and subsiding, and Williams’ vocal melody glowing throughout.”  Rhythms Magazine. (Australia)

Dave Ramont– “rootsrock, twangslop, americana with muddy feet”.  The Austin Chronicle said “The world could always use another quality singer-songwriter with meaty lyrics, gritty vocals and a tight back-up band.”
Call it Americana, roots-pop, folk-slop, whatever- Dave aims to spread these songs around like a thin layer of grease on a cast iron skillet. And when no one’s looking he’ll likely kick something down the street…
SEE special holiday show post