Shake Russell, along with Dana Cooper, launched Rock Prairie House Concerts in june 2004 with a rousing show to an SRO crowd (read the story of that memorable first concert here).
with a voice as unique as his left-handed playing of an upside-down guitar, the niche Shake carved in the texas singer-songwriter folk community in the ’70s has worn into a deep, well-oiled groove that rubs smooth and familiar. thirty years of performing in texas has resulted in a deeply loyal following and a string of texas standards like “Deep in the West” and “You’ve Got a Lover.” he continues to record uniquely original music reflecting the spirit and flavor of texas, most recently in his 2006 release, “Love is Why.”
christmas concerts on the Prairie have been reserved for very special artists (Susan Gibson in ‘04, Slaid Cleaves in ‘05 and Shake in ‘06). amid the twinkle lights and holly boughs, it was an unforgettable evening with a texas music icon.
www.shakerussell.com
“good time gals love old time tunes.” so say the Sisters. and so, when entreated by women of such astute wisdom, this good time gal whole-heartedly agreed to host the Sisters on a last minute opening in their texas tour (the Mucky Duck’s loss is our gain!). after turning down at least a dozen artists, my resistance to a november show disappeared with just one listen to a Stairwell Sisters tune. never mind the fact that i was planning to be on vacation in tennessee the night they requested, something told me not to turn these ladies down. and as luck (and the airlines) would have it, i ended up being on vacation in my own living room on this incredible night of high-energy-dancing, go-home-grinning, old time music magic. it was the best concert i never attended!
Stephanie Prausnitz on fiddle complemented Lisa Berman’s unique approach to the dobro and Sue Sandlin on guitar/tiple. Evie Ladin offered both song and dance as the band’s banjo player and clogger (aka buckdancer), and her husband Keith substituted for Martha Hawthorne on upright bass, and as a bonus, proved to be a fine buckdance partner to Evie. energy, tight vocals and red-hot footwork made a kicking song and dance quintet. the Prairie hasn’t a stairwell in sight, but if it did, this is the song and dance that would echo from it.
“… a hellbent-for-leather attitude.” - OLD-TIME HERALD
“Wild, hard dance music…infectious” - OAKLAND TRIBUNE
www.stairwellsisters.com
THE LAWS
A Night of Cookery & Music
Sat, Oct 15, 2006
the Laws are John and Michele Law, husband and wife singers, songwriters and first-class instrumentalists from ontario, canada. natural chemistry between musicians is largely beyond manipulation: it either materializes and ignites or it doesn’t. the Laws have chemistry to spare!
John & Michelle offered RPHC guests a cooking demonstration from their yummy collection of dishes offered in their simple style developed literally “on the road.” after creating treats for our sampling, John and Michelle switched stages from the kitchen to the living room and entertained us with their lovely harmonies and guitar work. cooking AND music? in MY world, this evening rates a 10!
click here for pics of the show!
“John and Michele Law’s songs seem to be the lost essence of country music…” - Randy Bachman
“The Laws have skilfully combined compelling harmonies, strong song writing, and top-rate musicianship into a tasty musical blend that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. And they can cook, quite literally, too. They are the embodiment of the new Americana music movement.” - Randy Judy, MagnoliaFest and Suwannee Springfest co-producer, Fla.
“Canadian Country’s hippest new act” - The Calgary Sun
“Delightful as a couple and dynamite as a duo … they seem a match made in heaven … luscious vocals, both exquisitely capable of lead and harmony.” - Joe Henry, Acoustic Sounds, Little Rock, AR
www.thelaws.ca
Dana made his third appearance at RPHC, this time with friend and gifted co-writer from Sweden, Annika Fehling. i can’t explain it, but there was some kind of magic in the air that night. Annika and Dana contacted me a couple days later and said this was one of the best performing experiences they’ve had. but we already knew it’s special out on the prairie, don’t we?
www.danacoopermusic.com
www.annikafehling.com
JAY SIMS, WALT WILKINS & CARY SWINNEY
RPHC’s 2nd Birthday Bash
Sun, Aug 27, 2006
Click here for pics of the show.
rphc celebrated its second birthday while the chick in charge turned a youthful…well, who cares about that number! our birthday bash showcased the talents of jay sims, walt wilkins and cary swinney, three imminently talented texas tunecrafters with something like 70 years of entertaining audiences between them. they had never shared the stage until this show, and yet it immediately exhibited the chemistry i envisioned it might, combining walt’s sentimentality, cary’s edgy frankness and jay’s ability to 
tell a vivid story in his lyrics. underscoring the sunday-ness of the evening, the spiritual and emotional intensity of these award-winning songwriters captivated us all on this hot august night.
cary had heard of the great and growing reputation in the music community of the “little house on the prairie” (aw shucks!) and he called 
me following the show, saying that it more than lived up to his expectations. i think it’s our great audiences! (wink!) thanks to all who helped to make it an unforgettable birthday, and here’s to many more rphc years.
www.jaysims.com
www.waltwilkins.com
www.caryswinney.com
An RPHC Backyard Wavy Stage Event
JELLY JAR
keepin’ Austin weird
Sat, April 29th
the weather was gorgeous for 2006’s first show from the Wavy Stage in the RPHC back yard! And who better to entertain us on a balmy and unpredictable spring night than five pieces of austin’s own Jelly Jar!
Jelly Jar concocts a tantalizingly strange and wonderful sound all their own. tastes of blues, folk, bluegrass, swing, and country flavor their unique blend as it wanders from sophisticated to swampy. go looking for music to compare them to, and you’ll come up short, because who they really sound like is … well, Jelly Jar.
Jelly Jar has been gathering favorable reviews of their first CD, Preserved, earning Rick del Castillo of Smilin’ Castle Productions “Producer of the Year” at the 2005 Austin Music Awards. the cut “Man, That’s Austin” was featured prominently in the austin tribute play, Keepin’ It Weird, and was excerpted on CBS Sunday Morning’s feature on the play and the weirdness of austin.
local music lovers have jammed to Jelly Jar at Revolution and at KEOS’s 10th Birthday Bash on the streets of downtown bryan (more pics here). Jelly Jar keeps stirring the inspiration pot, concocting new potions for their second CD, set for release in late 2006.
on Preserved: “… an album to pull out when you need to describe the Austin sound.” — Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle
on Jelly Jar songwriting: “…[produces a] dreamlike state and creative imagery” — Maria Mesa, Austin Daze
on the cut “Man, that’s Austin”: “… one of the best Austin tributes since Doug Sahm’s ‘Get A Life.’” — Maria Mesa, Austin Daze
www.jellyjarmusic.com
Our First “Music Weekend”!
Friday & Saturday, March 31 - April 1, 2006
Two Shows | Two Nights | Two Great Artists
Aggieland loves this young talent …
ADAM CARROLL
w/ Michael O’Connor
Sat, April 1st
“life can be screwed up,” says Adam Carroll. “and while i’m not a zippity-do-dah kind of guy, when i write a song, there’s always a kind of redemption in it. i don’t know if i have a brighter outlook than anybody else but laughing, even when things aren’t really funny, keeps me going.”
it surely helps the tyler-born songwriter’s outlook to have a loyal following and friends in good places: a co-write with Ray Wylie Hubbard and appearance by Terri Hendrix on his latest album, produced, like his others, by Lloyd Maines.
Adam has a warm, easygoing style that makes me think of Robert Earl (when he’s happy).
“75% John Prine and one quarter Townes Van Zandt, he has the rare ability to do silly without being corny.” — Michael Beryin, Austin Chronicle
yep, he fit right in on the Prairie. what a weekend!
www.adamcarroll.com
the legacy of Champ Hood continues in his son …
WARREN HOOD
& The Hoodlums
Fri, March 31st
Warren Hood, son of the legendary fiddler Champ Hood, most certainly carries on the family tradition of excellent music. a classically trained violinist and improvisario fiddler from austin, Warren’s been playing violin since the age of 8. he enjoys a broad variety of music styles, including jazz, blues, classical and bluegrass, and he has recorded on over 25 CDs ranging from Billy Joe Shaver, James McMurtry, Jimmy LaFave, Toni Price and Willis Alan Ramsey to his former bands South Austin Jug Band and Blue Light Special. he also finished the production/recording work on his late father’s last album, Bon Haven. In addition to playing onstage with his father, Warren has joined Lyle Lovett, Billy Joe Shaver, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Toni Price and many others.
his gig on the Prairie was not without its trials, though: the band’s car broke down on a blank stretch of 290 past elgin, halfway here! he had to have the car towed back to austin and from there, he was able to impose on a friend to drive them all back here. as a result, they arrived half an hour after the show would normally have started, but our good natured prairie folk welcomed them with open arms and ears. it was a special evening of unparalleled music on the Prairie.
www.warrenhood.com
worth the wait from our rescheduled Fall ‘05 show!
SISTERS MORALES
a family affair
Fri, Feb. 3, 2006
“Upbeat, stunningly accomplished country-rock with the sporadic Latino twist.” — Hobart Rowland, Houston Press
“At first, I thought it was the altitude on the 44th floor of the BMG building in Times Square that was affecting my head, but after two or three tunes, I realized it was the talent. There is nothing like this female duo…” — Wade Jessen, Billboard Magazine Country Confidential
Well, *I* knew we weren’t on the 44th floor, but my head was spinning too. Lisa and Roberta sang like Spanish Angels, and David Spencer’s Spanish guitar licks blew us away. Keeping it all in the family, Lisa and David’s toddler Thomas joined the show too - he even signed my house concert hat! A night we won’t soon forget. Muchas gracias!
www.sistersmorales.com