Real Music by Real People: Eric Peters

Okay, Eric Peters is not an artist we know personally, but falls more into the category of artists who remembers our faces, or in this case, the fact that I am an avid Frederick Buechner reader and that we had prairie dogs as pets. (At least we did when he came to our house in North Carolina for dinner with another artist we know Mark Williams.) But, Eric is such a great musician I had to include him in this group. And since this is my blog, I make the rules.

Eric started out in another little known group from Louisiana named Ridgely. They were fairly popular in the college circles in the south. We saw them play a few times, once with the guys in Dog Named David. (Also, Shane and Eric went to the same middle school and were in the same grade. They don't remember each other apparently or just missed each other by a short time.) We have since seen him play a few times around the Southeast. He's a member of the Square Peg Alliance with Andrew Peterson, Randall Goodgame, Derek Webb, Andrew Osenga, and others. He is yet another incredible songwriter and all around great musician. Be sure to check out his tunes here. My personal favorites? "The Storm", and "Metropolis" (Scarce); "Dust to Dust" (Bookmark)"; "Little By Little", "These Three Remain", "The Maginot Line" & "Waterloo" (Miracle of Forgetting); "Spare Change" (Land of the Living).

Real Music by Real People: Jennifer Daniels

Another WOW! Good music really does come in small packages. Jennifer Daniels' CDs never cease to amaze me with their incredible songwriting and vocal punch. She can weave a story like few other artists can, and deliver them with such passion! You can download her latest Cd "Summer Filled Sky" at, where else? e-music of course! My favorites are "Day to Live", "Tattoo", and "Water Spider".

We've actually seen her in concert with Claire Holley, and the two gals make an incredible duo. Aside from being an incredible singer/songwriter, she's just as nice as the day is long. She tours extensively, so your chances are good to catch her on the road.

Real Music by Real People: Jason Harrod

If you ever want to get to know someone, hitch a ride with them from Bushnell, Illinois to Raleigh, NC by way of Chicago. That oughta do it. Or you could just loan them your harmonicas.

We first heard Jason Harrod's music on CD when he was part of the Boston duo Harrod and Funck. When we moved to Raleigh, he was living and playing a lot of gigs in that area. We went to see Claire Holley in concert one night, and Jason was opening for her set. I ended up working his merch table show, I think because Claire was familiar with us and told him we wouldn't bolt with his cash. After that we continued to catch his shows and Shane ended up taking that LONG car trip with him from Cornerstone Festival back to Durham.

For some reason we are drawn to artists who have an unusual quality to their voices, and Jason fits that bill, but in a really good way. (Not in the unusual way of one of my favorites, Victoria Williams, whose voice makes some people's flesh melt away with every note.) He won the North Carolina Singer/Songwriter competition at Merlefest a few years ago, and that is nothing to sneeze at. He is an incredible songwriter and musician and we really wish he'd tour through this area once in a while. But, if you are in the northeast or Raleigh area- be sure to catch a show!

His two solo cds are available on e-music, and you should download them immediately. No really, stop reading and get to it! My personal favorites are "When I Fly Away", "Messed Up Everywhere Blues" and "My Mad Girlfriend" (Bright as You) & "When I get Home" and "Carolina" (Living in Skin).

Real Music by Real People: Beki Hemingway

Wow. Beki Hemingway (yes, THAT Hemingway) will surprise you with her powerful voice and songwriting. She can also tell you some great stories from temp jobs past- including filling in as a character we all loved from childhood. Ask her all about it if you ever catch her at a show.

Beki got her start singing backup for CCM musicians, and joined up with the now-defunct punk group This Train. She left after the first album and started her solo career, and has toured quite a bit over the last few years. She has 5 CDs available, so be sure to listen to some of her clips on her myspace page. Her songs are guaranteed to get stuck in your head and have you wanting more.

She also has a Christmas CD with Jonathan Rundman called "Present" which is a nice change from a lot of the Christmas Music out there- pick up one or three for yourself and friends!

Real Music by Real People: Andy Cloniger and Dog Named David

Well, since there really is no way to seperate the two, I will just cover them both in one post. Dog Named David was the "original bionic folk duo" consisting of Andy Cloninger and John Wallace. They have since gone their seperate ways- with Andy doing his solo projects and a myriad of other odd things, including writing a couple of books. (Andy has several solo worship projects you really should check out at his site.) John went from Indie Rocker to the priesthood (I kid you not) and is happily raising his family in Florida, which is a big improvement over preceding "Sprinkles the Clown" on the stage at a college fun day.

We met John and Andy while I was living in Mobile and working at the Christian music store, The Amplified Version. (I also went to college with Andy and his lovely wife.) The first Dog Named David Cd "It's Alright" had just come out and we were selling them like crazy. After a lot of concerts, hot donuts and late nites at Shoney's with the guys we became the "original fans". We continued to keep up with the guys even after we moved to Raleigh- driving down to Greenville SC to see them in concert a number of times and even do a photo shoot that they will thank me for not sharing the images with you.

Their musical style has often been compared to that of the Indigo Girls, JackoPierce, or early Vertical Horizon. They put together 3 CDs while together, "It's Alright", "World Traveler", and "Acoustic Canine", and you can download the latter on their bare-bones site just for that purpose. I have also found "World Traveler" at e-music. (Both are certainly worth a download and listen.)

I am eternally in debt to these guys for introducing us to what have since become some of our favorite artists: David Wilcox, Jonetha Brooke, Pierce Pettis and others. We had a lot of laughs in their company, and they are just great all around guys. And best of all? They can also get you a mighty good price for a possum, dontcha know?

Real Music by Real People:Claire Holley

You would be hard pressed to find a sweeter or more talented person than Claire Holley.

Claire is a southern girl with a big voice, and incredible songwriting talent. If I had to compare her to anyone, the closest I could come would be Patty Griffin or Emmylou Harris, but you should judge for yourself. My favorites among the MP3s offered are "6 Miles to Mckinney" (Dandelion), "Sleep Sleep" (Claire Holley), and "Fly Away Old Bird" and "Come Thou Fount" (Sanctuary).

We met Claire while we were living in Raleigh, and frequented her shows or ran into her at other people's shows for a number of years. Then she up and moved to LA and we have not seen her since. She will be playing a gig in Jackson, MS this month, and I think I am going to head down there and catch the show- especially since Shane's mom and dad just moved there and I will have a sitter! If you are in the area, the more the merrier!

Real Music by Real People

Over the years we have listened to, and met, a LOT of musicians. Some actually remember our names or faces. A couple of them even mentioned us in the liner notes of their CDs. Some of our favorites are, not surprisingly, people who we have actually spent a little time with either in our home, on VERY long car trips, or just hanging out with after concerts.

For the next few days I plan to post about a different artist or group that fall into the latter category. Some of them we know pretty well, others casually. The thing that fits them all together is that they are all incredbly talented and not nearly widely enough known. If you happen to like any of them and order some of their CDs- be sure to tell them Jennifer (and Shane) sent you.