Laurelyn Dossett
listen now children a story I’ll tell …

Hello friends … after a road trip that took me from an Alabama lake week with the extended Dossett family to the swashbuckling pirate shows in Manteo and Cary with the NC Symphony, I am safely ensconced in North Carolina and looking forward to some shows closer to home.

Good things are in the works, read on …

Tuesdays at Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen are going strong! Here are the next few weeks:

• Tuesday, July 19 — Laurelyn with Scott Manring
• Tuesday July 26 –Laurelyn with Scott Manring
• Tuesday August 2 — Molly McGinn

August

Appalachian String Band Festival
I am off to get my annual fix of old-time music at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV (so much for being safely ensconced in NC).

August 1 – 4
Clifftop, WV

The Best of Our State
Check out this weekend package of performances and presenters at the historic
Carolina Inn for The Best of Our State. I’ll be singing with Scott Manring on Friday night.

August 5-7
Pinehurst, NC

November and “The Gathering”

Much to my delight and wonder, the North Carolina Symphony has commissioned me to write and perform a set of songs for the November 25-26 Holiday Pops concerts.

I have finished the song cycle, called “The Gathering,” and arranger Aaron Grad is finalizing the score for symphony and string band.

Joining me will be Rhiannon Giddens Laffan on vocals and fiddle, Joe Newberry on banjo and vocals, and Mike Compton on mandolin and vocals.

Tickets for these three performances will go on sale August 8.

Recording in the studio

In preparing for the symphony shows, the four of us decided to go ahead and record a string band version of these songs, as well as other original and traditional winter holiday songs.

We record with Joe (“JoeBass”) DeJarnette in August; I’ll keep you posted.

CD or DVD copies

Levon Helm’s Ramble at the Ryman, recently released on cd and dvd, has a great live rendition of “Anna Lee,” a song I wrote for Triad Stage’s Brother Wolf about a hundred years ago. If you are a Levon fan, a music fan, you will love this recording.

It’s on sale here.

“Ain’t In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm”
5 pm, Thursday Jan. 6 at Elon University
McEwen Building Room 011

I heard about the film a while back when Levon’s folks called to ask about using “Anna Lee” in the soundtrack. Since then I’ve been watching Google alerts for any mention of the film and its premiers last year at SXSW, LA Film Festival, and the Copenhagen International Film Festival.

Finally, Thursday night, I’ll get to see the real McCoy, which chronicles Levon’s somewhat reluctant return to the spotlight since releasing the Grammy Winning albums “Dirt Farmer” and “Electric Dirt.” And, according to the film’s Web site, this growing popularity has pulled up some old grief for Levon: the break up of The Band, bankruptcy, and throat cancer.

The film isn’t yet in commercial release, so if you’re a Levon fan, a music fan, or a fan of great film, come on out.

“If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.” – Levon Helm

I stumbled across Plochman Lane with my morning coffee, and was delighted to read it. Just want to thank the authors for sharing it, too.

Laurelyn Dossett will be the opening act for Levon’s March 14th Ramble. Many of us fans love Levon’s rendition of Laurelyn’s Anna Lee on his ’07 Dirt Farmer Grammy-winning album. We were fortunate enough to hear it live late last summer.

Thank you. And hope to you see soon at the Ramble.