An Intimate Evening with David Massengill
(Friday, December 11 @ Monson, MA)
Once again, our fledgling house concert series is honored to present one of our favorite artists. But where previous shows have featured young, up-and-coming musicians, this time around, through a serendipitous cancellation elsewhere, we are proud to be hosting a long-standing staple of the folkscene, one whose career I have been following since my father took me to see him at Cambridge folk club Passim as a young lad of fourteen.
Today, we present some coversongs of and from the seminal songwriter, along with an invitation for you to join us as we celebrate his life and music. Ladies and Gentlemen: David Massengill.
Award-winning singer-songwriter, storyteller, and appalachian dulcimer player David Massengill is known throughout the folk world for his wicked humor, his evocative songcraft, and touching, down-to-earth lyrics which, in the best folk tradition, tell extraordinary stories of the trials and troubles of everyday people. Universal in tone and scope, but grounded in the plight of immigrants, orphans, and other timeless archetypes, his songs balance tenderness and hope with wry, often biting social critique, making each of his six solo albums an engaging, accessible collection of astute observations on the human condition.
A rising star of the 1970s NYC folk revival, David’s strong, sentimental, often hilarious songs made regular appearances on the 80s folk vehicle Fast Folk Musical Magazine alongside such fellow Greenwich Village luminaries as Cliff Eberhardt, Rod MacDonald, Suzanne Vega, and Shawn Colvin. In addition to finding success in his own voice, his songs have been covered by the likes of Joan Baez (On the Road to Fairfax County), Lucy Kaplansky (My Name Joe), and Dry Branch Fire Squad (Orphan Train); his most recent album, a tribute to the songs of Dave Van Ronk, is a ringing gem, and a sparse, fitting tribute to a friend and undersung songwriter.
If David’s recent career has been a bit lower-key than so many of his peers, it is primarily because, while Vega and Colvin have moved on to high-production popfolk sound, David has remained true to his roots, keeping his instrumentation and performance limited to strings and voice. As such, what you hear on CD is what you get in live performance: the rich ring of the dulcimer, the warmth of the voice, and the magic of the lyrical narrative. And - having seen him several times in recent years - I can assure our readers that the overall effect is stunningly direct, and as eminently powerful as ever.
As with previous house concerts, David Massengill’s upcoming visit is primarily a friends and family affair. But I consider all my readers family, and this event promises to be an intimate show not to be missed. If you’re free the evening of Friday, December 11, and live within driving distance of Monson, MA - a circle which includes Hartford, CT, and Northampton, Springfield, and Worcester, MA - contact me ASAP to reserve your seat before the house fills up.
Still on the fence? Too far out of range to attend? David hosts some of his most popular originals on his download page; here’s some covers of and from, to further whet your whistle:
- David Massengill: Hard Times Come Again No More (orig. Stephen Foster)
(from Greenwich Village Folk Festival: W.4th & 6th Ave., 1996)
- David Massengill: Crucifixion (orig. Phil Ochs)
(from What’s That I Hear? The Songs of Phil Ochs, 1998)
- David Massengill: He Was A Friend of Mine (trad.; arr. Van Ronk and Eric von Schmidt)
- David Massengill: Another Time and Place (orig. Dave Van Ronk)
(from Dave on Dave, 2007)
- The Roches: On The Road To Fairfax County (orig. David Massengill)
(from Keep On Doing, 1982) - Joan Baez: Fairfax County (orig. David Massengill)
(from Speaking of Dreams, 1989)
- Lucy Kaplansky: My Name Joe (orig. David Massengill)
(from The Tide, 1995)
- Dry Branch Fire Squad: Rider on an Orphan Train (orig. David Massengill)
(from Echoes of the Mountains, 2009)
We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep on saying it: Cover Lay Down exists first and foremost to support the continued careers of folk musicians new and old. As always, regardless of whether you can join us on Dec. 11, if you like what you hear, we encourage you to do your part to perpetuate the folkways by purchasing music through the links above.
Newcomers to the work of David Massengill are highly encouraged to start their collections off right with his earlier CDs, most especially his 1995 opus The Return, but don’t sell his recent work short, either: both his abovementioned Dave Van Ronk tribute and Partners in Crime, his 2008 collaboration with fellow Fast Folk member Jack Hardy, are worth collection, too.
True historians may also be interested to note that all 105 back issues of Fast Folk Musical Magazine are currently available at Smithsonian Folkways, on both CD and cassette, or as track-by-track downloads. Now that’s a treasure trove of American folk history, right there.
Category: David Massengill, House Concerts
December 20th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
[...] 2009: New Christmas Covers from Joel Rakes, Sam Phillips, Tori Amos, A Fine Frenzy, and more!An Intimate Evening with David Massengill (Friday, December 11 @ Monson, MA) Covered in Folk: The Cure (Grant Lee Phillips, Julie Peel, Luka Bloom, Death Cab, +10 more!)On The [...]
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
For never having attended either a house concert or a folk musician concert, I enjoyed both experiences immensely. It has certainly been an eye opening experience to the misconceptions that I had about what exactly folk music was and how entertaining it really is. Mr. Massengill was a delight to watch and converse with.
December 30th, 2009 at 10:56 am
[...] poverty with the potential for salvation inherent in the subject’s situation; Laura Love and David Massengill, among others, find this balance, bringing beauty to simple, plaintive versions, though [...]