Liz Meyer

CD sellers & customers, we're keeping up with your orders.
DJs & press - if you'd like a copy of THE STORM, please email and I'll add you to the list we're assembling for this summer's mailing.
People waiting to do other business with me, my apologies. I have my hands full at home just now and am not able to keep up with our projects until things calm down.
Thanks for your understanding and support. We hope to be back to normal very soon!

Liz Meyer & Big City Bluegrass are taking a hiatus for the rest of the year. I'm needed at home for the time being.

The European World of Bluegrass festival ( www.ebma.org   ) will be May 25-27 in Voorthuizen, Holland; and, since there's just no keeping him away, even Pieter will be there. He'll have a team of helpers, and he'll have to sit very still at the board and just mix.

The following week we'll have a couple of fantastic EWOB concerts in Het Oude Raadhuis in Hoofddorp:
WED 31 MAY - Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens (Ireland: #1 European Bluegrass Band 2006)
THU 1 JUNE - The Country Gentlemen - Bluegrass legends make a rare appearance in Europe, with Charlie Waller's son Randy Waller on vocals.

We'll be making the annual EWOB CD for Strictly Country Records this summer as usual. Hope to see you all at some of the concerts!

Warm regards,
Liz Meyer
 

Hi, everyone
At last, our first newsletter since last summer, with life's usual mix of ups and downs. Folks, our cable's been down, we've been away, and I owe emails to countless friends - and I'm about to go to the States for a month. I won't get a chance to catch up before late April.

But the good news is REALLY good! Last year at this time I was being treated for a major breast-lymph cancer recurrence. Thankfully, that treatment worked, and for the 4th time I beat cancer without surgery, chemo, or radiation. (Please feel free to write to me if you need contact info for my doctor and his treatments. The hospital is located in southern Germany, but US insurance will pay them.)

GREAT NEWS: A year later... I just got home from my checkup in Germany, and am happy to report that I'm cancer-free. Thanks again to all of you who continue to send prayers and good wishes, as well as great jokes. We're very grateful for your kindness and support.

LIZ's MARCH 7th BIRTHDAY CONCERT CANCELED: Every birthday feels like a miracle to me, and with so much to celebrate today, we're sorry to announce that my annual Birthday Concert at the newly renovated theater in Het Oude Raadhuis in Hoofddorp, near Amsterdam, had to be canceled. This is the last concert I'd booked for this year, as I'll be taking some time off to woodshed at home. My apologies to all who planned to come to the show. My bass player/ backup singer is unable to come for personal reasons and sends regrets. We found out too late to catch the local press releases or arrange a replacement.

What's up with THE STORM:
Last year THE STORM was released very successfully in Europe, and spent several months in the Top 10 on the Euro Americana Radio airplay chart. Beyond that,THE STORM went only to DJs & press we met at IBMA's World of Bluegrass, and to about 100 more internet savvy DJs worldwide who heard about the CD and tracked us down online. The response to that small mailing was terrific, and the CD was a special feature on more than half the radio programs that received it.

However, our plans for a 2005 US release of THE STORM were derailed by interruptions - dealing with cancer, fighting our insurance company (which still has not helped pay for my treatments), trying to finance the CD release and raise money for medical bills at the same time. When our computers broke down last summer and had to be replaced one by one, everything ground to a halt! We decided it was time to regroup and start fresh after the holidays.

DJs & PRESS: THE STORM CD MAILING to USA & CANADA begins in just a few weeks - at last!! New website goes up first. Please send me an email (liz@lizmeyer.com) if you'd like to be added to the CD mailing list. (If you get no confirmation reply, please be so kind as to try again, as it means our server was down. Ditto if you've been waiting for an email reply!) Please remember to include such relevant details as publication or station/ program name & times, address, phone, email, website/ webcast info if any.

Those of you who are enjoying The Bluegrass Calendar 2006 are stuck with me for the rest of March. Don't worry, it'll be over soon. Thanks to Gary Reid at Copper Creek Records for inviting me to take part.

NEXT PROJECT: I can't wait to work on this one! It's always exciting working with great songs, and I'll be producing my 4th live DAVID OLNEY CD for Strictly Country Records. David is backed by guitarists Mark "Sergio" Webb and Thomm Jutz on these tracks. The CD will be entitled "Lenora" and released this summer.

MARCH-APRIL TRAVELS: Later this month I'll be in Nashville where I'll attend the IBMA Leadership Bluegrass seminar, film an interview for a bluegrass documentary, and get a chance to visit our old friends Barry & Holly Tashian. And by the way, I've never owned a handmade guitar and am really excited about getting one for my birthday! My friend, St. Louis bluegrass deejay & "Flatpickle" Harry Moore, brought his buddy Mike Bell to meet me at IBMA in October, and I nearly fell over when Mike said he'd like to make me a guitar. Mike & Harry plan to bring the "Liz Meyer Special" to Nashville. Meanwhile I have to keep looking at the photos to make sure I didn't dream this.

I'll also be stopping through my hometown, Wash. DC, for one weekend (St. Paddy's), so if there's anything good going on, shoot me an email.

Last, I'll be visiting my folks in Florida, and I hope to see some friends and do a few of the radio interviews that were postponed there due to hurricane in October.

Contact me by email if you'd like to set up an interview in one of these locations. Friends who want to get together while I'm in one of these towns, please email an update with your phone number(s), etc.

Wash. DC: March 17-19
Nashville: March 21-26 (1st 3 days booked solid)
Orlando: March 27-April 11

That's enough news for now! I'll be back soon with a new website.

Warm regards from snowy Amsterdam,
Liz

_____________________
LIZ MEYER: THE STORM
with Bela Fleck - Emmylou Harris - Sam Bush
Jerry Douglas - Byron House - Stuart Duncan
Ron Block - Glen Duncan - Mark Johnson
Rob Ickes - Mark Cosgrove - Kenny Malone

2005: Top 10 Euro Americana Radio airplay chart
Top 20 Freeform Americana Roots radio, USA
2006: USA RELEASE
www.lizmeyer.com
 

The JULY issue features an excellent article that goes all the way back to my Danny Gatton days and beyond. My old friends won't

want to miss this one! It was quite a feat getting from there to the present, both in real life and in one interview sitting, but Hilary West handled it with the greatest of ease. I'm so grateful to Wayne & Deb Bledsoe for the vote of confidence, and also to Donald Teplyske for a lovely review of THE STORM in the same issue.

Those of you who are not yet subscribers can purchase the single issue online at www.BluegrassNow.com .
________________________
New CD! LIZ MEYER - THE STORM
with Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas,

Stuart Duncan, Rob Ickes, Glen Duncan, Mark Johnson,
Ron Block, Byron House, Mark Cosgrove, Shad Cobb,
Kenny Malone, Chris Brown

THE STORM
#6 on Euro Americana Radio, MAY & JUNE 2005
#12 on Americana & Roots Radio Chart (Holland), MAY 2005

#17 on FAR (Freeform American Roots) Radio chart (USA), JUNE 2005
Release July 2005 - Available online ONLY at www.lizmeyer.com

LAURIE LEWIS: “Liz has a knack for stringing words together that are timeless, so it's just in the way you treat the music that makes it either old-time or modern in feel.”

RADIO BUZZ: LIZ MEYER: THE STORM
#6 Euro Americana Radio Chart, MAY & JUNE 2005
#12 Americana & Roots Radio Chart (Holland), MAY 2005
#17 FAR (Freeform American Roots) Radio Chart (USA), JUNE 2005
Current RADIO FEATURES - TUNE IN to hear THE STORM:
Vote for "Blue Lonesome Wind" on RamRadio.net :
www.RamRadio.net  (Classic country & bluegrass from 1900’s to the present.)

"Blue Lonesome Wind" went into rotation on Ram Radio in late June & is doing very well. Listeners can vote "yes" or "no" on each song they hear, for the nightly Top 30. With a few more votes, "Blue Lonesome Wind" is likely to be in our Top 10."
RamRadio.net also plans to run a review of THE STORM in their August online magazine. "I've really enjoyed your songs and I find that they grow on me more and more with repeat listenings ...that's a good, good thing." (Sam Sattler, RamRadio.net)

Hear THE STORM online on MountainEchoesRadio.com  :
Kevin O’Connell & Julie Sanders - www.MountainEchoesRadio.com , Live365.com
THE STORM – Featured Album (July 2005)

Beginning Tuesday, 7/5/05, Mountain Echoes Radio will be featuring 10 of the 12 tracks for a week to 10 days. They'll be playing a cut every other hour, around the clock.

July In Holland:
Timen van Ark - Countryland, Radio Barneveld
Liz Meyer– Artist of the Month (July 2005) Timen is playing tracks from all my albums this month.

LISTEN to a complete track from THE STORM online: The Northern California Bluegrass Association has kindly put a track from THE STORM on their website. It's a spooky bluegrass song of mine called UNTAMED that's just been recorded by Del McCoury for his new album too, the sort of song you can imagine the Monroe or Stanley Brothers singing.
You can hear UNTAMED at: http://scbs.org/mercantile/CD.php
[Or, to get there from their home page:]
www.ncbs.us\ 
“Visit the NEW NCBS Store” link
“Click here to go to CD Sales Page” link
FREE CD: Every 100th retail sale of THE STORM wins a FREE CD for the purchaser . We're getting close to that next one! All sales of THE STORM from my website help to pay for my cancer treatments, and we are so grateful for your help.

BUDDY MILLER: “Liz's songs are...nothing less than soulful."

"With instrumentation ranging from fairly standard, modern bluegrass arrangements to those exploring the new acoustic frontier, THE STORM is that rare album that should appeal both to the festival faithful and those more comfortable on the outer frontiers of the music."

"Lyrically challenging... Meyer’s use of natural metaphors - the rain to cleanse body and soul, the wind as heartbreak healer, the storm that enlightens the intoxication of flowers, the embrace of night, lends a mystical element." (Donald Teplyske, Bluegrass Now, July 2005 review)

DJs & PRESS: THE STORM is suited to Americana, bluegrass, folk, and singer-songwriter formatting. Please email for a CD, and include your contact info and program or publication details. We'll get a CD in the mail to you ASAP. We lost some of the June requests, so if you emailed and did not receive a CD, please let us know! Thanks for your interest in THE STORM, and apologies to anyone we've missed.

SPECIAL REQUESTS:
The kind person who emailed offering to Braille my CD booklets for my Australian bluegrass DJ friend Geoff Morris, please email again! Your email was lost and we haven't figured out who sent it.

The 2 people who unsubscribed in June may have been restored to the mailing list during reinstallation.
Please send an email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line and we'll remove you again. Sorry!
Back soon with more news.
Warm regards,
Liz Meyer
___________________________
www.lizmeyer.com  liz@lizmeyer.com
FAX: +31-297-347-488
PO Box 628, 2130 AP Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

Liz Meyer – liz@lizmeyer.com  – www.lizmeyer.com  – 
The Netherlands +31-297-347-101
LIZ MEYER – JANUARY 2005 NEWS: THE STORM is coming!
NEW CD!
THE STORM: (Strictly Country Records, SCR-59)
Liz’s long-awaited studio album, to be released in Spring 2005.

Liz is backed by BELA FLECK, EMMYLOU HARRIS, SAM BUSH,
JERRY DOUGLAS, RON BLOCK, GLEN DUNCAN, BYRON HOUSE,
STUART DUNCAN, MARK JOHNSON, MARK COSGROVE,
ROB ICKES, SHAD COBB, KENNY MALONE, CHRIS BROWN.
11 original songs by Liz Meyer + the traditional fiddle tune “Katy Hill.”

(ADVANCE COPIES ARE AVAILABLE NOW – ONLY at www.lizmeyer.com)

JANUARY 2005:
THE STORM enters the EURO AMERICANA RADIO CHART at #10.
JANUARY 2005:
PRIME CUTS OF BLUEGRASS sampler CD features a track
from THE STORM, called “THE ONLY WIND THAT BLOWS,”
with EMMYLOU HARRIS singing tenor harmony.
JANUARY 2005:
Liz Meyer’s song “BAD SEED” is currently #9 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s
NATIONAL BLUEGRASS SURVEY for radio airplay, recorded by
LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM on their “Guest House” CD (HighTone).

RAISING MONEY FOR LIZ’S MEDICAL FUND:
Since Liz’s diagnosis of breast-lymph cancer and refusal of
conventional treatment (surgery, chemotherapy) in October 2000, she has
played 10 busy concert tours in 6 countries, and has produced over a dozen
new albums by other artists, as well as 2 new CDs of her own.
Liz fought cancer through several tours in 2001, but never let it
affect her performance. Reviewers invariably remark on her charismatic,
joyous energy onstage. If anything, Liz feels strongly that her determination
and drive to go on playing music and get her songs out, as well as a brilliant
doctor’s alternative treatments, have played a major role in saving her life.
Currently, Liz is again fighting breast cancer after a 3-year remission.

As you can see, she has no intention of slowing down one bit this year.
Liz will return in a few weeks to Germany where we pray that the same
treatments which have cured her so miraculously in the past will do so again.
 

Liz’s long-awaited studio album, THE STORM, will finally be released
in Spring 2005. The album is her miracle, dedicated to the German hospital where
she was cured ( www.klinik-st-georg.de ), as well as all those brave souls who have
faced cancer. Both mainstream and music press are showing strong interest in
THE STORM, and feel that Liz’s story can be a source of inspiration to many.

After a 4-year struggle, Liz’s insurance company has just announced
its decision NOT to pay for Liz’s cancer treatment, past or future.
We are working hard to raise money for Liz’s medical expenses

through direct-from-artist sales of THE STORM. ( www.lizmeyer.com  )

If you write an article about THE STORM or play it on the radio, PLEASE MENTION
LIZ’S WEBSITE URL. The CD is not available anywhere else at this time.

This is Liz’s masterpiece. We need and appreciate your support:
THE STORM is here. The songs are powerful, the players are great.

Miracles really are possible. The rest is up to you. www.lizmeyer.com 

LIZ MEYER - 2004 HIGHLIGHTS:

JANUARY 2004 NEW CD:
LIZ MEYER with NUGGET: LIVE at the EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS
(SCR-56) Nugget is the #1 European Bluegrass Band of 1999 & 2003.
 

Co-produced with Dan Paisley for Strictly Country Records:
BOB PAISLEY and the SOUTHERN GRASS: COLOR OF THE BLUES (SCR-55)

The last album by the recently departed Bob Paisley. We’re sad to lose Bob,
and SCR is very proud to help preserve his wonderful musical legacy.
 

Produced for Strictly Music:
DAVID OLNEY: ILLEGAL CARGO (SM-404)

Liz sang backup on a new live CD by grassroots labor organizer Si Kahn –
SI KAHN: WE’RE STILL HERE (SCR-58)

Liz had the honor of writing liner notes for a Bear Family CD compilation –
BILL MONROE: FAR ACROSS THE BLUE WATER (Live in Germany)

LIZ MEYER with NUGGET showcased at the EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS
2004 Festival in Holland. Liz hosted the EWOB 2004 Songwriting Workshop,
for the 5th consecutive year.

Produced for Strictly Country Records:
EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS 2004 CD (Liz’s 6th EWOB CD production)

AUGUST 2004 TOUR:
LIZ MEYER with the HOT STRING QUINTET (Berlin) Festival Tour of Germany

IBMA WORLD OF BLUEGRASS 2004:
Liz was selected by IBMA to play one of the 9 Label Showcases at the WORLD
OF BLUEGRASS 2004 Trade Show in Louisville, backed by her good friends
from Vienna and Prague, #1 European Bluegrass Band, NUGGET.
LIZ MEYER with NUGGET also performed on the Roots & Branches stage
during FanFest, as well as a half dozen suite showcases.

NEW BAND:
LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS played its first European tour in OCT-NOV
2004 to sold-out halls and great reviews. Her band members are award-winning
young musicians from Prague, selected from the top Czech bluegrass bands:
Bass: SVATKA STEPANKOVA: #1 Female Vocalist 1998, Czech Bluegrass Music Assoc.
Fiddle: PEPA MALINA: #1 Fiddler 1998-2004, CBMA
Banjo, Dobro: ZBYNEK BURESZ (RELIEF): Best Vocal Group 1998-2004, CBMA;
Band of the Year 2000-2004, CBMA; Album of the Year 1999, CBMA;
#1 EWOBA European Bluegrass Band 2002, EWOBA, Kolin, Czech Republic
#1 European Bluegrass Band 2000, European Bluegrass Music Association

DECEMBER 2004:
ICE MAGAZINE: The lead story in Alanna Nash’s “Country Developments”
column in ICE Magazine (a national rock publication out of San Diego) is about
Liz’s coming studio album release, THE STORM. (“Folk Diva’s Stormy Triumph”)
Thanks for helping make 2004 such a terrific year!

LIZ MEYER - 2005:
SPRING 2005: LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS – European Tour
APRIL 2005:
LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS headline the
first NUERNBERG BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL, in Germany.
MAY 2005:
LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS showcase at the EUROPEAN WORLD
OF BLUEGRASS 2005 Festival in Holland. Liz will host the EWOB 2005
Songwriting Workshop.

JULY 2005: Liz will be featured on the cover of BLUEGRASS NOW (USA).

AUGUST 2005: LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS – Festival Tour of Germany

AUTUMN 2005: Liz will be featured on the cover of BLUEGRASS EUROPE.

OCTOBER 2005:
IBMA’s WORLD OF BLUEGRASS, Nashville, Tennessee

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2005:
LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS – European tour

PRESS:
“Europe has a thriving folk and bluegrass scene, and in a few short years,
the American songwriter LIZ MEYER has, without question, become its
unchallenged diva.” (FOLK SCENE INTERNATIONAL, Germany)

“The American singer-songwriter LIZ MEYER is probably the most important
link between the US and European bluegrass scenes.”
(Hans-Juergen Lenhart, AKUSTIK GITARRE, Germany)

“LIZ MEYER has got to be one of the finest songwriters in the English language,
and one of the most soulful singers in any language. Clearly, Meyer is destined
to become one of the most important voices in acoustic music.” (MUSIC REVIEW, USA)

“MEYER’s songs are powerful, direct, and moving, and her equally strong singing
puts the quality of the voice firmly at the disposal of the words.”
(Richard Hawkins, BLUEGRASS IRELAND)

“A great voice, exceptional songwriting…”
(Dave McCarty, FLATPICKING GUITAR MAGAZINE, USA)

“Her lyrics have wonderful ‘hooks’ and turns of phrase like ‘water under the bridge
can make a river of tears’…” (Brenda Hough, BLUEGRASS BREAKDOWN, USA)

“Passionate virtuosity of intercontinental class.”
(Theo de Jong, Pop Magazine HEAVEN,The Netherlands)

OTHER ARTISTS:
EMMYLOU HARRIS:
“Liz Meyer has a beautiful voice and a great sense of melody.”

CHRIS JONES:
“Liz Meyer has firmly established herself as a great songwriter, both through the
variety of artists who have recorded her songs, and through her own recordings.
As a performer, Liz is soulful and engaging, the uncompromising dedication to her
craft always shining through.”

KATHY KALLICK:
“I'm always delighted to hear new compositions from Liz and revel in our musical
differences and common ground. She's got a talent for writing songs that sound classic,
yet deal with contemporary concerns, and I find her rich contralto a welcome contrast to
the current fashion in female vocalists. I hope every listener will hear what this fine
writer has to say.”

LAURIE LEWIS:
(JANUARY 2005: has Liz Meyer’s song “BAD SEED” at #9 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s
NATIONAL BLUEGRASS SURVEY radio airplay chart in the USA,
LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM “GUEST HOUSE” CD, 2004, HIGHTONE)
“Liz has a knack for stringing words together that are timeless, so it's just in the way
you treat the music that makes it either old-time or modern in feel.”

KATE MacKENZIE:
(Recorded Liz’s “BLUE LONESOME WIND” on her 1996 Grammy-nominated
“AGE OF INNOCENCE” CD, RED HOUSE)
"Liz Meyer writes songs of life and love with more passion than anyone I know!
She is fearlessly honest and a true pioneer among women in bluegrass.
Anyone who has a heart will love this music!!!”

DAVID OLNEY:
“Honesty and passion. These are the hallmarks of great bluegrass - in fact, of any
great music. As it turns out, these are also the qualities that stand out in Liz Meyer's work
as a writer and performer. The world could use a whole lot more of what Liz has got.”
_______________________________

LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS
BLUEGRASS & FOLK THAT ROCKS!
www.lizmeyer.com  (temporary pages are up)
liz@lizmeyer.com  TEL: +31=297-347-101
PO BOX 628, 2130 AP Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

Hi, everyone -
I hope the holiday season finds you all in good health and spirits. I'm taking a break from decorating the tree to send you all some Christmas greetings & good news.

I have a new live CD out! This is my first album with a full bluegrass band line-up since “Womanly Arts” with its all-star cast. The recordings with Nugget span the 1999-2003 European World of Bluegrass festivals and - for you guitar fans - include Europe’s 2 finest flatpickers, Parisian guitarist extraordinaire Thierry Massoubre on the earliest tracks, and the wonderful Czech flatpicker Jakub Racek on the rest.

And lots of new songs!
____________________________________________
From Strictly Country Records - NEW CD RELEASE:

LIZ MEYER with NUGGET: LIVE at the EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS
Strictly Country Records (SCR-56)
[IBMA Bluegrass Event of the Year 2003]

American bluegrass singer-songwriter Liz Meyer backed by Europe’s premiere
bluegrass group, Nugget (#1 European Bluegrass Band 1999 & 2003), onstage
at the European World of Bluegrass festivals.
12 Liz Meyer originals + 2 bluegrass classics.
Liz’s songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Kate MacKenzie,
Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, Auldridge, Bennett & Gaudreau,
& other artists in 10 countries.

(NOTE: The first review of this CD, from Bluegrass Ireland, is posted at the end of this message.)

Official release date: JAN. 10, 2004
NOW AVAILABLE IN USA for quick shipping

Also available:

LIZ MEYER – WOMANLY ARTS (SCR-41)
[with Emmylou Harris, Byron Berline, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush,
Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Dan Crary, Jonathan Edwards,
David Parmley, Danny Gatton, Steuart Smith, David Grisman,
Rob Wasserman, Pat Flynn, Mark O’Connor, John Duffey, more]

LIZ MEYER & MARK COSGROVE – REGIONS OF THE SOUL
Strictly Music (SM-402) [Live in Europe 1999]

EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS 2003 (SCR-A17)
[IBMA Bluegrass Event of the Year 2003]
Best European bands of 2003 festival
+ special guests from the USA & Canada:
John Reischman & the Jaybirds, Chris Jones & the
Czech Drivers, Buddy & Tina Wright Band, Liz Meyer
with Nugget, Amy Gallatin & the Hot Flashes, etc.)
______________________________________
Cost $15.00 per CD / ANY 3 CDs = $40
Shipping $2.00 total per order

To purchase direct from artist:
US/Canada – Grasslands36@aol.com (by check only)
www.ibluegrass.com/lizmeyer  (after Jan. 2- credit cards ok here)
Europe & elsewhere: liz@lizmeyer.com
_______________________________________

Thanks, folks, as always, for your support. I’m excited about the new live album with Nugget, and the cover my daughter did is WAY cool! (Check out her great comic website at www.weirdism.com !!!) The album is barely out, but early reviews are positive. My mom really likes it.

I'll be touring in 2004 with my new band, LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS. Keep an eye out for our concerts!

Happy holidays to you all, and best wishes for a wonderful New Year.


Best,
Liz Meyer
Amsterdam, Holland


LIZ MEYER & BIG CITY BLUEGRASS
BLUEGRASS & FOLK THAT ROCKS!

____________________________________________________________
first review:

LIZ MEYER with NUGGET: LIVE at the European World of Bluegrass
Liz Meyer’s set with the Vienna-based band Nugget is always a high spot of the annual European World of Bluegrass Festival in the Netherlands. Here are sixteen reasons why, recorded at EWOB over five years. Thirteen songs are Meyer originals (‘The Only Wind That Blows’ appears twice, with different arrangements and different lead singers), and two are hard-driving standards, ‘Blue Night’ and ‘How Mountain Girls Can Love’ from Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. Meyer herself drives pretty hard when she chooses, and she’s backed here by (in her words) ‘Europe’s premier bluegrass band, bar none’, with a list of awards to prove it. Helmut Mitteregger (mandolin, vocals), Katarina Mitteregger (bass, vocals), Jakub Racek (guitar, vocals), and Jarda Jahoda (banjo) are a superb band by any standards. Meyer, for her part, is an exceptional songwriter, and it’s a bonus that this CD gives the words of all her songs that are on it. In most cases, as it happens, the songs here address a lover with whom there’s some problem (even if only absence). This theme is only one part of her writing as a whole; moreover, the songs here come in a range of moods and tempi, with strong, well crafted individual characters. As a live recording of an important songwriter with a hotshot band, this is hard to beat.
(BLUEGRASS IRELAND, Dec. 2003)
_____________________________________________________________

Print out and have the memories