Meg Hutchinson House Concert
From WWR
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Who: Meg Hutchinson - ''To talk to Hutchinson, in one sense, is not unlike listening to a recording of hers. Blessed with a wistful, often poignant, voice, Hutchinson’s tone is one of boundless optimism when she discusses her joys and her home.
Date: Friday, July 18th, 2008 / 7PM
Time: Doors open all day - music starts at 7PM - entire concert is webcast live.
Suggested in-house donation: $10 honor system - 100% of all proceeds generated go directly to the performer.
Where: The Whole Wheat Radio Palace in Talkeetna, Alaska. Click here for driving directions to Whole Wheat Radio in Talkeetna
Food: Some munchies are provided but if you'd like to bring desserts or other munchies either for yourself or to share, feel free.
Drink: Coffee, tea, non-alcoholic drinks provided. Otherwise, bring your own beer or wine. Please drink responsibly.
Kids: No kid care will be provided for this show - unless you bring it. Probably not a good show for small kids to attend anyway. But if you want to come and can't make other arrangements for the little ones, just make sure they are downstairs and don't disturb the adults in the audience. Thanks!
Contact: Jim Kloss at 733-2452
More Info: More general information about our cabin concerts can be found by clicking on this link If you cannot attend, remember that all of our cabin concerts are webcast live. Just click on the Listen (lo-fi) or Listen (med-fi) or Listen (hi-fi) links on the left-hand menu. In addition, if you can't make the concert, they are recorded and if the artist gives permission, the complete recording will be posted on this page within a few days of the show.
Live chat
Click here to go to the live chat about the show.
Show photos and MP3 recordings
Click on any photo to see it fullsize. Right-mouse click on any audio MP3s and "Save" them to your computer to listen.
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 |  Meg Hutchinson - Whole Wheat Radio House Concerts - 02 - Live At Whole Wheat Radio - Part Two.mp3 | Meg Hutchinson - Whole Wheat Radio House Concerts - 01 - Live At Whole Wheat Radio - Part One.mp3 |
A Note From Meg
"I've heard it said that we become writers not because words come easily to us, but because we are always struggling to find the right words. I know this to be true in my own life. Every day I'm struck by something that leaves me speechless. Usually it's something very simple, very ordinary. Maybe it's the way the light falls across the trail at Houghton's pond in the late afternoon. Or the sound the geese make as they look for their nest after the heavy rain. Or maybe it's the look on the child’s face as she lets go of her balloon, that split second when she realizes it's gone... what does that remind me of?
Of all the possible words, in every possible combination, what are the right ones for that moment? What are the words that have never been used before to describe something we all know? That’s what I’m after."
Biography
Meg Hutchinson was raised in the small town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts by English teachers, so it is no surprise that she is a writer with an uncanny perceptiveness about the natural world and the human condition. Growing up in the Berkshire Mountains, the woods and ponds were her childhood muses, as were the songwriters she listened to, like Greg Brown and Joni Mitchell. When she inherited her grandmother’s 1957 Martin guitar at age eleven, her love of words found an inspiring instrument, and there was no turning back. “Songwriting is not something I chose, I’ve just somehow always known that this is what I love to do. This is what I can’t help but do,” she says.
Although only 29 years old, Hutchinson has garnered much critical attention for her unique alto vocals and resonating, razor-sharp lyrics, and her sophisticated folk/pop songwriting has endeared her to such acclaimed songwriters as Susan Werner, John Gorka and Catie Curtis, folk greats with whom she will be touring in support of her new album on Red House Records Come Up Full.
After graduating from college with a degree in creative writing, Hutchinson quit her longtime job on an organic vegetable farm and settled in Boston. In between gigs at pubs, coffeehouses and train stations, she won a Kerrville New Folk Award (2000) and was nominated for a Boston Music Award for her first studio album Against the Grey. She went on to win awards at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, the Telluride Troubadour Songwriter’s Showcase in Colorado and The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest in North Carolina, all in the course of a year, causing national publications like Performing Songwriter to take notice, calling her “A master of introspective ballads filled with understated yearning and an exquisite sense of metaphor.”
After recording her live CD Any Given Day in 2001, and continuing to build a fan base throughout the Northeast, she went into the studio with esteemed producer Crit Harmon (Lori McKenna, Martin Sexton, Mary Gauthier) to record The Crossing. Released in 2004, this album was enthusiastically received by critics and DJ’s across the country, catching the attention of renowned folk/roots label Red House Records. Label president and veteran producer Eric Peltoniemi knew there was something special in the young singer-songwriter, “Meg won me over with the profound yet easy depth of her lyrics—rich words married to melodies I just can’t get out of my head.” Knowing her songs could stand alongside those by Red House heavyweights Eliza Gilkyson and John Gorka, Peltoniemi signed Hutchinson to the label.
Teaming up again with Crit Harmon, Hutchinson recorded her Red House debut Come Up Full over the course of more than a year in Boston. Combining her raw storytelling folk style with tasteful, intimate production, the album showcases her sweet, earthy vocals that have been the hallmark of her music. Spanish-style guitar fills and light organ parts create a radio-friendly record that is wistful and warm.
Come Up Full is a glimpse of the mature arrival of a brilliant songwriter whom listeners will one day boast they listened to way back when and confirms that Meg Hutchinson is indeed one of the great voices of the next generation of acoustic musicians.
Quotes
Jim says: There are some performers we are lucky enough to get here in Talkeetna that make this entire House Concert Series thing worthwhile. Meg is one of them. I am extremely excited to have Meg here at Whole Wheat. All I can say is that if you enjoy acoustic singer-songwriter music, you must attend this concert if at all possible. They don't get any better than this.
“A master of introspective ballads” - Performing Songwriter
“elegant and free-floating melodies that feel both modern and rooted” - The Boston Globe
An incredible number of outstanding reviews and quotes about Meg are here...
Video
Here are a lot more videos of Meg...
External Links
A Note Of Thanks
to Hobbes and Tom and Lisa for being so accommodating with such late notice. If you're ever coming into Talkeetna and looking for a great and historic B&B hosted by two of the most dynamic and interesting people in town, check out Fireweed Station Inn.
Images
