Jud Caswell
Tikvat Israel and FOCUS have agreed to a partnership to bring folk music concerts to Tikvat Israel and the Montgomery County community.
FOCUS is a non-profit organization whose mission “is to bring folk and acoustic music to a growing audience through performance, education and participation in the musical folk art.” This mission dovetails beautifully with our artistic roots and vision here at Tikvat Israel. Our tradition of presenting high quality concert events, as we do each year with our wonderful Cantor Helzner, will now be expanded. In a nutshell, FOCUS will contract with the artists, and Tikvat Israel will provide the venue… and we will jointly present these artists to our Congregation and the wider community.
The first of our Concert events is Sunday, October 18, at 7:30 PM (after 7:00 minyan, one-half hour earlier than usual). The artist is Jud Caswell, left, of Brunswick, ME. Jud Caswell first hit the folk scene in 2004, earning a buzz of attention with a long string of wins at some of the most prestigious songwriting contests in the country. They say, “write what you know,” so Jud has taken his backyard ballads and small-town yarns to stages from his home in Maine to Texas to Oregon and back. Songwriter David Wilcox calls Jud “much more than a great singer and guitar player; his songs take you into the storyteller’s world with clear images and characters that come to life for the listener.”
In 2010, John Platt of New York City’s WFUV radio station named “The Weight of the World,” co-written by Amy Speace, Jon Vezner and Jud, as #4 in his list of the “Best Folk Songs of the Decade.” The song was recorded by Judy Collins, who called it, “one of the best political folk songs I’ve ever heard.” Read more about Jud, watch a video of him performing and purchase tickets on the FOCUS site HERE.
The October 18 concert at TI will be the CD release show for Jud’s newest recording, “Watch the Fall.” This CD will be available for sale during the performance.
In addition to Jud Caswell, Michelle Michelle will perform. Michelle Michelle is a Maryland-based folk-pop group featuring Michelle Lockey and Michelle Murray. Michelle Michelle flavor their original compositions and cover songs with magical harmonies, an upbeat lightheartedness and a touch of sass that bring to mind Sheryl Crowe, The Wreckers, Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Michelle Lockey was recently nominated for Washington Area Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Folk Contemporary Vocalist. She also is an experienced voice-over specialist who does work for commercials, business videos, how-to videos, and book readings.
Michelle Murray has been playing guitar and composing songs for more than 25 years. In addition to her solo work, she is known for her collaborations in the trios Murray, Crump & Hatley and Chapter Three; the country/bluegrass band Buck Stone and the Bucktones; the new bluegrass/Americana band No Part of Nothin; and the duo Water’s Edge with Anne Sucher.
The event will be staged in the Flax Library; light refreshments will be available for purchase before the show. Advance tickets are available through FOCUS’ website, www.focusmusic.org. (FOCUS member pricing for tickets purchased at the door will be extended to Tikvat Israel Members.)
Note: Sunday, November 29 @ 7:30 pm Chuck Brodsky will perform
