Musical Elective of the Week

The Musical Elective of the Week is: Tracy Grammer.

Liam is away and so now Sara will play...the music of a beautiful singer-songwriter struggling to overcome the death of her musical and life partner.

It was Tracy and Dave, once upon a time. Dave Carter, that is. They were a pair-- they worked together in a "marriage in music" and made the most gorgeous albums. Then one day after a run, young Dave Carter suffered a heart attack and left Tracy all alone.

The outpouring in the music community was amazing.

Well somehow life went on, and Tracy continues to sing. I recommend all of her work and especially what she recorded with Dave. Once in awhile Tracy makes it to Madison. There was a time I even harbored hopes she'd sing at my wedding. (Didn't happen..too much money). I think she'll be here again next year.

A beginner should start with Tanglewood Tree. No doubt, you'll get hooked.

love is a garden of thorns, and a crow in the corn
and the brake growing wild
cold when the summer is spent in the jade heart's lament
for the faith of a child
my body has a number and my face has a name
and each day looks the same to me
but love is a voice on the wind, and the wages of sin
and a tanglewood tree

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Musical Elective of the Week

The Musical Elective of the Week is Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer.

These two folk musicians paired up in 1996 after Tracy approached Dave at one of his shows in Portland, Oregon. Carter had recorded his debut album, Snake Handlin' Man, that same year. He had already gained a reputation as a widely acclaimed folk songwriter. To the partnership, Grammer brought her own vocal skills in addition to skilled musical talents on the violin and mandolin.

The collaboration between Carter and Grammer spanned the next six years and resulted in three albums--1998's When I Go, 2000's Tanglewood Tree and 2001's Drum Hat Buddha. The All Music Guide called Tanglewood Tree "a landmark album in contemporary folk music." The partnership came to a sad and premature end when Carter died of a heart attack at the age of 49 in 2002. A web site (www.daveandtracy.com) remains dedicated to their musical partnership.

However, Tracy Grammer has continued on to make music with Carter's spirit close at hand. In 2005 she released her own debut album, Flower of Avalon. It includes nine previously- unreleased songs by Dave Carter. She also released an EP in 2004 called The Verdant Mile. Over the last two years, Grammer has been prolific with 2006's Seven Is The Number and two EPs in 2007, Book of Sparrows and the holiday album American Noel. In recent years, Tracy has collaborated and toured with Massachusetts-based musician Jim Henry. While Henry has begged off large-scale touring, he stills plays many dates in New England.

If you want an introduction to Dave and Tracy's music, I highly recommend beginning with Tanglewood Tree. For Tracy's solo work, start either with The Verdant Mile or Flower of Avalon.

If you want to check out Tracy live in concert, here is her current tour schedule.

Love is a tanglewood tree in a bower of green
In a forest at dawn
Fair while the mockingbird sings, but she soon lifts her wings
And the music is gone
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Extra Credit -- Past Musical Electives of the Week:
Neil Finn
Ray LaMontagne
Stuart Stotts
Dan Wilson
Kathleen Edwards

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