Bob Knetzger: pedal steel, dobro, banjo;
Paul Elliott: fiddle;
Traci Hoveskeland: cello;
Chris Spencer: electric guitar;
Nancy K. Dillon: voice;
Thornton Bowman: voice;
Paula Walters: upright bass;
Doug Miller: upright bass;
Aimee Zoe Tubbs: drums/percussion;
MJ: voice, acoustic guitar, accordion
THE VIDEO ON THIS PAGE is a live version of This Way & That, recorded at the student concert at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop (www.psgw.org) on August 15, 2007 (engineered by Chip Hayward and Coty Hogue, mastered by Chip Hayward, and then slightly tweaked by Moe Provencher (with additional tweakage by Doug Haire) at Jack Straw Studios).
The incredible back-up band behind me is:
Ivan Rosenberg, dobro
Stacy Phillips, fiddle
David Keenan, banjo
Piper Heisig, upright bass
Marie Eaton, back-up vocals
And approx. 120 more backing voices from the audience - students and instructors from camp - whooooosh! :)
Influences
Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, k.d. lang, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson, Lynn Miles, Slaid Cleaves, Gerald Collier, Thornton Bowman, Nancy K. Dillon
Sounds Like
I've been told I sound like Patsy Cline, k.d. lang, Natalie Merchant, Kim Richey, Dar Williams, Rory Block, Indigo Girls, Cowboy Junkies, Carole King and even Karen Carpenter ("I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation" - come on people, sing it with me!)
Live Performance of This Way & That (Copyright 2007 MJ Bishop) at www.psgw.org - August 2007
Finalist in Songwriting Contest, Tumbleweed Music Festival, September 5, 2009, Richland, WA
Finalist in Songwriting Contest, Tucson Folk Festival, 2009, Tucson, AZ
Pull Of The Moon Reviews:
"…MJ Bishop does sound rather like the much-missed Patsy Cline … her voice just makes you want to stand up and cry for more …" Maverick Magazine (UK) - March 2009
Pull of the Moon chosen as Notable Northwest Recording of 2008
Christine Linde, Americana Music Director - KBCS FM, Bellevue, WA
"... Bishop is blessed with a hell of a voice and has her own type of pure Americana, which you are happy to hear and which attracts a freshly opened can of superlatives... in the same musical waters with colleagues like a Neko Case, a Gillian Welch, a Jesse Sykes and the Cowboy Junkies like to frequent. Country? Yes, but with a significant twist. More alternative or really Americana, of an acoustic bent and often more earthy with an introspective side. ...'Ode To Big Blue' - a melancholy gem she brings the accordion into play, and with such a lovely old-fashioned sob in the voice creates a tribute to her own guitar. ..."
Ctrl.Alt.Country (Belgium) - October 2008
"A bluegrass influence is woven in and out of a number of tracks on this release and “Far Cry” is a classic example of that kicking-up-the-dust-on-a-back-road-less-traveled feel. Speaking of travel, “Highway” is saturated with that open road longing and big sky color. “Hobo Dreams” is a delightful way to finish off Pull of the Moon, as it leaves the listener hungry for whatever Bishop comes up with next.”
Victory Music Magazine (Tacoma, WA) - October 2008
"... Wistful music about love, about loneliness, bittersweetly sung with a beautiful voice. A real cross-country singer this lady is certainly not because she is, curiously said, simply too good for. What Bishop is doing with her songs crawl under your skin."
Moors Magazine (The Netherlands) - September 2008
"... with 'Pull of the Moon' this singer/songwriter shows she surely has even greater things ahead of her. Superb poetically written lyrics which blend beautifully with her silken honeyed voice. 'Pull Me In' is her earnest plea for love, delivered with so much depth that everyone who listens to this ballad wants immediately to be her rescuer. ..."
Rootsville (Belgium) - August 2008
This Way & That (Pull of the Moon) receives Honorable Mention from Nashville Demo Studio: Annual Songwriters Competition, August 2008.
Hobo Dreams (Pull Of The Moon) receives Honorable Mention in the American Songwriter Magazine lyric contest, May/June 2008.
* * * * *
MJ Bishop is an acoustic folk Americana solo artist out of Seattle who has performed steadily since 1998 in and around Seattle, and has also taken her music to Oregon, California, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Indiana and Florida.
Her long-awaited third album, Pull Of The Moon, sees her rolling up her sleeves and plunging into the grittiness that is Americana, through the sweet, familiar melodies of folk. The added trim around the edges reveals her deep roots in country, jazz, rock and pop.
On these 12 tracks, MJ’s unwavering smoky vocals start from the dirt in the crawl space, climb the stairs to the kitchen, the bedrooms, the attic, and finally blast through the roof. She takes you on a journey starting with the evocative opener “Up North” (about her small home town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula), weaving a story around the life of a guitar, life’s pushes and pulls, love, loss, heartache, freedom from the nine-to-five job, and the appeal of the open road. You will be conflicted by the lyrics as they first lure you with the promise of good times before abruptly dropping you into a chasm of loneliness and heartache.
MJ BISHOP DISCOGRAPHY:
PULL OF THE MOON - 2008
FEEL GOOD - 2003
HOMETOWN ADDRESS - 2001
Hi MJ, It was a pleasure to see and hear you again last night at the White Crow. You have some wonderful songs. Look forward to hearing more. Take care Bob H.
Hello, it's me, Ruby Jane.To those who don't know me, I am a 14 year old fiddler, songwriter. I have some songs posted that are fresh out of the studio. Let me know if you like the new songs..be one of the first to hear, even before they are released!Thanks! new videos too! Ruby Jane
MJ, you really rock! Thanks for gracing our showcase with your riveting songs, and for coming into the WBAA studios for a live Acoustic Blend set (don't forget to tune in, folks, from 8-9pm on June 13, wbaa.org (AM920).
Hey MJ, just been listening to KXCI...managed to catch the whole show..loved it..especially enjoyed your new songs...enjoy the rest of your tour.. Jan x
Hey MJ! It's good to hear from you. I see you're in AZ right now. That's my wife's home turf. I hope you're having a good tour and that you come back with a trunk full o' good stories to tell!
Hey there!! Haven't chatted with you in a long time! Hope all is well with you. I enjoy reading your blogs. I hope I can make it to Michigan during your visit up there. It would be great to see you. Take Care!! Neen
Hey there, wouln't you know it I just came down with a cold...as did Bill and the kids!
<br />Still, I'm determined to have some fun. Lotsa love!
<br />xx, Eva
MJ! thank you so much for finding WHConcerts! it was such a treat meeting you and seeing you perform...I hope your Texas trip brought you all that you wanted, because Texas sure loved having you here!
Be safe on that drive...and see you in the fall! Karen
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