Cafe Eleven

Specials for Week of Nov. 2 - Nov. 8, 2006

Our Featured Specials for this week are:

Cucumber Dill Salmon: Fresh Salmon Baked in a seasoned Panko Crust, then topped with a Refreshing Cucumber Dill Sauce all served over Jasmine Rice and Rocket Greens

Mahi Fish Tacos: Seasoned and Sauteed Mahi strips with Fresh Coleslaw and an Avocado Sauce all wrapped in two Tomato Basil Tortillas

*Also Carrying Over from previous weeks will be the Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese and the Tomato Basil Bruchetta Appetizer

Tom Rush

Wednesday - Mar. 21nd, 2007 - $25

Tom Rush is a gifted musician and performer, whose shows offer a musical celebration…a journey into the tradition and spectrum of what music has been, can be, and will become. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.

Rush’s impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.

John Gorka

Saturday - October 13th, 2007 - $18

“I consider myself to be an aspiring folk singer, not an accomplished one. I think of modern folk music to be more of an attitude or an approach than a musical style. Folk music is music that makes a difference in people’s lives and one that finds a useful place. And there is more than one way to get there. To make music that makes a difference is the ideal. I guess that is my mission statement, my musical manifesto.”

Despite all the packaging done today by record companies and the hype associated with popular music, John has chosen a different path and in the process has found an audience that appreciates his inclination to “move along when the crowd is right, stand alone when the crowd is wrong.” We don’t often hear folk music on the radio and may have to dig deep in the bins to find it at the record stores, but his music, folk music, is out there.

John Gorka Live Video for “Mean Streets”

Catie Curtis

Sunday - Feb. 25th, 2007 - $15

Catie Curtis delivers her most personal effort to date with Long Night Moon, an intricate work of stripped down modern folk. With grace and confidence, a more mature Curtis mingles reflections on motherhood (New Flowers), cold New England winters (Hey California) and delayed gratification (Long Night Moon, a song written about waiting for the belated arrival of her adopted baby daughter) with the unflinching dedication to social issues that has long characterized her strongest work.

Long Night Moon features the track People Look Around for which Curtis (along with co-writer Mark Erelli) was honored with the Grand Prize in this year’s International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries from 82 countries). People Look Around addresses the human toll and the divisive political landscape that arose in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Catie Curtis Video for “People Look Around”

Rev. Billy Wirtz, Gunga Din

Saturday - Jan. 13th, 2007 - $10

Reverend Billy C. Wirtz is a comic genius, gifted pianist and American musicologist who defies easy classification. “I like to think of myself as the Victor Borge of the blues,” states the Reverend, but Billy goes way beyond Borge both in scope of subject matter (from politics to social commentary) and, of course, in taste. In fact, no theme is too extreme, taboo, or undignified for the Reverend, so long as it garners a good laugh.

Goateed and copiously tattooed, he is the antithesis of anyone’s ordinary concept of a preacher. Yet, as his name implies, Billy often employs this stage persona to set the scene in a song. Like an itinerant revivalist in a carnival tent, he’ll begin slowly and gradually build to a rapid fire torrent, as if he were whipping the congregation into a frenzy. Accentuating the lyrics with wild hand gesticulations and exaggerated facial expressions, he becomes a comedian, twisted televangelist and barrel house piano player rolled into one. Just when the crowd senses that he’s about to explode in some massive spasm, he’ll compose himself and segue into a slow blues number while asking the assembled multitude to forgive him for being “overcome by the spirit.” Naturally, his fans, the “faithful,” are accustomed to this denouement and even shout “Amen” but not before egging him on to even more histrionics before that ultimate crescendo is reached. “Testify, Billy, testify,” they cry, and the Reverend Billy, gathering strength from their exhortations like a hurricane from warm waters, is always willing to accommodate them.

Rev. Billy Wirtz Live performance

JJ Grey (lead singer from MOFRO)

Friday & Saturday - Dec. 8th & 9th, 2006 - $18

That warm, slow, southern, drawl. Words flow out of my Granny’s mouth like butter. Like many a southerner, she can also sit quiet and play the dumb one, never let on for an instant that behind those smoldering eyes she’s already read you like a newspaper. Her little tin roofed, heart pine, asbestos sided ‘cracker’ house sits here — an island in the high piney woods of north Florida.

I’ve lived all my life beneath the watchful eye of these towering oaks, long leaf pine, cypress and cabbage palms. These red clay roads blistered out to sand by the intense Florida sun, these tea colored creeks warm and full of fish, these beautiful gardens full of whatever seasonal crop we’ve laid down. These old chicken farmers who helped raise me have given me so much more than a place to hang my hat. They’ve given me a home, they’ve given me roots and honestly that has as much or more to do with who I am musically as any of the songs I’ve listened to growing up.

The heartbreaking southern ballad or the festive juke house romp. The joy to watch the butterflies beautiful dance in the summer sun by day or the mysterious fireflies by night, and then the hole it leaves in your heart, the sorrow, when they’re seemingly gone forever. The pain of walking this hard earth, and then the thrill of feeling your bare feet on the ground. The greatest inspiration of all.

These men and women who sing, whose voices move me, whose songs tell me the stories of living, loving, hating, hurting, healing and dieing. Lord I hope I do them proud.

- JJ Grey

Mofro Live Video for “Fireflies”

Cheryl Wheeler, Melissa Kauttu

Friday - Dec. 1st, 2006 - $15

If your idea of a folk singer/songwriter concert is a bunch of people clapping politely after songs, and then sitting quietly while the performer says things like “This next song is about …”, well, you’ve never seen a Cheryl Wheeler concert before.

Cheryl’s concerts are more like what you would find at a comedy club than expect to find at a folk music concert. She will tell a story that has you rolling in the aisles, and then sing a song that leaves you wiping tears from your eyes. She will talk about some serious current event, and then sing a song that will have you howling with laughter. Her entire concert is a emotional roller coaster.

Her set list used to be a crumpled piece of paper with a bunch of song titles. She has improved on that. Now she has a picture of her border collie James in a plastic holder with the set list written on a piece of paper tucked behind the picture. After each song, she’ll look at the list and decide what to do next. If somebody calls out a request, and her guitar is in the right key, she might try it, even if she hasn’t done it in a while. If she has two sets back to back, she almost never does the same (or even similar) group of songs.

Her funny stories between songs show as much diversity. Each time she tells a story, it will be a little bit different, so even if you’ve heard it before, you still find yourself laughing.

Cheryl Wheeler snippet from a live performance of one of her joke songs

Mount Eerie (the microphones), Jason Anderson, Lightning Paw

Monday - Nov. 27th, 2006 - $8

Mount Eerie represents the latest evolution of Phil Elverum’s musical vision. Formerly known as The Microphones, Phil changed his project’s name to Mount Eerie while maintaining his subtle, lo-fi, and lyrically dense fuzz-folk aesthetic.

Elverum explained this change in an 2003 interview with Discoder, asserting that “Mount Eerie is a new project. The Microphones was completed, or at least at a good stopping point. I did it because I am ready for new things. I am new.”

As Mount Eerie, Phil is generally sans synthesizers, drums, and the accenting voices of Mirah, The Blow, and fellow K-Records/Anacortes friends. Mount Eerie’s album “Seven New Songs of Mount Eerie” was also the first recording released on Phil’s new label, P.W.Elverum & Sun

Mount Eerie Video for “Solar System”

John Hammond, Marty Scott

Thursday - Nov. 16th, 2006 - $18

From coffeehouses to concert halls, festivals and beyond, John Hammond has spent forty years entertaining blues, folk and rock audiences around the world, performing intense solo-acoustic blues. A Grammy Award winner and four time nominee, Hammond is also a multiple W.C. Handy award winner who has shared the stage and/or recorded with many of the masters, including Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. John has recorded over twenty five albums and his passionate commitment to traditional blues made him the natural choice to host the BRAVO TV special and Sony Home Video, The Search for Robert Johnson. His 2003 release, Ready For Love, was produced by David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and is the perfect follow up to Wicked Grin, the acclaimed album produced by longtime friend Tom Waits and featuring all Waits’ songs. Ready For Love features John’s road band including Augie Meyers, Stephen Hodges, Frank Carillo and Marty Ballou playing an exciting variety of tracks including songs by George Jones, Tom Waits, David Hidalgo, Jagger and Richards, Willie Dixon, and a rare original by John himself.

John Hammond Live Performance

The Elected (Blake of Rilo Kiley), Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos

Saturday - Nov 11th, 2006 - $10

The Elected, fronted by Blake (Rilo Kiley guitarist/co-songwriter), released its debut album, Me First, in 2004. Recorded sporadically at pal Elliott Smith’s studio with Bright Eyes superman Mike Mogis and The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello, the album was filled with sparse, intimate gems - twinkling pop songs that recalled ’60s-inspired West Coast pop, the blissful twang of Gram Parsons and the crumpled whispers of Neil Young.

Sun, Sun, Sun furthers that tradition but also raises the bar. Where Me First sparkled with a lo-fi airiness anchored primarily by a mixture of drum machines, sequencers, guitar and lap steel, Sun, Sun, Sun takes that aesthetic to great new heights. Produced by Blake and multi-instrumentalist Mike Bloom at various L.A. locales, as well as various places along the road while on tour with Rilo Kiley, it draws from deep within the classic rock canon - summoning everything from early Grateful Dead, The Beatles, The Band, Pink Floyd, and The Eagles. This time out, the band experiments with a greater depth of sound (think ’70s hi-fi rather than modern-day lo-fi) and influence (think more classic, less country). Fans of Rilo Kiley will no doubt ally themselves with The Elected’s sharp-witted pop sensibility and remain close by. But Blake’s blatant sonic and thematic departures from that realm - and his allegiance to less orthodox songwriters like Jim Croce and Tom Waits.

Throughout Sun, Sun, Sun, Blake spins rousing narratives about where hearts might go when they fall off our sleeves, the places we live when we’ve lost our home address, and the ironies that snicker rather loudly when we call ourselves adults. Maybe it’s coming of age when you’ve already gotten there, getting back to your roots when they’ve long been ripped up, or moving forward and always looking back. Whatever the case, the fact remains: Sun, Sun, Sun will break your heart, take you home, hold your hand and carry you forward. And for once, you don’t have to keep your eyes on the road - Blake’s doing it for you.

The Elected Video for “Not Going Home”

Jeff Coffin Mu’tet and Futureman

Friday - Nov. 10th, 2006 - $20
Special Performance at the Alcazar in the Lightner Museum
All proceeds to benefit the St. John’s Cultural Council

Jeff Coffin, well-traveled saxophonist, composer, and Grammy Award winning member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, rejects all labels and categories other than “music” and “musician.” In the face of his epic 2005 release “BLOOM”, even those once-broad tags fall short of defining the close coiling of sound, philosophy, and humanity that is the core of his art.
Since 1997, Coffin has traveled the world with the Flecktones, performing with musicians of all walks. Those with whom Jeff has shared the stage and/or the recording studio include such diverse artists as Baaba Maal, McCoy Tyner, The Dave Matthews Band, Umphrees McGee, Savion Glover, Branford Marsalis, Jeff (Apt. Q-258) Sipe, Mike Clark’s Prescription Trio, Keller Williams, Mavis Staples, Garth Brooks, Van Morrison, J.D. Souther, Vinnie Colaiuta, Bob Moses, Stanton Moore, George Porter Jr., Anders Osborne, Jerry Douglas, Derek Trucks, John Scofield, Prasanna, Yonder Mountain String Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Wailers and many, many others. Along the way, Coffin has absorbed an astounding range of influences. “Whether it be New Orleans Second Line, African music, Indian Ragas, folk songs, Alan Lomax field recordings, jazz, or funk,” he says, “the spirit and breath of the music is what I take away from listening and playing. It’s what decides for me whether I like it or not.”

Jeff Coffin Mu’tet live performance 08-06

The Mountains Goats, Jennifer O’Connor

Saturday - Nov. 4th, 2006 - $10

John Darnielle is one of the most imaginative lyricists of his generation. Since he sat cross-legged with an acoustic guitar in front of a boom box and pressed record for the first time - more than a decade ago - skewed characters, vibrant images and perfectly-framed narratives have flowed in their hundreds. In that time, he has conjured - from laconic, blazing phrases - insights into a multitude of vivid alternative realities. He has inhabited the minds of murderers and suicides, prophets and emperors. He has documented a disintegrating, alcoholic marriage (in the “Alpha” series), the inner lives of teenage metal fans (”The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton”) and the final moments of prehistoric sacrificial victims (”Tollund Man”). He has even brought to life a world so improbably perfect that the Chicago Cubs could win a World Series (”Cubs In Five”).

The Mountain Goats Video for “Woke Up New”

Tapes n’ Tapes, The Annuals, Mouse Fire

Friday - Oct. 27th, 2006 - $10

Minneapolis, MN, indie rock classicists Tapes ‘n Tapes formed in the winter of 2003, when guitarist/vocalist Josh Grier (aka “Tapes 1″), bassist Matt Kretzmann (”‘n”) and guitarist Steve Nelson (”Tapes 2″) began crafting a sound that harked back to the Pixies and Pavement and also recalled more contemporary bands like the Shins. Nelson left the band, with drummer Karl Schweitz becoming the band’s second “Tapes”; this lineup recorded the Tapes ‘n Tapes EP in early 2004, recording in a cabin in Wisconsin. After the EP’s release, Tapes ‘n Tapes played a string of gigs with I Am the World Trade Center, the Streets, Metric, and the Futureheads. Kretzmann moved to Seattle in summer 2004, and bassist Shawn Neary became Tapes ‘n Tapes second “‘n.” The band went through more lineup changes: Schweitz moved to Madison, WI, early the following year, and Jeremy Hanson joined as Tapes ‘n Tapes’ new drummer. This version of the band recorded its debut album, The Loon, in summer 2005 with producer/engineer Erik Appelwick. Ibid Records released The Loon that fall; around that time, Kretzmann rejoined the Tapes ‘n Tapes fold. Positive reviews of The Loon and the band’s consistent gigging — which included a winter 2006 East Coast tour and an appearance at that year’s South by Southwest — led to Tapes ‘n Tapes signing with XL Records.

Tapes n’ Tapes Video for “Cowbell”

Specials for Oct. 19-26, 2006

Our Featured Specials for this week are:

Mahi Fish Tacos: Seasoned and Sauteed Mahi strips with Fresh Coleslaw and an Avocado Sauce all wrapped in two Tomato Basil Tortillas

Three Cheese Mushroom Quesadillas: A Blend of Three Cheeses and Button Mushrooms grilled in a Tomato Basil Tortilla and served with a spicy Black Bean and Corn Salsa

*Due to popular demand, we will also be running the specials from last through this week.

Man Man & EYC

Monday October 16th, 2006 @8:30pm Tix $8

Tracy Grammer

Oct 14th — 8:30pm — $12

Tracy Grammer

Oct. 14th — 8:30PM — $12

Specials for October 11-18, 2006

Our Featured Specials for this week are:

Toasted Tomato Bruschetta Appetizer:A Tomato Basil Bruschetta Mix Served with Ciabatta bread toasted with a Parmesan Spread

Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese:Trumpet pasta baked in a three cheese blend and topped with a Japanese Panko Crust

Poached Pear Salad:Wine Reduced Sliced Poached Pears, Cajun Candied Pecans, and Gorgonzola Cheese on a bed of mixed greens with a Subtle Vanilla Vinaigrette on top.

We also added two new seasonal beers on tap:

Sam Adams Octoberfest: Darker and stronger the Sam Adams Lager with a mild sweetness
Leinie’s Sunset Wheat: Light and smooth, it is brewed with coriander which gives it a pronounced citrusy taste