Autumn 2008
Arts Life
By Susan Green
True Blues
While exploring the music of The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix as a teen, Georgia-born Robert Cray discovered the blues in 1969. His notion of becoming an architect soon gave way to total immersion in music, capped by signing with a major label in 1982. Five Grammys and 17 albums later, the blues singer, songwriter and guitarist will appear in Shelburne on Aug. 26.
Vermont blues veteran Clyde Stats plans to be at the concert. "Even though Cray doesn't come from the Mississippi Delta, his style is authentic and true to the roots," says the Burlington bassist, who played with blues greats such as Howlin' Wolf and Hound Dog Taylor in Chicago. "Cray's not as demonstrative or dramatic as some; there's no grandstanding. His music is subtle but powerful."
Stats has taught courses on the blues at the University of Vermont and Johnson State College. "Most blues songs are about everyday things, sex, alcohol, my baby left me. The idea is to tell it like it is, even if they're talking about stuff that never happened to them."
Accordingly, in 2005, Cray wrote "Twenty," with controversial lyrics from the perspective of a soldier in Iraq who laments that he's "got to fight the rich man's war." Like his rock idols of the 1960s, the blues virtuoso apparently wants to give peace a chance.
- What: Robert Cray Band concert, with Keb' Mo' as the opening act
- When: 6 p.m., Aug. 26
- Where: A Ben & Jerry's Concert on the Green, Shelburne Museum
- Cost: $42 in advance, $45 day ofthe show
- Tickets: (888) 512-7469 or www.highergroundmusic.com
Time in the Woods
With his father dead and mother mostly absent, Dominic Koval wound up on a Cornwall dairy farm, from age 12 to 15, before relocating to Massachusetts. Although he got no encouragement from relatives, friends or teachers, the peripatetic adolescent always found time to explore his abiding interest in art.
"I spent a lot of time in the woods and in my own head," says Koval, still entranced by the natural world.
Koval recently had triple-bypass heart surgery that damaged the nerves in his right arm, but at 67 he continues drawing, painting, sculpting and gathering wild mushrooms on the Lake Elmore property where he settled 23 years ago. Several of Koval's bas-relief pieces — such as the image of birds and owls perched on a woman's wide-brimmed bonnet — will be exhibited throughout November at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester.
"It's hard to convey a sense of three dimensions in wood that's only an inch thick," Koval notes, referring to an art form as old as ancient Egypt.
Moreover, he must limit his carving to poplar because of allergic reactions to black walnut, apple and especially pine. "I've been working outside under a tent with a fan blowing," says Koval, whose home-based gallery is called The Well of Stars. "But this year I forgot about the black flies."
- What: Dominic Koval exhibit
- When: Nov. 1 – Dec. 2, with a 2 p.m. reception on opening day
- Where: Yester House Gallery, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester
- Cost: Free
- Information: (802) 362-1405 or www.svac.org
Constant Artistry
"Performing in Rutland makes me a little nervous," acknowledges award-winning singer, guitarist and mandolin player Dan Tyminski, who grew up there but now lives in Nashville. "A lot more people know stuff about you."
Hometown folks know that the 41-year-old native Vermonter, booked at the Paramount Theatre on Sept. 27, was raised on bluegrass and old-time country music. "We went to festivals, square dances and fiddle contests," Tyminski says of many a family outing.
After a decade with other bluegrass bands, in 1994 he joined one of the nation's pre-eminent ensembles, Alison Krauss and Union Station. And his tenor vocals were heard in the 2000 film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" when actor George Clooney lip-synced "Man of Constant Sorrow." The traditional tune earned Tyminski a Grammy, among 13 to date.
A man of constant artistry, Tyminski is marking the release of a new solo CD, "Wheels," by touring with his own five-member combo while Union Station is on hiatus. "The standard of success for me is if you want to listen more than once," Tyminski explains. "After the last song, you start the record all over again."
Thanks to the movie, bluegrass is more popular than ever. Tyminski sees kids with spiked hair and body piercings in the audience, alongside the usual cowboy-hat demographic. "If people feel the groove," he suggests, "it translates to all ages and all walks of life."
- What: Dan Tyminski Band concert
- When: 8 p.m., Sept. 27
- Where: Paramount Theatre, Rutland
- Cost: $32.50 and less
- Tickets: (802) 775-0903 or www.paramountlive.org
